I Am Tired this Christmas

                I am tired today, and it is not because I did not sleep well last evening or because of the busyness of this Christmas and holiday events.   As I reflect on my tiredness, I realize there are some other things I am tired of.  As I think about the man going to Tennessee who I bought $10 of gas some time ago , I am tired of seeing people struggle with so little.  I am tired of hearing the sad tales of families that know strife.  I am tired of seeing in the newspaper the names of men and women soldiers who die in faraway lands and people in places in the USA who die even as they gather to worship.  

                The Gospel of John does not have a story about the birth of Jesus. You will find no shepherds or wise men there.  The closest that John comes to sharing about the birth of Jesus is this:  "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father"  (John 1:14). What that means for me is that God knows and understands what we experience in life because God in Christ lived among us.   If you are feeling tired at Christmas like me, know that God understands as Christ Jesus was so tired one day that he sat down beside the well (see John 4:6).    If you are tired of seeing poverty or know poverty, know that God understands because His Son was so poor when he was born that his parents wrapped him in swaddling cloths (see Luke 2:12).  If you are tired of strife in your family or in families around you, know that God understands because the family of Christ Jesus did not always understand him (see Matthew 12: 46-50).  If you are tired of war, know that when Christ was born the angels announced that Christ would bring a new age of peace and good will (see Luke 2:14).

  

                Christmas means many things, and one of the things that Christmas means is that God understands  because God in Christ became one of us.  God not only understands, but through that Christ he came to do something for  the plight of our humanity.   Have a joy-filled week and a Happy New Year!-   Pastor Randy Wall

PRAYER

                Almighty God, thank you for your gift to the world of yourself in Jesus Christ.  We give thanks that you not only understand what it is to live, but through Christ you offer us salvation.  Make me mindful in this season of the eternal, changeless truths of Christmas;  through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen. 

A Living Nativity on Graham Hopedale Road

One of the big influences on my beginnings in becoming a follower of Christ were  my experiences in the youth group of  Grace Church in Burlington.   The youth and the adults that worked with the youth of my home church were an important part of my life in my teen years  and I will always be grateful to God for them.  I remember an occasion when our youth fellowship group decided we wanted to have a “living nativity scene” for a series of nights in December near Christmas.       It was not uncommon for churches and businesses in those days to have wooden figures on their lawns in December that resembled Mary, Joseph, wise men, and the others in the “Christmas story”.    However, it was unusual in those days in our area  for that story to be told through real human beings and real livestock.

     

With the help and encouragement of our youth counselors and people in the church, we decided to have a living nativity scene for a series of nights near Christmas.   The lawn of our church seemed to be a prime spot to share the real message of Christmas with many since Graham-Hopedale Road was a main thoroughfare in that section of Burlington.    We built a outline of stable with old wood;  Carl Parks was kind enough to let us use some of his sheep and cows so we would have livestock for the stable.    Parents and youth counselors helped us create costumes that would resemble what our 1970’s mind thought was the way the shepherds, wise men, and the others dressed at the time.     Some parents volunteered to prepare hot chocolate and  snacks for us to enjoy when we came in from the winter cold.   We were excited and we were ready. 

Things did not turn out quite like we had planned or imagined.   Though some of the youth group were eager to sign up to be shepherds, after a few minutes they wandered away like lost sheep to other pursuits.     Though we thought it a great idea to have livestock in our 1970 stable, some of the sheep decided to wander away just like the shepherds and (unfortunately) one of the sheep was hit by a passing motorist.       While all of us were bundled with many layers of clothes, they were not thick enough to withstand the blistering cold and wind in piedmont North Carolina in December.     Youth that had been so eager to create a “living nativity scene”  soon realized that it was more than we had bargained for. 

I tell that true story because I think it a fitting metaphor of the way the story of the birth of Christ Jesus really is.   A young peasant pregnant girl named Mary and her betrothed, Joseph, make the trek to Bethlehem;   shepherds tending their flock have their tranquil night transformed by an angelic message and appearance.   Wise men in a country far away see a bright light in the heavens that beckons them to travel.    All came and all were  changed because of a God who gave them all more than they bargained for.  In the life of a small tiny child born in Bethlehem  God gave them and the whole world  a Savior who would save them from their sins.   Thanks be to God for this wondrous gift!-    Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:   “O holy child of Bethlehem, descend on us we pray.   Cast out our sins and enter in, be born in us today.   We hear the Christmas angels; the great glad tidings tell.  O come to us; abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel.”   Amen.  

Christmas Shopping: Finished or Just Getting Started?

Are you finished with your Christmas shopping or not even started?   If you have not started your Christmas shopping, it certainly is not because the retailers have not made you aware through television, internet,  and print of what they have to offer.    We give and buy our gifts for one reason- God’s great gift to the world found in Christ Jesus, God incarnate.   You might see some sales and bargains in this Christmas shopping season, but no gift compares with God’s gift in Christ Jesus.  And on top of that, God’s gift is free.  The apostle Paul puts it this way in Ephesians 2:8,  “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God”.    Thanks be to God for the gift of Christ and the gift of God’s grace that is ours in this season and every season. 

PRAYER

            O God, who came among us long ago and who comes among us in these Advent  days, prepare our hearts to receive anew the gift of your son, Jesus Christ.    Cleanse our hearts through the power of your Holy Spirit that Christ might live anew in us; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.  

Complaining about the Right Things this Christmas

One of the things that I notice about people today (myself included)  even at Christmas is that they seem quick to complain, but slow to praise and offer thanks.      Don't believe that?   Well, take a few minutes to look at the evening news or to scroll through the news stories on your favorite 24 hour cable news cycle.    If you do not spend time with those news media,  take a few minutes and scroll through your news feed on Facebook.    If your experience is like mine, you will see a bounty of complaints but only a few praises and thanksgivings.  To put it in the words of that Christmas classic “A Christmas Carol”, there are too many “Ebenzer Scrooges” saying “Bah, humbug” and too few “Tiny Tims” saying “God bless us, everyone”. 

In Luke 17, we hear an encounter Jesus had with 10 lepers.  Leprosy was a dreaded skin disease in Jesus' day because it meant that a person was banished from their home, family, community, and community of faith.   As Jesus heals them, we see that only one out of ten of the lepers bothers to thank Jesus for his healing.     While the 10 lepers were eager to be healed, 9 out of the 10 lepers basically forgot to give thanks to the One that set them free from their plight.    Perhaps it be wise and important for us to spend more time giving thanks and grateful for what is and what isn't.   Perhaps it would lift our spirits and the spirits of others if we spent more time thanking God than bringing him a long list of complaints.  

Perhaps it wise for us to spend more time complaining about the "right things":  to complain less about what is for dinner and complain more that there are people who have no dinner to eat... to complain less about the color of the sanctuary carpet and complain more that there are people in the world who have not heard the gospel.  And while we are it,  don’t just complain about the “right things”.   Go a step further to do something so you have less to complain about.   I close with a poem I came across many years ago.   While you might have read it before, let it penetrate our heart.   Have a joy-filled day.-  Pastor Randy Wall

Today on a bus, I saw a lovely girl with silken hair
I envied her, she seemed so gay, and I wished I was so fair
When suddenly she rose to leave, I saw her hobble down the isle
O God, forgive me when I whine
I have two legs, the world is mine

And then I stopped to buy some sweets
The lad who sold them had such charm
I talked with him, he seemed so calm, and if I were late it would do no harm,
And as I left he said to me “I thank you, you have been so kind”
It’s nice to talk with folks like you. You see, I’m blind
O God forgive me when I whine
I have two eyes, the world is mine

Later walking down the street, I saw a child with eyes of blue
He stood and watched the others play; it seemed he knew not what to do
I stopped a moment, then I said, why don’t you join the others dear”
He looked ahead without a word, and then I knew he could not hear
O God forgive me when I whine
I have two ears, the world is mine

With legs to take me where I’ll go
With eyes to see the sunsets glow
With ears to ear what I would know
O God forgive me when I whine
I’m blessed, indeed, the world is mine

Joy Lovelet Crawford

Prayer:   God, I give you thanks for all my   blessings.    Give me eyes and a heart that are quick to see your goodness;  through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Small Town Messiah

As Christmas approaches , it is interesting to me that many folks turn their thoughts to events in big cities.     We tune in to watch the Macy’s Christmas parade in New York City or folks tune in to watch the “ball drop” in New York City shortly after Christmas on New Years Eve.    Sport fans make plans during the days leading up to Christmas to see their favorite sports team in  person or via television in large cities like Boston, Los Angeles, or Dallas.     Those who like to shop for Christmas gifts in person rather than via internet make plans to fly or drive to large malls in places like Minneapolis, Charlotte, or Houston.  

And to think that we focus on events in these big cities as we prepare to celebrate a bigger event, the birth of Christ Jesus, who was not from a big city but a small town named   Nazareth.    You might say that Jesus was a rural, “small town” person.    Some less kind people might call Jesus a “country bumpkin”.    Though his stepfather, Joseph, was a carpenter,  Joseph’ carpentry skills did not rub off on Jesus as it is said  that Jesus had “no place to lay his head”.     And yet, it is this “small town” One whose birth is remembered hundreds of years after it happened, and it in His Name that people gather, people worship, and people give in this season.       A holy Advent and blessed Christmas to each of you.-  Randy Wall

Prayer:   God, I thank you for the matchless gift of yourself incarnate in Christ Jesus.  Help me to approach His birthday with childlike wonder as did the shepherds and with generous hearts as did the wise men long ago.   Amen.   

What Is There to be Thankful For?

Note:  The following is a piece I wrote several years ago that I believe is still applicable.  Happy Thanksgiving.-  RW

            It is almost Thanksgiving and there is probably someone each of us knows who is wondering what there is to be thankful for because sickness, grief and loss, or other challenges have come near. Many people are struggling to make ends meet.              Thanksgiving originated in such times.  In 1621, the Pilgrims came together  for a three day Thanksgiving festival in their new homeland of Massachusetts.   The winter before had been very difficult for them, and almost half of their group had died.  Yet, they came together with their Indian friends to offer thanks to God.  President Abraham Lincoln was the president that signed the order in 1863 designating the fourth Thursday in November to be a day of  thanksgiving.  He signed the order as North fought South during the civil war a short time after having visited the Gettysburg battlefield and given the Gettysburg address.

 

            The thing that the pilgrims and Lincoln have in common is not just  that they are Americans but they were able to see even in troubling times the blessing and bounty that God  gives that calls forth from us a spirit of thanksgiving and praise.  During these troubling and challenging times, may gratitude and thanksgiving for what God has given rise up also from us. 

 PRAYER

            O God,  it is right that we should always and everywhere give you thanks and praise.  Thank you for the bounty you give to all;   through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen. 

Where is Your Heart?

            As Thanksgiving Day approaches, many folks will be  in transit to a place they will spend the Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends.  I suppose the most unusual place that I have spent Thanksgiving was in a hut in Africa.   Let me tell you more.  Back in the early 2000’s, our oldest daughter, Heather, was a Peace Corp volunteer in the African country of Zambia.  In 2005, I spent some days in Zambia at Thanksgiving  visiting her.   On that Thanksgiving Day, I spent my time literally going white-water rafting down the Zambezi River starting just below Victoria Falls (the largest waterfall in the world). 

            As we we were travelling by bus north from Victoria Falls back toward Lusaka (the capital of Zambia), I saw a sign by the road that said “Livingstone Memorial”.    The sign was pointing travelers to a memorial site for  the Scottish missionary, David Livingstone.  While I had heard of Livingstone, I did not realize that his missionary travels had taken him to Zambia.   Since we are travelling public transportation, we were not able to stop to visit the site but when I arrived back in the United States I learned more about David Livingstone and the site.   It seems that when David Livingstone died, he gave instructions that his heart was to be cut out of his body and buried in what is now known as Zambia.   His body, however, was transported to the coast of Africa and shipped back to London where it laid in repose before his funeral rites and burial in Westminister Abbey.   When you visit the site there in Zambia known as the Livingstone Memorial, you will find there a Mvula tree at the site where he actually died and where his heart is buried.  

