Sunday Reflection (November 28, 2021)

There are many people today who face trauma and devastation

that we cannot even begin to imagine. Imagine being a Syrian refugee

at this moment, caught between militants of your own faith group and

the distrust of Europeans and Americans. What would you do in a truly

dreadful time? The earliest Christians of Jewish backgrounds faced the

destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans. In a difficult time remember

this and I quote: “Christ did not come because we were doing particularly

 well; rather, Jesus came to bring us hope in the midst of our deepest pain

and despair. We are not alone; God is with us (Pat Umberger) (Luke 21:25-28).

We may not be in a dire situation, yet we must be careful lest we get so caught up

in life that we neglect those who experience traumatic dreadful events (Luke 21:34-36).

We prepare for the Lord’s coming by growing in love for one another and others

(1 Thessalonians 3:13).