Then
the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned in complaining against the
LORD and you. Pray the LORD to take the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for
the people, and the LORD said to Moses, “Make a seraph and mount it on a pole,
and if any who have been bitten look at it, they will live.” Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and
mounted it on a pole, and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent
looked at the bronze serpent, he lived. Numbers 21:7-9
For
God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes
in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his
Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved
through him. John
3:16-17
Piety
A Step Along The Way by Bishop Ken Untener of Saginaw
It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view.
The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision.
We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God's work. Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of saying that the Kingdom always lies beyond us.
No statement says all that could be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith.
No confession brings perfection.
No pastoral visit brings wholeness.
No program accomplishes the Church's mission.
No set of goals and objectives includes everything.
This is what we are about.
We plant the seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities.
We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.
This enables us to do something, and to do it very well.
It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord's grace to enter and do the rest.
We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.
We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.
It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view.
The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision.
We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God's work. Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of saying that the Kingdom always lies beyond us.
No statement says all that could be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith.
No confession brings perfection.
No pastoral visit brings wholeness.
No program accomplishes the Church's mission.
No set of goals and objectives includes everything.
This is what we are about.
We plant the seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities.
We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.
This enables us to do something, and to do it very well.
It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord's grace to enter and do the rest.
We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.
We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.
Study
Moses and Nicodemus put our little tripod to
good use in partnership with the cross. In short, the steps in the tripod are:
1)
Come to Jesus. (Piety)
2)
Listen to Jesus. (Study)
3)
Do what Jesus says. (Action)
What happens in the story from Numbers? After
all their complaining, the people had to take the first step along the way, a
beginning. They came to Moses and asked
him to pray for them to the Lord. Moses turned to the Lord in prayer. Second, Moses was given explicit instructions
about what to do and he listened. Third, Moses put the Lord’s plan into action
by mounting the seraph for the people to gaze upon.
Nicodemus did the same…although not in one
scene. His first step was taken in today’s
Gospel. That allowed the Lord’s grace to
enter and do the rest. First, Nicodemus he
came to the Lord. At this point, he came
under cover of darkness. Second, he
listened to the Lord and the important – and perhaps the most famous lesson in
the Bible -- For God so loved the world
that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not
perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world
to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. (John 3:16-17) Third, he acted upon what he learned by
defending Jesus in the temple and then by joining Joseph of Aramithea at the
foot of the cross to take Jesus’ mortal remains and provide a proper burial. Piety.
Study. Action.
Action
Sometimes the act of picking up our cross
daily to follow Jesus seems too much for us.
But we can take it in small stages like Nicodemus. Perhaps the biggest humanitarian crisis in
years is the Syrian and North African refugee crisis.
Although the
problem is in many ways overwhelming, small actions can make a huge difference
in the lives of real people. If you’re interested in finding out more, some of the great
organizations helping, check out the web sites for: www.crs.org, International Medical Corps, Karam Foundation, Mercy Corps, Salam Neighbor, the International Rescue Committee, Save the
Children or the United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR). A small action you take today will say to hundreds of thousands
of homeless migrants that the world cares. They will live. They will love.
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