For years when I worshipped at Foundry UMC in Washington, D.C., very often the first person I saw and spoke with when I entered the Sanctuary on a Sunday morning was my friend Robert. He was always a peaceful, joy-filled and quiet presence and was always a blessing to me.
I thank God for him and for other dear friends who are truly brothers and sisters in Christ. As I slowly made my way through the ordination process that the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference laid out and that the larger authority of the United Methodist Church engendered changes that made the process longer and more difficult for me and for many others, friends like Robert who were spiritual siblings reflected the love and companionship that seemed exactly as I imaginedJesus and His disciples and dear friends who were like family to Him had.
The Lord is so amazing and He never leaves out anything that we need. He never wastes anything or anyone, either. If something seems to be going wrong and when we feel discouraged and are afraid that nothing will ever be all the way right again, we just have to remind ourselves that even in the most disastrous moment when Jesus body was taken down from the Cross and laid in the tomb; even when the rock covered was rolled over the opening of the tomb and sealed by the Roman soldiers as representatives from the Sanhedrin looked on; even when everyone who loved Him was full of grief and hopelessness; even though there was Good Friday and Saturday . . . Sunday was coming.
Jesus suffered and died, yes. But He triumphed over slavery to sin and death and forever more we can trust the One who came back to life and promised that we will, too. We will because Jesus has given the gift of faith to us, and we have only to receive that gift and trust Him indeed to bring us to the place where He has gone. And meanwhile, Jesus is faithful to have sent us the Spirit of Truth, the Comforter; the Paraclete -- meaning the One who comes alongside us.
And Jesus has promised that He and the Father are One. He has promised never to leave us or forsake us. He has promised that our Father in Heaven is faithful and loves us with an everlasting Love.
All we have to do is to open our hearts even a little bit and allow the Fullness of Love to come in and to answer all our questions, assuage all our doubts, give us beauty for ashes and hope when things seem to be hopeless.
The Lord is eagerly waiting for you to answer His call and open the door to your heart.
If you haven't already done that, please do right now.
If you HAVE already invited the Father and the Son to dwell in your heart by the power of the Holy Spirit, I have some secret good news for you. There is always a deeper level of faith, a closer walk, access to more rooms in the "interior castle" as St Teresa of Avila was led by the Lord to describe the spiritual structures that the Lord reveals to us through prayer. [https://www.ewtn.com/library/SPIRIT/CASTLE.TXT]
Another facet of this loving relationship with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit is described by the mystic monk, Thomas Merton in His "Seven Storeyed Mountain." [http://merton.org/ITMS/Seasonal/15/15-1Maltis.pdf]
As ever, my prayer for you, Beloved is that you will give the Lord a chance to answer your questions; to show you how much He loves you; to manifest the good; wonderful plans He has for you; to let God love you as He desires with all His hear to show you.
Meanwhile and forever, may the Lord continue to bless and keep you and all those you love.
In His Grace, Joy, Mercy, Peace and Love -- Kathy
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