A few years ago I read a book titled Unfettered Hope. The author spoke of what it means to hope - to hope that God's will will be accomplished, that God's will might be done on earth. She said that we have "fettered" our hope. That we have chained it to the stake of reality and that we are in danger of losing the ability to hope in the way that God (through the scriptures) speaks of hope. God hopes for BIG things. God hopes for ALL things.
This morning I read from Isaiah 65:24-25. It called to mind the first time I ever preached in my life. It was during my years as a 4-H club member, in North Carolina. I preached on 4-H Sunday, using Isaiah 11:6-9. Each of these passages speak of a time when "the lion shall graze with the lamb," a time when there will be no killing and no blood shed.
I download the world news on my PalmPilot and read stories from the BBC in those in-between moments of my day. On Sunday there was a bombing in Kandahar City, the deadliest attack in Afghanistan since 2001. 100 persons died. There are reports of Sudanese bombers targeting refugee camps in Darfur. It is estimated that 200,000 have died in that conflict, millions have been displaced. I don't even know where to start, with regard to Iraq. President Bush is in Africa. Visiting Tanzania, just south of troubled Kenya, he also raised concerns about the polling process in Zimbabwe.
As I prayed this morning, I continued to remember the things I typically remember - prayers for my little girl living in Germany and working with the churches in Eisleben; my ailing mother and my sister who loving cares for her; for the fathers of Chris and Jenny and Ashley; for the work of Lutheran Campus Ministry, at Clemson but also these days I remember Diane Dardon and LCM at Northern Illinois University. This morning I also spent considerable time praying for peace - for the peace of God. Praying that it might come to this world, praying that it might come to this world as a gift from God's people. Praying that I might have the ability to hope and to expect that such peace is possible.
I invite you to join me in praying for this peace.
Pastor Chris
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