Timeless Advice - November 5
Today’s Readings: AM Psalm [70], 71; PM Psalm 74; Ecclus. 44:1-15; Rev. 16:12-21; Luke 13:18-30
As I write today’s (Thursday’s) reflection, it is Tuesday, and I have just returned from my local voting precinct. I have no idea out of the outcome of our election and how it will be lived out in our country. It feels like most everyone is worried. Regardless of who becomes our president in January, there is a mixture of emotions and those emotions are only amplified by all of the struggles and challenges of this year.
One of the gifts of Holy Scripture is the ability to always meet us where we are. In a way, Holy Scripture is timeless. When we hear Jesus talking to the disciples, those words do not speak alone to the reality of the world 2000 years ago, but those same words speak to us this day and for all days to come. I think we want to believe that the full manifestation of the Kingdom of God will be what we experience in our present reality, something that started 2000 years ago as a mustard seed has bloomed into a full tree that provides shade for the whole world. And for all of the birds of the air to make their nests in the branches (Luke 13:19).
And sometimes I think we experience that realized gift of the Kingdom of God when hatred and division dissipate enough for us to see the image of God in each other and to serve Christ in our neighbors. I experience that when we gather for worship, when our pastoral care teams reach out in love, when a prayer shawl is knitted for a baby or a person in the hospital. I experience the kingdom when Laundry Love is organized or meals are served in Avondale. I experience the kingdom when someone reaches out to our church asking how they can make the world a more beautiful place. Yet, we also can easily acknowledge that the kingdom has not fully arrived.
But listen to Jesus’s words. These words are forward-looking and hopeful. The kingdom of God is like “yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.” The kingdom of God is like “a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in the garden.” God’s love is poured into our world, and faith is trusting not only that it is there, but it is changing the very nature of our world.
That is the profound truth that we as Christians believe – that God is always underneath ready to break through changing the very nature of our world. It is this truth that allows us to vanquish fear and worry and anxiety and hold dear to hope, truth, and life.
A colleague reminded me of the prayer for use by a sick person in our Book of Common Prayer which seems as apt as ever.
“This is another day, O Lord. I know not what it will bring forth, but make me ready, Lord, for whatever it may be. If I am to stand up, help me to stand bravely. If I am to sit still, help me to sit quietly. If I am to lie low, help me to do it patiently. And if I am to do nothing, let me do it gallantly. Make these words more than words, and give me the Spirit of Jesus. Amen” (BCP, 461).
John+
Questions for Self-Reflection: How do you see God’s work taking place underneath the surface of our lives? What hope can you hold onto in a challenging time?
Daily Challenge: Bake a loaf of bread. Here is my favorite and easy recipe.