Happy New Year...God's unfinished future

After recently being at Trinity Church at Broadway and Wall Street in New York,  I became aware of the Trinity Institute and some of the topics it has sponsored.   One was entitled 'God's unfinished future'.   It struck me as an inspiring way to think about 2012.  We are indeed shaped by our past and our present but also most definitely by our anticipation of the future.  As we forage our future together as individuals, as families and as a church family,  it seems that thinking about it as God's unfinished future is a source of great hope.  Our call process and search for a new pastor is a very visible element of the unfinished future at St. Philip's.  Jurgen Moltman, a German theologian who was part of the Institute's event said 'if we live in God's unfinished future, we're looking forward and greeting the coming morning in the light of the coming day of God's new creation on earth'.   I wish each of you and our faith community a sense that we are living in the promises of God's unfinished future.  May we go into our unfinished future with the seven word mantra of our bishop:  pray, read, worship, study, serve, give and tell.