Advent
November 27, 2014
Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:3-9
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind— just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you— so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. — 1 Corinthians 1:3-7
It is appropriate that on this Thanksgiving Day in the United States of America the lectionary provides us with Paul’s oft used salutation, I give thanks to my God always for you…so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. As I write this, yesterday Ferguson, Missouri was rent asunder in anger and frustration following a Missouri Grand Jury decision that there was no probable cause to indict the policeman who killed a young black man accused of stealing a handful of cigars. Today, I do not feel anyone should be thankful for me as I feel so terribly helpless to respond.
While, I am sure, there will never be consensus on what actually happened in Ferguson a couple of months ago, I am sure that an indictment was issued by God yesterday in Ferguson against this entire great nation and all our people. This indictment found more than probable cause to show that we are a broken nation torn apart by hunger for power and greed fueled by fear. We have lost sight of the fact that our most valuable resource is our wonderfully diverse people all blessed by our creator with gifts of which all are necessary for our country to thrive. It is our job as citizens to remove any barriers to the fruition of each of those gifts being fully realized.
It is our job as Christians to follow the example of Jesus Christ in living our love of God fully among all peoples, welcoming all people as our neighbors, and loving our neighbors as we love ourselves. And whether we feel like it today or not, God has already equipped us to do that very job through the gifts of the Spirit in each of our lives and in our combined lives as the Body of Christ in the world today and for that let us all be thankful and let it be so.
Prayer: Lord forgive us for feeling so inadequate to respond in such a time as this. Please turn our inadequacies into inspiration for finding your way, your truth, and your life in each step we take over the coming months toward wholeness, oneness, and justice. Amen.
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.