Sweet Words from Maine

“The Times, They are A-changing “

Fall’s eye-catching changes are striking in Maine. Spring’s greening and summer’s flowering end with a dramatic flair of color. Apple orchards and blueberry fields turn red. Skies become bright blue and cloudless. Nearly overnight, orange, red and yellow leaves pepper and paint roadside vistas until they drop and leave the forests naked. Although anticipated and enjoyed for its beauty, autumn is met with strange mixture of nostalgia for the passing season and mild dread for the long, bleak winter ahead.

Nearly 60 years ago, Bob Dylan’s 1960’s ballad “Times They are A-Changing” sensed and presaged the restlessness and convulsions that America would undergo during that and the following decades: assassinations, war, violent racial protests, governmental distrust, and changing mores. The ballad’s last stanza ends with ” the order is rapidly fading,” a fact we sense as our nation evolves into something unfamiliar, and we have apprehensions about what that might or might not be. Some general concerns include lack of civility and divisive politics, fears of government overreach and dogmatic ideologies, lack of accountability on multiple levels, radicalism, changing social mores and family structure, small towns struggling to maintain viability and community, climatic conditions and natural disasters, and social injustices. There is angst enough without the added anxieties of a pandemic! We desire stability as the world swirls uncontrollably around us.

In seasons of suffering and loss or difficulties and disappointments, we may become fearful and disillusioned and question if God’s dependability is overated. However, He could not be God if He did not keep His Word. The Psalmist reassures that we can have absolute confidence in His promises. “For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does.” (Psalm 33:4)

Since God is immutable, we can extrapolate all His ancient promises to meaningful promises for all who have faith in Him today, sweet promises of His presence and aid: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6) “They who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)

God was Israel’s Rock and Refuge. They found constancy in God’s integrity. As Joshua prepared to die he told the Israelites that despite their fickleness, “…Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled” (Joshua 21:43-45) Many years later, the prophet Isaiah would echo that truth: “O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago” (Isaiah 25:1).Daniel of lion’s den fame knew that God is trustworthy and will do what He says He will do. “I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed: “Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments,”(Daniel 9:4)

So, what is His “covenant of love” with us? It is unchanged! He promises redemption and reconciliation, His presence and protection, His guidance and strength, and a future Kingdom of justice and goodness to those who choose to live under His authority. He will forgive sins and restore humanity to fellowship with Him when we come to Him through faith in Christ, who bid all to come to him to find relief from heavy burdens(Matthew 11:28) and claimed that whoever trusted his redemptive work should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

Scripture reveals that God is faithful to His holy character, His Word, and His people. In Him is “no shadow of turning” (James 1:17) He is powerful in the life of the believer and always working so that “all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28) “ …the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.”(2 Thessalonians 3:3) “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) His promised presence is the source of great confidence. “He has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you.” ^“So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:5-6) That promise will culminate one day in a new Heaven and a new Earth. “When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am….I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” (John 14:1-6) All creation will be completely renewed to its original state and purposes. The old gone! Everything new! Redemption will be complete! No sin, no illness, no suffering, no death! Justice will prevail! (Revelation 21)

Times may be changing, but God isn’t! The Psalmist knew that. In Psalm 126, he extolled God’s goodness for twenty five verses, ending each verse with the words “for his steadfast love endures forever.” The prophet Jeremiah said it beautifully, “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23)

Because of those facts, we can share in the truth that Zephaniah expressed centuries ago: “The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love…”(Zephaniah 3:17)

Me? A Servant?

Sadly, the door mantle of this neglected, deserted house boasts an ancient cautionary message that is a contemporary reminder of our culture’s fading interest in God. When some Israelites began to follow the worship practices and the gods of local tribes. Moses’ successor, Joshua, who had led the Israelites into the Promised Land, exhorted them to make a conscious decision: follow other gods or Sovereign God. It is impossible to do both. “ But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD,” he told them. (Joshua 24:15)T

Serving and worshiping other “gods” is an odd thought for most of us. We may not see ourselves as worshipers or servants of anything or anyone let alone other gods, but passions, practices, possessions, pursuits, people, and philosophies to which we devote time, energy and resources can distract, preoccupy, and control us. They become self-serving, conscious decisions that can take precedent over God ‘s principles for life and prevent us from serving in the manner Joshua meant .”Serving” God is being what He created us to be (humans with characters like His), doing what He has asked us to do (caretaking of creation and its creatures, helping each other, and producing others with characters like God’s), and living according to principles that are spiritually healthy for us. In other words, submitting to God’s wisdom, authority, principles, and purposes is our service.

