Hey You!

Ya, You! You know who you are!

Wednesday 10 January 2024

Do We Dare Depart From the Worn Path of Evil,

and Follow the Light of Christ?

Psalm 34:14

Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.

Romans 14:19

Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual edification.

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Words of Grace For Today

…

Depart from Evil …

Well to depart one must first be engaged in it, right?

So, you out there, who are engaged in evil, you know who you are, depart from it!

It does you no good!

It destroys other people, as you intend, and even beyond what you intend. And it also destroys the goodness of life for you yourselves, blind to that as you may be. But the Devil has your hearts and souls wrapped up like a hot sauced enchilada. One bite into your way of life and it’s curling sweats, gasping for breath, grabbing for water that does no good, (not even fruit juice can help against the Devil’s hot sauce) and then it’s lights out ….

Oh, you may still be breathing, but it’s the fire of the Devil that consumes everyone around you and yourself.

The only escape is to depart from Evil and seek peace so diligently that it becomes one’s life’s pursuit.

Well, that won’t work either.

The only escape is God’s Grace promised of old, promised to each of us in our baptisms, and demonstrated most clearly in the life, healing, death, and resurrection of Jesus, God’s own Son.

Thankfully, we receive that Grace each morning, noon, and night (and all moments in between!) Therefore we are able to purse peace and what makes for mutual edification, mutual among all people!

What a day God has open for us today?

Dare we step into it?

Knowing

Knowing Power

Or Knowing God?

Tuesday 9 January 2024

Do We See the Power of Machines,

or the Beauty of Nature,

as Gifts from God?

First Samuel 2:10

The Lord’s adversaries shall be shattered; the Most High will thunder in heaven. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king, and exalt the power of his anointed.’

John 1:29

The next day he saw Jesus coming towards him and declared, ‘Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

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Words of Grace For Today

…

It is one thing to recognize power that overcomes one’s adversaries with might, thunder, and violence, and then to attribute that same kind of power to God.

It is a completely other kind of thing to recognize the power that God exercises for us all.

Of course, God could exercise that power might, thunder, and violence, again and again and still not bring us to know peace or a blessed life.

Instead God, sends Jesus, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.

Only when we know we are free from the guilt and destruction of our sins are we able to know peace and live a blessed life, not just for ourselves but for all other people as well.

That is the kind of power that God has and exercises,

for us all.

So with that freedom each morning, what will we do?

Crying

For Help

Weeping With Thanks

Thursday, December 28, 2023

What Wonders God Works, As the Sun Rises, Beginning a New Day!

Psalm 104:14

You cause the grass to grow for the cattle, and plants for people to use, to bring forth food from the earth,

Ephesians 5:20

… giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

…

Words of Grace For Today

People in desperate situations hope that someone will make a difference, help them, provide the basics of life and security.

Trapped on an island overrun by the enemy in a world wide war, the doctors and nurses and voluntold helpers (having found their way to the camp of the resistance fighters) have bound up patients for months or is it already years with old strips from old clothes. Everyone is malnourished if not starving. Everyone’s clothes are tattered and torn. Uniforms for soldiers cannot be required since no one has them. Spotty communications begging for supplies bring at most ‘Stand bye.’

Then, wrangling with all sorts of resistance from the infighting and egos of the top generals and admirals, a small group of 4 soldiers disembark from a submarine in rubber boats and paddle through the surf. Met by members of the resistance, more rubber boats are dispatched from the sub with supplies. Not enough, but something.

Visiting the ‘hospital’ the new soldiers still in black dyed fatigues cut open the new ‘plastic’ sealed packages of sulphanilamide, a new antibiotic and dressings. Weeping with joy and relief the doctor orders the nurses and helpers to take off all the bandages on the patients and to pour the sulphanilamide on and cover them with new dressings. Patients with fatal infections now have a chance at life.

(paraphrased from W.E.B. Higgins’ Behind Enemy Lines)

Ahh the immense tears-of-joy outpouring when assistance arrives for those subsisting as they irritate the enemy.

How many more people on earth this day could cry ‘Would that assistance were brought here!?!’

And we carry on, giving thanks for all that we have, all that keeps us alive, and all the blessings each day that come our way. It may not be supplies, clothes, and food, or shelter sufficient to stand the new normals of weather wind heat and cold, but it is all we need to know joy.

Being Alive!

Being God’s Instruments of Light

Sunday, December 24, 2023

Sharing The Light Of Christ!

Isaiah 60:2

For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you.

Luke 2:15

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.’

