Clinging To The Rock

 

Scripture Emphasis:

Romans 8:38,39:  (1)

“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Now is the exact time to consider the greatest expose’ ever written on “Separation.” St Paul is here addressing the church in Rome. The communication is on the eve of his last voyage to Jerusalem and this, his final writing as a free man. His list of hardships is comprehensive enough: suffering, calamity, poverty, danger are very common experiences. Sometimes under calamity, the whole universe seems to be against us. Then, for many, that often marks the beginning of faith’s abandonment and decisive measures to separate from God. In our present situation, we bear a particular affinity to Paul’s Christian experiences. 

As disciples of Christ, our present mission is to express God’s love to the world. We must assure everyone that none of the current happenings can ever overthrow us.

This world often seems to be a vale of separation. We see it globally among nations that build walls and deploy armies to separate and to promote isolation. Children suffer when parents become separated from each other. Loved ones separate when one or the other deploys in the service of the country. Presently there is a soulless pandemic slithering its way through the world, causing thousands of deaths. In a determined response to curb its cruel progression, separations are essential. Most of us know the separation that feels as wide as life, as deep as love while following the casket of a beloved one to their final resting place in “God’s Little Acre.” Separation is ubiquitous with deep emotions of loneliness and depression. This makes it critical at this time, to consider St. Paul’s exposition on “separation.”

The heartening conclusion that St. Paul pronounces regarding “Separation” is simply this: the word “separation” and its derivatives, isolation, distancing, etc., are never in God’s Nexis.

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (2)

God is never separated from any of us. When we try to live without Him and confess that we scarcely ever give Him a conscious thought, God still thinks of us. This truth lies at the heart of that soul-searching story Jesus tells of the Prodigal Son. God is there with him, and for him, all the while. This is so for us also. You may well be astonished one day in the future when you discover just how often His unseen hand has guided your life.

A brilliant young man, with a bright and promising future before him, left Cambridge University to join the military during WW1. He was a prolific and much-admired poet. It was during a fierce engagement with the enemy that Rupert Brooke wrote the poem “Safety.” Following is a brief excerpt from that poem:

                        “We have built a house that is not for
                            Time’s throwing.
      We have gained a peace unshaken by pain for ever.
War knows no power. Safe shall be my going,
      Secretly armed against all death’s endeavour;
Safe though all safety’s lost; safe where men fall;
And if these poor limbs die, safest of all.” (3)

It was a few days following the writing of these words that Rupert Brooks was mortally wounded. He died on his 28th birthday.

 Although our present situation demands that we must separate, and be careful not to invade each other’s private space, know that God shares with us His secret of sweet communion with each other’s spirit. Around Our Father’s throne, we must think about each other and offer a prayer for them; “and the Father who sees in secret will reward you openly”.

Go now and live, believing with all your heart what St Paul himself has come to believe:
“I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

                        A Prayer To Follow This Meditation

Compassionate and merciful Father, here I am, right here! Like Samuel, in the days of old, I thought I heard You calling me! Prepare me now, so that I may hear
You speak to me. And then, please enable me to listen and obey.

Lord, I am conscious of my unworthiness to be here. But I am unable to resist my heart’s stirring to draw closer to You. You heard my timid, reluctant tapping on Heaven’s door, and You bade me enter in. So here I am. I am not sure how to say what is on my heart but, more importantly, I am having the most beautiful feeling of being “Home,” now, here with You.

Lord, I consider the anguish, the chaos and, the death caused by this soulless pandemic that is so out of control,  and I confess I am afraid! Please, open my eyes to see You. Is it not my mistake that by concentrating on this storm’s wrath, I forget “the Master of heaven, and earth and skies”?
Show me again Your Son as He puts underfoot the wrath of a storm that was terrifying His friends on the sea of Galilee. 

One thing more, Father, Please show all people throughout the world, how to manage the unfamiliar situations they are now thrust into. Too much leisure time can be dangerous for those who must always be at work. Some people can not stand their own company, and hardly know how to behave in vastly restrictive spaces. Teach us how to use the hours to draw closer to You, in thought and prayer. Show us how to develop our Spirits so that living for, with, and among others when this crisis is over, will be beautiful beyond measure. Into Your hands, do I commend our Spirits. Amen

Hymn: Sun Of My Soul ( please click on the link below)

https://youtu.be/hxeYGSJuZto

                                    

BENEDICTION (click on the link below)

Editorial Notes
1&2  Scripture quotations are from KJV.
3.      A poem”, SAFETY” by Rupert Brooke

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47293/safety

4. Some consideration of  C.H. Dodd ‘s THE EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE ROMANS  may also be helpful. https://www.amazon.ca/EPISTLE-PAUL-ROMANS-C-H-Dodd/dp/B004ZEEMV0

 

 

 

Scripture Reading: Psalm 125; Mark 7:24 – 30

Scripture Emphasis: Psalm 125: 2

As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people both now and forevermore.

