Praise the Lord for this Friday. Join us for our Friday Evening Television outreach this evening at 7 PM on Time Warner Cable channel 4. This is for our friends overseas: here in America people are getting ready for Super Bowl Sunday... it is a big party day. People will congregate with families and friends and eat lots comfort food as they watch the Super Bowl (American football). We will gather this Saturday, January 31, 2015 at 2:00 PM at the church hall to celebrate the 90th birthday of Juna Tinkahm, a faithful servant and a fervent prayer warrior of Jesus. When she prays to Jesus something happens.
We will meet at the church Hall at 2 PM Saturday January 31, 2015.
It is apparent that we are in celebratory default. Next Saturday February 7, we will gather for an Agape banquet which will be held at 5:30 PM at the Church hall that will be transformed into a banquet Hall. Our young friend David Childs, who is a trained Chef, and his team are preparing and serving a very special banquet. Dr. Dino Pedrone, the president of the Davis College, will bring a special message after the banquet. We need reservations for this banquet. Please call Church office to make your reservation at 607-748-6329 or e-mail umcgospel@aol.com. We will meet for combined worship service this Sunday Feb 1,2015 at 10:15 Am for worship at Union Center UMC. Sunday School will meet at 9:00 AM. The worship service will be held at Wesley at 9:00 AM.
I was visiting a sweet and dear family yesterday. The husband, a faithful servant of Jesus, has been told by his doctor that has cancer. He has been in strong and good health all of his life. When we hear the words cancer, or malignant, we get stunned... We get shaken. Questions and doubts come. In the midst of fear and sadness we have no place to go but to Jesus. He loves us dearly and wants what is best for us. The psalmist declared long ago, "[Lord], I will meditate on your wonders. ... The Lord is near to all who call on him" (Psalms 145).
The great Protestant reformer, Martin Luther, lost a son. His wife, Katie, shouted at him, "Where was God when our son died?" Martin replied, "The same place He was when His Son died. He was there watching and weeping." Just as God brought a resurrection after that crucifixion, He can make sure that the final word on our lives is not about unfairness but about victory. God is love; and if we keep the faith, nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from His love.
One of Satan's favorite tricks is to slip up to a hurting person and say, "If God really loved you, He would have prevented your pain. So, you ought to despise God." Satan had a good mouthpiece in Job's wife. She urged her husband to "curse God and die" (Job 2:9). She was anything but encouraging. Job's response was "Though God allows the world to slay me, yet will I trust him" (Job 13:15). Satan's desire is to destroy us, in this world and the next. So, he first tries to separate us from God, our primary source of strength.
Despite all of Satan's efforts to discourage and dishearten Paul, Paul declared, "in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28).
I read some time ago about a former great preacher in Atlanta, Pierce Harris, who lost his wife, Mary, in a tragic auto accident. A few weeks later a man wrote to Dr. Harris and said, "I hope your terrible loss will not destroy your faith." Dr. Harris said that he felt like writing back to him and saying, "Man, haven't I lost enough already without throwing away my faith, too? Why should I cast aside the only thing that is keeping me afloat?"
The most outstanding Methodist of the 20th century was, in my opinion, the great missionary to India, E. Stanley Jones. He was converted as a young man. At that time he was working in the law library in a Baltimore courthouse. He lost no time in announcing to his boss that he was a Christian. The boss reacted with scorn and contempt, saying, "I'll knock that out of you in two weeks." He meant it; and he tried, using every pressure and tactic imaginable. But all his efforts just made Stanley more resolute. Later Jones wrote, "I actually grew under his lash. There I got hold of a principle and a power that was to be the driving force in my life. I wouldn't just bear opposition and difficulties; I would use them! Just as an airplane always takes off, not with the wind but against it, I would make opposition send me up, not down. With the help of Christ, I let trouble lift me rather than destroy me."
I have been blessed by the writings of British Scholars, theologians, and preachers. I read a book by Leslie Weatherhead, a Methodist preacher, entitled "The Will of God". Weatherhead used a strange but very helpful illustration. He said, "Let's suppose that the toddlers of the world were to have a mass meeting. Let's suppose that they could communicate quite well. The chairman, after adjusting his bib, might declare, ‘I am sure my parents don't love me. Look at my knees, all red and scratched. Your knees look as bad as mine. Will someone here propose a motion?'
