Kingdom Treasures

How long would you wait in line for something you wanted?  Most of us grow antsy at a restaurant after having to wait for a table for five minutes.  Think about a trip to the DMV...forget it!!!  Some folks, however, are willing to wait in line hours, days, even weeks to get a particular treasure they believe they just can't live without. 

 

Perhaps you saw the stories this morning of lines, in some cities, blocks long, as people waited for an opportunity to buy the new iPhone 6. One couple, in line together for weeks, shared their strategy of waiting together so one could go for bathroom breaks or to take a shower at the YMCA while the other held their place in line.  Other individuals talked of a common cause and good will among those in line who enjoyed making new friends and keeping other's spots while they took care of personal needs.  I doubt that was true at every location!

 

Now, I appreciate my iPhone, but I don't think I would wait in line too long for a new one.  I know, there are some of you who may be thinking I just don't get...I don't have a genuine appreciation for state of the art technology.  That may be true, but I also think I have better things to do with my time.  It does, however, give one pause to think about the things we hold dearest, the things we are willing to sacrifice ourselves, our money, our time to secure.  Often, those things that we just must have, grow tiresome or lose their interest for us after a while...sometimes a very short while.

 

Jesus talked about priorities when he said, "What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?"  He sought to communicate Kingdom priorities that would overshadow the lust for accumulating things that soon would lose their allure.  His words aren't a blanket condemnation of the thing we want or need, but they do serve to draw our attention to that which is more significant, the value of our own souls.  "Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven," Jesus said, "where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."  I don't believe I want to be defined by the kind of phone I use.  The batteries don't die on Kingdom treasures, nor is the receptions compromised in certain sections of town.  I don't have to argue over unsolicited charges or fret over lapsed warranties.  Kingdom treasures are by far, the better deal.  Yes, it costs me my life, but that is a small price for so great a treasure.

 

Jim Abernathy

The Power and Significance of Remembrance

I am in a captive position this morning.  A broken foot limits my movements and keeps me confined to the house for now.  A scene playing out on television holds me captive as well.  One by one, the names of nearly three thousand people who lost their lives in the World Trade Centers on September 11, 2001 are being read.  Reading these names are family members of those lost on that day.  One by one they read the names of men and women they never knew, until they come to the end of their list of names, coming to the family member they still cherish, though now only in their memories.  Occasionally, a young child or teenager at the end of his or her list of names, reads the name of a parent or other family member they never met.  Their memories are only the accounts of others who have introduced their loved ones to them through stories told or pictures shown.  

 

This poignant illustration of the power and significance of remembrance should not be lost on us either as individuals or a nation.  Some relive the horror of 9/11 every day as a father, mother, spouse, sibling, or child once touchable and present to them, is no longer there.  Some still struggle to let go of images forever etched in their minds as first responders to this tragedy.  A great many of us go about our lives seemingly unaffected until this day comes up on the calendar each year, and once again, we are called to remember. 

 

Our memories serve a great purpose in the living of our days.  They are vast reserves that remind, inform, and empower.  The writer of Deuteronomy, in seeking to encourage a people who have a history that has irrevocably shaped their present and future, says, "Remember the days of old, consider the years long past..."  We would do well to heed those words, not as an anchor that ties us only to past heartaches or joys, but a marker along the journey of life that reminds us of what was lost and found in the aftermath of such events. 

 

Several of the family members reading the names in New York this morning have used their platform to implore all who hear to continue to remember the events of 9/11.  We honor the dead and the living when we remember.  Let us also allow these memories to inform and empower our steps on this day and in the days to come, resolved not to be defeated by the echoes of  these memories, but empowered to seek peace and justice as individuals and as citizens of this nation.  

 

Jim Abernathy

"All I Can Say Is My Trust Remains in the Lord."

"All I can say is my trust remains in the Lord."  Those were the words of former Virginia governor Bob McDonnell as he left the courthouse in Richmond yesterday after being found guilty on eleven counts of corruption while in office.  McDonnell often alluded to his faith upon entering or leaving court during his five-week trial.  Some see these words as a disingenuous attempt on the former governor's part to paint himself as a man of faith who believed in his innocence and in the divine intervention he hoped would bring about a favorable outcome.  Some friends and supporters hear these words as continued affirmation of the character of a man they still believe in.  And some simply shake their heads in disgust at the perceived hypocrisy so often identified in the blurred lines between faithful words and dishonest actions.

I cannot truly know the heart of Bob McDonnell.  I have never met the man, but even if I had, and even if I were a close friend, I still could not say without hesitancy that I knew his heart, the deep treasures of his soul.  Few are so transparent that others could say unequivocally that they could always judge another's motives without doubt. Such mystery seems lost in our wall to wall, 24/7, media driven society where opinions are tossed about as often random thoughts meant more to fill air time or further a particular political or ideological perspective than establish truth.  Truth lies not in the perspective of Democrat, Republican, or Independent, nor does it lie in the ever-changing court of public opinion.  There is but One who truly knows the hearts of men and women. The Psalmist reminds us of this as he writes in the thirty-third Psalm, "From his dwelling place God observes all who live on earth. God is the one who made all their hearts, the one who knows everything they do"  The 139th Psalm speaks to the heaviness of this awareness; "Lord, you have examined me. You know me. You know when I sit down and when I stand up. Even from far away, you comprehend my plans. You study my traveling and resting. You are thoroughly familiar with all my ways. There isn’t a word on my tongue, Lord, that you don’t already know completely. You surround me--front and back. You put your hand on me. That kind of knowledge is too much for me; it’s so high above me that I can’t fathom it. Where could I go to get away from your spirit? Where could I go to escape your presence?"  The Psalmists stand as examples of human frailty in the midst of faith.  The characters throughout Holy Scripture relate not as persons who live above the sin and corruption of the world, but as persons who in the midst of their own failures, seek and find forgiveness in the mercy and grace of the One who knows everything about them, yet loves them still.

A Virginia jury of twelve men and women heard testimony over the course of the trial and in fair and unencumbered deliberation, reached a conclusion of guilt for Governor McDonnell.  There will be appeals made and the verdicts will be brought into question and either upheld or overturned.  Commentators have lamented this first-ever conviction of a Virginia governor for corruption, and there have been many calls for needed reform within the political process in our state.  There will most likely be changes forthcoming as a result in hopes that this circumstance will not be repeated.  I find, however, that hope lies, not in legislative change, though that seems to be sorely needed, but in the words of a man tried and found guilty; "All I can say is that my trust remains in the Lord."  Regardless of his intent in uttering them, there is power in these words for forgiveness, restoration, wisdom, and peace.

As one man who recognizes his own sinful ways and who stands in need of God's continuing grace, all I can say is that my trust remains in the Lord.

Jim Abernathy