The Red Tape Above the Doctor's Door

            During the height of the pandemic, I found myself in the doctors office one day for necessary treatment  even though I was not sure it was wise to be in a “sickly place”.    As I was going into the office, I noticed something that seemed odd and out of place:  a long piece of red tape above the glass office door.    During the time I had with the doctor, I mentioned to him about the long strip of red tape above the door and what was the reason for it.  While I thought that it had been left by a worker doing some task at his place of business, I was absolutely wrong.    I share what the doctor told me in the first person as he told it to me:

            “Randy, as a student of the Bible, you remember that when the Israelites were getting ready to leave Egypt, God asked them to put red blood on their door posts so the angel of death would pass over their homes and not claim their first born child.    That strip of red tape was not left by a careless, forgetful worker, but it was deliberately placed there by me.   I have been praying that God would protect this place, our staff, and those patients that come through its doors.  That piece of tape is a visible reminder of my prayers and God’s protection to all who come in this place.”

            There are so many doctors and medical professionals like that doctor who are praying with and praying for patients in the midst of this pandemic.   While pastors and family members may not be able to be there by the side of the sick as they face sickness and surgery, medical personnel like that doctor have been praying for their care, protection, and healing.    Thanks be to God for all those doctors and medical personnel who are in the healing business and know the healing touch of the Great Physician, Jesus Christ.   Have a joy-filled week.-  Pastor Randy Wall

PRAYER

O God,  I give you thanks today especially for medical personnel  who are your instruments through their faith and their work.  As you worked through the Great Physician, Jesus Christ as he walked among us, work through them in these days.   Amen. 

On A Mission

 I have had the privilege to be a part of mission work teams to a number of different places across our nation and in other countries.   One of the arguments I sometimes hear against mission work teams is that it would be much more cost effective to send the money that it cost to travel there than to send them a group of people.   Though that argument has some merit, what persons do not realize who have never gone on a mission work team trip is the blessing that takes place  in the interaction with the people.  I go on mission work team trips not just to be a blessing, but for the blessing I receive for the ones I go to help.  You see, there is always a blessing you receive when you reach out to help a brother or sister in need.

In Acts 20:35,  we find an interesting passage of scripture. In that passage, we find the only words attributed to Jesus outside the gospels.  Hear what Acts 20:35 says,  35In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' "   I have been blessed many times through the kindness and generosity of others, and I have also been blessed when I have had the chance to give to others as I did the mission work of Christ near and far. 

PRAYER

O God,  we thank you this day for those who go in mission in your name around the block and around the world.  We are grateful for the blessing we have to share the love of Christ Jesus with others in word and deed.  We pray this day for travel mercies for those who go to do your work, and for protection for those who go to do your work in places of danger.  Give us eyes to see and ears to hear those ways you are calling us to be mission for you, and give us a willingness to say, “Here am I.  Send me”;  through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Looking in our Back Yard

For those who are regular readers of my blog post, you may recall that I have written on several occasions about the many birds that visit the bird feeders around our home.   We find great joy in observing them as they feast on the bird seed we provide for them.    I have noticed lately a growing numbers of rabbits around our home and in our neighborhood.   Though I have seen them many times of the day, I observe them most frequently in the early mornings and in the evening as the sun sets and day becomes night.    The other evening, I noticed three rabbits playfully chasing each other in our back yard.   Early one morning, I saw a rabbit rolling in a dirt spot of our yard.   This  early morning act drew the consternation of my wife, Ann, as she had planted a seed in that very spot.    Despite that, Ann has been known to put out pieces of lettuce and the like into our back yard for these four legged creatures.  She is generous to  four legged creatures just as she is to two legged creatures like me!

What a wonder are the creatures created by our God!   While humans worry and fret about what they read on the internet or on the evening news, these creatures live and move in the quiet confidence of our Creator God.   As I think about the wonder and beauty of God’s creatures, I am reminded of these words from Job 39: 19- 30 where God says to Job:  

¹⁹ “Do you give the horse its strength
    or clothe its neck with a flowing mane?
²⁰ Do you make it leap like a locust,
    striking terror with its proud snorting?
²¹ It paws fiercely, rejoicing in its strength,
    and charges into the fray.
²² It laughs at fear, afraid of nothing;
    it does not shy away from the sword.
²³ The quiver rattles against its side,
    along with the flashing spear and lance.
²⁴ In frenzied excitement it eats up the ground;
    it cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds.
²⁵ At the blast of the trumpet it snorts, ‘Aha!’
    It catches the scent of battle from afar,
    the shout of commanders and the battle cry.

²⁶ “Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom
    and spread its wings toward the south?
²⁷ Does the eagle soar at your command
    and build its nest on high?
²⁸ It dwells on a cliff and stays there at night;
    a rocky crag is its stronghold.
²⁹ From there it looks for food;
    its eyes detect it from afar.
³⁰ Its young ones feast on blood,
    and where the slain are, there it is.”

