My prayer is that light will flood your hearts and that you will understand the hope that was given to you when God chose you. Then you will discover the glorious blessings that will be yours together with all of God’s people. Ephesians 1:18 (CEV)

“What do you think hope is?” I asked a group of elementary aged children.  Their eyes widened as they stared at me like deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car.  The uncomfortable silence of uncertainty filled the air.  No one moved.

I wanted to help them out, but honestly, I was struggling too.  How do you take a huge abstract word like hope and narrow it down to a simplistic kid-friendly definition?  My thoughts spun like the sugar in a cotton candy machine, but they weren’t pulling together.

 Finally, someone spoke.  “Hope is when you believe something.”

I thought for a beat, and suddenly my strands of thought pulled together and clung to the core of this one simple definition.  “Yes,” I replied.  “Hope is when you believe that something good is going to happen.”

I’ve seen a lot of articles and blogs about hope lately.  It seems many people find it to be in high demand and short supply.  This year has brought too much for many.  Too much grief, too much loss, too much uncertainty, too much anxiety, too much divisiveness, too much change, too much anger, too much politics, too much of just about everything.

The “too much” has taken away our ability to believe in something better just around the bend.

The people of Jesus’ time were all too familiar with the concept of too much.  Too much oppression, too much injustice, too much war, too much religion, too much greed, too much corruption, too much poverty, too much disparity.  There were many who had given up on the hope of the Messiah.

It was into this world of too much that Jesus first came.  He stepped right into the middle of the mess and healed the sick, fed the hungry, welcomed sinners and spoke of a new covenant that would free the people from the burden of the Law.  Jesus brought hope.  Jesus made people believe that something good was going to happen.

As Jesus followers, we are called to be a people of hope.  We are called to believe, regardless of life’s too much, that something good is going to happen.  Because it has.  Because Christ came.  Because he died.  Because he rose in victory and conquered death.  Because he lives within us.  Because he is coming again.

This is our hope in Advent–not just that Christ came, but that he is here.  He is Emmanuel–God with us.

This week, I would encourage you to reflect on the nature of hope.  More than that, I challenge each of us to live in God’s hope.  Let’s take a stand, together, against life’s too much.  Think about how you might offer hope to someone else this week.  You might:

• send a note of encouragement to someone struggling with loss or loneliness
• surprise someone struggling financially with an anonymous gift
• send thank-you notes to your local firefighters, police officers and city workers
• check in on someone you know is struggling with the holidays
• randomly pay for someone’s dinner, groceries, coffee, gas, etc…
• ask the cashier at the grocery store, department store or gas station how they’re doing–and encourage them to answer
• call someone who has a thankless job by name and thank them for their work
• forgive yourself or someone else and move on with life
• speak kindly to those you come into contact with, even if they’re telemarketers who call during dinner

There are thousands of ways we can bring hope to a world of too much.  We just need to let God’s light shine through.

Blessings and Peace,

Sara

“Do you know where the gloves got put?”

“Which box is our comforter in?”

“Do I have any pants?”

These are the questions I field at least once a week since we moved in June.  With each request, I go searching through the house–looking into random closets, digging into partially opened tubs and boxes and rummaging around shelves I can’t see the tops of.  Eventually I find that pants are on top of a dresser, the comforter is in a vacuum sealed bag and gloves, well, it’s not that cold yet.

The searching in our house these past few months has been reflected in my spirit, too.  I seem stuck in a cycle of perpetual searching.  I’m searching to find my place in a new community, searching to define myself as an author, searching to establish myself in a new career, and even searching to figure out who I am now that I’m 40.

I have to be honest, searching for gloves, comforters and pants is a lot easier.

I feel like, after a season of mountaintop living, I have been thrust back into the wilderness.  I’m trying to find the light of God’s leading, but there are no bushes ablaze around me.  There’s no pillar of fire going before me into the darkness pointing east or west.  There’s just me kicking up sand and wondering if I’ve passed this rock before.

