Love is patient as it turns
And walks down our small street
There in kindness taking time
To wash our dirty feet
Love protects from angry waves
And believes we’ll come to see
Gives us hope in deepest trials
Till doubt and shadows flee
Love was working in the dark
Before they came that day
Before they knew Christ was alive
Love rolled the stone away!
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful it does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Love Is by Peter Caligiuri 2020 All rights reserved
Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! Psalm 107:8
We used to sing this verse as the chorus to a song based on Psalm 107. What I loved about the song was hearing how that every time God’s children got themselves in trouble (Just like me!) they would remember how good God was; cry out and He would come to their rescue! For we who have struggled through 2020 with its lockdowns, Covid-19 deaths and political upheaval it might help to take a look both at this Psalm and at the lives of the folks who celebrated the first Thanksgiving 400 years ago. Isn’t it funny how people thousands of years ago, along with those four centuries ago and us all have the same thing in common – problems!
Looking back it is easy to minimize or ridicule the struggles of others. Back in January many of us here in the United States probably thought our economy and future were secure and that things were just “Getting better all the time” to quote the famous philosopher Paul McCartney.
But we all are equally human and God sees to it that each of us comes face to face with our own limitations and sins. The trick is to remember that God still cares about us and that in spite of our failures He will always hear us when we pray. He not only heard the Israelites when they cried out, but He was also with the Pilgrims to comfort and encourage them after losing half of their people to disease over that first terrible winter. So when the following year they took time to give thanks they were able to celebrate because they remembered God’s goodness and not their loss. In the same way He will be with us today because; just as for the children of Israel and the Pilgrims, the greater our problem – the greater God’s solution. The deeper our sin; how much deeper still God’s mercy and grace. We must remember that on the very night when He was betrayed Jesus took the cup and gave thanks. How much more should we be thankful today as we look back to all that He has done? !
Othat men would praise the Lord for His goodness and His wonderful works to His children!
Psalm 105:4 Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always
On Sunday the worship team did a wonderful job and when one of the leaders broke out into praise in Spanish I almost felt like I was back at our old home church where our praise alternated between English and Portuguese. But if you were following this conversation yesterday you know that we did not look at corporate praise as wonderful as that is but instead at the first two of four different kinds of silent worship in Psalm 105. While these are unseen, they are not less important than playing singing, blowing trumpets and dancing, which were all accepted forms of public praise in the Old Testament. The invisible parts of our worship life are like the roots that support trees and keep them alive and growing even through the quiet dormant seasons of the year. So this morning let’s dive into the second pairing of how we worship without words.
Look to the Lord and His strength When we come to worship the first thing we must notice is not the décor of the sanctuary, the outfits of the worship team or the appearance of the person next to us. What we need to see is invisible and that is The Lord and His strength. That is because as Corrie Ten Boom once said,
“If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. If you look at God you’ll be at rest.”
Worship must begin from a place at rest. Everything around us wants to take away the rest Jesus offers and replace it with some form of urgency. Our minds fill with ideas of this or that which must be done tomorrow, physical pain in our body reminds us of our human frailty or hurtful memories clamor for attention like spoiled children at a candy counter. But if just for a moment we first look to the Lord, immediately the strength of His arms will hold us and we will find rest in His presence.
To seek His face always! – When I was small I would run to my mother whenever I fell down for her comfort and if needed wait while she put a put bandage on my knee. But once mom had doctored my hurt, I ran back to my play. But seeking the face of God always means more than just experiencing His healing touch. He calls us to come and sit down beside Him, learn His plans for the day and then walk with Him every step of the way. He doesn’t want us to just seek His face when we fall down but at every moment and always!
Today I close with one of my favorite hymns sung by Tricia Brock: Jesus I am Resting Resting written by the Irish missionary Jean Pigott in 1876
Jesus I am resting resting in the joy of what Thou art
I am finding our the greatness of Thy Loving heart
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