All Souls Episcopal Church

Lent 41

Good morning again early start so will try to finish this up later, so Ord’s getting another transfusion so sat in the hospital room trying to get this completed.
Assurance of God’s Protection
A Song of Ascents.

121 I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From whence does my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot be moved,
he who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade
on your right hand.
6 The sun shall not smite you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
8 The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and for evermore.
Reflection: It id thought this was written during the days of Hezekiah when the Assyrian army was threatening Judea and Jerusalem.
For us when we read this psalm it’s a comfort look to the hills for the Lord to come help, as long as one keeps God the center of one life our pathways might not be straight or even but we are never alone. God should be enough for us, I know at times my faith is shaken as I don’t understand the path I’m walking, or understand the reasoning, or why good people suffer, but I’m called to trust, and know that every forward step is guided if I listen. One forgets that the creator has a greater plan, that His way is better than my way, even if it doesn’t go as I pray.
Devout Jews keep a small metal cylinder on the right hand door post of their homes, the cylinder contains a parchment inscribed with the words of Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and 11:13-21 and as they pass in and out of the house and recite the last verse of this psalm, to me thats comforting to known God is watching my movements, I’m sure at times i make him wince. It’s a good reminder to know who we belong to, and whose we love and serve.
Blessings Carole

Lent 41

Good morning, pray for moisture it’s getting awful dry, yet it doesn’t seem to bother the flowers, and trees that are blooming.
Universal Call to Worship
117 Praise the Lord, all nations!
Extol him, all peoples!
2 For great is his steadfast love toward us;
and the faithfulness of the Lord endures for ever.
Reflection; Almost passed this by, it’s the shortest psalm in the Bible. And it’s a psalm for all of us, inviting us to worship God. It’s in the center of the Bible, and is an invitation for all of us to praise God, to make him the center of our hearts. It makes us joint heirs with Jesus.
This psalm invites us to praise God in heart mind and soul, to sing and dance, why is it we are subdued Christians? How often do we show joy in our services? How often do we laugh in church, a deep belly laugh, tears to the eyes laugh? Why are we so afraid of what others in the pew think? When you love a child and play with the child you drop all your reservations, why can’t we do that in church? One of the best parts for me in the service is when we pass the peace, we actually reach out to others, touch them, some we even hug, the kids are more into high fives, but the peace expresses for me the love of the community, we are all one in Christ, accepted warts and all.
Jesus went to the cross for us, for our sins, to bring us into his family, I wonder why it is so hard for us to accept, that we are loved, Praise God. So when one gives the stink eye to a kid that is having a hard time sitting still, keeping quiet, wink at that person, smile, like we are all experiencing joy with this child, disruptions are what reminds us we are God’s people.
Blessings Carole.

Lent 38

A little late today, moving slow,
A Song. A Psalm of David.

108 My heart is steadfast, O God,
my heart is steadfast!
I will sing and make melody!
Awake, my soul!
2 Awake, O harp and lyre!
I will awake the dawn!
3 I will give thanks to thee, O Lord, among the peoples,
I will sing praises to thee among the nations.
4 For thy steadfast love is great above the heavens,
thy faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
Let thy glory be over all the earth!
6 That thy beloved may be delivered,
give help by thy right hand, and answer me!
7 God has promised in his sanctuary:
“With exultation I will divide up Shechem,
and portion out the Vale of Succoth.
8 Gilead is mine; Manas′seh is mine;
E′phraim is my helmet;
Judah my scepter.
9 Moab is my washbasin;
upon Edom I cast my shoe;
over Philistia I shout in triumph.”
10 Who will bring me to the fortified city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
11 Hast thou not rejected us, O God?
Thou dost not go forth, O God, with our armies.
12 O grant us help against the foe,
for vain is the help of man!
13 With God we shall do valiantly;
it is he who will tread down our foes.
Reflection: This is a combination the last half of psalm 57 and last eight verses of psalm 60, a celebration of sorts, we often find repetitions the Gospels Mark, Matthew, Luke share the same readings, it is though that this psalm was wrote after the Babylonian captivity, a new start, expressing the hope, joy fears and sorrows of Davids psalms, this is a victory psalm.
When one feels joy one wants to express that joy, some do it in song. Thanking God for all the blessings. I think of the slaves that expressed themselves in their music. Some of which we sing in hymns today, most inviting us to follow God, that we all will be one when we gather to cross the river into heaven.
We can survive all things if we stay true to our faith, this psalm calls to our steadfast faith. To keep on trusting.
Blessings Carole