"Suppose that a chubby little baby raises his hand and says, ‘Mr. Chairman, I move that we protest the carelessness of parents and demand that in the future no furniture can be made that has sharp corners, that all asphalt and other abrasive materials be banished from play areas, and that claws be removed from the paws of all household cats.' No doubt, such a motion would pass almost unanimously.
"Similarly, we sometimes complain to God saying, ‘Look at my frustrations and sorrow and pain. How can you be so callous? Don't you care?' Just as a parent's perspective is different from a toddler's, so is God's perspective different from ours. A delegation of parents could attempt to explain to these toddlers their different perspective, but I have a feeling that they would have a hard time selling it."
There is much about God and this world that I don't understand. Some of it can and does break my heart. Yet, if God were to give me all the answers, I'm not sure I could understand them. Still I know the character of God because I have experienced Him through Jesus Christ. I know that God loves me. One day, when I meet Him face to face, I'll ask all my hard questions. But until then, I am simply going to trust Him."
I love the hymn written by another Methodist preacher of Philadelphia , USA, Charles Albert Tindley, entitled "Stand by Me". Let this be your prayer of faith in the midst of an unfair world.
"When the storms of life are raging, stand by me.
When the storms of life are raging, stand by me.
When the world is tossing me, like a ship upon the sea,
Thou who rulest wind and water, stand by me.
In the midst of tribulation, stand by me,
In the midst of tribulation, stand by me.
When the host of hell assail, and my strength begins to fail,
Thou who never lost a battle, stand by me."
In Christ,
Brown
http://youtu.be/e8HgAVenbUU
Friday, January 30, 2015
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Brown's Daily Word 1/29/15
Praise the Lord for this new day. We are in another cold spell. Praise the Lord it is getting closer to spring. The Lord blessed us with a wonderful Wednesday Evening fellowship and study. The study was thought provoking. Fellowship was sweet. Sharing from the hearts was intimate and sacred.
Some of our children are avid runners. Some of them have even participated in Marathons. I was reading that during 1998 approximately 450,000 American runners began and finished a marathon race of 26.2 miles. Someone has said that running the marathon is the most accessible ultimate challenge around -- it is like having a Mount Everest climb in a city near you! Marathons are usually a blend of joy and pain. From the records we know hat many great marathoners have been forced to drop out of a particular race for various reasons. It is written in the Word of God that the Apostle Paul never did. He stayed the course. He saw his own life and ministry as that of a dromo, as a long distance runner and messenger for his Lord and Leader. Paul could claim, "I have finished the race."
The apostle concluded his look back on his life by stating, "I have kept the faith." If we understand this statement in the context of the ancient Olympic games, Paul is telling us that he has run the race according to the rules. History reveals that the early Greek and Roman athletes took a solemn oath before the games. They pledged that they would compete honestly and honorably. Paul, at the end of the race, affirmed that his vows, that he had made to his Lord, had been kept. Paul was saying that throughout the long, lonely, difficult, and demanding race, he kept Christ uppermost in his heart and mind. His life goal for thirty years was to be obedient to Christ's call. His faith, though tested, had grown stronger. The Lord Jesus, in whom Paul trusted and for whom Paul lived, kept and carried Paul through thick and thin. The Lord's grace is sufficient for his every need! In 2 Timothy 4:7 Paul looked back on his life, remembering the heartbeat of his past. Then finally, in 2 Timothy 4:8, the aging apostle looked ahead and wrote about his hope for the future. "Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day -- and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing." In the ancient Olympic games, a winning athlete was rewarded with the coveted laurel wreath or a garland of oak leaves. With this the victor was crowned. To wear such a crown was the greatest honor that could come to any athlete, but this crown, in a few short days, would wither. Paul understood that a crown awaited him at the finish, which would never fade, and this crown of righteousness is God's reward to those who are faithful and obedient to His Son. As Paul wrote to Timothy, he knew that in a very short time he would