Let me take you inside a home in the ancient city of Tyre, Lebanon. In following Mark’s narrative of the unfolding ministry of Jesus, we are surprised to encounter Jesus in this non-Jewish home. Perhaps His being there is to seek respite from the neverending demands of inconsiderate fellow countrymen and to get in touch with His own deep Peace. Jesus may be seeking a stay in the endless arguments with the Jewish religious aristocracy. However, His being in the company of possibly irreligious, and most certainly hostile constituents results in His request for anonymity. The brevity of details about these matters could speak volumes. Was Jesus seeking more confirmation and endorsement from these ” Gentiles” than He felt possible from some of His Jewish countrymen?

From this thought-provoking incident, it soon becomes abundantly clear that there are significant human experiences that have no regard whatsoever, for international boundaries, or long-held religious beliefs, or the absence thereof.

One of these recurring experiences is sickness. It makes no difference who you are, or of what ethnicity you are, or what set of beliefs may govern your actions, disease comes everywhere. It respects no boundaries! Its evidence comes inside this home where Jesus, the healer, is hoping that no situation will emerge to violate his request for anonymity.

 But if sickness knows no boundaries, neither do the feelings of helplessness that accompany it. Many people are well acquainted with a feeling of helplessness in the onslaught of this present global pandemic. 

A desperate mother joins our company at the home in Tyre which Jesus is visiting. The evidence, which slowly confirms that time is not bringing the health she kept hoping for her child, causes hopelessness to rush in! Yet, this mother is certain that her child’s sickness is not bound by geographical boundaries. She has knowledge of cases of “demon possession” in neighboring Palestine. Illness and the accompanying fears know no limits, and neither does a mother’s love. Let foolish arguments over dogma and creed rear their ugly heads. Real LOVE conquers all.

There is one thing more, the profound wisdom demonstrated in this story, by this mother, can transform our present experience. She knows that it is not necessary to be in Palestine to discover the incredible truth concerning God. She believes that the everlasting arms of God embrace the world around, even though her understanding of the Divine, differs from Jewish belief. Consequently, she seeks Jesus to help her further discover the encircling Arms of God.

Now, this is what it means to be a loving child of God, to know that you can realize the embrace of God’s everlasting arms when sickness, disaster or, even death itself overshadows us and ours.
As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people both now and forevermore. Psalm 125:2

A widow living in London during the height of WW 11, became lovingly known to the troops as ‘our angel of comfort.’ Her home became a respite for young men and women, who, while facing the stress of new engagements, felt acutely unprepared. It was within these walls, where expressions of certainty and demonstrations of unconditional faith were found, that courage conquered fear.

One evening a young bombardier, commissioned for a dangerous sortie, questioned “ his angel of comfort” about an image of a pair of ‘ outstretched hands that hung over her living room mantel. On closer scrutiny of the picture, the young man observed names of people carefully printed on both of the hands. He fell silent as his matron explained. You see, son, these are the Hands of God. The names you observe are names of service-people, who like you, were going into battle and had many reservations and fears, so they placed themselves in God’s hands for comfort and strength.” The Angel Of Comfort” witnessed a nostalgic look of longing creep into the young bombardier’s face, and silently stole away from his side. Minutes of intense silence followed. At last, visibly moved, the young man produces a pen, and stretching his hand towards the picture; he carefully prints, on the only remaining space, his own name, MARK GARDNER.
As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people both now and forevermore. Psalm 125:2

                        A PRAYER TO FOLLOW THIS MEDITATION (see Revelation 4: 1)

Eternal Father, Thank You for leaving Heaven’s door ajar, so that reassuring light from within, may shine upon the world, where the darkness of sickness and death is casting deep shadows. You see, not only the soulless pandemic that slithers its way through the world with, as yet, uncontrolled speed. You see each one of us with our fears, our worries, our concerns, and our brokenness. This is not what You intend for creatures made in the Image of God. Heaven’s open door is the sign that a far greater force than any pandemic is already at work around us. Through the open door, Love Incarnate comes to reign.
May that Love be so interpreted by each of us, that there will be:

Courage for the fearful ones,
Hope for the despairing ones,
Companionship for the lonely ones,
Bread for the hungry ones,
Fulfillment for the laboring ones,
Creativity among the isolated ones,
Wisdom and guidance for the searching ones,
Gratitude for the sacrificing ones,
Strength for the suffering ones,
And Rest Eternal for those who have fallen asleep.
For keeping the door to Your House open to us Father, we remain eternally grateful. In gratitude may we acknowledge as the Psalm writer did, ‘this one thing I shall seek after, that I may dwell in the House of the Lord forever.
In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, I pray. Amen.

Hymn: Unto The Hills

https://youtu.be/h-OPPkenXvY

 

Editorial Notes
It is highly recommended that you read the suggested Scriptures at the beginning of the post to lend clarity to the meditation following.
2. All Scripture references are from NIV.
3. The photo is from stock images on the internet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

 

Suggested Scripture Reading: John 3:1 – 21 ( The story of Nicodemus)

Scripture Emphasis:

Romans 8: 10 -16 -The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.

