So Great, So Personal

There are many worship places that have deep meaning for me.   One of those places is Duke University Chapel in Durham.   The meaning of that place for me has nothing to do with the athletic teams of the University or the fact that I am a Duke graduate.  Duke University Chapel is a special place for me because it has been a part of some important parts of my journey of life.    Through the years, I have been there for special events like Christmas Eve worship and worship on the eve of my graduation from Duke Divinity School.   I also recall being there for times of trouble such as when I walked its long center aisle while my Mom had surgery at nearby Duke University Medical Center years ago. 

I walked that long center aisle at Duke University Chapel in November  when I was at Duke for a continuing education event.   As an organist played softly, I slowly strolled in the chapel and meditated on the beautiful stained-glass windows who were radiant with color on that sunny afternoon.     A visit to Duke University Chapel always refreshes my soul, and the same can be was true  on  that day. 

 As I left that special place that day, it occurred to me that sometimes my experience of God is like my experience of Duke University Chapel.  Sometimes, my experience of God is that He is great and beautiful just like Duke University Chapel so often is to me.     Other times, my experience with God is more up close and personal.   Exodus 33:11 tells that the Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.   Sometimes, my experience with God is like a one on one conversation over a cup of coffee at Starbucks.    During this time of year,  I ponder anew a great, glorious God that came close in the person of the holy child of Mary; yet, his birth was announced by angels in the highest heavens.     I give thanks to a God who is imminent and close by, but who also is transcendent and so great.  Have a joy-filled week. -     Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:    O God, you are great and glorious, and you are near and so personal.    Thank you for creating us and this world, and thank you for being as close as our next breath; through Christ our Lord.   Amen.  

He Became One of Us

Last month, I spent several days on the campus of Duke University on study leave.   One evening, my wife Ann and I made a visit to the Nasher Museum, the art museum on the Duke campus.    Among the exhibitions that the Nasher was offering was on the art of Carlo Dolci, an Italian painter.  Though I certainly would not consider myself one who is well versed in the field of art, I appreciate that field of expression.    One of my former Divinity School professors, Bishop Will Willimon, was there that evening speaking about the work of Dolci through the eyes of faith.    Dolci was not only an accomplished artist, but he was also a devout Christian.  Almost all the art of Dolci that was on exhibit was religious art because that was central not only to Dolci’s art subjects, but it also was the center of Dolci’s life.  

As is often the case, Bishop Willimon offered some insightful comments on the art of Dolci.   As we gazed at a painting of the Christ child and his mother, Mary, he reminded us of how novel if not downright scandalous it was when the Christian faith claimed that God became a human being.    While it is certainly not uncommon for humans to want to play God or to be God, what a peculiar notion in the history of civilization to suggest that a mighty, omnipotent God would become a human being.   Truly, our faith is an incarnational faith.

Amid all that these Advent and December days hold for you, I invite you to contemplate the holy mystery that in the life of Jesus Christ God became one of us.  John 1 declares “the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us full of grace and truth.”    Because God became a human, he is able not only to redeem us but also to understand what it is to live in these flesh and bones.  Thanks be to God.      Have a joy-filled week. -     Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:    O God, I celebrate the wonder and mystery in these days that the Word was made flesh in Jesus Christ, truly God and truly human.  Thank you for the gift of Christ to this world and the gift of Christ for our sins on the cross; through Christ our Lord.   Amen. 

Gifts to the Person Who Has Everything

Somewhere during this season of Advent, you will encounter the story of the wise men visiting the Christ child.  There are some things we assume in that story such as there were three wise men though the Scripture does not tell us that fact.   Though every Christmas pageant has the wise men coming quickly to see the Christ child,  Biblical scholars tell us that it probably took some time to reach the Christ child.  

While we know not how many wise men there were or how long their journey took to worship the Christ child, we do know the gifts they brought: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.    I have been thinking about those gifts recently and wonder what Mary and Joseph thought of those gifts.  I wonder if the gold the wise men gave made them able to afford to take the trip to Egypt?    I wonder what Mary and Joseph did with the frankincense and myrrh?  Did they complain about the gifts of the wise men like we complain about the Christmas gifts we receive sometimes?

What do you give people when you do not know what to give?   What do you give people who seem to have everything?   If those are questions you are struggling with in these days, here are a few ideas:

Why don’t you give the person who has everything a gift in their honor to your favorite charity or their favorite charity?

Why not consider giving to the person who has everything a trip to a favorite event or a picture of you and them?

I know not why the wise men gave the gift of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Perhaps they thought they were fitting gifts for  a new King.   Perhaps the most fitting gift you can give a person when you don’t know what to give is the gift of yourself and your time.      Have a joy-filled week.—Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:    O God, I thank you for the gift of yourself in Christmas in Christ Jesus.  No matter my means, help me remember that the gift of self is the best gift;  through Christ our Lord.   Amen.

