Christmas is a special time. It is a time of hope, love, and forgiveness. When I say that it is a time of hope, love and forgiveness, many people give me a strange look when I get to the word "forgiveness." When we look at the candles through Advent, hope, peace, joy, and love are represented. In most Christmas stories, those are the highlighted attributes. So when I say that this is a time of forgiveness, it is out of the norm. However, I would argue that you cannot find any of the commonly-held attributes of Christmas without having received and been given forgiveness. It is a two-way street, in which one cannot fully feel the good things of the season if one cannot let go of the burdens of their heart.
Of course, Christmas starts with a choice of forgiveness, when God sent Christ into the world. God did not need to do this. God could have chosen another way, but out of God's love and promise, he has chosen to remain active in this world so far as to send Christ as a beacon, teaching us to forgive as God has forgiven us. It is striking how important forgiveness is within the New Testament. It is significant that the very first thing Jesus says to the disciples when he comes back is, “Peace be with you.” Then he commissions them by breathing on them, saying, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." You hear the line so often around Christmastime in the secular world, based on the fact that this is a special time when people try to be a little nicer, to treat each other with a bit more kindness, and have a bit more hope. I argue that you cannot truly embrace that unless you have forgiveness in your heart, because the anger always gets in the way. I remember a member of one of my congregations. June was a bitter woman, and very reclusive. I remember seeing her, if I were lucky, maybe once a month. After years of meeting with her, she finally told me of her troubled past. It was a past marred by abusive relationships, devastating tragedies, and many bad choices. For her, removing herself from the world was a form of protection, though her anger was never too deep. One Christmas I went to visit June. Knowing she was all alone, I brought her a plate of my special cookies. We sat and talked. It had been a little while since we had previously spoken, and for the first time, she gave me a smile. She said, “I just read Job.” In my mind, I thought, “Oh, no!” But June continued, “God was always with Job, wasn’t he? And when Christ came into the world, God was with him, wasn’t he? And Christ promised God’s love to everyone, didn’t he?” I replied yes, and she continued. “I hated God because I thought God had done this to me.” A smile began to fill her face. I saw a sparkle in her eye that I had never before seen, as she turned to me and said, “I forgave God, and he forgave me!” That Christmas, June learned the reason for the season, because she was able to make the hard choice to forgive. It changed her life! From that time on, June turned into one of the happiest people I knew. Every time I saw her, she would remind me of that day by saying, “Everyday can be Christmas, when you truly have forgiveness in your heart.” As we finish the last week of Advent and prepare to meet Christ on Christmas, think about what and who you need to forgive, and find true forgiveness in your heart. Only then can you truly experience the full Christmas miracle.
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If someone came up to me and said, “Quick, give me a definition of joy,” I think I would have a hard time. On one hand, sure, I could say “extreme happiness,” but is that really the definition? Plus, I know that there are many times in my life that I have been joyful but not happy, like my grandfather’s funeral a few years back, where I felt the pain and sadness for my loss, but joy that he was freed from the bondage of his Alzheimer’s.
