Minister's Monthly Column
by Rev. Dr. Paulette Hogan
DRAW NEAR IN FAITH
"Go; your faith has saved you" Mark 10:52
In the early days of World War II, King George of England delivered a radio
address to the world in which he recited these few lines of poetry.
And I said to a man who stood at the gate of the year: "Give me a light,
that I may tread safely into the unknown."
And he replied; "Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of
God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than the known way."
In other words, walk by faith and not by sight. Put yourself in contact with
the Divine Mind and the Divine Will - the great unknown.
Each new midnight can be more than a moment in time for us. Each new day can
represent a faith commitment to a new beginning, a fresh opportunity to put
our hand in the hand of our God who makes "all things new." Each new
encounter with another human being can be a unique experience in putting off
our "former manner of life" and putting on the "new nature, created after
the likeness of God."
The Gift of God's Presence in and through us is the gift of life. We are
given the opportunity in this hour to receive the gift and it will be for us
a healing, enabling, empowering, renewing experience. But, is as important
for us, to remind ourselves often that the gift is not forced upon us and
the benefits are not automatically bestowed. A response is required of us:
That is to truly and earnestly accept our relationship with God and the
responsibility of this recognition.
To be in a relationship of love and charity with our neighbor, to aspire to
lead a new life - these are the conditions under which the gift becomes real
to us. In other words, "Draw near with faith." This is what Jesus is telling
us in today's scripture.
Many of us have not always been in this state of comprehension. There has in
all probability been a time when we experienced the need to cry out, "God
help me?" A time when we needed a clearer vision of what this life is all
about. A time we felt the need to move out of the "dark night of the soul"
and into the Light - the "true Light that enlightens all men," as the
Apostle John puts it. Which is another way of asking, "Is there anyone
among us who has not experienced the need to focus on who we are and what we
can create through Faith?"
Our fulfillment is a matter of faith - The Faith defined by Jesus. It means
trust. Innocent, open, unconditional, childlike trust in Father God,
Creator and Giver of all Life. It means childlike trust in the power of love
as God.
Let God be God! There is a time to work and a time to think and a time to
play and a time to dream and a time to love and be loved. There is a time
for all these things, but now is the time to cast off our "old manner of
life" and experience the "new life." Now is the time to draw near in Faith.
I and the congregation of Unity of Anchorage, invite you to join us each
Sunday as we journey on life's path, seeking Truth through understanding,
wisdom and knowledge, as we say Thank You God for all that you are in our
lives and our world.
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