Sweet Words from Maine

Getting a Grip

These roots are reminders of the phrase to “ get a grip,” which can have various meanings such as securing a physical hold on some item, exhibiting emotional control in an intense situation, or rethinking one’s position during a heated discussion! However, it also raises other considerations.

We attach ourselves to relationships, “things,” actions, or beliefs which give us a sense of security. We build our intellectual and emotional lives around ideas or values which seem logical and appeal to our sense of justice. However, when these values are not grounded within the context of who God is, we create our own “truths” based on our desires or what we choose to believe and live. “Self truth” veers from the revealed reality that we exist to know God and to reflect His character.

The prophet Isaiah nailed this self-problem with a simple, rhetorical question: “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary” Isaiah 40:28-31). The profound implication is that we may not have a personal, meaningful, conscious awareness of God and His loving, sovereign character. We easily hold a diminished view of God and undervalue His role in this life.

Isaiah gave a gripping response to his question. God is not only sovereign but is also a caring Father whose enduring strength sustains and empowers those who are spiritually weary and faint. Isaiah understood and trusted in God’s exhortations for His people to “hold fast” to Him and to heed His words and promises because they reveal how much He loves believers and guides and guards them in in a broken world. (Deuteronomy 10:20; 11:22-23)(Joshua 22:5)

Scripture instructs everyone to beware that “the wisdom of this world” is folly with God (1Corinthians 18:19-20). The Christian Church is warned about being taken captive to the empty deceit found in worldly philosophies/influences which ignore the person and teachings of Christ, through whom God showed his passionate love for humanity as Jesus struggled perfectly with life’s temptations and difficulties only to die a lonely cruel death in order to bear our sins and secure our redemption.

Someday we all will be forced to release our grip on our intellectual gymnastics, worldly allures, individual agendas, personal “truths,” earthly relationships, and all that has “bewitched” us. These earthly values and treasures can neither comfort us nor go with us or save us when we leave.

We have a limited and uncertain amount of time to grasp onto God’s reality concerning meaning, purpose, and eternal values . That is why Scripture says “now is the time” and exhorts us to be “rooted” in faith, in love, and in Christ -to hold fast to what God promises us through the powerful Gospel of redemption. (Proverbs 4:4) (1Corinthians 15:1-2).

When we hold onto Jesus, we are secure. He is the hope that anchors the soul forever. (Hebrews 6:19)

Singing Sheep

Sung by “the people of (God’s) pasture” and “the sheep of his hand,” Psalm 95 overflows with thanksgiving and gratitude to the Almighty, Sovereign Creator and Redeemer who is worthy of worship because of His wonderful, protective salvation.

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

For the Lord is a great God,
    and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth;
    the heights of the sun and mountains are his also.
The sea is his, for he made it,
    and his hands formed the dry land.

Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
    let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
For he is our God,
    and we are the people of his pasture,
    and the sheep of his hand.

This Psalm then juxtaposes the sad truth that some of us “go astray in (our) heart with the reassuring truth that God’s redemptive grace grants our spiritual safety. Understandingthe magnitude of God’s grace in the face of recognized rebelliousness results in praise. Therefore, it makes sense that the Psalmist’s praising ends with both a warning and a gracious offer. He wrote, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts…” because those who will not listen and have hearts which oppose God “shall not enter (His) rest.” Clearly, there is an underlying hope tied to that direct and distinct warning; there is the promise of “rest” when one heeds God. This hope foreshadows Jesus, the Good Shepherd, who gave his life for his sheep and calls for them to “rest” securely in him: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. (John 10:27-28)

History’s story is one in which God beckons us to be the “people of his pasture.” Some of us may choose not to follow Jesus, not to be “sheep in his hand,” and not to rest within his protection. But faith leads to grateful, joyful songs of praise for the great salvation found in trusting the Good Shepherd, “the Guardian of our souls.”

Thankful sheep sing even if it is just a joyful noise!

A Song for Every Day in The New Year… “You Are Here For Me”

Acadia Mountains across Frenchman’s Bay from Schoodic Point, Maine

From rising sun to rising sun

The days continually run

Your glory rises over the mountains

Your splendor sets far out to sea

You hold the day between

And what You intend for me

From rising sun to rising sun

The days all run

Through the darkness, but this I know

Though mountains shake and harsh winds blow

Though the earth cracks and breaks

Though kingdoms rage and nations fall

You are my refuge, my strength , my all

None my trust will take

With the rising sun

You bring every day over the mountain

Then set it far out to sea

Sovereign King, you have reigned

mighty in power with purposes

unexplained from eternity

Yet in Your amazing grace

You are here with me

From rising sun to rising sun

You are my strength, my all

In You my trust will always be

Though mountains shake and nations fall

You are my shield, my refuge,,

You are ever here for me

CDM

The Light that broke the darkness…

Sunrise, Sullivan Harbor, Maine

What will come with the rising sun? Aggravation or happiness? Dispair or hope? Disaster or blessing? Or even a long desired but barely noted and unexpected miracle?

