WORD WEEK 12-25-05 A BRAND NEW DAY: FROM JERUSALEM TO EGYPT

MERRY CHRISTMAS

WORD WEEK 12-25-05 A BRAND NEW DAY: FROM JERUSALEM TO EGYPT

MATTHEW 2:13-15 KJV

13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him." 14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Out of Egypt I called my son."


Advent has transpired, the logos has manifested itself incarnate, and during this season, we, GOD'S beloved people, are reminded of the LORD'S divine and precious promises for renewal and salvation to a wounded world as the Christ-Child, JESUS the SAVIOR, is born! The season of Advent is a time of intentional reverence to the LORD, deep peace, unquenchable anticipation, glad tidings, renewed hopes, holy regeneration, and the fragrance of evergreen, balsam, frankincense and myrrh in the air, and the bearing of gifts.

Significantly, while unquenchable anticipation and unrestrained hope have now come to cosmically divine fruition, "LOVE" has come to each of us as we intimately encounter the presence of "The Holy" in the air. Importantly, we do not know quite where to begin, much less fathom or integrate love of this caliber as we are invited to embrace a deeper awareness that no one has ever loved us like GOD does! Consequently, while the marriage and the manifestation of prophetic fulfillment and the eschatological incarnation has embodied itself in the birth of the Christ-Child, "reason" evades our consciousness as the boundary of "LOVE" knows no depth, no height, no breath, nor scope for which "anything that was," "anything that is," and "anything that shall be" can elude its presence.

An amplified look at the Advent Narrative provides us with a compelling glimpse of the intertwined nature of the coexistence joy and solemnity as the Betrothed Virgin, The Wise Old Man, and, significantly, the birth of the Christ-Child becomes the catalyst for a brand new day! As observers, we become witnesses to the psychology that functioned as the buttress for both the community and the world by and large. Moreover, on some level, we observe members of the human condition struggle with the compelling invitation to radical self-transformation and deep introspection required both by compassion and empathy for such a momentous event. The Advent Narrative informs the community of faith that subsequent to the proclamation of the annunciation and the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary, a spirit of movement was pandemic as life, for many, was about to radically change in the manner in which it was once known! While the chosen Betrothed Virgin was given the news of GOD'S divine favor, she was not initially cognizant of its implications; neither was humanity then, nor in subsequent light years.

As we journey with Joseph and the pregnant Mary into the night in pursuit of safety, we are required to flee from one city to another; i.e., from Jerusalem to Egypt! How or why should this be given Mary's condition and GOD'S plan many ask? During this journey, our conversation with both Joseph and Mary; i.e., from Jerusalem to Egypt, provides each of us with an opportunity to become more intimately acquainted with the pathos of their encounter and the requirement of an exodus in their lives and as well as our own lives. Significantly, on one hand, Mary's credibility and her reputation as a virtuous woman were called into question as she was with child and without verification of an earthly father nor being married at the time of the conception. Yet on the other hand, Joseph was a respected and revered man of many years and "wisdom" whose sanity and reputation were called into question when he accepted the betrothal of Mary who he had not known, both of whom were cosmically intertwined by the birth of the Christ-Child whose life was already at risk by Herod for fear of the fulfillment of prophecy. As many of us allow ourselves to be present to this reality, we can still hear the swift winter winds sing of the presence of goodness, good will, anticipation, tidings of joy, and divine danger in the air.

The journey continues to unfold and the landscape of Jerusalem and all that was familiar to Joseph and Mary begins to fade into the background becoming a silhouette of gray and memory in the background of their existence commensurate with the landscape of Egypt that was quickly becoming magnified in the foreground of their approach and anticipation. They packed only that which was essential and were required to leave behind the both the comfort and familiarity of loved ones, family, friends, community, safety, and treasured material possessions that had helped to render meaning to their existence. In essence, they had to relinquish familiarity and embrace that which was clandestine, except to the mind and soul of GOD! Mary, Joseph, and the Christ-Child escaped into the darkness of the night as they were about to embark upon a brand new day! All three were about to encounter the Divine Dynamic of GOD which implies that freedom scares and slavery secures. When the LORD does work in each of us, with each of us, and through each of us, oftentimes, we must shift from the familiar and predictable to the unfamiliar and the unpredictable. In essence, we are oftentimes provoked to leave our Jerusalem and flee to that which is to become our Egypt!

