Beholding Salvation

Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,

you may now dismiss your servant in peace.

For my eyes have seen your salvation,

which you have prepared in the sight of all nations"

Luke 2:28-30

A child's birth evokes family, religious, and social traditions. Announcements are sent to family and friends. A new life begins filling parents with hope, imagining great things ahead.

Jesus' parents fulfill the obligations called for in Leviticus 12:3-8; circumcision and offering a sacrifice. These ancient traditions remind them that Jesus is born as part of the covenant between God and God's people. This holy moment in the holy place of the God's temple is a moment of hope. 

This hope, though needs to be understood in the context of the time.

On the one hand, Luke is recalling a time when life seemed safe, tradition observed, and Joseph and Mary could safely travel to register in a census and worship in the Temple. 

On the other hand, it's a sad reminder of a catastrophe: the Temple’s destruction.

Filled with hope, Mary and Joseph present Jesus to God, confident in God’s promises. Jesus birth fills Mary and Joseph with a parents hope and dreams.

 

Filled with hope, Simeon comes seeking encouragement for Israel as he links the birth of Jesus to a renewed hope in the coming of the Messiah. Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, "This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel.

Filled with hope, the prophet Anna fasts and prays for the recovery of Jerusalem. Her fasting is a state of mourning for the people of God. However, seeing Jesus, her mourning turns to praise! God is bringing God’s people home from exile.

 I am filled with hope from their stories. For me, these are living stories of hope as powerful today as then because in these dark times they tell of God's promises, a Messiah's hope, and "turning mourning into dancing".

Merry Christmas

Our Nativity with Gifts

Our prayer for you

is that you have

peace in your heart,

calm in your soul,

joy in your spirit.

Elaine and Rich

Holy Interruption

The angel Gabriel went to Mary and said,

 “Greetings, you who are highly favored! 

The Lord is with you.”

Luke 1:28

The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary saying, "Greetings favored one, the Lord is with you." Knowing of God's presence helps Mary understand this holy interruption. She doesn't know why an angel would disrupt her daily life since angels appear and change things.  Look what happened to Hagar. And how about the angel appearing to Moses in a burning bush. These people's lives were dramatically changed. Would her life be dramatically changed too? She probably asked herself—Am I favored? Is God with me? What will this involve?

Gabriel informs Mary she will conceive, bear a son and name him Jesus. The angel describes this child's identity and destiny. Yet Mary responds saying, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word."

The story of Mary and Gabriel doesn't include the realities of the ancient world. Mary lives in a fishing village where she cleans, slices, and prepares fish. Her back aches carrying water from the well. She plants and gathers the harvest. She gathering grain and kneads it for the evening meal.

 Mary's life wouldn't be easy because village folks ridiculed and isolated unwed mothers. She still had to live up to village duties, homemaking, and marriage. She probably felt shame and self-doubt which impacted her mental well-being. Yet in all these changes, there was one thing she knew from Gabriel's holy interruption, "The Lord is with you."

Mary's story assures us God is with us. Thinking about this chaotic, unprecedented  year, Gabriel's words to Mary are true for us—God is with us. As God visits an unsuspecting young girl named Mary so God visits us. The uncertainties of life need to be seen with this conviction—God is with us. As Mary was impacted by the realities of her day, we, too, are impacted by the social challenges of 21st century America. And God is with us. Gabriel reminds, assures, and comforts us—God is with us. 

Shouts of Joy

May those who sow in tears

 reap with shouts of joy.

Psalm 126:5

Maurice walked about a mile every Sunday from his group home to church. He seldom missed worship. In the sub-zero temperatures frequently occurring in Vermont winters, he entered the sanctuary in his flannel shirt, suspenders, work boots, and khakis. Down the left aisle he would go, greeting each person as he went. "Mornin". "Beautiful day, ain't it".

 Then he would sit in a pew.  Alone in the front.

One snowy Sunday right before Christmas, he didn't make it to church. Considering the weather, no one was really surprised. He wasn't in church the next Sunday either. The men's fellowship called the home to find out if he was alright. No, he wasn't. On his way to church he had slipped on black ice under the snow, fallen and broken his ankle. He was confined to bed and very depressed.

Men from the fellowship visited him several times. Two days before Christmas, they all came for a visit. They sang Christmas carols and brought a few presents, including a new flannel shirt. 

To Maurice, the Lord had done a great thing for him because the men's fellowship knew in their hearts that the tears of weeping didn't have the last word. They knew God does great things. God changes weeping into joy.

In this season of a Covid Christmas, we are to live expectantly, fully convinced that the tears and weeping of our day don't have the last word. After all, aren't we the people waiting with expectation for tears to be changed into joy? 

Advent is a time of expectation, of waiting; a time reminding us tears will be changed into joy. Advent reminds us that our waiting is not in vain.

Preparing the Way

 “I will send my messenger ahead of you,

    who will prepare your way”

 “a voice of one calling in the wilderness,

‘Prepare the way for the Lord,

    make straight paths for him.

Isaiah 40:3

Sunday after Sunday 12-year-old Amy came down the center aisle of the church and sat in the second row from the front. One Sunday she brought an older woman, her, grandmother. Sunday after Sunday they came. One Sunday they brought an older man, Amy's grandfather. After church one Sunday Amy's grandmother said her husband had never been baptized. We agreed on a Sunday for his baptism. On that day Amy's grandfather stood before the congregation, said the vows and was baptized. After the service I learned that Amy's grandfather couldn't read and had memorized the vows so he would know when to answer and what to say.