Yes, I am overthinking it, but that is the problem with words like “joy” that have become cliché. They tend to take on many meanings that detract from the real meaning underlying the season. The joy that we talk about when it comes to Advent and Christmas is one that comes with scripture and from the knowledge of God. This week we light the third candle of Advent, which represents this joy. The tradition of the Advent wreath and the Advent candles is one of the later traditions to be developed. In the west, Advent began to be observed in the late 6th century as a shorter, less strict version of Lent. Just as each week of Advent has a meaning, in earlier practices, each week of Lent also had a defined meaning. Halfway through Lent, the fourth Sunday to be exact, there was a respite from the strict fasting of the season called Laetare or “mothering” Sunday, where pink vestments were worn. On Laetare Sunday, the pope would pass out flowers and encourage people to celebrate the promise of the Resurrection. The toned-down pink color represented this respite from the dark violet of Lent. As you may have guessed, this is where the pink candle comes from. As they condensed the seven weeks of Lent to the four of Advent, the middle week became Gaudete Sunday, which has a parallel meaning. Gaudete comes from the first word of the Latin Introit, which translates as “Rejoice.” Contrary to what many people assume, the pink candle does not represent love, but joy, and the pink color of the candle symbolizes this respite from Advent to open up a true celebration of the joy which is found in the coming Christ. The scripture that we have for this week is one that I call an “ordered life” reading. Like Micah 6:8, it gives us a direction of how we are to live out our lives as Christians. It starts as the Latin Introit did, “Rejoice always,” and goes on to say that we are called to perpetually live an ordered life of joy, prayer, acceptance, and exploration. It is an interesting passage, because it does not give a Pollyannaish, “life is all perfect” view of Christianity; rather, it says that we should rejoice in everything, good and bad. Moreover, it implies that there will be times of learning and struggles, but when we do give ourselves over to the joy in Christ, we can begin to understand peace, which just happens to be the theme next week. I think it is fitting that in the first service we will celebrate joy as we have the kids perform their Christmas pageant. I know that they will be giving a joyful presentation of the Christmas story. And through their gifts and presence, we might connect to a joy and maybe have a respite from the crazy season to experience the joy that comes from accepting the gift of Christ. One of my first memories of abject fear was when I was a little boy, 4 or 5, and overheard a newscast that they were sending American arms overseas. I would not let anyone in the house wear short sleeves because I was convinced that they were going around chopping off people’s arms and sending them overseas. In a silly way, my fear was another, though extremely minor, casualty of war. Lately, I have been thinking about impact. As a small child, in many ways I was completely removed from whatever conflict they were talking about on the news, yet for me, it was a moment that was so impactful it is still vivid, and that fear, though now I know it to be irrational, I can still see.
The problem with war is that people never see all of the casualties. Moreover, it is impossible to understand a war’s entire impact. During war, it is easy to see the fallen soldiers, ruined cities, and so on, but we often overlook the deeper impact on families and communities. We also tend to miss the long-term effects. In learning more about 9/11, I am amazed that those horrid attacks were the culmination of many wars, sanctions, and other actions by many countries. Regardless of the reasoning behind the actions, it was their impact that drove the attacks. In fact, when scholars look into terrorist cells and separatist movements, often what they find is that the those who lead them base their hate upon experiences stemming from the unforeseen impact of “wars.” It is also important to remember that an armed conflict is not the only kind of war. We have wars in our communities when we choose not to discuss and debate an issue, but rather force agendas or do whatever it takes to get our way. Inevitably at this time of year, someone will start talking about the war on Christmas. This is a dangerous war for people of faith, because its impact is tough, and the one who suffers most is God. Personally, I think that the war on Christmas comes from the Christians, or more specifically, Christians who are trying to make a name for themselves. The problem is that the impact is greater than the war itself. More importantly, we do not know the impact until many years later. I like to remind people that the reason why church attendance in the United States is in decline has little to do with what is actually happening in churches today. Rather, it is the impact of what happened in the past. In the Protestant tradition, this has a lot to do with the wars between different sects and traditions, but also actions taken against groups of people like the LGBT community, divorced individuals, those who provide or receive abortion, etc. Setting the moral arguments aside, the war itself has had a great impact. I cannot tell you how many times people will point to those actions to highlight the hypocrisy of the church and explain why the church is just not relevant. I say this because I do not think that we can understand the power of peace until we understand the impact of war. Through understanding war, we gain insight into the way in which evil is present in the world and how it uses our fears and our powers to destroy real relationships with each other and with God. But when we embrace peace, it is more than just the absence of war. Its meaning points to a just society where people are well cared for, society is just, and righteousness is foundational. So, as we continue the journey to the Christmas story, look at the wars you are fighting and find ways to replace war with peace. As I was working on some of the Christmas services last week, a thought came up in my mind: Isn’t it weird that we have two Christ candles in the sanctuary over the Advent season? In the vein of “great minds think alike,” one of the first questions Nan asked me during the decorating time was about having two Christ candles in the sanctuary.