Lent has traditionally been the time for wilderness wanderings; however, Advent finds us in the wilderness, too.   Jesus didn’t enter into a world festooned with mistletoe and holly.  He entered humanity in a time of violence, fear, uncertainty and injustice.  He came when people were seeking a light to dispel the darkness of poverty, injustice and oppression.  He came when people were seeking hope.

The world hasn’t changed much since Jesus first came.  We might string mistletoe and holly more freely around our homes, but there is still violence, still fear, still uncertainty, still injustice.  Like the people of Jesus’ time, we are still seeking a light to dispel the darkness of the world around us.

Advent provides us with the opportunity to wait, in hopeful expectation, for the Light of the World to come.  And come he will, because he’s always been there.

In the beginning was the Word
and the Word was with God
and the Word was God.
The Word was with God in the beginning.
Everything came into being through the Word,
and without the Word
nothing came into being.
What came into being
through the Word was life,[a]
and the life was the light for all people.
The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness doesn’t extinguish the light. John 1:1-5 (CEB)

Whatever you find yourself searching for this Advent, embrace the uncertainty of finding it.  Give yourself over to God’s work in your life.  Wait in hopeful expectation for the Light that was, is and will come.

Blessings and Peace,

Sara

 

Disheartened.

That’s the word I went to bed with last night and awoke with this morning.

At the end of an unprecedented in my lifetime hate-filled, vicious and embarrassing political season, I am disheartened.

Now, before my Republican friends check out, let me be clear.  I’m not condemning Republicans.  I’m not condoning Democrats.  Although I didn’t see the election of Donald Trump as President coming, I get where it came from.

People are fed up with the American government.  More than that, they’re angry–and justifiably so.  Corporate democracy has polluted the democratic process and left many Americans in distress both financially and socially.

As a barely middle-class American, I don’t particularly feel like the government works on my behalf, and I know it doesn’t work on behalf of the poor, the marginalized and the oppressed.

However, I’m not sure that it should.  I think there’s a great danger in looking to the government for salvation. Governments are created to bring forth the kingdoms of men.  As Jesus followers, it is our responsibility to bring about the kingdom of God.

That’s not an attempt to diminish the significant role our government plays in promoting peace, justice and freedom.  The government has a responsibility to work on behalf of all its people.  Right now, it’s failing fairly spectacularly.  But, neither presidential candidate was going to fix that.

 

And while it disheartens me that so many people thought Donald Trump was the answer, God reminded me that there is a much wider lens from which to view this current election cycle.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, you must be patient as you wait for the coming of the Lord. Consider the farmer who waits patiently for the coming of rain in the fall and spring, looking forward to the precious fruit of the earth.  You also must wait patiently, strengthening your resolve, because the coming of the Lord is near.  Don’t complain about each other, brothers and sisters, so that you won’t be judged. Look! The judge is standing at the door!  James 5:7-9 (CEB)

Be patient

Wait for the Lord

Strengthen your resolve

Don’t complain about others

James gets the long game.  He understands that in a world fraught with upheaval, uncertainty and fear it’s easy to lose sight of what God is doing.  James calls on the people of God, who had absolutely no voice in the Roman government, to stand strong in their hope–to expect to see the coming of the Lord.

I think–almost 2,000 years later–there’s a message here for us.  God knows what is going on in his world.  God sees the injustice, the oppression, the poverty, the persecution, the greed, the violence and the iniquity.  And he’s going to do something about it.  In fact, he already is.

The truth of the matter is that we, as Jesus followers, have dropped the ball.  We’ve relinquished our call to do works of justice, mercy, love and peace and instead have called on the government to do those things for us.  But, that’s not the way God works.

Jesus gives  his disciples the following command as he sends them out to do the work of God.

As you go, make this announcement: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’  Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with skin diseases, and throw out demons.” Matthew 10:7-8 (CEB)

Jesus doesn’t say: petition the government for better healthcare, demand an audience with the governor or campaign on behalf of Caesar.

