“When I am weak, I am strong”

Here's the video link to this sermon:

Pastor Karen Crawford July 5, 2015 https://vimeo.com/132707934 "Pastor Karen's sermon from July 5, 2015: "Strong in my weakness.""

Meditation on 2 Corinthians 12:2-10    

July 5, 2015

     “I know a person in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows. And I know that such a person—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows— was caught up into Paradise and heard things that are not to be told, that no mortal is permitted to repeat. On behalf of such a one I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses. But if I wish to boast, I will not be a fool, for I will be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it, so that no one may think better of me than what is seen in me or heard from me, even considering the exceptional character of the revelations. Therefore, to keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given to me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, but he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.’ So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”

***

   “The hardest day was in early February. Cindy (Morgan) had just finished teaching a spiritual formation class at St. Andrew’s Theological College in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and was about to leave campus when six cocktail bombs exploded outside the front gate. Within minutes, 20 policemen, thinking the bombs had been thrown from inside the campus, stormed the premises with guns drawn.

   “Since early January,” Les Morgan writes in his May newsletter to the congregations that support them in their ministry, “opposition political parties in Bangladesh, demanding fresh elections, had been enforcing a countrywide road and rail blockade.” Many people had been killed. “Hundreds more were injured by firebombs thrown at trains, trucks, buses, cars and autorickshaws. There was little the police could do. How do you stop a network of paid political thugs lurking amidst a population of 165 million people?”

       Drs. Les and Cindy Morgan, medical missionaries to Bangladesh since 1989, had no choice but to retreat to their apartment and watch the news. And wait and worry and pray.

     We often think of missionaries as people who are different than we are. Certainly they are out of the ordinary, if they are willing to leave behind country, kin, and the financial benefits of a medical career in the States to serve the Lord in a mission field as difficult as Bangladesh. The predominantly Muslim country struggles with poverty and polluted air and water; hunger and homelessness; high unemployment and illiteracy; crowding and crime. Many live in unsanitary conditions and lack access to adequate healthcare.

    But missionaries are human. They have the same needs and desires that we do. Les and Cindy have often been homesick. They have longed for clean air, water, and the wealth of space, quiet and privacy that we have in this country. They have felt, at times, anxious and afraid. In February, the political unrest and violence that led to their confinement in their apartment stirred them to question if God really wanted them to go on with their ministry in Bangladesh, teaching and preaching, helping to prepare new leaders for the Church, and providing comfort and hope, help and healing.

     Les writes, “Such dangerous times cause us to think anew about our work. Is it worth all the hardship, tension and risk? If so, where will we get the strength to continue?”

***

      Les has the humility to reveal his weakness and brokenness to encourage us to do the same. In 2 Corinthians 11 and 12, the apostle Paul addresses an audience that, though they are Christian, are accustomed to the habit of boasting to impress others, just like everyone else in the worldly Corinthian society in which they live. Paul is teaching a lesson on humility, without coming out and directly saying to them, “Stop boasting and trying to impress one another because it gets in the way of your witness to Christ.” Capturing his audience’s attention with his promise of “a little” boasting, he proceeds to reveal, in a very personal and intimate way, his humiliations, fears, and failures. He describes being whipped, beaten with rods, stoned, shipwrecked, and adrift at sea. He has suffered “perils” of rivers and brigands, perils that came from his own countrymen, perils from the Gentiles, perils in the city, perils in the wilderness, perils upon the sea, perils among false brethren, in labor and toil, in many a sleepless night, in hunger and in thirst, in fastings, in cold and nakedness. He tells of his anxiety for the Churches. “Is there anyone’s weakness which I do not share?” he asks. “Is there anyone who stumbles and I do not burn with shame?” He finishes, “If I must boast, I will boast of the things of my weakness.”

