Of David.
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
O my God, in you I trust;
do not let me be put to shame;
do not let my enemies exult over me.
Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame;
let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.

The psalmist commits his soul to God and declares his trust. In light of the personal losses and social conditions that fall far short of what we would associate with the reign of God, it may be difficult for us to truly do the same! Every religious life that opens itself to the conditions of the world must confront the question: how can I put my trust in God? As long as trust in God means relying on God for our own particular, desired outcomes, we will be disappointed.

Lifting our souls to God and trusting in God leads us into an ever-deepening relationship in which the mysteries of life unfold. As we trust, we let go, look expectantly to the future, without setting requirements for what that future must hold. Instead, we trust the unfolding of the Creator’s gift of life. We trust that our own small portion of human experience is already known by the immanent God, the God who has experienced all that humanity experiences as God incarnate, God in human flesh. We are humbled to life our souls to the transcendent God, the mysterious, all-embracing, creative God whose purposes are wider and broader than we can see.

Placing our trust in this God allows us to face squarely the personal losses and social injustices that are often the source of our doubts. Yes, we continue to have our personal hopes and our particular way of fulfilling our vocation for love and justice. But these are tempered by the larger vision, the mysterious leading of God.

Advent is a time for an examination of those things that hold us back from fully trusting God; letting go and living in the comfort that comes from lifting our whole being into God’s arms.

Holy God, reassure us by making yourself known in ways broader and wider than we can hope and dream. Amen.

The word patience comes from the Latin verb patior, which means “to suffer.” Waiting patiently is suffering through the present moment, tasting it to the full, and letting the seeds that are sown in the ground on which we stand grow into strong plants. Waiting patiently always means paying attention to what is happening right before our eyes and seeing there the first rays of God’s glorious coming.

We who know the story and try to live it out have the joyful task of telling it to others. When our words rise from hearts full of love and gratitude, they will bear fruit, whether we can see this or not.

“…I was once so strict a Separatist that I would neither pray nor sing praises with anyone who was not as perfect as I supposed myself. In this most unpopular course I persisted until I discovered the mistake, and saw that on the principle embraced in my conduct, there never I’d be a congregation or church upon the earth.”

“It requires but little reflection to discover that the fiercest dispute about religion, are about what the Bible does not say, rather then about what it does say.”

We can trust that when we reach out with all our energy to the margins of our society we will discover that petty disagreements, fruitless debates, and paralyzing rivalries will recede and gradually vanish. The Church will always be renewed when our attention shifts from ourselves to those who need our care. The blessing of Jesus always comes to us through the poor. The most remarkable experience of those who work with the poor is that, in the end, the poor give more than they receive. They give food to us.

Would we have recognized Jesus as the Christ if we had met him many years ago? Are we able to recognize him today in his body, the Church? We are asked to make a leap of faith. If we dare to do it our eyes will be opened and we we will see the glory of God.

~Excerpts from an anonymous participant at the October 11-14th Robert and Ben Miller Fund Camp, Sponsored by PLANCTX

I need to mention two additional ministries who have a special connection both to the Robert and Ben Miller Fund and to SHCC.  Debbie Kizer (right), Executive Director of Imagine Art, and Debbie Webb (left), Executive Director of PLANCTX were on hand to tell us about the good work they are currently doing in our community on behalf of adults with disabilities.  Both of these organizations sponsored camps at Disciple Oaks Retreat Center in May of this year.  PLANCTX is in the process of planning an additional camp which will take place at our denominational camp site from October 11th-14th.  I encourage you to visit the websites of these ministries and consider supporting them through prayer and donations.  If you are interested in volunteering at the camp in October feel free to contact us at the church (shcc@shccaustin.org).

Thanks Again,

Greg

I recently stumbled across a quote from Helen Hayes that said, “We relish the news of our heroes, forgetting that we are extraordinary to someone too.” I believe we are extraordinary in God’s eyes. If we stop and embrace this reality, we will render ourselves incapable of settling for less than what God has in store for us.

We went to Puerto Rico this month to serve the residents of Caguas in the spirit of the Living Christ.  My work crew spent the week painting and working on the roof of a home in the area.  We’d flown across country to undertake a task that we were determined to complete within the four day deadline. Yet, in spite of our tight schedule, our host would encourage us to stop our work during the middle of each day to enjoy a home cooked meal.  When the food was ready, she asked her family to prepare a table for us out on the patio.  It was always covered with a table cloth and an amazing spread.  Regularly scheduled daily devotions followed the meals.

By the end of the week, I’d forgotten my apprehension that we would miss our work deadline.  In spite of a daily lunch and devotion that lasted for at least an hour, we finished the job.  More importantly, we left Caguas with an important life lesson.  God commands us to be Sabbath observers, to stare deadlines in the eye and rest.  Thank you to Aida and her family for sending us home full of nourishment and wisdom.

Greg