10-22-2020

 Good Morning All, 

      Genesis 3:9; “But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”

    This past weekend we had all the grandkids at our house.  We made apple cider, played baseball, and rode bikes and had all sorts of fun.  We even played a little hide and go seek.  Now our oldest grandson is getting pretty good, but the two youngest granddaughters are still in the “novice” stage.  Usually, you just need to listen and hear them giggle and they usually hide in the same spot, so they are easy to find, but what fun is that?

    So, I start by wandering towards the bedroom, “Where’s Blake?”  “Where is Cole?”  “Where is Sydney?”  “Where is Avery?”  “Where is Lila?”  As I came back into the TV area, I picked up a stuffed dog that Grandma got him because it is the dog from one of his favorite books “Charlie”.  Charlie is a basset hound who sniffs out critters on the ranch.  So, we had Charlie sniffing for grandkids.  They would giggle try to run away with Charlie in “hot pursuit”.

    Now I could have walked over to where any of them were right away, they cannot really hide from me in my house but where is the fun in that?  I had a nephew who thought he could hide by placing a towel over his head.  Everyone in the room could watch him but he thought he was hidden.  In many ways, just like my nephew or grandkids, we think we can hide from God and it just does not work.

    God comes looking for us.  Now he could just come up to us and pick us up but that would probably scare us to no end.  So, he calls out to us.  He calls us by his Gospel, that message of salvation that we receive because of Jesus death and atonement.  He calls to us through this Word and he calls to us in his physical Word, the body and blood of Jesus in Holy Communion.  He calls us with his love, “Where are you?”  He seeks us out to bring us back into his loving presence.

    “Where are you?” is out of God’s favor because of our selfishness or greed, our inward desires for our own pleasures.  So, we try and hide from God either because we think we have to or want to, but we try to hide, and God sees us the whole time.  “Where are you?” is really in God’s loving arms we just do not always see it.  God is holding us much like we hold a small child trying to calm them down.

    So, the next time you wonder “where am I?” look to the empty cross and know that you are in the loving arms of your forgiving Father.  Look to the open and empty tomb and see what glory waits us.  “Where are you?”  You are in God’s grace so rest in his assurance of his mercy.

Father, there are so many times that I want to hide because of fear or pain.  Yet if I could hide, all I would feel is the pain.  Thank you for finding me with your love and for keeping me safe in your loving mercy.  Be with those who feel the need or desire to hide from you.  Give them the calming peace by your Holy Spirit.  In the precious name of Jesus, our risen Savior we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret