upward & inward

In the London Subway system, the Underground, curved platforms often cause a dangerous gap between the platform and the straight train car. Because of this danger, they use this phrase in print and in the verbal announcement: Mind the Gap! Children in our church also face a gap.  This gap is the one that exists between someone else's faith, like a parent, and the development of his or her own faith. Some children cross the gap with no difficulties.  One day they are holding on to their parents' hands, relying on mom or dad's faith.  The next moment, they believe on their own, independent of mom or dad. We see this illustrated in the story of Jesus, the Samaritan woman, and the people of her village. Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in [Jesus] because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I ever did."   So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days.  And because of his words many m...

In services Sunday, we heard the story of Joseph who went from...     Favored son to slave, as the brothers sold him,         Slave to favored servant, as Potiphar trusted him,             Favored servant to prisoner, as Potiphar's wife accused him,                 Prisoner to favored prisoner, as the warden empowered him,                     Favored prisoner to Deputy Pharaoh, as Pharaoh listened to him,                         Deputy Pharaoh to Favored Son, as Jacob was reunited with him. When presented with an opportunity to deal out his own justice to his brothers for what they did, Joseph said: "I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save li...