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...you have the anointing that comes from the Holy One,
and you all have knowledge.
I write to you not because you do not know the truth
but because you do, and because every lie is alien to the truth.
and you all have knowledge.
I write to you not because you do not know the truth
but because you do, and because every lie is alien to the truth.
I usually go to bed around 9:30 pm, but on New Year’s Eve I make an exception and go to bed at 8:30. I’ve seen many midnights and they all look the same.
I go to bed and sleep my way into the New Year assured of the anointing that rests upon me. And, as Saint John says, I have knowledge.
Some translations of that twentieth verse read, “You have all knowledge.” I like that -- not because I am so clever but because the Holy Spirit does have All Knowledge.
I may not be as smart as the internet but I have access to it. Likewise, I may not have all the all the knowledge of God but the One who guides me does, and that’s good enough for me.
If I had to be the master of my fate and the captain of my soul, as William Ernest Henley thought I should be, I would be very worried about 2013. I would not be able to foresee what is coming, nor would I be able to control it. Will America fall off the fiscal cliff into another recession? Will the nation remain in political gridlock? What scandal will erupt in the Roman Catholic Church this year? Can I, with my aging body, fading hearing, narrowing vision and diminished capacities, rise to the challenges of another year? As a hospital chaplain I see just about everything that can go wrong with old male bodies. It’s not pretty!
I can’t. God can.
God has all knowledge. All I have to do is obey the Captain of my soul as he calls the plays. What could be wrong with that?
Happy New Year!
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.