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.
New Years Day – 2023
Tag: Comfort
Nuthin’
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.
Children of the Heavenly Father
I went to church yesterday. That’s not so unusual. Most Sundays you’ll find me in some church somewhere. This particular Sunday I was struck by an old hymn we sang, “Children of the Heavenly Father.” Even though the song is rife with archaic, medieval sounding language, the song and the events of the day grabbed my attention.
Children of the heav’nly Father safely in his bosom gather…
There we were, safely gathered all in the same place, Baby Eli and his mom and dad, George, Hope, me and the rest of the congregation.
God his own doth tend and nourish; in his holy courts they flourish…
Of course, the point of attending church on Sunday is to worship God. That is not to say that God can’t be worshipped any other day. I believe that all of life can be an act of worship. But yesterday, through the sacraments of baptism and holy communion we were ‘tended and nourished’ and reminded of why we worship God.
…in his mighty arms he bears them…
Baby Eli was baptized. Baptism symbolizes the washing away of sins by the sacrifice Jesus made for us. It is a sign and seal of God’s covenant of grace. After the baptism and while the congregation sang, Eli, carried in the strong arms of his dad, met his church family. The simple act of a dad carrying his son provided a poignant picture of the God about whom we were singing.
From all evil things he spares them…
George. About 10 years ago I had an unpleasant encounter with George. Even though I no longer remember the details of the disagreement, I remember the strong feelings expressed and the inability to amicably resolve the problem.
George showed up in my church yesterday. He was there for the baptism. I’d like to say that we talked, reconciled and left as friends. It didn’t happen that way. Maybe it will someday, but yesterday our paths didn’t cross. However, I left with the realization that 10 years ago God helped me through that very difficult time.
I’m sure that George and I have probably changed a bit over the 10 years, hopefully for the better. I know he is not evil, then or now. And, like me, Eli and the rest he also is a child of the Heavenly Father.
Though he giveth or he taketh, God his children ne’er forsaketh;
The service concluded. It was time to head home. I headed toward the exit and there walked Hope. Actually, there limped Hope with her strong right leg clamped in a brace.
She is a former student of mine from six years ago. A gifted runner on the cross country team that I coached. A sweet kid. It seems that a freak twist of the knee damaged something. Now in her senior year she is missing the beginning chunk of her cross country season. Disappointing I’m sure.
We talked. She seemed upbeat, hopeful that the MRI results will deliver good news. For now the ability to run has been taken from her. I pray that she knows that the One who loves her the most and the best has not forsaken her.
Children of the heav’nly Father… his the loving purpose solely to preserve them pure and holy.
Today’s gift is the reminder that baby Eli and his parents, George, Hope, me and you are indeed children of the Heavenly Father. This is the Good News…
Morning Walks…
My usual walking routine is to wake up, get ready and go. I walk alone.
This past week my routine changed in that I got up, got ready and went, still alone, but walked in three different states.
Different states, means…
different paths…
different people and things along the way….
Different states, paths, people, things… always alone.
Wait! Not alone! No matter the state, type of path, people or things, I’m never alone. Over the course of a multitude of morning meanderings, I have come to realize that every day, I have Jesus walking with me.
Today’s gift.
“… and walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8
Just What I Needed
I turned the corner to leave the cereal aisle and there she stood. A teaching colleague from years past; a friend that I hadn’t talked to in years pushed her cart with the week’s groceries.
You know how it goes, after the initial surprise, we caught up on stuff. You know, things like family. “How are the kids doing? Really they’re that old!?” Topics that only scratched the surface to be sure, but useful for folks who’ve been apart for a time. It kept the conversation going a bit.
As we chatted a little more we dodged the folks trying to make their way to the Special K. We rearranged our carts so shoppers could get by then the conversation changed. The topic turned to God. Yep, it happened right there in the grocery store, next to the Frosted Mini Wheats. Right there among shoppers filling their carts with tomorrow’s breakfast, in stepped God.
Several years ago, she and her husband left secure teaching jobs in a stable Christian school to start up a Christian school in the same town, in the heart of a neighborhood rife with poverty, instability and crime. A gutsy move, I thought at the time. They said, a calling from God.
God calls, indeed. He’s a God that not only calls, but over the years he’s demonstrated that he equips and blesses. Over the years God has made that little school a blessing to the neighborhood. He brought the right people together, gave them the courage to take a leap of faith and through them multiplied his blessing and grace to an impoverished neighborhood. God was and is at work through the Tree of Life School in the Edison neighborhood of Kalamazoo, Michigan. It’s an incredible story, to be sure.
That’s about where our conversation ended. For me it was an important reminder that God graciously walks daily with me too, as I try to fulfill his calling. It was a reminder of God’s goodness and faithfulness right there in the cereal aisle. Today, a little chat about God with a friend, just down the way from the Corn Flakes, was just what I needed.
Today’s gift.
Home
I have good news and I have Good News. First the good news.
I heard about each of them in January. (See “It’s January .”) Two babies, Finley and Danielle. Both helpless. They had problems. Big problems. Life threatening. Both in need of miracles. I followed their progress. I prayed.
Finley needed a new liver. Danielle was born three months and several pounds early. That was January and now it’s May.
The good news is both are alive and both are doing well. Both have a ways to go. Most importantly, both are home from long stays in hospitals. Good news. Great news.
Now the Good News. The Creator of heaven and earth, God, one who first loved Finley and Danielle, he knew them before they were in their mothers’ womb. He preserved their lives and has plans for them. The two girls’ journeys continue and God walks with them. As he does with us. That’s Good News. That’s today’s gift.
Easter – 2022
Jesus said…, “I am the resurrection and the life.
Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live,
and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” John 11:25-26
Yesterday’s, today’s and eternity’s gift.
Happy Easter!
New Year’s Day
For New Year’s Day 2022…
“Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
Today’s gift.
This is the Day…
“This is the day…”
Here it is. The big day has finally arrived. This is the day we’ve all been waiting for. It’s New Year’s Day! And, just maybe, by some magic of the calendar, by the flipping of the page from December to January, by walking through that door marked 2021 into a new year, we can finally put all our troubles and woes behind us. We can march onwards to a better future. This is the day…
Frankly, I’m sure this discussion has been had on many a New Years Day. Often we dial up that woe-is-me mentality and let ‘er rip. Woe and woe, trouble, heartache, you name it, we can find it at anytime, any year, no matter what the day. Negativity abounds sometimes. I know I’ve been there. The hope is that now that the new year is finally here, thing will get better. They certainly can’t get any worse.
“This is the day that the Lord has made…”
One thing I need to be reminded about over and over, especially when things aren’t going my way, is “I am not my own, but belong body and soul to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.” I know, it sounds preachy, but I can’t think of a better way to say it, than in the words of the Heidelberg Catechism. Looking backward or forward, he’s got us. Even in in our struggles and uncertainties, the Creator of heaven and earth is intimately involved with us and his creation. He is working with us and for us, often behind the scenes, and has everything under control, past present and future.
“We will rejoice and be glad in it.”
Sounds like a stretch some days, but deep down when the day is over, hopefully we can look back and realize what a gift God-made days are.
So, here it is, Psalm 118:24, today’s gift.
“This is the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.”
Walk as Children of Light 