Posts Tagged “Faith”

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Sep 13 2008

You call us to fullness of life

Posted by: ...paul in Collects

You call us to fullness of life

We’re called to fullness of life, but what is it, what is the “fullness” we are all promised in the words of Jesus (John 10:10)?

It’s a gift of God. It’s the love of God revealed in Christ (John 3.16). It’s the call of Christ to be his disciples (John 1.35ff).

Fullness of life enables us to live as one of the flock of the good shepherd, Jesus Christ (John 10:10). Contrary to the popular way of thinking, fullness of life isn’t the increasing accumulation of rights, freedoms, joys, resources, and opportunities, although it’s true that it may lead to some of these. Fullness of life isn’t an add-on operation.

Fullness of life is rather an invitation to faith in the midst of, and in spite of, death and limitation. It is a confession of our sins, but it’s mainly the confession of our faith, which leads us to believe in the One, “who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead; on the third day he rose again…” (from the Apostles Creed).

Fullness of life is in Christ and through Christ and “from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace” (John 1.16). It’s Christ’s coming to us that allows us to work towards a better life for everyone. With his fullness we’re empowered to give breath to the exhausted. With his fullness we’re able to be in communion with each other. With his fullness we’re given the spirit of celebrating life, despite all threats and forms of death.

With Christ’s fullness we can look for new ways of working together, both locally and globally, while accepting our differences in a spirit of faith, love and, honesty. Our unity is found in Christ Jesus, who is our peace and has broken down the dividing wall, and the hostility, between us.

With Christ’s fullness our anxieties can be banished. And we can revel in the liberating love that is Jesus Christ our Lord.

Gracious God,
you call us to fullness of life:
deliver us from unbelief
and banish our anxieties
with the liberating love of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Additional Collect for The Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity
is Copyright © The Archbishops Council

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Aug 18 2008

Daddy’s Empty Chair

Posted by: ...paul in Inspirational Stories

Daddy’s Empty Chair

Following recent events, I’ve been thinking a bit more than usual about death. And I came across this wonderful story, that gives us something to think about. It made me cry when I first read it, just after my brother-in-law’s funeral.

A man’s daughter had asked the local minister to come and pray with her father.

When the minister arrived, he found the man lying in bed with his head propped up on two pillows. An empty chair sat beside his bed.

The minister assumed that the old fellow had been informed of his visit. “I guess you were expecting me, he said.

“No, who are you?” said the father.

The minister told him his name and then remarked, “I saw the empty chair and I figured you knew I was going to show up.”

“Oh yeah, the chair,” said the bedridden man. “Would you mind closing the door?”

Puzzled, the minister shut the door

“I have never told anyone this, not even my daughter,” said the man. “But all of my life I have never known how to pray. At church I used to hear the pastor talk about prayer, but it went right over my head. I abandoned any attempt at prayer,” the old man continued, ” until one day four years ago, my best friend said to me, “Johnny, prayer is just a simple matter of having a conversation with Jesus. Here is what I suggest.”

“Sit down in a chair; place an empty chair in front of you, and in faith see Jesus on the chair. It’s not spooky because he promised, ‘I will be with you always’. “Then just speak to him in the same way you’re doing with me right now.” “So, I tried it and I’ve liked it so much that I do it a couple of hours every day. I’m careful though . If my daughter saw me talking to an empty chair, she’d either have a nervous breakdown or send me off to the funny farm.”

The minister was deeply moved by the story and encouraged the old man to continue on the journey. Then he prayed with him, anointed him with oil, and returned to the church.

Two nights later the daughter called to tell the minister that her daddy had died that afternoon.

“Did he die in peace?” he asked.

“Yes, when I left the house about two o’clock, he called me over to his bedside, told me he loved me and kissed me on the cheek. When I got back from the store an hour later, I found him. But there was something strange about his death. Apparently, just before Daddy died, he leaned over and rested his head on the chair beside the bed. What do you make of that?”

The minister wiped a tear from his eye and said, “I wish we could all go like that.”

This is one of those story’s that you just hope is true, or at least based on truth. It would be the perfect way to slip our mortal coil, with our head in the lap of Christ.

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