He Holds The Children In His Hands

In you, O Lord, I take refuge;
    let me never be put to shame.

In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;
    incline your ear to me and save me.
Be to me a rock of refuge,
    a strong fortress, to save me,
    for you are my rock and my fortress.

Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,
    from the grasp of the unjust and cruel.
For you, O Lord, are my hope,
    my trust, O Lord, from my youth.
Upon you I have leaned from my birth;
    it was you who took me from my mother’s womb.
My praise is continually of you.

Psalm 71:1-6 NRSV

 

My birth family did not attend worship. I never attended Sunday School; but, thanks to some wonderful neighbor ladies I was able to go to Vacation Bible School. I was confirmed; but, that was because I wanted to affirm my baptism. I would find rides or walk the few miles to the classes at church. I attended services with my grandmother when I was very young and stayed with her at times. I remember some of those services being in the Finnish language, which I did not understand. But, in spite of a very minimal formal Christian education, I came to know and to trust God. He came to me when I was not able to go to Him.

 

Family life as I grew up was pretty chaotic and there were many times, as a young child, that I simply had no one to turn to. I feared for my safety and felt very alone. So, I turned to God for comfort and for safety and for love. There were many nights that I could not sleep because of troubles in the household. Weekends were usually the most rough. I remember hiding knives and ammo in the evenings before our parents came home on Friday and Saturday nights. But, I must stress that in spite of the many times of trouble, there were also many good times, as well. There are many children growing up today who do not have the benefit of these good times.  

 

But, where and to whom shall a child turn when they are afraid? One of the few songs that I knew from Vacation Bible School was "He's Got The Whole World In His Hands."  In order to rest without fear and to be able to fall asleep in peace, I would often envision myself laying in the comfort and safety of God's great hands. He came to me. He was and is my strong fortress to save me. He is my refuge and strength. He was and is with me always. He is with you always. 

 

There are children today who live in much greater fear than I did. My heart goes out to them and I pray that they will live and rest in the comfort and safety of God's hands.

 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Help Quickly!

In you, O Lord, I seek refuge;

    do not let me ever be put to shame;

    in your righteousness deliver me.

Incline your ear to me;

    rescue me speedily.

Be a rock of refuge for me,

    a strong fortress to save me.

You are indeed my rock and my fortress;

    for your name’s sake lead me and guide me,

take me out of the net that is hidden for me,

    for you are my refuge.

Into your hand I commit my spirit;

    you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.

Psalm 31:1-5 NRSV

Quickly, Lord; right now; ASAP! I cannot even begin to count the times, just this past week, I have found myself asking the Lord to help and to help quickly!

Whenever we stand on the name of Jesus or strive to do the will of God in opposition to the will of the world, we can pretty much expect to be attacked. There are those in this world who just do not appreciate God's will being done when it interferes with their personal comfort zones. So, I find myself praying for myself, my family, and my congregation a lot. "Rescue us quickly. You who are our rock and our fortress remove the trap that has been set for us. And... Into your hands I commit our spirits."

Thanks be to God! The Lord hears our prayers and has answered! He is our rock and our fortress. His righteousness has delivered us.

God's Peace - Pr. J

The Rock

Be to me a rock of refuge,
    a strong fortress, to save me,
    for you are my rock and my fortress.

Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,
    from the grasp of the unjust and cruel.

                                            Psalm 71:3-4 NRSV

 

Sully is a huge English Mastiff. He is a rock. He goes about his business steady and sure. You can nudge him; but, unless he wants to move, it's not going to happen. Fortunately, he is a gentle giant and listens quite well. He is totally non-aggressive; but, if he's standing by your side, most people would think twice about approaching you in any manner other than in a most amiable way. 

 

Jesus is our rock of refuge. He is our fortress. The unjust and cruel will not prevail over those who dwell within the walls of that fortress, which is the Body of Christ. As much as I trust that by Sully's side I will be safe; I only see him a few times a year. But, Jesus is with me always. It is he who will save and keep us for all eternity.

 

God's Peace - Pr. J 

Acts 13:1-3 Praying For Those Whom God Sends

Acts 13:1-3 NIV

Barnabas and Saul were called by the Holy Spirit to be set apart to serve the Lord as, what we today would call, missionaries. The people of the church at Antioch prayed and laid their hands upon them before they sent them off to do the work which they were called to.

Bp. A. Malasusa, Bp. T. Skrenes, Rev. J. Wrege
Pr. J (kneeling) and Rev. Jimalee Jones (behind pulpit)
 

We ordain and install Pastors with the laying on of hands and prayer. At the beginning of each school year, we pray for those whom we are commissioning or installing as teachers of our youth. After our annual congregation meeting, we do the same for new council members. And, when the Spirit calls sets apart one of our members to visit the sick and our elderly neighbors we have a special service at which we pray for those going out to serve. That is not to say these are the only ones that visit our shut-ins. We have many who do this. But, usually one or two or set apart at any given time to ensure that those who cannot be with us; hear the Word and receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion on a regular basis. These are set apart to pray with those whom they visit.