Jerusalem might represent a myriad of challenges and invites for GOD'S PEOPLE: For some, Jerusalem might represent a lineage of strong tradition, a regal blood line, or a lucrative inheritance; for others, Jerusalem might represent status quo, a rote existence, mediocrity, or complacency; still for others, Jerusalem might represent the desire to remain connected to a relationship that is unhealthy, a friendship that is barren, but perfunctory, a self-concept that perpetuates the illusion of self-importance that believes its own "hype," but is toxic to others; even still others, Jerusalem might represent one's marriage to fear, depression, loneliness, failure, narcissism, shame, co-dependence, anger, grief, guilt, and betrayal all of which causes unremitting anguish and pandemic suffering. Significantly, as familiar and/or painful our connection to Jerusalem might be, oftentimes, we cling to this place which has the potential to be our destruction because we rather remain with familiar suffering, rather then deal with that which is clandestine.

In essence, there are many Jerusalems in our lives from which we must immediately flee in route to the Egypts that await each of us. Sometimes, we become acclimated to the trauma drama of an existence defined by the schema of Jerusalem, because the fear of serious self-reflection and vulnerability has caused far too many persons to abort their psychospiritual developmental process. Moreover, the reason that we must flee from our Jerusalem is couched in the same reality like unto that of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus, namely, safe in Mary's arms, Jesus is taken into Egypt where he escapes Herod's massacre of the innocent children of Bethlehem! Plainly stated, Herod desires to destroy the story in you that GOD desires to get lived out in your submission to the Holy Spirit. Beloved, Flee Jerusalem; Go To Egypt! Significantly, a word of caution must be expressed here: Running away from one's problems or running away from oneself is not the same as one taking an exodus from Jerusalem to Egypt!

Consequently, Mary, Joseph, and the Christ-Child offer us hope and inspiration during the Christmas season because they surge forward in faith. For some persons, this time of year will bring the closeness and love of family and friends and security, yet for other persons, this time of year will heighten the lack of closeness, potentially fuel exclusion, recapitulate loss, and deflate hope. Nevertheless, Beloved of God, you must flee from Jerusalem and journey to Egypt because there is a cosmic threat on either your life or the quality of your life should you decide to remain! As we approach the landscape of Egypt, we do so with a greater degree of reverence and intimacy to GOD as we are compelled by our potential under the light of the brilliance of the CHRIST-CHILD as well as convicted by "TRUTH" in the places where we have tenaciously cleaved to Jerusalem when GOD urged us to journey to Egypt!

In essence, the presence of goodness and grace not only safely escorted Mary, Joseph, and the Christ-Child into Egypt, but GOD'S love, mercy, and grace sustained them while they remained there until the death of Herod! Despite the presence of divine danger, which is a critical part of the spiritual journey, GOD was expressing himself in love when he sent an angel and urged the Holy Family to leave their familiar surroundings. Significantly, there were lessons in Egypt with which the Holy Family had to encounter that would assist in the cosmic development and the mission of the Messiah.

Significantly, GOD sends the Christ-Child to Egypt and GOD calls the Christ-Child out of Egypt for in doing so, GOD grants his beloved creation the gift of A Brand New Day! During the Christmas season, may the LORD GOD envelop you in HIS presence and in this sacred and holy place may you find Love, Peace, Joy, Contentment, Safety, Renewal, Release, Hope, and Security in your exodus from Jerusalem to Egypt!

Blessings and Peace for a Prosperous and Spiritually Transformative New Year!
[I will dedicate two weeks of WORD in the forthcoming two months to the dynamic of DIVINE DANGER].

