I have been accused of being an optimist. Many times.
Guilty. I do tend to be a hopeful
person. I strive to see the best in
people, situations, challenges, plans, and possibilities. I expect good things to happen. Often, they do. Though, not always. I am realistic enough to understand that
things don’t always work out the way I think they should. Cynicism does creep into my soul from time to
time. There are bleak days that leave me
feeling uncertain and skeptical about the future. But, for the most part, I remain an
optimist.
I have spent the last month on “hiatus” from writing these
weekly columns. Mostly, I have been
swamped with other things and haven’t had time to write. But, they have been good things! (There’s the optimist in me). Our Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod Assembly was an
amazing experience. We had an ELCA
“Glocal” group that led us in music and worship and taught us about engaging
with people across cultures. The spirit
of the Assembly was good, and it was wonderful to be together with people I
have come to cherish in my five years as bishop. I spent the following week visiting
congregations with Bishop Jacob Mameo from the Morogoro Diocese of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania - our companion diocese - who joined us
for the Assembly. As we drove around the Synod, we had a lot of
windshield time to get to know one another better and discuss how to grow our
churches’ relationship. Finally, this
past weekend I was at Bethany College in Lindsborg, KS at their Commencement
events. I was honored to be invited to preach
at their Baccalaureate. It was moving to
look into the hopeful faces of the young men and women who were graduating and
talk with them about the power of the Holy Spirit to build bridges between
diverse peoples. It was a very uplifting
weekend!
There are plenty of struggles in the world and in the church
that could leave one cynical, skeptical and pessimistic. But Paul is right: because of our trust in God, and because
God’s love in Christ has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit,
hope does not disappoint us. As we
journey through days of struggle and even suffering, there are always signs of
hope and promise to be seen, if we look for them. I can tell you, I’ve seen plenty of those
signs these past few weeks! I wonder, where
do you see hope breaking through the cracks and crevices of your life?
Peace,
Bishop Mike
Always interested in hearing from you! Previous On
the Way columns can be found at bishopmike.blogspot.com. Thanks for reading.
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