Weekly Sermon Illustration: Trust

In our blog post every Monday we select a reading from the Revised Common Lectionary for the upcoming Sunday, and pair it with a Frederick Buechner reading on the same topic.

On December 13, 2015 we will celebrate the Third Sunday of Advent. Here are this week's readings from Isaiah and Philippians:

Isaiah 12:2

Surely God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid, for the LORD GOD is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation.

Philippians 4:4-7

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

The following excerpt was originally published in Telling Secrets and later in Listening to Your Life.

Stop trying to protect, to rescue, to judge, to manage the lives around you-your children's lives, the lives of your husband, your wife, your friends-because that is just what you are powerless to do. Remember that the lives of other people are not your business. They are their business. They are God's business because they all have God whether they use the word God or not. Even your own life is not your business. It also is God's business. Leave it to God. It is an astonishing thought. It can become a life-transforming thought.