A clean slate

Good Morning Friends!  Mighty and Marvelous is our God, Monday!!!  Each Sunday during Lent in Sunday school, we all (kids and teachers) took a big nail, held it in our hands and in silence thought about our sins, maybe a particular sin that needed forgiving, asked for forgiveness and then we each, still in silence stuck our nails into a brown Styrofoam cross.  We then prayed together for God to help us do the best we can and thanked Him for sending His Son to die for us, forgiving our sins.  Like I said we did this each week so the cross was quite full of nails.  After church on Good Friday, I took all the nails out of the cross, took it home and painted the other side white; my plan was to have a lesson based on because of Easter, our sins are forgiven and we are washed clean…white.   Easter Sunday was very busy at Sunday school, so we didn’t have a chance to talk about the changes in our cross, but yesterday I was excited for the kids to see the white, nail-less cross.  I gathered them all around our table and before I could even get started one young boy, 11, said, “ hey the nails are all gone and our cross is white.”  Ah, I thought, this is going to be great, but then he went on to say, “hey the other side is still brown.”  I tried to skip over that fact and get on with the Easter message with the white side of our cross, but he would have no part of it.  He was determined to keep on about the brown side of the cross and get to the bottom of the whole deal!  Well, I was actually getting a little perturbed at him (oh yes it’s true, I had to ask for forgiveness) as he had really taken the wind out of what I thought was a great lesson.  Well, I finally got him to give it up and went on with class, but I just couldn’t get it off my mind……kids!  As I was sitting in church listening to Pastor….I finally got it……with the help of this young man, I figured it out…..Jesus didn’t die for just some of our sins, HE didn’t wash just half of them away…..HIS death and resurrection gives us a clean slate, wipes all our sins away….front and back…..inside and out….HIS blood makes us clean….Father, bring us to You in true repentance to confess and seek Your forgiveness.  Give us hearts that forgive others as You forgive us.  And Father thank  you for the pure wisdom of children and the lessons we can learn from them. 

“Come now, let us reason together,”  say the Lord.  “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”  Isaiah 1:18.  As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgression from us.  Psalm 103:12.  In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.  Ephesians 1:7-8.  Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.  Ephesians 4:32.

Love you all!

Relax in the Light of the World

Good Morning Friends!  Totally taken by HIS love, Tuesday!  Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving; we sure did, we spent the day at our little cabin in the woods and cooked everything but the stuffing and pie outside!  Kathyrn brought the oven stuff, but Kim and I did the rest!  No running water and no electricity, but an awesome campfire all day long!  Praise worthy for sure….now the big day is over and Sunday was the first day in Advent….gosh now we prepare to celebrate Jesus’ birthday!  Crazy isn’t it, how time just seems to fly!  Good grief, I know that your lists are as long as mine and the whole month gets overwhelming at times….We had our Hanging of the Greens service at church Sunday, everyone taking part in the special service by hanging wreaths, lighting the Advent wreath, decorating the tree, placing each piece of the nativity, the banners displaying the names of Jesus, Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace, Blessed Redeemer, Light of Light, Lamb of God, Living Word, hang perfectly straight along the walls…..kids reading, adults singing, everyone hanging special ornaments on the tree…..Wonderful, but…..yes hectic…..for the person planning it all gosh!  Thanks Nancy!  And for all of us hoping we are in the right place at the right time…..Well, festivities done, the service continued as usual, about three-quarters through Pastor’s sermon the sun, that had been shining so brightly all morning, went behind the clouds….Our church has big skylights and a huge stained-glass in the front of the church so the natural light is very obvious.  So when the church that had been bright was suddenly dim, I couldn’t help but notice….I took my eyes off of Pastor and looked around…..the lights….oh the lights, the tree, nativity, altar and wreath candles……the lights…..when the sun was shining in so brightly you could hardly notice all the lights, twinkling, sparkling…..shining in the darkness……shining…..Peace….Yes, Peace suddenly engulfed me…..I felt my body relaxing….I let go of the hectic morning and thought only of the LIGHT….The LIGHT of the world….given for me and you….God’s only SON….The Peace I saw in the twinkling lights…this PEACE that engulfed me, I know is what God wants each of us to have and to hold throughout this hectic season….This PEACE is all that matters….the LIGHT shining through the darkness to guide us…..loving us….Father, thank you for giving us the Perfect GIFT, the Light of the World, Your Son Jesus.  Push away the hectic from our lives and fill us with Your Perfect Peace as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Your Son, our Savior. 

 

Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your heats be troubled and do not be afraid.”  John 14:27.  The Lord gives strength to His people; the Lord blesses His people with peace.  Psalm 29:11.  Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called peace.  Colossians 3:15.  The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:7.  The God of PEACE be with you.  Philippians 4:9.

Love you all! 

 

Is Your Worship Off Track?

Good Morning Friends!  Mighty awesome is our God, Monday!  Our church organist was out of town yesterday, so in her absence, Pastor ( he’s quite a good organist as well) recorded the whole service, liturgy and hymns on our awesome organ.  I don’t understand it all, but he records everything in order and then someone (Deb you’re the best) pushes the buttons at just the right time and we have our music!  It had been awhile since we had been without our awesome organist, so we were a bit rusty at the routine.  We are so programed by our organist to have just the right music at just the right time…so we go through the service virtually thought free….Yesterday, however things were not quite so on track…..during the liturgy we would all be doing as usual…singing with no thought when all of a sudden there would be no music….I have never heard so many deep breaths getting ready to belt out the words….big breath and nothing….the organ had not caught up with us…time and time again we would flub up….just not thinking….so used to things just going as they are supposed to.  At one point I looked up at Deb at the organ and we had to smile that “oops” smile at each other.  At that point I thought….my gosh, think Kathie…..you are in church, your worship should not be routine….use the pauses to reflect on God’s love, to thank Him for the blessings of the day, for the joy of being in His house, for His grace and forgiveness.  Use the pauses to bless Him….I enjoyed the rest of the service so much, looking forward for a chance to pause, to rest in His love and say, Thank you Father…..As I left church I asked our Father to help me to consciously pause throughout my days….to take a break, find rest and peace in Him, to thank and praise Him every chance I get!  Father, help us to never take You and the blessings you provide for us for granted….Thank you for the rest you provide when we come to You.  All glory and honor to You!

 

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1.  Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him.  Psalm 62:5.  The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”  Exodus 33:14.  Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.  Psalm 116:7.  Taste (pause) and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.  Psalm 34:8.  That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God.  Ecclesiastes 3:13.  Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. Colossians 2:6-7.

Love you all!