No, Jesus tells his disciples, you heal the sick.  You feed the hungry.  You love your enemies.  You visit those imprisoned.  You work to bring about my kingdom.

My friends, it is time we put our hope back at the feet of the one who sits on the throne of creation.  It is time we stop blaming the government for all of our failures as human beings and take up the mantle of discipleship Jesus has placed before us.

Over the coming weeks and months, I challenge you to engage in some dialogue with God about how you can work within your homes, churches, workplaces and communities to bring about justice, peace, unity, mercy and love.  Regardless of who sits in Congress or the Oval Office, what can you do to help build God’s kingdom here on earth?

Blessings and Peace,

Sara

Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? James 4:5 (NIV)

Recently, I reread Alice Hoffman’s novel The Dovekeepers.   This novel follows the paths of four Jewish women during the Roman occupation of Israel in ancient times.  Hoffman’s work is deep, lyrical, mystical and moving.  Like most great works of fiction, there is fundamental truth running within and beyond the story.

One of the terms referenced in the novel is the Shechinah.  The Shechinah is a Hebrew word that refers to God’s Spirit.  In seminary, we were taught that this Spirit was the feminine aspect of God, and indeed, Shechinah is feminine in form.

However, in doing a bit of research (because I’m a total nerd) I found that Shechinah is much more than a manifestation of God’s Spirit.

One Bible reference site defines Shechinah as the “visible majesty of the divine presence”. It is the cloud that led the people of Israel through the wilderness and settled over the Tabernacle of the Lord.  It is the essence of God that dwelt on the mercy seat between the cherubim in Solomon’s Temple.

More than that, Shechinah is the literal embodiment of God’s divine presence dwelling within us.  Rabbi Tavi Freeman describes the Schechinah as the Spirit of God who “comes to Earth to rescue our spirits from their shells of darkness” and “to reconnect them to their source above…” 

Shechinah is God With Us.

Think about that for a minute.  Shechinah is God With Us.

As a Jesus girl, I sometimes forget that I have the Spirit of God dwelling within me.  My rational mind brushes it away, my schedule buries it under mounds of “stuff to do” or I’m just so unfocused I can’t clearly see, hear or appreciate this wondrous gift of God within me.

James 4:5 reminds me that God jealously longs for me to wake up to the fact that his Spirit–the Shechinah glory–is right there inside of me.  God placed his Spirit inside me (inside you) for a reason–so that we would never be separated from him again.

When we allow God’s Spirit to move through us, we have a source of power far beyond any earthly feat of engineering.  We have access to the Spirt that breathed life into creation and raised people from the dead.  We have access to the Spirit that holds all truth, wisdom and understanding.  We have access to the Spirit that gave itself up on the cross in order that we might stand blameless before the throne of God.

Think of what we might do if we fully allowed God’s Shechinah glory to work within our lives.  Think of the difference we could make in this world if we truly embodied the spirit of God!

God longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell within you.

This week, open yourself up to the Shechinah.  Invite God’s Spirit to move within you–guiding your steps and lighting your paths.  Reconnect to this internal power source so that the light of God’s love might shine in our world.

Blessings and Peace,

Sara

Turn your ear and hear the words of the wise;

focus your mind on my knowledge. Proverbs 22:17 (CEB)

Whack!  I winced as the screen door slammed shut for the 500th time.  Gleeful shouts erupted from the upper deck.  Chants of “Na-na finals! Na-na! finals! Na-na finals!” came screeching into the living
room followed by another spectacular Whack! of the screen door.

My boys were designing parachutes out of plastic bags for their stuffed animals and launching them from the upper deck of our house.  Apparently, the “Na-na Finals” referred to the championship drop.

Once my boys were back inside, we had the usual chaos of chasing the dogs, making “roo-ing” noises (We have a Bassett hound who says “rooo” a lot) and an extra loud competition to see who could say supercalifragilisticexpialidocious the most times in a row.

Once in the van and headed to school, the stereo blared to life.

“Is this Adele?” my youngest bellowed from the backseat?

“Yes!” I yelled back.

After drop off, alone with my thoughts and Adele, I started to feel overwhelmed.  While the primary physical sources of noise and chaos in our home were no longer present, my thoughts continued to scream in a tumultuous whirlwind of mental noise that drove out everything else around me.  As my thoughts flew and pinged from one to another, I felt the familiar dread of anxiety forming in my gut.

If you’ve never experienced anxiety, let me give you a crash course.  Anxiety (in my experience) starts in the pit of my stomach.  It gnaws at you, like a dog chewing a rawhide bone.  But unlike the rawhide bone, anxiety is fluid.  It moves upward, causing your heart to beat faster.  It wraps itself around your lungs, crushing the air inside your chest and making your breath become shallower.  Finally, it spreads through your limbs–tingling like an electric current until you just can’t remain still any longer.  You have to move–frantically walking, pacing, cleaning, etc…

On this particular morning, I was feeling the gnawing.  As it started to move upward, I muted Adele and took a calming breath.  Focus, I thought.

Inhaling again, I turned my breath inward–a cooling stream of air targeted at my core blowing the anxiety away.

I focused on the word focus until it was the only “sound” I heard.

Many of us spend our days living unfocused lives.  The plethora of media literally at our fingertips pulls our focus in hundreds of different directions.  In ten minutes I can read fifty Facebook posts, the headlines of at least twelve major news articles, as well as scan two or three emails.

The problem is, I am not a natural-born multi-tasker. Doing several things at once makes me feel anxious.  In order to function at my best, my mind needs to be focused.

There is a difference between focus and stillness.  Stillness is about quiet.  Stillness is tuning everything out so that you can recharge, reconnect and revive.  Focus, on the other hand, is about clarity.  Focus is about centering your entire being on one thing so that you can fully understand and complete the task at hand.

For me, focus leads to productivity, engagement and peace.

Over the years, I have found several strategies that help me to focus.  Obviously, breathing and meditating is one.  Hacking out hymns on the piano is another.  I’m not very good, but I can eek out a chord with enough focus, which is why playing the piano is a great focusing activity for me.

Writing also provides me with the ability to focus.  When my thoughts seem to be spinning out of control, I pick up a journal or start pecking away at the keyboard.

God has given me these tools to lead me back when the chaos of life and my thoughts seek to pull me under.  And all of the tools that I use center around him.  When I meditate, it is on God’s presence.  When I play the piano, it is to draw closer to God’s spirit.  When I write, it is to engage in conversation with God.

When life spins around us, God says, Focus on me.

When thoughts are racing through our minds, God says, Focus on me.

When our to-do lists become unmanageable, God says, Focus on me.

When anxiety starts to rear its ugly head, God says, Focus on me.

My challenge to you today is to focus on being focused.  Take an assessment of where you are right now.

Are you centered, or are you spinning like a top in multiple directions?

What would it take to come back to center?

What tools has God given you that will help you regain your focus?

By centering ourselves on God, we can better see the work he has laid out before us this day.

Blessings and Peace,

Sara

but my righteous one will live by faith,
and my whole being won’t be pleased with anyone who shrinks back.
But we aren’t the sort of people who timidly draw back and end up being destroyed. We’re the sort of people who have faith so that our whole beings are preserved. Hebrews 10:38-39 (CEB)

The other day, I read a powerful editorial written by women’s leader Beth Moore regarding the upcoming Presidential election.  The title of the piece was “The Scandal of Election 2016”.  If you have five or ten minutes, read it.  It is a convicting condemnation on the state of our faith as American Jesus followers, as well as a persuasive call to come back to our faith in the God of Salvation and Resurrection.

Moore states that we, as Christians, have “misplaced our faith.”  She goes on to write that:

“We have become not only like the world but like the world at its social-worst: lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive…ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. (2 Timothy 3:2-5 ESV)”

As Christians, we have stopped following Jesus and, instead, have followed the world.  Somewhere along the line, we’ve lost our faith.  We’ve forgotten that God is the creator of the world, Alpha and Omega, the one who reigns victorious over death.  We have allowed the world to strip us of our faith and have replaced that faith with anger, fear, absolutism and cynicism.