stand before the Roman judgment seat and that his trial could have but one outcome. He knew what Nero's verdict would be. The judges in Rome were not righteous. If they had been, they would have released Paul. How many times he had been tried in one court after another! Yet he faced his last Judge, his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the righteous Judge who always judges correctly. William Barclay once observed that a person who is dedicated to Christ is ultimately indifferent to the verdict of any human court. He cares not if they condemn him so long as he hears his Master's voice saying, "Well done, good and faithful servant." Indeed, this was Paul's hope and joy as his life neared its end. He looked ahead with confidence and certainty, and even shared his joy with Timothy, reminding his young friend that this crown awaited not only him, but also Timothy and all others who trust, serve and live for Christ. Let us consider our own lives. Do we have this same kind of hope and assurance? We may feel pressed and pressured on every side. The challenges, at times, may seem relentless. We may feel a lot like Paul must have felt. Yet, despite the challenges that we face, do we have the hope and assurance which he knew as his death neared? Whether our race has just begun, is reaching the midpoint or is nearing the finish, we can have the peace of Jesus in our lives, and we can be at peace with God. The story of Eric Liddell, the 1924 Olympic 400 meter gold medalist, is widely known through the 1981 Academy Award winning film Chariots of Fire. Liddell, the son of Scottish missionaries to China, himself became a missionary serving Christ in China. Like Paul, Eric Liddell was imprisoned and died for his faith and witness for Christ. Like Paul, Eric Liddell was also committed to "run for God and let the whole world stand in wonder" (a quote from Chariots of Fire, 1981).
As you and I run the race set before us today and tomorrow, let us take time to reflect on our running. Let us remember Paul's words to Timothy and realize that with the Lord, we, too, can fight the fight, run the race and keep the faith. With the Lord, we can run well and finish strong! In Christ, Brown http://youtu.be/6Hi-VMxT6fc
Some of our children are avid runners. Some of them have even participated in Marathons. I was reading that during 1998 approximately 450,000 American runners began and finished a marathon race of 26.2 miles. Someone has said that running the marathon is the most accessible ultimate challenge around -- it is like having a Mount Everest climb in a city near you! Marathons are usually a blend of joy and pain. From the records we know hat many great marathoners have been forced to drop out of a particular race for various reasons. It is written in the Word of God that the Apostle Paul never did. He stayed the course. He saw his own life and ministry as that of a dromo, as a long distance runner and messenger for his Lord and Leader. Paul could claim, "I have finished the race."
The apostle concluded his look back on his life by stating, "I have kept the faith." If we understand this statement in the context of the ancient Olympic games, Paul is telling us that he has run the race according to the rules. History reveals that the early Greek and Roman athletes took a solemn oath before the games. They pledged that they would compete honestly and honorably. Paul, at the end of the race, affirmed that his vows, that he had made to his Lord, had been kept. Paul was saying that throughout the long, lonely, difficult, and demanding race, he kept Christ uppermost in his heart and mind. His life goal for thirty years was to be obedient to Christ's call. His faith, though tested, had grown stronger. The Lord Jesus, in whom Paul trusted and for whom Paul lived, kept and carried Paul through thick and thin. The Lord's grace is sufficient for his every need! In 2 Timothy 4:7 Paul looked back on his life, remembering the heartbeat of his past. Then finally, in 2 Timothy 4:8, the aging apostle looked ahead and wrote about his hope for the future. "Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day -- and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing." In the ancient Olympic games, a winning athlete was rewarded with the coveted laurel wreath or a garland of oak leaves. With this the victor was crowned. To wear such a crown was the greatest honor that could come to any athlete, but this crown, in a few short days, would wither. Paul understood that a crown awaited him at the finish, which would never fade, and this crown of righteousness is God's reward to those who are faithful and obedient to His Son. As Paul wrote to Timothy, he knew that in a very short time he would stand before