Jesus put “serving” into perspective when he was asked what working for God looked like. “The work of God is to believe on him who He sent,” he asserted. (John 6:29) Trusting what Christ taught and relying upon his redemptive work is the work of faith. Simplifying how that looks, he declared that keeping the moral law meant loving God with all our being and our neighbor as ourselves. (Mark 12:30-31)

Although our efforts are frequently not perfect, for the most part, we in rural America do a fair job of loving our neighbors. We are generally caring, hugely generous, and compassionate. We are empathetic and encouraging. We sacrifice for each other. We show moral courage. We rally when our neighbors or communities are in need and suffering, and when our churches and charities ask for help for the afflicted, impoverished and persecuted, or when our country calls us to duty. Many of our neighbors pour their lives and professions into benefiting us.

However, the first half of the moral law, “Loving God with all our being”, is more difficult to comprehend and to fulfill. It is an anomalous idea in a materialistic, humanistic society where the secular dismiss and the religious are confused about the reality of God, where the doctrine of God’s direct involvement in a person’s life is considered an absurdity, where relativism eschews the thought of God’s absolute, moral authority to define how to live healthy, enjoyable lives, and where independence, self worth, self affirmation, self fulfillment and self-aggrandization are promoted as our ultimate purpose, The thought of Sovereign God and of “serving” Him has become total gobbledygook.

We can serve self or someone else or some other purpose on our own terms and for our own reasons but not God. Servanthood is not a matter of convenience but is the choice to be God’s new creation. “The just shall live by faith.” (Roman 1:17) Such faith comes through repentance and belief in the reconciliatory work of Christ on our behalf and obedience to His authority. That means accepting God’s grace and living it, learning how to walk as Christ walked, thinking as he thought and taught, being humble and submissive, giving grace and mercy, being sensitive and compassionate, denying self, even loving enemies and persecutors, granting and seeking forgiveness, being peaceful and seeking peace and not being vengeanceful, enduring in faith, and being confident that God will bring ultimate justice. Such a journey of transformed thinking and behavior is demanding, halting, stuttering, but hopefully progressive.

From our beginnings we have chosen to live as we want! But living to magnify God, to act in the Name of God and not in the name of self, and to honor a relationship in which Jesus is Lord requires more than determination. It requires the presence of God in our lives. He desires for us to know Him first. Then the prophet Micah gives us the clue to serving Him: “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8)

At our end, when faced with the summation of our lives, the question will not be whether we lived within the context of common good but whether we lived in the larger context of knowing God and serving His purposes for us and becoming who we are meant to be.

“….whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:17)

What Lies Behind the Fog…

Mark Island Lighthouse, Winter Harbor, Maine

When the summer fog rolls in, the little island lighthouse disappears. If the winds blow just right, the fog breaks briefly and allows enough light through its wispy mist to give a fleeting glimpse of this hidden gem.

We don’t always have clarity in life. We may know something is real, but it lies somewhere beyond our senses or our intellectual capabilities or our ability to adequately articulate. We long for answers about origins and endings and are inquisitive about the meaning and purposes that lie in between. We observe and contemplate the struggles of the living and the dead through history, the arts, science, literature, religions, biographies, geography, photo albums and ancestry searches. We plumb the minds of our elders and intellectuals whether philosophers, scientists, seers, or theologians. We cobble together our understanding of life and its meaning from snippets of information, from brief revelations, and from partial answers about ourselves, about others, and about our existence. We attempt to connect the fragmented dots of blurred perceptions, distorted thinking, and mere theories and base our world views on limited information. These views either include or exclude God.

Is there a sovereign God? Or multiple gods? Or any god at all? Our judgments about the possibility of God and His nature and activity will depend on our sources of information.

Scripture says there are at least three good places to begin the search. Simple observations and scientific explorations of the natural world are a prime sources of revelation of the magnificence, creativity, purposes, and power of God. (Romans 1:18)Also, the record of Biblical History reveals God involvement and presence with humanity, His immeasurably great love and patience for mankind, His principles for healthy living, His desires for justice, His willingness to forgive lost and impure people, and His action to redeem women and men from evil. That is the great Gospel message of Christ, who is the image of God’s character in human form and is the mediator of God’s immense love, and our redemption, and is the foundation of the believer’s faith.

