Tag Archives: Called to Serve Christ

In A Fog

Eastertide

May 30, 2022

Scripture Reading: Acts 2:1-21

But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them: ‘Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
“In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
   and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
   and your old men shall dream dreams.
Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
   in those days I will pour out my Spirit;
     and they shall prophesy.
And I will show portents in the heaven above
   and signs on the earth below,
     blood, and fire, and smoky mist.
The sun shall be turned to darkness
   and the moon to blood,
     before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day.
Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” –Acts 2:1-14

And so it begins. The disciples had to shake the fog out of their heads before they could read the scriptures of old and see themselves in them. They had to replace Judas and move on. We, too, go through times of fog when nothing is clear, and all seems out of sync. We are living in such a time as that right now. Our world is still fighting a stubborn virus while trying to recover from its aftermath. Mass shootings are happening repeatedly. We keep asking why. Our leadership seems impotent to address the issues that confound us some stand staunchly in the way of progress while others are being corrupted by greed and lust for power.

We, too, might benefit from an old hymn for evil has always lurked in the background and we are the servants of God called to overcome it.

1 Let justice flow like streams
of sparkling water, pure,
enabling growth, refreshing life,
abundant, cleansing, sure.

2 Let righteousness roll on
as others’ cares we heed,
an ever-flowing stream of faith
translated into deed.

3 So may God’s plumb line, straight,
define our measure true,
and justice, right, and peace pervade
this world our whole life through*.

Prayer: Amen.

* Let justice flow like streams by Jane Parker Huber, See at https://hymnary.org/text/let_justice_flow_like_streams

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 America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

The Siege of Aleppo

aleppo-then-and-nowAdvent
November 27, 2016

Scripture Reading: Matthew 24:36-44

Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour. –Matthew 24:36-44

It is well beyond my imagination what the people of Aleppo, Syria are experiencing right now. They do not know who will be next to die or survive. I am sure some wonder if survival is worth it. One small child is pulled from the rubble alive, and the whole world celebrates. We forget that an estimated 450,000 people have died there, 50,000 were children while we helplessly sit and watch. How off guard were the people of Syria when the various rebels happened, the Assad Regime happened, ISIS happened? Are they any guiltier than we for just wanted to live their lives, love their families, and attend their houses of worship?

Christ was in the beginning, has come, and will come again and abides with us now in spirit and truth. Christ demonstrated the way of life where Aleppo’s under siege do not exist. Where lambs lie down with lions with children safely playing nearby as he studied in the prophets. Jesus’ call to stay awake is not just sentencing us to sleepless nights shivering from fear in our locked and gated homes. His call is a call to action. He wants us to love evil to death and to do that we must be alert and engaged.

Prayer: Lord, let your love fill all the gaps in our love so that your will becomes a reality in our world. 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.