            Where is your heart?   The easy answer is to say that your heart is located in the chest area of your body.   The harder answer is to consider what person, place, or thing that you really feel passionate about.     Jesus was not a cardiologist or a medical doctor, but he certainly knew something about people and about God.   He had a really good answer for my question and it is this:   “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also”   (see Matthew 6:21).      What do your actions say about what  person, place, or thing that you really and truly feel passionate about in this Thanksgiving season?     Have a joy-filled week and a blessed Thanksgiving.-  Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:   God, I give you thanks for all the blessings this day, this season, and this life offers me.  Grant that my life might truly show what is important to me and may it be the One from whom all blessings flow;  through Jesus Christ our Lord.   Amen. 

Its the Same Old, Same Old and I am Glad

            Many  years ago (in 1993), Bill Murray and Andie McDowell starred in a movie titled “Groundhog Day”  that tells about a weather man who is caught up in a “time warp” where he keeps living the same day over and over again.   Can you imagine every day being the “same old, same old”.       Many of us don’t like “re-runs”.   We look forward to a new television season so we can see new shows. 

  

            While we might not like seeing things or encountering things that are the same old, same old, we encounter the same in a reading  Psalm 136.    Read again these first three verses of Psalm 136 which say:

 ¹ Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good.
            His love endures forever.
² Give thanks to the God of gods.
            His love endures forever.
³ Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
            His love endures forever.

             In all of the 26 verses of this Psalm, we find the same old, same old words:  “His love endures forever.”  We read them and hear them over and over again.    While I might not like to see television shows over and over again, I am glad that I can discover anew each and every day the love of God that endures forever.  Thanks be to God.  Have a joy-filled week.-  Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer-   We are grateful, O God, that every day and time after time we know your love that endures forever.   Forgive us for the times we are blind to that truth.  Help us trust more fully in your matchless love and grace;  through Jesus Christ our Lord.   Amen. 

What You Don't Know About Me

            Some of you reading this know me well and others not so well.   Some of you have known me for years, and others only in recent years.  No matter how long our relationship, I suspect  that there are some things you don’t know about me.  For example, some of you probably do not know that I am left-handed or that at one time I was the youngest United Methodist pastor appointed to a church in North Carolina (20 years old).    Others of you probably do not know that I am a long time New York Yankees fan or that I was the first member of my family to graduate from college. 

There is something else that few of you don’t know about me and it is this:  I still get nervous before I preach every Sunday.   Even though I have been a pastor now for over 45 years, I still get nervous.    The reason is not that I am by nature shy or bashful, or because I am not used to speaking before a crowd.   After 45 years speaking before crowds of a few people or a few hundred people, that does not bother me.   There is one reason I get nervous each Sunday and it is this:   I realize that when I stand in that pulpit I am speaking not for Randy Wall, but for God.   What an awesome, grave responsibility to stand before a few people or many people and have the audacity to say “thus saith the Lord.”

In II Corinthians 5:20, we find a passage of scripture that says:

²⁰ We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.

An ambassador is a person who represents someone else in a country different than their own whether you are talking about an ambassador of the United States or an ambassador of Christ.    When I step into the pulpit, I am reminded every Sunday that I stand there to speak a message greater than my words.   I am there to share a message from the one who is the “King of Kings, Lord and Lords.”.

You may not stand in a pulpit every Sunday, but if you are a follower and disciple of Christ Jesus, you also are “Christ’s ambassadors”.   In word and deed, you represent the Lord.   Be mindful of that, my friends.   And if that makes you a little nervous also, that is okay.   Have a joy-filled week.-    Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:   God,  thank you for the amazing fact that you choose to use a frail human like me to be your instrument.   Transform me, O God, to be a faithful herald of the good tidings of Christ Jesus;  through Christ our Lord.   Amen. 

Real or Only Skin Deep

           (Note:   The following is a piece I wrote several years ago that I believe is applicable today.   Enjoy.-  RLW)

 Halloween is almost here.   My grandchildren will join scores of children that will be something they are normally not for an hour or two.   On Halloween, some sweet little girl will become a mean, ugly switch and a small, frail little boy will become a mighty super-hero like Spiderman.

