We
live in a wishy-washy society in a wishy-washy world. The Chicago mayoral election ads that keep
popping up remind me of how indecisive we are.
Just what exactly do the words spoken by candidates mean? Are the really
going to carry through with the promises they are making?
Politians
are not alone in this. The contractor
says they’ll be there on Friday but on Thursday night leaves voicemail saying
they can’t make it and requesting I be in touch to reschedule. The package is promised to be delivered by
Wednesday and doesn’t arrive until Saturday.
We have an appointment to meet a friend for coffee and they don’t show
up. Or, my personal pet peeve, someone
says they’ll complete a specific task and it never gets done.
But
scripture tells us that we are the “Yes” children of God.
Do I make my plans according to ordinary human
standards, ready to say "Yes, yes" and "No, no" at the
same time? As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been
"Yes and No." For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we
proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not "Yes and
No"; but in him it is always "Yes." - 2 Corinthians 1:17b-19
Paul
reminds us that in Christ, our word is always yes. As surely as God is
faithful, so will we be faithful in our word.
As the
season changes from Epiphany to Lent, rather than saying “no” to something, I
challenge you to say Yes. I challenge each member of this community of faith to
say
- “Yes” to a new experience,
- “Yes” to the opportunity to help another,
- “Yes” to someone asking for help,
- “Yes” to that project that seems impractical,
- “Yes” to the work trip,
- “Yes” to the chance to serve others.
We are the “yes” people of God; we are called
to say “yes” to the hope for tomorrow, “yes” to the possibilities for grace and
extravagant welcome, and “yes” to forgotten and the outcast.
You
and I are “Yes” people. Let your yes be
always yes.
Yes is my response to God's invitation. Let yes be yours.
Blessings,
Carly