I knew where I was going.
I wasn’t lost.
My destination was secure.
However…
In the fog
There was uncertainty
About what waited ahead
Perhaps…
Something dreaded?
Something delightful?
Something unexpected?
Not to worry…
I know where I am going.
I am not lost.
My destination is secure.
Sometimes life can leave one…
Dry
Dusty
Thirsty
Lonely
In disarray
Barren
Empty
A desert
Yet God provides…
A wellspring
Refreshing
Life-giving
Water
Living water
Sparkling
Light-of-the-World
Water
Just when it’s needed most.
An oasis
Walk as Children of Light
It’s Easter Sunday and here’s the Good News.
“For God so loved the world
that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him
shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 NIV
Today is also known as Resurrection Sunday.
So today, along with the Heidelberg Catechism, we ask how does Christ’s resurrection benefit us?
First
by his resurrection
he has overcome death,
so that he might make us share
in the righteousness
he obtained for us by his death.
Second
by his power
we too
are already raised
to a new life.
Third
Christ’s resurrection
is a sure pledge to us
of our blessed resurrection.
Good News indeed.
Today’s Gift
A question and an answer…
The Question …
What is your only comfort in life and in death?
The Answer …
That I am not my own, but belong body and soul, in life and in death to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil.
He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven; in fact, all things must work together for my salvation.
Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.
[Heidelberg Catechism Question and Answer 1]
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
[2 Corinthians 5:17]
Today’s gift
Here’s what I’ve been thinking about today…
As I walked around today, it has become more and more evident that winter has been pushed aside and spring is nudging its way forward. Spring greenery, flowers all around and welcome warmth provide the evidence. A welcome transition, indeed.
This morning brought another transition of sorts for me. It started with an invitation from my grandson to run an errand with him to the hardware store. He needed a part for something on his bike. “OK. Sounds good.”
So we piled in the van, him in the driver’s seat and me riding shotgun. At the store we found the part and he paid for it. At the gas station, he pumped and bought the gas and I sat and waited.
Not so long ago I would have been the driver, gas pumper and purchaser. Things have changed. My young grandson is moving from childhood into adulthood. A welcome transition, for sure.
Today was the funeral for my best high school friend. After a long illness the Lord took Tom to be with him and he is now with Jesus. His soul and Parkinson’s plagued body are made whole. Through it all, in his life and now in death, he belongs to his faithful Savior, Jesus.
For me, today has been a day to think about transitions. One season changing to the next. A grandson no longer a child but moving on into adulthood. A dear friend passing from a time of struggle and disease to eternal life. Blessings, indeed.
Today’s gift
”Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.“ Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV
God’s gift and promise
Sun, Earth solstice bound
Daily darker, woe, and woe
Wait! Tomorrow’s hope
Sun, Moon, Venus, Mars
All the rest, twirling, whirling
Sphere music, dancing
Cosmos - all of it
Creator loved, Son redeemed
Heaven, nature sing!
Today's hope and gift
Low in the grave Christ lay, Jesus my Savior,
waiting the coming day, Jesus my Lord!
Vainly they watch his bed, Jesus my Savior,
vainly they seal the dead, Jesus my Lord!
Death cannot keep its prey, Jesus my Savior;
he tore the bars away, Jesus my Lord!
Up from the grave Christ arose;
with a mighty triumph o’er his foes;
he arose a victor from the dark domain,
and he lives forever, with his saints to reign.
He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!
-Robert Lowry
Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because his compassions fail not
They are new every morning;
Great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3: 22-23
Hope for the new year.
Today’s gift.
I got nuthin’ for you today. Nothing to report. Nothing profound, witty, picturesque or poetic. There have been no earth shaking events. There’s not much of anything on which to report. Unless you want to hear that I did some errands, paid some bills, pulled some weeds, planted some mums. Just did ordinary stuff today. Hmmm…
Today…
This day…
This is the day…
This is the day the Lord has made.
That’s something isn’t it? Indeed! Today’s gift.
Walk as Children of Light 