He's Coming!

Therefore you also must be ready,

 for the Son of Man is coming

 at an unexpected hour.

Mt. 24:44 

There's a story about a young woman and her grandmother at a worship service. The guest preacher began, "I'm coming..." but forgot what came next, so he began again, "I'm coming..." but still forgot. He started forcefully again, waving his arms wildly about, and losing his balance fell right into the lap of the young woman in the front row. She let out a horrifying scream. Her grandmother turned to her and said, "What did you scream for? He said he was coming."

ADVENT is the beginning of the Christian year when God creates a new heaven and earth and the former things are not remembered. (Is 65:17)

 ADVENT  is a time of expectant waiting and preparation. Waiting for both the birth of Christ at Christmas and the return of Christ at the Second Coming. 

 ADVENT is a time of soul-examination and change. For Paul that means "to set aside the works of darkness by abstaining from rowdy partying and drunkenness, avoiding indecency and immorality, and refraining from quarreling and jealousy."

 ADVENT is a time of putting on Jesus Christ. Do as Jesus did, put others first and trust God to provide for us in all other ways.

 If any year feels to me as though we need to "not remember the former things" and begin a new thing, this is it. Personally, it has been a toss-up between the number of valleys and peaks. But that's true of our society enduring the valleys of pandemic, cultural tensions, and violence.

God's promise gives strength and hope in expectant waiting: The Son of Man IS coming. There will be peaks of healing and peace. Wait patiently, for the Lord is coming. 

Great Cloud of Witnesses

 

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders. . . and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus.

Hebrews 12:1

It is an understatement to say the fire was a tragedy. Smoke poured from the windows and doors as flames gutted the inside of the Forklift Café. Within minutes the First Responders from Dingman Township Volunteer Fire Department as well as six other companies including one from New Jersey were on the scene.

The Forklift has been a part of the community for over 12 years serving both excellent meals and the community as well. Not only is the owner/chef Loriann active in the local community, she is a generous giver supporting local and global charities such as the CROPwalk.

She stood fighting tears and coping with shock at her tremendous loss. As I stood beside her offering what comfort I could, a steady stream of people stopped to offer prayers and support. It was the beginning of a great cloud of witnesses surrounding her  that made this more than just another structure fire. In addition to the stream of people, there were texts of encouragement and two Go-Fund-Me sites set up. It is this great cloud of witnesses that will help Loriann run with perseverance the race marked out for her.

By God's Grace, the word of hope in Hebrews is that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses to encourage and support us as we strive to persevere in the race before us. By God's Grace that word of hope encouraged the Hebrew community. By God's Grace that word of hope encouraged Loriann in the Forklift fire. By God's Grace, that word of hope encourages us as we strive to persevere in whatever race is set before us as we fix our eyes on Jesus.

Running the Race

I have fought the good fight, 

I have finished the race, 

I have kept the faith.

2 Timothy 4:7

The apostle Paul certainly had accomplished a great deal and overcome many obstacles in his work for Christ. In addition to establishing churches, writing 13 books of the New Testament, being ship-wrecked, stoned, and debating the establishment in Jerusalem, he was finally placed under house arrest. He journeyed to Rome to stand trial and later Nero condemned Paul to death by decapitation. He truly, fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith.

In his own way Chris Nikic did the same thing. As a Special Olympics athlete, he crossed the finish line of the Ironman competition on Saturday, November 7.  He become the first person with Down syndrome to complete an Ironman triathlon. He achieved this after he finished a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-marathon run at the Ironman Florida competition in Panama City Beach. Nikic crossed the finish line in 16 hours 46 minutes nine seconds, beating the course cut-off time by 14 minutes.

On his Instagram post he said, "YES, I did the work but I had angels helping me. God surrounded me with Angels. I will be thanking so many more people over the coming days. But I must start with the 3 Angels who trained with me and did the race with me. Dan, Jenn and Carlos."

For me, Paul and Chris serve as inspirations to run whatever race I feel I need to endure. Each in their own way are outstanding examples of keeping the faith while we endure trials of our own. 

It is God's everlasting love that, as Chris said, "surrounded me with angels. That same everlasting love surrounds each of us until we finish the race set before us. 

Gift of Peace

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you...

Do not let your hearts be troubled 

and do not be afraid. John 14:27

On the night before his death, Jesus he had a farewell talk with the disciples at the conclusion of the Last Supper. He predicted Peter denying him three times, he washed the disciple’s feet, and Judas had left. Talking about his coming death was no surprise considering the way he had stirred things up with the religious establishment. Naturally, the conversation was interrupted by the anxious questions of his disciples. What will happen to us once you are gone? 

Like any one of us, the disciples were agonizing over what seemed like uncontrollable events. They were certainly filled with fear and apprehension as they imagined terrorizing incidents. 

Jesus tells them God will send The Comforter who will help them remember what he has taught them. Then Jesus gives them a gift: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you..."

According to Wesley's notes this verse doesn’t mean don't worry or be troubled. It means have faith, hold onto, rely on, keep going and believing. 

It seems to me that when our souls are in turmoil because of out of control events, is the time we are really looking for a deep, lasting inner peace of mind and heart. That is the time to get grounded in Scripture and prayer to focus on Jesus' gift of the peace he gives.

I have definite soul-angst about the covid-19 pandemic. How long will it continue? How vulnerable are we even though we may take precautions? 

The only way I can see finding inner peace is through Jesus’ gift: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. 

Prayer for Peace

During WWI and WWII the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi was highly publicized. Archbishop and military vicar Francis Spellman distributed millions of copies of the "Prayer of St. Francis" during World War II. This anonymous text is a widely known Christian prayer for peace. It has been quoted by prominent leaders, was read into the Congressional Record and its broadly inclusive language has found appeal with diverse faiths.

It seems to me that as the election nears, happens, and concludes, restoration of calm and peace needs to begin. There is a need for a time of calm after chaos, harmony after hostility and tranquility after turmoil.

Isn't it appropriate that the Prayer of Saint Francis, become part of our daily devotions? Isn't it time this widely known Christian prayer for peace used so much during both World War I and World War II be utilized again? Isn't it time to pray beyond boundaries and for unity?

So let us pray together: 

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace

Where there is hatred, let me sow love
Where there is injury, pardon
Where there is doubt, faith
Where there is despair, hope
Where there is darkness, light
And where there is sadness, joy

O Divine Master, grant that I may
Not so much seek to be consoled as to console
To be understood, as to understand
To be loved, as to love
For it is in giving that we receive
And it's in pardoning that we are pardoned
And it's in dying that we are born to Eternal Life
Amen