…

Words of Grace For Today

Days before Christmas, 8 year old Ginger’s 9 year old sister, upset at all the work cleaning they were supposed to do before Christmas, told Ginger, “Santa does not exist. All this Christmas stuff was just a big, mean lie. It’s just work, work, work. It’s not fair.”

Ginger ran devastated to Grandma, “Grandma, Sis says Santa does not exist. That Christmas is all a big lie.”

When Ginger ran devastated to Grandma, saying Sis had said Christmas was a big lie, Grandma responded thoughtfully, “I’ve heard that nasty, mean rumour. It’s been going around for years.” After a pause, hoping she’d find some inspiration along the way, Grandma continued, “Come let’s go. I want to show you something.”

So off they went to the store. There Grandma, knowing Ginger loved dolls, asked her to pick one from the display just inside the door. As she choose one Grandma said, “I’m going to give you more than three times enough money to buy that doll. It’s from Santa, just for you. Then you can go and find a gift for someone you know who really needs something for Christmas. Meet me back here by the door.”

Holding her unpaid for doll, Ginger walked through the store for the first time by herself. She thought of who really might need something. Her family, her cousins, people at church, people at school …. That’s when Ginger remembered Ben needed a jacket. He came to school without one so he never went out for recess with the other kids.

It didn’t take long before Ginger found a perfect, warm looking, red parka with a hood, just a bit big for Ben. Ginger took the parka and her doll to the checkout counter, and handed the lady all her money, including the $2.75 of her own money she had with her. She explained that the jacket was for Ben, who needed one, and the doll was a gift for her from her Grandma. The lady said, kind of loud so even the other people in line behind her heard, “You don’t have enough money for both. You have to choose.” A lump started to form in Ginger’s throat.

Now Ginger had heard all the stories to us of God’s preparation for Christmas and of the people who had waited for centuries for the birth of the messiah. She’d heard of the ancient prophecies. She’d heard the story of the angel coming to Zachariah and Elizabeth – telling them of the birth of John the Baptist, of Zachariah’s muteness and Elizabeth’s joy. She’d heard of the other angelic visits to Mary and Joseph. On Christmas Eve, she’d heard again of no vacancy at any inn, a cow barn full of animals, of shepherds, and of angel choirs singing.

And as that lump formed in her throat, Ginger also remembered what her Sunday School teacher had said about Jesus sending us out to share with others what God has given us, especially people in need. Ginger said, “I guess Ben needs the jacket a lot more than I need the doll.” Ginger got 55 cents change and the parka in a large bag.

Ginger found Grandma waiting at the door with a card to attach to the bag. Ginger explained she only had enough money to get Ben a warm parka and what she remembered from Sunday School. Grandma, knowing she’d found her inspiration, said, “If you write on it ‘To Ben, from Santa’, he’ll know that Santa is real. But if you write on it, ‘To Ben, from Jesus’ friend’ he’ll know that Jesus is real. Which is more important?” Ginger didn’t have to think very hard. “Let’s write it’s from Jesus’ friend and add ‘Open now!’”

They drove to where Ben lived, pulled around the corner and walked back to the bushes just outside the door to Ben’s house. They paused to catch their breath. Then Grandma pushed Ginger out, “Go, put the bag on the step and ring the doorbell.” She did just that and ran back to the bushes.

Ginger waited, shivering with excitement next to Grandma. She still shivers today remembering how Ben’s mom came to the door, read the card, and called Ben, looking out following the footsteps in the snow to the bushes where the two stooped, mostly out of sight.

Ben came, read the card, tore into the bag, laughed and jumped with joy before putting the parka on. His mom asked if he wanted to yell out thanks. He did just that before they went inside.

Ben may or may not believe in Santa, but for the rest of his life he knew that Jesus has good friends.

On Christmas there was a mystery gift under the tree at Ginger’s house, with a card that read, “To Ginger, from Santa, who was in line behind you when you bought Ben his Jacket.” Inside was the doll Ginger had left on the counter at the store.

(2004 the original story of Ginger was read on the Radio, written by a listener in Lethbridge. This is a highly edited version rewritten by TL, 2023)

Perfect !??!?

Quatsch!

Friday, December 22, 2023

Knowing Our Place,

Wholly Dependent On God,

Is Obvious Living Close To

and Dependent On Nature.

First Samuel 12:15

… if you will not heed the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be against you and your king.

James 1:25

But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing.

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Words of Grace For Today

Wow!

As Advent is in it’s final week, and we reflect on how God works Wonders for us, though we too often distract ourselves with doing, impatient as we are for God to works wonders for us, here comes Sam and Jim to mess with our hearts and minds.

As if!

As if we could follow the perfect law!