Cyber Shopping

Cyber shopping is becoming a common way that people shop.   While I am not an expert on the subject, I read that brick and mortar stores continue to struggle to compete in the marketplace.  Just a few days ago, Cyber Monday (the Monday after Thanksgiving weekend) took place and reports were that online shopping set a record.    I understand why online shopping is so appealing.   It is certainly convenient to shop at any time in the comfort of your own home without having to dress up or search for a parking space.   I am afraid, however, that there is something that is lost when we shop solely on our computer and through our smart phone.  What we lose is the connection with people.   When we simply shop through the convenience of the internet, we lose the communal shopping experience. 

My family will certainly verify that I am not particularly fond of shopping.  While I might not like to shop, I certainly enjoy being around people.  I recall going from town to town, store to store shopping with my oldest daughter as she looked for the perfect prom dress… and going with my wife Ann to look at wedding rings in area jewelry stores.   I remember as a boy that Mildred was always helpful to my Mom as she shopped for school clothes at J.C. Penney for my brother and myself.   While it is so much easier to shop at home on the internet, what I miss when I do is connecting with people.    

As one can shop on the internet, persons today can also get a dose of religion and faith anytime and anyplace thanks to the world wide web and the internet.   The internet is full of blogs by pastors like myself, worship services, Bible studies, and sermons of many differing faiths and viewpoints.    You are certainly experiencing the same by reading this blog.   However, I still believe that cyber religion and faith cannot take the place of the religious activity that takes place when you sit in a church pew or face to face in a small group and encounter God through the people in front of us and around us.    As God comes among us in the flesh in the babe of Bethlehem, Christ Jesus, so the best way I encounter God sometimes is through a fellow human being.   Have a joy filled week. -  Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:    O God, I thank you for all the ways at our disposal today to connect with you.  I also thank you for people that are your instruments.  As you reveal yourself through others, help me to do the same; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen. 

Those People In the Airport

I wrote last week that one of the things that I do regularly at this stage in my life is read.   A second thing that I enjoy doing at this stage in my life is travelling.   I recall that my Grandpa Perry died at age 65 without ever even seeing the Atlantic Ocean.   I cannot say the same.  I have had the privilege to travel to many states and a few foreign countries.   One of the things that you are doing if you travel by plane is spend time in airports.   Though airports are pretty much the same, what stands out for me in airports is the people you see.    Sometimes when I am in an airport, I will put down the book or newspaper I am reading and simply observe the people that I see as they move from terminal to plane, plane to terminal.  

I have found myself at times rushing to judgments about people thinking to myself I would not do what I see them doing or I would not dress the way they are dressed.   I have observed people treating what perhaps were family members or airline employees in ways that were not positive or kind.   Lately, when I find myself rushing to judgment about people I see in the airport, I attempt to choose a different response to them.   That response is that I have begun praying for them.     While I know not their name or their needs, I have simply lifted them up to our God who knows all of us better than we know ourselves.   

I wonder what the world would be like and what we would be like if each of us would pause before we respond to others or pass judgment on them and simply utter a prayer for the persons we encounter or observe in the airport, the neighborhood, the restaurant, or in our workplace?    Though Jesus certainly never travelled via an airplane,  I think he got at this issue when he said in the sermon on the mount:  "Judge not, lest you be judged."      Have a joy-filled week. -   Pastor Randy Wall  

Eating Thanksgiving with the Enemy

One of the things that I do regularly at this stage in my life is read.   While I have read the Bible regularly for years, I take more time to read other books in these days including biographies, history, and the like. Not only do I read books, but I also listen to books in my car as I come and go around the community.   A few weeks ago, I came across an audiobook at our local library titled Mayflower by Nathaniel Phillbrick.  It tells about the pilgrims who journeyed to the shores of this country we now call the United States of America.   I suspect that even persons with the limited knowledge of American history know that there is a connection between the pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving celebration.  

In listening to this book about the pilgrims, I learned some things.  Let me focus on only two learnings.   First, it probably is a myth that the pilgrims first set foot on the shores of this land called the United States by setting foot on Plymouth rock.   According to the book, they set foot on these shores first on Cape Cod near what is modern day Provincetown, Massachusetts.  A second learning from this book for me is that while the Native Americans (or Indians) and the pilgrims set down for a festival of Thanksgiving, their relationship was not always filled with such harmony.   According to the book, the Native Americans were suspicious of the pilgrims and the pilgrims were fearful of the Native Americans.   It was only over the course of time under the leadership of some of their leaders that they transitioned from enemies to friends and neighbors. 

As we approach this Thanksgiving, there are many divisions among us on the political, religious, and social level (not including between friends and within families).     Perhaps we can learn something from our ancestors that will help us transition from enemies of each other to being friends.  While I know not all the details about how the pilgrims and Native Americans moved from enemies to friends and neighbors, I want that to happen in this day and I hope you do also.   Have a joy-filled week. -   Pastor Randy Wall  

Prayer:    All praise and thanksgiving be to you, O God.   You have given us not only yourself in your Son, Christ Jesus, but you also have given us one another.   May the power of your love overcome the barriers and walls between us; through Christ our Lord.  Amen.  

They Are Human

The month of October in recent years has been known as Pastor Appreciation Month. While I am not sure why October was chosen for this observance, I celebrate that pastors are getting some appreciation.   Though October is gone, I want to take time today to focus on Christian pastors and religious leaders of all faiths in general.    Though there are many things I know little about in this ever-changing world, I think that I can speak about pastors since I have been a pastor now for over 40 years.   At the same time, I also speak as one who has a little distance from the pastoral role since I am semi-retired. 