the Roman judgment seat and that his trial could have but one outcome. He knew what Nero's verdict would be. The judges in Rome were not righteous. If they had been, they would have released Paul. How many times he had been tried in one court after another! Yet he faced his last Judge, his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the righteous Judge who always judges correctly. William Barclay once observed that a person who is dedicated to Christ is ultimately indifferent to the verdict of any human court. He cares not if they condemn him so long as he hears his Master's voice saying, "Well done, good and faithful servant." Indeed, this was Paul's hope and joy as his life neared its end. He looked ahead with confidence and certainty, and even shared his joy with Timothy, reminding his young friend that this crown awaited not only him, but also Timothy and all others who trust, serve and live for Christ. Let us consider our own lives. Do we have this same kind of hope and assurance? We may feel pressed and pressured on every side. The challenges, at times, may seem relentless. We may feel a lot like Paul must have felt. Yet, despite the challenges that we face, do we have the hope and assurance which he knew as his death neared? Whether our race has just begun, is reaching the midpoint or is nearing the finish, we can have the peace of Jesus in our lives, and we can be at peace with God. The story of Eric Liddell, the 1924 Olympic 400 meter gold medalist, is widely known through the 1981 Academy Award winning film Chariots of Fire. Liddell, the son of Scottish missionaries to China, himself became a missionary serving Christ in China. Like Paul, Eric Liddell was imprisoned and died for his faith and witness for Christ. Like Paul, Eric Liddell was also committed to "run for God and let the whole world stand in wonder" (a quote from Chariots of Fire, 1981).
As you and I run the race set before us today and tomorrow, let us take time to reflect on our running. Let us remember Paul's words to Timothy and realize that with the Lord, we, too, can fight the fight, run the race and keep the faith. With the Lord, we can run well and finish strong! In Christ, Brown http://youtu.be/6Hi-VMxT6fc
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Brown's Daily Word 1/28/15
Praise the Lord for the calm after the storm. The historic snow storm that was predicted for much of the Northeast region fully did not come. However, our grandchildren in Boston had a long day of playing in deep snow, as Boston had almost 25 inches. Thank you, Jesus.
We will meet for our Wednesday evening gathering this evening with a special meal at 6 PM. We will be studying the Book of Amos Chapter 1. The choir will meet at 7:30 PM. We praise the Lord for His faithfulness and grace. Our youngest daughter Jessica and our niece Jovita have been close friends since early childhood. They both were born in Sayre, PA (while their parents were living in Nichols, NY). They were both very good students. Jessica graduated as the valedictorian of her high School Class and Jovita graduate as the Salutatorian of her class. They both went to Grove City College. They both met their handsome husbands at Grove City College (Their husbands are both Grove City Alumni). Both love Jesus and serve Him. Jovita and Torr are expecting their second son, due to be born in June, 2015. Jessica and Tom are expecting their first child to be born in first part of July, hopefully on Jessica's birthday. We rejoice and celebrate. Please pray for these young moms that the Lord would keep them strong and well.
This week Auschwitz survivors have urged the world not to allow a repeat of the crimes of the Holocaust as they mark 70 years since the camp's liberation. 1.1 million people, mostly Jews, were killed there between 1940 and 1945, when Soviet troops finally liberated it. When we read and hear about the brutalities of the second world war, I am amazed at the valor of the allied forces who came together to defeat such enemies as the Third Reich. Immediately after World War II the allied armies gathered up many hungry, homeless children and placed them in large camps. There the children were abundantly fed and cared for. However, at night they did not sleep well. They seemed restless and afraid. Finally, a psychologist hit on a solution. After the children were put to bed, they each received a slice of bread to hold. If they wanted more to eat, more was provided, but this particular slice was not to be eaten - it was just to hold. The slice of bread produced marvelous results. The children would go to sleep, subconsciously feeling they would have something to eat tomorrow. That assurance gave the child a calm and peaceful rest. More tomorrow!
There is, indeed, a basic longing deep inside each of our hearts for that assurance. Yes indeed! We want more tomorrow. Like the little children in the war camps we need something to hold on to; something that will let us know that tomorrow is taken care of already. God knew that we were all going to be like those little children. That's why he so often referred to us as 'little children'. "Don't worry about having enough food or drink or clothing," Jesus said. "Why be like the pagans who are so deeply concerned about these things? Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
This is so much better than a closet full of stuff, and better than random things on shelves in the garage. It is better than jars full of various foods. It is even better than sliced bread! In Christ the Bread of Life. Brown
http://youtu.be/-DdgkvnsHjM
We will meet for our Wednesday evening gathering this evening with a special meal at 6 PM. We will be studying the Book of Amos Chapter 1. The choir will meet at 7:30 PM. We praise the Lord for His faithfulness and grace. Our youngest daughter Jessica and our niece Jovita have been close friends since early childhood. They both were born in Sayre, PA (while their parents were living in Nichols, NY). They were both very good students. Jessica graduated as the valedictorian of her high School Class and Jovita graduate as the Salutatorian of her class. They both went to Grove City College. They both met their handsome husbands at Grove City College (Their husbands are both Grove City Alumni). Both love Jesus and serve Him. Jovita and Torr are expecting their second son, due to be born in June, 2015. Jessica and Tom are expecting their first child to be born in first part of July, hopefully on Jessica's birthday. We rejoice and celebrate. Please pray for these young moms that the Lord would keep them strong and well.
This week Auschwitz survivors have urged the world not to allow a repeat of the crimes of the Holocaust as they mark 70 years since the camp's liberation. 1.1 million people, mostly Jews, were killed there between 1940 and 1945, when Soviet troops finally liberated it. When we read and hear about the brutalities of the second world war, I am amazed at the valor of the allied forces who came together to defeat such enemies as the Third Reich. Immediately after World War II the allied armies gathered up many hungry, homeless children and placed them in large camps. There the children were abundantly fed and cared for. However, at night they did not sleep well. They seemed restless and afraid. Finally, a psychologist hit on a solution. After the children were put to bed, they each received a slice of bread to hold. If they wanted more to eat, more was provided, but this particular slice was not to be eaten - it was just to hold. The slice of bread produced marvelous results. The children would go to sleep, subconsciously feeling they would have something to eat tomorrow. That assurance gave the child a calm and peaceful rest. More tomorrow!
There is, indeed, a basic longing deep inside each of our hearts for that assurance. Yes indeed! We want more tomorrow. Like the little children in the war camps we need something to hold on to; something that will let us know that tomorrow is taken care of already. God knew that we were all going to be like those little children. That's why he so often referred to us as 'little children'. "Don't worry about having enough food or drink or clothing," Jesus said. "Why be like the pagans who are so deeply concerned about these things? Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
This is so much better than a closet full of stuff, and better than random things on shelves in the garage. It is better than jars full of various foods. It is even better than sliced bread! In Christ the Bread of Life. Brown
http://youtu.be/-DdgkvnsHjM
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Brown's Daily Word 1/27/15
Praise the Lord for this new day. The North East of America the beautiful is
blanketed by snow. Snow has fallen in cities such as Boston, Philadelphia, and
Washington, DC, where our daughters and their families live. Micah and Simeon
in Boston have no school for two days, Tuesday and Wednesday. Micah, Simeon,
and Ada love snow; they are like polar bear cubs. They will have great snow
days. Alice and I walked around the church parsonage grounds yesterday evening on
the fresh snow, gazing at the some of the evergreen trees in the grounds. One
of them is very tall much taller than the one that they place at the Rockefeller
Center in NY City. We had planted a Christmas tree sapling almost 25 years ago.
It is still growing. Fruit trees we have planted are ready to blossom again
as Spring is only seven weeks away.
It is written that soon after His baptism and expectation and the victory over the adversary our Lord went out fearlessly preaching, teaching, and healing. Our Lord was a wonderful story teller. He told one of the immortal parables that is recorded in Luke 15. It is the parable of the prodigal son.
Philip Yancey tells about the young woman who grew up on a cherry orchard farm just above Traverse, Michigan. Her parents were a bit old fashioned and gave her a hard time about her nose ring and her music and the length of her skirts. They grounded her a few times. In the middle of one argument she screamed at them, “I hate you!” T hat night she ran away from home. She had visited Detroit only once before on a bus trip with her youth group to watch the Tigers play baseball, but she decided to hide there because it would be the last place her parents would look for her.
