It has been a while, as far as we know, since any of the “sent out” have been sent out. Angels haven’t appeared to much of anybody for quite a while, and then all of a sudden they are popping up everywhere. Not just any angels; the legendary ones. The angel of the Lord appears to Zechariah in the temple in Jerusalem. Gabriel shows up at Nazareth to see Mary. And then the angel of the Lord makes another appearance to Joseph.
These angelic visitors have amazing credentials, impressive resumes, and direct access to God, and yet God sends them to unknown people, living insignificant lives in insignificant towns with insignificant assets and insignificant political power. Although they come from families with interesting histories, nothing in any of their stories sets them apart. They are unknowns. Nobodies. Nearly invisible.
Hear the word of God describe one of these visits:
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you."
But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."
Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?"
The angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God."
Then Mary said, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her.
With this knowledge, can we imagine how Mary took care of herself during this pregnancy? Do we understand the care with which these humble people delivered these God-promised children, John and Jesus, into this world? Have we ever thought about how these called-out parents measured every word that they used to comfort, nurture, direct, and discipline these babies with such huge destinies? If it were our calling, how would we raise the prophet and herald of the King, and the King himself?
That is a sobering question, isn’t it? And yet it is not as irrelevant as it might seem at first. No, in fact, we have not been called to raise John or Jesus in our homes. Yet, despite the fact that we may be nobodies, too, might God have placed a child with an extraordinary calling in our care? Who knows? We might have a Sarah or a Samuel, a Mary or a Micaiah, an Elizabeth or an Elijah, an Abigail or an Amos, a Joanna or a Josiah or a Joshua … mightn’t we?
Remember the words of Jesus? “Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.”
Because of the amount of time that God may choose for our children to be in this world, they have, according to Jesus, the potential to lay at the feet of Jesus a larger body of work than that which Jesus had time to do. More significant? Certainly not. Important in the eyes of Jesus Christ? Absolutely. Through the power of Jesus? That’s what he said.
Every one of the children born to our care, and every one of the young men placed in our care, has this kind of potential. If God made a good creation when he made humanity, if Jesus spoke the truth, if we can trust his promises, then that potential belongs to all of these children. We can take the “if” out of all of those phrases, can’t we, because they’re all true. Now the “Ifs” are all in our court: if we will teach our children when we rise up and lie down, if we will show a child the way that is right when they are young, if we will not provoke a child to wrath, then we will have the possibilities that go with those practices. Will we take the “if” out of those? Will we try?
If we’re raising our children differently than we would Jesus, why?
Blessings,
Ron
Luke 1:26-38; John 14:12-14 – NRSV
Showing posts with label coming. Show all posts
Showing posts with label coming. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
Being found in human form ...
Today, scripture and prayer for our meditations.
If then there is any encouragement in Christ,
any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit,
any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete:
be of the same mind, having the same love,
being in full accord and of one mind.
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit,
but in humility regard others as better than yourselves.
Let each of you look not to your own interests,
but to the interests of others.
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
Who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,
but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death —
even death on a cross.
Therefore God also highly exalted him
and gave him the name
that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:1-11 - NRSV
Prayers
Søren Kierkegaard
Our Father, you called us and saved us in order to make us like your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Change us, day by day, by the work of your Holy Spirit so that we may grow more like him in all that we think and say and do, to his glory. Amen
Yes, Lord Jesus Christ, whether we be far off or near, far away from you in the human swarm, in business, in early cares, in temporal joys, in merely human highness, or far from all this, forsaken, unappreciated in lowliness, and with this the nearer to you, do you draw us entirely to yourself.
Peace,
Ron
If then there is any encouragement in Christ,
any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit,
any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete:
be of the same mind, having the same love,
being in full accord and of one mind.
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit,
but in humility regard others as better than yourselves.
Let each of you look not to your own interests,
but to the interests of others.
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
Who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,
but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death —
even death on a cross.
Therefore God also highly exalted him
and gave him the name
that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:1-11 - NRSV
Prayers
Søren Kierkegaard
Our Father, you called us and saved us in order to make us like your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Change us, day by day, by the work of your Holy Spirit so that we may grow more like him in all that we think and say and do, to his glory. Amen
Yes, Lord Jesus Christ, whether we be far off or near, far away from you in the human swarm, in business, in early cares, in temporal joys, in merely human highness, or far from all this, forsaken, unappreciated in lowliness, and with this the nearer to you, do you draw us entirely to yourself.
