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Abundance

July 29, 2024


“I ask God  that with both feet planted on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.” ~ Ephesians 3:17-18 The Message

When a mango tree was full of ripe fruit, the locals in Hawaii would say, “I have choke mango. Want some?” That seems to be the way with nature. My plum tree bore more plums than I could pick. A friend’s single zucchini plant is bearing more zucchini than she can use, and another friend gave me three big bags of cherry tomatoes to share. ‘Tis the season when we freely give away because we have far more than we imagined when we planted seeds. This is an example of abundance, not just what you need but far more than you can ever use.

In St. Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3:14-21 was written in a Roman jail where he awaited execution. It’s odd that he is not praying for himself as we might assume, but for others, including us. His words start with an agriculture image, feet firmly planted and rooted in love; in order to take in the ungraspably extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. In The Message Translation, the reader can imagine love reaching out with arms that could encircle the world and still not contain it; running ultra marathon upon marathon and never reaching the end; plunging a pole into the depths of a love that has not bottom; hopping aboard a space ship and discovering that God’s love is just getting started as you are way goodbye to the solar system. That’s choke love, abundant love, not just for you or me, but for everyone.

That’s living full lives, full in the fullness of God who is love. BTW – that love is unimaginably full and overflowing the entire universe.

Paul prays for us – that we would have both our feet planted on love. May God help stand firm in love – not just for those we like or agree with, but with everyone. That prayer can change the world. ~ Choke love, dear ones. Amen.

Published by kahuanne

Anne Findlay-Chamberlain has devoted her adult life to journeying with people as they seek wholeness. She has a B. S. in Health and Physical Education, and masters’ degrees in Counseling and Divinity. She is an ordained United Church of Christ pastor. She served three different UCC congregations in Hawaii (as pastor at a very small rural primarily native Hawaiian congregation in Hana, Maui; as intentional interim senior pastor at a large Japanese-American congregation in Honolulu; and as senior pastor in a medium size diverse congregation in a suburb of Honolulu). In Hawaii, she supported associate and conference ministries as a member and chair of the Oahu Association Committee on Ministry, and chair of the Hawaii Conference Formation Committee. In addition she served as a mentor to persons discerning their call to ministry within the Hawaii Conference of the United Church of Christ. She is a graduate of Ashland Seminary’s Pastors of Excellence program as well as Shalem Institute’s Clergy Spiritual Life and Leadership program. She holds a certificate in Spiritual Direction from the Charlotte Spirituality Center, where she teaches a course on Theology and Tradition. Anne is a member of Holy Covenant UCC in Charlotte, North Carolina. In her work as a pastor, spiritual director, and retreat leader, Anne loves accompanying individuals, small groups and congregations in discovering God’s presence in their lives. Anne is married to Rod Chamberlain and they have two adult sons and four delightful grandchildren.

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