The Christ candle represents the presence of Christ. Churches do this very differently. Some churches will have two candles on the communion table; others often have a giant pillar with the candle prominently displayed. Some churches I have been to, especially in the developing world, will have a tea candle in a pretty holder. Regardless of what it looks like, the meaning of the candle is the same, and a reminder of Matthew 18:20 when Jesus says, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them (NRSV)." We bring in the light as a reminder that Christ is present with us, and when we go out the door, it reminds us that Christ is in the world. Thus, the presence of Christ is everywhere. During Advent, most Presbyterian churches utilize the Advent candles as a tool to help their congregations remember that the month of December is a time of ordered preparation. Each week, we are called to look inward and ask how we are preparing ourselves for the coming of Christ. While we see that coming as Christmas, really what we are preparing for is the Second Coming, taking time to reflect on how we are living out the call to be people of hope, peace, joy, and love. The fifth Advent candle, which is lit on Christmas Eve, is the Christ Candle. So now you might be able to see the dilemma: for four weeks, we will have two Christ candles; but there are not two Christs, so what are they symbolizing? Logically, it does not make sense until you think it through. As Christians, we believe that Christ was born into this world to save the world from ourselves. He reminded us that we need to keep check on our humanity and recognize that we are called not to live for ourselves, but for God. In that way, we are never separated from God’s love and Christ’s grace. But at the same time, we are in a perpetual state of waiting—not just during Advent, but every day of our lives. We are waiting for the Second Coming, the day that Christ will come in his final glory to welcome those whom he has called to heaven. So, having two candles actually makes a lot of sense. The candle we light every Sunday represents the Christ who came and his Spirit that remains. The candle that is not lit reminds us that while Christ has come, Christ will come again, and we need to always be vigilant about how we are prepared for that day. Growing up, school was always the place where I had to be right and have all the answers, while church was the place where I could use the tools from school and really question. It was not strange that when something disturbed me or challenged me, we were encouraged to question and seek understanding. I could not tell you most of those experiences, but one of my very first was over a section in the bulletin that ran every week called “A Time for Prayers and Thanksgivings.” This is what would be our “pastoral prayer,” when I ask about joys and concerns.
The issue I had was simple: how can we celebrate thanksgiving, if it was not Thanksgiving? In my 7-year-old mind, thanksgiving was only a day, not a mindset. My mother had me take this issue to the pastor. I could tell when I asked my pastor, he was delighted to answer. He took me aside and began a conversation I will never forget about what thanksgiving was, and why it is something we should practice every day. Over the years, I have learned more and more about thanksgiving, both the day and the lifestyle. Thanksgiving, the holiday, actually originated before the European settlements in the Americas. Linked with the early reformation and celebrations of plenty, the Puritans would often have celebrated a Thanksgiving at the end of a good harvest, though if the harvest was bad, they would fast. Obviously, this meant that it was not an annual event, nor was it an event that required sacrifice—it was a celebration of abundance, from abundance. Like many modern celebrations, Thanksgiving is riddled with problems. Part of the problem with Thanksgiving is the disconnect between the meaning and the observance. As this holiday became secularized, some of the most important elements got lost. By the time the United States was being established, Thanksgiving had already taken on many of the mythical themes that follow the day: that the Puritans in Plymouth, after failing miserably at farming, took what they learned from the Native Americans and were finally able to have a good harvest, and were so grateful that they invited them to this grand feast to give thanks. That is a really nice story, and to be honest, most scholars think it is more myth then reality. In fact, the materials on the “first” Thanksgiving are so sparse, it is hard for scholars to pinpoint the exact date or year of that celebration. But even though it is a nice story, it misses the very basis of what the holiday is about, which is the celebration and thanksgiving to God for giving the resources of life to the community. The myth of the first Thanksgiving is a hard one for many in the Native American community, because it is a painful reminder that as the Europeans came in, they worked to destroy the native people, often while using them for their own gain. That is one of the great problems with the overemphasis on the myth! Whoever made that story up was trying to show a conciliar action, and how two peoples could come together to make a community thrive. Unfortunately, it illustrates one of the problems that come with myths: the myth often overtakes the meaning. It is important for us to remember that the “first” Thanksgiving was not really the first, so that when we celebrate the day, we do not celebrate the myth. Rather, we celebrate the meaning and use it as a reminder that we need to be thankful every day of our lives for the abundance that God gives. As Christians in the Protestant tradition, and especially within our branch, we are called to live thankfully. We are called to be thankful for the gifts of life which God gave to us, and thankful for the salvation which God extended to us. This is why it is so important for us to see that thanksgiving is not a secular celebration for one day, but something that we should remember every day, and be thankful for the abundance which God gives to us. There is no doubt that God has given mankind the opportunity to make choices. We label this as free will. Many of the contemporary evangelical movements make a big deal of free will. In fact, some go so far as to say God has given you free will, and if you make right choices, you will prosper in this world, but if you make wrong choices (sin), you will do poorly. Unfortunately, so many traditions make such a great deal of this concept, it has become mainstream thinking. I call that unfortunate, because it misses some of the great nuances of the understanding of call and choice, and it completely misses the point of the Gospel.
