By the Waters of Babylon – Ps 137:1
What follows is a repeat of last week’s message, which mysteriously got lost in the ether and did not get to most of you. But, before that, let’s celebrate the fact that this Advent has brought us special blessings and new hope for the future.
The electoral college has ratified the recent election, and Joseph Biden and Kamala Harris have been lawfully certified as the President-elect and Vice-President-elect. Secondly, news astounds us with the successful outcomes and hasty distribution of life-saving vaccines to fight the Coronavirus. And, thirdly we are just a week and days away from the great celebration of Christmas! Blessings on all of us, and thanks to God for these signs of newness.
We live in a world in which bigger and better” define our expectations. We have become so enamored by super-size, super-stars, and high definition, that we tend to overlook small things and their potential. But, throughout the Scriptures, we find that God usually works with small beginnings and impossible situations.
Abraham, the coward, who cannot believe the promise,
Jacob, the cheater, who struggles with everybody,
Joseph, the immature and arrogant teen,
Moses, the impatient murderer who cannot wait for God,
Gideon, the cowardly Baal worshipper,
Simeon, the womanizing drunk,
David, the power-abusing adulterer,
Solomon, the unwise wise man,
Hezekiah, the reforming king who did not go far enough,
A very young Jewish girl from a small village in a remote area of a great empire.
If God used all of them for such great work, it is likely that God is able to use us, inadequate, unwise, and too often faithless. Let’s not put limits on God just because we are afraid we are not good enough!
Image by Larisa Koshkina from Pixabay
