The Gift of Mystery

The Gift of Mystery

Simple Gifts - Part 4

Sunday, December 24, 2023
Psalm 8, Luke 2:8-20

When I look up at your skies,
    at what your fingers made—
    the moon and the stars
    that you set firmly in place—
         what are human beings
            that you think about them;
        what are human beings
            that you pay attention to them?

 Psalm 8:3-4 (CEB)

Nearby shepherds were living in the fields, guarding their sheep at night.  The Lord’s angel stood before them, the Lord’s glory shone around them, and they were terrified.

The angel said, “Don’t be afraid! Look! I bring good news to you—wonderful, joyous news for all people.  Your savior is born today in David’s city. He is Christ the Lord.  This is a sign for you: you will find a newborn baby wrapped snugly and lying in a manger.”

 Luke 2:8-12 (CEB)

Listen to this Week’s Sermon here:

_______________

David, a lowly shepherd in the field watching his flocks by night, looks up at the skies and marvels and the wonder of creation, and even more at the great mystery that the God who placed moon and stars in the sky would care about and pay attention to someone like him.  One day this shepherd boy would be king of Israel and would unite the Kingdom in a way that no one has seen before or since.  But whether as a king or a shepherd boy, the mystery remains… Who is this God that would pay attention to a lowly human like me?

Nearly 1,000 years later, shepherds sat out upon those same fields, in the city of David, watching their flocks by night and looking up at the sky.  But instead of the moon and stars, they saw the radiance of an angel of the Lord who brought good news for all people, even seemingly insignificant people like them.

It’s easy to get caught up in the mysteries of obscure Bible passages we don’t understand or theology that doesn’t quite make sense.  Biblical scholars and theologians argue over whether Mary was actually a virgin, or just a young maiden as the original languages imply, and whether or not it really matters.  For centuries, Christians struggled to figure out the mysteries of the incarnation, wondering just how much of Jesus was actually God and how much was human?  Historically it was settled in the creeds, but Jesus himself never seemed particularly concerned with his disciples believing in his virgin birth or in explaining how his oneness with the Father actually worked.  The mysteries of Advent and Christmas were simply not mysteries Jesus and his followers ever considered.  The earliest gospel account in Mark doesn’t even have a birth narrative and the “Christmas Story” in Matthew is more about connecting Jesus with Moses than about recording historical and biographical events.

The nature of Jesus as the son of God is expanded in Luke and John, but still, the greater mystery remains.  It is the same mystery David wondered and the mystery the shepherds encountered first-hand when greeted by this heavenly messenger.  Who are we that God is mindful of us, that God pays attention to us, that God cares about us, and even more, that God has Good News for us, and for all people?  

Let us not be distracted by the historical details of Christmas, but let us marvel in the mystery that is God’s hope, love, joy and peace for us, and for all.

The Gift of Gratitude

The Gift of Simplicity

Simple Gifts - Part 3

Sunday, December 17, 2023
Psalm 100:1-5, Luke 17:11-19

On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee.  As he entered a village, ten men with skin diseases approached him. Keeping their distance from him,  they raised their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, show us mercy!”

When Jesus saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” As they left, they were cleansed.  One of them, when he saw that he had been healed, returned and praised God with a loud voice.  He fell on his face at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. He was a Samaritan.  Jesus replied, “Weren’t ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?  No one returned to praise God except this foreigner?”  Then Jesus said to him, “Get up and go. Your faith has healed you.”

 Luke 17:11-19 (CEB)

Listen to this Week’s Sermon here:

_______________

We typically think of gratitude around Thanksgiving, but the truth is, gratitude is at the center of Advent and at the heart of every part of our spiritual lives. 

When we embrace the gift of slowing down, we notice how much of our lives are filled with clutter, both external and internal.  As we simplify our lives, we become more grateful for those things that matter most, the things that often get buried under the distractions of busyness and clutter. 

Slowing down and simplifying our lives helps bring healing to the chaos of our minds, our hearts, our spirits, and even our bodies, but if we are not careful, we will slip right back into our old habits.  Nine of the lepers were so excited when they found themselves healed that they didn’t even stop to think about the implications.  Presumably they went on and lived normal lives in a community from which they had previously been cut off, but they never pause to appreciate the significance of the gift they had received. 

Gratitude is not just about writing a thank you card for a gift under the tree or praying a blessing around the dinner table for our family and friends.  Gratitude moves us to a deeper awareness of the mysterious and surprising hope, peace, love & joy in our lives.