Psalm 138:18 When I awake, I am still with You. 

When you lie awake, and sleep won’t come, and from dark places, all unknown, troubling thoughts creep into your consciousness, is there consolation anywhere to be found? Is there someone out there that can be trusted to bring the soul some relief?

The mind has a strange way of re-examining decisions already made. New scenarios, and compelling suggestions, peppered with the ‘what ifs,’ seem much more logical now. Twilight too soon hastens towards the night, then darkness, all too soon, welcomes the dawn, and the morning safely stores the unresolved dilemma, to be dealt with on yet another night. But the following night fastens to the soul, with hoops of steel, the derelict promise of sleep. A belief in cruel fate moulds the plasticity of the soul into an object of hopelessness. Is there someone out there who can be trusted to bring relief to such a soul? Is it possible to have a light in the window of your soul, that announces that someone is at home, waiting lovingly to provide you with shelter from the storm?

On occasion, the unsettled soul has at its root, troubling dreams that may or may not have rubbed shoulders with some far-off reality, now lost beyond recall. The playwright, William Shakespeare, has one of his characters define us, humans, as ” such stuff as dreams are made of.” But there has to be, for creatures made in their Maker’s Image, something more substantial and abiding than ‘the stuff that dreams are made off.
There is a reality where troubled souls can experience the warming embrace of this“Home.” Troubled Souls are real, so are sleeplessness nights. Therapeutic and calming is the vision of a place of refuge, with a light of welcome burning brightly for very you.

The New Testament relates a story of one restless and troubled soul. Nicodemus had many sleepless nights. He struggled with past decisions, reviewed now in the light of present circumstances and unfolding truths. Nicodemus’ philosophy of life had never before come under strict scrutiny. His beliefs grounded him in those values accepted by his parents and elders in strict obedience to the Jewish faith.

 Unexpectedly, everything now begins to change! A new wave of compassion is emerging and beginning to wash over the least, and the lost among them. It is as if a refreshing breeze from Heaven was replacing the stagnant air of earth.

 Unlike before, Nicodemus begins to think more and more about Heaven; and to wonder what meaning the pronouncements of the faith has for him. At last, one night, of an unrelenting storm, Nicodemus decides to search for the reason behind the light of Peace and Love he sees in the face of the Nazarene, named Jesus. Nicodemus is feeling a stirring in his soul, a kind of indefinable longing, to own for himself, whatever it is that emanates from Jesus. Jesus gave the appearance of one Who is at HOME within Himself. He exudes absolute surrender to a Presence within himself, Who remains always in complete control.

” Enough of this sleepless torment,” Nicodemus concludes. Hurriedly he dresses and, without a moment’s delay, hurries out into the darkness toward the’ Light,’ away from the far country of confusion and sleeplessness towards ‘ Home.’  Away from self and towards Jesus.  

That night Nicodemus makes the most crucial discovery of his life. Sleepless nights are God’s Calling Time.”  Our own crowded schedules, vexing problems, self-reliance, and a muddle of misinformation leaves, little or no time, for God to communicate with us. It may well be that sleepness is the touch of God’s hand outstretched caressingly, urging you to accept the light of His Presence. The gift, which no darkness can ever extinguish, will enable you to be at ‘Home’ with yourself because you are now at ‘Home’ with God.  

          A Prayer To Follow This Meditation

O God, our Father, the touch of whose hand bestows perfect rest and peace at each days ending, grant that I may fall asleep in the full assurance of Your abiding Presence. May no unresolved troubles, unfinished tasks nor sins, real or imagined, cast me on the troubled waters of despair.

 Prepare me now, through Your righteousness, to receive grace sufficient for tomorrow’s needs.  Grant unto me whatever You see that I need to discharge my responsibility to the world confidently and with mercy, pity, peace, and love.

Keep light, from Your Presence within me, aglow in the window of my soul. Help me to yield to its influence ever that I may be a help to any who are missing the way ‘Home.’ 

Through Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. Amen.

Hymn:  Now The Day Is Over

https://youtu.be/jLu0H_5qmkQ

 

EDITORIAL NOTES

1. The Scripture references are from the NIV translation. A reading of those
2.  Scriptures, at the beginning of this meditation, will help your understanding of the meditation, which follows.
3.  PHOTO is of BRIGUS, NEWFOUNDLAND,  taken by Vicki Curtis- Meltzer of Dover, New Hampshire, USA.

(3)

Suggested Scripture Reading: John 17: 20 – 26

John 17:21 – Scripture Reference
” I pray that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and, I am in You. May they  also be in Us so that the world may believe that You have sent Me”    

“There is strength in numbers,” is a time-worn cliche’ used to say that a group of people has more influence and power than one person. It is a logical conclusion that the more people present to contribute to a task, the lesser is the demand for energy and time! But there are tasks that remain unachieved for which millions of people profess a willingness to assist. It may well be the most severe dilemma facing the modern Church. Why does the institution, which guards the most life-changing proclamation in the world, creep along now at snail-pace, when such a need for the Gospel of the Risen Christ exists?