The thing I want to center on today is a truth about pastors:   they are human.   Though they are set apart to serve an immortal God, they are quite mortal.   Though they live in the world, they have been called to serve One whose “kingdom is not of this world”.  The truth that pastors are human means several things.   

First, the humanity of pastors means they are not perfect.  While they serve a Savior who is without blemish, all pastors have blemishes.   They are saved by grace through faith as are all folks.  While I believe most pastors earnestly want to be outstanding in pastoral care, preaching, administration, community involvement, and leading worship, most pastors are outstanding in some responsibilities and not outstanding in others.   

Secondly, the humanity of pastors means they cannot do everything.   The Psalmist declared that “he who keeps Israel neither slumbers or sleeps”.    While that is true about God, it is not true about pastors.    The Eveready bunny might keep going and going, but pastors need to take time to rest just like you.   I have served part-time as a pastor and full-time as a pastor, and I don’t believe that I ended any week having done all that I hoped to do.    If a pastor fails to meet your expectations or the expectations of your church leadership, perhaps the reason is not because of their skill or work ethic but because pastoral responsibilities you do not even know about got in the way. 

Thirdly and finally, the humanity of pastors means they do not know everything.   While God knows all, the pastors called by Him do not.    They do not know of your deepest hurts and hungers, of your hopes and dreams as a church, of your sickness and heartaches unless you share them.    A pastor does not know the unwritten traditions of a church or community unless you tell them.    ; Talk to your pastor, and talk to God in prayer for your pastor asking God to direct their paths.     If all persons in the pew would spend  as much time praying for their pastor as they did talking about their pastor I believe not only would pastors be more equipped, but communities of faith would be more vital.   Have a joy-filled week. -   Pastor Randy Wall  

Prayer:  O God, I thank you for those called by you to be leaders of communities of faith.  Bless all pastors to be faithful to you.  Show me, Lord, how I can be an asset for your kingdom and your Church; through Christ our Lord.  Amen. 

It's Used, but Are You?

My wife, Ann, and I went to our local Goodwill Store a few weeks ago.   I was the one that suggested we stop by.     When we left the store, we had purchased a tie, men’s sport coat, ladies jacket, and a men’s shirt for a grand total of a little less than $13.  (Our savings were more than they usually would have been because it was “Senior Day”.)   

There are all kinds of places where one can buy used items these days.   The Goodwill Store, Craigslist, eBay, Amazon, and yard sales are just a few examples.  While on the one hand we might congratulate our self on getting a bargain on a used item at one of those places, on the other hand there is a shadow that is cast over things that are used.    Even though my friend Ralph Davis used to say that “everybody drives a used car”, we think a new car is better.  We take pride in the possibility of buying a recently built, new home instead of a home that had former occupants.   

While used and second hand are sometimes considered second class, isn’t being used the aim for all of us in our life?   The devout Christian surely wants to be used by God.  The faithful employee wanted to be used in their job to be an asset to a company and its customers.   While purchasing something used might be considered second class, I don’t know about you, but I think being used should be our goal in this life by the God who created us.   Have a joy-filled week. -  Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:   O God, use me in this day and in this life.   Use, me, Lord, for your work and for others; through Christ our Lord.   Amen.  

Persons The Light Shines Through

Today is  November 1.  It is the beginning of the 11^th month of the year.   The turning of the calendar to November means that Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the end of the year is not very far away.   November 1 is also a special day on the church calendar as it is known as All Saints Day.    

Saint is a word that brings to mind for many people a life lived without blemish and filled with the performance of miracles.   The Roman Catholic Church has a process for designating a person as a saint. The performance of  miracles and living a blameless life are two criteria that are a part of the process.   It is interesting to me that you will not find the word “saint” at all in modern translations of the Bble like the New International Version or The Message.   The word “saint” that we find in the King James Version is often translated to mean “holy ones”.     I am grateful to God for the saints that we read about in church history like St. Augustine and St. Peter, but I am also grateful for the saints who I have encountered in my own journey.

The story is told of a pastor who had the tradition of having a “childrens time” at Sunday worship.   One Sunday, he asked the children:  “What is a saint.?”   One child thought for a moment  and observed the stained glass windows showing images of people in the sanctuary, and exclaimed:   “Pastor, a saint is a person that the light shines through.”

I give thanks to God for those saints I have encountered in my life who have allowed the light of Christ to shine through them.   My life is better because of them.  Perhaps this All Saints Day is a good time for you to think of those saints who have touched your own life.   Thank them if you are able, and give thanks to God for them.  Have a joy-filled week.-  Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:   O God, I thank you for the saints who have crossed my path and have shown me the goodness of you.   Help me to follow their example and live more like you;   through Christ our Lord.  Amen. 

