So faith, hope, love abide, these three;
but the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:13
It is such an honor to be able to reconnect with you, my beloved All Saints Family, if even from a distance and across the digital divide. I dare say that the global disruption that we are experiencing right now is unprecedented in any of our lifetimes, and with this great upheaval we find much anxiety, much turmoil, and much fearfulness.
But, this tumult is not the end of the story.
Throughout Holy Scripture, God reassures us that his will always ultimately prevails over the forces of Satan. In First Corinthians, Chapter 13 Paul reminds us of this victory. He says that this world is a dim reflection of God’s true reality, but even in this dimness all is not lost. We have a calling that Christ puts on our hearts, in times stable and unstable, to abide in faith, hope, and love.
Faith in God’s ultimate victory;
hope in the resurrection and restoration of all back into God; and
love in all that we do as we live, move, and have our being.
In this I am reminded of a podcast that colleagues at Virginia Seminary produced a handful of years ago. The podcast was called “Easter People” and each episode ended with a segment called “Green Shoots,” an opportunity to name an example of where the Holy Spirit is actively moving. Put another way, “Where is faith, hope, and love alive today?” This is a great question for us to remember, so I also pose it to you.
How are you abiding in faith, hope, and love, and where do you see the “green shoots” of God’s work in the world?
I will end by giving you my answer. Julie and I are thrilled to share that we are expecting our first child, a baby girl, at the end of the year. As you can imagine, this is a wild time to be expecting; but on the other hand I cannot think of a clearer example of God’s ultimate goodness and the triumphal truth of life over death. In faith, hope, and love we abide, and even in death we proclaim the truth of Christ’s resurrection. The truth of faith, hope, and love. Amen.
God bless you!
Fr. Jon