Obviously, there is strength in numbers for Social Service Clubs undertaking activities for worthwhile causes. But a gathering, conducting similar activities in the Name of Christ, is monumentally different. For the former, it is a project. For the latter, it is a Mission. Such a Mission must bear an identifiable relationship to the Christ who commissions it, and to the Creedal belief of the devotee. 

There is abundant evidence in the Gospels, indicating unwavering support for the common belief that there is strength in numbers. Was it not just this very belief that prompted Jesus to call His first disciples? Was it not a distinct feature of the genesis of the Christian Church? “They were all together in one place”  ( Acts 2:1)
There is strength in numbers, indeed! Yet one must ask: What is the reason in our day for the “diminishing return” on God’s investment in a Gospel intended to change the world? “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” ( John 3:16)

It is not until Jesus permits His disciples to see inside His Spirit that they come to fully comprehend the meaning of an ‘individual’s strength.’ The disciples hear Jesus vocalize this mystery: “I Can of Mine Own Self Do Nothing The Father That Dwelleth in Me, He Doeth the Works. ( John 5:19)
The disciples are awestruck when they hear Jesus petition the Father on their behalf, “Father, just as I am in You and You are in Me, so may they( the disciples) also be ONE IN US!” Herein is the Strength in ONENESS! It is this strength that in the execution of today’s Mission is often untapped.

The disciples, in the beginning, were together as helpers of Jesus. On the occasion of ‘ the feeding of the five thousand,’ in a desert, Jesus instructs the disciples “you feed them “. The disciples respond to such a request in absolute disbelief and shock!  But when they witness Heaven’s unlimited resources supplementing earth’s limited supply, the disciples see and believe. The finite spirit of human beings is created to be embraced always by the Infinite Spirit of God!

As a consequence of that revelation, today’s disciples of Jesus must understand that NO Mission is ever impossible. The disciples themselves now engage in doing similar miracles. Previously they were mele observers of Jesus’s miraculous works. Gradually, the disciples come to believe, that the Prayer which Jesus made for them had been answered.” I pray that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and, I am in You. May they also be in Us so that the world may believe that You have sent Me”  

At the breathtaking conclusion of the musical Les Miserables, the main character in Victor Hugo’s novel, Jean Valjean is dying. Hear his words!

“Take my hand and lead me to salvation.
Take my love, for love, is everlasting.
And remember, the truth that once was spoken:
To love another person is to see the face of God…” (2)

 In this world of such desperate need, may you see the face of God in every person you meet, and may others see the Face of God in you!

A Prayer To Follow This Meditation

Dear Lord, open my eyes that I might see the broken, lost, and lonely ones of this world.
But awaken my spirit so that my determination to do something about it does not wither in melancholy sympathy.
Open my ears that I may hear the sad music of empty and unfulfilled promises!
But sharpen the hearing of my spirit that I may hear more distinctly Heaven’s music, celebrating our Father’s Love that will yet reach all people of every color and race!
Open my mind that I might understand the futility of the shouting and the tumult of leaders, who think that whoever shouts the loudest, offers the best among phony solutions.
But in the quieter moments of sanity and liberating faith, fix my mind upon things not yet seen. I pray as Jesus taught us,” Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done On Earth As It Is In Heaven.”  I Pray in His Name. Amen

 HYMN: Blest Be The Tie That Binds

https://youtu.be/hVGE2R2wq5w

 

 

EDITORIAL NOTES

1.  The Scripture references in this post are from the NIV translation of Scripture
2. Victor Hugo’s novel,  http://www.online-les_miserablesliterature.com/victor_hugo/les_miserables/
3. https://www.philipchircop.com/post/30870834221/to-love-another-person-is-to-see-the-face-of-god

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Suggested Scripture: John 14: 1 – 14; Psalm 122: 1 – 9

Scripture Emphasis;  Psalm 122:1-2
I was glad when they said to me,
“Let us go into the house of the Lord!”
And now our feet are standing inside
Your gates, O Jerusalem!

There is one prayer that I beseech Our Heavenly Father to answer as we slowly start to memorialize for posterity, the events that will define us in the New Year dawning.
It is for the blessing, which like, nothing else, would incorporate your expressed wishes to family and friends for a” Happy New Year.” This blessing will make hearts throughout our world happy, and thereby make our tired world  NEW again! It is a prayer for every person on earth to experience the remainder of their days in a consciousness of God.

In the emerging new world order, technology is bursting through the limits of morality and decency. The messages of isolation, nationalism, and the flagrant expressions that abandon all reference to a global village, leave fewer and fewer people wanting to discuss spiritual matters or engage in so-called‘ God-talK. 

