Living in Limbo - A Crisis is a Terrible Thing to Waste

Scripture: Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7 and Psalm 66:1-12  •  2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15c and Psalm 111  •  2 Timothy 2:8-15  •  Luke 17:11-19

These days, more than any time I can remember, it seems like we are living in limbo - waiting for something to happen, not making things happen. Is this what God calls us to do?

In this week's readings, Israel is in Babylonian exile, Paul is in prison. What is the prophet Jeremiah's message to those in exile? What can Paul do in prison?
You've heard the saying "when life serves you lemons, make lemonade." What are we, as Christians, called to do in times of uncertainty, of crisis, when our circumstances and lives change, or face changes? See Daniel P. Clendenin's "A Crisis is a Terrible Thing to Waste - Israel in Exile, Paul in Jail," and The Rev. Rick Morley's "Proper 23: betwixt, between, nowhere, everywhere."

Exile and the Kingdom (L'Exil et le royaume) is a 1957 collection of six short stories by French-Algerian writer Albert Camus.

These works of fiction cover the whole variety of existentialism, or absurdism, as Camus himself insisted his philosophical ideas be called. The clearest manifestation of the ideals of Camus can be found in the story "La Pierre qui pousse." This story features D'Arrast, who can be seen as a positive hero as opposed to Meursault in The Stranger. He actively shapes his life and sacrifices himself in order to help a friend, instead of remaining passive. The moral quality of his actions is intensified by the fact that D'Arrast has deep insight into the absurdity of the world but acts morally nevertheless (not unlike the main character in The Plague). [from Wikipedia]

How does this worldview compare with the Scripture lessons this week, with Christ's "good news"? 

Rick Morley tells us "When you come through the wilderness, the yoke of slavery, the impending reality of graduation, marriage, or retirement – the potential for the grace of God is rich. And the potential for us to miss the holy significance of it is also rife."  

Will we miss the holy significance of the opportunities presented to us to love and serve God and our neighbors?