Cooped Up at Home??

In midst of the order to "stay at home" from our governor,   I have been thinking of Anne Frank in these days.   Perhaps you remember reading all or a portion of  her Diary of Anne Frank during your school days.   During the height of World War II, Anne Frank and others spent time hiding in a room for about 2 years.   Here I am struggling with staying at home in my 1500 square foot house for days and Anne Frank knew what it was to stay cooped up in a tiny room for almost 2 years.   The difficulty of that is almost unimaginable to me!

I find myself full of  a menagerie  of thoughts, going back and forth like a pendulum between the blessing and curse of it all.  When I find myself wallowing in self pity, I scold myself knowing there are so many folks who are suffering in horrific ways in these days.  I came across this quiote from The Diary of Anne Frank that I wanted to share with you for it is filled with a hope that I need in these days:

Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don’t know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!.   

From the mouth of a teenager living in horrific conditions  over 75 years ago cooped up inside a small room comes a word of hope.    I suppose she would never have imagined that decades later people would be reading the words of that diary.    It reminds me of the words from another book that   Anne Frank read or heard read:   

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.   (Psalm 139:14)

Whether you are weary being cooped up inside the house or not, find hope in the glorious fact that you are something special because you are a child of God!   Have a glorious week.-  Pastor Randy Wall

PRAYER -   We give you thanks for the glorious fact that you created us in your image, O God.  Thank you for the gift of life and for the life abundant found in Christ;  through Jesus Christ our Lord.   Amen.   

A Bloody Truth

As many of you know, I am a United Methodist pastor.  Back in the 1980’s, the United Methodist Church began the process of creating a new hymnal.     A committee was created to lead the task and included several people from my home state of North Carolina.  In the process of creating the new hymnal, the committee sought thoughts and opinions from people across the United Methodist Church about hymns and music.  I remember that among the people who gave input was a woman who was a loyal United Methodist.   Among her comments was this:  she did not like all the hymns that talk about blood. 

Most of us are cautious about blood.  Health professionals take precautions in their contact with blood of other people and encourage us to do the same.  Many parents are cautious about their  young children watching movies and shows that feature a lot of bloody scenes.  Despite that, this is the week when devout Christians are faced with talk about blood.   This Friday is known as Good Friday by Christians everywhere as it is the day that we remember “that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us”.    On Thursday of this week, Christians will gather around the Lords Table sharing bread and cup remembering that Christ’s body was broken and his blood was shed for the forgiveness of our sins.  

While the sight of blood might not be something that brings joy and glee, in this Holy Week Christians find meaning in the truth that Christ died on a cross where His blood was shed for you and I.   May that truth be not just a somber truth for you in these days, but may it also be a hope for you.   Have a joy-filled Holy Week.  -   Pastor Randy Wall

           

PRAYER

            God, we confess to you our discomfort with death and dying.  Yet, we cling in our discomfort to the truth that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.  Thank you for loving us to death; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen. 

April 1st

April 1 is not only the first day of the month, but it also is known in the United States and many other countries as April Fool’s Day.  According to the World Book Encyclopedia, no one knows the origin of April Fool’s Day though some historians think it might have originated in France.   April Fool’s Day is a day when persons play tricks or jokes on other people.  I suppose many of us have been either the giver or the receiver of an April Fool’s Day joke.

            I think that it is fair to say that many folks are not into jokes and the like in these days with the challenges and changes that the coronavirus has brought our way.   While humor can be helpful to relieve tension and stress, it is also true that some the news we are hearing these days is no laughter matter. 

While none of us likes to be fooled on April Fool’s Day, there is a sense in which followers of Jesus are up to foolishness all the time.  The apostle Paul speaks of this foolishness in I Corinthians 1: 22-25 where he says:  “Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified:  a stumbling block to Jews and FOOLISHNESS to Gentiles, but to those who God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.  For the FOOLISHNESS of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.”    We put our faith and stake our life on what some would call a “fool on a hill”.  His name was Jesus, and on a hill called Calvary he was crucified.  Yet, in the death of that same Jesus is the goodness of our salvation for our sins.    I don’t know about you, but I would rather be a fool for Christ Jesus any day.  That is a badge of honor that I will wear gladly into eternity.     Have a healthy and a Christ-filled week.-  Pastor Randy Wall  

PRAYER

            God, we thank you for the goodness and power in the death and crucifixion of Jesus Christ.  Help me to put my faith more fully in you and allow your Spirit to dwell more fully in me; through Jesus Christ our Lord.        Amen.  

Harry, Meghan, and Jesus

In  just a few days,  Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan (the Duke and Duchess of Sussex) will leave their duties as a part of the royal family in the United Kingdom.   They announced this decision to the surprise of many back in January in hopes of living a more peaceful life. 

I think that it is true that many American citizens have a fascination with royalty.   I first became aware of that fascination back in the 1980’s when I was on the staff of a church youth retreat that featured  hundreds of teenagers.  One morning, a group of teenage girls came to myself and other staff seeking permission to arise early and watch television early the next  morning.   I and the other adult staff of the youth event were stunned by the request because this same group of girls had struggled to arise for breakfast and morning devotions each day of that week.   We soon discovered that the reason why the girls wanted to  be “early birds” one morning was so they could watch the wedding of Prince Charles to Diana.     I suppose some of those girls were living vicariously through Diana as they hoped they would be a princess not just to their parents but to a real Prince Charming one day. 