500 Years Old and Still Growing

The end of October is only days away.  The date of October 31 brings different thoughts to different people.  For the young and the young at heart, perhaps October 31 brings thoughts of Halloween and the need to prepare by buying candy for costumed children or a mental note to get a costume for your children or grandchildren.  For the business man or business woman, it may be that the end of October reminds them that time is of the essence if there are matters that must be completed before November 1.  There is something else that is worthy of note about October 31 of this year as it is the 500^th anniversary of the Protestant reformation.  Church historians tell us that on October 31, 1517 Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses on the door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany.   Those theses (or complaints or abuses) are the beginnings of churches that would be conceived like Baptists, United Methodists, Presbyterians, and Episcopalians.  

There is not space in this blog to say all that could be said about Martin Luther or the Protestant reformation.  This 500^th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation does remind me of a phrase that one of my seminary professors said to our church history class many years ago.  The phrase that Rev. Dr. David Steinmetz introduced me to was this: “semper reformanda.”   That is a Latin phrase that means “always being reformed.”    From some brief investigation, I discovered that the phrase is a derivation of a phrase first made popular by the late Karl Barth many years ago. 

While Christ is blameless, perfect, and without blemish, His Church (the body of Christ) is not perfect because the Church is made up of people.    Christ died not just for the sins of the whole world, but He died for the sins of every person that is and has been a part of the body of Christ through the ages.  Through its commissions and omissions, people in the Church have not only failed to be perfect images of Christ, but they have caused the Church to not fully be the body of Christ.   History is filled with many examples where the Church has not only failed to be whole, but failed to be the holy people of God.   

And so, in 2017 as in 1517, let the body of Christ, the Church, seek “semper reformanda.”   “Always being reformed.”    Being made more fully into the body of Christ.  That is my hope and prayer for this October 31 and every day.   Have a joy-filled week.  -- Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:   O God, I thank you for the Church, the body of Christ.  Forgive your Church for the times it has failed to be all you would have to be.  Let the winds of reform continue to blow; through Christ our Lord.  Amen. 

The Last Thing or the First Thing?

I have been having some minor health issues lately.   Since July, I have been having pain in my right shoulder and my right arm now and then.   I have been to the doctor two times about the issue.   I have taken a few prescriptions for the problem, and have taken over the counter pain relief pills regularly.   I am currently in the process of having some tests to accurately diagnose what is the problem.  Though I continue to engage in regular exercise, I have changed my exercise regimen to not aggravate the problem further. 

A few weeks ago, I discovered that there was something that I had failed to do about my health issue and it is this:   I had not prayed about it.    I had talked to my wife about the issue and to various family members.  I had consulted with my doctor about the continuing pain.   I had changed my exercise routine.   I was dismayed that I had not prayed about the issue.  Instead of making prayer the first thing I did about this physical issue, I had made it the last thing. 

During the time, I have experienced this pain in my shoulder and arm, there has been much happening in our world.   There have been natural disasters like hurricanes and earthquakes.   There have been people I know and love who have died or who have had loved ones to die.   Almost daily I read in the newspaper or on the internet of some major international incident that seems on the threshold of beginning.   During those events, pain in my shoulder and arm seems to be quite minor.   Yet, I believe that the God who created all of us is concerned not just about billions of people in this world but each one of us. 

I share this personal experience not just because I would appreciate your prayers for my health but because I suspect that there are some others out there who are quick to pray for others and diligent about caring for their health but are slow to pray for themselves.      Years ago, I remember being in the home of a woman named Mildred who had nine grown children.   On the wall of her living room, she had a framed piece of cross stitch that said: “A Mom is a person who has enough love for all her 9 children, but who loves them as if there was only one.”   I believe that Mildred learned such love from the best teacher and example of all:  our God.   That same God loves me and you the same way.   Have a joy-filled week. -   Pastor Randy Wall 

Prayer: “Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care.  What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer.”   Thank you, God for prayer.  I pray this day for myself and my needs.  Thank you for hearing my prayers; through Christ our Lord.  Amen. 

Loose Lug Nuts

A few weeks ago, I had my truck serviced for some minor maintenance.   Among the items that needed attention is that my truck needed new rotors and new brake pads.   My truck was ready at the time promised, and I gladly paid the mechanic for his service.   Unfortunately, my truck did not perform so well when I drove it from the place of service.   The brake issues had been corrected, but to my dismay my truck had this vibration in the left side of the truck that had not been there before.   A few hours later, my truck was back in front of the mechanic.  After going on a test drive with the mechanic, the mechanic could see that there was a problem.  After looking underneath my truck and examining many things over the course of about an hour, the mechanic discovered the problem and it was this:  to his dismay and embarrassment, the mechanic had failed to tighten the lug nuts on the front tire on the driver’s side.   After tightening those few lug nuts, I got in my truck and it drove quite well.

Little things mean a lot.   A few lug nuts weighing ounces made all the difference in how a truck weighing several tons drove.  In I Corinthians, the apostle Paul uses the human body as a metaphor for the health and vitality of the body of Christ, the Church.    Read these words from I Corinthians 12 which say:

¹⁵ Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. ¹⁶ And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸ But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. ¹⁹ If they were all one part, where would the body be?²⁰ As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

No one would argue that an eye that weighs less than 1 pound is unimportant for a 250-pound man to view a sunrise or that an ear that weighs less than 1 pound is unimportant for a 125-pound teenager to hear the voice of her sweetheart.   Little things mean a lot in the parts of the human body, and they mean a lot in the health and vitality of the church, the body of Christ.   As winter comes near, we will be grateful for that person that flips the switch to turn on the heat in our church buildings.   As people come near, I am grateful for those who offer a kind smile or a warm embrace.   Thanks be to God.   Have a joy-filled week. -   Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:    Lord and God, I thank you for the little things that mean much in my life and your kingdom.   As I graciously receive them, help me to graciously give; through Christ our Lord. Amen.  

