My reflection today continues from Fresh Bread by Joyce Rupp:

“ Value bonds assure me that I am not in this life alone. Others believe and hope as I do. It’s always so encouraging to meet others who hunger and yearn for some of the values I believe in at the core of my being. It is important that I take time to find these people and to share my own encouragement with them, too. Each one of us needs someone who will knock on the door of our heart, someone who sees rainbows, has hope, believes in the God of promises, someone who invites us out of our own world of anxiety, confusion and doubt. People all around us need us to be rainbow callers for them, to remind them about the gift of God in their lives, to hold out the treasure of hope to them, to call them to see beauty in a God-given world often caught in ugliness to enable them to find meaning in their common moments, be they happy or difficult.”

My reflection continues from Fresh Bread by Joyce Rupp:

“ Three things that keep hope alive in my heart, that keep the rainbow vivid in my life, are: beauty moments, truth touches, and value bonds.

A beauty moment can rekindle my hope in the goodness of God. Somethings so ordinarily beautiful as smile wrinkles around some aging eyes or as lovely as a morning star filling a dawn sky can assure me of the blessing of God within the human spirit.”

Today’s reflection continues from Fresh Bread by Joyce Rupp:

“ The rainbow has thus become a sign of the promises God makes to all of us who go on searching, struggling, dreaming and believing while on the human journey. Rainbow callers are people who announce hope to others – like the dove returning with a sprig of green, or the rainbow announcing hope to Noah. Sometimes it is hard to think of hope being announced when our world is filled with war, when so many lives are filled with pain and conflicts, struggle and darkness.”

Even during these dark times let us look for the sprigs of hope, the little rainbows in our lives.?

my reflection continues from Fresh Bread by Joyce Rupp:

“ Since that rainbow moment, I have thought many a time about the experience. The rainbow has a long history as a sign of hope on the spiritual journey. In the story of Noah the rainbow is a symbol of the promise that God made to the people who were saved from the earth’s destruction. There is a hopeful power in the story of Noah, the tale of a person who braved long, lonely moments, wondering what life was worth when all that he knew of it was being destroyed. He must’ve questioned how he and his family would survive. The moment when Noah opened the window and sent out the dove is special and hope-filled. Noah is every one of us when we sit in our discouragement, calling out to God or others; “Tell me about hope; give me a reason to believe; help me to trust in the goodness of life; enable me to find my courage and to be enthused about life again; tell me about the meaning of life. “What a profound confirmation of hope it was for Noah when the dove came back bearing the tiny sprig of green in its beak, the green which said: “Welcome into new life. Here is a gift of hope for you. Believe in the future. Trust what is to come. All will be well with you.“”

My reflection today comes from this song by Anne Murray,  A Little Good News:

Even through all these difficult news items God has remained with us.

I pray that God will bring strength and comfort to all those who have been affected by these horrible looters and rioters.

May God protect all those who are peacefully protesting and all the police and National Guard.