Amy came looking for hope. Something beyond the darkness of the poverty she lived in, a jailed mother, and an absent father. 

Just like Amy, aren't we looking for hope. Something beyond the darkness of this winter's  pandemic, rising unemployment, and increased food insecurity. Something beyond the darkness and disruption of the "new normal".

A word of hope to the Israelites came in the messenger of John the Baptizer. He comes to the people "living in the land of deep darkness" preaching a message of hope by saying, "Prepare the way of the Lord." Repent. Be baptized. "One more powerful than I is coming after me." 

He is able to preach that message of hope because it is grounded in God’s faithfulness. That's why it's true, and real, and solid, something to ground you in the weeks and months ahead.

In the midst of darkness, light breaks in. In the midst of despair, hope erupts. After long waiting, a branch will sprout. The complete fulfillment of God’s promises has not yet happened, but it is coming. 

God promises light beyond darkness and God keeps promises.

He's Coming!

Therefore you also must be ready,

 for the Son of Man is coming

 at an unexpected hour.

Mt. 24:44 

There's a story about a young woman and her grandmother at a worship service. The guest preacher began, "I'm coming..." but forgot what came next, so he began again, "I'm coming..." but still forgot. He started forcefully again, waving his arms wildly about, and losing his balance fell right into the lap of the young woman in the front row. She let out a horrifying scream. Her grandmother turned to her and said, "What did you scream for? He said he was coming."

ADVENT is the beginning of the Christian year when God creates a new heaven and earth and the former things are not remembered. (Is 65:17)

 ADVENT  is a time of expectant waiting and preparation. Waiting for both the birth of Christ at Christmas and the return of Christ at the Second Coming. 

 ADVENT is a time of soul-examination and change. For Paul that means "to set aside the works of darkness by abstaining from rowdy partying and drunkenness, avoiding indecency and immorality, and refraining from quarreling and jealousy."

 ADVENT is a time of putting on Jesus Christ. Do as Jesus did, put others first and trust God to provide for us in all other ways.

 If any year feels to me as though we need to "not remember the former things" and begin a new thing, this is it. Personally, it has been a toss-up between the number of valleys and peaks. But that's true of our society enduring the valleys of pandemic, cultural tensions, and violence.

God's promise gives strength and hope in expectant waiting: The Son of Man IS coming. There will be peaks of healing and peace. Wait patiently, for the Lord is coming. 

Great Cloud of Witnesses

 

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders. . . and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus.

Hebrews 12:1

It is an understatement to say the fire was a tragedy. Smoke poured from the windows and doors as flames gutted the inside of the Forklift Café. Within minutes the First Responders from Dingman Township Volunteer Fire Department as well as six other companies including one from New Jersey were on the scene.

The Forklift has been a part of the community for over 12 years serving both excellent meals and the community as well. Not only is the owner/chef Loriann active in the local community, she is a generous giver supporting local and global charities such as the CROPwalk.

She stood fighting tears and coping with shock at her tremendous loss. As I stood beside her offering what comfort I could, a steady stream of people stopped to offer prayers and support. It was the beginning of a great cloud of witnesses surrounding her  that made this more than just another structure fire. In addition to the stream of people, there were texts of encouragement and two Go-Fund-Me sites set up. It is this great cloud of witnesses that will help Loriann run with perseverance the race marked out for her.

By God's Grace, the word of hope in Hebrews is that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses to encourage and support us as we strive to persevere in the race before us. By God's Grace that word of hope encouraged the Hebrew community. By God's Grace that word of hope encouraged Loriann in the Forklift fire. By God's Grace, that word of hope encourages us as we strive to persevere in whatever race is set before us as we fix our eyes on Jesus.

Running the Race

I have fought the good fight, 

I have finished the race, 

I have kept the faith.

2 Timothy 4:7

The apostle Paul certainly had accomplished a great deal and overcome many obstacles in his work for Christ. In addition to establishing churches, writing 13 books of the New Testament, being ship-wrecked, stoned, and debating the establishment in Jerusalem, he was finally placed under house arrest. He journeyed to Rome to stand trial and later Nero condemned Paul to death by decapitation. He truly, fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith.

In his own way Chris Nikic did the same thing. As a Special Olympics athlete, he crossed the finish line of the Ironman competition on Saturday, November 7.  He become the first person with Down syndrome to complete an Ironman triathlon. He achieved this after he finished a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-marathon run at the Ironman Florida competition in Panama City Beach. Nikic crossed the finish line in 16 hours 46 minutes nine seconds, beating the course cut-off time by 14 minutes.

On his Instagram post he said, "YES, I did the work but I had angels helping me. God surrounded me with Angels. I will be thanking so many more people over the coming days. But I must start with the 3 Angels who trained with me and did the race with me. Dan, Jenn and Carlos."

For me, Paul and Chris serve as inspirations to run whatever race I feel I need to endure. Each in their own way are outstanding examples of keeping the faith while we endure trials of our own. 

It is God's everlasting love that, as Chris said, "surrounded me with angels. That same everlasting love surrounds each of us until we finish the race set before us. 

Gift of Peace

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you...

Do not let your hearts be troubled 

and do not be afraid. John 14:27

On the night before his death, Jesus he had a farewell talk with the disciples at the conclusion of the Last Supper. He predicted Peter denying him three times, he washed the disciple’s feet, and Judas had left. Talking about his coming death was no surprise considering the way he had stirred things up with the religious establishment. Naturally, the conversation was interrupted by the anxious questions of his disciples. What will happen to us once you are gone? 

Like any one of us, the disciples were agonizing over what seemed like uncontrollable events. They were certainly filled with fear and apprehension as they imagined terrorizing incidents. 

