Saturday, September 10, 2011

Hope

One of the really cool things about going to seminary besides what you learn and who you meet has got to be The Reader! For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, I will explain. For those of you that know what the reader is, you may skip to the next paragraph. The Reader is something that JD Walt, along with scads of other crones, puts out every semester so that we can read scripture together. There is something so powerful and moving when the body of Christ reads the word of God together. Not like you see in some churches, where you recite what's written on the big board in front of you. More of, this is what we're reading, read it sometime today, ponder these things and be blessed.


This semester they have decided to spend sometime with Matthew, today was Matthew 4:1-11. This is when Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert. I love this scripture, mainly cuz this is when I see that Jesus is tempted and by the Word put's the tempter in his place. It gives me reason to believe that if Jesus shows me how to do something, by golly, I can do it! As The Reader puts it This Word in not a spelled-out Word; it is a lived-out Word. God's method is a Man. Jesus is God speaking to the man in the street. He is God meeting me in my environment, a human environment. He is God showing his character in the place where our charters are formed. He is the human life of God. Is that not the richest thing you have heard today? It is for me.   



God came down to be with us in Jesus. It's that simple and that complex. To me, this story shows me hope. It shows me that God wants to be with us and to help us. Does that mean that satan is going to leave us along? You can bet your bottom dollar it does not! If it means anything, he's going to come after you harder and stronger. That's how I judge if I'm in the middle of God's will, cuz all hell is coming after me! 


Hope; to believe, desire or trust. It's something that is hard to come by anymore. A lot of people don't have much to hope for. In this day and time, when they can tell preachers there will be no prayers at ground zero on 9/11, where is the hope? When they tell us the mosque at ground zero shows tolerance on our part, where is the hope? When they throw that word at us, tolerance, where is the hope.


I tell you what friends, my hope is in Jesus Christ! I WILL be praying that someone at ground zero does pray! I WILL say NO, when I feel like my religious rights are being stomped on! I WILL say no to tolerance, because Jesus wasn't tolerant! He called a sinner a sinner. Will I be popular? I doubt it. But they will know how I feel and what I believe, Cuz I am not ashamed of the gospel! 

3 comments:

Preacher man said...

PREACH It sister!

Anonymous said...

I really love your blog! You are a fantastic writer....what stuck out to me the most was the part about hope...truly Jesus is our hope and not "man" or the things of this world. Look forward to reading your future posts! Much love ~ alice

John David Walt said...

Thanks Kim for the good word re the reader