Thought for the Day - April 2nd

Thought for the Day - April 2nd

Thought for the Day - April 2nd

# Church Without Walls

Thought for the Day - April 2nd

FACTS and HOPE - 2 April 2020

I remember my afflictions… but this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end;
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, 
‘therefore I will hope in him.’                                                 Lamentations 3:20-34 

Several years back, when I was going through a tough time in my personal and family life, I came across an article, now well known, called ‘Good to Great’. It was written by Jim Collins and published in the Harvard Business Review. It was a summary of a study trying to establish what made a good company a great one - one which outperformed its competitors. One of the key findings was, predictably, leadership (‘Rolls Royce’ leadership perhaps?). But the interesting thing was that the best leaders (Level 5 leaders) were not those charismatic Alpha males that people often point to. Instead, a level 5 leader was a person with a combination of steely resolve and humility. Part of this was the ability to hold two paradoxical truths at the same time: FACT and HOPE (based on the testimony of Admiral James Stockdale, a POW in Vietnam for 7 years). How do you survive a crisis, be it a business crisis, a family crisis, or a worldwide pandemic? By holding these two paradoxical truths in tandem: the FACT that we are suffering the effects of Covid-19 and in Lockdown - things are  really difficult - combined with the HOPE that things will not always be like this. This, too, will pass. Resolve & Humility. We can’t get through this alone.

This is exactly the paradox held by the author of Lamentations: he takes seriously the FACTS of his situation, but he also holds on to the HOPE that God loves us steadfastly; that His mercies and loving kindness never come to an end; that He renews our strength every morning, giving us inner resilience, enough for the day: ‘the Lord is my portion and therefore I have hope’

As we walk through the weeks of Passiontide, reflecting on the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ, we know we’ll get through this. We Lament. We Wait. We Hope. We Pray. And, in the words of NT Wright in the Times this week:

‘’As the Spirit laments within us, so we become, even in our self-isolation, small shrines where the presence and healing love of God can dwell. And out of that there can emerge new possibilities, new acts of kindness, new scientific understanding, new hope. New wisdom for our leaders? Now there’s a thought.’ 

Prayer:

Cast your burden upon the Lord and he will sustain you.

Lord, in all times of fear and dread,
grant that we may so cast our burdens upon you,
that you may bear us on the holy wings of the Spirit
to the stronghold of your peace;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen

Celtic Worship: In Christ Alone my Hope is Found

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kvFtXphmMU&feature=share

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