            One of the dangers that we face  in our walk with God is that our faith might only be skin deep.   As the children at Halloween appear to be something they are not for a while,  there is always the danger that we only “appear” to be a follower of Christ Jesus for a while.   As a pastor, I find that possibility to be scarier than anything that I will see at Halloween. 

You know the kind of people that I am talking about:   they are people that praise God’s name on Sunday, but they profane God’s name the other 6 days of the week.  They are people that serve the Lord on Sunday, but they serve the devil on Saturday nights.   Jesus speaks about  such a danger in Matthew 23: 27-28:  “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites.  You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside you are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean.  In the same way, on the outside you appear as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.”  

            Why children might become something they are not for a while at Halloween,  children of God are persons who are “really” followers of Christ all the time.  They don’t just wear their faith on their sleeve because Christ Jesus has found a place to reside in their hearts.    That is my hope and prayer for all and each of us. 

PRAYER

            God, forgive me for the times that I have served you only with my words.  Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee;  through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen. 

Two Loves and October

            One of the many things I like about living in the Carolinas is the fact that we truly experience all the seasons of the year.   We know cold weather and a little ice and snow in winter.   We also experience the blooms and buds of Springtime as the dormant flora comes back to life.   We know the warmth of long sunny days and the metamorphosis that takes place in the fall as green leaves are transformed into colors of red, orange, and the like.

I love all the seasons of the year and enjoy the changing of the seasons.    But if I had to pick a favorite time of year,  I suppose it would be the season of Fall.   I love autumn, and one of the reasons is two important events in my life  that happened in this month of October.   October is the month that I fell in love with two persons that are very important in my life:   my wife, Ann, and the Lord Jesus Christ.  

I cannot tell you the moment that I fell in love with Ann.   I cannot tell you one thing that caused me to love her and know that I wanted her to be my wife.   What I can tell you that marrying Ann Wall was one of the best decisions of my life and I am a better person because I have her as a part of my life.   While I am the one who might stand in the pulpit and is more visible in the public eye, she is the better person and one of the most kind-hearted, patient people I have ever met.    I  am so grateful to have my wife, Ann, in my life and I cannot thank her enough or thank God enough for her.    

It was October, 1970 when I fell in love with the Lord Jesus.   My home church had a group of lay men, lay women, and youth visiting that weekend.   They shared through that weekend what the Lord Jesus had done in their life.   As that weekend came to a close,  I wanted the Lord Jesus to change my life and be  my Lord and Savior.   I became a Christian and a follower of the Lord Jesus.     In a matter of months, I heard a call to be a pastor.  I am so grateful that the Lord Jesus came into my life.  

In the Book of Acts, we find the story of the “Damascus Road experience” of the apostle Paul not once or twice, but told three times.   We hear the story when it first happened and we hear the apostle Paul recount the story to others.    For the apostle Paul, it was important to remember.   I believe it is important for me to remember  what Christ Jesus did in my life.  It is important to not just remember that “old old story” from long ago, but it is important to remember that story as we continue to go forward with our relationship with Christ. 

 In the early days of my ministry, there was a professor at Duke named James T. Cleland.   He died many years ago, but I still remember one of the things he said:  remember your conversion experience.  Remember and give thanks again and again for what God has done and is doing in your life.      Have a joy-filled week.-    Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:   God,  thank you for the blessing of people who love us and transform our lives.   Thank for the wonder of your love for us.   Let my life be a living tribute to that love.  Amen.    

Seeking Me... and Seeking You

            One of the preaching professors in my early years of ministry who had an impact on me  was the late Rev. Dr. James Cleland.   He was the preaching professor at Duke for many years and also the Dean of the Chapel there.  Though I never formally was a student in one of his classes, I stayed alert to what he said as a “wannabe” preacher.    At some point in time in those early years, I recall hearing him say in his thick Scottish brogue “Remember your conversion experience.”  I find myself doing this when the month of October comes around each year.   As  God in his wonder and wisdom turns green leaves  into hues of red, yellow, and the like, I think of how God changed me.   You see, it was in the month of October when I gave my life to Christ.  I was a high school senior when a group of men, women, and youth came to my church in 1970 for a laity-led event called a Lay Witness Mission.   In the course of the weekend, I gave my life to Christ.  