All ten lepers were likely thankful for their healing.  If they lived today, they would probably share it as a praise report in Sunday worship.  But only one experienced the deep, heartfelt gratitude that moved him to draw nearer to the source of his healing.  He went back to Jesus, overwhelmed by the grace and love he had received.

Notice the man who returned was a Samaritan, a foreigner, an outsider among outsiders.  Once, all ten were united by their disease which kept them in social exile, but now he alone remains an outsider, simply because he is a Samaritan.  I wonder if this is why he, more than the others, was so grateful, because he had no expectation that God should come to his aid. 

How often do we take for granted God’s presence in  because we are good Christians who deep down assume we deserve it?  The Samaritan had been conditioned to believe he was outside the bounds of God’s love.  That is why his gratitude was so much deeper.  He was not only physically healed, but because he was truly seen by Jesus, and his human dignity as a beloved child of God had been restored. 

What would it mean for you to feel truly seen by God in this season and how might a deeper sense of gratitude open your eyes to truly see others and to help others see themselves the same way?

The Gift of Simplicity

The Gift of Simplicity

Simple Gifts - Part 2

Sunday, December 10, 2023
Matthew 6:19-21, Luke 3:8-14, Philippians 4:4-13

Stop collecting treasures for your own benefit on earth, where moth and rust eat them and where thieves break in and steal them. Instead, collect treasures for yourselves in heaven, where moth and rust don’t eat them and where thieves don’t break in and steal them.  Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

 Matthew 6:19-21 (CEB)

Listen to this Week’s Sermon here:

_______________

Growing up in Baltimore, I remember fondly our annual Thanksgiving weekend trips to the snowy Christmas Tree Farm toward Pennsylvania, hiking through the fresh pines, taking in the wonderful scent, cutting the best one with a hacksaw and laying it on the conveyor to be wrapped up tightly in a net before putting it on the top of the car for the long drive home.  When we moved to Florida, we stopped buying real trees.  It’s not quite the same picking them up from out front of a grocery store. 

They say artificial trees last an average of 5 to 10 years.  Given the price of real trees, that’s not a bad investment. In November of 2000, McKenzie and I set off to Wal-mart to pick up a few decorations for our first Christmas together.  We had only been married 6  months and couldn’t afford much, but my one condition was that a Christmas tree had to be taller than me.  We found a 7.5 foot artificial Donner Fir for $79.74.  At the time, this was a pretty big investment for our budget, but 24 Christmases later, it is still the focal point of our living room from Thanksgiving to Epiphany.  So far, that investment has averaged out to $3.32 per year.  That tree has moved from a 1 bedroom apartment, to a double-wide trailer, to a small campus dorm style apartment in seminary, to 3 parsonages between Kentucky and North Carolina, and now to a rental home in Concord.  Every year it seems to lose more needles than it originally had, and yet somehow it is just as beautiful as that first Christmas.  A few years ago we talked about replacing it, but then we saw at a store how poinsettias could easily fill in a few bare spots.  We’ve moved from trying to find the cheapest one we could to being content with it each year and now to the point where we really never want to give it up.  It, along with the random collection of ornaments that trace our entire family history, have become part of our family. 

So what in the world does this nostalgic story of an artificial Wal-mart Christmas tree have to do with Advent or with scripture?  Well, maybe nothing… on the other hand, maybe everything.  For us, this tree along with the small nativity and two tiny wreaths we bought that first Christmas have served as a beautiful reminder of the simplicity we long for in this often hectic season.  They are no longer decorations just to put something up for Christmas, but have become symbols of what really matters most.  There have been some hard times and very challenging Christmases over these 24 years, and this tree has seen them all.  It’s branches hold space to remember the beauty in every season, no matter how hard it got. 

I wonder, what Christmas decoration or tradition might hold that kind of simple wonder for you? 

What little thing each year, that might go unnoticed by others, holds space for the deepest treasures of your heart? 

The Gift of Slowing Down

The Gift of Slowing Down

Simple Gifts - Part 1

Sunday, December 3, 2023
Luke 10:38-42, Isaiah 40:28-31, Matthew 11:28-30, Psalm 37:3-7

The Lord answered, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things.  One thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the better part. It won’t be taken away from her.”