   Our reading today in 2 Cor. 12 is a continuation of Paul’s humility lesson, beginning with the apostle mentioning a spiritual experience he had 14 years before. Unlike other religious people of his day who use elaborate details of “visions” to build themselves up and gain more followers, Paul provides few details about his “vision” or “revelation.” He refuses to share what God has spoken to Him or what “Paradise” is like. He mentions the vision to contrast his happiness at being granted such a vision, only to be tormented afterward by a “thorn in the flesh,” “a messenger of Satan” that God allows so that Paul would not become “too elated” or conceited about his spiritual gifts.

      So what does Paul mean by “thorn in the flesh”? We don’t know for sure, but the Church has had a variety of ideas over the centuries (according to William Barclay). John Calvin believed Paul meant spiritual temptations or the temptation to doubt or not do what the apostle should do--and the pain of conscience at the realization of his sin. Martin Luther thought it was the opposition and persecution Paul faced. Others say it was sexual temptation. The early Christian fathers Tertullian and Jerome believed Paul had severe headaches. He may have had eye trouble, which might explain the headaches. He is blinded on the Damascus Road in Acts 9:9, and his eyesight may never have fully recovered. In Galatians 4:15, Paul says the Galatians would have “plucked out their eyes” and given them to him. In Galatians 6:11, Paul may have been referring to his poor handwriting due to his failing eyesight when he says, “See what large letters I make when I am writing in my own hand.”

     Three times Paul asked the Lord to remove the thorn “given him” in the flesh. But the Lord did not. God says, “My grace is sufficient for you.” My grace is enough! “For power is made perfect in weakness.”

     Paul must have surprised the Corinthians when he concludes, “Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecution, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”

*** 

      Les Morgan comes to a similar conclusion, after sharing his anxiety and doubts about having the strength to continue their mission in Bangladesh amidst the dangers. He attended an evening retreat at the end of February that Cindy’s students were leading, riding a rickshaw to the 200-year-old St. Thomas Church. “Inside the darkened sanctuary,” Les writes, “65 small terracotta lamps--open clay saucers of mustard oil with short wicks of twisted cotton--illumined the sacred space. As I sat silently with the other(s)…in a semicircle on the floor of the sanctuary, I saw in the light of the surrounding lamps the answer to the question of where Cindy and I would find the strength to continue serving as missionaries in this country. For there, shining in the darkness, merged into a sacred Light enveloping us and encouraging us on our journey, were the faithful ones--those through whom the Holy Spirit empowers us to do what we do.”

   This is God’s grace, friends! Les and Cindy don’t have the power to minister on their own. But they have access to God’s power in their weakness; the Holy Spirit that dwells in other Christians who pray and give financial support to them ministers to them. Les mentions a first grader in Arkansas who keeps Les and Cindy’s picture propped up on her bedroom dresser and prays for them nightly; a church in Georgia that regularly sends them cards to remind them of their presence with the couple; a church in Louisiana that dedicated their Christmas Eve offering to support ministries of healing in Bangladesh; a high school student in Kansas who, every month, contributes a portion of the money he earns through his part time job; a pediatrician in Georgia who prays for them every morning; and the hundreds of congregations--like us-- that join them every week in prayer for individuals in need in Bangladesh.

      Yes, brothers and sisters! We are one of the hundreds of congregations that pray for Les and Cindy’s ministry every week. We include Les’s prayer for Bangladesh in our bulletin announcements and on our Facebook page. Through God’s grace and the gift of His Spirit, the Lord is using us to empower missionaries--ordinary people with an extraordinary calling--to do amazing things for God.

      Friends, the Spirit in us enables us through prayer and encouraging words to empower one another to do the work God has called us to do! But like the Corinthians, we live in a society where we are afraid to speak of our weaknesses; we boast of our strengths so that others will think well of us. But here in this place, in Christ’s Church, we should be able to find safety and grace amongst fellow sinners to be ourselves. “Boasting” of our weaknesses requires courage to be vulnerable and trust that no one will hurt us or take advantage of us in our vulnerability. Boasting of our weaknesses requires humility and the desire to have the power of Christ lifted up, rather than our own strengths or achievements. Sharing our weaknesses requires faith that the Lord does truly work through them to accomplish His purposes and that we are forgiven not by our own strengths or good works, but by the work of Jesus Christ for our sakes.