Jesus tells them God will send The Comforter who will help them remember what he has taught them. Then Jesus gives them a gift: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you..."

According to Wesley's notes this verse doesn’t mean don't worry or be troubled. It means have faith, hold onto, rely on, keep going and believing. 

It seems to me that when our souls are in turmoil because of out of control events, is the time we are really looking for a deep, lasting inner peace of mind and heart. That is the time to get grounded in Scripture and prayer to focus on Jesus' gift of the peace he gives.

I have definite soul-angst about the covid-19 pandemic. How long will it continue? How vulnerable are we even though we may take precautions? 

The only way I can see finding inner peace is through Jesus’ gift: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. 

Prayer for Peace

During WWI and WWII the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi was highly publicized. Archbishop and military vicar Francis Spellman distributed millions of copies of the "Prayer of St. Francis" during World War II. This anonymous text is a widely known Christian prayer for peace. It has been quoted by prominent leaders, was read into the Congressional Record and its broadly inclusive language has found appeal with diverse faiths.

It seems to me that as the election nears, happens, and concludes, restoration of calm and peace needs to begin. There is a need for a time of calm after chaos, harmony after hostility and tranquility after turmoil.

Isn't it appropriate that the Prayer of Saint Francis, become part of our daily devotions? Isn't it time this widely known Christian prayer for peace used so much during both World War I and World War II be utilized again? Isn't it time to pray beyond boundaries and for unity?

So let us pray together: 

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace

Where there is hatred, let me sow love
Where there is injury, pardon
Where there is doubt, faith
Where there is despair, hope
Where there is darkness, light
And where there is sadness, joy

O Divine Master, grant that I may
Not so much seek to be consoled as to console
To be understood, as to understand
To be loved, as to love
For it is in giving that we receive
And it's in pardoning that we are pardoned
And it's in dying that we are born to Eternal Life
Amen

Traveling by Faith

 Now faith is the assurance

 of things hoped for,

 the conviction of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:1

No, I'm not still stuck on I-81 hoping to be on my way as soon as possible. A tow truck big enough to haul a tractor-trailer rushed past on the shoulder followed by a VDot pick-up. I had faith that somehow the road would be cleared or traffic detoured around the crash. Slowly, we came to an off ramp, were directed up it, across a main street and down a ramp onto I-81. We we on the road again.

This, of course, is a shallow understanding of Hebrews 11:1. 

For me, hope is in found in God's Word as I look at what is, could be, and should be as I head toward the "Highway of Holiness" to be among the righteous who walk on it.

The author of Hebrews describes faith as assurance and conviction.

Faith is trusting God. For example: By faith Abraham, was called to go somewhere to receive his inheritance. He obeyed and went, not knowing the destination.

Faith is walking with God. Walking by faith, it seems to me, involves the real world. What you do as you walk according to God's Word. It is following God's law and Jesus teaching in Scripture. Particularly, loving your neighbor as yourself. Our baptism vows call us to resist evil, injustice, and oppression as part of our walking

Faith is praying. Prayer is essential because it is communication with God. To stay committed, keep talking to God through times of rough and smooth sledding . In God's time God answers prayers. Maybe not when you want or what you are expecting, but answers come. God answers personal prayers and prayers concerning injustice and oppression.

Country Roads

 A highway will be there, a roadway,

And it will be called the Highway of Holiness.

The unclean will not travel on it,

But it will be for him who walks that way,

And fools will not wander on it.

Isaiah 35:8

It seemed like a good idea at the time. We hadn't seen our sister-in-law since she moved to South Carolina nearly 3 years ago. Using Google Maps, I indicated a starting point and a destination. The first set of directions were to use I-95 through Washington and Baltimore. NOPE. I checked the map further and decided that an I-81 route around major cities and through the countryside was the best choice.

It turned out I-81 was not a good choice. I-81 is a major truck route for truckers who want to avoid Washington, Baltimore, and major cities. It also happens to be a major route for drug and human trafficking. So much so the FBI formed a task force to combat these issues. It is not by any means a "Highway of Holiness". 

We came to a crash. Two trucks had sideswiped each other and blocked both lanes of traffic. That was when we found that fools wandered this highway as they cut through the narrow way called "Authorized Vehicles Only" to head in the opposite direction. 

Over an hour later, as Isaiah wrote, "Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee" as we headed on our way.

HOPE is God's word in these series of events. In spite of what we experienced and learned about I-81, there is a Highway of Holiness. That is God's promise from Isaiah's words. No matter what road we travel, no matter what bumps and detours we experience, there is a "Highway of Holiness." 

HOPE is God's word as we  long for the "Highway of Holiness" taking us beyond pandemic, hatred, racism, and violence.

HOPE,  the highway will be there and the righteous will walk on it.

Standing in the Crossroads

This is what the LORD says: 

"Stand at the crossroads and look; 

ask for the ancient paths,

ask where the good way is, and walk in it, 

and you will find rest for your souls."

Jeremiah 6:16

Yogi Berra said, "When you come to a fork in the road, take it."

The entrance to the summer camp I attended had a gravel road with a fork. The left fork led to the visitor parking lot. The right to the trucks' garage and then became an overgrown dirt logging road. One evening as I was riding my horse, a Cadillac appeared on the garage road just before it became the logging road. The driver stopped, rolled down the window and asked, "Is this US Route 7?"

The people of ancient Judah were at a crossroad. They could turn toward God or they could continue down a path of self-destruction.