To what have you been called? We know that God gives to each of us gifts for the good of all. (Romans 12:4-8) What gifts has He given you so that you might answer the call that He has called you to?

Let us pray:  May God who has called you to serve, bless every step that you take. May he bless the work of your hands and the words of your lips that all that you say and think and do may be acceptable in His sight and glorify He, who is our rock and our redeemer. Amen.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Luke 17:1-4 Jesus' Way

Luke 17:1-4 NIV
Only four verses and so much in them!

Jesus warns the disciples and us that we are to be very cautious on how we treat others. We are not to cause any one to sin. In other words, don't be teaching others to sin, either by word or example. And, if someone sins against you, forgive them. Actually what Jesus says is: “If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.” (vs 4)

Please note that Jesus does not tell us that we are to accept everything that everybody does. Everything is not ok or beneficial. Sin needs to be addressed in order for others to not stumble; in order for us not to stumble. Christians sometimes get accused of not being very Christ-like because they will not accept sin simply as an alternative and acceptable way to be. There is only "One Way" for the Christian. Jesus is "The Way." To teach or approve of any other way is to set up a stumbling block. To close our eyes to sin or say that there is no sin is setting up a stumbling block for ourselves as well as for others. The consequences will be devastating. But, if a brother sins against a Christian, the Christian will bring it to their attention and when they repent will forgive them in order that neither of them will suffer consequences worse than have a millstone tied around their necks and thrown into the sea.

I'm ok.
You're ok.
When Jesus is "The Way." 

God's Peace - Pr. J 

Luke 6:43 - 49 Stand Firm; Bear Fruit

Luke 6:43-49 NIV
There's a familiar children's song about the wise man who built his house upon a rock and a foolish man who built his house upon the sand. The house built upon the sand will fall in stormy weather. The house that is built upon the rock, who is Jesus the Christ, will stand no matter what attempts to destroy it. In fact, the home of the wise man, like the good tree, will bear much fruit for our Lord.

Be wise and live life bearing good fruit.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Daniel 2 - Jesus is the Rock

Then the astrologers answered the king, “May the king live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will interpret it.” (Dan 2:4 NIV)

Not! The king wants his servants to not only interpret his dream, but to tell him what it was that he dreamed first! No king's servant is able to do that. Only God knows what goes has been put into the mind of man whether he is awake or asleep. The LORD comes to Daniel's rescue and shows Daniel the dream so that the dream might be interpreted for the king and the king will know what is to come.

"Daniel replied, 'No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come...'" (Dan 2:27-28)

What has been revealed is none other than Jesus, the Rock; Jesus the King. "They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ." (1 Corinthians 10:3-4)

"As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him—  you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."

For in Scripture it says:

“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
    a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
    will never be put to shame.”

Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,

“The stone the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone,”

and,

“A stone that causes people to stumble    and a rock that makes them fall.” (1 Peter 2:4-8)

Daniel interpreted the kings dream: “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces..." (Daniel 2:44-45 NIV)

Jesus is the rock. He is the King of Kings. His Kingdom is the kingdom, prophesied by Daniel, that will endure forever.

And we will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Amen. (Psalm 23:6)

God's Peace - Pr. J
 

Psalm 97 - What Is Evil?

^"Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked." (Psalm 97:10 NIV)

So what exactly is this evil that the faithful ones hate?  This morning, as most morning, I'm going to have to go for anything that separates from the love of God. Any false idol, any motivation that is self-serving, that turns our love away from Him and to something else would be evil.  Being separated from God is evil.  Being reconciled to Him is a good thing!

I can think of lots of evil things that turn my stomach this morning.  Evil is not always blatant and in your face.  Sometimes, it is those little things we do, the sneaky little things to undermine our neighbor and that do not glorify God, that is the evil that confronts and confounds us.  Evil comes sliding out from under the rock, mostly unnoticed by humankind.  But, it is there and we often fail to recognize it as existing around us. We fail to recognize it and end up accepting it as a normal part of life. 

I am always amazed when someone declares something as the epitome of evil.  It's like we're saying that thing or that person is evil, but I am not.  It's always good to say something is more evil than we are.  It makes us feel righteous.  Actually, what it makes us is self-righteous and the only one that is truly righteous is God.  In Him is our righteousness and in no other. 