Not a chance.

Not a chance in all creation.

We are but beggars, sinful beggars, begging for God’s mercy and forgiveness,

and

when we forget and think that we can somehow walk the line, stay perfect, follow God’s commandments,

then

we have already taken a huge leap out of God’s Grace into the Devil’s own arms.

Not that we should just give up, as if God were not merciful, having forgiven us again and again and promising to forgive us for the rest of our lives, and always and again restoring us so that we can work God’s grace for others.

Not that we should just give up and be as evil as we can be, as greedy as we can be, as selfish and destructive to others as we can be.

Trusting God’s steadfast love, we can proceed to give our best effort to do what is right and good for all people, especially the poor and outcasts, the vulnerable and sick, the elderly and the dying. We will never do that perfectly. But trusting that God will forgive us, we can proceed with confidence in God’s Grace taking on every challenge that comes our way.

So also this day, in this last week of Advent, as the daylight of each day slowly lengthens.

Blessed we are. Not proud of our gifts, but proud that God claims us as children and equips us to share all God’s gifts with others.

Not to Come Up Short,

Remember!

Wednesday, December 20, 2023

Remember How God’s Grace

Lights Up Our Lives and

God’s Whole Creation!

Psalm 103:2-3

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits— who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,

1 John 4:10

In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

…

Words of Grace For Today

As the days get shorter and shorter and the darkness longer and longer, it is time to remember:

remember how hard we’ve all worked to get where we are.

How arduous the journey has been.

How competitors and enemies have taken possibilities and resources from us, leaving us with so much less.

And still we have come out okay, or so we say.

For we could have gotten more if we’d been like our enemies, vicious, uncaring, unscrupulous, deceptive, and downright dishonest about anything and everything that would give them an advantage, damned by the cost to others.

But we did not.

Some would say we suffer now because of it.

They are right of course.

Kindness, honesty, and fairness are always rewarded with suffering, even being cast out and labelled as abominations.

But remember

remember

that we have come so far by God’s Grace alone,

and this day we survive only by Grace,

and living in God’s Grace is more wondrous than all the advantage our enemies have stolen from us, as we have worked to save the most vulnerable from destruction and disaster.

Remember

That we live in the love of God for us, enabled only by that love to be anything good at all, and able to love others, creation, and God above all.

Short days, long nights.

Remember

God’s love shines brightest in the darkness.

Wishing!

Wishing But Left Waiting

Monday, December 18, 2023

In Midwinter We Can Wish For the Golden Light Of Summer,

But There Ain’t Nothing We Can Do To Make It Come.

Daniel 2:21

He changes times and seasons, deposes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.

Luke 1:52

He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly….

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Words of Grace For Today

Not just a few people whom I have known more than deserve the wish that Jesus would come to judge them, cutting through all their lies and false rumours and self justifications for the evil they work against others. Then they would be stopped in their tracks and their victims would be restored to life as it was before they so destroyed them with lies and abuse and all kinds of evil.

For while these abusers and evil doers are still all too active in their evil doing, they have long since ceased to live, for their spirits have been taken by the Evil One, and they walk as shells in motion without heart and soul.

Jesus come!

But

There is nothing in that wish,

not for those wishing it,

nor nothing that stops the evil nor restores the victims.

So we wait.

So we wait and can do nothing to bring Jesus’ judgment and healing.

For there is nothing to be done to stop the evil doers and their evil, nor to restore their victims.

So we wait.

So we wait, so oft impatiently, for there is no other hope for things to be made right.

So we wait, and pray: come Lord Jesus, come!

…

until we remember that through forgiveness God heals the victims of evil, and the perpetrators as well.

So we pray, come Lord Jesus, come! Forgive us, heal us, and if you must, forgive those who still work evil against so many victims, helpless to defend themselves, except that they rest in your presence

here already today,

for while there is nothing to do to bring Jesus to come,

we can recognize Jesus is already here,

among us,

healing us,

even when we cannot pray that our abusers would be forgiven,

even when we hope the Holy Spirit would bring our abusers to amend their lives.

So we wait, and pray

our thanks that Jesus is already come, is here, and will come again to judge both the living and the dead.

Wonders

Wonders of Wonders

Sunday, December 10, 2023

In Our Faces Wonders,

and Almost Hidden Wonders …

All Leave Us Awestruck …

Deuteronomy 3:24

O Lord God, you have only begun to show your servant your greatness and your might; what god in heaven or on earth can perform deeds and mighty acts like yours!

1 Corinthians 12:6

… and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone.

