Saturday, December 26, 2015

Today’s Reading  |  Colossians 1:11–15, 19
May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. (NRSV)

Reflection
As I write, the news is full of shocked reactions to violence in Paris, Beirut, Kenya, and more places than we can keep track of. Politicians from many nations are demanding “action” to eliminate terrorism, and there are calls for our nation and our allies to join together to go to battle. There are also calls to stop refugees from fleeing the violence in their home countries to seek safety for their children and families.

By the time this devotion is published, time may have numbed us from these events and hopefully there won’t have been more horrors. While we all consider how we, our nation, and the world respond to the unspeakable horrors that have presented themselves to God’s people through the ages we can only turn to faith in God.

Knowing that our faith in God’s glorious might can give us great endurance and patience as we give joyful thanks seems to be exactly what we need. What does this patience and endurance look like as we grieve for the loss of lives, our peace of mind, and maybe our perspective on how to embrace and welcome the stranger?

How can we really feel rescued from the dominion of darkness when evil walks the world?

This truly is the Christmas story. The kingdom of the Son God loves has arrived and is where we can claim redemption and forgiveness. It’s where we seek comfort and where we draw strength to live into God’s love. As confused, angry, and frustrated as we may be with the state of our world, we seek to bolster our faith in the Son, the image of the invisible God.

Prayer
O Lord, may my faith overcome my doubts, may my love overcome my fear, may my compassion overcome my hatred. I do believe, help my unbelief! Amen.

Written by Ed Coke, Member of Fourth Presbyterian Church

Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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