Thought for Today
Genesis 13:17 "If the people face war, they may change their minds and return to Egypt."
Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
Matthew 18:3 "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
James 1:17 Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
CHANGE! It’s not a 4-letter word. Worse, it’s a 5-letter word. Even the writers of the Bible only dared use the word 20-30 times in scripture. I wrote yesterday “What happened to Those thrilling days of yesteryear? Why can’t we return?” Of course, we cannot. During the day yesterday, things changed.
As we age, change becomes more unsettling, more difficult and often scarier. It is easy to recall simpler, easier times, times when life seemed to hang in a sort of stasis. We long for those seemingly endless days of summer we relished in our youth. Childhood often seemed like an endless summer of fun and play. I am realist enough to know that it did not really always seem that way at the time; but, in retrospect, as I deal with the complexities and intricacies of adulthood, I sometimes wistfully dream of returning to simpler times.
Currently, we are in an election year. Irrespective of who wins any race, no matter which other ballot issues pass or fail, there will be change. Change is ubiquitous in human life. Sadly, all progress requires change, but not all change is progress. Even worse, it is often impossible to discern in advance which change will result in progress. That is true in politics and that is true in life.
As we mature and age, we often find change increasingly difficult to accept. Is it because it comes at an accelerating pace? Is it because life becomes more complex as we become adults? Or, have we just become more set in our ways? As is so often true, the answer is “Yes!” Yes to all. Just to make things more challenging, the uncertainty inherent in change spices up the mix.
Do you ever find yourself wishing that life would just stand still? That things are perfect just as they are? At best, that is a pipe dream. Life never stands still. During the day yesterday, things changed. During today, things will change. And, what comes next? What will those changes bring about?
I don’t like change. One of my favorite engineering maxims is, “If it isn’t broken, don’t change it.” Regrettably, a modern corollary in our electronic age is, “If it isn’t broken, it doesn’t have enough features.” Every time one of my devices installs an update of its operating system or of one of the programs I use, I find the updated system or program more difficult to use. The update description usually lists improved ease of use as a feature, but that never seems to be true for me.
What does any of that have to do with my faith? As a Christian, I believe that the most significant occurrence following Genesis 1:1 involved change. One of my favorite names for Jesus is ‘The Incarnate Creative Word of God.” At the Incarnation, Creation forever changed. What was will never be again. God has entered into God’s Creation to put God’s creatures back on the right path.
“Acts 6:13 They set up false witnesses who said, "This man never stops saying things against this holy place and the law; 14 for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses handed on to us." Just as Jesus brought change, so too did the disciples, Stephen and the other original deacons and all of our ancestors-in-the-faith. We are called today to change the world, to move us all forward on the path toward the Kingdom of God, where God’s will will be done on earth as it is in heaven. That forward progress will inevitably necessitate change.
Stay safe, embrace changes to advance the Kingdom, trust God,
Pastor Ray