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

July 7, 2022 – Words of Wisdom, Colette

Extraordinary

“There are no ordinary cats.”  Colette

“There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish son of Abiel…a man of wealth. He had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he; he stood head and shoulders above everyone else. Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul’s father, had strayed. So Kish said to his son Saul, “Take one of the boys with you; go and look for the donkeys.” When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to the boy who was with him, “Let us turn back, or my father will stop worrying about the donkeys and worry about us.” But he said to him, “There is a man of God in this town; he is a man held in honor. Whatever he says always comes true. Let us go there now; perhaps he will tell us about the journey on which we have set out.” Then Saul replied to the boy, “But if we go, what can we bring the man? For the bread in our sacks is gone, and there is no present to bring to the man of God. What have we?” The boy answered Saul again, “Here, I have with me a quarter shekel of silver; I will give it to the man of God, to tell us our way.” Saul said to the boy, “Good; come, let us go.” So they went to the town where the man of God was.

As they went up the hill to the town, they met some girls coming out to draw water, and said to them, “Is the seer here?” They answered, “Yes, there he is just ahead of you. Hurry; he has come just now to the town, because the people have a sacrifice today at the shrine. As they were entering the town, they saw Samuel coming out toward them on his way up to the shrine. Now the day before Saul came, the Lord had revealed to Samuel: “Tomorrow about this time I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be ruler over my people Israel. When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord told him, “Here is the man of whom I spoke to you. He it is who shall rule over my people.” Then Saul approached Samuel inside the gate, and said, “Tell me, please, where is the house of the seer?” Samuel answered Saul, “I am the seer; go up before me to the shrine, for today you shall eat with me, and in the morning I will let you go and will tell you all that is on your mind.” 1 Samuel 9:1-19

Extraordinary

We learn immediately that Saul is handsome and stands a head taller than anyone else. He stands out in many ways from the others. In fact, G-d has told Samuel that he would encounter the next King of Israel – and upon seeing Saul G-d tells Samuel he has seen the future. Is Saul selected because of his extraordinary looks or stature? We are not told – and truth be told, Saul will be rejected by G-d in just six more chapters.

Just like there are no ordinary cats, as Colette tells us, there are also no ordinary people. We all have our strengths and we all have our weaknesses. No two people are alike. And G-d has a habit of selecting unexpected people to be leaders. Moses is a murderer. David is an adulterer, and a murderer. Saul persecuted Jews before Jesus calls him to become his greatest evangelist. We may think we do not have what is needed to be leaders in the church, or even in our communities. But G-d has a different set of standards for selecting those who are to be servants and leaders in this age.

Just when we least expect it, G-d may be knocking on our door – asking us to follow – asking us to lead. And G-d does not like taking “NO” for an answer. In fact, G-d can be very persuasive.

Let us pray,

Lord Jesus, you know the minds of our cats, how extraordinary they are and how different they are. And just as you know their thoughts, you know ours as well. We may not believe we are extraordinary, but you see us as extraordinary and special – having gifts and strengths we may be over-looking. Help me to be open to your calling today, wherever that may lead me. Amen.

Pastor Dave