 

What do you do at a crossroads? Jeremiah says, ask for the ancient paths where the good way is. “Ancient,” means going back to creation and further. The ancient path is the good way. It’s morally good, beneficial and biblical. It’s leads to the correct destination. It’s the pathway that causes things to work together for good in our lives. It brings rest for your soul — inner peace, sensing God is in control, and you are in God's hands. It is like having a life anchored to a rock. 

For me, the ancient way is summed in Jesus response to the question, “What is the greatest commandment” and Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

It seems to me that when we are at a crossroad and need guidance, asking, “What is the ancient way for me?” God will open a path?

What do you think?

A Lesson in the Unexpected

 

What did you think when you first heard that President Trump was infected with the coronavirus?  “What else did you expect? You were warned! What’s next, more chaos? What happens to our nation?”

I think there is a lesson here beside the ones about wearing masks, washings hands, and social distancing. That lesson is found in Luke 13:1-9, the parable of the Fig Tree.

Two events serve as the lesson’s background. First, while Galileans were sacrificing animals at Jerusalem, Pilate came suddenly upon them killing them, mingling their blood with the blood of the sacrificial animals. Second, eighteen people died when the tower in Siloam unexpectedly collapsed on them. It's in the setting of unexpected tragedy that Jesus tells the Parable of the Fig Tree. 

Keep in mind that in Jesus day, tragedy was considered the result of sin.  Jesus suggests not equating tragedy with divine punishment. Sin does not make violence come. It just comes. So, since we all need to repent, take advantage of God’s grace and repent now. before the unexpected.

That’s what the parable a fig tree is about.  A carefully tended yet fruitless tree may continue to live because it has been given more time to bear fruit. If it doesn’t, the result will be the ax.

So, which will happen? The tree producing fruit and avoiding the ax? The tree taking advantage of second chances? 

Today’s crises of the unexpected, shake our foundations of life and faith and the complacencies we use to get through ordinary life. They impress upon us the risks in our existence.

Our hope is that God's work of faithful love, like the parable's gardener, prepares us for the unexpected. That in this moment of the unexpected, God transforms us through grace to bear the fruit of compassion toward those still trapped under the anxiety of the unexpected.

A Longing Soul

As the deer longs

 for streams of water,

so my soul longs for you, O God.Psalm 42:1

My neighbor, who has a touch for gardening, worked hard planting a delightful variety of flowers. They were a beautiful sight to behold!

 The flower garden, it turns out, was also a deer buffet. One morning about half a dozen deer showed up and enjoyed themselves devouring the buffet! I don't doubt that my neighbor would have preferred the deer "longed for streams of water" rather than her flowers.

 In this psalm King David complains about his exile and his distance from God's temple. In other words, he can't go to church. His soul longs for the renewal of God's presence because God felt distant, remote, absent. He asks if God has forgotten him and he wants to know where he can go to meet God. People are asking him, "Where is your God?"

 In times when we don’t go to church, or church is virtual, or seats are limited, we may experience the same longing in our souls. God can feel distant, remote or absent. It can feel as though everything about our faith is shrinking. If so, our tendency is to be discouraged and to start to think God is not involved anymore. That God’s kind of left town. It's easy to ask, in our journey of 2020 “Where is God?" In the pandemic, the economy, the hatred, violence, the campaign, “Where is God?”

 For me, just as the deer longs for streams of water, so my soul longs for God, for returning to church. My soul longs for the presence of the family of God, hearing the Word and sharing at the Table, this is the longing of my soul

 But I know God is a living God. God is concerned about our life and world today.

 That's why I hope in God.

That's why I wait for God.

That's why I know God lives, hears, and answers us.

Genuine Love.

Let love be genuine;

hate what is evil,

hold fast to what is good.

Romans 12:9

Sojourner Truth was an African American evangelist, abolitionist, women’s rights activist and author who lived a miserable life as a slave, serving several masters throughout New York before escaping to freedom in 1826. After gaining her freedom, Truth became a Christian and, at what she believed was God’s urging, preached about abolitionism and equal rights for all, highlighted in her stirring “Ain’t I a Woman?” speech, delivered at a women’s convention in Ohio in 1851. She continued her crusade for the rest of her life, earning an audience with President Abraham Lincoln and becoming one of the world’s best-known human rights crusaders. 

In Romans, love is the dominant theme as Paul calls attention to love as the key moral norm for God’s people. Jesus had said that all the law and the prophets hang on two commands: love God and love your neighbor as yourself.

 

In Romans 12:9 Paul says the Christian the calling is to “let love be genuine”, and then shows what this love looks like. Generally, true love is summed up like this: Hate what is evil and cling to what is good

It seems to me that a revival of spiritual love and unity is urgently needed today in what has been called a bankruptcy of love. That is, the predominance of hate and evil appearing to be doing good. Paul encourages peaceful living as a way to cultivate godly love in all people. Therefore, Paul says, the love we are called to live out is not an emotional one, but one that comes from the transforming and spiritual rebirth of our minds, souls, and hearts. It is practical love in that it is experienced by both the self and the other; it is love lived out in ways that always cherishes others. This love seeks justice, forgiveness, reconciliation, and peace.

God's Promise of Hope

  

"Nevertheless,...I will heal my people and will let 

them enjoy abundant peace and security."

Jeremiah 33:6

"Were your parents liberal or conservative?" I was asked.

"Neither," I said. "They were too busy recovering from the Great Depression, living through WWII, and worried about communism."

Reflecting on the question and answer I realize how differently our society has evolved. Social tensions were very different. Employment, the Draft, the Atomic Bomb, and the Red Scare leading to the McCarthy investigations. 

