DAILY BYTE
In our devotions this week we’ve looked at the difficulties of life and how our sinful rejection of God’s loving limits adds to life’s difficulties. We’ve looked at the great feast of salvation that Christ sets before us and how Christ’s work of salvation is so much more than just the forgiving of sin. As we bring this week’s devotions to a close, I’d like to share a captivating story. It illustrates the difference between taking hold of what Jesus came to do, and merely paying lip service to that.
There was once a man who knew the art of making fire. He took his tools and went to a village in the north, where it was bitterly cold. He showed the people there the value of fire, its uses and benefits for cooking and keeping themselves warm. The people were very interested in this great art, and so the man taught them how to make fire. They were deeply grateful that they had learned this art. But before they could express their gratitude to the man, he disappeared. He clearly wasn’t concerned with getting their recognition, he was simply concerned about their well-being, and the well-being of others also.
In fact, he had left to go to another village where it was also bitterly cold, and began to show the people there the value of fire. Once again, the people were very interested in this great art. A bit too interested for the liking of their priests, who noticed that this man was becoming more popular than what they were. They also felt that making fire was not in keeping with their customs and traditions. So they decided to kill the man, which they did.
But they were afraid that the people might now turn against them, so they did a very shrewd thing. They had a portrait of the man made and mounted it on the main altar of the temple. The instruments for making fire were placed in front of the portrait, and the people were taught to revere the portrait and to pay reverence to the instruments, which they dutifully did. The homage and the worship went on, but in that village where it was so bitterly cold, there was no fire.
As you think about your life, with all its difficulties, and your rebellion against God’s loving limits, and your need for the saving work of Christ, my prayer for you is that you wouldn’t miss the essential point of Christ’s coming. My prayer is that you would know the fire of Christ’s redeeming love in your life, not just as an idea, but as a reality. And may that love of Christ so blaze within you, that your very life would be consecrated anew each day to the glory of God.
PRAY AS YOU GO
O Thou who camest from above
The pure celestial fire to impart
Kindle a flame of sacred love
On the mean altar of my heart
There let it for Thy glory burn
With inextinguishable blaze
And trembling to its source return
In humble prayer and fervent praise
Jesus, confirm my heart’s desire
To work, and speak, and think for Thee
Still let me guard the holy fire
And still stir up Thy gift in me
Ready for all Thy perfect will
My acts of faith and love repeat
Till death Thy endless mercies seal
And make the sacrifice complete
(Charles Wesley)
SCRIPTURE READING
Matthew 3:11
[John the Baptist said,] “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”
Tuesday, 6 October 2009
Looking Through the Window
DAILY BYTE
There’s a common misunderstanding that salvation means having your sins forgiven. Certainly, the forgiveness of sins is an indispensable part of salvation, but it’s only a part. The truth is, Jesus has far bigger concerns than just our sins. Yes, he came to save us from our sins, but he came for much more than that. He came that we might have LIFE, and have it to the full. To miss that is to miss the whole point of the salvation story.
Let me illustrate what I mean:
There was once a painter who lived in a humble little house. The house wasn’t much to look at, but it had one outstanding feature, and that was the view. It overlooked a spectacular section of coastline, framed with mountains on either side. It was breathtakingly beautiful, like a picture postcard. Realising how special the view was, and wanting to be able to enjoy it and paint it, the painter made some alterations to his house. He put in a massive window in his living room, so that he could sit there and gaze at the mountains and the sea, and stand next to his easel and paint to his heart’s content. It was glorious.
But then one day a bird messed on the living room window, and so the painter got a bucket, some rags and soap and cleaned it, so that nothing would obstruct his view.
A few days later there was a big storm, and the rain and wind off the sea left ugly streaks on his window. So he got the bucket and rags and soap, and cleaned it again.
A few days later he noticed some fingerprints on the inside of the window – the grandchildren had come to visit. So once again he got the bucket and rags and soap to clean it. And so it continued.
If you visit that house today you’ll find the painter sitting in his living room, with a bucket and rags and soap by his side, watching and waiting for the slightest mark to appear on his window. What he hasn’t realized is that he’s so intent on looking at the window, that he no longer looks through it. The view, of course, is still there – as glorious as ever. But the man no longer sees it – he’s too focused on keeping his window clean. And his canvas? His canvas remains empty.
