Joy

Psalm 105

What can bring joy in the middle of a long, difficult road? I imagine that some of the Psalms such as the 105^th Psalm, could have brought much comfort to those who knew the pain of being carried off into years of exile.  Such extended valley experiences require looking at the big picture. The Psalmist looks not just at what is happening at the moment, but what has happened over history. When the immediate picture is set in the long-term picture, we can see more clearly the hand of God in the story- history, Biblical history, and our history. In the recalling, we find joy, and the strength for working through the long valleys.  

God Is Here

 Genesis 28:10-19

 Jacob had a God moment. Though he must have heard the same promise from his father and his father’s father about his family being blessed to be a blessing to the entire earth, it did not become real to Jacob until he had his own face-to-face with God himself. The significance of the encounter was life-altering! He made the time and place a marker, a reminder for the times to come when he needed to recall that God was on his side, that he had a good future, and that God himself was with him. God is here with us, also. Jesus, Immanuel, is the fullness of this reality, and may we recall the God-moments in our lives as our own markers: God is with us, God has a great plan for us, and we are blessed to be a blessing!

Family Feud

Genesis 25:19-34

War and Peace is more than a classic book- it’s a tale that most any family could write from personal experience! Such is the case in this story in the book of Genesis, with prominent characters in our story of faith playing leading roles in a drama that still unfolds to this day. Aside from the fact that God’s plan all works out in the end, we should also take note that the actions of one generation toward the next can help set the stage for long-term effects. With two twin boys, each with very different gifts and talents, we find out that one is a momma’s boy and one is decidedly dad’s favorite. All kinds of calamity will result from this disparity. The disparity is that each child is not affirmed for their uniqueness. We all want to think of ourselves as a person of worth, and giving this affirmation while our children are young helps set the stage for a smoother road in life.

Family Tree

Genesis 24

Just like Abraham, we wonder what will be the outcome of the next generation, and what can we do to pave the way for them. Abraham desired that his son, Isaac, have a wife of faith. He knew that God would have a hand in the matter, just as in his birth. As the potential wife-to-be, Rebecca had a surprising amount of power and control for such a time and place, in the face of arranged marriages, she had the power to say yes or no. But Rebecca and her family were people of faith, and saw God’s hand in the course of events. Abraham and his family had a huge calling- to be a blessing to the world! Within this blessing and calling, there was still plenty of room for all the characters to have freedom to make decisions and be an active participant in the story. And it was no suffering to submit to this plan! Isaac and Rebecca found a beautiful love from which to build a life together. God’s plan is for us to have life, a life with many blessings!

Give Me Freedom

As summer is upon us, I can’t help thinking of July 4th, Independence Day. We remember Patrick Henry saying, ‘Give me freedom or give me death!’ I’m reminded as I recall my family history of my ancestors from Germany, England, and Ireland, of the great struggles they were willing to go through, for a purpose. Yes, economics and opportunity would be on this side of the ocean. But the great cost paid in so many ways had to be for more than just that. Freedom is a great motivator. And for many, the oppression they sought to get away from was most grievous in the area of freedom to have a relationship with God in their own way, not the way dictated by the elite authorities of the dominate national religious institution. Freedom to love, worship, and relate to God was worth all the sacrifice, even to the point of the risk of life. Life without freedom with God was unthinkable. May it still be!

Blown Away

Acts 2:1-21
The spark that keeps us from a life of business as usual is the fire from above. It is God’s initiative that we have life, life full and free, and more life. It was his initiative to speak our life into being in Genesis, his decision to send his son to give us direct access to himself, and his decision to send his spirit. Spirituality is defined in many ways, especially today. I’m glad that more people are becoming aware of the spiritual nature of life. But the true source of holy fire is in God alone, who sent his holy fire, not just one altar fire this time, but a fire to all who sought him together, and that holy wind & fire blew away the barriers to everyone knowing how glorious our Lord is. Keep blowing us away, Lord!

Who's Laughing Now?

A few years ago as we in the North Indiana Conference of the United Methodist Church) were considering our coming together with the South Conference to be one conference, we had a laugh moment. A delegate likened our two well established conferences coming together to a widow and widower in a nursing home getting married and moving into the same room. He said that it might be nice, but ‘don’t expect any children!’ We laughed. But, I seem to recall that Sarah laughed at the thought of she and Abraham, both well blessed in years, having a child. God got the last laugh, when a year later they were parents! And this year at Annual Conference, we celebrate that as our conferences have come together, this year, for the first time in my memory, we have Grown! Who’s laughing now? It’s a good thing our nursery is painted, because our (over age 100) churches have newborns! God is so good!