Pastor's Corner

Sermon Excerpt

At the time this newsletter is going into press, Pastor Samuel had a marvelous opportunity to travel to Jerusalem, Israel as a delegate for a Peace Mission. Instead of a devotion we have decided to publish an excerpt of one of his wonderful sermons.

SERMON EXCERPT: "Living In The Time Between"

There are a lot of people who do not know how to live without excitement, without stimulation. Whether it comes from pleasure - or from crisis - they thrive on activity, on doing things – on solving problems - on adrenalin. The time that exists between one crisis or another, between one activity or another is regarded by them as dead time, as time that is lost - time that is unimportant, time that doesn't count.

Even people who are not adrenalin junkies find it difficult sometimes, difficult to face a period of time in which not much is happening, a period of time in which they must wait for a promise to be fulfilled, for an event that they are looking forward to take place.

In the book of Acts (Acts 1:6-14) we find the disciples in this kind of situation in which they have to wait for Christ's promise to them to come true.

After Jesus’ ascension into heaven, he tells the disciples to go back to Jerusalem and wait. For many, waiting is a dreadful thing. But it doesn't have to be like this. Living between times, living between occasions in which all of our minds and hearts and energy are absorbed in affairs of significance can, in fact, be quite wonderful. It can be - for us - a pause that refreshes - a time in which we gain strength - a time in which we quietly grow and are prepared for that which will come next.

God knows that we too need periods of rest - periods of waiting - periods in which we can be changed - refreshed - and renewed. And God provides to us periods of time which are times between - periods in which we can be strengthened and prepared for what is to come next.

The prophet Isaiah says that “those who wait for the Lord will renew their strength, they will mount up on wings like eagles, they will run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” In this perspective - waiting is a positive thing, the time between the making of a promise and its fulfillment is a time which is, or can be, highly beneficial to us. But living in the times between, can be difficult for us if we do not know how to wait in the manner recommended by the word of God.

So how should we live in the times between?

FIRST - we need to remember the times in between are meant to be active times - not passive times; times in which we are meant to work at that which is at hand - rather than at that which is yet to come. In the times between, our eyes are meant to be fixed on the present moment that God has given us and what it is God wants us to do with it and in it. We are called to live now in the way God intended us - rather to live in the future.

SECOND – we need to live in obedience and in connection with Jesus and the Father. The disciples stayed together - they sought to be one as Christ had prayed that they would be. They stayed together and they prayed. In times between people often do take the opportunity to prepare themselves for what is supposed to happen next. Prayer is of central importance so that we are strengthened and prepared. This allows us to make ourselves ready to be used of the Spirit.

THIRD - we need to trust and have confidence that what has been promised to us by God will come to pass. We need the confidence, not because our confidence will change the outcome - what God promises to us will come to pass. No - we need this confidence because when we have it we open ourselves up to the peace of God and the other blessings that God has for us - right now - now in the time between all those other promises and the time of their fulfillment. Remember what He has done for you in the past and wait for the next act - the next promise to come true with a firm hope. Trust in the Lord - and live today – this day!

This sermon was preached on May 4, 2008 on the Seventh Sunday in Easter.

“Jerusalem is a festival and a lamentation. Its song is a sigh across the ages, a delicate, robust, mournful psalm at the great junction of spiritual cultures.”
David K. Shipler

Shalom to you all,
Your pastor and friend,

Pastor Samuel King-Kabu

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Roger Kenner & Jette Blair.
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St. Ansgar's Lutheran Church - Montreal