1st Advent 2009, Core of Uprightness

1^st Advent

Luke 21:25-36

And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars; and upon the earth, the nations will be constricted with anxiety and doubt with the advent of these spiritual revelations, as before a roaring sea and waves. And men will lose their inner strength of soul out of fear and foreboding of what is coming over the living earth: for the dynamic powers of heaven will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud, in the sphere of life, with dynamic power and great radiant glory.

And when these things begin to happen, stand upright and lift up [raise] your soul to the spirit, for your deliverance draws near.

And he gave them a comparison, saying, ‘Observe [behold] the fig tree and all the trees when they burst into leaf. Seeing this, you know yourselves that summer is near. So also when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.

Amen, the truth I say to you: this present age of Man’s being shall not pass away until all has happened.

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

Guard yourselves lest the perceptive power of your hearts be smothered by excess of food and drink and by over-concern with the cares and worries of life, and the light of these spirit events break upon you suddenly like a snare…for it will come upon all who dwell upon the face of the whole earth. So be awake in the spirit at all times, praying, so that you may have the strength to live through all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.

1^st Advent

November 29, 2009

Luke 21: 25 – 36

He Qi

Novice sailors need some time to learn to remain upright with the pitch and roll of the boat. For the great sea, the mother of all life, is only sometimes a calm, smooth place. Unlike solid ground, she is in constant movement.

There is the well-known incident in Matthew’s gospel (Matthew 8: 23-27) Jesus and his disciples have mounted a boat. It is the end of a long day, and Jesus falls asleep. A sudden squall erupts and the waves start to swamp the boat. His disciples wake Him—“ Lord, save us! We are going to drown!” Jesus notes the smallness of their trust, and calms the wind and the waves. Their fear gives way to amazement.

Times of great change such as ours require us to become sailors on life’s high seas. It is clear that fear and foreboding are of no help. We need to find an inner center, a core of uprightness and calm. This inner stabilizer is the Christ in us. When life becomes unsettled, begins furiously to change, He is our calm center, the core of our uprightness

Today’s gospel reading talks about life’s heavy weather. The poet says:

  

I can't talk about God and make any sense,

And I can't not talk about God and make any sense.

So we talk about the weather, and we are talking about God.

Pause with us here a while.

Put your ear to the wall of your heart.

Listen for the whisper of knowing there.

Love will touch you if you are very still. [1]  

www.thechristiancommunity.org

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[1] Tom Barrett, “What’s in the Temple?”, in Keeping In Touch.