MERRY CHRISTMAS

K. Mason
(c) 2005

For your convenience, all of the links to Plethora Ministries sites are listed below. All you are required to do is "click" and be blessed! Please pass this on family members, friends, co-workers, and other travelers on their journey to spiritual integration and wholeness.


Blessings
Plethora Ministries
Plethora Ministries

Click here for Web log Page [contains additional reflections not sent via mail and pictures]Comments may be entered in any entry of your choice
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/i/t/i/itiswell.htm

Click here for "IT IS WELL" Musical Midi

plethoraministries@yahoo.com
Plethora Ministries
Please spread the word to others you know and if they are interested in receiving the WORD Of Reflection Devotion weekly , please have them send an email to plethoraministries@yahoo.com and state in the subject line: "Request for WORD." Please feel free to write Plethora Ministries with your comments:

K.Mason

(c) 2005

WORD WEEK 12-18-05 NO ROOM AT THE INN

MERRY CHRISTMAS
WORD WEEK 12-18-05 NO ROOM AT THE INN

Luke 2:7-14 KJV7

And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. 8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

CHANGE: it appears is the most constant dynamic in a world that is fraught with wonder, beauty, hope, fear, anxiety, sadness, and devastation. While wisdom literature, our spirituality, and time teaches us that none of us has the power to CHANGE another, each of us does have the power to change oneself. Nevertheless, this does not imply that the actions that we take or the behaviors that we exhibit do not impact others, because they do in fact, oftentimes, in as cosmic manner as they create a ripple effect that gets lived-out, for many, many years subsequent to our mortal return to the dust of the universe.

Ironically, while CHANGE does usher in a sense of reprieve, renewal, and reignited hope, CHANGE may also heighten anxiety. Though CHANGE is a critical element in our development as human beings, it becomes increasingly difficult to embrace CHANGE when many persons are excluded or "shut out." As we approach the season of Advent with a greater degree of reverence and intimacy, we are compelled by our potential under the light of the brilliance of the CHRIST-CHILD as well as convicted by "TRUTH" in the places where we have excluded or "shut out" others or even in some instances have "shut out" or excluded ourselves.

As we take an amplified look at the Advent Narrative, we are given a compelling glimpse of the intertwined nature of the coexistence joy and solemnity as the Betrothed Virgin, The Wise Old Man, and significantly, the imminent birth of the Christ-Child inadvertently becomes the catalyst of their exclusion and the dynamic that fuels their being "shut out." As observers, we become witnesses to the ways in which both community and the world by and large, on some level, abort both compassion and empathy. The Advent Narrative informs the community of faith that subsequent to the proclamation of the annunciation and the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary, a spirit of exclusion was pandemic and prevalent throughout the land. While the chosen Virgin was given the following news, she was not initially cognizant of its implications. The Angel of the LORD said:

And the angel having taken the figure and the form of a man, came into the house and said to her "Hail Mary, full of grace to whom is given grace, favored one, the Lord, is with thee, blessed art thou among women." Mary having heard the greeting words did not speak; she was troubled in spirit. Since she knew not the, nor the cause of his coming, nor the meaning of the salutation. And the angel continued and said; "Fear not, Mary, for thou has found grace with God, Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name Jesus." LUKE 1:28-31

As we journey and take flight from one city to another; i.e., from Jerusalem to Egypt [there are many Jerusalems and Egypts in our lives], in pursuit of safety with Joseph and the pregnant Mary, we are given an opportunity to become more intimately acquainted with the pathos of their encounters in their exposure to exclusion and that of being "shut out." On one hand, Mary's credibility and her reputation as a virtuous woman were called into question as she was with child and without verification of an earthly father nor being married at the time of the conception, yet on the other hand, Joseph was a respected and revered man of many years and "wisdom" whose sanity and reputation were called into question when he accepted the betrothal of Mary who he had not known, both of whom were cosmically intertwined by the birth of the Christ-Child whose life was already at risk by Herod for fear of the fulfillment of prophecy. As many of us are allow ourselves to be present to this reality, we can still hear the swift winter winds sing of the presence of goodness, good will, anticipation, and divine danger in the air.

