By Caleb Longenecker Fox, annual giving and advancement coordinator
Scripture: Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19 (NRSV)
Our passage today suggests God’s vision of a future where righteousness and justice are normative. While there are acts of God that enable this vision of the future to unfold, God also empowers us to live an active faith. Furthermore, God affirms to Solomon that there is an important human component to this vision, a role for each of us to play. I believe this prayer demonstrates God’s hope of human leadership, one that is extended not only to Solomon, but also to you and I.
God has given us each unique gifts and abilities to participate fully in the good work of kingdom-building. I believe that as Christians we are called to use our gifts for the common good, in a way that builds up and adds to God’s vision of equity, justice and prosperity for all.
Over the last year I’ve started using the little motto “build value.” This was a new habit for me, but one that I have enjoyed thinking about and saying to myself on a daily basis. This phrase “build value” to me is a reminder of my role in kingdom-building through my personal interactions with others. My goal is simple but sometimes challenging; that after every interaction I have with someone I want the other person to leave feeling and knowing they are valued. It’s a framework of thinking and being that not only helps build the Kingdom, but also has allowed me to grow personally in my understanding of generosity, trust, vulnerability and gratefulness this past year. Framing kingdom-building in this way has changed the way I talk and joke with my friends, how I write emails to colleagues, how I interact with my students, my comments on Facebook posts and how I spend time with my family at home.
As we wait this Advent, let us enter into God’s imagination! How are you (and I) building the kingdom and helping us move in the direction of God’s vision? What are the acts of God that enable this vision of a prosperous future to unfold?
Scripture: Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19 (NRSV)
Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to a king’s son.
2May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice.
3May the mountains yield prosperity for the people, and the hills, in righteousness.
4May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the needy, and crush the oppressor.
5May he live while the sun endures, and as long as the moon, throughout all generations.
6May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth.
7In his days may righteousness flourish and peace abound, until the moon is no more.
18Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things.
19Blessed be his glorious name forever; may his glory fill the whole earth. Amen and Amen.
Today is Giving Tuesday!
The world needs Goshen College graduates now more than ever. Do you appreciate hearing these reflections from our students? Help them out with a small gift!
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