    Friends, do you have the compassion to encourage and pray for others in their weakness? Can you be trusted to be kind and understanding when others reveal their weaknesses to you? Do you have the courage to “boast” of your weaknesses, like Paul, believing God when He says, “My grace is sufficient for you.” My grace is enough! “For my power is made perfect in weakness.”

    And if you have doubts or feel afraid, like Les and Cindy in Bangladesh, that you won’t have the strength to do what God is calling you to, remember Paul’s lesson on humility,

    “Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecution, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Let us pray.

Holy One, thank you for Jesus Christ, who humbled himself to the point of death on a cross for our sakes. Thank you for your forgiveness for our sins through our belief on Him. Thank you for your power that is made perfect in our weakness. Give us courage to be like Paul and boast of our weaknesses. Grant us compassion to be kind and pray for one another as we share our weaknesses and praise you for your strength! We pray that this place--Your Church--would be a place of safety and grace, so that we will all be free to be ourselves, the people you have made us to be. Humble us and build up our faith so that, no matter whatever emotional or physical “thorn” we may suffer, we will serve you in gladness and gratitude for all of our days. And we pray for strength and joy for Les and Cindy Morgan. Bless them in their ministry for your sake. Keep them safe. Build up the Church of Bangladesh--and your Church around the world. In Christ we pray. Amen.

    

"The Battle is the Lord's"

Here's the video link to the entire worship service including the sermon:
https://vimeo.com/132101320

Meditation on 1 Samuel 17: 32-49

June 28, 2015

***

     “David said to Saul, ‘Let no one’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.’ Saul said to David, ‘You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are just a boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth.’ But David said to Saul, ‘Your servant used to keep sheep for his father; and whenever a lion or a bear came, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after it and struck it down, rescuing the lamb from its mouth; and if it turned against me, I would catch it by the jaw, strike it down, and kill it. Your servant has killed both lions and bears; and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God.’ David said, ‘The Lord, who saved me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will save me from the hand of this Philistine.’ So Saul said to David, ‘Go, and may the Lord be with you!’

      “Saul clothed David with his armor; he put a bronze helmet on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail. David strapped Saul’s sword over the armor, and he tried in vain to walk, for he was not used to them. Then David said to Saul, ‘I cannot walk with these; for I am not used to them.’ So David removed them. Then he took his staff in his hand, and chose five smooth stones from the wadi, and put them in his shepherd’s bag, in the pouch; his sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine.

       “The Philistine came on and drew near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. When the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was only a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. The Philistine said to David, ‘Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?’ And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. The Philistine said to David, ‘Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the field.’ But David said to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with sword and spear and javelin; but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This very day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head; and I will give the dead bodies of the Philistine army this very day to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not save by sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s and he will give you into our hand.’

      “When the Philistine drew nearer to meet David, David ran quickly towards the battle line to meet the Philistine. David put his hand in his bag, took out a stone, slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead; the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground.”

***

    I had just sat down with my books to prepare for my Thursday morning Bible study when there was a knock at my back door. I opened it to find a young lady dressed in Sunday best, holding some printed material and a Bible. “Can I help you?” I asked, cracking the door just wide enough to stick my head through, without my two, small, barking dogs running out. She gestured to the church building next door and said, “I guess you are the pastor’s wife.”

      I laughed. Most people don’t expect the pastor to be wearing yoga pants and a pink T-shirt.

     She asked if I wanted to read the Bible with her. I looked past her and saw a sedan idling in my driveway. Two or three people, similarly dressed, were watching and waiting for her. She was a Jehovah’s Witness. Some had come to our home about a year ago when we were out. I had seen the telltale signs--“The Watchtower” and “Awake!” magazines at the door. At the time, I remember thinking how bold they were to come to the house next to a church, which was almost certainly the pastor’s. The message was loud and clear. The Jehovah’s Witnesses have targeted our community for conversion. What better way of influencing an entire congregation than to persuade the pastor of their errors in their doctrine and ways? I was annoyed when I saw the material last year, but now it wasn’t just a handout to toss in the trash. She was a real, live person standing at my door, someone whom God loved as much as He loved me. And I thought, “But for the grace of God, that could be me or one of my children.” I felt sorry for her, but I didn’t feel safe inviting her in, especially with the carload of Witnesses in my driveway, as I was home alone. And I was busy--preparing for my Bible study. I had God’s work to do.

    I took her literature. “The Lord be with you,” I said, as a prayer for her soul and not a declaration of God’s presence. Jehovah’s Witnesses are not Christians; they have their own Bible translation called the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures. Among their errors in doctrine, they adhere to a works-salvation mentality. They coerce new members to prove the authenticity of their faith by going door to door. According to statistics on the Web, more than 8 million Jehovah’s Witnesses are involved in “evangelism” and more than 19 million people worldwide adhere to the faith. They refuse military service and blood transfusions. They shun all “pagan” celebrations, including birthdays, Easter and Christmas. They refuse to salute the American flag or say the “Pledge of Allegiance.” But the most destructive doctrine they teach is that God is not Trinitarian. Jesus is not “Christ our Lord and Savior,” for he is not divine. If Jesus is not both human and divine, then his death on a cross did not achieve humanity’s forgiveness for their sins. We are not, therefore, reconciled with God.

    I closed the door, thinking, again, how bold she was to come to a pastor’s home. And how vulnerable people are, especially the elderly, alone in their homes, too polite, perhaps, to ask someone dressed in “church” clothes, carrying a Bible, to leave. Jehovah’s Witnesses seem so “nice.”

     Friends, the spiritual battle wages on! There’s a battle for our souls. Thank God the battle is the Lord’s!

***

     I had been meditating on this passage in 1 Samuel when the stranger came to my door. The line that was engraved in my memory was, indeed, verse 47, when David says, “The battle is the Lord’s!”

     But first, let’s admit what we are all thinking about David as we read this passage. He must have been nuts! Why on earth did he go into battle wearing no protective gear, armed only with a slingshot? Why did he think he could “win” against Goliath, the giant who had already killed veteran Israelite soldiers, bigger and stronger than David? And why did his family and community let him do it?! Although we don’t know hold old David was for sure, he is disdained for his youth, red hair and complexion, and attractive appearance or face. I Samuel 17:42 says when Goliath “looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance." 

     It wasn’t just his appearance that made David stand out from other youth and men.  The one whom God had chosen for His purposes was completely without fear, a teenager able to convince a king that he was fierce enough to do battle for Israel; for the entire Philistine threat is embodied in Goliath, not a giant of fairy tales, but a very large, powerful fighting man. David tells Saul he saved his father’s flocks, rescuing lambs from the mouths of lions and bears.“And if it turned against me,” David says, “I would catch it by the jaw, strike it down, and kill it.”

      The most important thing we should know about David--even more important than his youth, courage and strength-- is his extraordinary faith and devotion to the Lord. As Acts 13:22 tells us, “David the son of Jesse, was raised up by God to be king of the Israelites because he was a man after God’s own heart, a man who would do “all” God’s will.

    Now God was calling young, fair David to make a stand, live by it or die. David wanted everyone to see and know that he was on the Lord’s side! The battle--and the victory--would not be won by David’s wisdom, power and strength. “Your servant has killed both lions and bears,” David tells his king. “And this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God. The Lord, who saved me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will save me from the hand of this Philistine.”  Saul answers, ‘Go, and may the Lord be with you!’

