Wednesday Letter for 8/15

Friends in Christ,
  I was listening to a sermon this morning and it mentioned our unwavering hope in Jesus Christ.  I like that.  I can't say that I have unwavering hope, but I like the idea of striving for it.  It got me thinking about what causes my hope to waver--and I realized that my hope wavers when I stop focusing on Christ and invest my time and energies in trying to do everything myself.

  I want the best for this church, and believe that the best for this church means that each and every one of us keeps our eyes focused solely on Christ.  When we do this, and live a life that testifies to the Lordship of Jesus Christ over every part of our lives, I think we are living as God wants us to live, as a community.  When we spend all our time worrying about the future, stressing out about what seems like a never-ending list of things worthy of stressing out about, we take our eyes off Christ and look at ourselves.  We get distracted when we notice how imperfect we are, how blemished we are, how sinful we are.  When we look at Christ, we see ourselves in a different light--we see ourselves as clothed with his grace and mercy, covered in his love, immersed in his light.  Then we are encouraged to go out, to share this with others, because we're not worried about ourselves.  It's not about us!  When we keep our eyes on Christ alone, our hope doesn't waver!  It remains steady and strong, because we trust that he holds all things together and will bring us through every trial--not remove us from every trial, but bring us through--by the power of his love.

  So I hope that I can keep my eyes fixed on him.  I hope that my hope will not waver.  And I will pray for you, too, to have unwavering hope.

  I'd invite you to come and walk the labyrinth if you have time.  If you don't have time, it might be worthwhile to make time for it.  Spend your time in the labyrinth focused on his love--let all your thoughts about yourself slip away and just bask in the radiance of his eternal glow, of the mercy he pours out upon you.  Just like I want to lavish love on Caleb, God wants to pour out his love on his precious children.  That means you--not everyone else other than you, not all those other people more worthy of God's love--God wants to pour love upon you, to bring you joy and blessings, even in the midst of the trials of life.

  So let God love you.  I promise it will change your life.

In Christ,
Keith