Houston Trinity News

Friends,

Saturday my 3-year-old granddaughter lost her stuffed giraffe. She was distraught and heartbroken. We had gone to watch her sister’s swim meet, and she took her giraffe with her, as she always did. There was a lot of back and forth from the staging area to the pool and there was a lot of spare time between swims. She spent the day playing in and around the waiting area and the pool. But when she got home at the end of the day her giraffe was not with her. Attempts to find it have been without results, so far. She is still dealing with the loss. My heart is still aching for her.

Have you ever lost something that just turns you upside down? Have you ever felt lost? I think we all can probably say yes to one of those two questions. The real question is how we deal with it. For a 3-year-old it will just be a matter of time before she finds a replacement that she can turn her attention and love toward. For us, it may take much longer. As adults, we understand the loss of material things. That doesn’t mean that we can’t be devastated when we lose our phone or a piece of valuable jewelry. But we understand that material things can be replaced. As adults we can overcome the loss of family or a loved one. We understand life. That doesn’t mean that we don’t carry that loss with us every day for a very long time. We miss those who have gone on before us. We long to hear their voices again or to hold them one more time. But we understand. As adults, we struggle when we feel lost. When we are not sure what we are doing, or why we are doing it. We struggle when the events of the world just don’t make sense to us. We struggle when we feel alone and abandoned. And often, we don’t understand.

The hope for my granddaughter, and me, is that the Katy ISD staff will find her giraffe sitting on, or beneath a bench and it will be returned. The hope for all of us is found in the words we heard from Saint Paul Sunday – “Now That Faith has Come” (Galatians 3:28) Hope, my friends, abounds in our relationship with God. Hope, my friends, rests with our faith in that relationship. When you feel lost listen again to the words of God to Isaiah – Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’” (Isaiah 30:21)

We are never really alone, we are never really lost, as long as we turn our ways toward the God who created us, calls us into relationship, and guides us through life.

God bless you. See you Sunday

Galatians 5:1,13-25 (NRSV)

Listen! I, Paul, am telling you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you.

13 For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another. 14 For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.

16 Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, 21 envy,a drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.