Day of Praise

We, Jun 19, "Day of Praise", (The balance of this week has two devotional reflections and rotates who's placed first between Kristen and myself.)

Kristen-
"Like a trampled spring and a polluted well is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked." - Proverbs 25:26

I'm going to go the "Counter-imitation" route on this one - we do not communicate the Gospel when we give in to sin.

This one is so difficult to articulate because this sort of "giving way" manifests itself in our lives continually.

As I sit, contemplating the ways in which I myself have sinned just today or the ways in which I feel others have sinned against me, they are innumerable.

We have opportunities every moment of every day to take part in gossip, betrayal, and overindulgence; to have malice, deceit, covetousness, and jealousy in our hearts; to behave in every other sort of selfishness that could possibly come to mind; to feel fear and doubt.

But God would have us use these opportunities to be as Christ. I'll take my cue now from my Grandma Volk, who is the most faithful woman I have ever met, and share with you the Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi because it gives a great description of what being as Christ looks like.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen, and Praise God!

Now, here's Pastor Chris.

Isaiah 11:6b -
"And a little child shall lead them."

I hurt my left shoulder very badly months ago and like any good man, who never asks directions, I still haven't been to the doctor about it. Furthermore, I'm still terrified of heights, and I still think the only three uses of water are rain, getting clean in a shower, and Holy Baptisms.

So!

Why in the world would I even consider sliding down a 60 feet high, 100-yard long zipline and crash back first (if I hit it just right, otherwise it's the injured left shoulder first) into a manmade lake at camp last week?

Why?!?!?!

Because my 17-year old daughter, Cassidy, asked me to.

"Daddy," she says, "do you wanna go down the zipline with me?"

She's 17! Not 7.

I'm 48.

There aren't many of these invitations left in life.

So we gear up; we walk up; we climb up; we get hooked up; we get instructed; we stand backwards on the platform; they open the gate; and she starts singing.

"Jesus loves me! This I know..."

She looks at me, still singing; she bends her knees; she says, "Bye, Daddy!"; and there she goes.

What's a real man to do?

Well, let's just say that, with the exception of losing my swim shoes when I hit (and thankfully not my swim trunks...well, not completely, anyway), it was an incredibly smooth landing in the lake.

And what else should I have expected?

After all, God promised, didn't he? "And a little child shall lead them." (Isaiah 11:6)

Hey, Gang, do something with a kid today. You'll be blessed!

Praise God!

Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson