9-24-2015

Good Morning All!!

          Lamentations 3:22-23; “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

     What are you made of?  What is it that makes you tick?  What is it that makes up your core being?  I don’t know about you but I really have a hard time answering these.  If I am honest, most of my answers would be “well, it depends.”  I like to think I am pretty easy going, quick to laugh and someone who can work with anyone.  Yet, I probably wouldn’t have to look too hard to find a few confirmands who would challenge that I am easy going.  When it comes to working with anyone; I probably should add the word “almost” to the phrase.  There are a few people that make you sigh.  I always remember a line from the television show M*A*S*H where Father Mulcahy said, “having Major Winchester along was a blessing, hopefully; he will be a blessing to someone else next time.”

    So how do you answer these questions?  What are you at your very essence?  If we are honest, we are fluid, somewhat unpredictable with a touch of selfish.  That is the true us.  This is the essence of who we are.  Fortunately for us, God is not like this.  Fortunately for us, God’s essence, his core being is one of love and that simple fact gives us hope.

    The apostle John wrote that God is love.  It does not say inclined toward.  It doesn’t say God tries to love.  Scripture declares that God is love.  His very essence and being is love.  We can see this in the truth that God supplies us with all we need to support this body and life.  From the food we eat to the family and friends we have, God provides.  Yet God’s love for us is shown in its greatest and purest form when we see Jesus willingly giving up himself to die so that you and I might live.

    This truth can and should give us the comfort to know that we live in God’s grace.  All that God does is out of love for us.  From our creation through our redemption, God moves in ways that display his eternal love for us.  We can rest assured that we will live with him in eternal joy and glory.  Yet this is only part of the wonderment.

    We can take comfort today that our loving God is caring for us right now.  He accompanies us in our journey.  We never face the battles or the cares of this life alone.  We have his Spirit which leads us to desire to trust his promise.  We have God’s mercy to come to him as a child comes to a parent.  We can share our fears and our worries and God will comfort us.  We can live with the knowledge that we have God’s peace in our life and that we can rest in his loving arms.  His steadfast love never ends.

Gracious Father, your mercies are new to us each day.  Move us by your Spirit to cleanse our fears and worries in your total grace.  Lead to know your great love.  Lead us to trust in your mercy that all our needs for this day are already met.  Lead me to rest in your loving arms.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret