Hey, I can't pronounce that name!

I have a confession to make and it is this:  though I read the Bible or listen to the Bible read regularly, I sometimes skim over a long list of names in the Bible.    I do it largely because I am uncertain how well I am pronouncing those names from another time and culture.    I wonder if you do the same when you come to the genealogies of Jesus at the beginning of Matthew or Luke… or the long list of names in the Book of Numbers?   Recently, I came across a long list of names as I listened to the reading of the book of Romans.  Instead of skimming over the names, for some reason I paid attention to these words in Romans 16: 1-15 (NIV):

I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon^[a][b] of the church in Cenchreae. ² I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of his people and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been the benefactor of many people, including me.  ³ Greet Priscilla^[c] and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus. ⁴ They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.  ⁵ Greet also the church that meets at their house.  Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia.  ⁶ Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you.  ⁷ Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among^[d] the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was.  ⁸ Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord.  ⁹ Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys.  ¹⁰ Greet Apelles, whose fidelity to Christ has stood the test.  Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus.  ¹¹ Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew.  Greet those in the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord.  ¹² Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord.  Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord.  ¹³ Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too.  ¹⁴ Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the other brothers and sisters with them.   ¹⁵ Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas and all the Lord’s people who are with them.

Most of these names are certainly not “household names” (as the character Forest Gump puts it in the movie several years ago).   Names like Urbanus, Rufus, and Apelles are certainly are not as well known to Christians today as names like Peter, Paul, and  Timothy.   Yet,  each of these persons were serving in the work of Christ in the Church of Rome.   I  give thanks to God for the legion of people  whose names are forgotten and not well known who are serving Christ today across this globe in churches large and small, rural and urban .  Their names might not make the headlines in the Church at large or even in their community, but their names are written in the Lamb’s book of Life.    Thanks be to God.   Grace and peace.-   Rev. Randy L. Wall

PRAYER   Lord,   you know us better than we know ourselves.  I give thanks to all those who serve you across this globe and who have served you through the years.  Thank you for the love of Christ known because of  their lives.  Help me go and do likewise; through Christ our Lord.  Amen. 

I Knew It All Along

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

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

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

Are You Plugged In?

            I don’t know about you, but one of the things that I look forward to seeing as a new day begins  is that first cup of  coffee.  Even though I drink decaffeinated coffee most of the time, I still look forward to it.  While I usually try to prepare the coffee maker so that the coffee is ready when I wake up, I forgot to do that one morning several years ago.  After putting the water and coffee grounds into the coffee maker, I stared at the coffee maker anxiously like a child waiting to watch their favorite television program.  After about 3 minutes of staring, still there was no coffee.  The coffee maker was not even making that gurgling sound that it produces right before it begins to work.  That’s when I realized that there was a problem.  The problem was not the malfunction of the coffee maker, but the malfunction of the maker of the coffee.  The coffee maker was not plugged into the electrical outlet. 

            A coffee maker, a vacuum cleaner, or even most of the computers that you use  need power to function fully.  And you know what?  Christians need power also, the power of the Holy Spirit.  In Acts 1:8, Jesus promises his disciples:  “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."     As followers of Christ Jesus,  we are given the greatest power in the world- the power of God.    Why, we are given a power that is “out of this world”.   Electrical power was there all the time for me to use with that coffee maker.  The problem was that I had not plugged the coffee maker in.   Are you and I “plugged in” to the power of God, the Holy Spirit, which is ours?   That power is as close as our next prayer, our study of the Bible, our time with Christian fellowship, or our attendance at worship.  Have a joy-filled week.-  Pastor Randy Wall

PRAYER

            O God,  thank you for the gift of the power of your Holy Spirit.  Forgive me for the times that I try to follow you under my own power.  Help me to avail myself of the power that is found in you;  through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen. 

The Island of Worry

Back in the 1980’s,  I went to several pastor’s retreats in rural Virginia off the Blue Ridge Parkway near Ferrum, Virginia.  Barney Davidson, my District Superintendent (pastoral supervisor) had a home there and he was gracious to invite myself and many other pastors there.   It was a time of singing, worship, reflection, and the telling of stories  that were perhaps part truth and part fiction.    A good number of those pastors are not with us anymore having gone from the church militant to the church triumphant.  Out in front of Barney’s house was a small pond.   While some ponds serve as fishing spots, this pond served more as a place for reflection.  In the middle of the pond was a small island that was accessible through a planked walkway from the mainland.  I remember well a small sign that was on a stake on that small island that said:  “You can bring your woes and worries to this island.   But when you leave, leave them here knowing that the hands of Jesus are adequate to hold them all big and small.”  I made the trip to the island of worry several times in my times there on those retreats.  There were times in my life in those days when my worries seems large and massive.  Sometimes, I would leave them there.  Yet, I confess sometimes I would later pick them up again. 

  

In these days, many folks have found themselves filled with worry as they have faced public health concerns, loss of jobs, civil unrest, and  uncertainty about the future.   While you may have never visited that home near Ferrum, Virginia before or  you are not a pastor, know this truth:  you have a place where you can lay down the worries of your life in these days and everyday.  It is at the feet of the Lord Jesus who is able to do more than you ask or ever imagine.  There are a lot of things in life that often seem massive and great;  whatever they might be, know that the God we know is greater.  Psalm 55:22 puts it this way:   “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you;  he will never let the righteous be shaken.”   Have a joy-filled week and I will look forward to next time.-  Pastor Randy Wall  

PRAYER :     O God,   we confess that sometimes the cares of this life get us down.  Lord, I believe;  help me in my unbelief.   I place myself and my cares in your hands;  through Jesus Christ our Lord.   Amen. 

