Sold! To the Man with….
By Merna Short of Melbourne, Australia
For in him every one of God’s promises is a ‘Yes.’ For this reason it is through him that we say the ‘Amen’, to the glory of God. —2 Corinthians 1:20 NRSV
It was auction day for my neighbor’s house. My grandson came with his friend to watch the event. The price continued to climb as one man reached just enough higher than the others in the bidding. Eventually the auctioneer cried, “Sold!”
My daughter asked me who the successful bidder was. “It looked like an elderly, gray-haired man,” I said. “He must have family or friends come to stay—it is a large, five-bedroom house.”
My daughter then asked her son the same question. “A man in his forties,” he answered. “He was blond.”
“No, he wasn’t,” I exclaimed. “He was well into his sixties.”
We laughed at the different perspectives. The new neighbors moved in. The husband has red hair and is in his late thirties! They have two small children.
It made me think of the variety of people and circumstances in the world. There are so many different interpretations of what we see. But might we try to view the world from God’s perspective?
Our hymnal, Community of Christ Sings, opens our eyes and continually challenges us to look beyond our limited vision to see the world from the perspective of the one who lovingly created it. Let us see the world with belief in God’s promises.
View the present through the promise, Christ comes again.
Trust despite the deepening darkness, Christ comes again.
Lift the world above its grieving through your watching and believing
In the hope past hope’s conceiving: Christ comes again.
—“View the Present through the Promise” by Thomas H. Troeger,
©1986 Oxford University Press, Community of Christ Sings 401
Prayer for Peace
Creator God, permeate our perceptions with your Spirit. Help us see the world with love, as you see it. Help us listen closely to the fears of others, that we might offer the hope and peace of Jesus Christ.
Spiritual Practice: Music for Meditation
Identify a form of music for meditation. If hearing music is not an option, choose a song you can sing or play on a musical instrument. Choose music that carries a soulful, spiritual, or healing quality for you. Sit quietly and soak in the melody and resonance. Allow healing waves of sound to pierce body, spirit, and emotions. What do you feel or see as you listen? Does the music have colors? What spiritual message comes? How does the music shape the way you see the world?
Peace Covenant
Today, God, I will make a higher bid for peace.
