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Wednesday's Word: Give Thanks

11/27/2013

 
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"...Give thanks in all circumstances." 
1 Thessalonians 5:18

    Every time I read this scripture, I wonder whether there must have been the equivalent of a typo in some ancient manuscript.  But Paul does not seem to give any restrictions.  He says we are to give thanks in, not some, but in "all" circumstances.

But Paul does not tell that believers to give thanks _for_ everything that happens:  For some, giving thanks "in" and not "for" is a distinction without a difference. 

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day. Many will gather with families and loved ones to feast and give, well, thanks.  Seems pretty consistent with Paul's scripture, doesn't it?  I'm not so sure: I  have been especially sensitized to Paul's admonition to the church at Thessalonica in the aftermath of the typhoon in the Philippines. As of the time of this writing, 1,000,000 persons have no shelter; over five thousand persons are deceased or missing and presumed dead.  
 
Give thanks? That's what we are expected to do on Thanksgiving, right?  But I don't give thanks _for_ this natural disaster.  I give thanks for the  compassion of strangers:  persons who have donated their time, talents and treasures to help those on the other side of the world.  I give thanks for scientists who have a renewed commitment to reversing the effects of climate change.  I give thanks for that cup of cold water from a volunteer; that penny from a broken piggy bank; that tear shed in front of the television screen. 

I give thanks in circumstances that show me a world that cares.  



Wednesday's Word: Changing Channels

11/20/2013

 
"I don't like this program."
Grace Marie, Age 5

It was Sunday and attending the brick and mortar church was not an option because of illnesses tat had run their course in the family.  But because of the wonder of online viewing, my brother and his family decided to log on to become part of the virtual congregation.  

My niece watched for a bit, but was not amused.  After "attending" for a brief time, she told her parents that she would rather see what was playing on the Disney Kids' channel.

I'm not sure whether the service was boring, the reception was poor, or whether the  content was clear. I'm also not sure whether Grace would have had the same reaction had she attended the brick  and mortar service.   

I am sure, though, that it's harder to leave a service than it is to leave a virtual church.  The hard work of community building and relationships requires time, face to face persistence and the ability not to abandon a community at the click of a mouse.
   

I hope that the next time Grace "attends" church, that she will be persuaded to
stay in time to hear a Word that blesses and feeds her.  More importantly, I pray that Grace--and those of her generation--will embrace a community of faith that encourages, inspires  and transforms the world.

Wednesday's Word:  Welcome Home!

11/5/2013

 
Then he gave his answer:
"Go back and tell John what you have 
  just seen and heard:
The blind see,  The lame walk,  
Lepers  are cleansed, The deaf hear,
The dead are raised,  
The wretched of the earth  have God’s salvation hospitality extended to them.  
  Is this what you were expecting?  Then count yourselves  fortunate!"
 Luke 7:22 (The Message)
I remember that day so clearly: It was my first time in Grenada;  he owned the small hotel in St. George’s where we were staying.  His name was Godfrey.  My friend, a native of that island, had known him since childhood.  Upon being introduced, Godfrey enveloped me in an embrace and said: "Welcome home."   With  those two words, I was transformed from mere tourist to treasured native; from diaspora’s refugee into a child of the country. 

How often, though, do we allow God to welcome us home?  In order to extend God’s invitation to celebrate new life, we must first  accept ourselves.  We are all from time to time prodigal sons, wicked tax collectors and sinful women.    We all shun our internal spaces and pain and thus, hide them from the gracious embrace of God.  In so doing, we fail to invite God  into those spaces where His healing is most necessary.  Like the prodigal, we snatch our inheritance and move to a distant land.  Like the prodigal, we long to be welcomed back. 

It is in this internal reunion that we  accept the love that God already has for us.  We are hospitable, kind and gracious to ourselves.  We, in this way, become our own hosts, so that the fragmented and disjointed pieces of our lives may be received in God’s extravagant embrace.  As we are transformed by the acceptance of God’s invitation, we are led to invite others to the joyous banquet that we prepare from our own experience.  When each individual can be welcoming to himself or to herself, such honesty must be translated to the larger church in order to transform it.  

The witness of scripture tells us that God will welcome us into his embrace,
even as Godfrey welcomed me into his.  Jesus’ words, as recorded by Luke assure
us that as we embrace ourselves, God, too embraces us.


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