The decision of Prince Harry and Meghan to step away from their royal duties is going to have some consequences such as they will no longer live in a royal residence… they will no longer receive royal monies… and they will no longer receive security as members of the royal family.    

I know little about the faith and religious life of Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan.   It does occur to me that they have something in common with Jesus.   As Prince Harry and Meghan are giving  up their royal titles and benefeits, so the Lord Jesus did the same when he left being the “King of Kings, Lord or Lords” to be the “word made flesh”  as the son of Mary living a simple existence in a town called Nazareth.   While Prince Harry and Meghan gave up their royal life in hopes of seeking a more serene life,  the Lord Jesus gave up his royal status because of His love for you, me, and the whole world.   I am reminded of the words of Philippians 2 where we read:

⁵ In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: ⁶ Who, being in very nature^[a] God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;  ⁷ rather, he made himself nothing  by taking the very nature^[b] of a servant, being made in human likeness.  ⁸ And being found in appearance as a man he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!  ⁹ Therefore God exalted him to the highest place  and gave him the name that is above every name,  ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,  to the glory of God the Father.

Have a joy-filled week!.-  Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:    Lord and God, we pause with gratitude and humility at the wondrous truth that the Lord Jesus left his seat at your right hand in glory to live among us and die for our sins.  Grant that our life might be an unending song of praise to you.  Amen.

Closed, Cancelled, and God's Whisper

NCAA basketball tournaments, ACC mens basketball tournament, NBA, NHL, Major League baseball spring training, church worship services, concerts, public schools,  and private schools either closed or cancelled.  Grocery store shelves empty of essentials like bread, milk, and toilet paper.   Though I look out my window and see flora coming back to life after a winter slumber, the cancellations and closures are like there is a blanket of snow 5 feet deep.  It is March, and there is a new kind of “March madness” that has nothing to do with basketball games but everything to do with public health and well-being.   Though I have lived many decades, I don’t believe I have seen anything quite like what I have seen in the last few days.    There is an air of uncertainty about the health of people and the financial vitality of our nation as the stock market  soars downward.    

 

Amid it all, God has whispered a message to me and it is this:  what is certain is not sports or the bullishness of the stock market.  What we can count on is not that the church doors will always be open or that your team will compete in the March madness games.   What we can count on and what is certain is the presence, power, and peace of the One who said long ago to his disciples (including some who doubted):  “Surely I am with you always, even to the close of the age”  (see Matthew 28: 20).      As a dying John Wesley said on his death bed:  “The best of all is this:  God is with us.”  -     Pastor Randy Wall

Having the Right Tools

It was 3 pm and I was hungry.  My breakfast was a distant memory and I had not had lunch, so I drove my truck into the McDonalds parking lot for a double cheeseburger, a hot fudge sundae, and an iced tea.  After I ate  my double cheeseburger, I prepared to eat the sundae only to discover that the clerk had given me a knife and fork to eat with and not a spoon.  So, there I was with a sundae to eat and not the right equipment to eat it. 

Any task is easier to accomplish if you have the right equipment.   It is also important that we have the right tools and equipment for our spiritual life.  In Ephesians 6: 11-18, we hear the apostle Paul speak about the tools or equipment have:  

11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.  Truth….righteousness…faith…the word of God…salvation…and prayer.  Those are important tools for us to use as disciples of Christ Jesus.  They are at our disposal.  Are you using them?

 

PRAYER

O God,  I thank you for the many tools and gifts you give us to grow in our love for you and our service to others.  Help to use them; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Writing Your Own Obituary

A couple of months ago, I listened to the audio book, Capital Gaines, written by Chip Gaines, who is featured in the HGTV show, Fixer Upper, along with his wife, Joanna Gaines.   Ann and I visited their Magnolia Farms business when we were in Texas in late 2018.  Near the end of the book, Chip shares two versions of what his obituary notice might be.  This got me to thinking about what my obituary might say.   While I have known some people through the years who have written their own obituary, I am not among them.

It is certain that not all of us will be the host of a television show or write a book like Chip Gaines.  However, all of us write our own obituary by the way we live and we way that we treat others each and every day.  

I remember reading the book Sources of Strength by former President Jimmy Carter several years ago.    As perhaps you know, President Carter teaches Sunday School regularly as his church in his hometown of Plains,  Georgia.   President Carter tells the story about going to the funeral years ago for Rev. Martin Luther King, Sr., father of the slain civil rights leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner.    As one pastor spoke, President Carter remembers that the pastor spoke about the power of the hyphen.   He noted that on most tombstones there is noted the date that the person was born and the date that the person died.  The pastor continued saying between the date of birth and the date of death is a hyphen and that the choices each of us make every day determines what can be said about the time between our birth and death.     What choices will we make today and this week about what could be written in our obituary?   Have a joy-filled week!.-  Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:    Almighty God, help me  live this day and in this life  in a way that is pleasing your sight and brings glory and honor to your name; through Jesus Christ our Lord.   Amen.