What will tomorrow bring?

Today is September 10, 2011.

Tomorrow is 9/11/11.  Ten years after the terrorist attacks on America.

What will tomorrow bring?

It’s tempting to dwell on the emotions, loss and grief associated with our remembrance of 9/11/01.  It’s also tempting to get caught up in the fear of ‘credible threats’ that our security forces have said warrant our extra vigilance.

In the big picture, September 11 is just another day in our lives.  In the microcosm of our lives, it is a day we will never forget, and shouldn’t forget.  Our lives were forever changed on that day.  

Jesus has some significant words for us on the subject of worrying…Matthew 6:25-34

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

As I write this there is a chipmunk sitting outside my window on my picnic table bench, munching on a nut. He knows nothing about what tomorrow means to Americans.  He only knows that this is the season of harvest… yippee, the acorns are beginning to fall!  God provides for His creation.

Some things will forever remind us of the events of 9/11/01.  For me, every time I see a sunny, bright blue sky (Crayola Sky Blue) with large white clouds and feel the cool September air against my skin, I am reminded of that day, forever seared into my memory with the scars of smoke plumes drifting across that same blue sky, and with the loss and grief of so many people. 

We are changed forever, but yet we are still the same children of God.  It is because God never stops loving His children, we can go forward into each new day without worry and fear.  We are called to live with hope and love.

I think it is an interesting thing to note that the 10^th anniversary of this date falls on a Sunday.  The Church (large C) is calling for us to think on this day as an opportunity to work toward forgiveness and peace.  Imagine the world-wide possibilities if everyone attended worship tomorrow morning and heard the calling for forgiveness and peace, instead of worrying about the things that cause us fear.

Those people whom we loved and lost on 9/11/01 would certainly want us to remember and honor them, but they also would not want us to live in worry and fear.  We can honor them best by living lives free of fear. 

Jesus gives us the antidote for the affliction of worry…

Trust in God.

I hope to see you in church tomorrow.  St. Andrew worships at 8:30 and 10:45 am.  We are located at 335 Reynolds Ave. in Parsippany, NJ  07054.  (973) 887-6713.

Come and see our community tribute tower display and help us share the news that we are ALL children of God.

Love and Approval

When children know that they are loved unconditionally, they move through their lives with confidence and a willingness to explore, take chances, and grow.  They make mistakes and learn from them.  They do not always need approval as they are confident that they are loved even if they fail.

On the other hand, children who do not believe that they are loved no matter what, will often engage in attention seeking behavior or in activities that seek approval, living in fear of failure, afraid to take risks and grow.  They are afraid make to mistakes and fear the loss of love and approval because of their failures.

I was reading an article in The Lutheran magazine (April 2011) by Peter W. Marty, a Lutheran pastor in Davenport, Iowa.  In the article he states, “Unconditional love must never be confused with unconditional approval.”

Approval is fleeting; unconditional approval is meaningless.  Whether you did a great job or a crappy job, hey it’s all okay, right?   Unconditional approval means nothing.  Actually, it means you don’t care.

Unconditional love is…well unconditional and unending; there are no strings attached.  It means you care for that person more than anything else, no matter what.

Most parents strive to love their children unconditionally.  I think that is part of the makeup of a parent.  However, I’m sure there are times when even the best of us fails to uphold that “unconditional love” clause in the parenting agreement we make with God when we are blessed with a child.  Our own sinfulness gets in the way of perfectly loving our children.

God does love unconditionally.  No matter what.  We are His children and His love is perfect; there are no strings attached.  We are forgiven when we screw up simply because of His Grace, His undeserved forgiveness and unconditional love.  God’s love is a perfect love.

This does not mean we receive unconditional approval from God.  He is rightfully and justifiably disappointed in us when we choose sin over love, when we choose the world over Him.  But like a perfect parent, He loves us still, no matter what.

He loves us so much “that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him might have eternal life.”  John 3:16.  That is a perfect love.

As we move through Lent and reflect upon our lives, contemplate this image of God as the perfect parent, loving and forgiving us, no matter what.  If we accept this as the truth for our lives, how can we not live as confident, adventurous, fearless children of God, loving others as He first loves us?

www.elcaAndy.org

A Butterfly on Her Finger

Are we innately caring or selfish?

I’d like to think that since we are created in the image of God that we are by nature caring and loving. God is love.

But we are also fallen sinners, separated from God by our self-serving sinfulness.

On my wall there is a photograph of my daughter when she was about 5 years old. We were at the Butterfly Conservatory at the Bronx Zoo and there is a monarch butterfly perched on her finger. As sweet as that photo is, the rest of the story is even better.

My son was in a stroller at the time and probably about 18 months old. Somehow, by that age, he had become afraid of bees and flying insects. I was not fully aware of this fear and didn’t put two and two together when we entered the butterfly dome.

My children tend to really care about each other. They are not normal in that they don’t constantly fight and bicker with each other. I know I’m very lucky that their relationship has turned out this way. I thank God profusely for this blessing.

On this day in the Butterfly Conservatory when this beautiful monarch landed on my daughter’s finger, my son, in his innate love for his sister, became frantic and desperate, crying “bee, bee, bee” and pointing at the butterfly on his sister’s finger. He was fearful that she would be hurt by the insect. His love for her at even such a young age was clearly evident, and stronger than any fear for himself.

While she was in her glory, he was beside himself with fear for her.

While we know that one of a child’s favorite words is “mine,” we can also see that their hearts were made for love.

Jesus knew how easy it is for a child to love. “And he called a child to himself and set him before them, and said, ‘Truly I say to you, unless you become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:2-4

What can we do to become childlike in our love for others and our love for God?

http://www.elcaandy.org/
Come worship with us tomorrow night at 7:30 pm for a Taize service of prayer, song and meditation.