June 19, 2015

“When Jesus had finished…he went away from there, and coming to his own country he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter’s son?” Matthew 13:54-55

“Who am I? They often tell me
I would step from my cells’ confinement
calmly, cheerfully, firmly,
like a squire from his country-house.

Who am I? They often tell me
I would talk to my warders
freely and friendly and clearly,
as though it were mine to command.

Am I then really all that which other men tell of?
Or am I only what I know of myself,
restless and longing and sick, like a bird in a cage,
struggling for breath, as though hands were
compressing my throat…

Who am I? They mock me, these lonely questions
of mine.
Whoever I am, thou knowest, O G*d, I am thine.”

Letters and Papers from Prison
Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906 – 1945)
(P. 107 – 108) “For All The Saints” volume II

“Is not this the carpenter’s son?”, comes the question of the hometown folk. “Who am I?” comes the question of Dietrich Bonhoeffer in his poem. It begs the question we must ask ourselves every day: Am I a carpenter, a lawyer, a butcher, a pastor, or am I a child of G*d? No matter how others look to define us, or how society wants to label us, we have one important identity: child of G*d. Jesus was both, the child of G*d and the child of a carpenter. We too carry multiple labels within us — but only one is truly defining: child of G*d.

A Closing Prayer for the Evening

Forgive me, Lord Jesus, for the things I have done that make me feel uncomfortable in Your presence. All the front that I polish so carefully for men to see, does not deceive You. For You know every thought that has left its shadow on my memory. Thou hast marked every motive that curdled something sweet within me. I acknowledge, with sorrow and true repentance, that:

I have desired that which I should not have;
I have toyed with what I knew was not for me;
I have been preoccupied with self-interest;
I have invited unclean thoughts into my mind and entertained them as honored guests;
My ears have often been deaf to Your whisper;
My eyes have been often blind to the signs of Your guidance.

Make me willing to be changed, even though it requires surgery of the soul, and the therapy of discipline. Make my heart warm and soft, that I may receive and accept now the blessings of Your forgiveness, the benediction of Your “Depart in peace….and sin no more.” In Jesus’ name…….Amen

Peter Marshall (1902 – 1949) “For All The Saints” volume II (p. 103-104)

Pastor Dave