Who could have known?

When the sun rose that morning “the light of the world,” the “true light that lighteth everyone” was arriving to fulfill one of history’s most significant, mysterious prophecies! (John1:9) Celebrated with heavenly brilliance and angelic joy but with little earthly recognition or ceremony, the long awaited child of ancient prophecy would be born in a stable and lie cradled in a manger amidst barn animals. Seven hundred years before, Isaiah had predicted his birth: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

That momentous day, heaven graciously gave humanity its greatest gift: “…when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. (Galatians 4:4-5)

A totally unprepared world found it difficult to accept this child born into poverty in a Bethlehem stable as “Immanuel,” God with us. “Downwhere” a Canadian Rock Band, poses some questions that were and continue to be asked : “ A child in a manger? Lowly and small, the weakest of all/ Unlikeliest hero, wrapped in his mother’s shawl/ Just a child/ Is this who we’ve waited for?” “Cause how many kings stepped down from their thrones? How many lords have abandoned their homes? How many greats have become the least for me? And how many Gods have poured out their hearts/To romance a world that is torn all apart? How many Fathers gave up their Sons for me?

The Apostle John answered the implied “why” of those questions centuries ago: “This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins”(1 John 4:9-10). This vulnerable child came as the powerful, visible manifestation of God’s love for all humanity! God’s investment of unconditional and unlimited love, immeasurable and unmerited grace, and miraculously unbounded power for our eternal salvation through this Christ Child is the reason to celebrate a joyous Christmas.

He lights everyday with great hope for all who believe!

The Last Leaf

King Solomon wrote that “There is a time for every purpose under heaven.” Although heaven has plenty of “time,” we live in increments and stages which have beginnings and endings. Darkness recedes in dawn’s early light. The sun sets. Transitions eventually complete. Projects are finished. A final page is turned. The last leaf falls. Years pass. We age. Our lives finish! We live one last earthly day! Time eventually brings the irreversible!

Remember how Jesus cried out from his cross, “ It is finished.” Was that a cry of relief from all the poverty, misunderstanding, mistreatment, hatred, and earthly trials he had suffered? Was it because he had perfectly withstood all temptations so that no fault could be found in him? Was it because he had completed Old Testament prophesies concerning him? Was it because he had flawlessly met the demands of the Law or had fulfilled his Father’s redemptive mandate with his selfless sacrifice for the salvation of the world? Did he mean he had fully paid the sin debt for humanity on that shameful cross?

Perhaps all that and much more!

It was the victory cry of a spiritual conquerer! The time had come for Christ to fulfill God’s unique redemptive plan. Unfortunately, we are not morally pure, and our self-righteousness cannot atone for our sins. So, thankfully, God provided the path to salvation through Christ’s righteousness. The power of sin’s shame and condemnation ended at the cross. There despair ends and hope begins for all who trust in Christ’s sacrifice. And just two days following that horrendous event, resurrection and an empty tomb took away the fear of death.

We finish here? But with a new beginning! Redemption ushers the believer into a kingdom for which there is no end.

World without end! Amen.

Thanksgiving

Fall at the Bubbles, Jordan Pond, Acadia, Maine

The anxiety and folly of trusting fallible men and women have been very evident during our recent election. Our country remains strongly divided over social, moral, and economic values, and mistrust has led to wide spread disappointment and even despair. However, Isaac Watts redirects us to an encouraging truth. He pulls us back to the great, over arching reality of God’s sovereignty and providential care.

Although he was a theologian who also wrote books on astronomy, geography, and philosophy, Watts is probably best known for the hymns he wrote to accompany the sermons he preached. One hymn, “I sing the mighty power of God,” was originally written in 1715 for children and is still found in contemporary hymnals.

I sing the mighty power of God,
That made the mountains rise,
That spread the flowing seas abroad,
And built the lofty skies.
I sing the wisdom that ordained
The sun to rule the day;
The moon shines full at His command,
And all the stars obey.

I sing the goodness of the Lord,
That filled the earth with food:
Who formed the creatures with His Word,
And then pronounced them good.
Lord, how Thy wonders are displayed,
Where’er I turn my eye,
If I survey the ground I tread,
Or gaze upon the sky!

There’s not a plant or flower below,
But makes Thy glories known;
And clouds arise, and tempests blow,
By order from Thy throne;
Creatures—as numerous as they be—
Are subject to Thy care;
There’s not a place where we can flee,
But God is present there.

In Heaven He shines with beams of love,
With wrath in hell beneath:
’Tis on His earth I stand or move,
And ’tis His air I breathe.
His hand is my perpetual guard,
He keeps me with His eye:
Why should I then forget the Lord,
Who is forever nigh?