Which is a parable.
What if the forgiveness of sins is like the cleaning of the window? Necessary – yes! Important – of course. But let’s understand why. It’s so that we can see the breathtaking beauty of God and the life that God lays before us, all of which he wants us to enjoy, and to experience, and to share.
The point of Jesus’ coming was not just so that we might be saved from our sins. That’s like looking at the window instead of through it. Jesus came so that we might have life, and have it more abundantly. Jesus came so that the lives we’re living right here and right now may be infused with his love and his power. Jesus came so that we might become channels of healing and transformation for our world, working for justice and peace, speaking the truth in love, pointing people to God.
That’s what salvation is really about, and that’s why it’s good news.
PRAY AS YOU GO
Lord Jesus Christ, you are the Saviour of the World. Come, with all your saving power and grace, and be my Saviour too. Come not just to save me from my sin, but come to save me for your Kingdom, for your purpose, for your glory. Save me for the new life that is found in you – a life of righteousness, compassion and love; a life that will be a witness to hope and a channel of grace within the world. Amen.
SCRIPTURE READING
John 10:10b
[Jesus said,] “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
There’s a common misunderstanding that salvation means having your sins forgiven. Certainly, the forgiveness of sins is an indispensable part of salvation, but it’s only a part. The truth is, Jesus has far bigger concerns than just our sins. Yes, he came to save us from our sins, but he came for much more than that. He came that we might have LIFE, and have it to the full. To miss that is to miss the whole point of the salvation story.
Let me illustrate what I mean:
There was once a painter who lived in a humble little house. The house wasn’t much to look at, but it had one outstanding feature, and that was the view. It overlooked a spectacular section of coastline, framed with mountains on either side. It was breathtakingly beautiful, like a picture postcard. Realising how special the view was, and wanting to be able to enjoy it and paint it, the painter made some alterations to his house. He put in a massive window in his living room, so that he could sit there and gaze at the mountains and the sea, and stand next to his easel and paint to his heart’s content. It was glorious.
But then one day a bird messed on the living room window, and so the painter got a bucket, some rags and soap and cleaned it, so that nothing would obstruct his view.
A few days later there was a big storm, and the rain and wind off the sea left ugly streaks on his window. So he got the bucket and rags and soap, and cleaned it again.
A few days later he noticed some fingerprints on the inside of the window – the grandchildren had come to visit. So once again he got the bucket and rags and soap to clean it. And so it continued.
If you visit that house today you’ll find the painter sitting in his living room, with a bucket and rags and soap by his side, watching and waiting for the slightest mark to appear on his window. What he hasn’t realized is that he’s so intent on looking at the window, that he no longer looks through it. The view, of course, is still there – as glorious as ever. But the man no longer sees it – he’s too focused on keeping his window clean. And his canvas? His canvas remains empty.
Which is a parable.
What if the forgiveness of sins is like the cleaning of the window? Necessary – yes! Important – of course. But let’s understand why. It’s so that we can see the breathtaking beauty of God and the life that God lays before us, all of which he wants us to enjoy, and to experience, and to share.
The point of Jesus’ coming was not just so that we might be saved from our sins. That’s like looking at the window instead of through it. Jesus came so that we might have life, and have it more abundantly. Jesus came so that the lives we’re living right here and right now may be infused with his love and his power. Jesus came so that we might become channels of healing and transformation for our world, working for justice and peace, speaking the truth in love, pointing people to God.
That’s what salvation is really about, and that’s why it’s good news.
PRAY AS YOU GO
Lord Jesus Christ, you are the Saviour of the World. Come, with all your saving power and grace, and be my Saviour too. Come not just to save me from my sin, but come to save me for your Kingdom, for your purpose, for your glory. Save me for the new life that is found in you – a life of righteousness, compassion and love; a life that will be a witness to hope and a channel of grace within the world. Amen.