    But the youth who had never tasted battle is too small to walk with the heavy armor that professional soldiers wear. He cannot use his king’s proffered sword. Strengthened by the spiritual gifts God has given him and the skills learned as a shepherd boy, David relies on the Lord for victory. He picks up his slingshot and five stones from the wadi--a creek bed that is dry, except during a rainy season. Then he responds to the giant’s trash talk with his own declaration of faith. “Goliath, you come to me with sword and spear and javelin,” says David. “But I come to you in the name of the Lord.” 

***

    Friends, not many of us will encounter actual giants that we must fight with slingshot and stones. But every day, we are engaged in spiritual battle. We make choices that reveal to God and the world whose side we are on--and whether or not we are with the Lord. We may live in fear or in confidence, depending on whether we believe, like David, that God has already won. We can live our lives for ourselves and our own desires or we can choose to live like the one Scripture says was a man after God’s own heart, a man who would do “all” God’s will.

       I couldn’t stop thinking about the visitor who came to my door this week. I kept wondering if I did the right thing. Should I have invited her in and shared Jesus with her? Should I have been bold and told her how destructive these people are who seem so “nice,” for they turn people away from the gospel of love, mercy and grace?  I can only pray that the Spirit would lead her to discover the hope and promise that we have through belief on the perfect work of Christ Jesus, God’s Son. The spiritual battle wages on. But Christ’s followers need not fear. We can go with the confidence of our faith into every dark place. Like David, let us be brave when God calls upon us to make a stand, live by it or die. Let us with courage declare by our words and acts of love whose side we are on. And that the battle, the victory, and WE belong to Him.

   

Let us pray.

Holy Three- in- One, thank you for your Word and Spirit that guides us to your truth and reveals your love and mercy for sinners. Thank you for sending your Son to die in our place. Thank you for your forgiveness and for winning the spiritual battle for us before it was even begun. Help us to be brave and do all your will. Empower us to go with confidence with the Good News of Jesus Christ to the dark places in our community and world. Stir us to be bold--as bold as Jehovah’s Witnesses who go door to door. We lift up to you all the Jehovah’s Witnesses and other non-Christians in our area--and ask that you would draw them closer to you. Open their hearts and minds to hear and embrace the true gospel of grace. May the young lady who came to my door come to believe that Christ was not only human; he was fully divine. And He is alive today! Forgive us for not caring enough about our non-Christian neighbors to reach out to them more. Stir us to let everyone know by our words and acts of love that we are on the Lord’s side! And the battle is the Lord’s. Amen.

“Counting Our Days”

Meditation on Psalm 90

Pastor Karen Crawford

“A Prayer of Moses, the man of God.
Lord, you have been our dwelling-place in all generations. 
Before the mountains were brought forth,
   or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
   from everlasting to everlasting you are God. 
You turn us back to dust, and say, ‘Turn back, you mortals.’ 
For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past,
   or like a watch in the night. 
You sweep them away; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning; 
in the morning it flourishes and is renewed;
   in the evening it fades and withers. 
For we are consumed by your anger;
   by your wrath we are overwhelmed. 
You have set our iniquities before you,
   our secret sins in the light of your countenance. 
For all our days pass away under your wrath;
   our years come to an end like a sigh. 
The days of our life are seventy years, or perhaps eighty, if we are strong;
even then their span is only toil and trouble;
   they are soon gone, and we fly away. 
Who considers the power of your anger?
   Your wrath is as great as the fear that is due to you. 
So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart. 
Turn, O Lord! How long?
   Have compassion on your servants! 
Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
   so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. 
Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
   and for as many years as we have seen evil. 
Let your work be manifest to your servants,
   and your glorious power to their children. 
Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
   and prosper for us the work of our hands—
   O prosper the work of our hands!

***

  I watched my dad put on his shoes the other day and look for his blue, button-down sweater as he prepared to go to a doctor’s appointment with my mother. “It seems like all I ever do is go to the doctor,” he said, and sighed.