^"Light shines on the righteous and joy on the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous, and praise his holy name." (Psalm 97:11-12)

God's Peace - Pr. J

 

Psalm 81 - Stubborn Hearts Need Listen

Again we hear and are reminded that those with the stubborn hearts should listen to God.  I guess we have to keep being reminded to listen to Him, because we are so stubborn.  We refuse to hear God's Word.  We refuse to remember and sing for joy for what God has done for us.

If only we would listen! If only we would hear!  So many people who go from one crisis to another.  They don't remember what God did to help them through the first crisis.  They off don't remember what they did to get them in the mess in the first place.  They do remember something, though!  They remember all kinds of things that others supposedly did that brought the crisis upon them.  They falsely remember and blame others for their sins.  The burden cannot be removed from their shoulders until they take the burden of their sins upon their shoulders.  God cannot remove their foes, if the foes that they have live only in their own imagination and they are their own enemy.  I take that back...  God can remove the strongest foe, even if that foe is our self. 

Through recognizing that we are our own worst enemies, by recognizing that it is we who have sinned against God, humanity, and ourselves; by recognizing these things and turning to God, we are forgiven. The burden is removed. "You would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.” says the LORD. (Psalm 81:16 NIV)

May God help you to listen and to hear so that you might turn to the LORD and not be stuck in crisis', following our own devices, created by our stubborn hearts. (vs 11,12)

God's Peace - Pr. J

Psalm 71 - Aging

It is inevitable that with each passing year, we will change.  Our bodies grow weary, some of us begin to lose memories of the past, we grow old and sometimes we wonder, or rather are made to wonder by others, if God has forsaken us. 

God has not forsaken us. He is our strength when there is none left within us. He is our rock and our fortress.  Our faith should not be weakened with the passing day, but grow strong as we learn day by day, minute by minute, to depend on Him for our very breath. Our faith shall grow stronger as each day the hope of living "whole" in His kingdom is renewed. Though we have seen troubles, many and bitter, God will restore our lives again; from the depths of the earth, he will bring us up again. He will give us comfort. (vs. 21-22)

Even when we are old, we will remember with thanksgiving the God who has been with us and will be with us all of our days.  He is our hope and our salvation.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Psalm 62 - None are Good

"God has spoken once, Twice I have heard this: That power belongs to God. Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy; For You render to each one according to his work." (Psalm 62:11,12 NKJV)

I'm never quite sure why the Psalmist thinks he is so good and everyone else is so bad.

^"'Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.'" (Luke 18:19-20)

If God rewards everyone for what we have done, we are all in big trouble.  Has anyone really followed faithfully, doing only what they ought, all the days of their lives?  If we trusted in our own good works for our relationship with God, we would not have one.  Fortunately, for us, God in His infinite grace and mercy, in His unfailing love, established a new covenant with us.  This covenant is not based on what we have done for God, but what God has done for us, through the giving of His only begotten Son, Jesus the Christ. 

I don't mean to imply that we should not be doing good. If we are truly grateful for this loving gift of eternal life, we would truly love the One who first loved us and not just pay lip service to Him. This does not mean that we are free to do anything we want to please ourselves.  It does not mean that we are free to trample on the name of the LORD, or our neighbors so that we might please ourselves.  It means that we are free, by the power of God, to love and serve God and our neighbors.  We are free to be in relationship with God and one another.  In the knowledge that we are free from the power of sin, death and the devil, we actively seek to love as God loves us. Because of the covenant God has made with us with the blood of Jesus, we are forgiven.  Our sins are blotted out.  The slate is wiped clean through faith in the One who died for us.  The only works that God will recall on that last day are those things that were not blotted out - those things that Jesus did through us. Our salvation and honor depend on God; He is our Rock and our Refuge.

"Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord."

Have you been refreshed, by the power of God, by the Spirit, of Christ, so that He might live in and through you, to the glory of His holy name?  All honor and power and glory belong to God.  Find rest in His unfailing love.

God's Peace - Pr. J   P.S.  Been thinking about this some more.  If the Psalmist was indeed David, David was only good in that he believed God.

Psalm 18 - What Faith!

What faith!  What confidence, the writer of Psalm 18 has in the LORD! 

If only we could all trust in Him as David does.  David is totally confident that God is his fortress and his deliverer.  God is his rock!  Trusting in the LORD, David declares all this and what is more, David declares his love for the LORD.  He praises God.

Just wondering what would happen if for just one day, every Christian would stand up and boldly declare their love of the LORD.  What would happen if, for just one day, every one who professes to be a follower of Jesus, would truly trust Him and not themselves for their salvation?  What would happen if we called out in distress, and knew (absolutely knew) that God would deliver us?

We can know this.  But, do we really believe it?  What would happen?  How would this change not only our own lives, but the world?

May the one who can make the earth tremble and shake the very foundations of the mountains, help us to understand and to truely believe that He is the God of our salvation.  There is no other.

God's Peace - Pr. J