SCRIPTURE READING
John 10:10b
[Jesus said,] “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
The Feast of Salvation
DAILY BYTE
Yesterday we looked at the archetypal story of Adam & Eve, which describes the alienation, brokenness and blame that ensues whenever God’s loving limits are rejected. This has been true for us collectively as the human race; and it’s also been true for each of us as individuals. Thinking we know best, we’ve tried to do things our own way, rejecting the limits that God, so lovingly and graciously, has set for us.
Thankfully, this is not the end of the story. For even as we rejected our human limitations to try to become like God, so God, in Christ, was accepting human limitations to become like us. Jesus came to show us what it means to be fully human, and what it means to live in trusting relationship with God.
Make no mistake, life for him was difficult, filled with much struggle and suffering. But the difference with Jesus is that in spite of the difficulties of his life he never stopped trusting God. So that even the tragedy of his life cut short in its prime didn’t diminish who he was, but heightened it, adding to the sumptuous feast of the kingdom in which he invites us all to share.
It’s the great feast of Salvation, that comes to its climax in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. A feast that reminds us of the feast of Eden that was lost and spoiled through our sin, but which now restores us to a ‘second innocence’ whereby we can commune with God once more. Vulnerable – yes. Weak – yes. Frail & fallen – yes. Naked – yes. Yet unafraid.
Whenever the people of God gather at the table of the Lord to share in Holy Communion, this great feast of Salvation is celebrated again. What a beautiful and powerful reminder that the life of Christ has been given to deal decisively with the hunger caused by our rebellion and the desolate emptiness caused by our sin. That Jesus feeds us with his very self, so that we might be nourished and sustained in the very depths of our being, in order to live the kind of transformed lives that can bring hope and meaning to the world.
PRAY AS YOU GO
Thank you Gracious God that our rebellion and disobedience do not mark the end of our story, but that there is a further chapter of grace that you have written in the life, death and resurrection of your Son, Jesus. Thank you that through his life and love, poured out so freely and selflessly, a new feasting table has been set where we all can come once again and take our place, and be nourished deep within. Help us to feed on him in our hearts by faith, not just on those special days when we gather with your people to share in Holy Communion, but every day. And may the great feast of salvation strengthen and sustain us for doing your work within the world. Amen
SCRIPTURE READING
Matthew 26:27-29
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples saying, ‘Take and eat; this is my body.’
Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s kingdom.’
Yesterday we looked at the archetypal story of Adam & Eve, which describes the alienation, brokenness and blame that ensues whenever God’s loving limits are rejected. This has been true for us collectively as the human race; and it’s also been true for each of us as individuals. Thinking we know best, we’ve tried to do things our own way, rejecting the limits that God, so lovingly and graciously, has set for us.
Thankfully, this is not the end of the story. For even as we rejected our human limitations to try to become like God, so God, in Christ, was accepting human limitations to become like us. Jesus came to show us what it means to be fully human, and what it means to live in trusting relationship with God.
Make no mistake, life for him was difficult, filled with much struggle and suffering. But the difference with Jesus is that in spite of the difficulties of his life he never stopped trusting God. So that even the tragedy of his life cut short in its prime didn’t diminish who he was, but heightened it, adding to the sumptuous feast of the kingdom in which he invites us all to share.
It’s the great feast of Salvation, that comes to its climax in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. A feast that reminds us of the feast of Eden that was lost and spoiled through our sin, but which now restores us to a ‘second innocence’ whereby we can commune with God once more. Vulnerable – yes. Weak – yes. Frail & fallen – yes. Naked – yes. Yet unafraid.
Whenever the people of God gather at the table of the Lord to share in Holy Communion, this great feast of Salvation is celebrated again. What a beautiful and powerful reminder that the life of Christ has been given to deal decisively with the hunger caused by our rebellion and the desolate emptiness caused by our sin. That Jesus feeds us with his very self, so that we might be nourished and sustained in the very depths of our being, in order to live the kind of transformed lives that can bring hope and meaning to the world.
