Today's Word
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Salisbury PlainClimb a Hill, Look at a Rock Day
Our Lord is so good, He grants us many blessings. We can see Him in the daily course of events, in our homes, our jobs, our lives. I pray that these words help you to grow in your faith and recognize His hand in even the most mundane circumstances.
The picture to the right is of a Celtic Chapel located in Cornwall England. This building is approximately 1700 years old, and contains a holy well known for its healing powers.
(Click for enlarged)
“Praise Yah! Praise Yahweh from the heavens! Praise him in the heights! Praise him, all his angels! Praise him, all his army! Praise him, sun and moon! Praise him, all you shining stars! Praise him, you heavens of heavens, you waters that are above the heavens. Let them praise Yahweh’s name, for he commanded, and they were created. He has also established them forever and ever. He has made a decree which will not pass away. Praise Yahweh from the earth, you great sea creatures, and all depths, lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy wind, fulfilling his word, mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all livestock, small creatures and flying birds, kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all judges of the earth, both young men and maidens, old men and children. Let them praise Yahweh’s name, for his name alone is exalted. His glory is above the earth and the heavens. He has lifted up the horn of his people, the praise of all his saints, even of the children of Israel, a people near to him. Praise Yah!” Psalm 148, WEB
I spent the weekend at a retreat at camp. The camp is one of my favorite places. I like to take long walks, to watch and listen to the birds, to see the sunrise and sunset and gaze at the night sky. A creek runs along a cliffside and there is a trail that leads to a cross on the bluff. The view from the cabins is that dramatic cliff with a rocky face and so many trees. The view from the cross at the top of the bluff is beautiful, too, because it looks down on the cabins and activities happening around camp.
Other than that, there are no grand views for photos. It is so different than when we went on our National Park vacation last fall. It didn’t matter which direction you looked, there were sweeping landscapes to photograph. There were incredible mountains, vast lakes, flowing waterfalls. The valleys were filled with herds of animals. I took some photos of small subjects like wildflowers and chipmunks, but most of my photos were big subjects. At camp, I looked for the small things.
I made it a challenge. Camp gets wildflowers, but never huge fields like I often find during my spring adventures. I saw a pretty yellow flower as I walked across a field. Then there were a few purple ones. The deer came out during my evening walks. I saw several different types of lizards, which are very challenging to photograph because they are fast and colored to be almost invisible. I discovered shells along the creek and interesting shaped rocks. I even found a fishing bobber floating by the bank. I found a number of twig crosses near one of the hidden worship spaces that must have been a project of a previous group. There is a stump of a tree that I visit every time I stay at camp that has hallowed out over time; a new tree is growing in the midst of the hallow. I found deer tracks and new leaves on trees. I love finding crosses that occur naturally. The old fire pits are always fascinating because there is charcoal from the previous summer as well as saplings growing in the midst of the ash.
There are times in our lives when we have to look at the big picture. We need to see how we how we fit into the big world, remembering that we are a small part of God’s incredible creation. But we also need to stop to see the details of the world, to remind ourselves that we are meant to care for what God has given us. The details make me wonder about how something happened. Where did those shells come from? What story were the campers learning when they made those crosses? How many s’mores were eaten around that fire? Who was fishing, and did they catch anything? Will that tree really grow inside that stump, or will it die with the summer heat? I love finding the constant reminders of God’s grace in His great and beautiful world.
It is easy to marvel at sunset over a lake or a snow-capped mountain range, but we are reminded by the psalmist to praise God for all of creation, the big landscapes and the new saplings. We can’t hear their voices, but they praise God in their own way. We can enjoy every bit of creation, but I think sometimes my deepest love for God comes when I see those reminders of what He did for me and you: the crosses that are both made by the hands of campers and those who that appear naturally. In those crosses we see His salvation, the love of God that was given in and through His Son who died for our sake. Through Him we have access to the God who made all things, reconciled to Him so that we can give Him glory in every moment, place, and thing.