Within the teachings of Christ, we can pretty fervently state that a choice to follow Christ is not a choice to better yourself in this world, but it is to prepare yourself for the next. Jesus spoke against the religious zealots who put the law before compassion. He spoke against those who lost sight of God in the midst of their practices of faith. His wrath was shown when he saw the temple working to profit itself over celebrating God. When one comes to believe in Christ, they welcome a life that will undoubtedly be difficult. But before there is the choice, there is the call. Calls are always difficult. Whether it is the call to go on a mission or the call to raise a family, calls should never be entered into lightly, or for reward. That never works out well—just watch the movie Mommie Dearest. Our great examples of the reluctant prophets, who by speaking the word of God often risked their life and comfort, teach us that to take up a call, we have to make the choice to put ourselves within the hands of God, knowing that it will work out in the direction God has planned. This is different from the understanding of election and predestination, since it is your choice whether or not to accept the path that has been laid out before you. When that choice is made, one must learn to trust and know that in the end, it will work out to the good. And if the wrong choice is made, we ask God for the grace to reopen the door to allow us to find the right choice again. I think of that when I think of my colleagues who joined the clergy later in life: they could mark all the times God had called them, but they turned the other direction. At the end of choice and call comes thanksgiving. Ultimately, we realize that in the midst of our choices and our life, God is ever present, and though we may not receive the glory and reward in this life, we will certainly find it in the next. Thus, giving time to give thanks to God is very important, because to avoid it is to leave God out of the equation and lose sight of the role God is playing in your life. Though we have free will, that does not make our lives devoid of the presence of God. In fact, if we learn anything from Christ, keeping God central to our life changes our priorities, challenges us in our relationships, and leads us to see the love that God truly has for us. Though it is once a year, don’t forget God while celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday. Rather, let yourself be transformed by the grace and love that God has given to you through the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life This Sunday, we will have our second annual meeting of the year. The focus of this meeting is the leadership of the church. While the church will be introduced to the budget, the focus is on electing our leaders and confirming the pastor’s call. It is one of those important Sundays that really puts a mark on the life of the church and how we move forward. For us, we have met the difficult days in our past head on, and are beginning to progress to a new reality. However, even with our growth and stability, we are still impacted by the reality of the world that we are in and the trends that affect all congregations.
One of the most difficult trends of the church over the past 20 years is the fact that church has become a passive experience. With the rise of what I used to call Walmart churches—big churches with lots of activities and little commitment—many congregations rely on a small, select group leading, and the rest passively absorbing. This is disconnected from what the church is supposed to be like. The church is not about what one receives; rather, it is about how we grow together in relationship with God. When I have worked with other congregations, and even with some individuals, often I find that this disconnect is at the root of many problems the church faces. The easiest example is to think of many financial debates that happen in churches. Thankfully, we have overcome this trend, for the most part. However, when the discussion arises, issues of faith in budget are more often than not reduced to quantifiable numbers like attendance, budget, etc. While numbers can be helpful tools, the numbers can, and often do, become the driving force of the church, instead of the mission of God. This means that when the numbers become the basis of a church’s life, it loses itself and its identity to the whims of a society that ultimately values itself more than God. The dialogues that are part of these decisions are often far more about function and corporate issues, rather than grounded theology and propagation of the mission of God. Here lies the great problem of the church, faith, and all of Christianity. The loss of a connected story, and subsequently, theological reasoning, devalues the message of the church and relegates it to merely a social institution. Some even equate the church with a museum of an arcane and dead religion, not something that is active and alive. Whether spoken or not, many wonder if the church can ever even see growth. To this end, I like to say a big No and Yes, but it has to start with a serious reordering of values and discussion. In other words, I believe that the church must regain the art of telling stories and listening. The story is the most powerful way that one can embrace and grow in both faith and life. In this section, I will explore the social and biblical foundations of narrative, and the need for story and narrative for a grounded faith within the life of the church (local and global). The power of story is something that people often underestimate. As a respected writer and psychologist, Mary Pipher demonstrates a persuasive understanding of narrative and the great meaning and power of the words we use. She states, “With both written and spoken words, people remember stories. Savvy speakers tell and retell narratives that quiet a room and elicit laughter or tears.” (Pipher, 190) Words have power, and a good storyteller can make a huge difference in people’s lives. When discussing Martin Luther King Jr., historians often will cite the many people involved with the Civil Rights Movement, but it was his eloquence and ease of speech that brought his message out and thus impacted the lives of so many. The witness that King brought connected with people because he often retold the stories of the struggles of himself and others. He also allowed the story to be owned not only by him, but by those who were gathered. MLK knew that the only way to create change was to speak in powerful ways that connected people not to power, but to God, and that with that connection to God, they could take down any oppressive power that came in their way. He did this through story and a narrative that spoke a truth that was not passive or comfortable, but one that was life-changing. As we gather next Sunday to elect our leaders, we will be charging them to lead this congregation with imagination and energy, looking to ways in which we can really make a difference in our community and connect people with God in a much deeper way. Do you believe that mere mortals can achieve great things?
