September 14, 2021 – Psalm 135:1–138:8    

“Praise the Lord! Praise the name of the Lord; give praise, O servants of the Lord, you that stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God. Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing to his name, for he is gracious. For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel as his own possession. For I know that the Lord is great; our Lord is above all gods. Whatever the Lord pleases he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps.He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth; he makes lightnings for the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses.” Psalm 135:1-7

Are we masters of all that we perceive, or servants of the Most-High G-d? We often hear from our culture that we are to be masters of our own destiny, in full charge of our own domain. Psalm 135 articulates a different theme – a recurring theme in the Psalms – and that theme is the fact that G-d Reigns – G-d is sovereign. If G-d reigns, then we must resign ourselves to our proper place, and that is as servants of the most-high G-d. And there are too many people who do not like the sound of that.

If we place our trust in ourselves and ourselves alone, then we are consigning ourselves and our destiny to nothingness. Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes this in the book “The Cost of Discipleship”: “the older the world grows, the more heated becomes the conflict between Christ and (Antichrist), and the more thorough the efforts of the world to get rid of the Christians.” 

I believe that our society, especially in America, is trying its best to denounce anything to do with Christianity. G-d’s sovereignty comes in a strange form to this world – and that form is through “suffering” love. We shall live by faith, not trusting ourselves, but trusting in a G-d who suffers for and with us. And then we are called to suffer with others, and to work to ease the suffering of others. If we are to live this kind of faith, then we need our G-d to give us strength every day.

Let Us Pray:

Lord, give us the strength to follow you and not to follow the deceptions of this evil world. Help us to be the voice that cries out in the wilderness “Prepare the Way of the Lord”. Amen.

Pastor Dave

September 13, 2021 – Acts 16:25-34

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted in a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.”The jailer called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them outside and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They answered, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. At the same hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized without delay. He brought them up into the house and set food before them; and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God.” Acts 16:25-34

Even after being released from prison, Paul and Silas first go to the house of Lydia to encourage the “brothers and sisters” before they depart. Paul and Silas had quite an experience in Philippi, ending in their imprisonment and the experience with the earthquake. They are indeed due some time off. They should be heading off to find some rest and to recover from their prison experience. Yet, the first thing they do is worry about the home of Lydia and the newest members of the church (the faith).

How are we doing with those who have just joined the church? Are we doing enough to encourage them and to be their brothers and sisters in the faith? How might we improve our hospitality to the newest members in our midst and the stranger as well? Yes we are all tired, either from our work, or from our family responsibilities. But on Sunday, we put away all the cares of the world and we seek strong relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ – including welcoming new members and inviting them into our ministries.

Let Us Pray:

Lord, help us to be the welcoming people we claim to be. Help us to recognize the ways we keep people out and knock down the walls of division and exclusion. Amen.

Pastor Dave