I don’t know about you, but I am in real need of a faith-check.  If I’m being honest, on a scale of one to ten my faith level is probably hovering between a three and four.  You have no idea how much it pains me to put that in writing, but it’s true.  I have allowed my knowledge of the world to chip away at my faith in God.

In the crushing weight of the world’s problems, faith seems childishly naive, perhaps even unintelligent.  How can faith restore the lives of the people of Haiti?  How can faith heal the racism in our country?  How can faith bring peace to an increasingly destructive world?

Well, my friends, that’s up to us.  You see, when Jesus commissioned the disciples to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything that I’ve commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20 CEB) he was calling them to be his hands and feet.

Jesus modeled the work he intended the disciples to do.  He went into poor communities and fed the hungry.  He sat with people who were unwelcome in the church and offered them God’s love and compassion.  He took time to teach those society deemed unworthy of an education–women, children and menial laborers.  He touched those who were sick and unclean and healed them.

In short, Jesus served others.

The Great Commission is not a thing of the past.  Jesus didn’t intend for his work to die with the eleven disciples standing on a Galilean hillside.  Rather, the disciples were to go out and commission others to continue Jesus’ work.  As followers of Jesus, that is our commission, too.

Instead of shrinking back from faith, we are called to embrace it.  Regardless of how we “feel”, what people think of us or whether or not we can quantify our efforts, our job is to go out and serve others in the name of Jesus.

The author of Hebrews goes on to write that faith “is the reality of what we hope for, the proof of what we don’t see.”  By faith the men and women of God “conquered kingdoms, brought about justice, realized promises, shut the mouths of lions, put out raging fires, escaped from the edge of the sword, found strength in weakness, were mighty in war, and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead by resurrection.”(Hebrews 11:33-35 CEB)

It seems to me that if I want my faith to be a ten, then I need to stop focusing on everything that is wrong with the world and get myself to where Jesus is working. I need to take stock of those gifts and abilities God has placed within me and find ways to use them for the benefit of others.

The truth is, the more we step out in faith, the more our faith will grow.  Faith leads to faith.

This week, do a faith check within yourself.  Where do you stand right now in your belief?  Are you overwhelmed by the world?  Are you angry, stressed, or fearful?  Do you find that you are cynical of belief?  Does it seem like God has abandoned us?

Look again.  Step away from your anger, your fear, your worry or even your cynicism.  Take a step toward Jesus by reaching outside of yourself to do one thing that brings light, love or peace to someone else.  Then, check your faith again.  Is it growing?

Blessings and Peace,

Sara

 

…because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. Hebrews 7:24-25 (NIV)

Ugh…

This is the thought that went through my mind as I turned the page of my Bible and peered down at the next book in my reading: Hebrews.

I will be the first to admit, there are books of the Bible I am not fond of.  Leviticus sits at the top of that list, closely followed by Numbers.  The books of the Chronicles are where I practice my speed reading, but nothing makes me go “bleh”as much as Hebrews.  There’s so much ethereal talk of covenants and priests and roundabout sentences and run-on paragraphs that I get lost trying to find the main point.  No matter how much I pray over the text, it still feels like a dreaded trip to the dentist when I sit down to read it.

Pouring over chapter 7 (mostly hearing “wah, wha-wha, wha-wha” in my head) I asked the Holy Spirit for some enlightenment.  As I read through the end of the chapter, the phrase “save completely” seemed to call out to me.

Jesus is able to save completely.

Sit with that for a minute. What does the idea of being saved completely mean to you?

On the one hand, it means that we are saved from our sins through the blood and sacrifice of Jesus Christ and are promised an eternal home in heaven.  But, I think it’s more than that.