I remember when I was a young child and would watch others and be fascinated by what they did. To me, much of what adults did was mysterious and mythical. Yet through time, I began to learn and grow and gain the abilities that gave me such awe when I was a child. Now other things put me in that same state of awe. The thing that brings me to that place most often is the power that all people have to do great things. Given the right time and place, we all have the potential to do great and wonderful things and rise beyond ourselves. While I am the first to remind us of the broken state of humanity, there is within each of us a great compassion and desire to do the right thing. We can see some of these great things when we take the difficult path of doing what is right over what is easy. Although, I also believe that we have an essential need to be connected and help those who cannot help themselves. Even with this need, I know some who fight the urge to help others or try to legitimize reasons for not reaching out. I believe that it is the way we act outwardly that affects our inner self and connects us to the world around us. Through this connection, we begin to see and struggle with things greater than ourselves and begin to understand how God has his hand in all aspects of life. As we hold compassion for each other, we begin to see parts of people we never knew existed. A whole new world is opened for us, and new people are brought into it. When Christ went to sit with the "outcast," he was ridiculed for it, but Jesus shows through his many parables how the "outcasts" are crucial in the witness and story of Christ. If we follow Christ's lead, we have a responsibility to our community and our world to give back. Unfortunately, as humans, we are stuck within the realm of imperfection, and though we try to overcome it, our ignorance often gets in the way of the good that can be done. However, we still try, and maybe that is the most important thing we can do. I remember in one of my psychology classes the professor stood up and described the what he called the "spiral of self," where we begin to place ourselves before others, and soon we enter into a self-loathing and depression over our state of being. Once we break the "spiral of self," only then can we open ourselves up to who we really are. I have to say, I find that very interesting and true. Whether it is an individual, a church, or even a denomination, when the focus is always inward, the individual or other body become stagnant, withdrawn, and disconnected from the world and the good it holds. It is hard to see the good because of the preoccupation with how everything impacts you and your life. By opening up to the world, you can begin to see the awe and wonder that is there. To be in the perfect state of awe is probably the most wonderful place to be in this world. Being struck by the awesome power that surrounds us is incredible. As the leaves change and the fall colors come to their fullness, I am forever amazed at how life is ever changing and powerful. When we look beyond ourselves we can open up this potential and start to see this power more fully. On Sunday, we will come to the 500th celebration of the Reformation. Like most celebrations or holy days in the church, Reformation Sunday is a time to reflect and understand our tradition and how the stories and understandings from the past hold true today. Moreover, we have to think about how the actions of those in the past shape and mold our future.
