Brown's Daily Word 1-25-10

Good morning,
Praise the Lord for this new day. The Lord blessed us with a bountiful and beautiful weekend. Jessica came home for the weekend to care for wedding related matters. Jessica, Laureen, and their mother spent the weekend planning and orchestrating for the wedding. The rooms in the parsonage are quickly filling up with wedding decorations and paraphernalia. Jess returned to Philadelphia yesterday, arriving safely. Praise the Lord!
Our gathering on Saturday evening at the Grace Cafe at Wesley was a huge blessing. Food was abundant and sumptuous, the fellowship was sweet, and the preaching was anointed. The Lord blessed us during the worship events yesterday. Blessed be His Name.
I read about a comedy skit called “The 2013 Year Old Man”. In the skit, Rob Reiner interviews Mel Brooks, who is the old gentleman who has lived for over 2000 years. At one point, Reiner asks the old man, “Did you always believe in the Lord?” Brooks replied: “No. We had a guy in our village named Harry, and for a time we worshiped him.” Reiner: “You worshiped a guy named Harry? Why?” Brooks: “Because he was big, and mean, and he could break you in two with his bare hands!” Reiner: “Did you have prayers?” Brooks: “Yes, would you like to hear one? ‘O Harry, please don’t be mean, and hurt us, or break us in two with your bare hands.’” Reiner: “So when did you start worshiping the Lord?” Brooks replied: “Well, one day a big thunderstorm came up, and a lightning bolt hit Harry. We gathered around and saw that he was dead. Then we said to one another, ‘There’s somthin’ bigger than Harry!’”
This humorous skit is more than comedy; it tells us something very important about ourselves. It tells us that we are all in search of something bigger and greater than ourselves, something transcendent. We were made to worship and seek something beyond ourselves. It is interesting that in our culture, which has rejected the obvious truth that it is God we are seeking, we have turned to other things. For some it is paranormal experiences. I think this is why we as a nation have such an extraordinary and amusing interest and belief in aliens — from books, to television, to movies. We are looking for something beyond ourselves, something bigger than ourselves. We are searching for an experience of awe and mystery. We are searching for answers, and the meaning of the universe and life itself. But, as in the case of the 2000 year old man worshiping Harry, just because something or someone is bigger and more powerful than us is not enough reason to worship. Fear alone is a poor motivator, even if it is directed toward God — it never lasts long. It is the wrong motive, even if it ends in the worship of God, because it is not how God desires to relate to us. It is not what he wants from us. He beckons us to come to Him in love and trust.
At the end of "Prince Caspian", one of the books in "The Chronicles of Narnia", there is a great dialogue between Lucy and Aslan, the Lion who is the Christ-figure in the book. They had not seen each other in over a year when Lucy said, “Aslan, you’re bigger.” Aslan responded, “That is because you are older, little one.” She went on, “Not because you are?” Aslan replied, “I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger.” So it is with our relationship with God; the more we grow in Him, the bigger He gets.
In Psalm 34:3, David said, “O magnify the Lord with me, let us exalt his name together.”
As Augustine said, "O Lord Thou hast made us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless until they find rest in Thee."
In Jesus the Christ our Lord and Saviour,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmTxZAl7ceU&feature=related#