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| First on the Agenda |
| Ben G. Hubert |
Luke 10:2 He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.
There is a lot of work to do, and only a few have shown up. This description sounds like most volunteer organizations (including churches), where 10% of the people, do 90% of the work. Announcements are made, sign up sheets are passed around, reminders are sent, and on the day of the big event, only 10% show up to work. As a minister, it is somewhat satisfying to know that even Jesus faced this issue!
With the workers, Jesus begins to share the agenda: Item number one, pray for more workers. Can you imagine the content of some of those prayers? Dear God, . . . and help Joe to get off his lazy . . .
I find it striking that Jesus turns this difficult reality into an opportunity for positive prayer. What difficult tasks are you facing today? Are you feeling overwhelmed because of the workload that continues to stare you in the face? Is your daily dance one step forward and two steps back? If so, have you considered adding prayer to your day's agenda?
Why pray?
Prayer is a powerful reminder that we are not alone, that God is with us.
Prayer causes us to pause for a moment, finding God's peaceful presence.
Prayer is a deep breath to the soul.
Prayer offers a source of strength.
Prayer places us in the positive, saying, "With God's help, I can do this."
As you face today or tomorrow's agenda, I invite you to begin with prayer. |
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| Thy Kingdom Crumbs |
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Matthew 15:21-28 But even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table.
"All I am asking is for 'thy kingdom crumbs' and I will accept being a dog in your eyes, if you will be Jesus in mine. If you will be Jesus, who is Emmanuel, God with us. Not Jesus who is bound by law, or tradition, or any preconceived ideas. All I am asking for is a morsel of the kingdom that I can share with my daughter."
Even though the odds are stacked against her, this woman is not going to be denied. Her daughter is ill, and she knows that Jesus can make her well. She knows that Jesus, who embodies God's wholeness, can make life better. She does not care about roles, traditions, religious purity, etc . . . She only cares about her child.
Jesus realizes he has met his match, and he grants her request, but not before he calls her another name. He no longer (sees) refers to her as a dog, but a woman of faith. Why so? Because, she believes in God's promise that life can get better.
"You are enslaved," God says, "I offer liberation. You are in exile, I offer home. You dwell in darkness, I offer light. You are broken, I offer wholeness. You are hurting, I offer healing. You are beaten down with guilt, I offer grace. You are estranged, I offer reconciliation. You respond to me through crucifixion. I respond to you through resurrection. I promise, life can get better."
This woman's faith pushed Jesus into the realm of new possibilities, and if you are willing to listen to the voices that cry out for mercy, for God's wholeness, she can also push/lead you into this new realm.
For the next few moments, I invite you to listen. Find a quite place and listen. Do you dare listen to that voice that cries out to you to clear the air? Forgive the debt. Call for help. Swallow your pride. Let it go. Love in spite of it all. Accept. Trust. Be open. Risk. Give grace. Receive grace. Do you dare listen? Do you dare live, as she did, in the expectant promises of God that life can be better?
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2 Corinthians 9:6 6The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
I refuse to participate in the theology that claims that if we give generously, our investment will return many folds. This is called prosperity theology and it fails to address the proper motivation for giving. We give not so we receive, but rather, we give because we have already received.
If we think about how hard we worked to arrive where we are, we are likely to become stingy, because there is something innately programmed into us to make us think either that by our hard work, we deserve what we have or that we have been shortchanged and do not have enough. If, on the other hand, we think about how many doors have been opened to us, about how we have gotten where we are by the way things have surprisingly opened to us, then we are more likely to think more generously. There is no doubt that some truth resides on both sides of those arguments. The issue is how we keep perspective.
Paul may help us here. God's grace is freely given to us, and if we raise the issue of whether we deserve it or not (God’s grace), we again miss the point. God sows. Yet when we realize it is a gift, it places us in a response mode. Grace received demands a response. The grace that comes from God finds its fruition as it flows through us to others.
As we embrace October to be our stewardship emphasis, I invite you to first consider not what you give . . . but why.
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| Recording Our Tears |
| Ben G. Hubert |
Psalm 56:8 Record my lament; put my tears in your wineskin, are they not in your record.
If you are like most, you collect something, whether it be spuirrels, baseball cards, dolls, mice, nativity scenes, elephants and the like. I am sure you can add to the list. Moreover, I am sure that in your collections you have pieces that are more meaningful than others, which often does not depend on the price tag. Now I have not thought much about it, but perhaps our collectables are telling about who we are. For me, this is easy. I am nuts and have been told more than once that I was "squirrelly!" What do you collect, and what does it tell about you?
In today's reading, the psalmist gives a beautiful image of God's love and attentiveness to God's children. The psalmist "cries" out in lament and asks God to collect and record the psalmist's fallen tears. This metaphor certainly has given me another image of God; the one who collects our tears. With this metaphor, the psalms tell us that every single tear we shed is noted by God, and certainly this speaks of a God who is near, up close and personal.
For the next few moments, I invite you to consider the tears that have fallen from your eyes. The tears can stem from pain or joy. Think of the times you have cried out, all the while wondering if anyone really heard or cared. Now imagine being in God's presence, God who not only holds us, but who catches our tears, takes note of our pain and works in our life to bring forth healing. Think of it! God is that close---close enough to catch our tears before they fall.
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