When I was in my early teens, my parents took us on a vacation to Wray, Colorado. We borrowed my grandparents travel trailer, hooked it up to my parents 1 ton truck and off we went speeding along I70 at 55 mph across Kansas.  My dad had an uncle who lived in Wray and we went to stay at their farm.  One day I was walking down the dirt road near their place and a bird of prey caught my eye.  It was circling overhead.  But then I saw it go into a steep dive and abruptly land in an adjacent field.  A moment later it lifted off again carrying in its talons a small snake.  When travelling, I continue to watch for hawks because I am fascinated by the vision and direct trajectory of such a creature in the skillful hunting of prey.

I might have mentioned in my sermon a certain fascination with the joint venture between NASA and Space X to deliver astronauts and cargo to the International Space Station (ISS).  I watched the recent launch of the Falcon 9 rocket that catapulted the Dragon crew module into space and orbit.  I am utterly amazed at the science that goes behind this process and the voluminous calculations needed to determine the exact time for launch and trajectory needed for the crew module to intersect with the ISS.  Off by a fraction of a second or a degree of ascent and they will miss the window for a successful rendezvous.

Now this might be a stretch for you, but I’ve come to believe that God has a vision and trajectory in mind for our lives, but it probably isn’t what you think.  This sounds like a broken record and maybe it is but . . . we’ve become too attached to this world and the benchmarks we use for a trajectory to success.  The pathway of Jesus calls us to a different vision and a different trajectory.  The benchmarks of following the path of Jesus are simplicity, humility, service, self-sacrifice, and love.  When we follow this path, our trajectory is maturation or as Paul puts it, we become more like Christ.  The trajectory that God desires for our lives is the path that leads us to be more Christ-like each day.  Unlike the natural skill of the hawk or the sophisticated calculations of rocket computers, we are guided by our own mind and will.  Thankfully, God has given us the gift of the Holy Spirit who can direct us in the way that we should go - the path, the trajectory that leads to righteousness.

I invite you to take time and read each of the scriptures above as you move to reflect on the questions below.  Take a few moments to think about the trajectory of your life and the invitation to grow and be more like Jesus.   Lastly, I pray that God bless the reading of God’s Word and the meditations of your heart.