Brightness Of His Glory

 

"Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:" (Hebrews 1:3 KJV)

The morning sunrise and evening sunset are both beautiful. But, nothing in this world can compare to the brightness of the glory of our savior, Jesus the Christ. He is the light that shines even in the darkest of our days. He, alone, is the reason for our hope.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Troll Has Received His Promise

Troll with one of the classes he prepared for their first Communion

as they receive their first Communion.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
    He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
    he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
   for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
   I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
   your rod and your staff—
   they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me
   in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
    my whole life long.

                                      Psalm 23 NRSV

No matter how dark the valleys may get, those who believe in Jesus the Christ know that Jesus is with them guiding us; comforting us. My dear friend Troll (Michael) died last night. Troll joined Zion Lutheran Church in Skanee a number of years ago. He quickly became very active; teaching our children in Sunday School and preparing them for their first Communion. The children loved him. We all loved him. I do not recall ever seeing him at the church without his Bible in hand and when I visited him after he fell ill; there was the Bible and the church directory beside his bed. He never left home without them.

Troll's journey through life was not always easy. He suffered even before the strokes with PTSD. He had served as a medic stateside during Vietnam, trying to minister to those who had come back wounded. His retirement came after years of service as a police officer in Detroit, MI for 27 years, which also lends itself to having to experience major traumatic incidents on an ongoing basis. But, through the darkest of valleys, his faith did not leave him. Sometimes, he felt as though his faith was buried too deep within him. After he retired he searched hard for more faith. That more faith came to him as a gift from God. Today, even as I remember him and grieve our loss, I am confident that goodness and mercy has followed his life on earth and he dwells in the house of the Lord for all of eternity.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Persevere

"As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy." James 5:11

Trials will come. We are tested daily. We are tested not only by confrontations with natural disasters; but, with many man made disasters as well. There are many days when I consider throwing in the towel. There are days when I might think that the world is lost anyway so why bother. It is just too much work to help others who often don't even realize that they need help.

Yet, I do not give up hope. I continue to do what I can to help others who are suffering; others who are in need. When the help I have attempted is thrown back in my face, I am saddened; but, I do not lose hope. My hope is in the Lord. He will save me. He will save all who love him.

I am not alone in these trials. Multitudes of Christians whose intent is to serve the Lord by serving others in need often do so without any form of acknowledgement in return unless that acknowledgement is a proverbial slap in the face. Do not give up. Persevere in the face of these trials and temptations for the Lord is with you. He is full of compassion and mercy. He will guide you through the darkest shadows of death. You will see the light of Christ, the glory of God in its fullness. He will lead others to the light of Christ through you.

Take heart, persevere in faith, and you will see the Kingdom of God where trials and temptations will forever be behind you. 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Enter Into The Light

Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous. Psalm 112:4 NIV

The light of Christ shines in the darkest of nights for those who follow in the path that he has set before them. It does not matter how dark or how ugly life may get around us; the faithful will always have the light that leads them through the darkest of nights. We will always have hope because we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. We know that a new will dawn.

If you find yourself surrounded by darkness, with no glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel, maybe it is time to: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” (Eph 5:14) Rise up and enter into the light of dawn; enter into a new and glorious day!

May God open the eyes of all who have found themselves surrounded by darkness so that they, by the light of Christ, might see the path that he has set before us all.

God's Peace - Pr. J

He Is Your Shepherd

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
     He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
     he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
    for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
    I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
    your rod and your staff—
    they comfort me.

 You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
    my whole life long.

What a comfort this Psalm has been to me. It is not a prayer only for times when we lost a loved one. This prayer, I pray daily and not just for me; but, for all of you, as well. No matter what day it is we will meet challenges of some sort. Whether those challenges be enemies or temptations to stray from the path we can know that Jesus, who is the Good Shepherd, is with us always, leading us on right paths.

May God grant each of you comfort and peace in the knowledge of the Lord's presence with you today and always.

Pr. J