ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING
November 17, 2021
In my devotional reading recently, I came across words from the third chapter of Zephaniah. I know not very many people spend time in Zephaniah, and it is not a place I visit often. With that said, I was taken by the words: “The Lord will create calm with his love; he will rejoice over you with singing.” I think every parent can remember a time when an upset infant was restless and fussy, unable to sleep. You carried the child around, rocking the little one ever so gently. If that didn’t work, you found another approach and then another if necessary. Love is a powerful instrument by which a spirit of calm can be created and brought into a situation. In a recent conversation, a friend asked in passing, “Why is it that we are so slow in reaching for love when our faith tells us that it has such magnificent and transformative power?” I think most parents are pretty quick when it comes to reaching for love, but how about the many other relationships and encounters we have in life? Is love always close at hand? Is it accessible? Do we trust it? Love won’t always bring calm to a situation on our first attempt, but that doesn’t mean we jettison love and reach for something else. Part of love is patience and recognizing that love plays the long game.
Let me grow in my trust of your love, O Lord, and then let me trust in the capacity of love to bring about real transformation in life’s many relationships. Amen.