There is the temptation when a person gives their life to Christ for them to wallow  in the glory of their own actions with perhaps a hint of pride and self-congratulations saying to the world and to others “Look at what I did.”  As I reflect today on my conversation experience, I realize it was not so much me seeking God as God patiently and relentlessly seeking me.   Through the course of the human events of my life in ways that I did not see nor completely understand at the time,  God was seeking me and wooing me to be His own.  God sought me through events that seemed like the end of the world at the time (like the separation and divorce of my parents).   God was seeking me and calling me to be his disciple through Sunday School teachers who said in their actions that I was important and the boy next door who invited me to church.   In ways that to this day I don’t completely understand, God was calling me to “follow me, and I will make you fishers of men and women.”.  

I tell this story again and reflect on it again not because I am so special, but because I want you the reader to realize that you are special.    Before you were ever born, God was seeking you and yearning for you to be His own.  And though the years have passed since that day, God still is seeking you!     He still wants you to be His disciple not because you are so great, but because He is so great.   God may not be calling you to be a preacher, but he might be calling you to be th e best “butcher, baker, or candlestick maker” you can be for His glory!  Have a joy-filled week.-  Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:   God,   all glory, honor, thanks, and praise for the call and claim you have on all people including me.   Thank you for loving me and transforming me.  We love you, Lord.  Help us to love you more;  through Christ our Lord.  Amen. 

Right Under Our Nose

            The summer of 2019 provided my wife, Ann, and I the opportunity to travel to a number of states far away from our home in North Carolina.  We live in a beautiful country and I am grateful for the chance we had to see some of its beauty:  the grandeur of the Rockies as we stood on the summit of  Pikes Peak in Colorado… the glory of a thunderstorm moving across the plains of southern Colorado… the rocky, rugged Maine coast… the wonder of a sunset over the Blue Ridge mountains.   These are some of the sights we saw this summer, and what a joy it was to share it with my wife.

It occurs to me that sometimes we can get so busy and consumed with the thought of the beauty of places far away from home that we miss the beauty and wonder of what is right under our noses.   Perhaps you do not have the time, health, or monies to go to far away places.   I encourage you to see the wonder of God and His creation right around you.   These sights will not cost you airfare, lodging, or a rental car.   They are waiting for us to see if we will simply take time to behold them.  Here are a few sights that come to mind:

A hummingbird hovering as it drinks the nectar from a feeder

A sunrise to begin a new day and a sunrise as day ends

The fog rising as the ground feels the warmth of a new day

A full moon rising in the east

The changing of the leaves on the trees around you from green to autumn colors

The sight of a young child discovering the world around it

            Look and listen to the world around you that awaits your discovery and awareness.   And as you discover it,  remember that it is a gift from the mighty, omnipotent God.  Have a  joy-filled week. --  Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:   God,  forgive me for the times that I yearn to see the wonder of places far away but miss the wonder of the things that are near.   Still my body and spirit to see the wonder of our handiwork right around me;  through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen. 

The Rabbit in the Storm

            I enjoy watching the wildlife that comes near our home on a regular basis.  Birds are regular visitors to the bird feeders at our home.   Lately, we have been having some rabbits daring to come out of the nearby woods to nibble  on the grass in our yard.   I seem to notice the rabbits  often in the late afternoon and early evening as day slowly becomes night.   The other evening, I noticed something else outside our home:  an approaching thunderstorm.  There was the sound of clapping  thunder nearby and the sight of dark, ominious clouds and lightning flashing across the sky.  Despite it all, I noticed that rabbit was calmly nibbling on the grass in our yard.    While the television warned of a severe thunderstorm and humans sought shelter, that rabbit seemed to be oblivious to it all.   While I am the first to admit that I am certainly not an expert on animals or rabbits,  I wonder if maybe that rabbit knew that the same Creator God that made him also was the Creator God of the storm and it felt peace and serenity in that.

