Greetings from Peter Mayer

Saturday, December 8, 2012

The Light of Patience - h2o devos loc 120812



And I’m Still in One Peace

Still in One Peace

We are blessed we are broken

Every day a chance to be

One together again
Still…
We are scattered in pieces

Still…
We hope strength will release us

Still…
Your Love is perfect in weakness…

Gathers us in

And again and again and again and again
Still in One Peace…
Still in One Peace…
Still in One Peace by Peter Mayer

I was in the Twin Cities for Thanksgiving weekend. We were blessed to be able to spend time with our adult kids as well as dear friends. On the day after Thanksgiving, maybe it was what is called “Black Friday” I was walking around Lake Harriet when I saw the little sign among some shrubs who looked pretty tired. The sign basically called for “patience.”

Any one who knows me wouldn’t describe me as a “patient” person. Even when I have been a “patient” I haven’t been patient. And so, it is an area where I need to grow. I also don’t know much about the “speed of light” in the way that a physicist, or engineer, or pilot or scientist knows about it. So, I thought I’d try to turn the phrase around just a bit and to talk about “The Light of Patience.”  As is often the case, after we have looked everywhere else for something, it is good to stop and take a look at the Bible,

Hebrews 6:12
“so that you may not become sluggish, but imitators of those 
who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”

Galatians 5:22  
“By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, 
patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness,”

Colossians 3:12  
“As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with 
compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.”

Ephesians 4:2 
“ 
with all humility and gentleness, with patience, 
bearing with one another in love,”

Okay. Get the point! Patience is a gift. And maybe, just maybe in recognizing that gift in others and in oneself there might be some kind of light, a lifting up or off of self-imposed burdens, but also a radiance of sorts that welcome, embraces, warms and encourages.

Last weekend, due to mis-communication and obviously some kind of mis-understanding a mistake happened. So, here was the message on our church sign:


Yes, that’s right it is a blank sign with zero words and nothing to say. I suppose people thought that we had laryngitis. However, one of my dear friends said to me, “well, you know, Advent is about waiting.”

Yes, it is!

To paraphrase the guy who does the Dos Equis commercials (as seen here),

 “I don’t always have patience, but when I do, I try to have it in Advent.
Stay patient my friends."

Peace,
rtg

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