Living in the Spirit
June 25, 2017
Scripture Reading: Matthew 10:24-39
‘Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.
For I have come to set a man against his father,
and a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household.
Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. –Matthew 10:34-39
I think God spends a lot of time figuring out how to work with what we give God when sometimes it’s not pretty. God’s work is always restorative. Even Abraham seeing all the stars in the heavens never saw the whole picture, nor do we who live where artificial light obscures the night sky. As humans, we have little bursts of insight of God’s purpose for this world and our roles in it. We praise God for patience with our blindsides and thank God for the few Aha! moments that bring new insights.
Jesus came to us to stir us out of our complacency and focus us toward being change agents in a world capable of self-destruction as well as fulfillment for all. While we may seek peace and escape from the realities of our world, Jesus modeled living in the world while restoring it to its full potential of light and life and love.
The poem Wind by Wind, wind – a reflection on the Spirit* by William Loader speaks to the varied roles of the Spirit as it works and wields its way into our beings. It is a scary poem, not for the faint of heart, but certainly worth the read. As we watch the principalities and powers of this world stumble through shaping the world to their favor, we would do well to remember that we follow a risen Savior who has overcome the world**. Our challenge is to let go of our priorities and align with God’s.
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for your loving patience with us. Prepare us for such a time as these. Amen.
*http://wwwstaff.murdoch.edu.au/~loader/wind.htm
** See John 16.32-33