    Dad, who will be 81 in August, moves more slowly these days. He has numerous health challenges; some that are complications from a fall on a rainy day two months ago. He needs more time and effort to do many of the routine tasks he used to do with ease, without hesitation. He gets discouraged.

      I agreed with Dad – yes, he does seem to go to the doctor a lot. But I was happy, really happy, to see how well he is doing now, compared to my last visit to my parents in Florida—two days after his April fall, when even with the help of a walker, every movement was a struggle. He was in so much pain. He was forgetful, confused, and exhausted. Sometimes he would nod off in the middle of a sentence.

       I worried that my father would not be with us much longer. I prayed. And I began to count the days and give thanks for every one.

***

       It’s too easy to fall into a rut and begin taking for granted God’s gift to us of every day. We may say to the Lord, “Thank you for this day,” without feeling, deep down, truly grateful. If we were completely honest with God, we would say, “Lord, change my life, so that I may have what I want,” instead of asking that God’s desires be ours, and saying, “Please Lord, change my heart. Change me.”

     Psalm 90 urges us to give thanks to God for the Lord’s loving care and provision for us all the time, even on our so-called “bad” days, when nothing seems to be going right and in the months when the bad news keeps coming, threatening to overwhelm you like the waves of the ocean. The death of a loved one. A diagnosis of cancer, Alzheimer’s or other serious health problem. The psalm urges us to begin each day with gratefulness to the God who made us, always loves us and will never leave us. The God who is our “dwelling place for all generations.”  We cannot expect to be happy and healthy all of our days. But we do have the promise of joy and contentment in the midst of our suffering and trials, if we seek God’s help, like the psalmist. He asks the Lord for help not just for himself, but for all God’s people. Two times, he asks the Lord to make them glad or “happy” as the word could be translated, which gives us the sense that the writer and his community are not happy with the life God has given them, a life of “afflictions.” “Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,” he says, “so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Make us glad, for as many days as you have afflicted us and for as many years as we have seen evil.”  We find, in this prayer, reassurance that while our “toil and trouble” may seem to go on forever, they will come to an end, as the psalmist says, “like a sigh.” The writer isn’t referring to a “sigh” of annoyance; he uses the Hebrew word hevel, which means “breath.” (Huh—exhale of breath). The writer is trying to tell us that life is short. But there is hope and promise, for the God who “sweeps away” our days so that they are “like a dream” renews us like grass that flourishes in the morning. With hevel, we hear echoes of Ecclesiastes, which says that all of life is hevel or breath (sometimes translated as vanity or meaningless) “a chasing of the wind.” Hevel is the same word we translate as “Abel,” in the story of Cain and Abel. Abel’s life is tragically cut short, like a “breath.”

    Psalm 90 takes on deeper meaning when we consider the author’s identity and the context. This is the only psalm attributed to Moses, who endured many trials and tribulations, leading a group of unhappy people to wander in the wilderness for 40 years. He also experienced the goodness of God, the miraculous provision of food and water and protection from their enemies with the parting of the Red Sea so Israel may cross on dry land. We can imagine his gratitude as he prays, “O Lord you have been our dwelling place in all generations.” Moses had no earthly home at all! He could only trust that wherever He walked or camped, in whatever circumstances, he was already home. His place of rest and peace is God, who promises to always be with him. Then, when Moses speaks of God’s wrath, we recall how God punishes Moses for his lack of faith by not allowing him to enter the Promise Land. Still, by God’s grace, Moses lives far beyond the 70 or 80 years he mentions as the “usual” lifespan for the “strong.” He dies at the age of 120. Again by God’s mercy and grace, he is honored throughout Scripture for his faithfulness, despite of his sin. This “man of God,” as the psalm introduces him, is humble enough to recognize and confess his own failures and weaknesses—and to seek God’s help, for his own sake, and for the sake of God’s people, as he had throughout their wandering years.

