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4/28/2022 0 Comments

A song of salvation

Beloved of God,

    We are still looking for a man to go with our youth to Fuge camp this summer. We may need more than one if several boys sign up. If this is something you can do, please contact Lori Hayward.
    May I gently remind you that a week from Sunday is Mother’s Day? If you have a mother, or if someone has helped to mother you this year, please plan on showing them a sign of love and care.

    Our Scripture reading for this week is Psalm 30. If you read all the way through the Psalm, you get so many images of rescue:
3 You, LORD, brought me up from the realm of the dead;
        you spared me from going down to the pit.
Or there’s this one:
11 You turned my wailing into dancing;
        you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
12     that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.

The whole psalm can be read as a song of salvation. It is about God’s mercy; how God puts His people in a better, safer, more lively place than they were before.
    This Psalm also has a note telling us exactly why it was written: for the dedication of the Temple. It is the only Psalm with this note. This Psalm of rescue and salvation was written specifically to dedicate the site of the beating heart of Israel’s worship of God. It is God’s mercy, God’s salvation, and God’s power for us that this dedication psalm lifts up. The very heart of our worship can (should?) be a song of salvation and rescue. I hope you’ll take a little time to meditate on that this week.

Please join me this week in praying for:

Those who respond to emergencies on our highways, in our wildlands, in our communities, and even in our homes.
Those locally and statewide facing danger or loss from wildfire.
Defense and protection for those fighting these fires for the good of their neighbors.
Those in positions of public trust at the federal, state, and local levels.
One person you know and love who does not yet know Jesus.
Wisdom for this congregation in how we make decisions, carry forth ministry, and serve our community in Jesus’ name.
Those facing sickness or recovering from it.
Students and teachers as the end of the term approaches.
In praise for milder winds as our neighbors fight fires.
Each other (please email [email protected] if you’d like to be added to our prayer list).

You are the salt of the earth; you are the light of the world,

Marshall

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4/21/2022 0 Comments

Praise bookends Psalm 150

Beloved of God,

    This weekend we have a chance to love the children among us by putting some final touches on some long-awaited playground upgrades. We’ll be spending time on both Friday and Saturday from 9 am to 3 pm working on installing a new climbing structure, and we'd love to have your help. I hope you’ll consider serving our children this way over the weekend.
    We will have a congregational meeting this Sunday after the Sunday School hour. If you are a member of this church, I hope you will plan on being there. We always do well to have many members listening for the guidance of the Holy Spirit together.

    The Scripture reading this week is from Psalm 150. It’s the last Psalm in the ancient songbook of God’s people, and it is nothing if not a riot of praise:
1    Praise the LORD.

    Praise God in his sanctuary;
        praise him in his mighty heavens.
2     Praise him for his acts of power;
        praise him for his surpassing greatness.
3     Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
        praise him with the harp and lyre,
4     praise him with timbrel and dancing,
        praise him with the strings and pipe,
5     praise him with the clash of cymbals,
        praise him with resounding cymbals.
6     Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.

    Praise the LORD.

Praise bookends this Psalm, but in the middle, you can almost track a movement downward from heaven to earth. We praise God in the heavens. We praise him with expensive instruments like trumpet and harp. We praise him with humble things like timbrel and dancing. In fact, all things that have breath are called upon to praise God.
    Easter is our great festival of praise, and as we continue to celebrate our resurrected Lord, I hope you will mark time in your own life just to praise God for loving, saving, and claiming us.

Please join me this week in praying for:

This congregation as we meet on Sunday.
Those dealing with threats or suffering from wildfires.
Christians worldwide, and especially those in war-torn and dangerous places.
One neighbor; one person you know and love who does not know Jesus.
Students and teachers as they come quickly to the home stretch of the academic year.
Those who respond to emergencies on our roadways, in our wildlands, in our communities, and even in our homes.
Those in positions of public trust at the federal, state, and local levels.
In praise for a God who dared to come all the way to us to save us from sin and death.
Each other (please email [email protected] if you’d like to be added to our prayer list).