Social tensions today arise around Black Lives Matter, White Supremacy, Police interaction with people, wearing pandemic masks, and conspiracy theories which sometimes result in death. 

I see these issues as signs of a broken relationship with God which are not part of God's will for humanity. This brokenness is called sin.

God called Jeremiah to speak to Israel and has little good news for his people. Jeremiah explains the disaster of Babylonian exile is God's response to Israel's pagan worship, faithlessness and rebelliousness making judgement inevitable. Therefore, Jeremiah warns of destruction to come if they do not mend their broken relationship with God. That destruction is Babylon's siege of Jerusalem.

But there is hope. Jeremiah buys a field as the armies of Babylon are surrounding Jerusalem. His purchase represents hope in God’s faithfulness to his people. Jeremiah often repeats God’s promise of hope.

God promises hope. In Jeremiah 33:6 God says, "Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security". In Jeremiah 33:8 God says, "And I will cleanse away all their sins against me and pardon their sins of rebellion."

God promises hope. In today's broken society, God promises hope because God is faithful to God's people. God will heal the pain and destruction in today's broken society. 

Where do you see God's promise of hope happening ?

Revive Us Again

Surely his salvation is at hand 

for those who fear him,

that his glory may dwell in our land.

Will you not revive us again,

so that your people may rejoice in you?

Psalm 85:9

God, can we have civil conversation in our land again? Can you revive us to a state of dignity? This story gives me hope that God is at work reviving God’s people.

 

In 1856 at the age of seventeen, William MacKay left his Scottish home to attend college. His mother gave him a Bible on which she wrote his name and Scripture verses. At college he began well. But eventually he drifted far from the way he had been raised. He began drinking heavily. At a low point, he carelessly pawned the Bible using the money to buy whiskey

Years later, MacKay completed medical training and worked in a city hospital where he had a dying man as a patient. The patient knew he would soon die and began to urgently request that the hospital staff get a book in his apartment. He needed that book brought to him. “I need my book, I need my book!” was his dying request.

The doctor went to the apartment, curious to find out what “book” had been so precious that holding it again had been a dying man’s greatest desire. His search uncovered a Bible.  Inside the front cover, in his mother’s hand, was his own name.  It had been years since he had seen it, but there could be no mistake. Someone had reclaimed the Bible from that pawn shop, and it had become a priceless treasure to a dying man.

Returning to his hospital office, with the Bible worn and weathered, he could still see the texts his mother had marked for him to read. He read them all night in his medical office, and by the next morning, his life was changed for good from a state of immorality to a state of salvation.

He left the medical profession, went to a theological college, and became a minister serving the Prospect Street Presbyterian Church, in Hull, Scotland. His best-known hymn, still familiar today, is “Revive Us Again

Adapted from an article by David T. Myers

A Moment of Grace

 

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith

—and this is not from yourselves, 

it is the gift of God

Ephesians 2:8

Brayden Harrington may not be a name you remember, but he shared a moment of grace. Brayden has a serious stutter issue. Children with that issue are often the subject of teasing by others which may leave them feeling isolated and alone. They may choose to be alone to avoid humiliation. They may not offer an answer to a question by the teacher even they know the answer. Often added to that is the embarrassment of being removed from the classroom for speech therapy. 

Brayden, however  had a moment of grace. When Joe Biden was in New Hampshire he met Brayden and they spent time together. Brayden was shown how to mark a paper so that when he had to read aloud it was easier. The moment of grace wasn't so much that he was shown something new or different. It was that someone with the same disability took time to share in their experiences. As Biden put it, "We belong to the same club". 

When Brayden shared that moment of grace on national television, it was a gift of God for all who were watching. It's not that Brayden read something flawlessly, he didn't. The gift of God for us was that he chose to share that moment of grace.

Isn't this how God's gift of grace is shared? Isn't it when a Christian unconditionally accepts another just as that person is? The power of spending a moment of grace with someone may be a transforming moment for him or her. 

Power of the Word

The Word is near to you

on your lips and in your heart

Romans 10:8

Communication is a major issue when driving a special needs school bus. Some children don't comprehend what you are saying while others can't clearly articulate what they are trying to say. Some understand what you are saying but have difficult behaviors they can't control. Some are living through or have had traumatic experiences and express their anger or pain in socially unacceptable ways. 

Communication is a major issue with Paul. Paul expects that God’s Word actually gets inside of people. It is not just spoken, but is a power that changes hearts and lives. In Paul’s day the heart is where the physical, intellectual and spiritual life, including the will, emotions, and desires, while the mouth gives expression to what is in the heart. Thus, on your lips and in your heart.

Words like believing and faith suggest agreeing to something -- whether or not that can be belief is demonstrated as true. Paul’s claim is that the good news actually changes people. For one thing, it brings people together where long-time distinctions no longer apply.

For example, substitute the word “trust” everywhere you read the word “believe” in the Romans 10:8-13. Paul’s words give a slightly different meaning. What might it mean to actually trust that God raised Jesus from the dead, and not simply to believe it? Or to trust in God and not only to believe about God?

Belief in our hearts does not make us people who say the right words. It makes us people like Abraham and Sarah (Romans 4:13-25), who hope against hope and do not weaken or waver in facing today's great challenges. It makes us people who believe and trust God in the core of our being. It makes us people who believe and trust that God is a God of life, and no matter how rough things are God will hear when we cry out.

Do you believe that? Do you trust that?

Battered by Waves

              By this time the boat, battered by the waves, 

was far from the land, for the wind was against them.