    He asks the Lord, “Teach us to count our days”—to remember how brief they are and that each one is truly God’s gracious gift—“so that we may gain a wise heart.”

***

     Friends, the same grace and mercy the Lord shows to Moses God offers to us. Because of Jesus’ life given for our sakes, God sees us as faithful. The same promise of everlasting presence the Lord makes to Moses, Jesus makes to us. “I am with you always,” the risen Christ says in Matthew 28:20, “until the end of the age.”

     Knowing that I only had about a week to spend with my parents in Florida this visit, I could not help but count the days, all the while praying that I would be doing what the Lord wanted me to do. This is what I think Moses meant when he prayed that they would gain a “wise heart,” for true “wisdom” comes only from God and “fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” as Proverbs 9:10 and Psalm 111:10 assure us.

    As I traveled back from Florida, I heard of the shootings at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. A 21-year-old man opened fire on a Bible study. Among the 9 who died was the pastor, the Rev. Clementa Pinckney, a state senator who had welcomed the young man, a stranger, into the Bible class. The young man had targeted the church simply because it was an historically black church, the oldest AME congregation in the south. My heart broke at the senseless loss of life. I thought about how the people had no idea that morning when they got up that it would be their last day. And how the people were doing exactly what God calls us to do-- how they went to church that evening for worship, fellowship, prayer, and Bible study.  They spent their last moments being faithful to the call of Jesus Christ to take up their cross and follow Him.  

      Then, yesterday, I read how the victims’ families were reaching out to the perpetrator with forgiveness. How could they do such a thing? Then I realized that it was by the grace of God. For if they had not forgiven him, the hurt, bitterness and anger would tear them apart. Those who chose to forgive were numbering their days, choosing to walk with the Lord and serve Him, rather than waste a single day wallowing in self-pity or anger with God for allowing such a tragedy to happen.

      Counting our days, sisters and brothers, means making every day count—not growing lazy and deciding that today, we don’t need to pray or worship or read the Bible -- or love and forgive our neighbors. Counting our days means not spending them doing things that seem “good” to us--just filling up our days with activities that aren’t really God’s will for us. It means not being negative or complaining about things we cannot change, things that only God can understand and control. It means being faithful to seek Him and trust Him to lead us every step of the way. It means accepting our human limitations, like Moses, and receiving God’s grace, more and more, day by day. We are like grass, that fades and withers in the evening, but with God’s mercies, is renewed and flourishes in the morning. Every day we have another chance to begin again! To forgive ourselves and others for the mistakes of “yesterday,” for, as Psalm 90 assures us, a thousand years in God’s sight are like “yesterday when it is past.” Like Moses, I pray that I would learn to be content, because we aren’t always content—are we? When our loved ones suffer, and we are not able to help them. When we are struggling with our own health challenges or other problems. When our troubles mount up and threaten to overwhelm us, like the waves of the ocean. I pray that the Lord would fill me up with His Spirit, so that I am “satisfied” in the morning with His steadfast love and so that I would “rejoice and be glad all of my days.” I pray the Lord will help me see that my requests shouldn’t be, “Please, Lord, change my life,” but instead that God’s desires become my own, saying, “Please, Lord, change my heart. Change me!”

Will you join me in prayer?

Holy One, we thank you for your love, mercy and grace, shown to us through the sacrifice of your Son – so that we might be forgiven for all our sins—and enjoy new,  abundant, and eternal life with you.  Heal us, Lord, of our hurts. Make us whole. Thank you for being our dwelling place in all generations and for being so patient with us. Teach us to count our days and see each one for what it truly is---a precious gift from you. Grant us your wisdom. Help us to find contentment and joy in You and accept the good life you have planned for us. Lead us to be more faithful. Humble us, Lord, when we are tempted to be selfish. Stir us to trust that you are in control and will use all things for our good and your glory. May your Spirit change us, more and more, into the image of your Son, so that we want only your desires and to be pleasing to you. In Christ we pray. Amen.