A fourth for February

We're still a little more than a week away from the beginning of Lent, and yet the scriptures are already inviting us to start thinking differently.  Well, to be honest, they challenge us to think differently every day, but the passages this week have a particular ring that reminds me of some of the central Lenten themes.  More specifics on that topic in future missives.  For the moment, here's the text of this week's reflection, and of course the listen-in version too:

Built on trust

The Standard and Poors TSX Composite Index closed up yesterday by just over 184 points.  The Venture Composite Index and the New York Stock Exchange also closed in positive territory.  Some of us here today may have slept better last night, knowing this news, but some if not many of us don't even understand what this news means.  You see, in the business world, the pursuit of wealth drives the ups and downs of our economy.  Stock Market speculation, which drives the numbers up and down on a minute to minute basis has the power to affect the price of oil, the value of our dollar on the International Exchanges and even the rates of interest we pay on loans and mortgages.  Even the slightest change up or down in the Stock Market means big money, won by some and lost by others.  It's a very competitive business.
 
Even if we're not too well versed in the finer points of Market fluctuations, many of us do understand how to use a credit card, and some of us know only too well that credit cards are great to have but can also be dangerous because no matter how much we have, there is always the temptation to want more, and a buy now, pay later society makes it that much easier for us to fool ourselves into thinking that we can have everything our hearts desire, because we don't have to pay for it immediately.
 
Today's scripture readings challenge this narrow view of existence, and encourage us to see that life is much more than the possessions we count as our own.  Jesus tells his disciples not to be concerned about earthly measures of wealth because nature’s abundance clearly demonstrates how much God loves us.  Have you ever taken Jesus' advice literally, stopped to consider the flowers that grow wild in our fields, or taken a moment to marvel at some of the species that we happily display in planters and pots?  There are two Christmas cactus plants blooming in the rectory right now.  I noticed them this week, and stopped just for a moment to examine the detail of each flower.  God designed these flowers, their curves, their colour, each petal, and everything in such perfect symmetry and beauty, all for us to enjoy, and there's no monetary cost involved either.  If He put such care into the design of one flower, how much care and love does he lavish on us, each one of us, every day?
 
The prophet Isaiah reminds us today that God pays such close attention to us that even when we might be tempted to think that he has forgotten about us, he is still gazing upon us and listening for us with the attentiveness of a parent who knows the cry of a new-born child.
 
The competitive world of high finance and a culture that tries to convince us that it's ok to live on speculation will never be able to respond adequately to our search for happiness.  The answers they provide are all too often shallow and fleeting.  However, Isaiah's image makes God very personal, and brings Him up close to each of us, and the teaching of Jesus reminds us that Christians are all called to a different way of life.  Ours is an invitation to trust in God who knows what we need and to believe that God will give us everything that is for our good.  The challenge is to put our faith into this reality, to replace competitiveness, greed and false hopes with trust in a sure thing.
 
Right here, right now, in this Eucharist, let's express gratitude for God's amazing love, and allow God to be our source of nourishment, security and hope.