Jesus said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me/And whoever sees me sees him who sent me/ I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. (John 12:44-46)

If we want to see, we have to search, to peer into the mists and await for breaks when the sun shines through. Scripture’s light illuminates the journey. It penetrates the murkiness and gives us glimpses of God’s great desire for us to know Him.

(Colossians 1:15-19)(John 3:16)(Romans 8:38-39)( 1Corinthians 1:30)(Hebrew 12:2) (11 Timothy 3:16)(Hebrews 4:12)

Calmness in the Chaos

“Between the dark and the daylight/When the night is beginning to lower/Comes a pause in the day’s occupations/That is known as the Children’s Hour.” (Henry W. Longfellow)

The closure of a stress filled day as ” the night is beginning to lower” is often met with a sense of relief and release. The day is relinquished to its inevitable end, and work is laid aside. Completion! Rest! Relaxation! And for those with families, the day is topped off with sweet moments of being with those deeply loved…until ….we turn on the evening news.

The nightly litany is long and tortures us with the incredible melancholy hanging over our world. Our peace and joy drain into the abyss of unending, prevailing miseries of suffering people: a terrible pandemic, divisive politics, repression, toppling nations, terrorism, war and poverty, earthquakes, massive droughts, horrible fires and floods, climate change, horrible air quality, brutality, racism, and crumbling values. After twenty minutes of negativity, a restlessness and an angry sense of helplessness rise within us; we become saddened, bewildered, and anxious by the chaotic, unhappy state of humanity. Mental, emotional, spiritual fatigue creeps in over time.

When the Psalmist faced his unstable world (Psalm 46), he was not shaken. “….we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea/though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.” He had reason not to fear. He trusted God. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble….”

Because we possess broken, fallen natures which lack integrity, we live in an imperfect, contentious world where greed, selfishness, violence and injustices have injurious sway and result in social and political divisions, unpleasant, unwarranted events, unhealthy relationships, and a progressively immoral, violent culture. We do need “refuge and strength.”

The world may shake apart, but the Psalmist knew that Sovereign God guarantees safe passage. “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” “God will help… when morning dawns. The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” “He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire.” “The LORD of hosts is with us…” (Psalm 46:1-11)

“Be still.” Become centered in God. The Psalmist found encouragement, reassurance, confidence and rest in God’s character, sovereignty, and promises of redemption. Christ entered history’s overarching story to fulfill the promise of victory over evil. Through him come forgiveness, relief from the condemnation of our inner struggles and actions, reconciliation with God, eternal hope, and the promise of rest and peace for our souls. ^“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”( Matthew 11:28-30) He taught that the pathway to God comes via repentance and belief and that the road to joy is living out the grace God gives us. “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:9-12)

The world will always be chaotic and filled with nightly “bad” news, but the Good News is that God had always been and will always remain true to His immutable nature. He is steadfast in love and enduring in faithfulness and will never desert humanity, who, though fallen, are meant for good.

Trust fully. Wait patiently. Rest confidently. Love as Christ does with grace, forgiveness and sacrifice. Live joyfully with purpose. Know that the ultimate victory has been won even though the battle rages.

^“For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith.” (1 John 5:4 (NLT2)

A World of Symbols

Our world is filled with signs and objects which stand for attributes, concepts, or abstract ideas. Wedding rings remind us of love and commitment; product brands speak to us of style or quality. Emblems identify organization; Oscars and Emmys and academic cords connote excellence. Portraits, statues, and photographs depict historical events and thus help us preserve our cultural, national, and personal memories and heritages. We hold tightly to different religious traditions and rituals and symbols because they represent deep aspects of our beliefs. Some of us find meaning in the “atomic whirl”, others in lotus flowers and banners. Some of us fly prayer flags or burn incense while chanting mantras; others of us have prayer rugs and bow deeply as we pray facing Mecca. Some of us have dream catchers and ceremonial dances. Some of us light Menorahs, wear skull caps and phylacteries and rock when we pray. Others of us have rosary beads and icons. Some of us sing doxologies and share the wine and bread of communion and rejoice over baptisms.