PRAY AS YOU GO
Thank you Gracious God that our rebellion and disobedience do not mark the end of our story, but that there is a further chapter of grace that you have written in the life, death and resurrection of your Son, Jesus. Thank you that through his life and love, poured out so freely and selflessly, a new feasting table has been set where we all can come once again and take our place, and be nourished deep within. Help us to feed on him in our hearts by faith, not just on those special days when we gather with your people to share in Holy Communion, but every day. And may the great feast of salvation strengthen and sustain us for doing your work within the world. Amen
SCRIPTURE READING
Matthew 26:27-29
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples saying, ‘Take and eat; this is my body.’
Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s kingdom.’
Loving Limits
DAILY BYTE
Given the reality that life is difficult, and at times even brutal, the pointed question that arises for people of faith is this: “Is this what God had in mind when God created the heavens and the earth, and breathed into us the breath of life?”
That’s a tough question to answer. Who of us can say with certainty which of the difficult dimensions of life are a necessary part of God’s good creation? But what we do know is this: many of the difficulties and crises and tragedies of this life are of our making, not God’s.
Greed, and lust, and cruelty, and hatred, and oppression, and injustice can make life not just difficult, but intolerable. These things are of human design and are part of the tragic crisis that we have fomented within the world. The crisis of humanity’s fall. The crisis of sin.
The story of the origin of this crisis is told in the Bible in Genesis chapter 3. We know the story well. About Adam & Eve, and a serpent, and the fruit of a forbidden tree, and the tragic consequences of disobedience that can make such a mess of the good things that God intends for us.
In the story, a luscious garden is set before Adam & Eve as a sumptuous feast for them to enjoy freely and unselfconsciously. There is only one limitation – the fruit of a certain tree is not for eating. On the great banqueting table that is Eden, this tree is the centre-piece. And God says, ‘Don’t eat the centerpiece!’
And that should have been the end of that. But then a serpent enters the story and starts asking questions about God. In other words, this was the Bible’s first theologian. Which is not to say that theologians are always bad news, but it is to say that theological inquiry is always inadequate and theological perspectives are always incomplete, because talking about God can never capture the essence of God. And Genesis 3 is a tragic case in point – because the serpent, whether malicious or just misinformed, gets it so wrong about God. But in the process sows seeds of suspicion as to whether God’s good intentions can be trusted.
A God-given limitation had been placed over Adam & Eve’s lives. “Don’t eat the fruit of this true, if you do you will die!” It wasn’t because God was being mean; it was because God was being loving. This limitation was part of the great gift of Eden. This was part of the sumptuous feast for them to enjoy. Accepting their limits was part of what it meant to be fully human. Because some things are not intended for human consumption, and to taste them makes us less not more.
Accepting our God-given limits enables us to live whole and holy lives. Rejecting these God-given limits brings chaos and mayhem. Like what happened to Adam & Eve. They chose to reject their limits. They tasted the forbidden fruit and their eyes were opened, but not in a way that brought clarity, but rather confusion. It was the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that they ate, but it was fruit that they could not digest. It was knowledge that they could not handle.
And immediately we see them exercising this knowledge in monstrous ways, judging what was good and bad, when really they had no idea which was which. We see them deciding that their nakedness was a bad idea, and that hiding from God was a good idea. Adam even suggests that the gift of Eve was a bad idea.
And so it began, and has continued ever since. A story that has repeated itself over and over again, as people in every age have decided that they know better than God, have sought to commandeer God’s place in the world, rejecting their God-given limits, and have ended up making a mess of their lives.
PRAY AS YOU GO
Forgive me, Lord for rejecting the loving limits that you have placed over my life. Help me to trust that the boundaries that you have set for my existence are for my benefit, and that within these boundaries there are wide open expanses in which to explore what it means to be fully human. Amen
Given the reality that life is difficult, and at times even brutal, the pointed question that arises for people of faith is this: “Is this what God had in mind when God created the heavens and the earth, and breathed into us the breath of life?”
That’s a tough question to answer. Who of us can say with certainty which of the difficult dimensions of life are a necessary part of God’s good creation? But what we do know is this: many of the difficulties and crises and tragedies of this life are of our making, not God’s.
Greed, and lust, and cruelty, and hatred, and oppression, and injustice can make life not just difficult, but intolerable. These things are of human design and are part of the tragic crisis that we have fomented within the world. The crisis of humanity’s fall. The crisis of sin.