Yet it remains my prayer that through the good-wishes expressed by families and friends worldwide, for a Happy New Year, God will reveal to all, that the one hope remaining for lasting happiness in the human race, is a return to our Origin. ” It is through faith that we receive our original position with God, the one which God destined for us at the creation. In gaining our original position with God, we gain our own genuinely human life.” (2) It is this thought that the ancient Psalm writer David captures in the words of the text quoted: ” I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into “the House Of The Lord.” Nothing can bring more happiness into the life of the well-wisher and to the recipient, than to hear it said, whether it be immediately, or later: ” I was glad that you said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord!” 

 It is noteworthy that some of David’s acquaintances knew the immeasurable influence of being conscious of God in one’s life. It is the conclusion widely accepted that the thought, which follows, is the greatest ever expressed by humankind:        

“Augustine of Hippo, 354 AD ( Confessions 11:1) wrote:” You, O God have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find rest in You!”(3)

Our text further enlightens another critical tenet of faith: ” I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord! And now our feet are standing inside your gates, O Jerusalem!” There is here the powerful suggestion that an immediate conveyance from all worldly restrictions to the liberty of Heavenly expanses follows the acceptance of an invitation to seek God.” And now our feet are standing inside Your gates, O Jerusalem!” There are many illustrations of the gratifying results that follow a seeking of the Presence of God. 

Many years ago a parishioner of mine was in the late stages of stomach cancer. Her many hospital sojourns, over time, resulted in many people coming to visit and to seek the inspiring company of this remarkable lady. The time comes when a limitation on the number of visitors is necessary. Towards the end, only family, and the patient’s clergy are allowed to visit. 

On one particular morning, a fellow clergy and I happened to meet in the hospital chapel. Almost instantly, the conversation evolved concerning our dearly loved friend! A member of the nursing staff discreetly approaches and, with evident concern, whispers, ” Please go and see Judy! She had a terrible night last night! Without a moment’s hesitation, we hasten to Judy’s room! The tousled bed coverings suggest that the occupant had not rested. Telling signs of the night of struggle still clung to her. “We see that the night was a difficult one for you, Judy,” my friend suggests, more to break the silence than anything. And then, in a voice dimmed by pain, she said: ” It was a horrible night! I didn’t close my eyes! ” Then summoning her resources of failing strength and looking squarely at us, she continued with an unmistakable note of triumph, ” It was a horrible night! But did you boys see the sunrise this morning! I saw the most beautiful sunrise I have ever experienced in all my life,” she smiled as she pointed through her window toward the eastern sky.         ” I know that everything will be OK”! 

There it is!! a conveyance from the limiting grip of pain to the experience of seeing the Face of God! 

 I wish you all A Happy New Year, with God’s blessing on you and yours!  

   A Prayer To Follow This Meditation

Father, with sincere gratitude, I commit my New Year dawning into Your gracious keeping. I desire, above all else, for each day, that You have given to me, as it falls into Your sunset, that it may bring You happiness and delight. My happiness depends on Your Happiness! The work of my hands, the thoughts of my mind and, the love in my hear must all bear Your citation:” and God saw that it was good.” (4)

That translates into a single petition: Father, make me Anew! ” With Your Spirit recreate me strong and pure and true.”(5) I ask you now to deepen the capacity of my inner being and let it contain less of worldly influence and more of the Spirit of Jesus. Indeed ‘You have made me for Yourself,’ let this be the year when I fully embrace that fact so that I can help make this a Happy New Year for You and all I meet everywhere.

Father, bless us and keep us. May Your face shine upon us. And may Your abiding Presence with us forever give us Peace. Amen.

Hymn: Nearer, My God To Thee

https://youtu.be/rwLl5nY5WPI

 

                                                   

 EDITORIAL NOTES

1. The Scripture references herein are from Good News Bible

2.reference a work by Emil Brunner, MAN IN REVOLT

3.Quote by Augustine of Hippo https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/42572-thou-hast-made-us-for-thyself-o-lord-and-our

4. Quote, from Genesis 1:31 Holy Bible

5.Hymnary, God Who Touches Earth With Beautyhttps://hymnary.org/text/god_who_touchest_earth_with_beauty#pagescans

        

 

In Heaven, God called together the Celestial Council. The Angels and Archangels looked resplendent in their flowing white robes. They waited in the Sacred Hush for what was to be the announcement of the most crowning event since the morning stars sang together at creation.

The shrill of Heaven’s trumpet proclaiming the entry of the Divine Majesty sounds! God, in unimaginable glory, sits down upon ‘The Great White Throne.’ And once more, the Sacred consumes everything as God, our Father, speaks!

” I have summonsed you, to announce that it is because of the cries of pain and the images of cruel injustices affecting Me so urgently that I, Myself, must go down to earth to be with My people. Then I shall give them the greatest gift my love can create, My own dear Son. In Him, My Presence will continue to dwell with my children on earth. 