However, we all share the beauty and grandeur of the heavens and the earth. Lying behind the mysteries of our cosmos’ magnificent and immense complexity is a transcendent power, a greatness, and a precise and caring creativity which should at least raise the question of God’s existence. Scripture says creation is definite proof of God’s existence and leaves us no excuse for unbelief. (Romans 1:18) And King David prayed, ^“Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all.” (from a prayer of King David in 1 Chronicles 29:9-20)

Inspired by a hilltop view of a church spire and the Avon river running through the countryside, F. S. Pierpoint wrote the hymn For the Beauty of the Earth. Each stanza is followed with the phrase; “Lord of all, to thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise.“

“For the beauty of the earth/For the beauty of the skies,
For the love which from our birth/Over and around us lies,

For the beauty of each hour/Of the day and of the night,
Hill and vale, and tree and flower/Sun and moon and stars of light,

For each perfect gift of thine/To our race so freely given,
Graces human and divine/Flowers of earth and buds of heaven,

For thy Church which evermore/Lifteth holy hands above,
Offering up on every shore/Her pure sacrifice of love,”

The beauty of flowering plants, a bright and clear blue sky, and a new England Church steeple pointed toward the heavens and topped with the symbol of Heaven’s grace to us is a reminder of Sovereign God. Crosses atop many Protestant and Catholic church spires prompt thoughts of incomparable, divine, redemptive love given us in the sacrifice of Christ. They symbolize the possibility of salvation, ultimate victory over death, and eternal hope for all who choose to believe.

“Lord of all, to thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise.”

An Equal and Beyond Fair Wage!

Raking Blueberries in Whitneyville, Maine

Before technology changed the blueberry industry, almost every kid who grew up in Washington County, Maine earned “back to school” money by spending a few, hot, August days in exhausting, backbreaking blueberry raking along side family, buddies and migrant workers. However, finding reliable seasonal workers and paying them fair wages have troubled Maine farmers for generations.

While addressing misconceptions about the meaning of the Law, Christ utilized similar labor issues in a parable illustrating the wonderful grace that God extends to all mankind.(Matthew 20:1-16) He spoke of the “master of a house” who needed workers for his vineyard. Arising early, he went to the market place where he hired workers for an agreed upon day’s wage of a denarius. As the day progressed, he needed a larger workforce. Returning to the market place four times, he always found others waiting for a job, even at the 11^th hour, the last possible time to obtain work before day’s end.

No reason is given for these workers’ late search for employment. Maybe they had foolishly whiled away the day before realizing their need? Perhaps they had tried other opportunities that didn’t satisfy or pan out? Maybe they had been seeking but did not know where to look and heard about this marketplace last. Whatever the reason, they were desperate. Hope was fading with the daylight. But the “master” was on the outlook for them, discovered them, and offered them an opportunity. They were in such dire straits that they did not even attempt to negotiate a wage. They were at the mercy of the landowner and had to trust his word. He said “… ‘whatever is right, I will give you,’ So they went.”

At the end of the day, the landowner dropped a philosophic and emotionally loaded bombshell. All workers received the same compensation regardless of the number of hours they had worked. Those who worked for an hour received the same total wage as those who had labored all day! Accentuating that fact, the “master” intentionally paid the last-hirers first! So, when the first-hires came up the pay line last, the “master’s” generosity had made an indelible impression. However, his payment plan did not meet any measure of fairness in their minds. They had labored all day in the scorching heat and believed they should have been more highly valued and deserved greater compensation. They opposed and grumbled at the Master.

In its entirety, this story addresses multiple layers of religious thought and behavior and misconceptions, but the fact that God has always valued faith, not performance, is at its core. Jesus’ audience should have known that no one merits God’s approval. Centuries of failed attempts to be holy by keeping the Old Testament Law had proved that sinless perfection is an impossibility for humans. Unless placed within the context of faith in God, good works or good conduct mean nothing to Him, nor does ethnicity or religious affiliation. He is no “respecter” of persons. (Galatians 3:28) Belief, not conduct, is the “work” blessed by God.

Even though God demands holiness and turns away from sin, He extends the grace of forgiveness to both Jews and Gentiles (the world). In great mercy, He has fully paid the price of saving mankind from its rebellious and sinful state. He chooses to see mankind in view of Christ’s sacrifice which is an amazing, surprising, generous, unmerited, fully sufficient, perfect, loving, “once for all” payment for our sinful natures. “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. (Ephesians 2: 8-9 (NLT2). Redemption is entirely God’s doing.