Peace,
Ron
Saturday, December 20, 2008
The glory of the Lord shone around them ...
As is our custom, a scripture for Saturday:
In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see — I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favors!"
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
Luke 2:1-20 – NRSV
Blessings,
Ron
In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see — I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favors!"
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
Luke 2:1-20 – NRSV
Blessings,
Ron
Friday, December 19, 2008
A star that does what stars do not ...
This is no natural phenomenon.
These men know and understand nature.
They have traced the arcs of the stars.
They have searched out the eccentricities of the
bright and orbiting planets.
If they were to see a comet,
it would not be their first.
Yet what they see shakes them,
it moves them to leave their ivory towers
to seek out the remarkable person marked
by this bright portent, this luminous omen.
It is a star; a star where once there was none.
A star that does what stars do not:
Stand still.
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage." When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:
'And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd my people Israel.'"
Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage." When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
Matthew 2:1-12 – NRSV
These learned and wise ones come bringing gifts,
Offering tribute to what must be a great and mighty king.
Somehow the starry signal is so clear,
somehow the child seems so extraordinary,
that the simple shepherds and the simple surroundings
do not distract from the message or its power, but,
instead, make clear just what kind of message
God is sending through this child.
These wise ones come bringing gifts, yet
They leave feeling that they have been out-given.
Now, it is true that wisdom can lead to despair,
much learning can make one too timid to act,
and scholarship too frequently provokes cynicism,
but these wise ones have been given hope.
And courage.
And faith.
A Prayer
Kim Kwan Suk
Give us hope
To look forward
To happy tomorrows.
Give us courage
To face hardships
Without losing hope.
Give us faith
So that the joy of receiving Christ
Will lead us to serve our fellow [human].
Give us appreciation
For the gifts we have received
That we might use them responsibly
Daring to give
Friendship, service, and love.
Give us Christmas throughout the year
Blessings,
Ron
These men know and understand nature.
They have traced the arcs of the stars.
They have searched out the eccentricities of the
bright and orbiting planets.
If they were to see a comet,
it would not be their first.
Yet what they see shakes them,
it moves them to leave their ivory towers
to seek out the remarkable person marked
by this bright portent, this luminous omen.
It is a star; a star where once there was none.
A star that does what stars do not:
Stand still.
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage." When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:
'And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd my people Israel.'"
Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage." When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
Matthew 2:1-12 – NRSV
These learned and wise ones come bringing gifts,
Offering tribute to what must be a great and mighty king.
Somehow the starry signal is so clear,
somehow the child seems so extraordinary,
that the simple shepherds and the simple surroundings
do not distract from the message or its power, but,
instead, make clear just what kind of message
God is sending through this child.
These wise ones come bringing gifts, yet
They leave feeling that they have been out-given.
Now, it is true that wisdom can lead to despair,
much learning can make one too timid to act,
and scholarship too frequently provokes cynicism,
but these wise ones have been given hope.
And courage.
And faith.
A Prayer
Kim Kwan Suk
Give us hope
To look forward
To happy tomorrows.
Give us courage
To face hardships
Without losing hope.
Give us faith
So that the joy of receiving Christ
Will lead us to serve our fellow [human].
Give us appreciation
For the gifts we have received
That we might use them responsibly
Daring to give
Friendship, service, and love.
Give us Christmas throughout the year
Blessings,
Ron
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Can I have a picture?
The Torah is truth. Its words are sublime, wise, and empowering. But even with this divine revelation, the chosen people continue to struggle to understand what it means to be the community of God. Yes, the written word is a lamp unto our feet, but is it enough? What does it mean to be the people of God? What does it mean to be a blessing to all nations? What does it mean to really enact the kingdom of God?
Like many people picking up a book, we start looking for a picture or two to help us out. And if there are no pictures, can I have a diagram? Or maybe a map?
Jesus is our picture.
“If you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father.”
“I am the Word.”
“I am the Way.”
“I am the Light.”
The life of Jesus is a complete portfolio,
visualizing the “word of God” becoming the “Word of God”.
Consider the words of Rodney Clapp:
God’s Word is not first and foremost abstract belief, propositionalized truth. So it is that Jesus – a person, not a proposition – is presented as the supreme and the unique embodiment of the Word (John 2:11; 20:30). And he is constantly about embodying the words of life. He speaks of the bread of life and miraculously feeds over five thousand with edible, actual bread (John 6). He speaks of the light of the world and heals the blind (John 8:12, 9:1-11). He speaks of the resurrection and the life and raises Lazarus from the dead (John 11). He speaks of servanthood and washes the disciples feet (John 13). And John seems to expect that this speaking and its embodiment will continue, for Jesus says to his followers, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you” (John 20:21). To recognize the church as the body of Christ is to recognize that the church exists as a continual, ongoing embodiment of God’s Word.