Luke 10:41-42 (CEB)

Listen to this Week’s Sermon here:

_______________

Have you ever noticed that the only spiritual practice explicitly commanded in the law is Sabbath?  Yes, we are instructed in worship, prayer, and countless other means of receiving God’s grace, but Sabbath is right up there in the big 10.  John Mark Comer writes:

God eventually has to command the Sabbath. Does that strike you as odd? It’s like commanding ice cream or live music or beach days. You would think we’d all be chomping at the bit to practice the Sabbath. But apparently there’s something about the human condition that makes us want to hurry our way through life as fast as we possibly can, to rebel against the limitations of time itself.” (Comer, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, 159).

Sabbath is about rest, and it is about acknowledging our limitations.  It is a call to slow down and be still with God, just as Jesus encouraged Martha in the midst of her own well intentioned hurry.   Consider the following 10 symptoms of “Hurry Sickness.” 

1.  Irritability (especially at little things)

2.  Hypersensitivity

3.  Restlessness (difficulty relaxing)

4.  Workaholism / non-stoop activity

5.  Emotional numbness

6.  Out of order priorities

7.  Lack of care for your body

8.  Escapist behavior (overeating, social media, binging TV, etc.)

9.  Slippage of Spiritual Disciplines / Devotional Life

10.  Isolation

How many do you have? 

Resist the tendency to feel guilt or shame.  These symptoms are tragically built into our culture and have become normal.  The point is to become aware of just how busy and chaotic our lives have become.

Once we become aware of this reality, we can take Jesus up on his invitation, to “take his yoke upon us, for his yoke is easy, and his burden is light.”  Frederick Dale Bruner reminds us that a yoke is a work instrument.  You would think he might offer a mattress or a vacation for our weary souls, but no, Jesus, realized that the most restful gift he can give is a new way to carry life; not an escape, but equipment to be more fully present in each moment and to find peace and rest even in our work. 

Dallas Willard says that we must “ruthlessly eliminate hurry from our lives.”  In a season of preparation and of learning to pay attention to the coming of Christ in our world, this seems a highly appropriate invitation. 

This advent, let us learn to honor Sabbath together, to receive the gift of rest.  Let us, as Paul writes, “make it our ambition to lead a quiet life” (1 Thess. 4:11). 

We will fail multiple times a day, but each time we can slow down, breathe, and come back to the present moment.  Let us breathe deeply in the love and peace of the Spirit, and breathe out our anxious busyness and toil, that we may be present enough to encounter the gift of Emmanuel, God with us, in each moment of our lives.

God Needs Our Cooperation

God Needs Our Cooperation

Where is God when… ? - Part 4

Sunday, November 19, 2023
Luke 10:1-12; Genesis 1:24-31; 1 Corinthians 13:5, 7

God said, “Let the earth produce every kind of living thing: livestock, crawling things, and wildlife.” And that’s what happened.  God made every kind of wildlife, every kind of livestock, and every kind of creature that crawls on the ground. God saw how good it was.  Then God said, “Let us make humanity in our image to resemble us so that they may take charge of the fish of the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the earth, and all the crawling things on earth.”

 God created humanity in God’s own image,
        in the divine image God created them,
            male and female God created them…

… God saw everything he had made: it was supremely good.  There was evening and there was morning: the sixth day.

Genesis 1:24-27, 31 (CEB)

Listen to this Week’s Sermon here:

_______________

The ancient Babylonian story of creation, The Enuma Elish, tells of the great god Marduk who out of a tremendous war among the gods managed to subdue the chaotic forces of earth and re-create it into the habitable world in which we live today.  Unlike the Hebrew creation narratives in Genesis, the Enuma Elish along with parallel stories from Sumeria and other regions of ancient Mesopotamia, are filled with violence, bloodshed, and destruction.  Creation is birthed out of struggle, of battle, and of war. 

Not so for the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  In the Hebrew retelling of these ancient myths we find a singular God who speaks love into nothingness.  God said, “Let there be”… and there was.  On the 6th day, for example, God said, “Let the earth produce every kind of living thing,” and that’s what happened.  The earth produced.  Creation was not violently subdued and chaos forced into submission by the most powerful deity.  Rather, Creation itself worked in cooperation with God, responding to God’s invitation to produce every good thing for the flourishing of life, all life, plant, animal, and human. 