Watt’s hymn ends with assurance of God’s goodness and omnipresence but also raises the question of whether we have forgotten that God has final control over life. We have the freedom to make choices and at times are at the mercy of others’ choices, but ultimately God’s righteous purposes will prevail.

If that is so, why do we experience despair? Jesus put that questions into perspective for us. He said that we need not fear man or circumstances but should “fear” God because God has ultimate control over life and our soul’s eternal destination (Luke 12:4-5). Fortunately, Jesus nuanced that “ fear” with God’s demonstrable, redeeming love. He prevailed over disease, the elements, sin, and death as visible evidence that his disciples need not fear in this life.

Although God will not tolerate sin, and our unholiness separates us from Him, He loves humanity, has eternal purposes for us, and has provided a solution for our sinful natures through Christ’s perfect life and sacrifice on the cross. By his death and resurrection, Jesus nullified sin’s consequences of condemnation and death and has brought God’s Kingdom to those who have faith.

Faith is the remedy for fear and is the source of peace and joy. Scripture reassures believers 365 times to not be afraid. Although the verbiage differs, the meaning is the same: fear not, worry not, be not dismayed, don’t be anxious.

So, along with Isaac Watts, we can give eternal thanks to God for His mighty power, His goodness, His wisdom, and above all for giving us His “indescribable gift” of Jesus, who is God’s power, wisdom, righteousness, and redemption (2 Corinthians 9:15) (1Corinthians 1:24,30).

Boundaries

There are hundreds of miles of old stone walls bordering farms and running through overgrown fields in New England. Glaciers buried field stones eons ago, only to have them resurface during deforestation and farming in Colonial days. As the fields were cleared for wood and farming, these frost-heaved stones were used to establish boundaries which are now hidden or lost and in disrepair from neglect as fields turn back into forests.

Property lines have always been considered sacred here. They delineate ownership but can also be restrictive and confining. Roy Rogers, King of the cowboys, shared that sentiment when he sang “Don’t Fence Me In” as did Ronald Regan in his famous speech at the Berlin Wall telling “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.” Robert Frost lamented the separation boundaries create. “Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,” he wrote in his poem “Mending Wall.”

All societies have barriers dividing their peoples. Economic disparity, social status, political rivalries, education, prejudices, injustices, and even religious ideologies set up divisions and rivalries. Scripture warns us that God hates pride, those hostile walls of arrogance and self righteous opinions and behaviors which divide and inflict pain and damage.

We also know there are moral boundaries which when breached injure others as well as ourselves. Honest self-measurement against the moral law verifies that we fall short of holiness and oppose who God created us to be. We are morally weak and naturally inclined to sin, and no human effort can make us just and truly righteous. That creates a wall of separation between ourselves and holy God.

However, Christ’s substitutionary death on the cross for our sinfulness destroyed the power of unhealthy, unholy walls separating us from God. Whether Jew, Gentile, male, female, bond or free, the only potential obstacle to peace with God is whether or not we choose to believe. We are all on equal footing at the cross where we are restored through our faith in Christ.

“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

Reflecting

Morning Reflections, Sorrento, Maine

Joining nature’s music and rhythms can be soul releasing. Being drawn into flowing streams and rippling brooks, lulled by water gently lapping the lake shore, mesmerized by crashing surf, soothed with soft breezes whispering through pines, or touched by the hermit thrush’s evening song may become profoundly refreshing experiences during which the toxic disordering of our lives fade into the background. Letting go of the stresses, obligations, and indulgences of rushed life styles if only for a few, brief moments helps us to just “be” and to have renewed appreciation, wonder, and gratitude for existence. The beauty and tranquility reflected in the canoe rocking gently in dawn’s early glow calmed my stress-filled. thoughts of the day ahead.

However, intentional self reflection is crucial for discovering meaning and purpose and answering the “Who am I” and “What’s it all about” questions. Those questions are best considered in the presence of scripture which moves us away from self-deception and toward honest self-assessment. Scripture exposes us to us, keeps us intellectually honest, and wonderfully transforms with God’s powerful spiritual healing as we seek Him (Jeremiah 29:13-14). He may be the “still, small voice” encouraging us in the storm swirling about us; or the oasis of love for our dry, fading, thirsting spirit; or the guiding light as we stumble through the deep darkness of trouble and grief. He is our Shepherd, Redeemer, Restorer, and an “ever present help” in trouble. Knowing Him becomes our joy, strength, and eternal hope.

Jesus displayed that kind of daily renewal while living a physically exhausting and emotionally challenging life. Although he dramatically revealed his divine nature on mountain tops and stormy seas and in miraculous events and healings, he struggled through spiritual wildernesses and earthly hardships. By intentionally carving out moments alone with his Father and hearing and reflecting on His words and ways, Jesus was empowered to move forward with purpose and determination and to ultimately emerge victorious over spiritual oppression and human cruelty.