What many people do not know or realize was that the Reformation was as much a political action as it was a spiritual one, with people beginning to see and become frustrated with the Vatican’s abuse of power. While there were many abuses, one practice that exemplified the problems was the selling of indulgences, to essentially let people buy their way into heaven. As a result, part of the Reformation focused on the relationship between church and state. They realized from a study of history that when church and state are closely aligned, the ultimate result is tyranny and other injustices. There are many examples of this in both ancient and modern culture, both within the Christian and Non-Christian world. It is important to note that the reformers were not anti-government nor anarchists; rather, they believed that the role of the church was to keep a check on governments, but not be the government. In the establishment of America, we know, based on the First Amendment, that there was a strong attempt to say that religion and government had to stay separate and that neither would control the other. There are many things that are unique in American culture because of this law. First, we are one of the few countries that does not have a state religion. In fact, many European countries have laws of tolerance, but still have an officially recognized church. Interestingly, most European churches and many churches in other parts of the world are supported not by pledges and donations, but by tax allocations from the government. Some Christian social scholars like Martin Marty suggest that is how the American church has been able to get so strong, as well maintain its membership, whereas the European churches regularly struggle for attendance. These scholars point to the spiritual act that happens when people give directly. By making a financial commitment, they make a spiritual one, thinking about how to give and support the broader ministry. Financial independence also allows the church to speak to the truth they see, even if they are not in agreement with the government. In addition to the individual commitment fostered by the separation, the church also can hold government responsible and suspect. Whether the administration in power is conservative or liberal, the church's role in relation to the government is to hold it accountable for its actions and speak to the justice and well-being for the greater society. This is important, because it requires us to continually adjust to and understand the world. Moreover, we are called to be active, not passive, in our lives and community. We live out our faith by building up both the church and society, in the way that we care for others and struggle for truth. For the reformers, this direct relationship was crucial, and a key to spiritual connectedness and faith development. For us today, the challenge is how we stay faithful in our giving and action to build up the message of God. This past summer I had to make a hard choice: to continue to live with my dysfunctional esophagus or try to figure out a better way. I chose to take a different way. It was not easy as many of you reading this know, but after having the surgery and the doctors telling me what they found, it really was the right choice. Especially with the complications that arose, my strong health going into the procedure really paid off for a strong recovery that seems to be going well. Though I am still not where I need to be to come back to work full time, I should get there in a few weeks.
Going into the surgery, I knew that no matter how clear any surgery would be, pain and complications would follow. And they have; a leak and a collapsed lung set me back a bit, but that is why I took the entire month of October off. Now that I am mending at home, with a minor thorn in my side, I am building back my strength, and should be on track to preach again starting Sunday, November 4. For a lot of reasons, I was cut off from news while I was in the hospital. Hospitals are one of the few places where you have to be selfish and focus on the step-by-step recovery needed to get out, so added worry is never good. Unfortunately, this meant that I did not learn of all of the disasters and tragedies until coming home. Hearing about the shootings and fires, on top of the hurricanes that happened before I went on medical leave, has really made me think and wonder how do we approach a world that seems so chaotic! For me, there are two very important things that we need to understand about the chaos that is happening in the world today. First, is the understanding that we live in an imperfect world. If there is any real take away from the story of Adam and Eve, it is that they chose to leave paradise and perfection by not accepting the edicts of God. This choice thrust them into a world that was not stable. It was a world that included pain, fear, hate, destruction, and death. But even though they were cast into this imperfect world, God did not abandon them. The second and probably most important thing we need to remember about the chaos of the world today is the truth that God is with us. In the midst of anything that happens within this life, we are not alone, but God is there. Many scholars, myself included, point to the book of Genesis as making the point that in the midst of a crazy, violent, changing world, God is not only very present, but is constantly trying to guide us to a better way, giving us hope and direction for a better life. There is a lot to fear in this world, but we have to make a choice: do we live into the fear or do we live into life? I remember a pastor from the inner-city of Chicago once talked about doing ministry with a group of rival gang members. As he spoke, he told us about the fear, but he also told us about the comfort he had, knowing that God was using him and that if he let his actions be guided by God, not his fear, he would be able to make a difference. And he did, negotiating a truce between those two gangs. In the midst of disasters like fires, hurricanes, and so on, it is really hard to see God, because unlike violence, we don’t have anyone to blame, and often we turn to God as the one to blame. But the fact that is so true is that it is not God who causes disasters, it is this imperfect world that is always in a cycle of creation, destruction, and re-creation. As people, our difficulty is seeing the re-creation that comes from the destruction, because often the destruction is so overwhelming. But again, we have a choice of what we live for: are we going to live for what was, or do we live for what will be? As people of faith, we are called to live, no matter what comes our way. We do live in an uncertain and changing world, with people who are not always stable and who make threats. But we have to make a very real choice: do we live into our fear, or do we live the life God calls us to live? This is the choice, and this is the call. |
AuthorRev. Dr. Bryan James Franzen Archives
September 2018
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