Lent 37

Good morning spent the morning changing passwords to open devices, one has to wonder how bored someone must be to hack into my accounts I’m pretty boring.
Thanksgiving for Deliverance from Many Troubles
107 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures for ever!
2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
whom he has redeemed from trouble
3 and gathered in from the lands,
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.
4 Some wandered in desert wastes,
finding no way to a city to dwell in;
5 hungry and thirsty,
their soul fainted within them.
6 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress;
7 he led them by a straight way,
till they reached a city to dwell in.
8 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wonderful works to the sons of men!
9 For he satisfies him who is thirsty,
and the hungry he fills with good things.
10 Some sat in darkness and in gloom,
prisoners in affliction and in irons,
11 for they had rebelled against the words of God,
and spurned the counsel of the Most High.
12 Their hearts were bowed down with hard labor;
they fell down, with none to help.
13 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress;
14 he brought them out of darkness and gloom,
and broke their bonds asunder.
15 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wonderful works to the sons of men!
16 For he shatters the doors of bronze,
and cuts in two the bars of iron.
17 Some were sick through their sinful ways,
and because of their iniquities suffered affliction;
18 they loathed any kind of food,
and they drew near to the gates of death.
19 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress;
20 he sent forth his word, and healed them,
and delivered them from destruction.
21 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wonderful works to the sons of men!
22 And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving,
and tell of his deeds in songs of joy!
23 Some went down to the sea in ships,
doing business on the great waters;
24 they saw the deeds of the Lord,
his wondrous works in the deep.
25 For he commanded, and raised the stormy wind,
which lifted up the waves of the sea.
26 They mounted up to heaven, they went down to the depths;
their courage melted away in their evil plight;
27 they reeled and staggered like drunken men,
and were at their wits’ end.
28 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress;
29 he made the storm be still,
and the waves of the sea were hushed.
30 Then they were glad because they had quiet,
and he brought them to their desired haven.
31 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wonderful works to the sons of men!
32 Let them extol him in the congregation of the people,
and praise him in the assembly of the elders.
33 He turns rivers into a desert,
springs of water into thirsty ground,
34 a fruitful land into a salty waste,
because of the wickedness of its inhabitants.
35 He turns a desert into pools of water,
a parched land into springs of water.
36 And there he lets the hungry dwell,
and they establish a city to live in;
37 they sow fields, and plant vineyards,
and get a fruitful yield.
38 By his blessing they multiply greatly;
and he does not let their cattle decrease.
39 When they are diminished and brought low
through oppression, trouble, and sorrow,
40 he pours contempt upon princes
and makes them wander in trackless wastes;
41 but he raises up the needy out of affliction,
and makes their families like flocks.
42 The upright see it and are glad;
and all wickedness stops its mouth.
43 Whoever is wise, let him give heed to these things;
let men consider the steadfast love of the Lord.
Reflection: how often do we forget how God steadfast love carries us, even in the darkest times, in the times we think we can do this on our own to discover that we are about to sink into the muck and mire.
After 70 years the Jews can return to Jerusalem, some decide to stay, they had made a new home, it was a discouraging sight, no temple others had moved in, they had to start over. Rebuild the Temple.
When we get older we get settled in our ways, not much into changes, we like our routines, it’s only when you have a major shakeup that we realize that we have to do something different and it’s all the better when we include God in our plans and let him lead the way.
It’s only after the fact that we can see God’s hand, when in the wilderness lost, crying out in distress that we recognize a rebirth of sorts.
Everyone around here is talking of drouth, that we might have to make changes, I have faith that God will open up to our prayers, sending us moisture allowing the country to thrive and produce. We have a lot to be thankful for, we should never spot praising God, remembering where he has rescued us in our lives. I think of the disciple in the boat when the storm rose up, twice, once when Jesus was sleeping, once when they set with out Jesus, both times Jesus stilled the wind, comforted them for their lack of faith. Gave the hope, as we should take hope in our faith.
We are all guilty of something, we are human, yet God rescues us time and time again, reminding us that his Son Jesus redeemed us.
This psalm reminds us that God will find us when we are spiritually lost, that he will renew our spirit, that His light will cast away the darkness. That sometimes to hear our voice there must be some suffering to remind us to whom we belong.
Following Israels journey show us where God stepped in, giving them food, water. We are no less to him. Keep the faith.
Blessings Carole

Lent 34

Good morning, overcast this morning, hopefully moisture.
Praise to God Who Comes in Judgment
96 O sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth!
2 Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
tell of his salvation from day to day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples!
4 For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
he is to be feared above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols;
but the Lord made the heavens.
6 Honor and majesty are before him;
strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
7 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength!
8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
bring an offering, and come into his courts!
9 Worship the Lord in holy array;
tremble before him, all the earth!
10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!
Yea, the world is established, it shall never be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity.”
11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
12 let the field exult, and everything in it!
Then shall all the trees of the wood sing for joy
13 before the Lord, for he comes,
for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with his truth.
Reflection: Psalms 95 to 100 are known as coronation psalms, written or adapted for the dedication of the second temple. One can imagine the joy of the people celebrating their temple a place to offer God sacrifices. A home to honor God, as they believe he lived there, God had seen them through some terrible times, but they had come back to him they were his fold. And they were celebrating.
At best the Old Testament Hebrew could only go so far in the temple, they had limited access, unload you were a priest. But even as a priest he was limited he could only go as far as the Holy place, it was only the High priest once a year who could enter under the veil and enter into the presence of God.
God now is more accessible thanks be to Jesus, we have traditions, but none should restrict our access to God and Jesus. That is our right as a believer, when we face God Jesus will be at our side.
How often do we think of the majesty of God? the Bible tells us to fear and love God, the psalms mention it often, yet I think the word fear is interpreted wrongly for God, God wants our respect, our hearts, if you are a good parent your kid have a fear of disappointing you. Of letting one down. A fear of the consequence of having to answer for ones sins.
We serve a loving God who found a way to bring all of us into his fold, it is a right and good thing that we celebrate and worship God for including us into his family, that we are not cast out into the darkness of nothingness. Thankfully Jesus took our sins, so the only offering is ourselves, remembering at the table each week what Jesus did for us.
All around me is the music of nature, the wind as it passes, the birds as they raise their voices, other creatures, the howl of the coyote. The flowers that bloom, bussing of bees, All in grateful voice to be alive, no matter the hardship of life. Should I do no less? These psalms remind me to come closer to God and be thankful, to be joyful, to celebrate the life given.
Blessings Carole