A Tiring and Wearisome Week

I am tired and weary today.   My fatigue has nothing to do with lack of sleep or the busyness of these days, but it has everything to do with what I see and hear in this week.  I am tired of turning on the news to see stories of people in masses  killed  or wounded by a shooter or a bomber for reasons known or unknown.  I am weary of  words of hate spewed from  mouths or on social media from leaders and common folk alike seeking to spread their values and agendas and chastising those who have other opinions.  I suffer fatigue from all the rancor, division, and hostility that seems everywhere I turn.  My heart grieves the  texts and phone calls I receive too often  from  persons being wounded by family members  and friends who cut deeply with their words and stifle the spirit of ones they say they love. 

Some of you may remember the book The Shoes of the Fisherman by Morris West or the movie of the same name starting Anthony Quinn.   I recall   a scene where the Pope seeks to escape the life of the papacy in Vatican City and get out in the real world.   He comes into a neighborhood where a person is dying and answers the plea for a priest.   The Pope in disguise is there as the person transitions from this world to the world to come.  After administering last rites for the deceased, the Pope lingers there until someone says to him:  “Come on, Father.  It is okay.   Dying is easy, for it is the living that gets us down.”  

A world filled with senseless death, hate, division, and the like gets me down and perhaps you.   Today, I am weary of it all.   In a world filled with hate, I yearn today for love.  In a world filled with division, I hope for unity.    And so today, I turn again  briefly away from the words of the news and social media to hear The Word where Jesus says,  “Beloved, let us love one another.”   In a world where the number of people going to Church seems to be growing less,  I yearn for Sunday to come to be with a people who, when they are at their best, serve and love as the body of Christ.   Amid  the chaos and confusion, I turn to and cling to what I believe and find rest to go on.    Have a joy-filled week.-   Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:    Lord and God,  help me as I live in this world to know that our help and hope is not found in this world but in you.   Change us, O  God, by your love; through Christ our Lord.  Amen.  

Gifts in Houston

Some of you who read my blogs regularly might recall that I have a daughter, son in law, and 3 grandchildren who live in Houston.   They were fortunate to suffer no flooding in their home or neighborhood during the recent hurricane.   The worse effects they suffered from the hurricane were loss of power and minor inconvenience in their travels.   While they suffered few effects, friends and co-workers of my daughter were not as fortunate as their homes, cars, and such drowned in waters.   One day a few weeks ago, I received a text message from my daughter that included a picture of her van packed full of all sorts of supplies such as box fans, humidifiers, wrecking bars, and the like.   She explained that the supplies were for a friend whose home had been flooded from the rain waters of the hurricane, and she had gotten the supplies from their church.  Good folk like you sent those items from churches across the country.  Though they did not know my daughter’s friend, they knew of the need.

As I think of that experience of my daughter’s van packed with items given by people she did not know across the country, it reminded of a story that is told in the gospel of John about hungry folks, a little boy, and Jesus.   We find the story in John 6 as follows:

Sometime after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), ² and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick. ³ Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. ⁴ The Jewish Passover Festival was near.  ⁵ When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” ⁶ He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.   ⁷ Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages^[a] to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”   ⁸ Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up,⁹ “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”

We know not the name of that little boy in that gospel story, and I think it certain that the thousands of people who ate their fill of loaves and fishes did not know his name either.  Yet, they benefited from his generosity.   As a friend of my daughter benefited from the generosity of people whose names they did not know, more often that we imagine we too benefit from people whose names are known only by God.  They grow the food we put on our table… they open the door for us at the convenience store… and they offer a smile that our soul sorely needs.  Have a joy-filled week. -   Pastor Randy Wall 

Prayer:    Lord and God, I thank you for the bounty of gifts that come to me from people whose names I know and people whose names are known by you.   As I have graciously been given, let me also graciously give; through Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Prayers Answered? Then What?

One of the things that is a common event in my life is that people will ask me to pray for them, pray with them, or to pray for some person or circumstance they care about.    I see this is a holy privilege that I take seriously because it is a sign to me that the petitioner believes in God and in their humility, realizes that all the answers in life are not found in the things that we can see.   Sometimes, I will stop what I am doing at the time and say a prayer for them or with them.  Other times for all sorts of reasons, I will make a mental note and pray for that person later.   There is no telling how many prayer requests I have received in the 40 plus years of ministry under my belt.   Those requests have been made in places where you would expect prayer requests like a hospital room and in uncommon places for prayer request like a
Facebook message.   I have received prayer requests from people I just met a few moments earlier and prayer requests from people that I have known for many years.    One of the things I have wondered about through the years is (as the late Paul Harvey put it) “the rest of the story”.    Whatever happened to that person or in that circumstance?    Were our prayers answered?

