Sunday Reflection (November 28, 2021)
There are many people today who face trauma and devastation
that we cannot even begin to imagine. Imagine being a Syrian refugee
at this moment, caught between militants of your own faith group and
the distrust of Europeans and Americans. What would you do in a truly
dreadful time? The earliest Christians of Jewish backgrounds faced the
destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans. In a difficult time remember
this and I quote: “Christ did not come because we were doing particularly
well; rather, Jesus came to bring us hope in the midst of our deepest pain
and despair. We are not alone; God is with us (Pat Umberger) (Luke 21:25-28).
We may not be in a dire situation, yet we must be careful lest we get so caught up
in life that we neglect those who experience traumatic dreadful events (Luke 21:34-36).
We prepare for the Lord’s coming by growing in love for one another and others
(1 Thessalonians 3:13).
