"I Knew It All Along"

 

NOTE:   This is a piece I wrote several years ago.-   RW  

            Many of you will remember the late Tim Russert, former NBC News political reporter that died several years ago.  In his book, Wisdom of Our Fathers: Lessons and Letters from Daughters and Sons,  he shares a story told by a woman whose Father was ill and was taken to the hospital.  The woman shares that she rushed to the hospital not just because of her concern for her Father, but because she felt that she needed to tell her Father that she loved him because she had never done that before.  When the woman arrived at the hospital, she found her father in a hallway because the Emergency Room was so busy.  With a combination of passion and urgency, she leaned over to embrace her father and said to him, “Oh, Dad, I love you. I love you so much and am sorry that I have never told you.”  As she embraced her father, he whispered in her ear, “That’s okay, Honey.  I knew it all along.” 

            That Father is not the only one who knows he is loved by his child without being told.   Christ Jesus says the same thing in John 14: 23-24,  Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.  He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.  You see, love in Christ is not so much something we say as something we do.   If your father is living, take time in these days to show your love to them.   Your father will be glad you did and you will be glad you did.  Have a joy-filled week.-  Pastor Randy Wall 

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PRAYER   Lord,  through the power of your Holy Spirit help our love for you to be seen and  not just said.   We pray these prayers in the name of the One whose name and nature is  love, Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen. 

WHAT? ME WORRY?

 

There was a magazine that I used to skim in the days of my youth called Mad Magazine.     From what I have been able to discover,  it is not around anymore.    Every issue that I looked at had on its cover its mascot.   Alfred E. Neuman,  with sometimes the caption  “What?   Me Worry?”

Despite the magazine and the message about worry, it seems that a lot of people spend a lot of time worrying.    They worry about what has happened and what is happening.    Why they even worry what might happen even though experience shows us that so many times what we worry about in the future does not take place.     There are a lot of things that give us pause to worry.    In my opinion, consuming all that you see or hear about in our 24/7 news cycle is enough to make any of us to worry.  

Several years ago,   I came across a poem that speaks about worry.     Recently, I discovered that the author of that poem was Elizabeth Cheney and it is titled  “Overheard in the Orchard”.   While the poem was  written in 1856 I think it ia as applicable today as it was then.     The poem goes like this:

Said the Robin to the Sparrow,

“I should really like to know

Why these anxious human beings

Rush about and worry so!”

Said the Sparrow to the Robin,

“Friend, I think that it must be

That they have no heavenly Father

Such as cares for you and me!”

 

Jesus used the metaphor of the birds in the sermon on the mount  (Matthew 6: 25-33) when he exclaimed:

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life^[e]?  ²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Oh, for a heart that seeks to be free from worry because of trusting in the Lord.  Have a joy-filled day.-  Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer-    God,  help me to worry less and trust you more;  in Christ our Lord.   Amen.  

The Sight of Blood

 

I recall a friend in my youth who was considering becoming a nurse as her vocation.     So, she decided to become a volunteer at our local hospital in a program they called “candy stripers”.   The name came from the fact that all the young ladies who served as hospital volunteers wore outfits that had stripes on them that ressembled the stripes on a candy cane.  When the school year began again I asked my friend whether she was still hoping to become a nurse.   She proceeded to tell me that her vocation plans had changed as her experience in the hospital emergency room taught her that she might seek a different vocation as she did not like the sight of blood.

There are a lot of folks that are like my candy striper friend who did  not like the sight of blood.    To avoid the sight, they turn their heads when medical staff are drawing blood at the doctors office or they turn the channel when they see blood on one of those medical shows.    In this week, Christians become face to face with the sight of blood as go through thee days of Holy Week and consider the Biblical truth that “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

The sad news is that Christ died and was buried.    He did not seem to die like what you might see in a television show or movie.   No, he really and truly died.   However, the good news is that Christ died FOR US.    He died for the sins of you, me, and the whole world.  Ponder the wonder and mystery of it all during this week, my friends, and give thanks.   Have a joy-filled Holy Week and a blessed Easter.-    Pastor Randy L. Wall

 

PRAYER-   O God, I give thanks for the sacrifice of your Son for my sins and for the sins of the whole world.    Help me, God, to live my life in gratitude to you by being a living sacrifice for you;   through Christ our Lord.   Amen.  

God Provides a Wheelchair

 

As some of you know,   I weekly volunteer  at a local helping agency called Opportunity House.   It is a faith-based day shelter for the homeless.   Among the things it offers include  two meals each weekday,  showers, a clothing closet, and a nurse who helps with medical issues.   They also assist formerly homeless persons recovering  from drug and alcohol issues with a recovery program.   I work doing group counseling with those who are in the recovery program.  

