6-5-2015

Good Morning All!!

           Psalm 66: 16; “Come and listen, all who fear God, and I will tell you what he has done for me.”

    “Come and listen to my story about a man named Jed…”  “The Ballad of Jed Clampett” was sung by Jerry Scoggins and played by Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs and told the story of a very poor mountain man who became very rich and the changes of his life.  Or maybe you want to “sit right back and you’ll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip...” was an invitation by The Wellingtons (later The Eligibles) to hear the story of a band of castaways as they survived on a deserted and remote island.  (Bob Dylan auditioned for the spot; that would have been interesting.) 

     We all love a good story.  We all love to sit and listen to the story.  A good story will draw you into the story and you will feel the joy, you will experience the pain and you will come to see the characters in the story as your family.  Many of the early radio shows were able to bring the listener to a point where the listener thought the story line to be real and that they were part of it.  A really good story will leave you wanting more and feeling a very live part of it.

    Our verse for today is part of a psalm that speaks to God’s goodness and mercy.  It is about a great trial that Israel has passed through and that God has preserved them.  They are singing for joy to the Lord’s goodness.  They would sing and dance for joy then, the really good story teller, would tell everyone to “gather around and listen to my story.  Listen and I will tell you what God has done for me.”

     One thing about this psalm; it gives us a great example of how we should witness to the world.  We don’t need theological degrees or years of training in the original languages; we need to simply sit down and tell our story.  We only need to sit down and tell someone, especially someone who asks our story.  We tell them the story of hoe God has been good to us.  We tell the story of how God has protected us; we tell the story of how God has redeemed us and how God has given us life, hope and peace.  We tell the story of how we find comfort in God’s promise and how this promise lets us sleep at night.  We tell of what it means to cling to the hope that we have in Jesus.

    We only need to tell what God has done for you and what God has done for me.  We only need to share what wondrous things God has done for us.

Gracious God, you give us life.  Give us courage to tell our story.  Give us courage to speak of your great love to those who need to experience it.  Enliven our hearts that we may know your mercy.  In the precious name of Jesus, our risen Savior we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret