4-4-2018

 Good Morning All,

                1 Peter 3:15; “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect”

      I was reading an article about a word that no one is sure how to pronounce or exactly what it means.  It is a word that belongs to a tribe of people who live on the southern tip of South America called the Yaghan.  There is only one known native speaker and she has not spoken the language enough lately to keep up on the nuances of the language.  The word is “Mamihlapinatapai”.  The best guess is that the word means the moment of meditation when people were gathered around the fire and the grandparents would transmit their stories to the young people.  The word is the instant in which everyone is quiet.

    The moment when everyone is quiet; how often does that happen?  It conveys a time when the hearer would digest the whole of what they have heard.  It conveys a time when the speaker has said enough for the time being.  These people used the time around the fire to convey the history and beliefs of their people to the next generation.  This was done from the elders of the tribe to the young children.  It was the handing down from one generation to another the very truths about who they are and what it means to be part of this tribe.

    I suspect this doesn’t happen much anymore but I certainly pray that it does.  I pray that grandparents and parents sit down and explain to their children and grandchildren about their faith and I hope the youth listen.  It is at an opportunity like this that I tell parents, grandparents and, actually, everyone, who will listen to be ready for.  I think this is part of what St. Peter was referring to in our verse.  Too often when we read this verse we think of a lawyerly defense like Perry Mason might make; but it can also mean a time when a small child asks grandma or grandpa about Jesus.  Why do you believe?  Why do you have hope in Jesus?  Being able to explain that, in your words, is vital for both you and your listener.

    People often ask about how they should go about and witness their faith.  I tell them to tell the other person why they have hope and how, in having that hope, they find comfort and peace in a world like we live in.  Jesus died to forgive your sins and rose again to open the door to eternal life; why do you find comfort in this?  That is your witness whether it is with the neighbor over the fence or your family as you sit around the campfire this summer.  It is the hope you speak of when you sit around the table and speak while others listen.  It might seem hard but God will help so engage in some “Mamihlapinatapai” and speak of Jesus.

Gracious Father, guide us by your Spirit to speak of your great love for us. Guide us to speak of the comfort in your Word and the peace we receive.  Lead us to witness to the wonders of your mercy to those around us that all may know of your gift of eternal life.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret