EVERYONE IS WELCOME HERE! 

10:30 am Worship

Friday, September 20, 2024

Psalm 69: 31-33

³¹ As for me, I am afflicted and in pain; your help, O God, will lift me up on high.
³² I will praise the Name of God in song; I will proclaim his greatness with thanksgiving.
³³ This will please the Lord more than an offering of oxen,
more than bullocks with horns and hoofs.

Ever spend a moment pondering what God might want in any given moment? It is difficult when one reads the thoughts or hears the words of wise and practiced Christians, for one despairs of ever achieving such a pinnacle of perfection. Do not think I speak only of saints and scholars, for I have witnessed such wisdom in the lives of ordinary folk, humble, plain-speaking, loving Christians whose gentleness and faithfulness put me to shame.

The task is complicated because our roles and our situations change daily. I was called to become a father, a journalist, a soldier, a writer, a student, a husband, a minister. Each role differed, and the many roles at times competed, one against another, and every role was at the same time shaped and created against the backdrop of a specific individuality. Merton talks about the masks we wear, and our roles at times become masks. We hide from those around us and, worst of all, from ourselves. We let our masks shape our lives.

My task seems much simpler than in the past, for I am limited in mind and body. No longer for me the masks of achievement and recognition. I told someone recently how I am thankful for the stillness imposed by age and health. In that stillness, I hear God calling.

But what am I called to do in this moment? In this unique blending of circumstance, calling, and duty. I do not yet fully know what you want, but I do know this: it will be gentle, quiet, humble, loving, compassionate, and kind. It may hurt, but I am learning, Lord. I watch others in Your church, performing their duties through pain and disability. I have seen it before, and I recognize faithfulness. I have seen Your saints smile, even as they lay dying.

Am I called to solitary and silent prayer? Should I speak so long as I am able? What sacrifices might You want in this moment? Help me, O Lord, to retreat to the center of myself, to the unknown place where the spark of your creative love resides. Let me rest there this day, listening, then help me to answer the call. Help me to do my duty.

You have blessed me all my life, and this I will do as best I can.  

Hymn of the day: Precious Lord, Take My Hand. Online at Rossford UMC - Media.
 

Rev. Lawrence Keeler