It happens everyday.   I encounter people who fret and worry about something in their life.   Sometimes, that person is me.  They are worrying and wondering about things big and small as  storm clouds are present or  forming.  Perhaps it would do people like me and you well to follow the example of that rabbit knowing that all will be well in the storm because God is with us.  You see, the one that creates the storm also makes and creates us.   Have a joy-filled week. --  Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:   God,  you are the creator of all creatures and all things.  You have created us and called us good.   Help us to live with the serenity to know that you are with us in stormy times and sunny times.  Help us to trust in your all sufficient grace; through Christ our Lord.  Amen. 

When Things Are the Worst, The Church is at Its Best

            Across the eastern seaboard of this country and in the Bahamas, people are still recovering as I write this  from Hurricane Dorian.   For some people, it will be a slow recovery as they seek to rebuild their homes or rebuild their lives after serious injury or the loss of loved ones.   All those affected by Hurricane Dorian surely need our prayers and our support.

            This week, many will remember September 11, 2001.    I am reminded of  that day 18 years ago when lives were lost and property was destroyed when terrorists used planes as weapons in New York City, the Washington DC area, and the Pennsylvania countryside.     As one who saw first hand in the Fall 2001 in New York City the damage caused by this national tragedy, today I will again pause and reflect on those events.  

            One of the things that unites the events of September 11, 2001 and the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian is this:     such tragedy brings out the best in people.    I recall on the Sunday  after the September 11 attacks, the church that I had the honor to pastor was having a blood drive.   The drive had already been scheduled long before the September 11 attacks.   In the aftermath of those attacks, the church overflowed with blood donors wanting to do something to help thinking their blood might be needed in New York City and other places.       I am certain in these days many people will give a donation of monies, water, and the like to help those along the coast just as they did last year when some of the same coastal areas received an unfriendly visit from Hurricane Matthew and Hurricane Florence.   Others will prepare in the coming days to go to the affected areas to serve as volunteers to help out.

            The church is at its best when it sets aside petty bickering or theological differences and works together to help those in need.   It is in those times I most fully see Christ in the work of the Church.   I invite you to join me in prayer and support for those who are and will be recovering from Hurricane Dorian.    Have a joy-filled week.-   Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:   God,  we pray for all those feeling the effects  of Hurricane Dorian.   We especially pray for those who know the pain of loss of loved ones, loss of their homes, and loss of their way of life.   Help us to be healing and helping instruments in these days;  through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.  

A Visit to the Skirted Heifer

            While I was in Colorado in August,  I ate most of my meals at places that I do not eat when home in the Carolinas.   While I might visit a chain restaurant when I am at home,  I try to deliberately visit eating places that I cannot eat at when I am at home.  One of those places I ate at in Colorado Springs was named the Skirted Heifer.   I ate there at the invitation of my daughter, Ginger, who shared that it had been featured on a show on a Food Network cable show.   I know what a skirt is, and I know what a heifer is.  However, I do not normally connect the two.

            I soon discovered that one had the option to order their hamburger at the restaurant “skirted”.   Curiosity got the best of me and I ordered my burger “skirted” even though I was not sure what that would mean.  When I got my order, I soon discovered that a “skirted” burger had cheese that not only covered the burger but covered the exterior of the hamburger bun.     Some of you will remember a national hamburger chain many years ago that featured an elderly woman asking  “where’s the beef?” when she got her burger.    At the Skirted Heifer, there was no need to ask where is the beef or where is the cheese.   The beef covered the entire bun and the cheese was bigger than the bun.    I am not certain that a nutritionist would be happy about the amount of cheese I had on my burger that evening, but I was pleased that I got much more than I had expected.   It was perhaps not so good for my diet, but it was good for a consumer who wants to feel like they got more than they ordered.

            Sometimes, a message from God and a promise of God shows up in the most unusual place.   Such was the case as I left the Skirted Heifer on that day.   I was reminded of this passage from Ephesians 3: 20-21 that says:  

²⁰ Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

            God gives us more than we ask or imagine in all sorts of ways.  While a restaurant might give us lots of cheese on our burger, God  gives us blessing and  abundance every day.   Thanks be to God.  Have a joy-filled week. --  Pastor Randy Wall 

Prayer:   God,  we give you thanks for the abundance that you give us always.  Give us an open spirit to what you offer us in this day and in this life;  through Jesus Christ our  Lord.  Amen.