Scripture: Haggai 1
In many ways, we are living the days of which Haggai speaks. Our economic and moral stability has been challenged, sending us into a survival mode much like the situation faced by Israel, whom Haggai was addressing. The Israelites had returned from exile years before, but the daily grind of survival left them without concern for the Temple, which lay in ruins around them. Complacency seized them. Faith calls for adventure, uncertainty, and risk, as well as trust.
Advent calls us to work and wait, to work for the kingdom and wait for the promised coming. But the wait should not stop us from the work. Complacency should not seize us, nor should fear of economic conditions cause us to care only for ourselves.
Native American peoples know what it is like to wait. We are peoples who survived the ice age, populated a continent, and even welcomed our “neighbors” by supplying them food and shelter when they would otherwise have succumbed to the elements. When others are in need, it is best to share what the Creator has given.
In this season of Advent, while we wait in the midst of life, let us work for the kingdom, understanding that in doing so the fulfillment of the long-expected Jesus will draw us out of complacency and into life eternal.
Prayer
Great Spirit, keeper of my heart’s flame, hear me. When determination is seized by fear or complacency, replace it with the love, joy, and peace of Christ. Lead me on your pathway, and fill my cup with your wisdom. Amen.
The Rev. Irvin Porter (Pima, T’hono O’odham, and Nez Perce)
Pastor, Church of the Indian Fellowship
Tacoma, Washington
Order Proclaiming the Good News of God's Peace.