I will carry Him, in my arms, down the ‘back stairs of Heaven’ and leave Him on the world’s doorstep. That way the hearts of my people will open to receive Him and to give Him a ‘Home.'” 

Spontaneously, a million voices break into exultant Song:

 “Glory To God In The Highest, And on earth
Peace and Goodwill for all!
Glory To God!
Glory To God.” 

And in Heaven, there were tears of Joy. 

When the singing in Heaven finally ended, the Archangel Gabriel, stood forth.

 ” O my Father of Light;

                                 Indeed this is the greatest gift that You will ever give to Your world! More significant than the sun, the moon, and the stars altogether. But Father, what if the people fail in their love and their responsibility?”

The ensuing silence was pregnant with the fearful possibility of such a heart- wrenching result. 

“But, they will not fail!” came the words which had lent an absolute finality to each command for creation.

” In the secret place of their hearts, I have hidden the majesty of giving themselves to me in love, as I give Myself to them this night. It may take thousands of years, but there will come a time when the whole world will give back the Song to Us which, the Angels just sang this night!

Mary, a young peasant girl from Nazareth and of human stock, in preparation for this night, has provided My Son, His first earthly home, and She has become “My Servant.”

  Angels and archangels May have gathered there,

Cherubim and seraphim thronged the air;

But His mother only, in her maiden bliss,

Worshipped the beloved with a kiss.”

Christmas 2019 arrives in a world amidst the stark evidence of ” Man’s inhumanity to man,” and the amplified voices of disillusioned cynics, announcing that God’s magnificent Plan has failed. But unsubmissively comes a Voice as bright as the sound of a thousand silver trumpets on the frosty air, ” My people will not fail.”

It is our responsibility now, yours and mine, to sharpen the perspective for all people to see God’s greatest gift ever bestowed to this world. That gift which, is the fulfillment of God’s Hope, is that like Mary, we too will be willing servants to make it possible for Jesus to be born anew into the world.  

May the Blessings of this glorious Christmas Season be so experienced by you and those of your household to swell the music of Heaven. May the Season be filled with this sound echoing among the hills: ”  

                    ” Joy to the world
The Lord has come
Let earth receive her king
Let every heart prepare Him room
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven and nature sing

And Heaven and nature sing.”  Amen.

A  Christmas Story Meditation 

Suggested Scripture Reading: Luke 2: 1 – 20

Scripture Emphasis: King James Version – Luke 2:7 

And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn.

There follows here a ‘story sermon.’ As such, it requires the use of your imagination. It is the result of my heartfelt desire to make available to you something of both the eternal mystery and the unchanging message of the Christmas event. 

The setting for the story is the town of Bethlehem in the land of Judah. The time is the first Christmas Eve.

 On every street corner, crowds are gathering to discuss the latest news on everyone’s mind! The distressing royal decree ordered by the Roman Emperor, Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. That edict touched everyone, the young, the elderly, the born, and the unborn, from all corners of the known world.

 The hopes and fears of all the years are hanging in the balance in Bethlehem tonight! The news that a baby is born to one of the homeless refugees is of no significance to the scores of refugees who can find no place to lay their weary heads in this presently over-crowded town. ‘ The wild and starry sky’ will be the only ceiling many of them will know for as long as this God-forbidding scheme lasts!      

The thoughts prevailing tonight, are not, for the most part, of heavenly things; of God, and angels, and the long-awaited Messiah. This night is better suited for discussions of greed, betrayal, and for idle dreams about warrior kings. Yet, there is, at least, one notable exception!

Amidst the growing evidence of a town yielding to the invitation of undisturbed sleep, there is one cottage where a single light remains burning! It is the home of one, Zachariah Ben Ezra, known among the town’s citizenry, as the carpenter! The light announces the ceaseless vigil that Zachariah’s devoted and dearly beloved wife, Rachael, is keeping. For a fortnight, Rachael and her sons have been waiting to hear the footfall of the angel of death! Almost certainly, this will be the night!

Earlier today, at the bidding of Zachariah, the family gathered around his bed! Silence fell, as the older man summoning his resources of failing strength, speaks.

 ” Like you, I know that before the chariot of the morning rides the eastern rim of the world, I shall go to be with the God Of our Fathers. Listen well, and always honor our Faithful God, as I have sought to do, right to this present hour. There will be many trials and heart wrenching experiences for all of you. In the end, know this one thing; God will always come through, and His Holy Purpose will always prevail. 