Her second day there she met a man who drove the biggest car she had ever seen. He gave her a ride, bought her lunch, arranged a place for her to stay, and gave her some pills that made her feel better than she had ever felt. She decided she was right all along -- her parents were keeping her from all the fun. Her “good life” continued for a year or so. After a year some signs of disease appeared. As winter came she found herself sleeping on metal grates outside the big department stores. Dark bands encircled her eyes and her cough worsened.
She no longer felt like a woman of the world but, rather, like a little girl lost and frightened in a big city. She started to cry and whimper. For just a moment she had a memory of May in Traverse City when a million cherry trees blossom at once and her golden retriever dashes along chasing a tennis ball. She questioned why she left home and thought to herself, “My dog back home eats better than I do now.” She began to think that more than anything else she would like to go home, so she found a phone booth and made three straight phone calls to an answering machine. She immediately hung up the first two times, but left a message the third time saying, “Dad, Mom, it’s me. I was wondering about maybe coming home. I’m catching a bus up your way, and it’ll get there about midnight tomorrow. If you’re not there, well, I guess I’ll just stay on the bus until it hits Canada.”
It took seven hours on the bus to make all the stops between Detroit and Traverse City. She wondered if they got the message. She went over what she would say to them: “Dad, I’m sorry. I know I was wrong. It’s not your fault; it’s mine. Dad, can you forgive me?”
The bus finally rolled into the station with air brakes hissing. The driver said, “Fifteen minutes, folks. That’s all we have here.” She thought to herself: "fifteen minutes to decide my life". As she walked into the terminal, the scene was not one of the many she had thought about as she was riding on the bus. There, among the concrete-walls-and-plastic-chairs terminal stands a group of forty -- brothers, sisters, great aunts, uncles, cousins, a grandmother, and a great grandmother to boot. They are wore goofy party hats, and were blowing noise makers. Taped across the wall of the terminal was a computer-generated banner which said, “Welcome home.”
Out of the crowd came her dad. Through the tears she began her speech, “Dad, I’m sorry. I know . . .” But then he interrupted her to say, “Hush, child. We have no time for that. No time for apologies. You’ll be late for the party. A banquet is waiting for you at home.”
When we return to this familiar part about the prodigal we realize how hopeful the story is, that we can go home again! As we focus on the father we recognize this God of amazing grace revealed by Jesus. In the hymn “He Looked Beyond my Fault and Saw my Need,
”Amazing grace shall always be my song of praise
For it was grace that brought me liberty.
I do not know just why Christ came to love me so
He looked beyond my fault and saw my need.
Praise the Lord God that we love worship and serve, revealed in Jesus our Lord. This God celebrates when the lost are found and come home. We turn around and celebrate such an incredible God of grace. This is not merely the cool abstraction of “the Unmoved Mover” of the philosopher Aristotle nor the impersonal “Force” in Star Wars. We stand in amazement at this God of grace. We can meet a God even better than we expected. We overturn with this parable any childhood pictures of God as a vengeful deity, a domineering God that crowds us, a heavenly policeman, a harsh parent.
If we stumble into God’s presence carrying an intolerable burden from a misspent past, the barriers that we erect to talk ourselves out of coming to God can tumble down. We can approach our Loving Father even after we have messed up. The Lord says" Welcome Home". Let us party. Let's dance. WOW!
In Jesus,
Brown
http://youtu.be/RGRCjWNwAg0
It is written that soon after His baptism and expectation and the victory over the adversary our Lord went out fearlessly preaching, teaching, and healing. Our Lord was a wonderful story teller. He told one of the immortal parables that is recorded in Luke 15. It is the parable of the prodigal son.
Philip Yancey tells about the young woman who grew up on a cherry orchard farm just above Traverse, Michigan. Her parents were a bit old fashioned and gave her a hard time about her nose ring and her music and the length of her skirts. They grounded her a few times. In the middle of one argument she screamed at them, “I hate you!” T hat night she ran away from home. She had visited Detroit only once before on a bus trip with her youth group to watch the Tigers play baseball, but she decided to hide there because it would be the last place her parents would look for her.
