Tuesday, November 12, 2019

I want you


Jesus said to his disciples, "Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, 'Come here at once and take your place at the table'? Would you not rather say to him, 'Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink'? (Luke 17:7-8)


It is not to ease that our Lord calls us but to follow him, to share his work, his life, his heart, to see as he sees, feel what he feels and serve as he serves.

I stand among you as one who serves and gives his life as a ransom for many. Such are the words of Jesus, whose purpose and mission is to live the Everlasting Love that flows through his being.

This is the purpose of all who are fashioned in the image of the Love Who Is, the great Loving Mystery who reveals himself in Christ, the servant, who invites us to follow.

I want you with me. These are his words to you. I want to share everything I am and know and feel with you, the pain and glory, the frustration and ecstasy of loving the way that I love.

It is our privilege to follow him, to live the Love he is such as we are able, always faltering, frequently failing, constantly confronting our internal resistance to giving ourselves away in love … to someone or something that our Lord would serve through us.

He knows all this, of course, but invites us to come along anyway, sharing whatever light and joy knowing him awakens in our hearts.

It may not be easy, but being with him is worth the trouble.

Pr. David L. Miller




Monday, November 11, 2019

Our deepest need


Jesus said to his disciples, 'Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to anyone by whom they come! It would be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea than for you to cause one of these little ones to stumble. (Luke 17:1-2)

Harsh as these words sound, listen closely and you will hear the voice of love speaking to the deep needs of our hearts to be together in a communion of blessing.

We are not made for ourselves but for each other. Independence, self-reliance, is a myth we engage when we feel the need to pretend we are or should be stronger than we can be.

But truth is written deep within and cries aloud from our first moments as we cry to be fed, to be held, to be comforted and warmed in arms that cradle our hearts as securely as our bodies. Failing this, we do not live and never thrive.

Our needs change through the years; nevertheless our lives are communal from start to our final breath. I need you, and you need me … and we each need to hold each other up lest we stumble and forget we are precious children of a Great Love.

Jesus draws us into a community, centered round the Love he is, where we each receive and share the warmth of grace which our hearts have craved since the moment of our birth.

Gathered around the warm sun of his heart, we welcome each other with open arms, honest joy and words of care.  We do not stumble but walk together in that communion of blessing, the crying need of every heart.

Pr. David L. Miller