Warrior Queen

My awesome granddaughter!
Costume created and photo taken by
John Mattson. 

And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go.

And she said, I will surely go with thee: notwithstanding the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honour; for the Lord shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh.

And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; and he went up with ten thousand men at his feet: and Deborah went up with him.

And Deborah said unto Barak, Up; for this is the day in which the Lord hath delivered Sisera into thine hand: is not the Lord gone out before thee? So Barak went down from mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him.

And the Lord discomfited Sisera, and all his chariots, and all his host, with the edge of the sword before Barak; so that Sisera lighted down off his chariot, and fled away on his feet.

                                                                            (Judges 4:8-10, 14-15 KJV)

For twenty years, the children of Israel had been oppressed by the Canaanites.  

Deborah, a leader in Israel was a prophetess and judge. She had instructed Barak to lead the vast army of Israel against the Canaanites. But, he would not go unless Deborah went with him. She went. The army was defeated. 

Sisera, the leader of the Canaanite army was also  defeated; but, not by Barak's army. He was defeated by Jael, the wife of Heber. She pounded a nail into his temple when he took refuge in her tent to rest. 

Throughout history we can find sprinklings of women who have served in various ways to defeat oppression and injustice of various kinds. God calls whom He will call to serve and lead his children. Some are rich; others poor. Some are young. Some are old. Some are men and some women. 

Let us thank God for all whom He has called.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

The Sea Saw And Fled

Huron River at Million Dollar Bridge, Arvon Township, MI

When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language;

Judah was his sanctuary, and Israel his dominion.

The sea saw it, and fled: Jordan was driven back.

The mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs.

What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest? thou Jordan, that thou wast driven back?

Ye mountains, that ye skipped like rams; and ye little hills, like lambs?

Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob;

Which turned the rock into a standing water, the flint into a fountain of waters.

                                                                                    (Psalm 119 KJV)

I cannot help but wonder why humankind does not have enough sense to tremble at the presence of the Lord. The earth did. When Israel came out of Egypt the sea saw and fled, the river Jordan turned back, but humankind has not the foresight to know that God is God. At the hand of God, water can spring forth from a rock, but people, refuse the water. People refuse the Word that can bring eternal life; that brings real and abundant life.

It just makes no sense to me that anyone would follow after false gods. Sadly, there is nothing I can do to change that. Only God can change people. Only God can lead people out of bondage to their false gods. But, He has given you free-will. Choose ye this day, whom you will serve: the one who keeps you in bondage or the One and only One who can free you.

There is something, though, that I can do, that I am called to do. It is what the LORD calls all of His disciples to do; that is to proclaim the Good News of His Kingdom open to all people through Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit. So, no, even if the message offends you, I will not stop proclaiming. Just as you deem it your right to proclaim a false gospel, a path that leads to destruction; I will proclaim the truth of the Kingdom of God. There is only one way to that Kingdom. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by him. (John 14:6)

God has shaken the mountains. He has dominion over the sea. He has dominion over all things. If the earth will bow down and worship Him, then why is it so difficult for humankind to see that God is Supereme. Does a rock or a river have more sense than we?

God's Peace - Pr. J.

We Have Gone Astray

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." Isaiah 53:5-6 NIV

Jesus took upon himself our pain and he bore our sufferings. He was crucified for our transgression and for our iniquities. It is by his wounds that we are healed. It is by his sacrifice that we are made whole!

I am reminded often that we are all, like sheep, gone astray. I am reminded of this whenever a secular event takes precedence over gathering as a community to worship. I am reminded that we have gone astray when I see the sanctuary less than half the normal attendance on Good Friday or Maundy Thursday. This seems to be the norm for a good many congregations. When I witness this during Holy Week, I am reminded of how the disciples fled in fear when Jesus was arrested on the night in which he was betrayed. When I witness the absence of his "followers" during Holy Week, I am reminded of how even Peter denied Jesus at his trial. It is all a reminder that the sheep continue to stray. We often prefer to go our own way and it's not only during Holy Week. Often, we find reasons to not gather with our brothers and sisters in Christ to thank the Lord for our salvation; for our healing, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

I, like you, often act like a sheep that has gone astray. Whenever I mess up big time (that is sin), God's gentle Spirit reminds me why Jesus had to suffer persecution and such a cruel death. He died for you. He died for me. He died bearing our sins, those sins we commit today and will commit tomorrow.

This is a sad thing. It is a very sad thing that we should not take the time to gather together as he commanded us, to love one another, and to serve all people even as he served all people by dying for us. It is very sad that he should have to suffer and die for sheep that rarely even consider that they may have gone astray.

May God help us to be more faithful. May God help us to love even as He loves us.

God's Peace - Pr. J