I know today is a day of sad memorial. We pray for those who are grieving losses on 9/11 and since then, and we also pray for honest government leaders everywhere to be guided by God’s wisdom in our very fragile world.

Sunday’s class did not disappoint. (I referred to our assignment in Hebrews 2 in my Friday blog.) Verse 10 is a summation of God’s purposes. “And it was only right that God—who made everything and for whom everything was made—should bring his many children to glory. Through the suffering of Jesus, God made him a perfect leader, one fit to bring them into their salvation.” God made each of us for His pleasure, but since humankind’s plunge away from Him, the pleasure He might have found in us was marred. Nevertheless He still pursued His plan to bring His children to “glory.” In the Bible, God’s glory is defined as His identity, Who He is, what He’s really like. So our teacher made the connection that our glory is who and what we were originally intended to be. That restoration is what’s meant by “salvation.” And it was accomplished by the suffering of Jesus. There’s a corollary here: if Jesus was called on to suffer, why ever should we think we should be exempt? Obviously, our suffering can’t result in anyone’s salvation. But surely it can accomplish God’s good purpose. I’m sorry—that’s not a very good summary. I wish you’d been there.

Sunday afternoon was quiet, except for the excitement of the U.S. Open. I’m thankful to say that my arm is no worse, though it’s still a bit sore. Sometimes I make a mental list of the usual side-effects of kemo that do not afflict me, and I feel like dancing with gratitude. Someone sent this in an e-mail: "Life may not be the party we'd hoped for, but as long as we're here we might as well dance."

Thanks for your prayers.

Love,
Carol