You have the power

Today I sat in on a meeting of the Steering Committee for the Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness in Southeastern, CT. As I looked around the room I saw many of the movers and shakers of the region. Starting with a group from the United Way of Southeastern CT, the group had the presidents of all the local banks, representatives from the Council of Governments, a rep from the Governor's office, Lee Anne Gomes and Bev Goulet from Norwich Social Services and their counterparts from New London, reps from the area shelters, representatives from both Backus and L & M Hospitals, Tom Hyland from Martin House and reps from Southeast Mental Health Authority. I was there as one of the representatives of the area clergy associations.

I thought to myself that if this problem was going to be seriously addressed, they had assembled the people with the wherewithal to do it. Just looking around the room I knew that it was going to happen. Just wait and see.

As I left I couldn't help but chuckle to myself. I thought about the team that Jesus had assembled to conquer the world with a message of hope and love. The truth is that it helps to have money, political authority and connections. Jesus' men had very little of that. Yet he called them and sent them out with the power of the holy spirit. That allowed them to change the world.

The truth is that we have that same power today. Jesus has given us the holy spirit and sent us out. I think we sell ourselves short in the church. We look at the world's standards and feel inadequate. The truth is that when we follow God's plan we can do amazing things. We can change the world.

Cal