Fellowship "Elbow Bump" for June 22
Oscar A. Romero, Archbishop of San Salvador
Happy summer 2020! A summer unlike any other! And we begin today with the good news that we are moving into Reopening Phase II. What will change for you?
Summer has it's own rhythm, and so should this blog. That's what several of you have advised me. I'm listening. I hope to continue on our long look at the "Comtemporary Testimony: Our World Belongs to God" but just twice per week. Beyond that, we will keep it simple. If you have things you want to share here, send them on; if not, that is fine, too.
For today, I offer this poem by Bishop Ken Untener. I read it in Cardus' Comment magazine, but you can find it on many web sites. Bishop Untener entitled it "A Future Not Our Own: The Oscar Romero Prayer." It struck me deeply. It is so helpful, thanks to the God we serve.
It helps, now and then, to step back
and take the long view.
The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts,
it is beyond our vision.
We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of
the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work.
Nothing we do is complete,
which is another way of saying
that the kingdom always lies beyond us.
No statement says all that could be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith.
No confession brings perfection.
No pastoral visit brings wholeness.
No programme accomplishes the church’s mission.
No set of goals and objectives includes everything.
This is what we are about:
We plant seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces effects beyond our capabilities.
We cannot do everything
and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.
This enables us to do something,
and to do it very well.
It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way,
an opportunity for God’s grace to enter and do the rest.
We may never see the end results,
but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.
We are workers, not master builders,
ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.
Our song today is "Not Guilty Anymore" by Aaron Keyes, suggested by Bernadette.