Several months ago,  I was making my way toward Opportunity House when I saw a woman riding down the street in her wheelchair.    Though I thought she might be going to Opportunity House,   I  did not know for sure until several minutes later I found her seeking to come in.   When I assisted her to get  into the building,   I was told a story about the woman that goes like this:

During the week earlier, the woman had made her way to Opportunity House from the local Salvation Army shelter where she is staying.    When the woman arrived,  it was soon discovered that her wheelchair was broken.    She needed a wheelchair to get around, and there was no wheelchair to be found.      A few minutes later,  some folks came to the door of Opportunity House that had some things they wanted to donate.   Among the items they had was a wheelchair!      The givers of these items were told about the need that this woman had, and were asked if they would join them as they presented the wheelchair to her.    These kind people consented with enthusiasm, and joined the Opportunity House staff in presenting this disabled woman with a wheelchair who received the gift with tears on the face that trickled down to her wide grin.

God will provide.    He provided a sacrifice for Abraham and He provided manna and quail for the Israelites to eat in the wilderness.    On a cold day in Concord, NC,  God provided for a woman who needed a wheelchair.    What is it that you need today?    Where are you lacking in your life?    The God that provided for  Abraham, the Israelites, and for a wheelchair-bound in Concord, NC can also provide for you.   Have a joy-filled day.   -   Pastor Randy Wall

 

PRAYER-   O God, I pray for those this day who struggle with the basic needs of life including the homeless.   Make me a part of the solution for them, and so many others who struggle.    Thank you, God, for providing for the needs of my life;  through Christ our Lord.   Amen.   

LOVERS AND LOCKS ON A BRIDGE

 

A few months ago, my wife and I made a visit to Europe.      The visit was more than just for sight-seeing as our daughter Ginger and her family live in Budapest, Hungary.   Since it is a rare occasion for us to get to that part of the world,   we travelled to the neighboring country of Austria visiting two cities, Vienna and Salzburg.     In the picture above, you will see the Makartsteg Bridge in Salzburg.    The bridge was built in 2001 and crosses the Salzbach River from one part of Salzburg to another.   As Ann and I travelled by foot across the bridge, we noticed what we thought was an unusual sight:  there were thousands of locks that had been attached to the bridge by young and not so young lovers.    From my understanding, lovers will write their initials on a lock.    As they visit the bridge, they will attach the lock to the side railings of the bridge and then throw the key to the lock in the Salzbach River as a sign of their never-ending love for each other.   While this might be something new to you as it was to Ann and I on that day of our travels,      I am told that this tradition is common at a number of places in Europe.

Long ago in the city of Jerusalem,   Jesus Christ became to bridge to a sinful humanity and our God.   When Jesus faced a cruel death on a cross, he died for the sins of you, me, and for the sins of the whole world.     In that act, Jesus Christ said that he loved us not just right now or not just when we do everything right and perfect.  No, Christ Jesus said that he loved us forever.     The Bible puts it this way:    “In this love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and gave His Son as an expiation for our sins….”

I wonder about the locks on that bridge in Salzburg, Austria.    Do all those lovers who scratched their initials on a lock and attached a lock to that bridge still love each other, or did their love fade away until the next beautiful girl or handsome guy come along… or until the stresses and strains of life snuff out the flames of love that burned within them or between them.     I do not know.     But I can promise you this:  no matter what you do and no matter how long time passes,   our God in Christ will never stop loving you.    On  Valentines Day, that is a love you can count on now and forever.     Thanks be to God.    Have a joy-filled week.-    Pastor Randy Wall   

PRAYER --  O God,   I give thanks for your amazing, grace-filled love for me despite the fact that I so often to live the life that you have called me to live.     Forgive me, God, through the matchless grace that is ours in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen

Have You Learned to Love?

 

Richard Paul Evans tells in his book, The Four Doors, about having a spiritual awakening or conversion when he was in his early 20’s.     Evans conversion  from doubt to faith began when he read a book titled  My Life After Dying by George C. Ritchie Jr.   In the book, Ritchie speaks about the experience he had when he died  for a total of 9 minutes.   George C. Ritchie says in the book that when he died that he encountered God, and that God asked him one question.  That one question was this:   “Have you learned how to love?”   

As I  write this,  my grandchildren are spending another day of school whether in their  public school or in their  college.   One of our daughters is helping children under her tutelage learn in a school classroom and another daughter is working on a college course she is taking.     While I have always believed that education is important and have shown the same by my example, there is nothing much more important for any of us to learn than to learn to love. 