Jesus has promised us that same transformative, overcoming, restorative power. If we personally trust that his grace filled, merciful, loving sacrifice for our sins is necessary and redemptive, our faith restores us to God, whose resurrection powers center, calm, heal, uplift, strengthen, and reorient our souls as we reflect upon and commune with Him. ( John 11:25-26; Matthew 11:28)

Roaring Waters, Quiet Pools

Mariaville Falls, Mariaville, Maine (photo, Laura Mace Rand)

Prior to and after these falls, peaceful streams flow into tranquil pools where heron fish and beavers build their houses. They are pleasant reminders of the 23rd Psalm’s assurances that God shepherds His people to green pastures and still waters where they are spiritualy safe, satisfied, and refreshed. He the believer’s safe place, a refuge, and an ever present help. Despite the turmoil and chaos of “troubled” waters and roaring falls. He is a “river whose streams make glad” our souls (Psalm 46)

The prophet Isaiah offered similar encouragement. He said that in difficult times God “will keep in perfect peace” those “minds” which are “stayed upon” Him and that those whose “hope is in the Lord” will have renewed strength.” (Isaiah 26:3; 40:28-31)

These themes of peace, hope, and strength for perseverance, endurance, and patience which are derived from trusting God are deeply embedded in the New Testament narrative of grace which culminates in Jesus’ life and his sacrifice for humanity’s sins. Jesus said that in this life we will have trouble but that he had overcome the world (John 16:33). We all face challenges, difficulties, and grief, and we struggle with character weaknesses, moral failures, and lousy attitudes. We need mercy, grace, forgiveness, comfort and strength. Jesus’ immense commitment to redeem us by dying on the cross for us proved him well qualified to promise “Come unto me all you who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

He revives, calms, and satisfies our troubled spirits. He leads us to the cross where he took the crushing burden of our sin, our guilt, our shame and where we in repentance and belief discover forgiveness of sins, freedom from condemnation, and transcendent “peace like a river” which guards our hearts and minds (Philippians 4:7) (Isaiah 48:18).

“Let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts” (Colossians 3:15).

Opportunity

Raking Blueberries, Whitneyville, Maine

Working late, taking advantage of seasonal blueberry harvesting, this fellow is laboring a “second job.” Whether to provide for his children’s school clothes, to have a financial cushion for the upcoming winter’s utility bills, or to buy something special he wants, he is “redeeming the time.” That is an odd phrase because we cannot buy back or relive one short, fragmented, unpredictable second and its outcomes, but that phrase encourages us to take advantage of opportunities as they present themselves.

We understand failing to seize the moment: forgetting to take a photo of a precious memory or occasion, missing a good investment, speaking hastily and unkindly, living selfishly, not spending time with loved ones now gone, and regretting distant, dysfunctional, or broken relationships. Those impressionable times…good or bad…cannot be retrieved. However, sometimes second changes are possible e.g. we may recover lost health, wealth, or reputation, or restore old, valued relationships.

Scripture teaches that God patiently uses time for working out His purposes-that “There is a time for every purpose under heaven,” and that “in the fullness of time” God reveals Himself and acts in certain ways – times in which He draws us to Himself and invites us to understand and participate in His purposes for our good. Although much New Testament teaching is directed toward believers in Christ, it has general application on how to live aware, selfless, intentional lives guarded by values that promote healthy, peace filled living and loving relationships. It encourages a positive mindset which concentrates on the true, honest, just, pure, virtuous, lovely, and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8). Created to be like God, we have the ability to love, know, reflect, and enjoy God’s goodness. To our detriment we have veered from and have distorted those purposes. Living in a materialistic, sexualized culture which idolizes self, we tend to focus on our wants, desires, and plans. Self-actualization and self-aggrandizement push God aside. That universally fallen, broken nature needs redemption.

Because of our redemptive need, God, in the fullness of time, graciously and mercifully continued His redemptive purposes for humanity by sending his son to redeem us, to restore back the glory we lost in Eden, to entirely clear our sin-debt and give us a righteous standing before God (a standing unachievable by our own efforts) if we choose to believe, and to eventually fulfill all His purposes in Christ (Galatians 4:4) (Ephesians 1:10) (2Corinthians 5:21). Jesus spoke about squandering time and encouraged us to look beyond ourselves and to seek the kingdom of God which he opened to us through his caring, compassionate, selfless life and his immensely loving sacrifice for us on the cross.

So, if we carefully consider life’s unpredictability and our vulnerability and if it is true that God brings us His Kingdom through Christ, “redeeming the time” is critical. There could be no better day to consider Jesus because there may be no other day to listen to him about meaning and eternal life.