Matthew 14:24

One of my adventures was a 50 mile Boy Scout canoe trip on Chesuncook Lake, ME. The 16 year old scout in my canoe was actually a paddle washer, meaning I worked and he merely dipped his paddle in the water. On our second day, a strong wind came up at our backs. The next day on our return trip, the wind was a strong headwind. I kept telling him to paddle harder or the wind would turn the canoe sideways and we might be swamped. Nothing changed, so I prayed, "Lord, motivate this scout". Unexpectedly a strong gust turned the canoe sideways, a wave broke over us, and the scout got soaked. Suddenly the Spirit moved within the scout who paddled as though his life depended on it for the rest of the day.

It's been a busy day for Jesus. Jesus hears about John's death and tries to go by boat to a quiet place. The crowds follow him so he lands and heals their sick. The crowds are hungry, so he feeds them loaves and fish. He tells the disciples to get in the boat, go on ahead and meet him on the other side while he prays on the mountain. Now it's nearly dawn, the wind has come up and the boat has been battered by waves all night. The exhausted disciples have been struggling to be afloat. Jesus approaches the boat telling the disciples its him. Peter's not sure so says to Jesus, "if its you tell me to come to you on the water." Jesus does, and a frightened Peter steps out onto the chaotic sea and begins sinking. Peter says, "Lord save me." Jesus reaches out his hand and rescues him.

Who is Jesus is? The one who reaches to us as we struggle to stay afloat when we feel as though we are endlessly battered by waves. The one who reaches to us in our storms of life.

Praying with the Spirit

 

"Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness,"

Romans 8:26.

My morning worship includes a prayer time for people I know who are in need of healing, guidance, strength, and wisdom. I pray for the Red Sox, the Patriots, and the Celtics. I also include a prayer for our church that "God may restore her fortunes like the watercourses of the Negeb." (Ps. 126:4). I pray these prayers in confidence that God hears them and the Spirit intercedes according to the will of God. My prayer form follows A.C.T.S. Adoration, Confession,Thanksgiving, and Supplication. Thus, when Paul says, "the Spirit helps us pray when we do not know what to pray,"(Romans 8:26), I don't know what I don't want. 

James Dunn, a British New Testament scholar, says Paul's grammar in verse 26 defines the scripture differently than we usually think of it. He says it's not that we know what we need and merely lack the right words for asking it. As he says, we "do not know what to want," let alone how to ask for it. So to clarify "what to want", the Spirit intercedes, aligning prayer on our behalf to the will of God for us. Then in verses 28-30, Paul adds that the Spirit intercedes for us in the present, the past, and the future. 

For me it worked this way. In a recent conversation with a friend about aging and crossing the "big 80", the topic of what's next arose. What is there left to do in this decade which I may well not complete? I had no idea what I wanted to do let alone even know how to pray about it. Then my friend said, "take stock of the life you have lived and consider what you still want to do, say, or experience in this life." The Spirit interceded in my weakness.

The Good News is that, by God's Grace, the Spirit intercedes aligning us all with God's love. 

Be Not Afraid

1930 Steel Worker

  

The LORD himself goes before you 

and will be with you; 

he will never leave you nor forsake you. 

Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

Deuteronomy 31:8

Here  is one place you would never find me. 

My Swanton, MYF wanted to go to an observation tower in Montreal,the Observatoire Place Ville Marie. We rode up the elevator, the doors opened and I found the tower was glass from ceiling to floor. The youth went dashing to windows looking down on Montreal. Terrified, I leaned against the wall looking straight out. The youth wanted to linger and I wanted to leave... quickly. "Do not be afraid.?" Fine on paper, not in the tower. I was more than ready for the Lord to go with me to the elevator.

In Deuteronomy 31:8 God reassures the Israelites that all will be well. God was removing Moses giving him an eternal rest. This was a monumental change since they relied on Moses for so long. God then appoints Joshua as Moses’ successor to lead them as God had led with Moses.

Right now our society is experiencing monumental changes that can leave us feeling out on a limb, afraid. There is the terrifying fear of a deadly pandemic spiking and getting much worse. There is the fear of a deepening recession causing us loss of income. There is the fear of violence as we reckon with racism.

This may certainly be a discouraging moment. People tell us "We'll get through this. We've been through worse". That isn't helpful. 

What's helpful is God's word. God's word tells us there is more than feeling out on a limb and discouraged. Instead, God's word tells us to go forward on the strength of a divine promise: "The Lord will be with you and never forsake you". No matter how fearful we are or discouraged we become in our monumentally changing society or our own overwhelming  fears and anxieties, God's intention is for us to walk in peace.  It's to know in our hearts that God is a loving, saving God going before us, never leaving or forsaking us. That's God's Promise and God keeps promises.

Pandemic Planning

 I am moving ahead with my pandemic planning. I am fascinated by steam trains. I have ridden the Strasburg RR to Paradise in Strasburg, PA.;the CSRR in Conway, N. H.; the Scranton Limited based in Steamtown, PA.; and the D&S RR in CO running along a canyon river and then its steep side.

Naturally, I'm making plans to visit 5 different steam train rides near Portland ME as well as the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, ME.

Pandemic Planning says, "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven." (Ecclesiastes 3:1) In other words, don't go steaming along with your plans because they may go off the rails.

Ecclesiastes' author is a sage grown weary of life’s uncertainties. Therefore, he says, recognize your own mortality in the face of God’s eternity and be appropriately humble: “I know that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it."(Ecclesiastes 3:14). There is a reliable order to God's creation: a time and a season for everything. 