In essence, the presence of good will and goodness were by-products of the birth of Christ and the divine danger was that Christ's entrance into the world would revolutionize humanity for eternity through love, mercy and grace! Consequently, Joseph and Mary where excluded; they were "shut out!" They were "shut out" by their communities, perhaps by others whom had professed their faithful friendship and or love, and still by others who dared to be associated with those who were the recipients of negative press and bad public relations. As they flee for fear of their lives and the life of the soon to be born Christ-Child, they encounter one exclusion after the other, door after door being closed, opportunity after opportunity being denied, repeated displacement, and the stinging rejection of others! They were indeed "shut out" and it appeared "shut out" by safety, hope, life, and perhaps love!

Moreover, far too many of GOD'S BELOVED PEOPLE continue to experience exclusion and a sense of being "shut out." Some persons are excluded because they speak differently, some because they look differently, others because of their class, financial status, gender, or areas in which they are geographically located, and still others because such an exclusion is self-imposed as a consequence of complacency, mediocrity, and an unwillingness to be stretched, self-examine, and become less self-focused and self-centered. In other words, some persons have removed themselves from the invitation to be embraced by the love, fellowship, unconditional regard, and the community of others, sometimes, by their attitudes and other times by their deeds and actions.

Significantly, Mary knows that the time is rapidly approaching and it appears that the only place that could function as a maternity ward is that of a makeshift stable. Consequently, Mary, Joseph, and the unborn Christ-Child offer us hope and inspiration during the season of Advent because they surge forward in faith. For some persons, this time of year will bring the closeness and love of family and friends and security, yet for other persons, this time of year will heighten the lack of closeness, potentially fuel exclusion, recapitulate loss, and deflate hope. Mercy request For Your People O' Lord!

In other words, people greatly suffer when there is No Room At The INN! Perhaps the INN to which you are attending is physical, emotional, psychological, or spiritual. Perhaps, the INN to which you have attempted to gain access appears closed, shut down, or even barren. In essence, Closed Inns hurt others. Beloved, GOD'S people have walked away from service because There Is No Room At The Inn; they have walked away from love because There Is No Room At The Inn; they have walked away from tolerance because There Is No Room At The Inn; they have walked away from a genuine desire to understand because There Is No Room At The Inn; they have walked away from openness as it requires too much authentic introspection because There Is No Room At The Inn; they have walked away from passion because There Is No Room At The Inn; they have walked away from integrity because There Is No Room At The Inn; they have walked away from power because they feel, far too frequently, defeated by the daily malaise of making it from one moment to the next because There Is No Room At The Inn! Significantly, GOD'S BELOVED PEOPLE have walked away from hope without realizing that when There Is No Room At The Inn, that eternity meets our "NOW-HERE-NESS" and that the HOLY SPIRIT provides each of us with a place of refuge that will never exclude anyone from THE INN OF GOD. Nevertheless, when one is "shut out" of the INN, or when There Is No Room At The Inn, he/she must rely on the love and mercy of the LORD!

Beloved, the GOOD NEWS is, though you might be the recipient of the exclusion of others, though you might be told that there is No Room At The INN, though you, because of your woundedness, might exclude yourself from the acceptance, invitation to deepen, and the fellowship of others, or though you might emotionally, spiritually, psychologically, or physically shut yourself off from others, with and in GOD, there is always ROOM AT THE INN OF GOD! God does make provisions as he specializes in transforming a barren stable into The Stable Divine!

Trust GOD!

During the season of Advent, may the LORD GOD envelope you in HIS presence and in this sacred and holy place may you find Room In The Inn Of Love, Room In The Inn Of Peace, Room In The Inn Of Joy, Room In The Inn Of Contentment, Room In The Inn Of Safety, Room In The Inn Of Renewal, Room In The Inn Of Release, Room In The Inn Of Hope, and Room In The Inn Of Security that surpasses all understanding through Christ the Lord!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

K. Mason
(c) 2005

For your convenience, all of the links to Plethora Ministries sites are listed below. All you are required to do is "click" and be blessed! Please pass this on family members, friends, co-workers, and other travelers on their journey to spiritual integration and wholeness.