In the gospel of Luke, we hear the story of a time when Jesus was besieged not with a prayer request not from one person, but a healing request from 10 persons. Read this passage from Luke 17 which says: 

¹¹ Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. ¹² As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy^[b] met him. They stood at a distance ¹³ and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” ¹⁴ When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.  ¹⁵ One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. ¹⁶ He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.  ¹⁷ Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?¹⁸ Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” ¹⁹ Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

One thing that stands out in this passage of scripture to me is the fact that only one person out of ten persons who was healed of leprosy bothers to thank Jesus for their healing.   Are we as quick to offer our thanksgiving to God for his goodness as we are to offer our prayer requests and petitions to God?   Have a joy-filled week. -   Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:    O God, I confess my slowness to thank you for the blessings you give to me without ceasing.  Forgive me, and give me an awareness of your goodness that I might always and everywhere give you thanks and praise; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

After the Storm

I watched with many of you a few weeks ago as the winds and rain from Hurricane Harvey adversely affected the citizens of the Gulf coast.  I listened to the stories of how it affected people in general in that region and how it affected specific people who knew the loss of loved ones, homes, businesses, and such.    I have a keen interest in that region of our country because I have friends and family there including three grandchildren.    In recent days, I have watched the wind and rain from Hurricane/ Tropical Storm Irma pommel Florida and other states after having brought havoc to the Caribbean.      

In these days, I have thought about an encounter I had with a person in a church that I had the privilege to serve.  I will call him Al.  Al and I were talking about a member of our congregation who was preparing to have heart by-pass surgery.   It was a new procedure at the time and was not offered at any hospital in the Carolinas, so Verne (as I will call the prospective patient) was having the heart by-pass surgery in city hundreds of miles away.   Al suggested to me that as the pastor he thought the church should pay for me to travel to be with the heart patient and his family for the procedure.  After sharing that hope, Al made this statement: “Randy, their crisis is our opportunity as a church to be of ministry to them.”

That statement of Al long ago is being re-played in my head in these days.   While devastating effects of hurricanes may be out of sight for many of you reading this, it is a reality for our neighbors in other regions of this country and world.   Pray for them, and as you are able open your hearts to help them through your gifts through a charity you believe in and trust.    In II Corinthians 8, the apostle Paul points out the example of the churches of Macedonia in their generosity.    Paul was receiving a special offering to help the Mother church of Christianity, the Church of Jerusalem, who was facing some real challenges as the people on the Gulf coast are facing challenges now.  Read what Paul writes about the Macedonian churches in II Corinthians 8:

And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. ² In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. ³ For I testify that they gave as much as they were able,and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, ⁴ they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. ⁵ And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us. ⁶ So we urged Titus, just as he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. ⁷ But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you^[a]—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

 As Al told me long ago, their crisis is our opportunity to be of ministry.  Go and do likewise.      Have a joy-filled week. -  Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:    O God, I pray for all those who know the effects of natural disaster.   Open not only my eyes and heart to see their need, but open my hand to help; through Christ our Lord. Amen.  

What We Might Miss Seeing the Eclipse

I marveled at the wonder of the solar eclipse a few weeks ago as did millions across the country. I did not see the eclipse directly since I did not have the required eyewear, but I witnessed it via television and the internet.    The eclipse got me to thinking about the wonder and beauty of this world in which we live.    I don’t know about you, but I confess that sometimes I get too busy with the lists of things to do and of the headlines on the news to see the wonder that is going on around me.   While a solar eclipse comes along about as often as a snow on the 4^th of July in the Carolinas, everyday there are wonders to see if we only pause to see and experience them.  Every day, the sun rises and the sun sets… a baby is born… the birds sing their cheerful, melodious song even though they know not where their next meal will come from.  Often this time of year, a storm or thunderstorm gives way to a rainbow flashing its colors across the sky… the moon and stars light up the summer night…and the birds sit on a perch outside our den window looking perfectly made. 

One of the lessons of the solar eclipse that I hope will linger with me is to experience the life God has given me with a greater awareness of the wonders that he gives not just occasionally with a solar eclipse, but each day. Oh, for eyes to see and a heart to receive the wonders of God’s creation.    Have a joy-filled week. -  Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:    O God, slow me down to see and sense the wonders of this world you have created.  Thank you for the marvels of your creation; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen. 

$20 in my Mailbox

A new school year is here for  those who are attending classes at colleges, universities, community colleges, and technical schools.   I find myself thinking of my days in college today.  I was the first one in my family to graduate from college.  My Dad had attended a semester or two of college before marital responsibilities seemed more important that an education.  My Mother did not attend college and finished her high school education through a GED.    While my Mother did not go far in formal education, she instilled in me the importance of education.

Just days before I was to head to college for my freshman year,   we got in the mail the bill for college tuition and all fees.      When Mom saw the bill, she was shocked as she faced the reality that the college costs were far more than what we expected.    What Mom thought was the cost for the entire school year was actually the cost for only a semester (one half of the year).  Since college was a new experience for everyone in our household, we did not even know what a semester was.    I remember as we sat having dinner that night my Mom crying over the thought that I would not have the money to go to college.      I discovered through my employer at my summer job,  Burlington Industries, that they had a loan program for college students.  When I explained the financial plight my family and I were in, my boss helped  me to apply for a college loan of $500.   Even though the deadline for loan applications had passed, Burlington Industries accepted my loan application and gave me a loan of $500 so I could begin college.  