My sons, along with faith and love for God, I leave you all the tools of my carpenter’s trade. Twenty-three years, six months and, five days ago this very night, I used these carpenter’s tools for the last time! The memory of that night still gives me such pain, as it causes me to tremble! I was finishing my very final shift at the stable at Bethlehem’s Inn. On the morrow, I would have been one of the carpenters in charge of building our Holy Temple. That would be quite an honor and so different from building a manger in the stable at Bethlehem’s Inn! The dream of a lifetime was on the verge of becoming a reality! And then every creative possibility, and the development of every God-given talent I received ground to a torturous stop! My right arm becomes severed from my body. Looking up, I saw tears, but I couldn’t determine if they were my own tears or if they were God’s! But of this one thing, I remain certain; I am never alone! Not then! Not now! My hope in this life was to accomplish something good for God, Who has done so much for me! But, I guess the time is passing for that now!  And what have I accomplished? But now I place this broken instrument into God’s hands, and pray that the touch of His hand will play a tune suitable to be heard in the courts of Heaven!”

Death lingers a while longer for Zachariah. About midnight a friend of many years, hastens to Zacharius’ bedside, captivated by an aire of uncontrollable excitement. Bending his lips to Zachariah’s ear, he whispered, “Zachariah, my dear friend, Your Friend, Israel’s Messiah has come! He is lying in the manger you built in Bethlehem’s stable!

Prayer To Follow This Meditation

O glorious Light of Heaven,
Shine upon the pathway that will bring us to the manger of Bethlehem at this Christmas time.
Kneeling there before the Light Of The World, who arrives again this night from Heaven, fix in us reflectors that we may show by word and deed the message of this Season, ‘Emmanuel, God is with us.’ Fix in us Thy humble dwelling that we may prove ourselves to be ambassadors of Thy Peace on earth. Help us, that we may add to the legend of how even beasts of the field, offer all they have to honor the Baby. He yet lies helpless in our crowded world, awaiting humble hearts, wherein He may dwell.
O Light of Heaven, send Your effulgent rays into the far reaches of our world, that people of all nations, coming to it’s rising, will constitute One Family for the glory of God! Amen.

Hymn: Silent Night

https://youtu.be/O5tPlnW80Ao

 

 

EDITORIAL NOTES

1. It is recommended The Christmas Story be read from the King James Translation of Scripture.
2.  The photo is from free stock images of the Nativity.
3.   This sermon was first preached at Grand Bank United Church on Christmas Eve 1983.

 

Scripture Reading: John 13: 34 – 35

Reference Scripture:

 Isaiah 49:15-16 “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! 16. See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;”

Never a Sunday morning went by but I  greeted him. While still firmly gripping my hand, and looking squarely into my eyes he demands of me each time, “Do you know my name?” Some parishioners would nod in my direction in perceived acknowledgment that time was slowly claiming another victim. His face now bearing the signs of yet one more approaching fall season, is consumed in a smile of contentment at my expression of gratitude for the privilege of knowing him. But there is something more to be said about those lines that mark his face than just being signs of age. Those lines tell the unique story of adventures undertaken, of battles won or lost, of love felt, of heartbreaking separations, of honors gained. Here is a story of life’s experience passing through the medium of one more human soul, begging to be allowed to help some other pilgrim of the way. “Do you know my name?”

I propose that everyone, especially as they leave a place of sanctuary and worship, share a sincere longing to be known in just such a way as my friend who asks, ” Do you know my name?” Everyone you meet regardless of age has a story of a life’s experience that is being molded by its passage through their unique soul. 

To love another is to share in their life’s story with them. This love is not to gain full disclosure of the other person, based upon prying or curious investigatory pursuits. To share in the unique story of another’s life is a ‘Spiritual Occurrence’ that originates and continues with love.

In the final analysis, is this not truly the raison d’etre of the Church of Jesus Christ? Was the church not established so that no individual might be compelled to write their life’s story in isolation? ” By this shall everyone know that you are My disciples if you have love for one another.” (John 13: 35).

Moreso, than in any other place in the world, the church should be the place to respond with love to anyone’s inquiry, ” Do you know me”? Not merely as one more faceless human waiting to receive a lifeless handclasp, but do you know my name? Noticing wrinkles of age on the face of another, or observing a sparkling light in the eyes of youth are unspoken invitations to you, to share in events passing through the medium of that soul, which could have the potential of making this world a more beautiful place for us all?

In an age that demands instant gratification for all things, it is of extreme importance to take time for each other. The building of personalities, fit to inherit the Kingdom of God, is the mission of every disciple of Jesus Christ. It demands the opening of the flood gates of one’s own experience of  ‘ The Spirit.’  Spirit with Spirit must meet! There is no higher expression of “Love” than that! One’s experience of the Christ within you must embrace the spirit of Christ within another person. In such a desire, the immanent Presence of Jesus Christ in the world will fulfill God’s desire to provide light for our journey homeward.

