Daily Archives: August 12, 2015

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 2:44 pm on August 12, 2015
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Emasculated Immaculates — Rev. David J. Schreffler

 

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Can you hear his voice, the muted sage?
Silenced by immaculate pew-sitters’ rage;
Angry that sages dare change the words
To liturgies oft spoken–but hardly heard.

Preaches the word to prune-pasted faces
Who long have forgotten other classes, races:
Seems pointless and fills the sage with sorrow
Wondering whether there really is hope for tomorrow.

They dishonor the sage with hateful words
Tossed about, whispered as if “no one has heard”;
These joyless worshippers who seem above judgment
Will they learn their salvation might be a presumption?

The fruit of their spirit: power, lust, hate, greed
Seeking their own way is their most trusted need;
Silent the cancer that eats at their souls
Who dares to convince them they are only fools?

So the sage lives on in silent hope
While emasculated pew-sitters gather their rope;
Will they choke out and silence the voice of love?
Can you hear the sage who speaks from above?

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:44 am on August 12, 2015  

Always — Rev. David J. Schreffler

 

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August 12, 2015

Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint,
and strengthens the powerless.
Even youths will faint and be weary,
and the young will fall exhausted;
but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,
they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
they shall walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40:28-31

“We humans flippantly make promises with the word always, or never, but we cannot actually know or guarantee or promise anything for certain outside of our short lifespan of experience and limited abilities. But when Jesus, for instance, says he will be with you “always, even to the end of the world,” he is able to fulfill that promise. It is this everlasting quality of Jesus’ character which gives rise to his self description as the “Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending” of everything else.

He is the Alpha, in that every part of our existence finds its origin in him. Nothing, and no one, besides God has existed forever. He is the Omega, or ending, of our existence, though, as well; every one of us will eventually find ourselves at the feet of Jesus… Our lives will all end in God.” (bbh devotions, July 9, 2015)

Every parent has made this statement to their child, at one time or another, or at least something like it: “I will always be here”. We say this, yet we know deep down that it is not something we can guarantee. We know intrinsically that we are not going to live forever, and we may not “always” be there for our children. Yet, we use these words and make these statements because we don’t want our children to worry, or to be afraid, or to think that one day, maybe not too far down the road, we will not be here. This is the way of life — we just don’t know how long any of us will be alive.

But, we do know that we have a G*d who is “always” available — a G*d who has “always” been — a G*d who “always” listens to our prayers — a G*d who “never” gives up on us. When Jesus says that he is the “Alpha and the Omega” he means it, and we believe it. So even though, as parents, we may not be able to fulfill that promise to our children, we can teach them that we have a Father who will always be there — and is just a prayer away, every day.

Pastor Dave