July 9, 2022 – Words of Wisdom, Albert Schweitzer

Refuge

“There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats.” – Albert Schweitzer

“Now during those days he went out to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. And when day came, he called his disciples and chose twelve of them, whom he also named apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, and James, and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James son of Alphaeus, and Simon, who was called the Zealot,and Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot…” Luke 6:12-16

Refuge

We all need some refuge. We all need time to recover and refresh. Jesus would go up mountains to be alone – to escape his disciples and the people pressing in on him who were seeking healing and strength. But Jesus never remained on the mountain for long periods of time – for there was too much to do.

We do not get a lot of time for recovery – like our cats. Our cats seem to rest and recover for 20 hours and spend the other four hours knocking things on the floor and eating. As such we need to use our time effectively – our work time and our resting time.

We pray often that Jesus will be our “refuge” and our strength. If Jesus is our refuge, then when we find time to recover, we know that Jesus is with us. Oh we may not get twenty hours of refreshment each day like our cats, but when we do get the chance to have some refuge, may we use it to the renewal of our lives and our faith.

Let us pray,

Lord Jesus, you promise us paradise when we enter into your kingdom. But while we live in this world, paradise will always remain just out of reach or at the most, fleeting and temporary. Give me refuge today so I may continue to find refreshment in you. Amen.

Pastor Dave

July 8, 2022 – Words of Wisdom, Jules Verne

Weightless

“I believe cats to be spirits come to earth. A cat, I am sure, could walk on a cloud without coming through.”  Jules Verne

“For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call and with the sound of God’s trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.”  1 Thessalonians 4:14-18

Weightless

“Encourage one another with these words.” We all need encouragement once in a while. Life is often challenging – and messy. The text from 1 Thessalonians gives us words of encouragement. They remind us that Jesus is coming back to establish a new heaven and a new earth – to spend eternity with our Lord. Those who have died before us will meet us on that day – arriving with weightless bodies for Jesus’ final return. We will all meet together on the clouds – the same clouds that G-d speaks to us through – the same clouds that Jesus descends upon. We never think of clouds as being able to hold anything – but when the Lord comes again, all of the laws of gravity and the universe will be held in suspension.

It is encouraging to know that Jesus has the plans for the end times – for us individually who believe in faith – and those who are yet to be born – and those who have long died. It is a promise we can all feel confident and secure.

Let us pray

Lord Jesus, you have spoken words of truth and light. While others may find your words and promises only weightless tales, we know they are the strength and truth for all eternity. Your words are powerful and effective – words for us all to live by. Amen.

Pastor Dave