This distinctive creation narrative among it’s parallels in the ancient world sets God apart and establishes God’s power as cooperative rather than coercive.  The way creation itself cooperates with God’s desire by producing good fruit sets the tone for the way humanity would be called to work with God as co-creators and stewards of all that God had made.  From the very beginning, God intended human beings to work collaboratively with one another and with their Creator to multiply and fill the earth, to plant gardens and build communities and civilizations of people who would work together for the benefit of all.  From the beginning, the thriving of creation depended on human cooperation with God.

Christ has no body but yours,

No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which He looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which He walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which He blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are His body.
Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.

 ~ attributed to St. Teresa of Avila

God Squeezes Good from Bad

God Squeezes Good from Bad

Where is God when… ? - Part 3

Sunday, November 19, 2023
Romans 8:1-39; Genesis 50:20

We know that God works all things together for good for the ones who love God, for those who are called  according to his purpose. 

Romans 8:28 (CEB) 

Listen to this Week’s Sermon here:

_______________

Last week we explored the nature of God’s uncoercive and uncontrolling love.  Because love cannot coerce or force itself on another, it is impossible for God to singlehandedly prevent evil, particularly when that evil results from the choices of free-willed human beings.  Yet we can also say that love always works for the good, for the flourishing of humanity and of all creation. 

We can think of countless examples of people who have suffered tremendous evils in their lives and came out must stronger on the other side.  Victims of abuse may stand in the gap to protect others or care for others who have gone through similar trauma.  Someone whose child was killed by a drunk driver may become an advocate to prevent similar tragedies in the future.  Even if a person who has suffered doesn’t end up doing something so great and public, there are many who look back on their pain and trauma as an experience that shaped their character, that made them stronger, and potentially enabled them to do things with their lives they never dreamed possible.  Perhaps this is your story too.

This is where God’s best work comes in to play.  God is always creating and re-creating, renewing, restoring, healing, and making whole what is broken.  It does not mean, as so many have claimed, that the tragedy or suffering was a part of God’s plan in order to bring about this better outcome.  If suffering and evil is part of God’s will or God’s plan then to work against it would be to fight against God.

A loving God never causes pain or suffering.  But God’s love always works to squeeze every possible good out of even the worst situation.  Not every evil can be redeemed, even by God, but as Frederick Buechner says, resurrection reminds us the worst thing is never the last.  God is always weaving the bad into good.

God Can't...

God Can’t Prevent Evil Singlehandedly

Where is God when… ? - Part 2

Sunday, November 12, 2023
1 John 4:7-16, John 4:24, 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

God is love, and those who remain in love remain in God and God remains in them.

- 1 John 4:16 (CEB)

God is Spirit, and it is necessary to worship God in spirit and in truth.

- John 4:24 (CEB)

 Love doesn’t force itself on others.

 - 1 Corinthians 13:5a (The Message)

Listen to this Week’s Sermon here:

_______________

In his book, God Can’t: How to believe in God and Love after Tragedy, Abuse & Other Evils, Tom Oord tells the story of his friend Jayne, who endured sexual abuse at an early age, followed by years of trauma and destructive patterns that nearly led to her taking her own life.  Jayne describes her long and painful process toward healing, which began, she says, on “the day I realized I had choices.” 

“God did not control me on the cliff;” she writes.  “I chose to turn and live.  But so did all those who hurt me.  We all had free will.  And I don’t need to say nonsensical things such as, ‘God allowed my abuse to build my character.’”

Far too many people suffer deep emotional, mental, and spiritual scars from the idea that God’s predetermined plan included their abuse or other traumatic event in their lives for some greater mysterious purpose.  In recognizing her own free will and the free will of her abusers, Jayne came to see God not as an all-powerful overseer who watched the evil happen to her, but as a loving God who is never coercive or manipulative and who by nature, cannot take away someone’s freedom even if they use their freedom for evil. 

“The God who controls could not be my anchor,” she says, “but the God who loves me, comforts me, brings me support by prompting the good actions of others, and guides my choices most certainly can.”

It is difficult to imagine that there are things beyond God’s control, but Jayne realized that a truly loving God who has the power to prevent evil and harm but chooses not to is not very loving at all, at least not in any sense of the word “love” we could comprehend. 

Michael Fortier, who served prison time after the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, was not directly involved in the attack, but he was convicted because he knew of the plans ahead of time and did not alert the authorities.  In other words, even our imperfect human justice system acknowledges that all people have a responsibility to prevent evil and harm to whatever degree they are able.  If we say God is in absolute control of everything and has the ability to prevent evil but chooses not to, surely God would be just as culpable if not more so than any human who fails to do what they can to prevent such a horrendous tragedy. 