Blessings
Plethora Ministries
Plethora Ministries

Click here for Web log Page [contains additional reflections not sent via mail and pictures]Comments may be entered in any entry of your choice
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/i/t/i/itiswell.htm

Click here for "IT IS WELL" Musical Midi

plethoraministries@yahoo.com
Plethora Ministries
Please spread the word to others you know and if they are interested in receiving the WORD Of Reflection Devotion weekly , please have them send an email to plethoraministries@yahoo.com and state in the subject line: "Request for WORD." Please feel free to write Plethora Ministries with your comments:

K.Mason

(c) 2005

WORD WEEK 12-11-05 THE MANGER MIRROR

MERRY CHRISTMAS

WORD WEEK 12-11-05 THE MANGER MIRROR
Luke 2:7-14 KJV7

And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. 8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

The season of Advent is a time of intentional reverence to the LORD, deep peace, unquenchable anticipation, glad tidings, renewed hopes, holy regeneration, and the fragrance of evergreen, balsam, frankincense and myrrh in the air. During the season of Advent, we, GOD'S beloved people, are reminded of his divine and precious promise for renewal and salvation to a wounded world. As many of us are nestled inside and feeling the warmth of the hearth, we can still hear the swift winter winds sing of the presence of goodness, good will, anticipation, and divine danger in the air.

As many of us reflect over the challenges of this past year, our faith has been challenged; our capacity to forgive others has been stretched beyond its limits; our holy invitation to love others has been a constant commitment, some of whom are not loving toward themselves nor others; our call to deeper service has been one of repeated self-sacrifice, our openness to renewed hope has been enveloped by the luminous presence of disappointments. Nevertheless, Advent is here!

During our journey over the next couple of weeks, as we approach The Stable of GOD, we will bear witness to a spectacular event! An event from a distant that appears ordinary, but upon closer contact with this spectacular event, a life transforming event that is, in fact, extraordinary! As we approach The Stable Divine, we bring our hopes and disappointments, we bring our strengths and weaknesses, we bring our insights and oversights, we bring our joys and suffering, we bring a sense of integration and brokenness, we bring our gains and losses, we bring our families and communities, we bring our nation and the world, we bring our boldness and trepidation, we bring our alcaldes and shame, we bring the acceptance of our perspective and the rejection of the perspective of others, we bring that which is known and that which is unknown, we bring our connectedness and our sense of being disconnected, we bring recovery and sickness, we bring success and failure, we bring clarity and mental illness, we bring the excitement of opened doors and the lament of closed doors, we bring our wisdom and ignorance, we bring our friends and those who seek to unintentionally and intentionally harm us, we bring our humility and arrogance, we bring our healed wounds and our woundedness, we bring the release of our burdens and the weight of those who have carried burdens for the past twelve months, we bring gratitude for those who have homes and the agony of those who have no place of refuge, we bring the excitement of the season of Advent and the pain that the season summons for many for whom life has been very difficult, we bring our traditions and the potential to embellish the tradition, we bring our songs and silence, we bring our prayers and utterances, we bring our truth and self-deception, we bring our wholeness and brokenness, we bring our resolution and our trauma, we bring our power and powerlessness, we bring patience and intolerance, we bring our competence and insufficiency, we bring ourselves and our unclaimed baggage, we our celebration of life and the solemnity of death, we bring all that we are GRACIOUS LORD and everything that we are not HEAVENLY FATHER! We bring the act of BRINGING! Bringing it all to The Stable Divine!!!

It has indeed, been a very dynamic and tumultuous year! So many of GOD'S beloved peoples' lives were claimed and changed by sickness, natural disasters, separation, unemployment, and war. Even now some of the LORD'S beloved people have just exited through the door of eternity to be reunited with the BELOVED SAVIOR! Through many dangers and toils, we have laughed a great deal; we have cried quite often; we have learned much; yet little as we have not allowed life's lessons to transform our hearts nor our perspective. Consequently, it is likely that a repeat is on the horizon.

