Tag Archives: Hope

Avoiding the Pitfalls of Life

Wedding feastLiving in the Spirit
Light a Candle for Children
October 11, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Matthew 22:1-14

 Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying: ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. — Matthew 22:1-3

Why do you suppose the guest would not come to the wedding? Clearly they are not concerned about how the King would react to such a snub. They have an uncanny lack of political correctness. This group of guest may even have no regard for their own safety or future in the kingdom. Perhaps they feel unworthy to be in the King’s presence or perhaps they worry that they do not have the right clothes to wear. My guess is that, if they are like those of us today, they were so self-absorbed in the everyday routines of life that there was no room left to worry about their neighbor even if the neighbor is a king.

What has set us today at such a frantic pace of ennui—emptiness of spirit? Is it technology pollution or over stimulation from mass communications? Have we lost our sense of hope? Jesus in telling us in this parable that our lack of engagement with God, running our own show doing life our way, is not the answer. Being in sync with God orders all of life so that we can celebrate when it is time to celebrate and love when it is time to love and trust that our future is in God’s hands.

Our challenge is to live our faith such that we are enabling all to come into sync with God. When that happens, the things of this world will not overwhelm us.

Oklahoma Fact: 7% of youth ages 12 to 17 years of age participate in binge alcohol drinking. For young adults 18 to 25 years of age the percentage increases to 38%.*

Prayer: God of Hope, save us from the pitfalls of life that impair our judgment and destroy our potential. Amen.

*http://datacenter.kidscount.org/data/tables/38-binge-alcohol-drinking-among-youths-by-age-group?loc=38&loct=2#detailed/2/38/false/909,857,105,118,104/30,31/14407,315

 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.

 

Hope

Living in the Spirit
July 18, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Romans 8:12-25 

We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. — Romans 8:22-25

Hope* has two definitions: the current one, to cherish a desire with expectation and an archaic one, to place confidence or trust — usually used with in. The second is most likely the one Paul is using in our scripture today. It is the confidence and trust we have in Jesus Christ that sustains us. The first, though has meaning for Christians, too, as we usher in the Kingdom of God and wait with great expectation for its fruition.

The phrase “Ugly Americans”**, which I had not thought of in years, popped into my head as I watched on the news some US citizens turning back in anger the buses of refugee children being transported to the US citizens town for safe keeping. It is perhaps not a correct descriptor. Millions of US citizens are frustrated as they cannot find work or work hard and do not get ahead. They think these new people will compete for their sources of wellbeing. Actually our country’s economy is doing quite well for a few. The stock market is breaking records, unemployment is down to where it was at the beginning of the recession, but wages are stagnant and the masses are feeling the pinch. Our economy in general may be doing well but it is upside down.

While it is easy to lash out at the “other” whoever they may be, we might want to take a moment to look at the gifts they bring us. I once heard a wise man say that the difference in being poor and living in poverty is hope. These refugee children or their parents or somebody surely have hope or they would not be putting children in harm’s way to get them to the USA. Although we are not much of a shining light for ourselves, we apparently are to some.

Our country has always grown and thrived when we welcome the stranger. Most of us have ancestors who were those strangers once. God knew what God was doing when guiding the writing of our Holy Scriptures peppering welcome the stranger as a command from the first book and throughout the rest of the Bible. Rather than lash out at the “other” let us open our arms to them and invest our energies is making our nation work the way it should through constructive actions like voting wisely and letting our representatives know what we thing is important.

Prayer: Lord, make us good neighbors and good citizens as we live in this world and serve in your Kingdom. Amen.

*http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/hope
**From Wikipedia: The term was used as the title of a 1948 photograph of an American tourist in Havana by the Cuban photographer Constantino Arias (see infobox above),ikipedia but seems to have entered popular culture as the title of a 1958 book by authors William Lederer and Eugene Burdick. In 1963, the book was made into a movie directed by George Englund and starring Marlon Brando.

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