Her second day there she met a man who drove the biggest car she had ever seen. He gave her a ride, bought her lunch, arranged a place for her to stay, and gave her some pills that made her feel better than she had ever felt. She decided she was right all along -- her parents were keeping her from all the fun. Her “good life” continued for a year or so. After a year some signs of disease appeared. As winter came she found herself sleeping on metal grates outside the big department stores. Dark bands encircled her eyes and her cough worsened.
She no longer felt like a woman of the world but, rather, like a little girl lost and frightened in a big city. She started to cry and whimper. For just a moment she had a memory of May in Traverse City when a million cherry trees blossom at once and her golden retriever dashes along chasing a tennis ball. She questioned why she left home and thought to herself, “My dog back home eats better than I do now.” She began to think that more than anything else she would like to go home, so she found a phone booth and made three straight phone calls to an answering machine. She immediately hung up the first two times, but left a message the third time saying, “Dad, Mom, it’s me. I was wondering about maybe coming home. I’m catching a bus up your way, and it’ll get there about midnight tomorrow. If you’re not there, well, I guess I’ll just stay on the bus until it hits Canada.”
It took seven hours on the bus to make all the stops between Detroit and Traverse City. She wondered if they got the message. She went over what she would say to them: “Dad, I’m sorry. I know I was wrong. It’s not your fault; it’s mine. Dad, can you forgive me?”
The bus finally rolled into the station with air brakes hissing. The driver said, “Fifteen minutes, folks. That’s all we have here.” She thought to herself: "fifteen minutes to decide my life". As she walked into the terminal, the scene was not one of the many she had thought about as she was riding on the bus. There, among the concrete-walls-and-plastic-chairs terminal stands a group of forty -- brothers, sisters, great aunts, uncles, cousins, a grandmother, and a great grandmother to boot. They are wore goofy party hats, and were blowing noise makers. Taped across the wall of the terminal was a computer-generated banner which said, “Welcome home.”
Out of the crowd came her dad. Through the tears she began her speech, “Dad, I’m sorry. I know . . .” But then he interrupted her to say, “Hush, child. We have no time for that. No time for apologies. You’ll be late for the party. A banquet is waiting for you at home.”
When we return to this familiar part about the prodigal we realize how hopeful the story is, that we can go home again! As we focus on the father we recognize this God of amazing grace revealed by Jesus. In the hymn “He Looked Beyond my Fault and Saw my Need,
”Amazing grace shall always be my song of praise
For it was grace that brought me liberty.
I do not know just why Christ came to love me so
He looked beyond my fault and saw my need.
Praise the Lord God that we love worship and serve, revealed in Jesus our Lord. This God celebrates when the lost are found and come home. We turn around and celebrate such an incredible God of grace. This is not merely the cool abstraction of “the Unmoved Mover” of the philosopher Aristotle nor the impersonal “Force” in Star Wars. We stand in amazement at this God of grace. We can meet a God even better than we expected. We overturn with this parable any childhood pictures of God as a vengeful deity, a domineering God that crowds us, a heavenly policeman, a harsh parent.
If we stumble into God’s presence carrying an intolerable burden from a misspent past, the barriers that we erect to talk ourselves out of coming to God can tumble down. We can approach our Loving Father even after we have messed up. The Lord says" Welcome Home". Let us party. Let's dance. WOW!
In Jesus,
Brown
http://youtu.be/RGRCjWNwAg0
Monday, January 26, 2015
Brown's Daily Word 1/26/15
Praise the Lord for this new day and a brand new week. He blessed us in His house yesterday. Praise the Lord for the joy of worship and witness. Praise the Lord for the joy of fellowship. Praise the Lord for the joy of service.
One of my favorite German preachers and theologians is Helmut Thielicke . Helmut Thieliccke in the very last paragraph of his autobiography, Notes from a Wayfarer, wrote, "We are certainly guests on this beautiful planet. Wayfarers, on call under sealed orders in which the day and hour of our departure were recorded. Our departure is certainly not easy…The lifespan that has been allotted to us is only the advent of a still greater fulfillment."
