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Pastor · Sunday Schedule · FBC
News
2003
From the Pastor
Uncertainty
I am finding it difficult to write this column because of all of the uncertainty around us. It could be by the time you receive this newsletter we will be at war, or it might even be a way to peace was found. It seems uncertainty has characterized our lives for a long time now. The threat of another terrorist attack keeps us on edge. The economy continues to flounder, never giving us a clear sense of direction as to where it is headed, and to add to the general malice has been a winter that will not quit. Perhaps when you get this the sun will be shining or maybe you will be shoveling out from another foot of snow.
It is so hard to say what will be, but that doesn’t mean we are bereft of all hope or sense of direction. Certain things are forever secure. We believe in certain values that do not change whatever other uncertainties may prevail. I think it is helpful to remember these. We believe in the dignity of the person. We believe in fairness, kindness, and honesty. We seek for justice in our laws, the care of the weak by the strong, shelter for the homeless, food for the hungry and clothes for the naked.
These are values that transcend all uncertainties, and perhaps in uncertain times it is important to remind ourselves there are values that do not change whatever the circumstances. And, we can resolve, that during these times we will not forget these values but make them even more evident in our lives.
Another thing that never changes and never will change is the power of love. Love is eternal. In all the uncertainty that swirls around us we can anchor ourselves in the security that comes from loving one another. I hope during these times we have recovered something of the vitality and strength that exists in families, friendships and the church.
It could even happen that out of all the uncertainty we discover a deeper sense of self because we are drawn back to family, friends and church. We recover an awareness of self that can only be known in relationships. The ties that bind are not temporal but eternal.
Finally, and most important, there is our faith in God. “God is,” and as long as you can say that, you need not despair the future. It is in the hands of God. Ultimately, all things move toward God and will find their fulfillment in God, the God we meet in Jesus Christ.
We see only a fraction of the picture. We are a speck in time. Things might not always work out the way we want them to in our lifetime. I think of all heroes that have died, all martyrs that have been slain. They didn’t get to see the end but they knew what the end would be. They lived in faith and died in faith. It was a faith that nakedly trusted in the God who has revealed Himself in Jesus Christ.
These are uncertain times. We may or may not be at war by the time you get this newsletter whichever it is, however, may you find yourself being strengthened in the inner person - living by values you know to be true, cherishing your family, friends and church, and beyond the reach of time trusting in God who is immoveable, unchangeable and eternal, the Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end.
Dr. David W. Andersen
           
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