| February 3, 2021 Good afternoon, ” Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed. ” I Corinthians 15:51 Paul, the early church leader, thought the Second Coming was imminent. You can read it in the letters to Corinth, and also in First Thessalonians. What happened ? Did Paul hear it wrong from God ? Did Paul mean something different than what I think is the ” Second Coming “. Did we miss it already ? The church has debated this question since Paul wrote about it. This might be the reason that so many people want to set a date, and get it right. Getting it right, would give us certainty. But, we live in faith, and not with certainty. I do not know what tomorrow might bring. I am almost sure that I will drive to Poole, and sit in the office, and call people on the phone. But, I am not exactly sure of that or anything. I may see a beautiful sunrise, or a never before seen cloud structure in the sky, or the snow might be falling in a new way. I have faith that God will be by my side, in my head and provide me with community. For me, the opposite of faith is apathy. Faith is about seeking the Divine, in both God and others. Apathy would be to say that I do not care about seeking. You might also say, that life has beaten me down, that I have no room for the sacred parts of life. Maybe some of us have been there ? For many people, COVID has been life crushing, and so there is no room for God. It is too dangerous to think about the idea of having faith. I do not make judgment on people who are apathetic, but invite them into a deeper faith and trust in God. Prayer God. Help us all, for we have our own broken parts, to slightly move in a small footstep towards you. We know that you love us all. AMEN. Fred Soaring like Vultures lifted up by unseen Hands Trust, silent enters my fears Monica Pieper Landoni 2021 |
