Chaos and Hope

I remember the first time I went on the Space Mountain roller coaster at Disney World. I was in my youth ministry late 20’s era and on a trip with a few hundred high school kids from Ontario. A ministry colleague and I squeezed into the same car and once flying through the darkness we each confessed many sins and made many promises to God if we survived the ride. Some days it feels like we are on a cosmic theme park ride which is whipping erratically, and we hold on for dear life.

Over the past few months in personal conversations, retreats and group meetings I’ve seen the deep needs for spiritual friendship evidenced over and over.  When Touchstone began, at 37 I was right in the middle of our generation. Back then our friendship circles faced the demands of growing careers, family stresses, and all the related challenges of affluence and busy-ness.  Now those same friendships are facing diminished responsibility, caring for ailing spouses, loss of spouse, degenerative heath illness like Parkinson’s and Dementia.  Same friends – very different things to process together.

Our younger groups are still in the growing career, younger family, establishing financial and other values stage of life. It is quite a window the nearly 4 decades of Touchstone provide us. Circles that have been together for many of those decades deeply caring for one another while new generations need friends but express it in ways suitable to their generation.

But we are all in a larger circle inscribed by the arms of Jesus Christ, God made human and by becoming one of us makes it possible for us to become like him. Young or old, rich or poor, we are in that embracing circle of light even in the craziness of life. I love these words the Apostle Paul wrote to some friends.

For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. … Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.  (2Corinthians 4:6,7,16-18 NIV)

So, we live hopefully and in friendship with God and a few others. We thought we knew when we began those decades ago, that encouraging lifelong friendships would lead to painful times. It has been true as we have lost friends along the way, but they have been treasured companions who enriched our lives and memories. As we celebrate Christmas and the New Year may we continue to be bearers of the “Christ candle” in our lives, living with hope and courage in the face of age and stage.

We hope you find our 2022 Christmas Prayers for Slivers of Hope and Light a useful encouragement in your own celebration of the arrival of the Light of the World. Thank you for being part of this adventure of faith. Your company along the way has been a gift.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Norm