3-15-2014

Good Morning All,

          Psalm 103:8; “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.”

      I remember the cartoon character Popeye.  He was always doing battle with either Bluto or Brutus depending on the age of the cartoon.  He was always defending his girlfriend (goilfriend?) Olive Oyl.  Bluto or Brutus would always be trying some scheme to get Olive Oyl away from Popeye and eventually Popeye would utter his tag line, “that’s all I can stands; I can’t stands no more!” he would then eat his can of spinach and the beat the tar out of Bluto or Brutus.  Popeye was always a kind-hearted, happy-go-lucky kind of guy until Bluto or Brutus pushed him too far then he became very angry indeed.

     Maybe you know someone who is like Popeye.  They are calm for the most part but when they get angry; they really get angry.  It usually blows over fairly quickly but for that time being it is pretty intense.  In some ways this is how Scriptures describes God.  He is “slow to anger.”  It takes a lot for God to get angry.  In Psalm 30:5 we are told that “his anger is but a moment.”  Rather we see that God, by nature is loving and merciful.  He becomes angry but he is love.

    So what does that mean to us?  A Baylor University study found that half of the Christians in the United States view God as a wrathful and vengeful being.  Nothing is farther from the truth.  It is the very nature of God; that is this is his make up or essence, to love us.  It is his nature to show us his mercy and his kindness.  This is what he wants to show us.  This is evident in the phrasing where his anger is short but his love is eternal.  God by nature loves you.

    So as we look at this Lenten season and we look at the life and crucifixion of Jesus, we don’t do so as someone who is looking at an angry God who will seek retribution because our sins caused him to kill his Son Jesus.  That is not what we see; we see a loving God; one who loves you so much that he willingly and lovingly died for you so you can live.  That is what we see.  As now as we carry the weight of sin, we can go to God willingly and with joy to confess our sin and be freed of the guilt of sin.  God has forgiven us; it is his nature of love for us.  His love allows us to come to him freely and often with our cries of sorrow or pain because he loves us and wants us to be healed.

    Thus we do not have to timidly and fearfully approach God, we can do so with the confident knowledge that he forgives us and wants us back as his dear children.  When God called to Adam in the garden, “where are you?” it was more of a calling to return than a question of positioning.  Because of his love God calls to you and calls you back to his family and back to the loving grace that he has for you.  God loves you and he always will.  His desire, his nature is for you to be his child.

Father of all mercy, your love lifts us and lifts us even higher.  Through the wonders of your love you sent Jesus to redeem us and to bring us back into your family.  Give us the great comfort in the knowledge that it is your love that moves you and that we can find refuge in your mercy.  Guard us by your grace.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret