I'm on vacation with my family for some much needed rest and quality family time. Here's a previous post on the necessity of rest.
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Inspired by 1.) Trinity Sunday. 2.) Playing in clover-laden grass with a 10-month-old.
Three Leaf Clover This is proof of mystery; Signatures of Majesty. Signed unto infinity. On display in leaves of three. Wonder of the Trinity, Who stoops into anarchy, To present a gift to me, By means of biology. Made with creativity; Blood painted on a tree; Tongues spoke in plurality; Counters all calamity. Presence spans the widest sea. Sure to make the demons flee. Come adore on bended knee. Reminded by these leaves of three. “Undertake it? No; not by yourself. You are too weak. You will fail before the day is out. But what you cannot do yourself Another can do for you. His iron will can work through your feeble will, and strengthen it with a strength which is not your own.” - Forbes Robinson Paul says, “We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that the surpassing power is from God and not from us” (II Cor. 4:7). You feel like a weak, cracked, chipped vessel? Paul makes it clear. It’s not about the vessel, but the contents. We are weak vessels with powerful contents. Your contents are exceedingly great - the very death and life of Jesus in you.
You say, “I have nothing to give. I'm too weak.” God’s word respectfully disagrees. God says, “Someone needs what you have. Start pouring and see what happens." Someone needs your contents. Give away and watch God give more. We act as if we're squeezing juice out of a raisin while God is pouring into us, our cup spilling over. We are weak vessels with powerful contents. I'm supposed to plug this event because I'm speaking at it. So here it is. I'm not the New York Times best selling author. I'm not the speaker of the Lutheran Hour. Scroll to the far bottom of the page. Literally, the bottom of the page.
Seriously, I am excited to be invited. Our congregation is chewing on two words - Loved and Sent. The word mission comes from the Latin missio - "to send." The term "apostle" means "sent one." The inference is that a "sent one" is sent with the authority of the sender. So this is our task as a people of God. We can't remain static. We're sent. As a camp counselor in college, the trust walk was a staple of our repertoire. You demonstrate the nature of trust by blindfolding a camper and having one of their friends lead them around only by the sound of their voice. Of course, a 12-year-old loves this opportunity to wreak havoc on their fellow camper. Common thrills were leading someone up and down steps, crossing a log, or leading them through poison ivy. One camper led his friend Billy into a building. Billy wasn’t sure which one it was, but the echo sounded like the dining hall. He was blissfully ignorant until the shrieking of sixth grade girls alerted him to the fact he was in the female side of the bathhouse. Blindfolded, the trust walk requires that you listen. And listen carefully.
There are so many words in our world. We talk, text, and post. We’re always trying to get a word in. If we do listen, we hear a million different voices. What does it really mean to listen? And how do we listen to God? |
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