January 29, 2022 — “By and Large” (Genesis 7:13-24)

“On that very day Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, together with his wife and the wives of his three sons, entered the ark.They had with them every wild animal according to its kind, all livestock according to their kinds, every creature that moves along the ground according to its kind and every bird according to its kind, everything with wings. Pairs of all creatures that have the breath of life in them came to Noah and entered the ark. The animals going in were male and female of every living thing, as God had commanded Noah. Then the Lord shut him in.For forty days the flood kept coming on the earth, and as the waters increased they lifted the ark high above the earth. The waters rose and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. They rose greatly on the earth, and all the high mountains under the entire heavens were covered. The waters rose and covered the mountains to a depth of more than fifteen cubits.Every living thing that moved on land perished—birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all mankind. Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died. Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; people and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark. The waters flooded the earth for a hundred and fifty days.” Genesis 7:134-24

 “By and Large”

Sailors were the first to refer to things in terms of “by and large.” The first part of the phrase refers to the nautical term “full and by” which means a boat was traveling into the wind. On the other hand, “large” means the wind is coming from behind. “By and large,” then, would mean the wind is coming from any direction—giving rise to the current meaning of “in general.”

“The waters rose and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. They rose greatly on the earth, and all the high mountains under the entire heavens were covered.” When the ark was built, it was not provided with any way to steer this enormous boat. Therefore, when the waters were at their highest, the boat just floated aimlessly, or in the nautical terms, it was going wherever the wind blew and the tides converged.

Does your life feel as if you are being driven “by and large” – meaning the winds of fortune are taking you this way and that – floating aimlessly in the sea of fate? It is hard, especially in these times, to believe that G-d has a plan for your life. But G-d does. No, we will never be able to predict where G-d is taking us – and often we will never be able to know why our journey goes where it goes. But, in this process, we do not just sit back, like Noah and his family, and allow us to drift through life, and faith. It is with G-d’s help we will continue on our path – through prayer, discernment, and action, we sail toward a stronger relationship with G-d, and the path G-d wants us to travel.

Let us pray,

Lord Jesus, some days we may feel as if our lives are being led “by and large”. But with daily prayer, constant and active discernment, and our trust in the working of the Holy Spirit, we trust you to know that our path will be certain and true – no matter where life takes us. Amen.

Pastor Dave

January 28, 2022 — “Close but no cigar” (1 Samuel 17:45-50)

“David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.” As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground. So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.” 1 Samuel 17:45-50

“Close but no cigar”

Carnival games nowadays give out stuffed animals as prizes, but in the late 19th century, the games were targeted to adults, not kids. And for those who might win a prize, the prize would not be a giant teddy bear, but instead winners might get a cigar. If they almost won but didn’t earn that prize, the carnival worker might shout “close, but no cigar.” By the 1930s, the phrase extended beyond fairgrounds to everyday close calls.

The fact that it was David and not some other fighter for the Israelites, made the giant Goliath laugh. How could this young, unarmed, un-armored boy beat him, a giant fighter for the fierce Philistines? But, as we all have learned throughout our lives, we should never count out someone who has G-d on their side. As the boy prepared to fire his sling, the Giant had to think to himself this will be another time when someone’s attempt to defeat him will be “Close but no cigar”. Instead the stone flew so quickly, and so precisely, that it sunk into the Giant’s forehead before he could react – and killed him.

Often we feel as if our G-d moments come close, but not close enough to really change us. But how close does G-d have to get before we understand the blessings that come from a relationship with G-d? I once was visiting a young person who was involved in a horrific accident. They should not have survived — and yet they did — fairly intact. There were many decisions and behaviors that led up to the accident — many of them poor decisions and bad behaviors. In our conversations I asked them “Is anything going to change? Is this the wake up call you needed?”

When G-d gives us a “wake-up” call, we should be listening, discerning, and understanding how much G-d loves us and how far G-d will go to get our attention. The next time may not be another “close but no cigar”. Now is the time to see the G-d moments for what they are — time to reassess and consider a closer relationship with G-d.

Let us pray,

Lord Jesus, we thank you for the times that you come into our lives, those moments when we notice, and those where we are too distracted. Help us to see your presence, and to share your love every day. Amen.

Pastor Dave