The story of the origin of this crisis is told in the Bible in Genesis chapter 3. We know the story well. About Adam & Eve, and a serpent, and the fruit of a forbidden tree, and the tragic consequences of disobedience that can make such a mess of the good things that God intends for us.
In the story, a luscious garden is set before Adam & Eve as a sumptuous feast for them to enjoy freely and unselfconsciously. There is only one limitation – the fruit of a certain tree is not for eating. On the great banqueting table that is Eden, this tree is the centre-piece. And God says, ‘Don’t eat the centerpiece!’
And that should have been the end of that. But then a serpent enters the story and starts asking questions about God. In other words, this was the Bible’s first theologian. Which is not to say that theologians are always bad news, but it is to say that theological inquiry is always inadequate and theological perspectives are always incomplete, because talking about God can never capture the essence of God. And Genesis 3 is a tragic case in point – because the serpent, whether malicious or just misinformed, gets it so wrong about God. But in the process sows seeds of suspicion as to whether God’s good intentions can be trusted.
A God-given limitation had been placed over Adam & Eve’s lives. “Don’t eat the fruit of this true, if you do you will die!” It wasn’t because God was being mean; it was because God was being loving. This limitation was part of the great gift of Eden. This was part of the sumptuous feast for them to enjoy. Accepting their limits was part of what it meant to be fully human. Because some things are not intended for human consumption, and to taste them makes us less not more.
Accepting our God-given limits enables us to live whole and holy lives. Rejecting these God-given limits brings chaos and mayhem. Like what happened to Adam & Eve. They chose to reject their limits. They tasted the forbidden fruit and their eyes were opened, but not in a way that brought clarity, but rather confusion. It was the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that they ate, but it was fruit that they could not digest. It was knowledge that they could not handle.
And immediately we see them exercising this knowledge in monstrous ways, judging what was good and bad, when really they had no idea which was which. We see them deciding that their nakedness was a bad idea, and that hiding from God was a good idea. Adam even suggests that the gift of Eve was a bad idea.
And so it began, and has continued ever since. A story that has repeated itself over and over again, as people in every age have decided that they know better than God, have sought to commandeer God’s place in the world, rejecting their God-given limits, and have ended up making a mess of their lives.
PRAY AS YOU GO
Forgive me, Lord for rejecting the loving limits that you have placed over my life. Help me to trust that the boundaries that you have set for my existence are for my benefit, and that within these boundaries there are wide open expanses in which to explore what it means to be fully human. Amen
Life is Difficult
DAILY BYTE
'Life is difficult.’ That’s the opening sentence of M Scott Peck’s book ‘The Road Less Traveled’, that has sold millions of copies around the world since it was first published 30 years ago. It’s been suggested that the opening sentence itself has been responsible for many of the copies that have been sold, because it instantly resonates with people’s lived experience. M Scott Peck writes, ‘Life is difficult,’ and we intuitively respond, ‘Yes, that’s right. It is.’
But here’s a curious thing. While pretty much all of us know intuitively, in our gut, that life is difficult – cognitively, in our heads, we have a hard time accepting that this is indeed so. There is this idea that many people continue to hold onto that life is easy, or at least it should be easy. And so many people spend a great deal of energy bemoaning the struggles, and hardships and difficulties that they face as if this were something abnormal, as if this were some kind of unique affliction that has been specially visited upon them, and unfairly so.
But that’s not how life works. In many traditions there is a more sober recognition of what life is really like. In Buddhist thought, for instance, the first of the Four Noble Truths is that life is dukkha, which means suffering.
The 18th century French philosopher, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who inaugurated the age of secular intellectualism, observed that alienation lay at the heart of the human condition.
Gordon Cosby, the founder of Church of the Saviour in Washington DC, has famously observed that next to every single person there is a great big pool of tears.
Certainly, as we reflect on our own stories and observe our own experiences we can see for ourselves that life is, indeed, difficult. Or to put it differently, we could say that it is the very nature of life to stumble from one crisis to another.
Cruel teasing takes place even on preschool playgrounds.
Hormones, and acne, and anguished questions of identity play havoc with those adolescent years.
Romantic love relationships can lift us to the heights of rapture and just as quickly drop us into troughs of despair.
