Hope

Hope Going Viral

/ pastorpete51 / 4 Comments

I do hope that this Corona virus does not become a crisis here in the U.S. but no matter what happens we are all in this together. Maybe growing older has given me perspective so I have some hope and advice to share that these gray hairs have taught me. It’s time to stop panicking and start praying even for leaders we don’t like. We may not like our brothers and sisters but we’re still a family.

It’s time to stop complaining and start caring. Pointing fingers while our boat is taking on water is a lot less effective than bailing out some water. It’s time to remember that people matter a lot more than things. I don’t even want to know how much of our life savings have disappeared in the last 3 days of mayhem on Wall Street but we’ve been through worse and God has been faithful.

After all we’ve been through my wife and I still have each other. We still have our family and the freedom to worship on Sundays and be reminded there that this too will pass. Jesus resurrection from the dead has given us a hope more contagious than any virus. We can always trust God because No matter what lies ahead we are blessed and no matter the disease – Jesus is always still the cure!

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Got Mountains?

/ pastorpete51 / 1 Comment

Have you got mountains in your life that you don’t know what to do about? Though they were usually too ashamed to talk to Jesus about their issues the disciples often faced that too. The great news for us is that these totally ordinary guys who also had to pay their taxes figure out where their next meal was coming from and who even argued about who was the most important were loved by Jesus Christ. He didn’t get fed up with them and go out looking for more spiritual disciples.

Instead in answer to their fears and doubts He said something like; “Hey guys why don’t we go for a hike up this mountain today?” As they trudged up the steep winding path towards the summit suddenly Jesus turned around and they saw that His clothing began to shine brighter than anything they had ever seen on earth.

And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. Mark 9:2-3

Then a strange series of events took place beginning with the appearance of Moses and Elijah talking with Jesus; and just when they thought it couldn’t get any weirder a shining cloud surrounded them and a voice spoke to them from heaven. As Peter recounted many years later; that was an experience that forever changed their lives. Though they had faithfully been following Jesus for a couple of years and had witnessed miracles and listened to His teachings they all still had questions and doubts just like we do. But God in His mercy called them up the mountain to see who Jesus really was and He is calling us  this morning too. He is waiting to show us great and mighty things that we don’t know anything about (see Jeremiah 33:3) There is still hope and we can still praise Him. This is a new day and as the sun rises today we need to remind ourselves that God is still in control and that if we will look to Him He will give us a hope that will change us forever.

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Waving Goodbye

/ pastorpete51 / Leave a comment

In him was life, and the life was the light of men.  John 1:4

As this week of the 47th March for Life in Washington I have been thinking a lot about what it means to be pro-life. Of course as a nursing home chaplain my perspective is skewed towards the end of life side of that issue and I wish more people would think about then end as well as the beginning of the journey. For example, last week friends of ours lost a close family member. Though Tom passed away peacefully with his two sons at his side the event was especially difficult because he was in a deep coma and only being kept alive by a ventilator. His sons were placed in the awful position of having to agree to allow the hospital to disconnect their dad and then watch as he slowly slipped away.

There has been a lot of disagreement on the whole subject of what to do at the end of life. I have stood by many people and their families as they struggle with what to do at that time. But rather than delving into a deep theological debate I wanted to look at things from a different angle. The worst kind of disconnection is not from a machine but it is from family and friends. Some have said, “I just can’t bring myself to see him (or her) because I want to remember them as they were.” But I have sat by the side of people I loved and seen the hurt when people they cared for deeply refused to come.

With all our technological advances and 21st century comforts; we as a society are too often disconnected from the people that should matter most in our lives. We used to sit in rooms watching TV and while it wasn’t the ideal family event at least we got to laugh together at the comedies or shout at the screen when our team won. Now we sit in restaurants while each one texts; plays games or takes a phone call. At the gym many people have their ear buds playing their music and aren’t at all interested in even saying hello. Little wonder then that when grandpa or grandma gets carted off to an assisted living facility or a nursing home; that they are easily forgotten. I see them coming in at Christmas or maybe for a birthday; but while they are so proud of their families and so wishing to see them; they sit instead day after day alone looking out the window wondering where their children, neighbors or friends have gone.

Maybe instead of having just one single day to remember the sanctity of life we should have weekly reminders that being pro-life means loving the people every day. We need to celebrate not only the opening lines of a life at birth but also the closing of its final chapter.  We don’t have to be afraid if we trust both our own lives as well as theirs into God’s hands. His love draws us together and we can know that by His grace we can wave goodbye; trusting that we will meet again in His presence.

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