Have a joy-filled week!   I close with the words of a hymn that I hope will be a prayer for us all.  -  Pastor Randy Wall

PRAYER

O God, your creatures fill the earth with wonder and delight,

And every living thing has worth and beauty in your sight.

So playful dolphins dance and swim; Your sheep bow down and graze.

Your songbirds share a morning hymn To offer you their praise.

You made the pets we welcome in- They're wondrous blessings, too.

With paws and whiskers, wings and fins, They offer praise to you.

O Lord, you call us to embrace These creatures in our care.

May we show kindness, love and grace To all pets everywhere.

You made the creatures on each farm; You know the things they need.

May they grow healthy, safe from harm, And safe from human greed.

Just as a shepherd loves the sheep, You know their joy, their pain.

Lord, bless the animals we keep; May all farms be humane.

Your creatures live in every land; They fill the sky and sea.

O Lord, you give us your command To love them tenderly.

We're called to have dominion here--To care for them always.

By loving creatures you hold dear, We offer you our praise.  

Essential Workers

 The phrase “essential workers” has entered our vocabulary during this pandemic of recent months.   When I have heard that phrase used by a celebrity or a  news commentator on television, they usually refer to  medical personnel who work in hospitals, nursing homes, or urgent care centers… grocery store clerks that stock shelves or check you out when you make a purchase.. or teachers who struggle to care for the educational pursuits of those children under their trust along with following health and safety guidelines.  I would like to suggest adding another name to the long list of essential workers who deserve our respect and appreciation:  local churches and local pastors.  

Have you ever seen a bee hive in a tree or in the yard of a friend who is a beekeeper?  If you have, you will notice little activity on the outside, but when you open up the beehive you will see a lot going on.   I believe that is a fitting metaphor for the life of pastors and local churches these days.   While outside local churches it might seem that not much is happening because many churches have not been gathering for in-person worship, there is a lot happening with churches and their pastors.   While many folks during this pandemic have  been encouraged if not ordered to stay home, local churches and their pastors have been learning new ways to reach out to their community and new, creative venues to lead and hold worship.    While  you might not have seen local pastors visiting hospitals or nursing homes, they have been visiting with people using video conference, phone calls, texts, emails, and the like.  

While some will think that pastors are not doing much since in person worship is not taking place now, I personally find myself working harder now than before the pandemic as I prepare one blog per week… one devotion for our bulletin each week… and two worship times each week while at the same time trying to stay connected to the members of our local church congregation.     Some pastors even continue to seek to be in ministry when faced with possible danger to their own health as people in the community face death, severe sickness, and family troubles perhaps intensified by being at home all the time.    I know two pastors who have contracted COVID-19 here in North Carolina and have recovered.   I know of another pastor in another state who contracted COVID-19 and did not recover and died.  

Perhaps you think I am being self-serving by writing this or seeking your pity or gratitude.   What I am really trying to do is simply draw attention to local churches and pastors who are more essential than many believe.   Funeral homes and grief-sticken families certainly do not say they cannot call their local church or pastor when death stares them in the face  because there is a a pandemic!  Have a joy-filled week!-  Pastor Randy Wall

PRAYER :     O God,  we give you thanks for all those who continue to work for the good and welfare of our community.   Today, we especially give you thanks for local churches and pastors who are more interested in the care of others than their own safety.   Bless them, Lord, as they seek to be a blessing; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.  

Questions for God!

I read an interesting article in our local newspaper several years ago   about a man named Ernie Chambers.  I don’t know Mr. Chambers, and you probably don’t know Mr. Chambers either because he lives in Nebraska.  The newspaper article said that Mr. Chambers is seeking a permanent injunction against the Almighty because God has caused fearsome floods, horrendous hurricanes, and terrifying tornadoes. 

That newspaper article reminds me of a man named Job that we read about in the book of the Bible by the same name.  Though Job was a righteous man, we read that in a single swoop he suffers the death of all his children, the loss of all his possessions, serious health problems, and marital woes.  Job is angry, and he brings his charges before God just like Mr. Chambers does.   In Job 38: 1-8 we hear a portion of God’s response to his charges:  “1 Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm. He said: 2 "Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge? 3 Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. 4 "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand. 5 Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? 6 On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone- 7 while the morning stars sang together and all the angels ^[a] shouted for joy? 8 "Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb”    For several chapters, God asks questions such as these to Job.    The Book of Job ends with Job realizing that he does not understand God and His ways, and Job praying for his friends. 

            The Book of Job reminds us of several things.   First, it reminds us that it is okay for us to cry out and question God.   In places like Job and the Psalms, we see persons cry out with their complaints to God.   There is no sin in asking God “why?”   We worship a God that is eager to hear the complaints of his creatures as well as their praises.  Secondly, this passage from Job also reminds us what a great God we serve and what a wonderful world God has created.  We serve a mighty, awesome God that has created us and all things good.   Thanks be to God.  Have a joy-filled week.-  Pastor Randy Wall

PRAYER

    O God,  we thank you that you love us so much that you are ready and willing to hear not only our praises, but also our complaints.   We praise you for creating all good things, and for our constant presence with us;  through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.