Do Not Be Alarmed

First, there is a call to sort through what we hear. “Do not be alarmed,” says Jesus. “Don’t let the news of the day get you off track. Don’t let the difficulties throw you off and cause you to surrender to the ways of the world.” Second, there is a call to hope. We are called to hold profound hope, what some call “feral hope.” It is hope that will not be tamed; hope that is wild and unpredictable. It is hope that tells us that the pangs we suffer now are birth pangs and something significant is about to rise up in us and around us. And then we listen. We strain to hear that hope rising. We look for signs of God’s work among us and beyond us.

• How Firm a Foundation UMH 529
• Stand By Me UMH 512
• View the Present Through the Promise W&S 3048
• Lead Me, Guide Me TFWS 2214
• I Want to be Ready UMH 722
• In Christ Alone W&S 3105