Wednesday, December 2
Don't sweat the small stuff
An excerpt from Luke 21:34-38 from NRSV
Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day does not catch you unexpectedly.
Reflection from Catherine Martin:
Perhaps you have read or heard the acronym F.O.M.O. – Fear Of Missing Out. We fear we will arrive at the wrong time to share an experience with friends, that we will not reap the benefits of an online sale, that our phone battery will die and we won’t get that call. Worse yet, sometimes we do “miss out” because we take our eyes off a particular objective and give in to worries or to weaknesses. And then, we are unprepared and are caught by surprise when the moment arrives.
While these verses from Luke relate to preparation for the End Times, it seems to me like good advice for these times. If I am escaping social realities by binge drinking/eating, if I am obsessing about the pandemic, about the government or about how little I can control an outcome, I will miss out on life itself. Not End Times, but Current Time. Limited current time. Not something to Miss Out on.
Links for further study and prayer, the readings assigned for today are:
Psalm 79; Micah 5:1-5a; Luke 21:34-38
Music:
“Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone)”
Traditional folk song, arr. Chris Tomlin
“’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved.
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.
My chains are gone,
I’ve been set free.
My God, my Savior has ransomed me!
And like a flood His mercy rains
Unending love, amazing grace.”
Tags: Advent & Christmas