Have you learned to love God, the one that created you and has written your name in the palm of His hand?    Have you learned to love the God who says that you, yes you, are fearfully and wonderfully made?   God not only gave each of us life, but He made each of us in His image.   Why, God loved each of us so much that He sent His Son to live among us.   Did we not celebrate that love just a few weeks ago at Christmas?    And God not only sent His Son to live among us, but while we were sinners Christ died for us.  

Have you learned to love not only God, but the people around you?   The great and glorious God that created you and redeemed you also created and redeemed those around you whether they know it  or not, whether they accept it or not.   Have you learned to love people around you though they may not look like or think like you?

Have you learned to love God and have you learned to love people around you?   Finally, have you learned to love yourself?    I remember years ago doing a childrens message at church with a group of children.   I brought before them a large paper bag and told them they could see God  in the bottom of the bag.    They looked curiously at the bag as did their  parents and other adults from the pews of that church.    After a brief time of conversation,   I asked the children if they would like to look  in the bag and see God.    Of course, they all raised their  hands.   What the children and adults did not know is that I had placed a mirror in the bottom of that bag.  Lo and behold, when the children looked in that bag they saw a reflection of themselves.    When the Bible tells us that we made in the image of God, is it not telling us that God  lives in each of us?      Have you learned to love yourself, because you are made in the image of God and are a child of the creator of the universe?  

In this year of 2025,  my prayer for myself and for each of   you is we can aspire to love- to love God… to love others even when they look or think different than ourselves… and that each of can love ourselves by living in a way that reflects the love of God.    Will you join me in that love journey in 2025?     Have a joy-filled day and 2025.-   Pastor Randy Wall  

PRAYER --  O God,  thank you for the great and bountiful way that you love each and everyone of us.    Help me, God, to love more in these days of 2025;  through Jesus Christ our Lord.   Amen.    

A LIving Nativity Not Forgotten

 

During this season of Advent and the days of December,    I find myself enjoying not just the time now with friends and family but also thinking of  Christmases past.    Unlike Ebenezer Scrooge, I am not haunted by the days of Christmas past.   It is perhaps more accurate to say that I savor it like a freshly made cup of hot chocolate that warms my hands and my throat as I take the first sips of it.   I have always enjoyed seeing a living nativity scene whether  it be by young children in a church sanctuary or by youth and/or adults on selected nights near Christmas.

Around 1970, the youth of my home church decided they wanted to do a living nativity scene for church members and community alike.    There was another church in the northern part of the county was  doing the same, and it gave us the idea.    As we discussed it,  some of the parents said they would help us build a stable.    A group of the younger boys quickly volunteered to be shepherds.   Our youth leader began to assign youth to be the main characters:    Mary, Joseph, and the angels.     One of the youth remembered that Mr. Parks had sheep that we probably could use for the event instead of cardboard cut-outs.   Some of the more creative youth said they would create signs to tell the community that could be posted along the side of the road.    Other youth quickly said that they were certain their Moms would prepare some hot chocolate and goodies for the youth to eat.    A plan was made and a date was set.    We just knew it would be a great event.   

And so, it came to pass that the night for our living nativity scene came.    The signs were posted along the side of the road and the make-shift stable was made including a manger where a baby doll impersonated the baby Jesus.      And lo and behold, people came!    Yet, the living nativity did not turn out as well as we would have liked.    Some of the shepherds got restless and wandered off and so did the sheep.     Unfortunately, the novice shepherds were not very good at their job and one of the sheep wandered into the road.     Some of the wise men got cold, and were more interested in partaking of the hot  chocolate and goodies in the warm fellowship hall.      It was a living nativity, but it was not perfect!

As Christmas approaches, perhaps you are beginning to feel like this will not be a perfect Christmas.    Ones you love will not all be there.     Your pile of bills will be higher than the packages under the tree.    A chair is empty where someone sat last Christmas.    Christmas just does not feel right.    And you know what?     The first Christmas was not perfect either.   Joseph failed to make a reservation in Bethlehem for a room.    Mary must have wished that her Mama was there to be with her when she gave birth.     And the shepherds and sheep!    When the shepherds came to see the newborn Messiah, what happened to those sheep?

 Savor this truth, my friends!     The truth that God is with us!     Our God comes into our world of imperfect people who live imperfect lives.    Merry Christmas to each of you.  Have a joy-filled Christmas.-   Pastor Randy Wall

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PRAYER --  O God,  we rejoice in the truth that God is with us and that Christ Jesus came to save us from our sins.    Thank you for your perfect love that touches our imperfect lives.    We praise you;  through Christ our Lord.    Amen.