Nevertheless, we approach The Stable Divine, some with anticipation, some with trepidation, others weary, some by self-righteousness, some driven by curiosity, and still others not by any volition of their own! Many come to The Stable of GOD with a prewritten script, and others with no script at all! Nevertheless, we approach The Stable Divine! Even still, others approach The Stable Divine as a consequence and commitment of tradition and others, because there is no room at the INN! Significantly, when we enter The Stable Divine, we discover that the LORD invites a Betrothed Virgin, a Man wise in his number of years and empathy, Shepherds, Three Wise Men, and a stable of animals to bear witness to the DIVINITY OF GOD, A BABY WRAPPED IN SWADDLING CLOTHING LYING IN A MANGER!!! We are perplexed as we are catapulted into the divine sphere as we see the face of TRUTH, HOPE, GRACE, LOVE, and a MIRROR that reflects who we are and the pristine beauty of what we shall be! We, upon bearing witness to the CHRIST CHILD, get a glimpse of the perfection of perfection! Yet as we look on the presence of the BABY WRAPPED IN SWADDLING CLOTHING LYING IN A MANGER, LORD, we did not know that we would encounter a MANGER MIRROR!

Commensurate with this act of witness-bearing, we are invited to become more intimately acquainted with the invitation for each of us become more loving, more understanding, more forgiving, more empathic, less judgmental, less self-centered, more tolerant, more CHRISTLIKE in our interactions with each other! O' Blessed Divine Redeemer we thank thee for thy grace and love of restoration! The beauty of the MANGER MIRROR resides in the fact that while it casts a truthful reflection of our image, it does not cast shame nor blame for when we look into the CHRIST-CHILD'S eyes we see our shortcomings and we see our potential! The BABY lay in the manger awaiting for each of us to pick him up and cradle him close to our bosom for in doing so, we become one in the bond of eternal love and at one with the LORD!

Consequently, GOD everpresently avails his presence to us. As we approach the season of Advent, we are required to avail presence to the season of Christmas as well as avail presence and bear witness to one another. The LORD reminds us and emphasizes the depths of his sacrificial love to his beloved creation in our observance of the sacred and profound holiness of CHRIST'S birth. A birth of spirit and flesh and a birth of blood and water! Advent compels us to never give up but to expect the miracles as they are new each and everyday and that the presence of the CHRIST-CHILD reminds us to access our unparalleled greatness in JESUS! As we enter the season of Advent, we are invited to reexamine and recommit ourselves in deep gratitude to the LORD for GOD'S rich grace throughout the year. May we rejoice that "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
Thank you LORD for the MANGER MIRROR!

K. Mason
(c) 2005

For your convenience, all of the links to Plethora Ministries sites are listed below. All you are required to do is "click" and be blessed! Please pass this on family members, friends, co-workers, and other travelers on their journey to spiritual integration and wholeness.

Blessings
Plethora Ministries
Plethora Ministries

Click here for Web log Page [contains additional reflections not sent via mail and pictures]Comments may be entered in any entry of your choice

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/i/t/i/itiswell.htm

Click here for "IT IS WELL" Musical Midi

plethoraministries@yahoo.com
Plethora Ministries
Please spread the word to others you know and if they are interested in receiving the WORD Of Reflection Devotion weekly , please have them send an email to plethoraministries@yahoo.com and state in the subject line: "Request for WORD." Please feel free to write Plethora Ministries with your comments:

K.Mason

(c) 2005

WORD WEEK 12-04-05 IT IS WELL

WORD WEEK 12-04-05

IT IS WELL

PHILIPPIANS 3:12-14


12 I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection! But I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved me for and wants me to be. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven.



What a year this has been! We have laughed a great deal; we have cried often; we have learned much! Though tumultuous overall, this year has been illuminated by the presence of joy as well as by the presence of pandemic suffering in so many of our lives. As people of GOD, we have been inundated by the breath, presence, power, and scope of the complexities of communities' and countries' attempts to achieve understanding, ascribe meaning, ameliorate hope, and alleviate suffering in a world that has achieved unparalleled greatness, yet appears to have lost its conscience.

