EVERYONE IS WELCOME HERE! 

10:30 am Worship

Tuesday, May 21, 2024

Psalm 4

¹ Answer me when I call, O God, defender of my cause;
you set me free when I am hard-pressed; have mercy on me and hear my prayer.

² "You mortals, how long will you dishonor my glory;
how long will you worship dumb idols and run after false gods?"
³ Know that the Lord does wonders for the faithful;
when I call upon the Lord, he will hear me.
⁴ Tremble, then, and do not sin; speak to your heart in silence upon your bed.
⁵ Offer the appointed sacrifices and put your trust in the Lord.
⁶ Many are saying, "Oh, that we might see better times!"
Lift up the light of your countenance upon us, O Lord.
⁷ You have put gladness in my heart, more than when grain and wine and oil increase.
⁸ I lie down in peace; at once I fall asleep; for only you, Lord, make me dwell in safety.

Carlo Carretto once met a woman who belonged to a society dedicated to the protection of animals. She said to him, “I will never be able to believe in God as long as I see animals suffering.” He appreciated her thought – that it is difficult to observe suffering – but wondered how she could fail to realize everything in the created order lives at the expense of someone or something else. If he wasted all his time, he said, trying to understand something impossible to understand, his own death would overtake him even as he stood there without understanding.

“I can say ‘I do not understand this yet, but God will explain it to me in his own good time.’ In order to pray, I must begin to say, ‘Our Father, who art in heaven…’ By saying ‘Father,’ I say a thousand and one important things; and I say above all, ‘I am beginning to trust you because you are a father, and a father could not betray my hopes.” [In Search of the Beyond, p. 89.]

The Bible is replete with images of those who discovered comfort, strength, and love in the midst of darkness. The Song of Solomon lover who ran from her home in the night in search of her Beloved. Ezekiel, who prayed while in exile, and experienced a stunning vision of four-faced creatures, a giant chariot in the air, and a glowing presence. Moses, who fled in fear for his life only to discover a burning bush on a mountaintop. Elijah, hiding in a dry riverbed for fear of a cruel king, only to experience the ravens of the air bringing him daily food.

The church is many things. It is a human institution. The body of Christ. Like that body, the church is often broken. It has many failings. Many shortcomings. All too often, in its human aspect, it distorts the biblical message. Even in its brokenness, however, it points us to prayer and assures us our prayer will be heard.

The lover found her Beloved. Moses and Elijah heard their callings. Ezekiel eventually saw a vision of a great river of life flowing down from the temple of God.

This is the great message, the good news the church has to offer. Its first and most important lesson. New life rises from death and cannot be overcome.

God answers prayer!

Hymn of the day: Hallelujah! Online at Rossford UMC - Media.  

Rev. Lawrence Keeler