The Oasis - November 6, 2024
Author: Rev. Eric Dupee
November 06, 2024
The one thing we knew prior to election night is that, no matter which candidate won, roughly half the country would be delighted in the outcome and roughly half would despair the result. As I thought about an appropriate Oasis message for today, the thought occurred to me that a reminder of the temporariness of situations could be a helpful reminder for both the winners and the losers.
When we have it good, or when life is going our way, we shouldn’t get too comfortable. We shouldn’t gloat. Things can change quickly. This sentiment is part of what Jesus meant when he said, “Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last (Luke 13).”
Additionally, when life is awful and things are not going our way, we should not despair. The psalmist wrote, “Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes in the morning.” Or as many have said, it may be a Good Friday world, but Sunday is coming.
Years ago, I came across an anonymous piece that I think eloquently speaks to the temporariness of things:
A rabbi was once asked to quote his favorite verse from the entire Bible. Without hesitating a moment he said: “My favorite verse are the words…’and it came to pass.’” His questioner was obviously surprised not only because of the commonness of the verse but also because it wasn’t even a complete verse. It was only a fragment. Still the Rabbi insisted that “and it came to pass” was the most meaningful to him. He explained as follows: “In every trouble I find myself thinking of this biblical line. The problem, the illness, the difficulty, did not come to stay: ‘it came to pass.’ It came to leave its imprint on my personality and my character. It come to teach its particular lesson. But it was not, of itself, a finality. It did not come to stay. ‘It came to pass."
Blessings,
Eric
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