As we enter the season of Advent, we are deeply grateful to the LORD for the opportunity to reflect, pause, and render gratitude for GOD'S rich grace throughout the year. However, as we approach this season, we do so with a sense of expectation as well as a sense of solemnity. Expectation, because the celebration of the birth of the Christ Child reminds us that the LORD's mercies are new daily and that hope regenerates hope. Solemnity, because people are still hurting, dying, struggling, sick, complacent, despondent, shamed, ostracized, unemployed,self-focused, misrepresented, excluded, and disempowered! Life is very much a gift that is to be held sacred by all. We are all connected in the spirit and in the bond of love and must be mindful in this regard.

While many of us have sincerely given our lives to the service of others, we cannot refrain from asking the quiet question: "How different and whole could the world become if all of humanity were rendered their basic needs?" Too often, we are witnessing, at an alarming rate, the dichotomization of humanity; i.e., a distinction between and a propagation of the "HAVES" and the "HAVE NOTS."

Subsequently, as the days pass into weeks and the weeks into months, many of us are still struggling with significant concerns and issues to which no resolution nor reprieve appears apparent; concerns that are nothing short of life-threatening and that cause so many dimensions of our lives to hang in imbalance. Many of us still have concerns about our family members, while others are confronted with the challenges of staying financially solvent and/or employed, and still others are challenged with the residue of brokenness, grief, depression, loneliness, isolation, abandonment, rejection and victimization of numerous levels.

Consequently, Paul, in the text of Phillippians 3:12-14, offers us recourse and direction when we fathom and struggle with the vastness of GOD'S divine harvest; i.e., humanity. He reminds us to keep our eyes upon the goal and to press through every difficulty to reach it! Paul exhorts GOD'S BELOVED PEOPLE to forgot the things which were behind, so as not to be content with past labors or present measures of grace. In other words, thank GOD for past accomplishments, while reckoning with the ongoing invitation that the necessity to surge forth is ever-present. He reminds the BELOVED, that we must reach forth/forward in our expressions of love and have a great desire to become more and more like Christ. Paul states, "I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead." In essence, he/she who runs a race, must never stop short of the end, but press forward as earnestly as possible in heavenly and holy hope and terrestrial manifested joy.

In other words, despite the accomplishments that we can attribute to our work and despite the challenges that lay before us, we, THE BELOVED COMMUNITY OF GOD, must take both consolation and refuge in the unmistakable reality that GOD, our HEAVENLY FATHER, knows all and is able to change the destructive path of a nation, the excessive pride of a community, or the insignificance of those not deemed important in a twinkling of an eye! In some instances, we have witnessed the emergence of natural catastrophes and at other times unexpected devastation in our communities. During such times, we have been able to forget the superficial and band together as an earthly people. Consequently, we must refrain from allowing ourselves to be restricted by the past, but must garner the courage and the strength to press forward entrusting ourselves to GOD who will lead and direct our paths. What do we then say to such? We say, LORD, "IT IS WELL!" It is well with our soul!

READ BELOW FOR THE WORDS TO THE HYMN

"IT IS WELL"

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Refrain

It is well, with my soul,

It is well, with my soul,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,

Let this blest assurance control,

That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,

And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

Refrain

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!

My sin, not in part but the whole,

Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

Refrain

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:

If Jordan above me shall roll,

No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life

Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

Refrain

But, Lord, ‘tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,

The sky, not the grave, is our goal;

Oh trump of the angel! Oh voice of the Lord!

Blessèd hope, blessèd rest of my soul!

Refrain

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,

The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;

The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,

Even so, it is well with my soul.

Refrain

K. Mason
(c) 2005

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Please spread the word to others you know and if they are interested in receiving the WORD Of Reflection Devotion weekly , please have them send an email to plethoraministries@yahoo.com and state in the subject line: "Request for WORD." Please feel free to write Plethora Ministries with your comments: K.Mason (c) 2005