As the present Scripture text indicates, God’s love for his people, Israel, compelled Him to engrave their name upon His hand in memory of both their faithfulness and their need. To the degree that we have the names of others engraved upon our hearts in Christ’s Name, here on earth, can we hope to find our names engraved upon the hand of God in remembrance of our earthly journey, when we get Home!  (1)

                 PRAYER TO FOLLOW THIS MEDITATION

 Our Father,

No one of us is ever singled out by You as being more deserving than any other member in your family. Father, Your love is the greatest equalizer in all creation! With incredible tenderness, you keep strict observation of the unique gifts You store inside each individual. You marvel at the unique creation which ‘human ingenuity and skill’ fashion out of Your investment – the talents You entrusted us. Then You endow us, fellow travelers of the way, with one more vital task, that of encouragement and empathetic sharing. We each contribute to the content and spirited details of each individual’s life! In this way is the whole round earth bound by gold chains about Your feet, O God. Amen.

HYMN: O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go

https://youtu.be/KtX1Joe94Ic

 

   EDITORIAL NOTES

1. Suggested Additional Reading: https://biblehub.com/commentaries/maclaren/isaiah/49.htm
2. Photo: stock image

 

Scripture Reading: Matthew 11: 25 – 30

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE:                                                                                                                   Psalm 75: 1 – 2  We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks, for Your Name is near, men tell of your wonderful deeds. (God replies) ” When the earth and all its people quake, it is I who hold its pillars firm.”

Environmentalists are capturing the planet earth, in drab, black, and white photos! Through powerful scientific lenses, they examine the planet’s future as it is destined to be. The earth’s inhabitants, if they continue to live by their soulless rationality, will be developing these black and white photos for all posterity. 

Gerard Manley Hopkins, a poet in the 1800s, addresses a very similar theme with finesse and crucial faith. Hopkins bursts in upon the darkening scene, that portrays man’s complete lack of stewardship of the earth’s resources, with this immortal pronouncement: 

  “The world is charged with the grandeur of God. It will flame out, like, shining from shook foil.” (2)

Today as I walked among the most glorious panoply of autumn foliage, God’s Presence was everywhere around me.                                                                            

“A haze on the far horizon,
 The infinite, tender sky,
 The ripe, rich tint of the cornfields,
 And the wild geese sailing high —
 And all over upland and lowland
 The charm of the golden-rod —
 Some of us call it Autumn
 And others call it God.”(3)

Our response to environmental threats must not be a paralyzing fear or a multi-directional frenzy. Any effort now in caring for this world must not depend upon our own corrupt, self-serving efforts that helped to create the crisis in the first place. Instead, we must reinvite the world’s population to harken for the foot-fall of God. Our eyes are blind to a world that is ‘charged with the grandeur of God.’ The pronouncements of worldly wisdom are so bombarding our hearing that we are deaf to the Wisdom of God.

Psalm 75 speaks of the Jews in exile, stricken by memories of what it used to be like in their beloved homeland. In exile, they tremble at the fearful prospects of present threats. The ‘Songs Of Zion’ that were once the harbinger of God’s approach, are now sadly silent among them.

Then one day, the sound of a voice like something from heaven, echoes through the darkening chambers of these human souls: ” We give thanks to you, O God, for Your Name is near.”And hearts become brave again, and arms are strong. Hallelujah! (4)

Within each person, God still reserves a place of green pastures and quiet running streams. We must not let the shouting and the tumult of the fevered world occupy that part of God’s creation, which He chose, above all else, to ‘bear His Image.’

The predestined victory of God in Heaven comes to the world in Jesus Christ. His voice, the final clarion call from Heaven, calls us to responsiveness.

 “We give thanks to You, O God. We give thanks to You. Your wondrous works declare that You are near,”  to which God responds, “When the earth  quakes and its people live in turmoil, I am the one who keeps its foundations firm.” Wondrous are the deeds awaiting us on God’s near horizon. 

                                        A Prayer To Follow This Meditation

O God,                                                                                                                                              tenderly lay your cooling hand upon our fevered brows, so that Your touch will quiet our fears, and restore our hope.

We are genuinely sorry to have permitted the chaos and confusion of the world to come inside our personal space. The world seduces us into believing that its wisdom is the road-map to progress. It is our failure to stand firm in the faith that changes hope into despair and brings threatening disaster to our very doors.

“Dear Lord and Father of us all forgive our foolish ways! Clothe us once again in sound minds, and in purer lives may we find new opportunities for service. Let it be the hallmark of all believing people, to proclaim with deeper reverence,” The Lord our God is with us, and He fills the earth with His glory.    So let it be to the end of time.” Amen.                                                                                                              

Hymn: God Who Touches Earth With Beauty

https://youtu.be/-u7Y4Zmrq3I                                                                            

                                                     

                                                              EDITORIAL NOTES

1.  Scripture references are from the NIV translation of Scriptures.
2.  God’s Grandeur by Gerard Manly Hopkins. https://www.bartleby.com/122/7.html
3. Some of us call it God by William Herbert Carruth.https://www.flickr.com/photos/92586827@N00/9838932493/
4. For all the Saints, who from their labors rest by William Walsham How https://hymnary.org/text/for_all_the_saints_who_from_their_labors
5. Photo: Porterville United Church of Canada. one of the most beautiful small communities in Newfoundland. It is part of the Lewisporte Pastoral Charge.