Like the author of Ecclesiastes, I have grown weary of the unrest, chaos and pandemic conditions around me. I have grown weary of the causes creating them and events perpetuating them. Our society tells me to live the good life. Go steaming along with your plans. So what if you are in a high risk group. Wear a mask, wash your hands, do what you want. Risk going off the rails.

The unrest, chaos, and pandemic conditions are not part of God's created order. God's created order is hope, peace, and healing. There is a season of God's hope as someone recovered from Covid-19 leaves a hospital; peace in experiencing worship as best as we can; and healing in the research for a vaccine. 

How have you found hope, peace, and healing in our time of uncertainty?

Trees of the Field

 For you shall go out in joy, 

and be led back in peace; 

the mountains and the hills 

before you shall burst into song,

 and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

Isaiah 55:12

Trees of The Field is one of my favorite songs. I like the tempo especially as it increases with each verse. I enjoy the rhythm and clapping hands as we sing. I can almost hear the mountains and hills bursting into song. And I really love the imagery of trees clapping their hands. For me its not just the spirit and imagery of the song, its the hope within it. The song and text are saying that signs of hope can be seen as God does the impossible with creation.

Isaiah is speaking to folks in desperate need of a word of hope. The trauma living through the Babylonian Exile was too much to bear. Some Israelites are questioning their beliefs in the God of their ancestors. Isaiah presents the doubters with a word of hope from a Lord who transforms broken lives. The prophet describes a world of thorn trees and briers transformed into green myrtles and cypresses. This radical transformation symbolizes a new life laying ahead after the devastation of the Babylonian exile. Isaiah contrasts two worlds: an exile world; a world of possibilities where all of creation is mended and restored and the exiles can live in peace.

Centuries later this is still valid. It seems to me that we are in desperate need of a word of hope as we make our way through the current wrenching times. Experiencing fear of Covid-19, social unrest and violence is deeply distressing.That's why a God of love  gives us a picture of a radically transformed and peaceful, world mended and restored.  God intends this to be a world of hope. 

One in Christ

"There is no longer Jew or Greek, 

there is no longer slave or free, 

there is no longer male and female;

for all of you are one in Christ Jesus."

Galatians 3:28

Shortly after Pastor Sungduk Kim moved in to the parsonage and got settled, I met with him and asked how he was getting along. Had he found a doctor, a grocery store, and the like. I then asked a question that revealed my ignorance, "Had he experienced any racism?" Of course he has.

Webster's Dictionary says racism is a belief that racial differences produce a built-in superiority of a particular race. It is also a political or social system founded on race. 

The Bible in Leviticus says: "When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God."

Jesus says: "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in." "‘Love your neighbor as yourself." 

Peter says in Acts: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who worships God and does what is right is acceptable to God."

For me, my baptism is walking down the path of resisting evil, injustice, and oppression as Jesus called me to do. In doing so, I am affirming Paul's words in Galatians 3:28.

I firmly believe that when I take my baptism vows seriously, I am working towards the goal of equality for all God's children.

However, as informative as the dictionary and Bible are, the real issue is in recognizing my own racism (or bias or prejudice) so I can work towards that goal. 

What are your thoughts about racism?

Comparing Generations

Matthew 11:16

"To what do I compare this generation?"

Did you live through the Great Depression? You are part of the Greatest Generation if you were born in 1924 or earlier and lived through the Great Depression and fought in WWII.  The Silent Generation was born 1925-1945; Baby Boomers were born between 1946-1964; Generation X was born between 1965-1980; a Millennial was born between 1981-1996; Gen Z was born after 1997. (ref., Generation Fast Facts )

After his baptism Jesus tells John's disciples to tell John what they have heard and seen -- the blind receiving sight, the lame walking, the lepers cleansed, the deaf hearing, the dead raised, and the poor receiving good news. These must be signs of God's kingdom drawing near.

The problem with his generation was that people weren't listening. John's lifestyle is offensive, so he is accused of having a demon. Jesus' habit of eating and drinking with sinners is scandalous. Actually, these reasons are excuses to evade John and Jesus call to become part of the coming kingdom. That's why Jesus compares them to children in the marketplace who can't decide if they want to play wedding games or funeral games so they don't play either.

When I was a teenager my pastor took me and another youth to D.C. on an anti-war demonstration. I went because I liked my pastor and felt war was wrong. On June 21st I went on a Black Lives Matter protest in Milford, but for far different reasons. I attended because I am more aware of systemic injustice and the resulting suffering. I went because Micah 6:8 is my central theology and Jesus called me to build God's kingdom.

I believe we are in a generation of social upheaval. But I also believe God is opening the eyes of the blind and the ears of the deaf to bring so Good News is brought to those caught in systemic injustice situations.

How do you compare this current generation's response to systemic injustice?

A Sure Foundation

Morro Rock, Morro, CA

Matthew 7:24

Everyone then who hears these words of

 mine and acts on them will be like a 

wise man who built his house on rock. 

 Morro Rock is a remnant of an extinct volcano which the Salinan people consider a sacred site.  They climb it for their biannual solstice ceremonies celebrating the time in legend when Hawk and Raven destroyed a two-headed serpent-monster, Taliyekatapelta. Thus Morro Rock is a sacred rock in their religious faith.

Like everyone else, I have had a time of inner struggle. With the loss of my father I went through an inner struggle on the journey of grief. I dealt with denial and isolation,  anger, bargaining, and  depression. Finally I accepted that this is life. Some people will show these emotions outwardly. Others, like me, will experience their grief more internally. 

Shortly after my father's death, I received a sympathy card from my D.S. on which she wrote, "losing a father is like the shaking of our foundations."

