Nothing that is worth doing can be achieved in our lifetime; therefore we must be saved by hope. Nothing which is true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history; therefore we must be saved by faith. Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone; therefore we must be saved by love. - Reinhold Niebuhr
Back in my college days, I remember a song I liked by the band Queen called, "I Want It All." The refrain was, "I want it all, I want it all, I want it all, and I want it now." That pretty much summed up life for me at the time. I wanted to finish my studies and get started in a career. I wanted the car, the house, the adventures of adulthood. At the time I was not interested in a wife and kids - in fact Wendy likes to remind me how I liked to say I was never getting married. Never say never, right? Basically, at the time I wanted, "fame and fortune and everything that goes with it," to quote another Queen song.
It took a while. It took a while to realize I did not need it all and I certainly did not need it all right now. It took a while to understand that life is a journey and, if we are a fortunate, not a brief one. It took a while to learn patience - I am still working on that one. And it took a while to come to see that there is a larger purpose to life than just me.
Nothing worth doing can be achieved in our lifetime. The big house, fancy car, life of ease and comfort is all nice, but all temporary and fleeting. What is worthwhile is leaving the world a little better than we found it in the hope that someday God's kingdom will come.
Nothing true, beautiful, or good makes complete sense right now. It does not make sense to sacrifice my needs for some greater good, but we do it anyway with faith and confidence that it is the right thing to do.
Nothing we do can be accomplished alone. Making a world fit for future generations is a group project and so requires us to love one another.
Wanting it all right now is a common ailment in our world, and it leads to a great deal of stress, tension, and pain, both for ourselves and for others. Letting go of all those wants and curing that ailment requires faith, hope, and love, as the apostle Paul once wrote. That, and a big dose of patience.
Worship This Week
Sunday, 10am, in the sanctuary & Facebook Live
Thursday, 6:30pm, in the North Room.
If you join us in-person, you must wear a mask and follow safe distancing.
If you are not well or have been exposed to someone with the corona virus, please watch from home.
Keep In Prayer:
Marvin Homan, Sherry Williams, Sherry's friend Cheryl, Mary Wallen, Alvin Shelley, Dee Kuhlman,
Kathy Sanders' mother & brother
Our shut-ins: Kate Shelley, Dot Ann Smith, Nora Smith, Helen Payne, Bernie Reynolds