Good Morning Children of God!
From Lamentations 3:22-24:The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,his mercies never come to an end;they are new every morning;great is your faithfulness.“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,“therefore I will hope in him.”Here is your Wednesday message. It is also attached.
Wednesday’s Message
May 20, 2020
ABOUT CHANGE
It is always fascinating to me how the stories in the Bible speak to our present conditions. God’s word truly is a living word. An example of this is a story which is told in numerous Books of the Old Testament. It is the story of the invasion and destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in the 6th century B.C., the time of exile and captivity experienced by many Israelites, and their eventual return to the promised land and the rebuilding of Jerusalem. This transformative experience of our ancestors in faith has much to teach us in our present time of exile from our holy sanctuary.
The first temple of Israel was built over the course of seven years under the leadership of King Solomon in the mid-10th century B.C. It was a glorious structure and served as the focal point of culture and worship for Israel for more than 350 years prior to being ransacked and destroyed in 588 B.C.
The destruction of the temple by the Babylonians created a crisis of faith for many Israelites. The optics were not good. To the people, it suggested that the Babylonian gods were superior to the God of Israel. What kind of future might there be in such a case? Their God-centered culture, built over the course of 1,400 years, hung in the balance.
As God would have it however, the destruction of Jerusalem and the Babylonian exile became an opportunity for the glory of God to be revealed to his people in new ways and for their faith to be rekindled. Within fifty years the exiles began to return to the promised land and the rebuilding of Jerusalem was underway. This has been called the beginning of modern Judaism; a watershed moment in the life of Israel.
The book of Ezra tells of the return of the exiles and the building of the second temple in Jerusalem. A ceremony was held after the foundation was laid. (Ezra 3:10) In the midst of the celebration we are told, “But many of the priests and Levites and heads of families, old people who had seen the first house on its foundations, wept with a loud voice when they saw this house, though many shouted for joy.” (Ezra 3:12) It seems that the elders were saddened by the foundation which revealed a smaller footprint for the temple and heralded a house less glorious than Solomon’s. (See Haggai 2:3 and Zechariah 4:10) The younger people who had not seen the first temple had no basis for comparison and knew nothing but joy.
Our last Sunday to worship in the St. Paul sanctuary was March 8th. Since then we have been in exile. We have been lamenting our circumstances. Easter and Mother’s Day were especially difficult Sundays for many of us to be away from the sanctuary and corporate worship. One of the many challenges in all of this is not knowing when we will return. But of this we are sure, in God’s good timing, God will release us from our exile and we will worship together again.
In preparation for that day of reuniting, the Congregation Council has been hard at work in identifying the many issues that confront us and in taking steps toward creating and executing a plan for reopening our sanctuary. A foundation is being laid for our return to worship. This foundation is comparable to the temple foundation in Ezra Ch. 3 in that it reveals change. For a time, the new way of gathering together will be different than what we experienced on March 8th. As those plans are further developed the Council will be sharing them with you.
Change is not easy. Change in something as important to us as the way we worship is especially not easy. But when changes are required of us by the present pandemic, we will do what we must in order to keep the people of God as safe as possible. In doing so we are likely to mourn the loss of “the old ways” of doing things. The glory of yore will elude us for a while. But we can learn from our ancestors in faith what God says to us in our present condition.
The Lord directed the prophet Haggai to give Zerubbabel, a builder of the second temple, a pep-talk when some were saddened by the prospects of what was being built. Through the prophet, the Lord said, “Who is left among you that saw this house in its former glory? How does it look now? Is it not in your sight as nothing? Yet now take courage, O Zerubbabel, says the Lord; …take courage, all you people of the land, says the Lord; work, for I am with you, says the Lord of hosts, … My spirit abides among you; do not fear. … The latter splendor of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts; and in this place I will give prosperity, says the Lord of hosts.” (Haggai 2:3-9)
In the future, when we are experiencing changes in worship because of the pandemic, remember that the Lord says, “Take courage, for I am with you; my spirit abides among you, do not fear. I will bless you beyond your imagining in this your time of change.” Remember also that any changes should be temporary until we are free of an ongoing threat from COVID-19. And finally, rejoice. Rejoice like the young people did when the second temple was being built. “Let not the remembrance of former afflictions drown the sense of present mercies.” (Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary on Ezra)
God is kind and is leading us through the changes we experience in life, including our worship life. Jesus is worthy to be praised and there are many different ways for us to worship him. It is in times such as the present that God specializes in transforming culture. God is revealed to us in new ways, faith is rekindled, and we are sent into the future. So, praise him, praise him, all you little children, God is love, God is love. In the final analysis, that is what the stories of the Bible tell us.
Praise Him, Praise Him, All Ye Little Children
Praise Him, praise Him, all ye little children,
God is love, God is love;
Praise Him, praise Him, all ye little children,
God is love, God is love.
Love Him, love Him, all ye little children,
God is love, God is love;
Love Him, love Him, all ye little children,
God is love, God is love.
Thank Him, thank Him, all ye little children,
God is love, God is love;
Thank Him, thank Him, all ye little children,
God is love, God is love.
BLESSING PROJECT
Ginny Strausbaugh received a “shout out” from her neighbor, Marianne Reid Farmer: “[Ginny] is considered to be our community angel for her many acts of service and selflessness on behalf of the many.” Marianne shared how Ginny has been a true blessing to her during the recent weeks of isolation by sharing the weekly messages from St Paul Lutheran.
From Vickie Schlosser:
My morning devotions are a blessing to me each day. They help start my day in an uplifting way and remind me what really matters. The attached devotion especially has given me peace as I didn’t get much decluttering done and now am adding yard work to the list! I find myself referring back to it a lot.
“Do not search for security in the world you inhabit. You tend to make mental checklists of things you need to do in order to gain control of your life. If only you could check everything off your list, you could relax and be at peace. But the more you work to accomplish that goal, the more things crop up on your list. The harder you try, the more frustrated you become.
There is a better way to find security in this life. Instead of scrutinizing your check list, focus your attention on My Presence with you. This continual contact with Me will keep you in My Peace. Moreover, I will help you sort out what is important and what is not, what needs to be done now and what does not. Fix your eyes not on what is seen (your circumstances), but on what is unseen (My Presence).” From Jesus is Calling by Sarah Young
Time and change will surely show how firm is the friendship of the Lord our GOD.
Peace and blessings,
Pastor Bill