Promoting & Cultivating Hope in a Challenging Time: Part 1

Remember the Sabbath & Keep it Holy

In many faith traditions the words: “This is the day the Lord has made, Let us rejoice & be glad in it”, are frequently used as a call to worship at the start of the day. The God we worship, created the universe, all people & every living thing in it & proclaimed it “good.” Throughout the Bible & through our own experiences with God we know that God is an all knowing, all powerful, steadfast, loving presence that guides us & loves us all unconditionally. Through His Grace, God created all human beings in His image. As those created in His image, we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to be God’s instruments of His peace, love, justice, & healing in this world, through our very being. The power to be peacemakers for God, is found in God & not in us. It is God who does the healing & brings peace. God uses us & empowers us to be vessels to bring others healing & peace. Without His strength & power, our deeds would be in vain. This blessing & this calling to witness for God & to live as vessels for His glory, is both a blessing & a challenge for us, for we live in a very challenging time in this world. Though we know God’s nature in our hearts, there are days when we just don’t feel like rejoicing aren’t there? At times the world God created appears to be seriously broken doesn’t it? Sometimes rejoicing is the last thing we are thinking about. However, since each day was created & given by God, each day - whether broken or whole, is the Lord’s day, containing the hope & potential to reflect the image of our Creator. So, we as His vessels are able to rejoice because of our faith in our living God - which is the bedrock of our hope & thus the fuel for our healing. Thankfully, we do not walk alone through our days, God is always there with us. God knows that on our own, without Him, we are but empty vessels & so He graciously calls us to pause in Sabbath time with Him, to remember to take time throughout each day to come to Him, to be Holy with Him, to speak with Him, to listen to Him, to feed on His Word & to abide in His love.

As we go forward in faith as vessels for God, bringing love, hope & peace for these days, we are all invited to: “Take time to be Holy, Speak oft with thy Lord; Abide in Him always, And feed on His Word. Make friends of God’s children, Help those who are weak; Forgetting in nothing His blessing to seek. Take time to be Holy, The world rushes on. Much time spend in secret With God alone; By looking to God, Like Him thou shalt be; Thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall see. Take time to be Holy, Let Him be thy guide, And run not before Him Whatever betide. In joy or in sorrow Still follow thy Lord, And, looking to God, still trust in His Word.”

~Posted by Rev Kathryn Bindig, MDiv. MS; Pastoral Care Minister with assistance from Rich Muscatello; Director of Business Development & Strategy