Our duty is not just to guard this treasure, as though it were some museum-piece and we the curators, but earnestly and fearlessly to dedicate ourselves to the work that needs to be done in this modern age of ours..
Virtue, discipline and moderation. These are subjects that sometimes do not have a lot of sex appeal or entertainment value. Reading Proverbs and 1 Timothy can feel a bit tedious, especially compared with the drama of the passion of the Psalms or the narratives of the Gospels. But there is great value in the traditions of pithy wisdom.
Healthy institutions need both kinds of leaders — the visionary and the orderly. Often they exist side-by-side with one another, usually with some tension. “Respond now to this compelling need!” cries the visionary, connecting the original spirit of Jesus’ calling to the circumstances of the present age. “How will we pay for it and maintain it?” asks the orderly leader who creates foundation and structure for an ongoing ministry of presence and service.
“The LORD tears down the house of the proud,
but maintains the widow’s boundaries.” (Proverbs 15:25)
On Memorial Day there is something I can think of that would be an appropriate act of solidarity with those who have sacrificed for the protection of freedom and for the security of our families.
Jeremiah speaks of a new covenant. The law will no longer be a set of external words of instruction, but an internal presence in your hearts. You will know God intuitively, immediately. You will no longer reference the external teachings, but God will live in your heart.
It’s not easy to live in a world with other people. Only in a context of humility, gentleness and patience will we be willing to “maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
Today’s readings include a wonderful prayer (Ephesians) and a picture of stability in the midst of challenge and chaos (Matthew).
It seems to be a lesson of history that we create much tragedy and violence when we try to enforce the privileges we presume are ours to claim from God. It seems to me that we are more likely to be following the track of God’s intention when we hold our sense of privilege lightly and when we expect to discover God’s blessing and presence in the unexpected.
…you come to understand what it means to live life in the light cast on it by Jesus, and to live it with the new shadow you are trailing now you are in his light.