Luke 19:11-27    The Absence of God

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      Luke, it seems you knew why Jesus told this story.  The fact that he would be absent for a long time, and the kingdom of God was not going to appear very soon.  Those servants, and we, too, are to be faithful in the absence of their Lord, taking care of the matters assigned to them, or entrusted to them.  There’s no point to this parable unless Jesus really believed in his Messiahship and that he would return to judge, to take account of our obedience.

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      My friends, it seems we must all operate like the faithful servants, in his absence.  Of course, I will strain to believe that the Holy Spirit is present, to empower us, but those vitalizing experiences fade again and again.  And I must live in the world Eli Wiesel and others describe as living in the absence of God. 

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     O Lord, I will work and pray and believe, and obey, just taking the opportunities of today, to disciple ________, and to help ________, because that’s the only thing worth doing, in your absence, and hoping to glimpse your mysterious presence.