Then he closed: "The land to which we are going is terra incognito, an unknown and inconceivable land. In that land there will only be one voice that will be recognized. It is the voice of the good shepherd." Forever exists for our continuous union, for there never will be separation. Forever exists in order that death might die.
I love one of the Southern Gospel Hymns which goes like this: "We meet to part, but part to meet when earthly labors are complete. To join in yet more blest employ, in an eternal world of joy." The song continues: "but part to meet, when earthly pleasures are all complete, to join in yet more blest employ, in an eternal world of joy."
One pastor has said, "Eternity and forever exist so death may have a funeral". Forever exists so we can enjoy God. The Westminster Shorter Catechism of 1674 asks: "What is the chief duty of man?" The response: "To glorify God and to enjoy Him forever." John Piper said, "God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him." Forever is going to exist for believers to enjoy God. Forever will exist in order for time to be erased. "When we've been there 10,000 years, bright shining as the sun, we've no less days to sing God's praise than when we first begun."
Forever is for God to put Himself on display. We don't have enough time in this life to see God on exhibition; we are only here 60, 70, 80 or 90 years. Eternity will exist to showcase God in all His beauty. After we have been there 100,000 years and we look at God for all those years, we will understand just a little more about His love. After a million years, we will understand just a little more about His grace. After a billion years, we will understand a little more about His mercy. In other words, God will keep showcasing, de-layering and revealing Himself so you and I will be able to have a greater adoration for the God we worship and serve.
"Crown Him with many crowns, the Lamb upon His throne; Hark! how the heav'nly anthem drowns all music but its own: Awake, my soul, and sing of Him who died for thee, And hail Him as thy matchless King Thro' all eternity."
Therefore, my beloved brothers, be you steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for as much as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. 1 Corinthians 15:58 In Christ, Brown http://youtu.be/-XKxqqhOgVM
One of my favorite German preachers and theologians is Helmut Thielicke . Helmut Thieliccke in the very last paragraph of his autobiography, Notes from a Wayfarer, wrote, "We are certainly guests on this beautiful planet. Wayfarers, on call under sealed orders in which the day and hour of our departure were recorded. Our departure is certainly not easy…The lifespan that has been allotted to us is only the advent of a still greater fulfillment."
Then he closed: "The land to which we are going is terra incognito, an unknown and inconceivable land. In that land there will only be one voice that will be recognized. It is the voice of the good shepherd." Forever exists for our continuous union, for there never will be separation. Forever exists in order that death might die.
I love one of the Southern Gospel Hymns which goes like this: "We meet to part, but part to meet when earthly labors are complete. To join in yet more blest employ, in an eternal world of joy." The song continues: "but part to meet, when earthly pleasures are all complete, to join in yet more blest employ, in an eternal world of joy."
One pastor has said, "Eternity and forever exist so death may have a funeral". Forever exists so we can enjoy God. The Westminster Shorter Catechism of 1674 asks: "What is the chief duty of man?" The response: "To glorify God and to enjoy Him forever." John Piper said, "God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him." Forever is going to exist for believers to enjoy God. Forever will exist in order for time to be erased. "When we've been there 10,000 years, bright shining as the sun, we've no less days to sing God's praise than when we first begun."
Forever is for God to put Himself on display. We don't have enough time in this life to see God on exhibition; we are only here 60, 70, 80 or 90 years. Eternity will exist to showcase God in all His beauty. After we have been there 100,000 years and we look at God for all those years, we will understand just a little more about His love. After a million years, we will understand just a little more about His grace. After a billion years, we will understand a little more about His mercy. In other words, God will keep showcasing, de-layering and revealing Himself so you and I will be able to have a greater adoration for the God we worship and serve.
"Crown Him with many crowns, the Lamb upon His throne; Hark! how the heav'nly anthem drowns all music but its own: Awake, my soul, and sing of Him who died for thee, And hail Him as thy matchless King Thro' all eternity."
Therefore, my beloved brothers, be you steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for as much as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. 1 Corinthians 15:58 In Christ, Brown http://youtu.be/-XKxqqhOgVM
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