What Jesus is, is what we, his church, are called to be.
What Jesus does, is what we, his body, are called to do.
Even though the entire church does not have the giftedness or power
to match what Jesus could do, it is our calling to try.
To try to talk honestly with the one struggling for answers,
To try to engage the pain of the broken and hurting,
To try to live openly before the babes learning the godly life,
To try to point to sanity and salvation for a world desperate for both,
To try to speak out loud the truth that is more and more subversive
to the powers and principalities in our world every day.
Then, having tried, to examine the truth of our failings,
to listen to the voice of the truth-speaking prophets,
and try to do better tomorrow.
As we celebrate the coming of Jesus among us in the flesh,
May we have the courage to enact Jesus living among us in the flesh,
Until the day that he appears in person, triumphant and eternal.
Amen.
Grace and peace,
Ron
Quote from Rodney Clapp, A Peculiar People, p. 136.
Like many people picking up a book, we start looking for a picture or two to help us out. And if there are no pictures, can I have a diagram? Or maybe a map?
Jesus is our picture.
“If you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father.”
“I am the Word.”
“I am the Way.”
“I am the Light.”
The life of Jesus is a complete portfolio,
visualizing the “word of God” becoming the “Word of God”.
Consider the words of Rodney Clapp:
God’s Word is not first and foremost abstract belief, propositionalized truth. So it is that Jesus – a person, not a proposition – is presented as the supreme and the unique embodiment of the Word (John 2:11; 20:30). And he is constantly about embodying the words of life. He speaks of the bread of life and miraculously feeds over five thousand with edible, actual bread (John 6). He speaks of the light of the world and heals the blind (John 8:12, 9:1-11). He speaks of the resurrection and the life and raises Lazarus from the dead (John 11). He speaks of servanthood and washes the disciples feet (John 13). And John seems to expect that this speaking and its embodiment will continue, for Jesus says to his followers, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you” (John 20:21). To recognize the church as the body of Christ is to recognize that the church exists as a continual, ongoing embodiment of God’s Word.
What Jesus is, is what we, his church, are called to be.
What Jesus does, is what we, his body, are called to do.
Even though the entire church does not have the giftedness or power
to match what Jesus could do, it is our calling to try.
To try to talk honestly with the one struggling for answers,
To try to engage the pain of the broken and hurting,
To try to live openly before the babes learning the godly life,
To try to point to sanity and salvation for a world desperate for both,
To try to speak out loud the truth that is more and more subversive
to the powers and principalities in our world every day.
Then, having tried, to examine the truth of our failings,
to listen to the voice of the truth-speaking prophets,
and try to do better tomorrow.
As we celebrate the coming of Jesus among us in the flesh,
May we have the courage to enact Jesus living among us in the flesh,
Until the day that he appears in person, triumphant and eternal.
Amen.
Grace and peace,
Ron
Quote from Rodney Clapp, A Peculiar People, p. 136.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
I will rescue ...
The restless wind is cold and merciless as it blows over the land. It stirs the blanket of snow covering the landscape without moving or melting it. The snow would be beautiful if it were new and if it had not been there for a long time, a time which seemed to approach forever in the memories of the inhabitants of the land. The snow, beautiful once, has now become hateful and oppressive. Even with that snow, the land has become cloudy and dark.
If not for the hardiness of its citizens, the land of Narnia would appear to be near death, the last of its life oozing away as it writhes in the talons of the witch. Yet something remains that cold, brutality, wickedness, and oppression cannot seem to destroy: Hope. Hope stirs the hearts of the faithful, and it gives them the strength to go on as if the oppression were only temporary, as if the world might be different somehow, as if it made sense to live counter-cultural lives.
What stirs these hearts? What moves as a threat to this wasteland of white? What keeps this hope alive? Three little words. Three little words that are the beginning of a narrative subversive to the hate and the oppression and the waste holding the land and its population captive. The words? Aslan is coming. People who do not even know who Aslan might be are moved by these words. The way that the words are spoken, you know that Aslan must be a savior or king. It seems obvious that Aslan is bringing something vital: rescue, light, and life. Three words bring all of this good news and more. Aslan is coming.
