Photographs used to be called snapshots. I think we should return to that. As we've been unpacking and doing even more downsizing I found myself looking through pictorial directories from my home church in Ohio, and from virtually all the churches we've served. I looked through the '87 directory of my parents' church, followed by the '94 version. I noticed the changes in those 7 years, but more than that the '94 one brought so vividly to mind the precipice upon which these people stood. They had no idea at the time, but in just a few short years so very many of them would have moved on to Life Eternal. Some would have life-altering accidents and illnesses. Children would have grand children, even great grands would appear. And even the Pastor, way too young, would soon succumb to cancer. But in 1994, as they sat for these photos, these snapshots of their lives, they had no idea what lay ahead.
All things considered I believe it's a good thing we can't look into the future and see what's coming. The best we can do is live our lives faithfully and well day by day. We are often reminded that life is short, so we should take every advantage to tell those close to us that we love them. I believe that's true. But we also should live our lives in every moment as though we might not wake up tomorrow. What changes might we make in the way we live, in the way we interact, in the way we reach out? Jesus' followers often asked when "the time" would come when God's Kingdom would be realized, when Jesus would return, when the oppression would be lifted. In each case Jesus would respond that no one knows. Well, occasionally he'd tell them to watch the signs, but then he didn't tell them what signs to watch for. Ultimately the Gospels tell us that Jesus admonished his followers to live faithfully, and in unity. The same is asked of us.
Faithful God, we don't know what tomorrow my bring. We don't even know what the next hour may bring, but still we make plans. We make plans knowing that in truth they may or may not actually happen. We make plans assuming that they will come to fruition. We make plans, trusting our lives into your hands to hold us and to guide us, and ultimately to receive us. May we continue to be faithful in our call to be your people in our world and in your time, feeding, clothing, visiting, giving water, and helping to release the captives from their chains....Amen.
All things considered I believe it's a good thing we can't look into the future and see what's coming. The best we can do is live our lives faithfully and well day by day. We are often reminded that life is short, so we should take every advantage to tell those close to us that we love them. I believe that's true. But we also should live our lives in every moment as though we might not wake up tomorrow. What changes might we make in the way we live, in the way we interact, in the way we reach out? Jesus' followers often asked when "the time" would come when God's Kingdom would be realized, when Jesus would return, when the oppression would be lifted. In each case Jesus would respond that no one knows. Well, occasionally he'd tell them to watch the signs, but then he didn't tell them what signs to watch for. Ultimately the Gospels tell us that Jesus admonished his followers to live faithfully, and in unity. The same is asked of us.
Faithful God, we don't know what tomorrow my bring. We don't even know what the next hour may bring, but still we make plans. We make plans knowing that in truth they may or may not actually happen. We make plans assuming that they will come to fruition. We make plans, trusting our lives into your hands to hold us and to guide us, and ultimately to receive us. May we continue to be faithful in our call to be your people in our world and in your time, feeding, clothing, visiting, giving water, and helping to release the captives from their chains....Amen.
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