Skip to main content

Seeking God

Remember
Ukraine
Astico Gardens
Acaia, NP 
“Come,” my heart says,
“seek his face!”
Your face, Lord, do I seek.
(from Psalm 27)


 I clearly remember the time I told the church I was giving up chocolate for Lent. Immediately after the service a little girl approached me and said, "I hate chocolate!!!" 

What followed was an organized effort to have as many chocolate goodies at Coffee Time as possible. Pastor, are you going to yield to temptation?

I don't buy into sacrificing something for Lent that society tells us we need. 

Instead, I see Lent as looking at my spiritual life and asking what needs attention?
 
Is it "search the Scriptures" through Bible reading and study?

Is it acts social justice as Micah 6:8 points out?

Our urge to seek the Lord comes from an awareness of distance. We are aware that we haven't fully completed our spiritual journey in to "the house of the Lord."

Compare a journey to my physical trials. I have an issue with balance which means I walk well on smooth surfaces, but when walking on rough places, such as my lawn, I need a walking stick. 

In other words, I see a Cristian journey as having smooth places with an easier journey and rough places requiring more determination and assistance. Our journey has places where we have to lean on something.

Each of us has to draw on our own inner resources of faith going through the rough places as well as celebrating the smooth places

Our hope and strength are in knowing God is with us.

The poet of the Psalm 27 shares encouragement saying: 
    For in the day of trouble
    he will keep me safe in his dwelling.
And then again:
    I remain confident of this:
    I will see the goodness of the Lord
    In the land of the living.

The poet reminds us, from personal experience, that when seeking the Lord's face, God is with us.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Ruler of All Earthly Kings

Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. (from Rev. 1:4-8 ) About 17 years ago I wrote a letter to the people in the United Church of Underhill. The purpose of the letter was to explain I was retiring at the end of the Conference Year. I felt the time had come for me personally to move on and for the church to grow with a new pastor. I secured a moving company while the church formed a search committee as we both prepared for the inevitable. This is the nature of the book of Revelation, as recorded in 1:4: “John, to the seven churches in the province of Asia.” This is Revelation’s context: it was written for the benefit of particular people at a particular time for their particular situation. John’s letter narrates a drama about God’s imminent invasion of the “kingdom of this world” ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Grantchester's Warning

"But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, the owner would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (from Luke 12:32-40 ) I regularly watch Grantchester; a murder mystery set in 1950s England. The main characters are a local detective and an Anglican priest who, as a team, solve mysteries set in the town. Two aspects of Grantchester impress me. First, the simplicity of the 1950’s police communications done by a landline phone and not cell phone. Second, the simplicity of daily life with little television and fewer possessions allowing the characters to focus on their vocation of detective and priest. This simplicity is more than a nostalgic return to the “good old days”. Instead, it’s a Shaker type of simplicity where austerity allows freedom from distractions to focus on worship and community. Today’s distraction-filled world has seemingly countless activ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Jesus, Deliverance, and Demons

"Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind." (from Luke 8:26-39 ) Astrid is a streaming program I often watch. The plot is a basic cops and robbers action until the criminal is caught. The uniqueness of the program is Astrid, who is on the Autism spectrum, is brilliant at solving puzzles including connecting clues to solve the crime. Watching this program has given me a more profound insight to people living with this condition and their acceptance in society. My first-hand experience with children on the Spectrum was driving a Special Needs school bus for 6 years. With this experience, I can imagine the life the possessed man was experiencing, especially living among the tombs, bound with chains and shackles, having to live in the wilds. It was no wonder he cried for mercy. Jesus, with his power and mercy, cast the demons out and even...
Post a Comment
Read more