Advent devotions 2007

Sun, 2 Dec 2007

December 3 - Take heart
By Carolyn Schrock-Shenk, associate professor of peace, justice and conflict studies

This week's theme: Take heart!

Devotional:
Last week I gave my students the assignment of going to a reputable website ( http://www.nationalpriorities.org/Cost-of- War/Cost-of-War-3.html) and computing the cost of the war in Iraq per minute. The numbers are mind-boggling. And they join the number of dead and wounded – more than 28,450 from the U.S. and many hundreds of thousands from Iraq.

Then there is Afghanistan. Sudan. Israel-Palestine. There is an ongoing AIDS epidemic. The orphan and refugee population is increasing exponentially. Global warming affects the world’s poorest most dramatically. One in three women will experience some kind of abuse in her lifetime. The list goes on and on.

How does one "take heart" in the midst of these catastrophic realities? Is it even possible? There certainly is just cause for deep despair given the never-ending trauma in the world. What is it that sustains us in the midst of it all? What gives us energy to keep going? I offer three simple things that help me "take heart" on a daily basis.

The first is a recognition of all that is good in my life. That list goes on and on as well. I am discovering that there is power in the spiritual discipline of gratefulness; that celebrating life’s richness produces energy for the next task.

Secondly, my fellow travelers give me much strength and courage. I am profoundly grateful to belong to several circles of kindred spirits who have been grace for me in powerful ways, especially in recent years. We have mourned, prayed, planned, cried and celebrated together. We take turns holding each other up, helping each other take heart.

Thirdly, I look for the holy moments and the gifts of grace in my corner of the world and in the world beyond. This is not as difficult as it may seem. While we are primed to hear the bad news, the good news stories abound – close by and far away (see http:// www.goodnewsagency.org/english/ indexeng.htm for a sample). Stories of love triumphing over evil keep us focused on what is possible.

Jesus was born amidst the misery of the Roman occupation many centuries ago, but the power of his incarnation was not diminished by the surrounding suffering and evil. On the contrary, the extraordinary darkness of the times only served to accentuate the brilliance of the Light that burst into the world.

So it is also in our day. Take heart. The world is about to turn.


Posted at 23:23 #



Disclaimer:
The views and beliefs expressed in the devotional piece prepared by each individual reflect their own spiritual growth journey and thoughts, and while created in a campus environment that encourages thoughtful questions and reflection on biblical Scripture and contemporary Christian themes, do not necessarily represent the official institutional positions of Goshen College or Mennonite Church USA.