An Example of Trust

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.” Thus sings David, and thus the Church of God lives. What refuge is there for the man of God but to trust in God at all times?

Today, the Church calendar provides us with an example of what it means to trust in God at all times. St. Joseph was a just man and faithful to the Law of Moses. He was honorable and righteous, and he sought to do the right thing. He was betrothed to the Virgin Mary, and was willing to do for her according to the Law and the customs of their people. And Joseph no doubt expected her to live up to her end of the contract also. So it should come as no surprise to you that he was knocked for a loop when “she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.”

What is an honorable man to do when him fiancee is found to be with child, and he is certain that it cannot be his, since they have not known one another? He would have been within his rights to stone her for fornication, or at least certainly to divorce her publicly and smear her name irretrievably. But “Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.” From this, the Church has often inferred that Joseph did genuinely love the Blessed Virgin, that he would not seek the full measure of the Law's justice upon her.

But did he trust her word, about the origins of the child she was carrying? Would you?

"Hear What God Has Arranged for You to Be Told"

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

An old Scottish proverb says that “an open confession is good for the soul.” Indeed, confession is good for the soul, but only if understood properly. The problem lies in answering the question – What is confession? Is it an old, out-moded ritual where you have to go sit in a box and talk to some priest through a screen? Is it a way for your pastor to stay up on all the good gossip in the congregation? Is it something you have to do because somebody or other says you have to?

Confession is rooted and grounded in the Word of God, beginning and ending in what God says about you in His Word. The word “confession” means “saying the same thing” – when you confess something, you are saying the same thing – agreeing with all others who say that same thing. In the matter of the Sacrament, you confess that you believe the Word of God when it declares you to be a poor, miserable sinner who has failed to keep even the smallest part of the Law. Against the standard of the Law you have been judged, and have been found wanting.

"Whom God the Father Chose to Send"

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

What does it mean to be one, or to be united? It seems that a great many things today are “united”, at least in name. The United States of America. United Van Lines. United Auto Workers. The United Methodist Church. All these entities say they are united, but what does that mean? What does it mean for us to be united, to be one?

“And this is eternal life...” What is eternal life? For us to ask that is a bit like asking a person born blind, what is green? And, depending on whom you ask, you will get different answers.

For a great deal of people in this world, eternal life means simply nothingness. The goal in life is to be released from the prison of matter and time and space and simply to be nothing. Nirvana, bliss, being at peace with the universe. Whatever you want to call it, it seems attractive. After all, there is no judgment, no right or wrong, no ending or beginning, just being.