Since C. S. Lewis writes this story for children, he does not conceal too carefully the metaphoric connection between Aslan and Jesus. One does not need a PhD in Composition and Rhetoric to see that feelings experienced in the anticipation of Aslan are parallel to the emotions stirred at the coming of Christ. But his story does make us think. It makes us think about how things were just before Jesus.
It makes us think
of the many failed efforts at human government.
It reminds us about
humanity’s struggle with faithfulness before a faithful God.
It brings to mind
the tendency for people with power to abuse power,
turning it to their own purposes
instead of those of God or his people.
Misgovernment, unfaithfulness, and abuse of power
always lead to poverty, despair, and oppression.
But God will not leave us there.
For thus says the Lord God: I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. As shepherds seek out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness.
Ezekiel 34:11-13 – NRSV
Yet for God’s people in captivity, a short sentence reveals the belief that Yahweh is not about judgment, but about salvation. His Torah was not meant to bring condemnation but peace. His Word is intended to bring the opposite of despair; it stirs hope. The Messiah is coming. Have we become callous to the power of that brief sentence? Surely we still see the need? Surely the cold winds of life have not snuffed out this hope in our heart?
Yes, Jesus came to us nearly 2,000 years ago. But the people of this planet are still looking for him. If we are truly the body of Christ, if each of us can enact our part within that body, he will come here today, too. His presence in his people can still save, can still heal, can still comfort. But we have to believe. We have to remember to believe, and behave as if we really do believe. Faith. Hope. Love. Faith will stir hope, and hope will empower love. That kind of love is more than wishful thinking; it is hopeful living.
Learn to do good;
seek justice,
rescue the oppressed,
defend the orphan,
plead for the widow.
Isaiah 1:17 – NRSV
Grace and peace,
Ron
*C. S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, The Chronicles of Narnia
If not for the hardiness of its citizens, the land of Narnia would appear to be near death, the last of its life oozing away as it writhes in the talons of the witch. Yet something remains that cold, brutality, wickedness, and oppression cannot seem to destroy: Hope. Hope stirs the hearts of the faithful, and it gives them the strength to go on as if the oppression were only temporary, as if the world might be different somehow, as if it made sense to live counter-cultural lives.
What stirs these hearts? What moves as a threat to this wasteland of white? What keeps this hope alive? Three little words. Three little words that are the beginning of a narrative subversive to the hate and the oppression and the waste holding the land and its population captive. The words? Aslan is coming. People who do not even know who Aslan might be are moved by these words. The way that the words are spoken, you know that Aslan must be a savior or king. It seems obvious that Aslan is bringing something vital: rescue, light, and life. Three words bring all of this good news and more. Aslan is coming.
Since C. S. Lewis writes this story for children, he does not conceal too carefully the metaphoric connection between Aslan and Jesus. One does not need a PhD in Composition and Rhetoric to see that feelings experienced in the anticipation of Aslan are parallel to the emotions stirred at the coming of Christ. But his story does make us think. It makes us think about how things were just before Jesus.
It makes us think
of the many failed efforts at human government.
It reminds us about
humanity’s struggle with faithfulness before a faithful God.
It brings to mind
the tendency for people with power to abuse power,
turning it to their own purposes
instead of those of God or his people.
Misgovernment, unfaithfulness, and abuse of power
always lead to poverty, despair, and oppression.
But God will not leave us there.
For thus says the Lord God: I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. As shepherds seek out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness.
Ezekiel 34:11-13 – NRSV
Yet for God’s people in captivity, a short sentence reveals the belief that Yahweh is not about judgment, but about salvation. His Torah was not meant to bring condemnation but peace. His Word is intended to bring the opposite of despair; it stirs hope. The Messiah is coming. Have we become callous to the power of that brief sentence? Surely we still see the need? Surely the cold winds of life have not snuffed out this hope in our heart?
Yes, Jesus came to us nearly 2,000 years ago. But the people of this planet are still looking for him. If we are truly the body of Christ, if each of us can enact our part within that body, he will come here today, too. His presence in his people can still save, can still heal, can still comfort. But we have to believe. We have to remember to believe, and behave as if we really do believe. Faith. Hope. Love. Faith will stir hope, and hope will empower love. That kind of love is more than wishful thinking; it is hopeful living.
Learn to do good;
seek justice,
rescue the oppressed,
defend the orphan,
plead for the widow.
Isaiah 1:17 – NRSV
Grace and peace,
Ron
*C. S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, The Chronicles of Narnia
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