Scripture: Psalm 107:1-3
O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, those he redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.
Thought for the Day: We are all a work in progress, and our progress is occurring in a world that is a work in progress. There are plenty of days when we do not feel like those the Psalmist describes as the Redeemed. The problem for us is that our daily existence occurs in a tension between the declaration of our redemption and our current reality which is a work in progress…and some times that work in progress doesn’t feel like it is progressing. The scientist Simon Conway Morris writes, “It is my opinion that human history can make no sense unless evil doings are recognized for what they are, and that they are bearable only if somehow they may be redeemed.” Morris does not suggest that brokenness and suffering must be fully redeemed to make our lives bearable. Instead, it is made bearable by the basic belief that redemption is possible, and as people of faith, our ability to recognize and declare God’s ongoing work of redemption keeps us progressing in ways that move us toward wholeness.
Prayer: Your Holy Gift, O Merciful God, is a reminder of your redeeming grace. In this Advent Season, lead me deeper into the knowledge of what it means to be both redeemed and still a person progressing toward redemption. Amen.
DON’T MISS IT
THIS WEDNESDAY EVENING
AT 6:30PM
(Dinner at 5:30pm)