As I thought about the notion of complete salvation, I recalled this verse from 2 Corinthians 5:17:

Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new. (CEV)

The NIV uses the term new creation to describe those living in Christ.  When we are completely saved, we are made into a new creation.  Jesus didn’t just save us from our sins, he saved us from ourselves.

For me, complete salvation isn’t just about eternity, it’s also about the here and now.  Complete salvation means that God has transformed (and is transforming and will continue to transform) the very essence of who I am.

You see, because of Jesus’ sacrifice–because he is the high priest seated at the right hand of God Almighty–God’s Spirit is able to dwell within us.  When we accept Christ’s invitation to enter into our lives, we allow God’s goodness, mercy, grace, love, hope, peace and forgiveness to enter into our being.  God’s presence completely saves us from our human selfishness, pride, egotism, greed, lust, divisiveness and hate.

 

More importantly, as we take in the essence of God,  we (ideally) pour God’s goodness, mercy, grace, love, hope, peace and forgiveness out into the world.  In that way, being completely saved takes on a whole new dimension.  We see that salvation isn’t for us alone, but for all of God’s creation.  We are not just beneficiaries of God’s salvation, we are also participants in the salvation process.

Because God dwells within us, we can show others God’s great love.  And that love opens the door for others to accept the great invitation that was sent when Jesus died on the cross.

Let me be clear, we cannot save others on our own.  But, we can show people who God is by how we live.

In a world that seems consumed by hate, bigotry, fear, violence, poverty and oppression, it is good to remember that there is another force at work.

Look at me, Jesus says in the midst of the world’s chaos.  You are completely saved.  Spread the word.

Blessings and Peace,

Sara

 

Timothy, you belong to God, so keep away from all these evil things. Try your best to please God and to be like him. Be faithful, loving, dependable, and gentle.  Fight a good fight for the faith and claim eternal life. God offered it to you when you clearly told about your faith, while so many people listened. Now I ask you to make a promise. Make it in the presence of God, who gives life to all, and in the presence of Jesus Christ, who openly told Pontius Pilate about his faith. Promise to obey completely and fully all that you have been told until our Lord Jesus Christ returns.  1 Timothy 6:11-14 (CEV)

Last night, like millions of other Americans, I sat and watched the “Presidential” debate.  I don’t like publicly entering into the malai of politics, but I feel compelled today to speak.  I feel compelled to speak because it seems that the people running for the most prestigious office in our land are bringing out the very worst in the American people.

On the one hand you have someone spouting forth a rhetoric of hate and bigotry and nativism that goes against everything we as Americans claim to hold dear.

On the other hand you have someone who is so mired in corruption and self-gain and personal ambition there is no clear sense of truth.

People (and I have been one of them) who claim to be following Jesus are echoing and sharing rhetoric that is mean, divisive, prejudiced and inflammatory all in the name of party politics.  The thing is, if we (and I’m including myself here) are truly following Jesus, there should be no room in our souls for such thoughts and beliefs.

The debates last night were a powerful reminder for me that, as  Jesus girl, I am called to be better than this.  And so are you.

We have allowed the extreme polarization of our two-party political system define our faith when, in reality, it should be the exact opposite.  It is our faith in and relationship with Jesus Christ that should define and shape all of our other beliefs.

I have always felt that God transcends politics.  I think, generally, God’s politics are vastly different than our current Red and Blue guiding principles.  God is interested in

• justice
• righteousness
• peace
• love
• truth
• repentance
• forgiveness
• salvation

There are many different ways to bring about these things on both sides of the American political aisle.  I have Christian friends who are conservative and Christian friends who are liberal and, crazily enough, we often find that we want the very same thing.  We want a world where God’s love shines through the darkness.

The conversation isn’t about who’s right or who’s wrong.  Rather, the conversation is about what we, as Jesus followers, can do to better show God’s love.  And filling the airwaves with hate-mongering is not a viable option.