The world rewards performance. God honors faith with grace and mercy “all across the board.” At the end of the day, it is not about who one is or how good one is but is about in whom one trusts to meet eternal needs. God patiently searches for, willingly accepts, and presents the blessings of His Kingdom to all who will come to serve with Him. (11 Peter 3:8-9)

Inaudible Shouts…

Peony at the Azela Garden, Northeast Harbor, Maine

“Magnificent!”. “Glorious!” Beautiful!” Those exclamations echoed around the garden as visitors admired the flowering shrubs and peony blossoms.

The adage that “Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder” holds some truth. We have individual aesthetics or preferences and subjectively value the quality of the tangible or intangible. So, is beauty a reality or an illusion? Is beauty is a perception or an intrinsic quality. Is that peony blossom beautiful when I am not the one admiring it? It is. Independent observers expressed their admiration even when I wasn’t looking.

Thus, another question…Why “beauty?” Does it have a purpose beyond drawing our attention?

Answers might vary depending upon the lens through which one views life. Some believe that we are earth dwellers by happenstance, functioning organisms composed of atoms and molecules somehow directed by complex nucleotides of DNA which originally came from some unexplained source by an inexplicable cosmic accident. If so, the implication would be that “beauty” is merely some chemically induced perception, a mediated reaction identically produced in all humans. However, one has to entertain the question of whether there is purpose beyond the biophysiological for the awe and deep emotions evoked through experiencing and appreciating the diversity and wonder of colors, shapes, sights, sounds and tastes of our expanding universe and the creativity of its inhabitants. Could it be that a good Creator has gifted us with “beauty” as a loving act, as a way for us to relate and know Him better, to sense that He cares and wants to bring enjoyment to our earthly stay?

When circumstances were surprising or difficult, my Grandmother frequently quoted the proverb that “there is reason in all things.” Whether she knew it or not, that is theologically sound! Beautiful “things” should lift our spirits in awe and gratitude for the magnificence of God and His goodness to us just as the Psalmist’s lyrics proclaim : “Those who live at the ends of the earth stand in awe of your wonders. From where the sun rises to where it sets, you inspire shouts of joy.” (Psalm 65:8 (NLT2)

With inaudible shouts, this peony inspires quiet exclamations of joy!

The Clearest Day Ever

Watching the rhythm of the sea, Schoodic Point, Maine

The rhythms of the sea with its shifting tides, rising waves, crashing surf, and drifting fog are mesmerizing. And as the fog lifts to expose a view stretching beyond the horizon’s curve into the heavens, both awe and calmness engulf the soul with a sense of belonging within that vastness.

“On a Clear Day You can See Forever” was a ‘60’s musical and later a film in which Barbara Streisand starred. It was a quirky but hope filled play/film about a young lady with low self esteem who learned how to value herself. A number of popular singers sang the theme song:

“On a clear day, rise and look around you, and you’ll see who you are.
On a clear day, how it will astound you
That the glow of your feelings outshines every star.
You will follow every mountain, sea and shore,
You will see from far and near a world you’ve never seen before.
On a clear day, on a clear day, you can see forever, and ever, and ever more.”

We Americans spend a great deal of time and money attempting “to see who (we) are.” A few of us overinflate our importance, but most of us are clearing up or cleaning up our self perceptions. We explore our insecurities, inadequacies, “mistakes”, and powerlessness. We face self-delusions and misconceptions while gathering confidence that we are valued and gifted individuals despite our heritage, opportunities, or personal backgrounds.

However, wherever we are on that journey of self-discovery and self-affirmation, of self-fulfillment and self-expression, or of self-love, the clearest day will be when we realize that we are supremely valued sinners in need of mercy and grace, that God loves us with a magnitude of love that is beyond our comprehension despite our unholiness, and that He has provided forgiveness, redemption and hope.

Finding that faith is the day “(We) will see from far and near a world (we’ve) never seen before/On a clear day, on a clear day, (we) can see forever, and ever, and ever more.”

(John 3:16,17, John 5:24, Matthew 11:28-30, Galatians 6: 7-8, 1 Timothy 1:15-6, 1 Peter 1:8-13)

Presumption or Promise?

A quintessential, summer morning sail along the Maine coast includes lobster boats and pots, wharf smells and screeching gulls, lifting fog and salty breeze filling hoisting sails, and a sense of uncertainty and adventure as one heads for open seas.

