Day of Praise

Fr, 09/26/14, "Day of Praise"

"Then the LORD said to Joshua, 'Tell the Israelites to designate cities of refuge...so that anyone who kills a person accidentally and unintentionally may flee there and find protection from the avenger of blood.'" - Joshua 20:1-6

Accidents happen. Even really bad ones.

God understands that there's a difference between accidents and acts of violence that are thought out in advance. So God makes provision of protection and mercy for those who do tragic things accidentally.

I remember when I was a kid. My brother and I were with our family at our grandparents in Pennsylvania. Ben and I were being brothers (translation "wrestling") on a really old bed at our Gram and Pap DeGreen's. The bed wasn't made for wrestling. The ensuing crash just about sent us and the bed through the floor to the downstairs.

We looked at each other like, "Oh, man. We are in big trouble now." And we should've been. In trouble, that is. We never once gave thought to the possibility that anyone would see it as an accident.

But our Pap DeGreen did. He calmly walked in the room. (I still don't know how he got there so fast.) He took apart the bed, calmly telling us what to do to help. Then he put the bed back together, calmly telling us what to do to help.

"Sorry, Pap-pap," we said.

"It's ok," he said. "It was an accident."

Mercy, as from God himself.

Friends, your day today will be filled with real people, who will make mistakes. Accidents will happen.

In the strength and calm of the LORD, let's deal mercifully with others, as God in Christ, (and people like Pap DeGreen), has dealt with us.

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