The Past is that – Past!

We are constantly reminded of the way things used to be. It can be a church, a school, a job, our childhood, almost anything. History fills us with expectation. When our lives are positive we generally look at the past as the process that contributed to our current position. When things are not going so well, we often view the past with longing. We wish for a return to an easier and simpler time.

This habit of humanity is certainly not unique. It is a constant theme in the bible and nowhere is it more evident than in the Gospel. We see this when Christ reveals his imminent death to his disciples. There is no perception revealed by the disciples that this could lead to anything positive and as such they wish for things to remain as they have been, with Jesus teaching them and living in the community of Christ.

Little did they know that what they perceived as an impossible occurrence was all part of the salvation that God had planned and would soon be revealed. If they had been able to turn back time to a simpler, easier point in Christ’s ministry, the opportunity of complete forgiveness would have been forsaken.

Every period in our lives will bring with it joys & sorrows and the longing for a better time will certainly be part of our consciousness. We must continue to live with the faith that our God knows the path and when we are willing to allow the Spirit to lead, our challenges will reveal opportunities to rediscover it. Soon we will once again be living the life that we were simply made for, and doing so easily.

Walking Humbly With God

Where is the division between Serving our best interests and serving God’s will?  Our interests can only be beneficial in so much as they are in alignment with our Lord’s will. Then what is God’s will for our life? our Church? our community? our state? our nation? our world?……. At each level this answer is revealed through one simple act, that is the act of Service. True Service is inspired by Spirit and lives for no other reason than to Serve.

 Jesus Christ gave these instructions to his disciples as revealed in Matthew 20: 25-29 ²⁵Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. ²⁶Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ²⁷and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— ²⁸just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Our society today seems to glorify the climb to the top at the expense of values. The most important of these values are derived from the very book that presents Christ to us. We must not ignore what is written. The teachings of Christ hold many levels of acuity but of one fact we can be certain, he came to Serve ALL of humanity.

The work before us is a challenge but the Servants of the community are abundant. With the lead of the Spirit, our call to give throughout our community will continue to flourish. I can see no pause but the time to break for a crabcake.