Praise the Lord for this New Day in the Lord in His Kingdom. He is alive and
well. He is in in control. Praise the Lord for this Friday and Sunday is
coming. We are getting ready for Easter. My doctor at Johns Hopkins is a
committed Christian who belongs to the Greek Orthodox Church. In their church
calendar Easter falls in May. His wife belongs to the Roman Catholic Church.
They both love Jesus. Praise the Lord for the new pope, Pope Francis I. May
Jesus, the Suffering servant and the Risen Lord, bless His Church around the
globe and around the corner with His fresh anointing to proclaim the Good News
from the Grave Yard that He is not here for He is risen as He said. Come and
see; go and tell. Wow!
Those who live in the area join us for our weekly Television ministry this
evening at 7 PM on Time Warner Cable Channel 4. We will gather tomorrow for our
church- wide Easter banquet at 5 PM at the Union Center Fellowship Hall. Chef
Lou and his team are preparing with much love a very special meal.
The
New Addition at our Union Center Church is almost complete. We are so excited
and are so blessed. Blessed be the name of our Lord. It is a two story
addition. One of the miracles of this addition is that there is no mortgage on
it. The Lord has provided for it wonderfully and generously. We are planning
for a great celebration and dedication on June 15 and 16, 2013.
We
will gather for Sunday Morning worship at 8:30 and 11:00 AM at Union Center UMC
and at 9:30 AM at the Wesley UMC
Last Wednesday we were looking into Isaiah 42 and 43 where there is a powerful
imperative. Isaiah 43:1, "Fear Not." Dallas Willard says, "Fear is the
anticipation of harm." Near the end of Isaiah 42 there is a question; "Which of
you will listen to this or pay close attention in time to
come?"
Perhaps the most important thing our Lord can do for us in the middle of a crisis is to teach us to listen, to hear His words, "But now." With God there is always a "But now .... " The worst has happened, but now God wants to do a new thing in your life. The thing you feared most has overtaken you, but now God gives you a new perspective and a new promise. Your worst case scenario has become a reality, but now God reveals His providential hand. When the worst happens, the Lord who is the Christ in every Crisis declares, "But now .... "
For every sickness, for every storm, for every defeat, loss, and failure, God has an answer. When the worst happens, we always wait for God to say, "But now."
The next two words we listens for when the worst happens are in the middle part of Isaiah 43: 1; "Fear not." We’ve romanticized angels so much that they are now featured on our jewelry, in our movies, and on our television sets, but angels apparently didn’t look like Roma Downey or Nicholas Cage or even John Travolta.
Judging from the response of people in the Bible who actually saw them, they were fearsome to behold. When they appeared, people usually fainted, fell face down on the ground, or ran. The first words angels usually had to speak were, "Fear not. "
Jesus Himself, in popular art has become emasculated. In popular theology, He exists in our imagination as a cross between Ben Kingsley and Alan AIda, and Bill Cosby. That is, people picture Him as being slight, unassuming, totally in touch with his emotions, and good with children. Yet, when the disciples saw him walking on the water, they thought he was a ghost, the disembodied spirit of some lost sailor stalking them across the waves. Jesus had to tell them, "Fear not."
Perhaps the most important thing our Lord can do for us in the middle of a crisis is to teach us to listen, to hear His words, "But now." With God there is always a "But now .... " The worst has happened, but now God wants to do a new thing in your life. The thing you feared most has overtaken you, but now God gives you a new perspective and a new promise. Your worst case scenario has become a reality, but now God reveals His providential hand. When the worst happens, the Lord who is the Christ in every Crisis declares, "But now .... "
For every sickness, for every storm, for every defeat, loss, and failure, God has an answer. When the worst happens, we always wait for God to say, "But now."
The next two words we listens for when the worst happens are in the middle part of Isaiah 43: 1; "Fear not." We’ve romanticized angels so much that they are now featured on our jewelry, in our movies, and on our television sets, but angels apparently didn’t look like Roma Downey or Nicholas Cage or even John Travolta.
Judging from the response of people in the Bible who actually saw them, they were fearsome to behold. When they appeared, people usually fainted, fell face down on the ground, or ran. The first words angels usually had to speak were, "Fear not. "
Jesus Himself, in popular art has become emasculated. In popular theology, He exists in our imagination as a cross between Ben Kingsley and Alan AIda, and Bill Cosby. That is, people picture Him as being slight, unassuming, totally in touch with his emotions, and good with children. Yet, when the disciples saw him walking on the water, they thought he was a ghost, the disembodied spirit of some lost sailor stalking them across the waves. Jesus had to tell them, "Fear not."
The Lord declares to us in every crisis: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I
have summoned you by name; you are mine." God can say, "Fear not," because He
knows that He’s going to be with us no matter what. That’s what vs. 2 is about.
"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass
through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the
fire, you will not be burned."
The Lord does not tell us that there won’t be high waters, raging rivers, or blazing fires in our lives. He simply tells us that when we are in the middle of those worst case scenarios, we are not to fear because He, the Lord, is with us. "Fear not." We belong to him. No matter what happens, no matter what we do, God is going to be with us. He will not fail us; He is with us in the flood, with us in the fire, and with us when the worst happens.
"For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior." If we look at the way the phrase "I am" is used throughout the Bible, we find that it is almost always connected not merely to God’s existence, but to God’s action. In other words, when God says, "I am," he means, "I am here, I am active, I am what’s happening."
Our worst anxieties do not diminish our Lord's power. The words He will speak are: But now. Fear not. I am. When God speaks words, worlds are formed. New life is given. Everything changes.
The Lord does not tell us that there won’t be high waters, raging rivers, or blazing fires in our lives. He simply tells us that when we are in the middle of those worst case scenarios, we are not to fear because He, the Lord, is with us. "Fear not." We belong to him. No matter what happens, no matter what we do, God is going to be with us. He will not fail us; He is with us in the flood, with us in the fire, and with us when the worst happens.
"For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior." If we look at the way the phrase "I am" is used throughout the Bible, we find that it is almost always connected not merely to God’s existence, but to God’s action. In other words, when God says, "I am," he means, "I am here, I am active, I am what’s happening."
Our worst anxieties do not diminish our Lord's power. The words He will speak are: But now. Fear not. I am. When God speaks words, worlds are formed. New life is given. Everything changes.
In Christ,
Brown
No comments:
Post a Comment