Another person who helped me in my college days was my Grandmother, Blonda Perry.   Every once in a while I would go to my college mailbox  to discover a letter from Grandma Perry.   (We wrote more letters and talked less on the phone in those days.)     Accompanying a handwritten letter on notebook paper,  Grandma would often include a $20 dollar bill.     While $20 might not seem to be a lot of money today,  that was about what  my Grandmother was earning for one days work making draperies at her job off of Maple Ave. in Burlington in those days.  

I share these two glimpses of people that helped me in my college days as a reminder of something we all need to remember:   all of us have benefitted from  the gifts, sacrifices, and efforts of others.    None of us are a “self made man” or “self made woman”.    There are people along the way in our family, network, job, vocation, and neighborhood who have helped us move forward with the  accomplishments we know.     Thank them, give thanks to God for them, and pay it forward.  Have a joy-filled week.-   Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:    O God,  I give you thanks for the people along my journey in my life who not only believed in you, but who have believed in me and invested in me.   Help me to go and do likewise;  through Christ our Lord.  Amen.  

Teach the Children

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, in keeping with the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,  ² To Timothy, my dear son:  Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. ³ I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.⁴ Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy.⁵ I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.  ⁶ For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. ⁷ For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.-   II Timothy 1: 1-7

It is the time of year when our children are heading back to school at grammar schools, middle schools, charter schools, high schools, colleges, and universities.  I look at school and education through a number of different viewpoints.    First, I see education as a lifelong process.  A matter of fact,  I am taking a continuing education class online this fall even though I received my last degree decades ago.  Secondly, I see education through the eyes of two children who are teachers and through the eyes of  grandchildren who are in school.

I don’t know about you, but I give thanks for teachers in classrooms along the way that encouraged me, taught me, and believed in me.   While teachers have an important role in the education of our children, it is also important to remember the vital role that family has in the education of our children.   In the passage found above,  Paul notes the important role that Lois and Eunice had in the spiritual education of Timothy.   As someone once said many years, sometimes we learn not by what we have been taught, but what we have caught through the people that we are around.     Timothy learned faith not just through what he heard from a religious  leader, but what he absorbed in his home and family.   What are the children in your life and family learning about faith through your example?   Have a great and joy-filled week.-  Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:    O God, we pray for those who are students, teachers, and school students in schools here and everywhere.   We pray for their safety, and for wisdom and compassion.  Lord, help us be mindful that all of us  teach through what we say and do;  through Jesus Christ our Lord.   Amen.  

The Story of the Two Bears

Our family, like a lot of families, is scattered in numerous places.   It is rare for our 4 daughters, 3 son in laws, and 6 grandkids  to be together with us at one time in one place.   We came close to having everyone together in late July for a few days in Colorado Springs, Colorado.   (One of our daughters was not able to travel due to some health issues.)     We rented a house for several days with a view of the Rocky Mountains.    When we arrived at the house,  we found a hand-written note near the back door that shared some news that we had not even considered:  bears.   We were cautioned that bears had been spotted near the house.    One night as we were  nearing bedtime, our son-in-law shared the news that there were bears behind the house.   I looked out the windows and saw a mother bear and a cub heading across the driveway.    While it was the one and only time we saw the bears during our visit,  we heard them visit the following night as we heard noise during the night.   When morning came, we discovered one of our bear-proof trash cans overturned about 10 feet from where it stood the previous day.   This was not our only encounter with wildlife during our trip west.  One day,  I saw two bucks bolt through a park where my grandchildren were playing.    There were also sightings of chipmunks in a parking lot.

These encounters with  bears and such in Colorado was a reminder of the fact that  you never know when you will have a chance encounter with wildlife.   You do not know as you travel down the road if there will be deer crossing the road around the next curve.   You do not know if or when bears will come visit your campsite in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.    You just don’t know.

“No one knows the day or the hour”,   Jesus said.     Jesus was talking about when the  second coming will take place.   Many through the years have made predictions about the second coming;  alas, it did not come to pass.    There are also some other things we do not know.   We do not know when the opportunity to help somebody will come to pass.   It might come as we go down the road as it did for a priest and levite one day  (see Luke 10).   It might come even as you are reading this.    Most of the time we do not know when an encounter with friend or family will be our last encounter.   One friend used to tell me that he always kissed his wife when he left the house as he wanted no regrets if it was his last time.    Two bears coming to visit at a rental house in Colorado Springs reminded me that there are some things we just don’t know.   May God give us a holy awareness about the preciousness of each day and each thing we see.   Have a blessed and joy-filled week.-   Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:    O God, give me a ready and willing spirit for  the wonders and opportunities you will give me in this day and life;  through Christ I pray. Amen. 

