9-3-2016

 Good Morning All!! 

       Matthew 21:21; “And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen.”

     When I perform special services like weddings, baptisms and the like, I usually will print the service out.  I do this so that I can print the names in and then I use a larger font size so it is easier to read.  I type it all in, push the “print” button on the computer.  I look at the printer and see the last page come out and then the next so I go about my other tasks while the document prints.  It finishes, I punch holes in the pages and place the service into a three ring binder and off we go.  It works, except for one time.  I followed the same routine as always.  I saw the last page printed and the second to the last page was starting to print.  I turned and got out the binder, took the pages and punched the holes and put it in the binder; just like always.

    The service was going well; I was reading the rite and the responses were given loudly and clearly.  I turned the page and it was blank; absolutely nothing on it.  I turned the next page; it was blank as well.  I knew the pages were there, I saw them.  Now it was only blank.  I panicked.  I mumbled and sought out a hymnal and after a few awkward minutes (seemed like hours), a brow that was pouring water out of all pores, a moment of hyperventilation and we finished the rite.  After the service, I apologized to the participants and then picked up the binder and began to thumb through the pages.  The first three pages were fine, then the blank one, then another, then another, then the pages I was expecting.  The rest of the pages to the rite, just like I had known were there.  One more page, if I had turned one more page, I would have seen it and everything would have been fine.

    Faith is like that.  Faith is turning one more blank page because we know God’s promise is there.  We know it is there; we know God’s promise is always there but sometimes, we panic.  We see a blank page and panic.  All of a sudden, illness strikes, financial setbacks occur, the rain is slow to come and then too much, the path we were sure of now is blocked.  We panic and we begin to doubt what we know is true.  Faith leads us to know the truth is there, God’s grace and mercy are there and when the page looks blank; we turn the page.  We turn the page because we know that God’s loving promise is always there.  We turn the blank page to the truth.  That is faith.  It is turning the blank page until we find the truth that God has promised us.

Father of grace, strengthen our faith.  Guard our hearts that we may always look to you and your amazing love.  Teach me to trust your loving guidance.  Teach me to cling to your truth.  Help me to know that all things work to good for those whom you love.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret