Henry Ward Beecher, brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe
and a prominent, American clergyman, social reformer,
abolitionist, and speaker in the mid to late nineteenth century once said,
“Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it with the handle
of anxiety or the handle of faith.” What handle are you holding as we begin
2012? Since the turning of the year did not instantly remove the challenges
we faced in 2011, “Year's end [for us]”, as Hal Borland, a twentieth
century American journalist once noted, “is neither an end nor a beginning
but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.” As
we continue forward toward and through each approaching tomorrow, the
“handle of anxiety” it bears may appear mighty attractive. There are, after
all, bills to pay and illnesses to face and issues with our families to tend to
and jobs or joblessness that leave us feeling less than the beloved children
of God we are and ….the list goes on. Is it any wonder that anxiety may
try to seep or thrust itself full force into our hearts and minds demanding
to be gripped?
George Muller, a nineteenth century evangelist and missionary,
offered this helpful reminder about the relationship between faith and
anxiety. He wrote, "Where Faith begins, anxiety ends; Where anxiety begins,
Faith ends." Faith, “being sure of what we hope for, and certain of
what we do not see,” undergirds the confidence we have that God’s promises
have been, are being and will be fulfilled. Faith, a precious gift from
God to us, makes it possible for us to trust that God knows our needs and
provides for our needs in any and all moments of our lives. Faith makes it
possible for us to experience the abundant life Christ came to offer all of
humanity. Faith is the gateway to that inner peace which surpasses understanding
in even the most tumultuous times of our lives, and makes it possible
for us to see more clearly, embrace more fully and live more completely
into God’s vision for our lives.
My New Year’s hope for each of us as individuals and as the part
of the living Body of Christ called Newtown United Methodist Church is
that we will grab firmly ahold of the “handle of faith” offered to us in each
new tomorrow.
Pastor Mary
Recommended Scriptures: Hebrews 11-12:1-2
Henry Ward Beecher, brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe
and a prominent, American clergyman, social reformer,
abolitionist, and speaker in the mid to late nineteenth century once said,
“Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it with the handle
of anxiety or the handle of faith.” What handle are you holding as we begin
2012? Since the turning of the year did not instantly remove the challenges
we faced in 2011, “Year's end [for us]”, as Hal Borland, a twentieth
century American journalist once noted, “is neither an end nor a beginning
but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.” As
we continue forward toward and through each approaching tomorrow, the
“handle of anxiety” it bears may appear mighty attractive. There are, after
all, bills to pay and illnesses to face and issues with our families to tend to
and jobs or joblessness that leave us feeling less than the beloved children
of God we are and ….the list goes on. Is it any wonder that anxiety may
try to seep or thrust itself full force into our hearts and minds demanding
to be gripped?
George Muller, a nineteenth century evangelist and missionary,
offered this helpful reminder about the relationship between faith and
anxiety. He wrote, "Where Faith begins, anxiety ends; Where anxiety begins,
Faith ends." Faith, “being sure of what we hope for, and certain of
what we do not see,” undergirds the confidence we have that God’s promises
have been, are being and will be fulfilled. Faith, a precious gift from
God to us, makes it possible for us to trust that God knows our needs and
provides for our needs in any and all moments of our lives. Faith makes it
possible for us to experience the abundant life Christ came to offer all of
humanity. Faith is the gateway to that inner peace which surpasses understanding
in even the most tumultuous times of our lives, and makes it possible
for us to see more clearly, embrace more fully and live more completely
into God’s vision for our lives.
My New Year’s hope for each of us as individuals and as the part
of the living Body of Christ called Newtown United Methodist Church is
that we will grab firmly ahold of the “handle of faith” offered to us in each
new tomorrow.
Pastor Mary
Recommended Scriptures: Hebrews 11-12:1-2