Time, December 26, highlights the Persons of the Year: Bono, Melinda and Bill Gates. An amazing issue that highlights the many issues that these three have been working on addressing. World health is such a huge problem and people have continued to be overwhelmed at considering a solution for it. There is a comment about how Melinda and Bill could be the ones to save the world. While I don’t use or appreciate Bill’s work in the computer world, I do greatly admire the work that Melinda and Bill are doing and the passion that they bring to helping people. They seem to make a balanced team to address the complexity of the various situations with press, foreign powers, and the poor that they visit.
All of my life I have wanted to save the world. It’s a long-standing issue – at which many of you will not be shocked. Over time, I have started to get over it – people telling me that it can never be done, trying to say that it’s too much stress or too much work or just impossible. One person can do a small part that is good – but nothing so grand as saving the world. So, I’ve found ways to help people near me and support organizations that are doing good work.
The last Sunday of the term (Dec. 4), I preached on imagination. I talked about how Advent is a time of waiting – and when we can sit and be quiet, invite the Holy Spirit in to inspire us, our imaginations can run wild. In these times, we can imagine amazing things – things that might be miracles or things that can change the world. Mary could imagine the fulfillment of God’s promise, and so carried God into the world. I encouraged the students to use the last 2 weeks of Advent (the first two weeks were filled with reading week and finals) to take time off and let their imaginations run – to be inspired to find solutions to the world’s problems – AIDS, environmental damange, homelessness, hunger. In that moment of making a list, I was inspired by the Holy Spirit – that any of the people sitting in the congregation could have the answers to these questions…
And then I wonder if I should give up my dream of saving the world. How am I called to imagine a different future? Bill, Melinda, and Bono are doing it now. Yes, the have star power and celebrity, and a whole lot of money. But I have passion and drive and perhaps a calling. What I am going to do with it?
How will you save the world?
Posted by Heather Voss at December 22, 2005 12:10 PM