It would seem that there are countless things one could write about this week. A school shooting and the predictable debate and fight that follows.  (A debate that doesn't change the horrible reality that people are dead and a reminder that we live in a very violent world.)  An entire state that seems to be underwater and the horrific images that bring up memories of past disasters brought on by flooding and the loss of life.  A country divided and potential future leaders that seem more interested in tearing each other down than on working together.  Global tension, refugees, war, missile strikes, economic uncertainty, rising sea levels, and melting glaciers!  But I don't want to talk about any of them.  

 

What do you do when the negativity of the world threatens to kill your soul?  Where do you run when the avalanche of death and destruction threatens to swallow you?  I want to play a game with my kids, watch the sunset, laugh at a comedy, drink a glass of wine, anything but watch the news.  Can I bury my head in the sand for a while and pretend things aren't as bad as they seem? 

 

There are those rare moments where Jesus went away.  Different versions of the bible use different words, but they describe these places as deserted, lonely, solitary, and set apart.  Jesus needed to get away too.  Jesus needed to recharge, but he never stayed there.  This was a time to refuel and recharge so that Jesus could return to the chaos of the world.

 

On airplanes they tell us to put on our own oxygen masks first before we help others.  This is code for if you can't breathe you aren't going to be able to help anybody else.  If you find yourself overwhelmed, take the time to connect with your family, laugh, watch the sunset, or drink a glass of wine, but once you have been refilled it means it is time to go back to work.  Take five if you need to (that is where I will be for the next few minutes) and trust that God will fill your soul with the light that the world needs to see.  You can only give for so long before you are empty.  Allow yourself to be filled.  If Jesus did it, I am guessing it's ok for you and me to do it too.

 

See you in church,

 

Chris 

pastorchris@epiphanysuwanee.org

Mark your calendar and join us on Sunday, October 25th from 5:30-7:30 p.m. for food, games, a bouncy house, costumes, prizes for best costume, and trunk or treating! We will have a BBQ cook-off and a pumpkin dessert bake-off. All ages welcome! Please bring a canned or non-perishable good for the North Gwinnett Food Co-op. And please invite your friends!