The incredible joy and privilege of parenthood is filled with many crises, many sleepless nights, many anxieties, many bitter disappointments. Parents of teenagers often testify to the sobering truth that you can sow a child, but end up reaping a bomb. Certainly, the decision to have a child is the decision for your heart always to live outside of your body.
I could go on. There are the further crises of life related to work, and finance, and ill-health, and old-age. Not to mention the crises of inexplicable suffering or sudden bereavement that can tear at our souls and leave us completely gutted and utterly bereft.
Life is not just difficult – at times it can be brutal. And it raises the pointed question for the people of faith: “Is this what God had in mind when God created the heavens and the earth, and breathed into us the breath of life?”
IS this what God had in mind?
That’s the tough question we’ll be exploring in our devotions this week, as we listen for the hope-filled answer that God offers to the reality of life’s difficulties and crises that come our way. May it be for you Good News.
PRAY AS YOU GO
Lord, sometimes life is really really hard. Sometimes it’s tough to make sense of it all, and to know what to think. It’s in such times that we need you most of all. Help us to listen to your still, small voice of truth, that comes to us in the midst of the stormy crises of life. May it speak hope and promise to our souls. Amen.
SCRIPTURE READING
Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
'Life is difficult.’ That’s the opening sentence of M Scott Peck’s book ‘The Road Less Traveled’, that has sold millions of copies around the world since it was first published 30 years ago. It’s been suggested that the opening sentence itself has been responsible for many of the copies that have been sold, because it instantly resonates with people’s lived experience. M Scott Peck writes, ‘Life is difficult,’ and we intuitively respond, ‘Yes, that’s right. It is.’
But here’s a curious thing. While pretty much all of us know intuitively, in our gut, that life is difficult – cognitively, in our heads, we have a hard time accepting that this is indeed so. There is this idea that many people continue to hold onto that life is easy, or at least it should be easy. And so many people spend a great deal of energy bemoaning the struggles, and hardships and difficulties that they face as if this were something abnormal, as if this were some kind of unique affliction that has been specially visited upon them, and unfairly so.
But that’s not how life works. In many traditions there is a more sober recognition of what life is really like. In Buddhist thought, for instance, the first of the Four Noble Truths is that life is dukkha, which means suffering.
The 18th century French philosopher, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who inaugurated the age of secular intellectualism, observed that alienation lay at the heart of the human condition.
Gordon Cosby, the founder of Church of the Saviour in Washington DC, has famously observed that next to every single person there is a great big pool of tears.
Certainly, as we reflect on our own stories and observe our own experiences we can see for ourselves that life is, indeed, difficult. Or to put it differently, we could say that it is the very nature of life to stumble from one crisis to another.
Cruel teasing takes place even on preschool playgrounds.
Hormones, and acne, and anguished questions of identity play havoc with those adolescent years.
Romantic love relationships can lift us to the heights of rapture and just as quickly drop us into troughs of despair.
The incredible joy and privilege of parenthood is filled with many crises, many sleepless nights, many anxieties, many bitter disappointments. Parents of teenagers often testify to the sobering truth that you can sow a child, but end up reaping a bomb. Certainly, the decision to have a child is the decision for your heart always to live outside of your body.
I could go on. There are the further crises of life related to work, and finance, and ill-health, and old-age. Not to mention the crises of inexplicable suffering or sudden bereavement that can tear at our souls and leave us completely gutted and utterly bereft.
Life is not just difficult – at times it can be brutal. And it raises the pointed question for the people of faith: “Is this what God had in mind when God created the heavens and the earth, and breathed into us the breath of life?”
IS this what God had in mind?
That’s the tough question we’ll be exploring in our devotions this week, as we listen for the hope-filled answer that God offers to the reality of life’s difficulties and crises that come our way. May it be for you Good News.
PRAY AS YOU GO
Lord, sometimes life is really really hard. Sometimes it’s tough to make sense of it all, and to know what to think. It’s in such times that we need you most of all. Help us to listen to your still, small voice of truth, that comes to us in the midst of the stormy crises of life. May it speak hope and promise to our souls. Amen.
SCRIPTURE READING
Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
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