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“On his way out of the temple Jesus saw a man who had been born blind. His disciples asked Jesus, ‘Master, was this man born blind because of the wrong things he did, or was it the wrong things his parents did?’ Jesus answered, ‘It was not that he or his parents did any wrong thing. But it was so that people would see what God will do in him.’” John 9:1-3, WEB
I used to volunteer at a local inclusive theme park in San Antonio. I remember one crazy day; we had almost too many visitors. Several schools were scheduled to visit, and it was always a challenge when hundreds of people showed up at the front door at the same time.
The parent chaperones were asked to wait patiently while everything was settled. Unfortunately, they were as anxious as everyone else about visiting and they were not patient. They crowded the doors, complained about the disorganization, and some even tried to sneak in through another door.
Meanwhile, we had to continue to do our work. There were other schools and individual families that needed to be served. I am sure it must have been frustrating to see other groups easily entering while they were stuck waiting. I am sure that they did not think it was fair that others were being escorted through the crowds while they had been standing there for a long time. They did not understand our system and could not understand why those latecomers were allowed to go inside while they were stuck outside the door. They took their frustration out on anyone wearing a uniform. I heard the grumbling; those of us on the front line were blamed for their inconvenience.
We are very quick to lay the blame on whoever happens to be in our way when things are not going well for us. Have you ever gotten angry with a driver on the highway? Or the clerk at the grocery store? Or the postal worker at lunch hour? Or your child’s teacher? Or your supervisor? Or a government worker? I’m sure each of us can think of someone with whom we have been angry recently. We blame them for our troubles, whether or not they are really at fault for our frustrations and inconvenience. We do not consider our own role, or the roles of others, in the problem. Perhaps we were driving just a little too fast, making it difficult for that driver to move into the lane to exit. Did the management of that store schedule too few cashiers that day? We know the post office will be crowded at lunchtime: why did we choose to go then? You get the idea: the person we blame might not be at fault.
Now, don’t get me wrong: sometimes other people are at fault. Sometimes that teacher does not know what he’s doing. Sometimes that supervisor really does not do her job properly. Sometimes that government worker is really incompetent. But it would do us well to remember that no one is perfect (not even us), sometimes we are simply at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Today’s passage is a little hard for us to grasp, because we have a hard time accepting that God would allow someone to suffer blindness for His glory. We say this because we see it as an imperfection, something that makes someone less than good. In Jesus’ day, they even thought imperfections were punishment for past sins. We do suffer the consequences of our sin. For example, some accidents are due to unsafe driving. Some broken relationships are due to our self-centered points of view. Some illness is a direct result of our actions.
But when we look at our suffering from Jesus’ point of view, we see that God can make good things happen out of any situation, even our frustration and inconvenience. God can be glorified even when we are being blamed for the troubles others face. So, let us remember that God has His hands in places we might never expect, and let us stop and consider how God might bring light to the darkness and order to the chaos that troubles us.
The following links provide some specially chosen scripture that tell the stories of the Birth and Passion of our Lord as Savior Jesus Christ, as well as a fictional perspective of the Crucifixion. Spend time in God's Word, read about His life and learn of the wonderful gifts He has for you. Know Jesus Christ and honor Him today. Thanks be to God.
The Story of our Savior's Passion
The Crucifixion, a fictional perspective
When researching, I use several versions of the bible, including the New International Version and English Standard Version. Due to copyright restrictions, I have not included quotes for the scriptures on some of the archives, but highly encourage you to open your own bibles to read the scripture passages for yourselves. Where scripture is quoted, it is usually the American Standard Version or World English Bible which belong to the public domain. Any other versions used in quotes are identified.
The devotion posted on Wednesday is based on the Lectionary texts used by millions of Christians each Sunday. The Lectionary consists of four texts: an Old Testament passage, a Psalm, a passage from one of the Epistles and a Gospel text and follows the church calendar. Archives for these writings are found at Midweek Oasis.
You are welcome to use these words to share the Gospel of our Lord Jesus. Please remember to give credit to the Author who has given you these gifts, and keep in remembrance the vessel which He used to bring them to you. We pray that this site may be a blessing to you and anyone with whom you've shared it. Peggy Hoppes
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