Today’s Readings: Psalm 121; Daniel 5:1-12; Mark 10:22-31; 2 Timothy 3:1-17; Psalm 53
Featured Reading: Mark 10:22-31
If you look around these days, there are a lot of things going on that are totally beyond our control: the global economic meltdown, the environmental crisis, the spread of the swine flu. These are challenging days to live in to say the least. My sense is that the days are challenging for reasons that many folks have not quite thought through completely. You see many of us – particularly those of us with some means – are use to being able to have a large degree of control over our lives. As a result, we had the ability to feel protected or insulated from the crises around us. When folks started talking about the demise of social security a decade ago, for example, there were those who shrugged their shoulders and said, “What do I have to worry about? I’ve got a pretty sum stocked away in personal investments. I’m safe!” Same thing happened with health care issues. Prior to the spread of the swine flu, some folks thought, “While others might have to worry about the spread of disease, I’m in good shape. I’ve got health coverage that will take care of me no matter what.” The events of the past year, however, have shaken that sense of trust in one’s ability to manage everything. The value of our investment portfolios has plummeted, and we are facing health challenges whose scope is far broader than most health plans. In some ways, we are facing some of the same issues that the wealthy young man faced in today’s Gospel reading. The difference is that the wealthy young man had the option of clinging to the illusion that his resources were enought to take care of himself. In some ways we are further along because we no longer have the luxury of believing our material resources alone are enough. So how do we live into a new reality? We start to take Jesus’ words more seriously. When asked what chance ordinary people have to get into God’s kin-dom if wealthy people have a tough time, Jesus responded by saying: “No chance at all if you think you can pull it off by yourself. Every chance in the world if you let God do it” (Mark 10:26-27 from The Message). So today – as you turn on the television or read the newspaper and find yourself started to get anxious in the face of the frightening news – ask yourself, “Whose resources am I most relying upon to pull me through?” Til next time…
Featured Reading: Mark 10:22-31
If you look around these days, there are a lot of things going on that are totally beyond our control: the global economic meltdown, the environmental crisis, the spread of the swine flu. These are challenging days to live in to say the least. My sense is that the days are challenging for reasons that many folks have not quite thought through completely. You see many of us – particularly those of us with some means – are use to being able to have a large degree of control over our lives. As a result, we had the ability to feel protected or insulated from the crises around us. When folks started talking about the demise of social security a decade ago, for example, there were those who shrugged their shoulders and said, “What do I have to worry about? I’ve got a pretty sum stocked away in personal investments. I’m safe!” Same thing happened with health care issues. Prior to the spread of the swine flu, some folks thought, “While others might have to worry about the spread of disease, I’m in good shape. I’ve got health coverage that will take care of me no matter what.” The events of the past year, however, have shaken that sense of trust in one’s ability to manage everything. The value of our investment portfolios has plummeted, and we are facing health challenges whose scope is far broader than most health plans. In some ways, we are facing some of the same issues that the wealthy young man faced in today’s Gospel reading. The difference is that the wealthy young man had the option of clinging to the illusion that his resources were enought to take care of himself. In some ways we are further along because we no longer have the luxury of believing our material resources alone are enough. So how do we live into a new reality? We start to take Jesus’ words more seriously. When asked what chance ordinary people have to get into God’s kin-dom if wealthy people have a tough time, Jesus responded by saying: “No chance at all if you think you can pull it off by yourself. Every chance in the world if you let God do it” (Mark 10:26-27 from The Message). So today – as you turn on the television or read the newspaper and find yourself started to get anxious in the face of the frightening news – ask yourself, “Whose resources am I most relying upon to pull me through?” Til next time…
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