Romans 15:7-13

Read :

Romans 15:7-13 (NRSV)

7 Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. 8For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of the truth of God in order that he might confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, 'Therefore I will confess you among the Gentiles, and sing praises to your name';a 10and again he says, 'Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people'; 11and again, 'Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples praise him'; 12and again Isaiah says, 'The root of Jesse shall come, the one who rises to rule the Gentiles; in him the Gentiles shall hope.'
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.


Think:

I think I need some hope which will lead to joy and peace in believing.  I am in the midst of the General Ordination Exams which is 4 days of exams required by canon law for ordination in The Episcopal Church.  I think that in the last month I have had enough.  God, have I had enough?  I think that a year ago when my then fiance, now husband was sitting in this position I was so full of hope and joy and I was totally ignorant of the exhaustion and stress that he must have been dealing with.  However now that I am in this position I find myself thinking where is the joy, the peace, the believing that brought me to seminary?  I was so certain of my call, I was so certain of hte love of my community, I was so certain of my relationship with God that I felt my faith was unshakable.  But in the past month and a half my former boss, mentor and friend died of lung cancer, and my father-in-law died of brain cancer, neither of them were able to witness the fulfillment of my and my husband's education in seminary, our ordination to the diaconate.  I find myself thinking back to the woman I was 12 months ago- full of hope for our first year of marriage, which has laid witness to some of the most joyful and peaceful times in my life as well as some of the most devestating and unsettingly and I wonder if the next year will be much of the same.  I trust that God: the Holy Spirit is with us always- with us in our joy and sorrow in our peace and discontent but I pray that the faith that I had 3 years ago when I entered into discernment will be restored to me when I am once again part of a community of faith, no longer as a member but as a leader.  God I know that you are the hope and the joy and that without you there can be no peace.  But I'm still a little angry with you for taking away my friend and my future children's grandfather, and I'm not sure that I am ready for joy  or peace right now, so I'll hold onto hope if that's alright with you. 


Pray:


Come Holy Spirit, come into my heart and fill my mind and soul with hope.  Help me to recall that you  provide a future which is full of joy and peace.  Remind me that the pain of loss and mourning is temporary and that in the resurrection we will be reunited. Allow me to look into the future and not see it as full of pain and death and loss, but keep me focused on the present and enjoy the time I have with those I love.  Let me recognize your face in the face of my beloved, my family, my friends and my community.  Even more so let me recognize your face in those who I do not yet know, who I do not love, but who need to be loved. Help me find your peace and joy again someday, but for today help me to hold on to the hope of your resurrection.  All this I ask through you Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Amen

Contemplate:

15 minutes centering prayer-