So searching for hope in time of need,  "I called upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and so I was saved from the challenges" in the grieving process. (psalm 18:3 paraphrased)

  

I heard the Word of the Lord God, saying

"See, I am laying in Zion a foundation stone,

    a tested stone,

a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation" Isaiah 28:16

For me, and I am sure for you, hearing Jesus words is like standing on "a sure foundation". 

How do you see Jesus being "a sure foundation"?

Spiritual Crisis

How long, Lord? 

Will you forget me forever?

Psalm 13:1

A spiritual crisis for me is missing our weekly communion. I miss the breaking of the bread and pouring of the cup. I I miss gathering as one body and hearing the liturgy reminding me: "We pray for all who are in sorrow or in pain, all who are ill or alone . . ."

The untold spiritual crisis is that more than 416,000 Americans have died from Covid 19, and they often die alone. 

There is powerful image of an elderly woman in a nursing home placing her hand on a window and a young relative placing her hand on the other side of it. This image, for me, raises questions about our living and dying. Will we live separated, isolated lives? Will we die alone? 

It is part of being human to face a spiritual crisis. It may be anxiety about personal finances, the uncertainty of our times, dismay for lack of human dignity, and fears related to the Covid 19. 

For me, Psalm 13 is source of strength in a spiritual crisis.  The psalm asks, "How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever?  How long must I bear pain in my soul?" 

Verse 3 prays for relief from pain, "Look on me and answer, Lord my God." 

Verse 5 says "But I trust in your unfailing love".

Verse 6 concludes, "But I trusted in your steadfast love;  I will sing to the LORD, because he has dealt bountifully with me."

Psalm 13 describes a spiritual crisis and the hope in trusting in the Lord. It seems to me that this is how we travel the spiritual crisis of our time. 

Ask. 

Pray. 

Trust.

 

New Heaven, New Earth

The Seawall, Acadia, NP

Revelation 21:1 

"Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,

for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away."

"The Times They Are a-Changin'" is a song written by Bob Dylan and released in 1964.  The song is a conscious effort to verbalize the changes of the 60's. For me its release influenced my views on society because the lyrics are general yet universal giving the song a lasting message of change similar to Mark 10:31 where the last verse says:

The slow one now will later be fast

As the present now will later be past

The order is rapidly fading

And the first one now will later be last

For the times they are a-changin'

The times seem to be changing to a "new normal". New Normal? What does that mean? Perhaps more working at home, continued social distancing, or more frequently wearing masks? Does it mean an increase in overt violence or a more subtle violence such as suspicion, mistrust and humiliation?

John's Revelation is set in a time of random persecution in Rome and Asia Minor. It's intent was to provide hope to the seven churches of Asia. So it is about more than our reality of earth and our image of heaven as a place in the afterlife. John clearly says this New Heaven and New Earth is about God dwelling among people. It is about God "wiping every tear from their eyes." And that "mourning and crying and pain will be no more."

For me, this vision of God dwelling among us gives us hope in these troubled times of violence, disease, and poverty. Our hope lies in God's presence as we journey through the now to the unfolding "new normal". This unfolding of the "New Heaven and New Earth" is nothing less than God's Peace of Christ among us.

  

Sacred Symbols

1 Corinthians 10:16

The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ?  

I held these sacred symbols throughout my ministry. The Bible is particularly sacred to me because it is my "preaching bible". For over 50 years I stood before a congregation and read and interpreted God's Word.

The cross is especially sacred to me because I brought it home after visiting Wesley's chapel in London. It stands before me as a symbol of my Christian and Methodist heritage. 

The chalice is truly sacred to me  because it is a gift from a good friend upon his return from Taize', France.  It reminds me that blessing the cup and loaf brings us together as one in Christ.

To me the opposite of sacred is profane. To take any of these sacred symbols and use them for something other than their sacred purpose is sacrilegious. To desecrate them is nothing less than the powers of darkness at work.

Therefore, for me a lifted Bible by an irreligious elected official in our highest office, is the power of darkness at work. It is a diabolical, profoundly immoral and wicked act.

I give thanks to God for the "light that shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it." (John 1:5)

Prayin' Time

Psalm 46:10 

"Be still, and know that I am God"

Wonderland, Acadia, NP

In these trying times there is much noise around us. There is noise from armed protesters, school shootings, and the desecration of Jewish synagogues and Muslim mosques. There is the noise of people being in food lines for the first time. There are the disturbing cries from the weak being abused  and the vulnerable being neglected. There is alarming noise from violent protesters and deeply unsettling scenes of destruction.

It makes me feel like Elijah hiding in a cave as God passes by in wind, fire and earthquake. It makes me ask, What's coming next? Will it be some sort of social upheaval? Will it be a further fracturing of our world? Will it be a new source of fear?

So I turn to God in prayer. I ask God to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and heal the sick. I ask God to bring peace in our troubled times. I ask God to "Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an everflowing stream" (Amos 5:24).

I ask.

God says, "Be still and know that I am God."

To "Be still and know that I am God." seems nearly impossible in the midst of all this noise. How in our prayin' time do we find stillness and listen for God?

One way of finding stillness in our prayin' time is to meditate daily.  It is to set aside any invasive noise of worry or fear. Let anxiety float away in the "river whose streams make glad the city of God." It is this time of stillness that helps regain ones confidence in the strength of God.

Then, after this time of stillness, we are strengthened to move back into the world and do what we can to still the noise of worry, fear and anxiety in others.

It's prayin" time. Be still and listen for God's voice in these trying times.