Look at the instructions Paul gives to Timothy about engaging in ministry:

• be faithful
• be loving
• be dependable
• be gentle

And, above all else, Paul encourages Timothy to fully and completely obey all of the commands he has been taught through Jesus Christ.

In short, Paul is reminding Timothy that he is called to better things than pride, conceit, slander, divisiveness, quarrelsomeness and unkindness. (See 1 Timothy 6:2-10)

As Jesus followers, we need to change the nature of our political conversations.  We need to show that we are faithful to God, loving toward others, dependable and gentle.

This week, I am going to take a step back from the side show that has become our “Presidential” race.  Rather than engaging the candidates, I am going to prayerfully seek out opportunities to engage the issues.  And I will work to speak in ways that are gentle and kind.

I invite you to join me in an effort to reframe the conversation.  Let’s put aside hate, malice and slander to embrace a language of love, kindness and compassion.

Blessings and Peace,

Sara

 

 

Run away from adolescent cravings. Instead, pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace together with those who confess the Lord with a clean heart. Avoid foolish and thoughtless discussions, since you know that they produce conflicts. God’s slave shouldn’t be argumentative but should be kind toward all people, able to teach, patient, and should correct opponents with gentleness. Perhaps God will change their mind and give them a knowledge of the truth. They may come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap that holds them captive to do his will. 2 Timothy 2:22-26 (CEB)

As I was scrolling through some news articles this morning, a headline in the NYT caught my eye: “A Rabbis Enduring Sermon on Living Your Last Five Minutes“.  The article reflected on Rabbi Kenneth Berger’s Yom Kippur sermon thirty years ago regarding the explosion of the Challenger space shuttle.  In this sermon, Rabbi Berger focused on the five minutes the Challenger crew lived between the explosion of the shuttle and the crash into the Atlantic ocean.  Berger states:

“That scene still haunts me…The explosion and then five minutes. If only I… If only I… And then the capsule hits the water, it’s all over. Then you realize it’s all the same — five minutes, five days, 50 years. It’s all the same, for it’s over before we realize.

“‘If only I knew’ — yes, my friends, it may be the last time. ‘If only I realized’ — yes, stop, appreciate the blessings you have. ‘If only I could’ — you still can, you’ve got today.”

Less than three years later, Rabbi Berger and his wife were killed in a plane crash.  Two of their three children were traveling with them, and both survived.  They recalled, in those final moments, their father taking their hands and offering words of reassurance.

The book of 2 Timothy records one of Paul’s final letters to his adopted son. Paul is imprisoned in Rome.  His trial is over, and he is awaiting his execution. Paul knows his earthly journey is coming to an end.  He tells Timothy that he is being “poured out like a drink offering”.  Alone, chained, facing the end…Paul longs to see Timothy once more.

You see, even though Paul knows the end is near, he understands that there is still work to do. Paul not only intends to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ until his final breath, he wants to make sure that after he is gone the gospel continues to be spread.

And so, Paul calls on Timothy.  This letter is not a memoir, a reflection of a life lived in ministry.  Rather, it is a commission.  It is a sending forth of Timothy to continue the race. Paul reminds Timothy of the gospel message and charges him with the task of both sharing that message and training up new leaders.  Paul understands that the church’s foundation is not built on him, but on Jesus Christ.

To that end, Paul gives Timothy some words of advice on Christian living.

1. Don’t get caught up in things that pull you away from Christ.
2. Focus on doing the right thing, sharing God’s love and living peacefully with others.
3. Be part of a community of true believers.
4. Don’t get into arguments and conflicts that result in divisions rather than strengthening the unity of the church.
5. Instruct others with kindness and patience.
6. Be humble and don’t judge others; rather, try and lead them to the truth in Jesus Christ.

In our current “selfie” culture driven by consumerism, competition and the need to be right, Paul’s final words to Timothy are a salient reminder of who we, as Jesus followers, are called to be.

No one knows the number of their days here on earth.  But I think, if we take Paul’s final instructions to heart, we too can leave a legacy of faith.

Blessings and Peace,

Sara