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Words of Grace For Today

Many people through the ages have looked in awe at things found in nature, as huge as the sky reaching across the universe or as tiny as the parts of an atom, and given God credit for creating an awesome universe for us to live in.

As well we have experienced first hand the power of storms, cold and hot, with violent, destructive winds; we have experienced the immense stillness of a calm day from atop a mountain looking out over snow, trees, lakes, rivers and oceans; we have experienced the fresh crisp air of a sunny winter day, and the warm sunrise of an early summer morning; we have marvelled at how life returns in the spring to the plants, and how life begins in animals and in our own children;

and we have been in awe of all that God has created.

There is, though, no greater wonder to behold, than God’s forgiveness, which allows us to heal after we are hurt or have hurt others.

This is the wonder of wonders,

that gives us renewed life each morning, noon, and night.

Dead Man Walking

and Dead Woman Walking

No More

Saturday, December 9, 2023

Many or Few, Our Steps Will Not End With Death.

Psalm 30:4

Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy name.

John 5:25

Very truly, I tell you, the hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.

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Words of Grace For Today

‘Dead man walking’ refers to those on death row in particular as they walk their last few steps from their cell to the execution room. It also is used by extension to describe those who are targeted to die soon for their ‘misdeeds’.

It is a hell of a term,

not least of all because every human alive is walking their last steps alive on earth. Some have a few decades of walking, some a few years, some a few weeks, some a few days, some a few hours, but we are walking towards our deaths.

Jesus turns the meaning of that hellish phrase around. Those who are dead will be called some day to walk again. Properly we should say it’s dead people not only walking again but living again,

and living most fully,

in the grace and light of God.

For this God promises also us all, even those who still walk our few remaining steps, so that we need not fear death.

For death will not have the final say. Neither will the devil nor those who seek our deaths.

Already today then we sing and dance and praise God for the life abundant God has given us for this day, as yesterday, as every tomorrow.

The Light of Christ

Guiding …

Wednesday, December 6, 2023

Into Our Darkness,

Jesus Enters as an Infant

and Shines!

Isaiah 60:20

Your sun shall no more go down, or your moon withdraw itself; for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of mourning shall be ended.

John 1:14

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.

…

Words of Grace For Today

Hiking in the coastal forests, up and down hills, the tree canopy covering any view of the sky or the ocean or the mountains further inland, we came upon a lake. It was not a sandy shore. Rather the only access to the water was down a slope of a huge rock that stretched at least 20 meters wide and 40 down to the water. It was growing dark but we rested. The two young boys romped a bit. I, the only one of us parents with navigational skills, explored further for where the trail picked up. There was not a trace.

Distances were hard to gauge but we’d parked one car about 5 km further down the coast where the trail crossed near the edge of a small coastal town not far from our home. The other we left where we’d started hiking mid to late afternoon in a spot, one of many along the 186 km long trail, where one could drive, park, and jump on the trail for a shorter or longer hike, instead of taking the whole 186 in one long, multi-day hike.

But there was no trail to follow, not in either direction around the lake, nor back in any direction where we’d come. Cell phones were a new thing and I had one with me, but there was no service, not for the last kilometre or so.

Finally I hiked back to where there was service, called a friend, and even he had no clue where the trail went. He’d not be on this section enough to know where we were.

So I headed back in growing darkness, mountain lions frequenting the area as well as bears, navigation with a flashlight in spots where I needed to see, and walking in the dark where I could save battery power. This was long before LED’s so the flashlight would last maybe another half hour. …

Life has many such experiences, where serious darkness overwhelms us, where we lose the path forward, where danger could be just around any bend, behind any tree.

That darkness is the darkness of the soul.

That’s the darkness that God sent Jesus to be born as one of us, to live among us teaching and healing, and to save us with the sacrifice of his life. The light of Jesus’ life, teachings, healings, and death shines bright in every darkness, guiding us onward even when we become lost in the darkness, overwhelmed with the evil around us, alone against those that would lie and serve the devil in so many ways, in order to destroy us.

Thank God for that light!

Thank God each morning, noon, and night for that light.

…

in the dark the trail approached that big lakeside rock, winding it’s way around the steep uphill side of it and the hill that extended above it to the right. I needed the flashlight to find my way through a darker patch, unsure if there were rocks I would stumble on, and there

to my left on a tree was a trail marker, pointing to the left, down and back around a switchback, down to a creek with rocks to step across it and a clear trail that headed around the lake on that side.

I backtracked, continued on the ‘wrong’ trail to the lakeside, collected the other three, and in the dark we wound our way around that lake, through the trees as the moon rose lighting our way past more lakes and through more trees, until we arrived at the car, parked and waiting for us.