Giver Beware

As many athletes have a standard routine before each game or match, I have a standard routine I do before each Sunday service.   After early morning prayers and getting dressed, I go to a local fitness facility for a workout.    After dressing in my church clothes,  I go to a local convenience store where I sit in my truck and review the Sunday sermon and bulletin before heading to church.  As I was sitting at that local convenience store a few weeks ago,  I had something happen that had never happened there.   As I sat in my truck, a man knocked on my window.    When I rolled down the window, he told me that he needed some money for vehicle repair.  He explained that he and his wife had broken down in their vehicle... that they had a baby... and that they had a child with Downs syndrome.   As he made his request for money, he told me that he needed a few dollars to have enough money to buy the part to repair his car.    I told him that I would help him.  While he requested that I give him the money,  I told him that I would take the money to the parts store where he said that he would buy the part (which was less than half a mile away.)  

When I arrived at the parts store, I explained to the clerks that I was there to give monies for  the man who was trying to get his vehicle fixed and needed some money.  The parts store clerks told me  that they did not know of any man.  Furthermore, they told me that this same scenario had happened a few times before recently.     I then went back to the convenience store to discover  the gentleman who had had asked for money was still there.   When I told him that the people at the parts store did not know anything about his need for parts to repair his car,  he changed his story and told me that he had not been  to the parts store yet.   I wanted to ask how he knew how much the part would cost, but did not.   In a couple of minutes, I watched this man ride away in a burgundy mustang.   From my observation, there were no children or wife in the car which he said was broken down.

I must say that the outcome of this incident made me angry and disappointed.  I do not like to be lied to.   While I do not know what the man was going to do with the money,  I feel very confident that it was not to repair his car or help his family.     I tell this story for one reason and it it this:  GIVER BEWARE.     As it is important to do your due diligence in buying a car, a home, or consumer goods, it is also important to do your due diligence in those causes you support with your monies.  There are many wonderful charities and causes in our world that are doing some outstanding work and are touching many lives for good.   Likewise,  there are some people and causes that are deceptive in their use of gifts and/or who have a lot of administrative costs.     Give, my friends.   According to the Book of Acts, the only words of Jesus outside the gospels are found there in these words:  "It is more blessed to give than to receive."   Give, but give wisely.    Have a joy-filled week.-   Pastor Randy Wall  

Prayer:     O God, I pray for those in need in our world.  Give me wisdom as I make decisions on those people and causes I will help;  in the name of  Christ our Lord.   Amen.   

Getting to Know You

My wife and I went to the theatre recently.   To be more specific, we went to see a production of the musical "The King and I" at the Belk Theatre in Charlotte.     While I had seen the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical production in movie form, I believe it was the first time I had seen it presented in the theatre.

As we see the story of Anna the English school teacher unfold in the musical as she teaches the children of the King of Siam, there is an occasion when she sings a song that includes these words:
Getting to know you,  
Getting to know all about you
Getting to like you
Getting to hope you like me. 

While I had heard the song before, the words of that song took on a new meaning that evening.    The words of that song say well what I hope happens in our relationship with God.   God knows you and I.   Our God knows all about us.   How wonderful for us to have the aim to  get to know God.   John 10:14 puts it this way:
I'm the good shepherd.  I know my own and my own know me.  

There are many voices that are competing for our attention in our world today.   With glitz and glitter, they tell us how good the causes they promote are.  Oh, to be able to hear "that still small voice" of God and to get to know God.     I believe that as we get to know God, something happens in us that changes us.  Later in the song "Getting to Know you", Anna puts it this way as she sings:
Haven't you noticed
Suddenly I'm bright and breezy?
Because of all the beautiful and new
Things I'm learning about you
Day by Day.    

Have a blessed and joy-filled week.-   Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:    O God, you know me through and through.    Help me to know you more that I might be more like you;  through Christ our Lord.  Amen.  

He Holds Our Hand

Our grandson, Julian, is progressing now  from crawling to be a toddler.  It is exciting for all of us as we watch him starting to walk.   While he still walks a few steps from parent to parent or couch to chair,  he still enjoys walking with someone holding his hand.

People hold hands for all sorts of reasons.  Let me share a few examples.    Worshippers hold hands in worship as a sign of unity and accord.   Couples hold hands as a way of affection for one another.  A newbie skater is glad to hold the hand of a veteran skater as they seek to maneuver around the skating rink knowing they need the help.    A few days ago, I held the hand of an elderly man who needed help getting up out of his chair.     From the cradle to the grave, people hold our hands and we hold the hands of people for all kinds of reasons.     I came across a passage about hand-holding in the Psalms the other day.   In Psalm 73, we read:

3 Yet I am always with you;
    you hold me by my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
    and afterward you will take me into glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
    And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
    but God is the strength of my heart
    and my portion forever.

How good it is to know that as we toddle along the road of life that God holds our hand.    His hand sometimes steadies us, often encourages us, and always guides and loves  us.     What a blessing it is also  to know that there are others along the way to hold our hand.  Thanks be to God.  Have a joy-filled week.-   Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:   "Precious Lord, take my hand.  Lead me on help me stand.  I am tired, I am weak, I am worn.   Through the storm, through the night lead me on through the light.  Take my hand, precious Lord.  Lead me home."   Amen.