This does not make God weak or powerless, and we will see in the coming weeks how God uses the persuasive power of love to work in cooperation with humanity to squeeze the most possible good out of every situation.  God moves people to act with compassion and boldness to help prevent evil, but the power of Love cannot be coercive or forced.  Jesus shows us a God who is fully present in our suffering, not a God who sits by and allows otherwise preventable evil to go unchecked. 

God is Love and Love never fails.

---

For a more in depth reflection on the questions around God’s goodness and love in the midst of suffering and evil, check out God Can’t: How to believe in God and Love after Tragedy, Abuse & Other Evils.

God Feels Our Pain

God Feels Our Pain

Where is God when… ? - Part 1

Sunday, November 5, 2023
Luke 10:25-37; 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

A Samaritan, who was on a journey, came to where the man was. But when he saw him, he was moved with compassion.  The Samaritan went to him and bandaged his wounds.

Luke 10:33-34 (CEB)

May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ be blessed! He is the compassionate Father and God of all comfort.  He’s the one who comforts us in all our trouble so that we can comfort other people who are in every kind of trouble. We offer the same comfort that we ourselves received from God.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (CEB)

Listen to this Week’s Sermon here:

_______________

All Saints Day often brings up a mixture of emotions, from joyful memories to tremendous grief in the absence of those who have gone before us.  The stark reminder of death is difficult to process and often avoided in a world so overwhelmed by human suffering. 

So where is God in the midst of all this death and suffering?  Over the coming weeks we will wrestle with why God cannot simply put an end to pain or death or even evil.  For now we must begin with a key aspect of God’s character, that no matter what it may seem, God is a God of compassion.

Compassion is not simply feeling sorry for someone in their grief, but actually empathizing with them in suffering. 

Psychologist Brene Brown says empathy involves “listening, holding space, withholding judgment, emotionally connecting, and communicating the incredibly healing message, ‘You’re not alone.’” Empathizers are fellow sufferers who understand. I distinguish empathy from pity. To pity is to feel sorry for others at a distance. The one who pities remains detached and says, “That’s just too bad for her.” “Ain’t that a shame?” “Bless your heart.” Or “Sucks to be him!”

Tom Oord, God Can’t, 49.

When the Samaritan in Jesus’ parable sees the dying man on the road, he was “moved with compassion.”  It is hard to be moved with compassion from afar.  As we draw near to the suffering, our capacity for compassion and empathy increases. 

This is equally true of God.  In 2 Corinthians 1, Paul describes God as a God of compassion and the source of all comfort.  Unlike humans, God does not suffer from compassion fatigue, but always draws near to the hurting and brokenhearted.  God doesn’t merely see our suffering from a distance, but God feels our pain and can handle it.  God’s empathy and compassion always moves God toward expressing love in a variety of ways. 

John Wesley calls our mysterious perceptions of God’s presence “spiritual sensations” because the Spirit communicates with us beyond our five senses.  Jesus sends the Spirit as the Comforter.  The Spirit often uses human comforters as conduits of God’s presence to those in pain.  God demonstrates compassion through communities of compassionate people. 

Sometimes we feel God’s love and compassion more than others, but even when we can’t, God always feels our pain and is moved to extend love and mercy toward all who are hurting.  If the cross shows us anything, it is that God is a God who understands… a God who always with us in our suffering and who deeply feels our pain.

God of the Rivals

God of The Rivals

The God of Abraham - Part 8

Sunday, October 22, 2023
Genesis 25:19-34; 33:1-10

Two nations are in your womb;
   two different peoples will emerge from your body.
One people will be stronger than the other;
    the older will serve the younger.

Genesis 25:23

Listen to this Week’s Sermon here:

_______________

The complicated story of Jacob and Esau is but one of many great sibling rivalries throughout scripture and indeed throughout human history.  It would appear that such rivalries, the choosing of sides between “us” and “them” is simply the natural way of things.  In some texts, it almost appears to be God’s design.

 [But] can it really be true that the God who created the world in love and forgiveness, setting his image on every human being, loves me and not you?  Or you but not me? Sibling rivalry exists in nature because food is in short supply.  It exists in human society because material goods—wealth and power—are, at any given moment, zero-sum games.  It exists within the family because we are human and sometimes parents have favorites. But can the same possibly be said about God’s love or forgiveness or grace?  Are these in short supply, such that if God gives them to you, God must take them from me?  There is something odd, discordant, about such an idea.

- Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Not in God’s Name, 102.

Jacob and Esau make a perfect case study to examine this issue.  After all, scripture seems clear that God loves Jacob and hated Esau (Malachi 1:3, Romans 9:13).  But what if it’s not as clear as we think?  Can God really “hate” Esau, or anyone else for that matter? 

In scripture, as in the ancient world, “love” and “hate” are often used as covenantal language.  In other words, to “love” someone means I have chosen to make a covenant with them and to “hate” someone means I have not made a covenant with them.  There is no emotional attachment to these words and the acceptance of one does not imply a rejection of the other.  It is simply defining a different type of relationship.  It would be like saying “I love my wife” but “hate all other women.”  Obviously I don’t “hate” other women, and we would never say that today, but the language of “love” and “hate” in the ancient world often implies a different kind of relationship, an exclusive, covenantal relationship that I do not have with others.  It is not a rejection of those who are not in that particular relationship.

This is what Jacob struggles with his whole life.  From before birth he grasps onto Esau, taking Esau’s blessing as the firstborn, trying to become Esau out of his own jealousy.  In his wrestling with “God”, he is reminded that his blessing doesn’t come from being someone else or from taking a blessing away from his brother.  Rather, he and his brother are equally loved and equally blessed, but in different ways and for different roles.  In coming to grips with the fact that he is enough in himself, he is finally able to reconcile with Esau and live into the special call God has on his life. 

We must do the same.  We must give up the idea that we have some exclusive claim to God’s favor or love.  We must accept the fact that God’s love for others does not mean a rejection of us.  We cannot build ourselves up by tearing others down.  We must lay aside this endless sibling rivalry and see the face of God in each other.  There is no “us” or “them”, only WE, the beloved of God.

God of the Generations

God of The Generations

The God of Abraham - Part 7

Sunday, October 15, 2023
Genesis 24:34-67

[Her family] called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?”  She said, “I will go.” So they sent off their sister Rebekah, her nurse, Abraham’s servant, and his men. And they blessed Rebekah, saying to her, “May you, our sister, become thousands of ten thousand; may your children possess their enemies’ cities.” Rebekah and her young women got up, mounted the camels, and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and left.

 The servant told Isaac everything that had happened. Isaac brought Rebekah into his mother Sarah’s tent. He received Rebekah as his wife and loved her. So Isaac found comfort after his mother’s death.

Genesis 24:58-61, 66-67

Listen to this Week’s Sermon here:

_______________

Most of us are uncomfortable with our own mortality.  As one doctor said to a newly diagnosed cancer patient, “We all have a terminal illness.  It’s called life.” 

While I don’t know that I would call life an “illness”, there is definitely truth to the fact that it is a terminal condition.  One of the worst parts of that truth is that no matter how long we live, we will always leave something seemingly unfinished.  We long to know what will happen beyond us.  We want to leave a lasting legacy. 

The good news is that God is a God of the generations. 

Abraham barely saw a glimpse of God’s promise.  He never even lived to see his grandchildren, yet God remained faithful to Isaac, Jacob & all the rest. 

Let us live with this eternal perspective, in faith and hope because God is faithful in every generation. 

Amen.

 _______________

 Hymn: God, We Spend a Lifetime Growing

Tune: 8787D, ODE TO JOY, BABILONE (Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee)

God, we spend a lifetime growing,
learning of your love and care,
planting seeds you give for sowing,
working for the fruit they’ll bear.
Now we honor faithful servants
who, with joy, look back and see
years of growing in your presence,
lives of fruitful ministry.

 Thank you, Lord, for ones who teach us
what has brought them to this place!
May their faith-filled witness reach us;
may we glimpse in them your grace.
Strong in you, their strength uplifts us
from our birth until life’s end;
Spirit-filled, they give us gifts, as
prophet, mentor, guide, and friend.

 Christ our Lord, you walk beside us,
giving daily work to do;
years go by and still you guide us
as we seek to follow you.
If our sight fails, weak hands tremble,
minds forget the things we’ve known,
Lord, we trust that you remember,
hold us close, and see us home.

— by Carolyn Winfrey GilletteText: Copyright © 2001.

All rights reserved.