Tag Archives: patience

Advent Reflections: make straight the way

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Advent reflection: this week during Advent we encounter John the Baptist, proclaiming the coming of the Lord as he courageously stands in the wilderness, clothed in camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist. Make straight the paths for the coming of the Lord. In the reflection offered below from Stan Purdum’s Advent study book, we consider the paths of our lives, the obstacles, roundabouts, and narrow ways of those paths; and, finally, reflect on how we might begin to uncover our obstacles to God and smooth the way for the coming of the Lord. Continue reading →

A Holy Patience

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Pentecost 18A (Exodus 32:1-14)  10/12/2014

Several years ago I was on a business trip to Cardiff, Wales (this occurred many years ago, in a land without smartphones and GPS…imagine that?). I had been to Cardiff a few times before this trip, but always a short trip during the middle of the week. This time around I arrived on Saturday and had a good part of the weekend free before starting work on Monday. I thought this would be a great chance to see Llandaff Cathedral, the cathedral church of the area and a place that has been holy Christian ground since the early sixth century. Sunday was a beautiful fall day and I decided to set out right after lunch. I decided it might be nice to walk to the cathedral on this beautiful day, so I asked the man at the front desk if the cathedral was close by…”yes, the cathedral is just down the road,” was the cheerful reply. Wonderful, a nice walk to the cathedral! My only pair of shoes were leather dress shoes, but the nice man at the front desk said the cathedral was “just down the road,” so I was sure I would be just fine. I walked through the city center and began walking down a road that led to a large park. After about 20 minutes of walking, with no cathedral spire looming in the near distance, I decided to ask a passerby if I was headed in the right direction; “Oh yes, the cathedral is just down the road,” pointing in the general direction I was headed. As I continued on my pilgrimage, I must admit I began to think more about a taxi than the beautiful cathedral that was promised to be “just down the road.” I was also beginning to think my definition of “just down the road” was significantly different than the nice Welsh people I had met along the way. After nearly three miles of walking, I finally passed through a clearing and the grand walls of the cathedral stood just beyond a cluster of trees, quietly sitting in a little neighborhood of its own. A beautiful spot for a cathedral church nearly 1000 years old, but not a good place for finding a lift home! My cathedral pilgrimage had just started and I found that I was already a bit confused, tired, and short of patience from the long road traveled. Continue reading →

“Fleet of feet and of great patience – Eric Liddell”

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eliddellThe second half of winter is nearly always a test of patience; as the longer days of late winter tease that warmer weather is just ahead, the days of February refuse to yield the biting cold of winter. On this twenty second day of February I watched the morning weather report, predicting more accumulating snow with some sleet and ice thrown in for good measure. No worries, our church calendar gives us a gift this morning – the remembrance of Olympic athlete and missionary Eric Liddell. Few of God’s children can boast of having quicker feet, greater patience or the capacity to surrender personal comfort and safety for the good of others like Liddell. His accomplishments on the athletic field and in the missionary field are impressive, and his devotion to his family and those he served throughout his life are quite impressive as well (more information – Eric Liddell Centre). But as I walk my Lenten journey through these cold winter days, I am strengthened by Liddell’s example of strength and perseverance. As we remember him today we pray from the words of the prophet Isaiah: “Those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31) Isaiah’s words are beautiful and inspiring, but the paradox of the words should not be lost: in waiting there is strength, and as we wait we will be able to fly, to run and to walk without losing the strength the LORD has given. It seems to me that these words of paradox describe Eric Liddell and exemplify his steadfast faith in God – he was one of the fastest men of his time, yet he showed great patience as he served God through his missionary work. I pray that we all may patiently wait for the LORD and then serve without hesitation when called…no matter the weather!

“God whose strength bears us up as on mighty wings: We rejoice in remembering your athlete and missionary, Eric Liddell, to whom you gave courage and resolution in contest and in captivity; and we pray that we also may run with endurance the race set before us and persevere in patient witness, until we wear that crown of victory won for us by Jesus our Savior; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.” Collect for the remembrance of Eric Liddell, February 22nd

“Our Advent journey – Are we there yet?”

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Advent 2B (Mark 1:1-8)  12/04/2011

“Are we there yet?” I don’t want to keep bothering you, but I was just wondering – “Are we there yet?” Imagine you are driving down the road and there is a voice coming from the back seat of the car, “Are we there yet?” I always wondered to myself; why do young people ask that question all the time, especially on particularly long journeys. Perhaps they ask because they do not know how long the trip will take; or maybe they ask because they are not familiar with important landmarks along the journey or cannot read road signs that would help them determine where they were and how long they had left to go. But that familiar question is not limited to the young ones among us; adults have their own way of wondering, their own way of asking, “Are we there yet?” We like to know certain bits of information in advance of the journey, so we ask others to tell us what the journey will hold for us and what the place is like when we get there. We might investigate our destination on the internet or go to the library to perform some research. We need to satisfy our curiosity. We need to answer our questions in order to demystify the mysteries of unknown places. After all, when we ask “Are we there yet?” and the answer is “Yes, we are here;” we do not want to be disappointed or unprepared. Continue reading →

“Keep awake with the heart of a child and prepare to hear God’s Word”

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Advent 1A (Matthew 24:36-44)  11/28/2010

“On Christmas Eve, many years ago, I lay quietly in my bed. I did not rustle the sheets. I breathed slowly and silently. I was listening for a sound…”[i] These words are the opening sentences of The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg. The Polar Express is a classic Christmas tale of a young boy’s adventures on a Christmas Eve train ride to the North Pole and his exploration of understanding the spirit and joy of Christmas. This story was a Christmas season favorite when my kids were young and we would read the book several times each year. The book remains one of my favorites: each page is beautifully illustrated, the story is full of adventure and excitement, and the boy’s Christmas present (a bell from one of Santa’s reindeer) stands out as a symbol with great meaning because only those who believe can hear the “sweet sounds” that come from the ringing of the bell. As I think back to reading the story over and over to my children, I do remember that the boy’s parents could not hear the bell and I am reminded of Jesus’ words to his disciples as written in a passage from Matthew’s Gospel account. Jesus says, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt 18:3-4) Continue reading →

“Redeemed through Christ, be strengthened in your Advent pilgrimage”

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Proper 29C  (Col 1:11-20 and Luke 23:33-43)  11/21/2010

This morning we gather on the last Sunday of the church year. And as the church year comes to an end, we hear what we might call the end of the story of Christ’s public ministry – his imminent death on the cross. But like many things that come to an end, whether the church year or the public ministry of Christ, the “end” often does not mark the final word to be said but merely serves to point toward a new beginning. This last Sunday of the church year is celebrated on our calendar as the day of Christ the King. As the story of Jesus comes to a close, we remember that Christ came into the world, a world that was and is broken and fallen and in need of help. A world that is yearning for all that Christ has to offer (a world waiting for the gifts of the Only Son of God), but a world that abandons Jesus all the same. And if our abandonment was the end of the story we would surely be the worse for it, but Christ is King; Christ is the Victor over sin and over death itself, and Christ is our King and Savior. Today we come to the end and stop for a moment to reflect on the saving work of Christ because through Christ we are forgiven and redeemed. But what does that mean to us as we live out our lives…that we are “forgiven and redeemed?” Continue reading →