In her poem “As if the Sea should part”, Emily Dickinson likened the mystery of infinity and the uncertainty of eternity to sailing into a series of unending seas…

As if the Sea should part
And show a further Sea —
And that — a further — and the Three
But a presumption be —

Of Periods of Seas —
Unvisited of Shores —
Themselves the Verge of Seas to be- Eternity-is those-

Thoughts of eternity can be daunting because death is scary and the afterlife holds uncertainties. We may wonder if “eternity” is a concoction of anxious minds and mere speculation. Fortunately, history presents us with a credible witness who has sailed beyond life’s horizon and returned. Christ’s very existence, his miraculous interactions, teachings, parables, claims and most importantly his bodily resurrection from the dead draw our attention to the reality of the afterlife of which he spoke often. If Jesus is credible, we should listen to his concerns not only for the spiritual well being of mankind in this earthly life but also for a future time. He specifically expressed that to Nicodemus in some of the most quoted words in the Bible: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

Standing at Lazarus’ tomb, Jesus reassured his sister, Martha, that he was ” the resurrection and the life” and proclaimed, “Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26) Then he miraculously raised Lazarus from the dead, thus giving all those present reason to believe that through faith their spirits could live with God forever!

Even during his incredibly brutal crucifixion, Jesus lovingly and confidently comforted the dying thief on an adjacent cross that they would be together in paradise that very day after he confessed belief in Jesus. (Luke 23:39-4)

Christ often both warned and comforted his disciples regarding future events when teaching about the Kingdom of Heaven. He spoke of angels and end times and of ultimate joy but also of eternal separation of the faithful from the faithless and the faithless from God. He illustrated final judgment with a story about dividing sheep from goats. However, on the eve of his crucifixion, he gave encouragement, reassuring them that he had come into the world from “the Father” and was “leaving the world and going to the Father” but would return for them. His final words uplifted them with a proclamation of his eternal presence. “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 24, John 16) (Matthew 7:19-23), (Matthew 13)(John 16:28)(John 14:2-3(Matthew 28:18-20)

Despite the mysteries ahead, we have reliable information and directions. With confident expectation, we can advance into that unexperienced, hazy territory with hoisted sails of faith in the One familiar with the way. We have promises not presumptions!

Into the Wind

Racing past Mark Island, Winter Harbor, Maine

By trimming the sails, a good sailor skillfully pulls the wind into the canvas, dominates the prevailing, opposing and shifting gusts, and maneuvers his boat forward. He or she knows their boat’s capabilities, reads maps, sets the course, watches the skies, and catches the breeze with skill and strength . Know-how, common sense, intuitiveness, and a certain knack give a proficient sailor an advantage over nature.

Life is a bit like that! Sometimes, the breezes of good fortune carry us along. Other times, we become caught in headwinds and cross winds that oppose and impede and blast us off course or threaten to do us in. We may be blindsided or overpowered by circumstantial and personal adversity over which we have little or no control. And we frantically scramble to deal with disturbing or devastating consequences of our own missteps of commission or omission. But cursing ill winds accomplishes nothing! Navigating chaos and turmoil requires tenacity, the ability to tweak things, or even make a full course correction. Adversity and misfortune focus us, help us to define or redefine, encourage persistence or realignment of our values and goals, and often force us to ponder deep questions about the meaning of our existence or whether God is at the end of our “time.”

Questioning God’s existence or distrusting His ability and goodness are universal doubts, but persistent doubt is an intellectual and spiritual no-man’s land. “…he that doubts is like the surge of the sea driven by the wind and tossed.” (James 1:6) Is there an answer to the God question? How is one to “trim the sails” so “that we may be no longer children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error” ? (Ephesians 4:14)

Christ made the bold, challenging statement that he is “The Truth”, that if one has seen him one has seen God, and that he is the Way to God. (John 14:6-9) So, either God can be found, or Christ was sadly delusional! One of the great promises of Scripture is that those who seek will find. The physical universe, history, the moral Law and Scripture’s revealed principles for living, and the person and teachings of Jesus Christ direct us to God and His loving intentions and ultimate purposes for mankind.

So, steady as she goes, Mate. If asked, God will fill our sails with His offers of forgiveness, redemption, enabling, and the eternal “hope” necessary for stability and direction. He will be our Helmsman, keeping us from being blown off course as we sail toward that final horizon.