Dearly Beloved,
Grace and Peace to you.
“You are my Own, my Beloved,
with whom I am well pleased.”
This is as unalterable as the heavens:
you are God’s Beloved, God’s own.
Nothing you do or fail can change that.
I will tell of the decree of the Lord,
who said to me, “You are my offspring;
today I have begotten you.”
You are anointed with the promise of the Messiah,
the task of bearing God’s will into the world.
“Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen, in whom my soul delights.”
You are upheld in your work.
Unseen though it may be,
and seemingly unimportant,
it is God’s desire; it is God’s delight.
“So gently so as not to break a bruised reed
or quench a dimly burning candle,
you will faithfully bring forth justice.”
Nonviolently as Christ, without force or coercion,
with only love for all,
you will act for the fullness of life
for all those to whom it is denied.
“One who endures suffering
and is acquainted with weakness.”
The promise is not happy trails
or the comfort of triumph
but the mystery of the cross, dying and rising
as you enter the suffering of the world.
“You are my Own, my Beloved,
with whom I am well pleased.”
It is not your power or success
but your belovedness,
and that of all whom you meet,
that you bear gloriously into the world,
that transforms it.
Go in peace, and serve the Lord with joy.
Deep Blessings,
Pastor Steve
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Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net
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