Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion

Beloved of God,

    I want to remind you that this weekend our service at church will be a little different because I will be out of town at the Labor Day retreat in Glorieta. I have prepared something for you that I hope will be a meaningful chance to read and pray through Scripture together. I do want you to know that if you usually read Scripture on your phone or a tablet, a hard copy of the Bible may be useful for you to have with you. For some of you it won’t make much difference, but for others it will be a great help.
    Sunday School for all ages will be resuming on Sunday, September 12th. If you would like a list of adult classes you might attend, we will be sending out a list in the coming week. The list may update over the next week as leaders get a better sense of their scope and focus. I am especially excited to be teaching our Middle School class.
   
    I’m struck this week by the way the first verses of Psalm 125 speak of God’s care and protection with such confidence:
Psa. 125:1    Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion,
        which cannot be shaken but endures forever.
2     As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
        so the LORD surrounds his people
        both now and forevermore.

There are any number of difficult situations that folks near and far are having to deal with at the moment. The world in it’s fallen goodness is always ripe for chaos to emerge, and there are times when that chaos can catch our attention in a special way: devastating weather events, pandemics, economic crises, political upheaval. Some of these things don’t feel far away at all, in fact some may be right on top of you.
    ...And yet the Lord surrounds His people. I don’t know if there were many who supposed that God might save and protect his people through the use of a cross, but that’s what happened. There may be surprising things that emerge from troubling moments. God has never been one to abandon His people, but God also has a way of bringing help and protection from unexpected places. I think Israel could sing songs like this because they knew that. I hope we remember that for ourselves.

Please join me this week in praying for:

• An end to this pandemic.
  
• Safety for those who are travelling this weekend.
• Courage and wisdom for those facing difficult decisions.
• Doctors, nurses, PA’s, paramedics and others working to keep us all well.
• First responders who address emergencies on our roads, in our forests, in our public spaces, and even our homes.
• Those reeling from the damage and danger brought by fire and flood.
• Those who are injured or sick in body, mind, or spirit.
• In joy and praise as we begin Sunday School next week, and for wisdom as we seek to do so safely and well.
• One another (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