Got Sand in Your Shoes?

With Memorial Day still fresh on our minds, we are now unofficially in the season of summer.   Summer is the season when many folks consider a trip to their favorite vacation destination though I am not sure that will come to fruition as the pandemic continues.  One place many visit in the summer in our area is the Carolina coast.  When Ann and I go to the beach for a time of vacation or rest, we take many things with us.  It seems that we always bring back home more than we brought with us.  One of the things that we seem to always bring back, whether we like it or not, is not just dirty clothes or sunburn.   We seem to always bring back sand.    Sand is somewhat aggravating, isn’t it?  We wash it off our feet and shoes, and we vacuum it out of our cars.

Have you ever thought about how many grains of sand are on the beach?  Long ago, God did.  In Genesis 22:17, we read where God tells Abraham, “17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies”.  As I briefly walk the beach, it occurs  to me that there in the sand is a reminder of the promise and hope of God that desires for each one of us and all of us to be His children.  Have a joy-filled week.-  Pastor Randy

 

 

 

PRAYER

            Lord God,  we  thank you for the truth that you desire to adopt all of us to be your children.  We rejoice, O Lord that such a promise is based not on our goodness, but on the salvation of ours through Jesus Christ that is only a prayer away.  Through the power of your Holy Spirit, help our status as your sons and daughters to be seen in our lives day by day; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen. 

Way to go, Class of 2020

 This is the time of year for graduations though they are different this year due to the health concerns among us.     My mother was the person in my life that always reminded me of  the importance of education.  I can remember her saying many times that “education is something that no one can ever take away from you.”   

In this time of year, let us reflect on the accomplishments of our graduates as they receive the fruits of their labors-  degrees, scholarships, honors, and awards.     Yet, this is also a time of year for the graduates and others to realize that they did receive their degree without the assistance and help of others.  For every graduate, there is a parent making financial sacrifices that college tuition and fees can be paid… a teacher that encouraged them to believe “you can do it”… and people who believed in them when the graduate did not believe in themselves. 

The same is true of not only our graduates, but all of us.  So much of the goodness of life that we enjoy in life is a gift from God through someone else.  Deuteronomy 6:10-12 reminds us of the same when we read, “ 10 When the LORD your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, 11 houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, 12 be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery”.

 

  

PRAYER

O God,   bless the college and high school graduates among us.   As they face the unknowns of the future, help them to know that they do not walk alone.   We give you thanks for their accomplishments and for the many persons who have given so much that each graduate might come to this moment in their lives.    Help our graduates to go and be a blessing for you;  through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Need a Haircut?

 I was looking in the mirror recently and came to the conclusion that I needed a haircut.   50 years ago,  I would not have thought so as in those days I wore my hair long like most of my peers male and female.   The main reason I need a haircut is this:  barber shops have been closed by  the order of the governor of my state due to the current pandemic.    So, I have been waiting   for the barber shop to open back up.   

Now, perhaps some of you are thinking I could get a member of  my household to cut my hair but I decline to try that because of this story.  I recall a time over 50 years ago when my Mom got the idea that she would cut the hair of my brother, Tony, and I.   Somehow in the course of conversation with our neighbors, Mom discovered that they gave their children haircuts.   My Mom was always eager to save money, and saving a grand total of less than $5 seemed a good reason for Mom to give it a try.   I was timid at the prospect of Mom cutting our hair from the start.  While my Mom had many wonderful talents,  I was skeptical  at the thought that Mom could cut my hair as well as Mr. Castle at our local barber shop in Burlington.   So, I let my brother, Tony, be the first one in Mom’s barber chair.    When Mom was finished cutting Tony’s hair, it was a sight that was not something to be proud of.  Tony wore a hat to school for weeks until his hair grew back out and Mr. Castle could repair the damage at his barber shop.

I don’t know about you, but this pandemic has reminded me that there many things that have been a part of my daily life that I have taken for granted like getting my hair cut.   As Joni Mitchell sang many years ago:   “Don’t it always seem that you don’t know what you got till it is gone.”  Here is a partial  list of things that this pandemic has reminded me that I have taken for granted in days past:

·         Going to church to worship

·         Spending time with friends and family

·         Enjoying lunch or dinner in a restaurant

·         Attending a music concert live and in person

·         Travelling to see the beautiful sights of this world

In Luke 17, we hear of a time when Jesus encounters a band of lepers.  It might be fair to say that leprosy meant that these lepers had to keep  their “social distance” from their family, community, and faith community due to their condition.   Jesus, the great physician, heals them all.  Despite their healing, Luke (a physician himself) tells us that only one of the ten bothers  to offer gratitude to Jesus.  I don’t know about you, but I am one of those nine for I have taken too many gifts  in my life for granted.  If you see me and I look like a need a haircut, perhaps I am simply trying to relive the days of my youth.   Have a joy-filled week.-  Pastor Randy Wall

  

PRAYER

O God,   you are the giver of all good things.   Forgive me for my blindness of the gifts and joys that I know each day. Give me a grateful heart; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.