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We Don’t Need To Push Our Religion On Anyone. (Advent 2)

“And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”-John 12:32

A lot of us have been going about this the wrong way. We don’t need to push our religion on anyone. We don’t need to force anyone to kneel at the alters we’ve built.

We instead use all our efforts on lifting up the example of God’s love through the words we speak, and the actions we take. As disciples we are students who need learn to walk in the ways of love. We take up our crosses and carry them into the world becoming examples of sacrificial love.

In a world filled with bloodshed and violence, exploitation and oppression, we lift a divinely inspired alternative vision of a world where we live together in peace. We lift a vision world where justice is no longer seen as mere retribution. Justice becomes the way we proactively care for one another.

If we lift this vision, and live this witness, “all the nations shall stream to it.” - from Isaiah 2:2

I’m Horace McMillon. This is 60 Seconds of Hope. Peace be with you.

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Let Our Faith Be As Big As God’s Vision For Us

“He shall judge between the nations and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation; neither shall they learn war any more.” - Isaiah 2:4

The second chapter of Isaiah describes one of, if not the most beautiful divinely inspired vision the world has ever been given. Envision a world where all disputes between and among all people are resolved with justice and equity.

Envision a world where we no longer spend our energy trying to take the things we want from each other through deception and violence, exploitation and oppression. Envision a world that is built far more around cooperation than competition.

This is the world God wants for us. This is the divine vision of the human endeavor. In order for us to see it come to pass, our faith in this vision has to big as the vision itself.

I’m Horace McMillon. This is 60 Seconds of Hope. Peace be with you.

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How We Show Up Is How God Shows Up

“It is you who have scattered my flock and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. So I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the LORD.” - from Jeremiah 23:2

The Hebrew word translated “attend” in this verse has both positive and negative connotations as it has been used in scripture.

Here in this Jeremiah passage bad shepherds will be held accountable when God “attends” to them. Similarly, when God visits (same Hebrew word) the folks in Exodus 32:34, God states an intention to visit the sins of the wrongdoers upon them holding them accountable.

In other passages, when God attends (or visits) Sarah and Hannah, God blesses them with children. (Genesis 21:1 & Samuel 2:21 respectively). The Psalmist in Psalm 8:4 wonders what is humanity that God would even bother pay attention to us.

What is consistent about these passages is that they each describe God paying attention to us and showing up in our lives. God shows up differently for different people. How God shows up for us depends upon how we show up in the world.

I’m Horace McMillon. This is 60 Seconds of Hope. Peace be with you.

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God Don’t Like Ugly

“Come, behold the works of the LORD; see what desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.” - Psalm 46:8-9

Some read that God is bringing desolation and destruction on the earth and stop reading. But exactly what is it that God intends to destroy? What is it that God wants to bring to an end on earth?

God has had enough of our bloodshed and violence.

God has had enough of our greed and exploitation.

God has had enough of our callous neglect of the vulnerable, of the marginalized, of the refugee, and of the stranger.

God has had enough of the dereliction of our duties and the abdication of our responsibilities.

God is bringing all these to an end. As the elders of my youth used to say, “God don’t like ugly.”

I’m Horace McMillon. This is 60 Seconds of Hope. Peace be with you.

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Peace Is An Active Lifestyle

“to shine upon those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace." - Luke 1:79

The 79th verse of Luke 1 is a continuation of the 78th verse which declares that God’s love will cause dawn to break upon us. This verse emphasizes that although we may be overwhelmed by the darkness around us, overwhelmed by the darkness within us, such darkness is not our permanent reality.

We will see the light again. God will guide our feet into the way of peace. The peace that God brings us to is more than something that we experience passively. The way of peace God guides us into is an active lifestyle. We continually learn and choose to make choices and take actions that preserve and promote the peace within us and around us.

Our internal tensions fade away. The drama and chaos around us cease, because refuse to part in it anymore. We instead actively promote peace by practicing and modeling empathy, understanding, and kindness. We stand for what is right but refuse to do so in anger, bitterness and hate. We decline to engage in revenge and retribution, and seek reconciliation when healthy reconciliation is possible.

I’m Horace McMillon. This is 60 Seconds of Hope. Peace be with you.

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If We Believe In God’s Love…

“Because of the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us.” - Luke 1:78

If we believe in God’s love, we will find our peace in the midst of our storms, because we know that God is our comforter and protector.

If we believe in God’s love, we will let go of all of our jealousy and envy, our greed and lusts, because we know that God supplies everything we need.

If we believe in God’s love, we will no longer live in anger, fear, or hate, because we know that there is there power within us that is greater than any outside of us.

If we believe in God’s love, we have hope even in the darkest nights, because we know that dawn is coming.

Dear God, help us believe in your love. Amen.

I’m Horace McMillon. This is 60 Seconds of Hope. Peace be with you.

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Joyful Endurance

“May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, so that you may have all endurance and patience, joyfully” - Colossians 1:11

All of us are going through something, have been through something, or are about to go through something. No one is exempt from life’s challenges and problems, of this we can be certain.

What we can also be certain of is this: The power of God within us and among us gives us the strength and power we need not only to survive but to eventually thrive.

We don’t have to be anxious about the outcome. We need to be patient. We need to persevere. We need to endure. And when we remember that our strength comes from The Lord, the creator of heaven earth, we can joyfully endure.

I’m Horace McMillon. This is 60 Seconds of Hope. Peace be with you.

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We Are The Shepherds God Is Raising

“I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall no longer fear or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the LORD.” -Jeremiah 23:4

One of the most poignant moments in all the gospels is when the risen Jesus appears to Peter and asks him three times if he loves him. At first Peter is disturbed that Jesus questions his love and commitment so many times. But each time Jesus says since you love me, care for my sheep. (John 21)

Earlier in the gospel, Jesus refers to himself as the good shepherd. (John 10) Jesus sees his mission as one of care and devotion. But Jesus doesn’t see himself carrying out this mission alone. All of his disciples, everyone commenting to way, everyone who loves him is called to be a shepherd.

This is in fulfillment of the prophet Jeremiah’s words that God is raising shepherds to guide the flocks from fear to hope, from hate to love, from injustice and exploitation to wellbeing and peace. We are the shepherds God is raising.

I’m Horace McMillon. This is 60 Seconds of Hope. Peace be with you.

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