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Five years ago many folks were still living in isolation because of the “shutdown” from Covid-19.  By this time, we had resumed our activities at church, but many had not. I was thinking about how differently people dealt with that event. I know some congregations never shut down at all. Others were shut down for six months or more.

Some individuals took every precaution to isolate and insulate themselves. Others went on with their lives as normally as possible. One of the things I noticed in general was that the more “seasoned” citizens, those who had been around the sun more times, got less excited about the disease than those who had not lived as long. I know that was true for Cheryl and me. We didn’t get as worked up as the younger generations did, and we were already classified as senior citizens by that time. I think we took it more in stride because we had already experienced a lot of things in our lives, and we understood that seasons come and seasons go.

God knew that was going to happen long before it did. The question we had to ask ourselves was, “How are we, as God’s people, going to react to this crisis?” God knows there are times for different things, and He speaks of that in His Word.

Ecclesiastes 3:1–8 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

There are a lot of “times” mentioned there that we wish would not come, but come they do. I was raised in a family where we readily gave and received hugs. I remember how hard it was for me and others like me during “social distancing.” This passage even siad there is “a time to embrace and a time to refrain.” Refraining was not an easy thing for me.

Something to remember is that in all of the “times” mentioned here, all of the seasons, God is in control. Our times are always in His loving hands. And in all these seasons we have the assurance of God’s love, which we see so beautifully displayed in a cross and an empty tomb. Jesus has conquered sin and death for you, and that is true at all times.

One way to view God’s Word is as a love letter to you from your Father. I came across a compilation of Scripture passages (some of which are paraphrased) years ago entitled “A Letter from Your Dad.”  I don’t know the who put this together, but I thought it was well done and worth sharing on this Father’s Day.

My Child,

Before I formed you in your mother’s womb, I knew you. When you were woven together in the depths of the earth, My eyes saw your unformed body. I created your inmost being; I knit you together in your mother’s womb. You are fearfully and wonderfully made, and you are created in My image.

I did this so that you would reach out for Me and find Me, for you are not far from Me.  When you seek Me with all your heart, you will find Me!

In me you live and move and have your being. You are My child! All the days ordained for you were written in My book. I know the number of hairs on your head!

You have relied on Me since your birth and you can rely on Me forever. Do not fear, I am with you. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

If earthly fathers know how to give good gifts to their children, how much more will I, your heavenly Father, give good gifts to My children? I lavish my love on you! Every good and perfect gift comes from above, coming down from Your Father of Lights. I do not change like the shifting shadows. I have no turning. I am the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

I long to give you the desires of your heart. I know the plans I have for you! Plans to prosper you and not to harm you; plans to give you hope and a future. I can do immeasurably more for you than you can even ask or imagine.

I carry you like a lamb close to my heart. I am closest to the brokenhearted and those who are crushed in spirit.

Nothing can separate you from My love, the love I have given to you in my Son, Jesus. Neither life, nor death, nor angels, nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth nor anything else in all creation can separate us!

Come home to me. Come home! For I rejoice more over one sinner who comes home than over ninety-nine righteous people! Come home and I shall throw a big party!

I will live with you. I will be your God and you will be my child. I will wipe every tear from your eye. There will be no more mourning or crying or pain.

I love you with an everlasting love,

Your Dad

(Or if you prefer, Your Heavenly Father)

My friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

During the government mandated lockdown for Covid 19, our congregation did not meet together for worship for two months. During that time, I started posting online video devotions for the members of my congregation. I continued those videos right up until I retired in August of 2020 because so many people did not return to worship services right away. Some days Cheryl would sing a song with me. I was looking back through those vidoes this week and decided to share one with you for today’s devotional thought.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=966giZHnAbM

An old mule was stumbling around the farm on which he lived and fell into an abandoned well. It started braying, and the farmer heard it. He went to investigate and soon saw the dilemma. He wasn’t sure what to do. He sympathized with the old mule, but had no idea how to get it out of that well. He concluded that neither the mule nor the well were worth saving. He decided to simply bury the mule and put it out of its misery.

He gathered up a bunch of dirt and started throwing it into the well a shovel full at a time.  The old mule didn’t like this and started getting hysterical. But as each load of dirt landed on it, the mule shook it off, pull its feet up and stomp on the dirt. And it just kept doing that: shake it off, step us and stomp on the dirt, packing it down. The mule just kept on doing it, no matter how painful or distressing it was, shake it off, step up and stomp it down. The mule fought to urge to panic and concentrated on shaking it off, stepping up and stomping it down beneath its feet.  After a while, although the old mule was battered and exhausted, it was able to step over the wall of the well and escape. What seemed like it would bury it alive was actually a blessing. What made the difference was the way that mule handled the adversity.

Sometimes what this world throws at you can get you down. You feel like you are getting dumped on over and over and over again. A loved one battling addiction. Financial concerns. Kids living outside of God’s plan for their lives. Loneliness. Being taken in by a scam artist.  Rioting in the streets against the government. It just keeps coming.

Remember this: The Lord is going to come back when He is ready. When know He is coming back again because He told us He would.

John 14:1–3 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

Between now and then, as things are dumped on us, you and I just need to shake it off, step up and stomp it down. We have a promise. Not only did Jesus tell us He would come back, but our God also said this:

Hebrews 13:5 “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

That gives us the strength to shake it off, step up, stomp it down and keep on going.

Father, thank you for the reminder that no matter what this world throws at us, you are still with us, right by our side. Help us to draw on the strength you provide, knowing that you love us, that you have given us a Savior, that our sins are forgiven for His sake, and that being in your presence forever is our future. May that certainty we have for Jesus’ sake motivate us to shake things off, stomp them down and keep on going. Amen.

In our world people turn to various guides to find their way through life. Some try materialism: more money, more power, more pleasure. They end up feeling abandoned, empty, afraid and lost. You have probably seen those feelings firsthand. Anyone who has dropped their child off for the first time at Day Care, Summer Camp, the first day of School or even a Sunday School class have seen that fear in the eyes of their child. “Have I been abandoned?” the little one thinks as he or she tries to run after mom or dad.

And these feelings are not limited to children. They are felt just as strongly by those who see their marriages fall apart. People who have lived 50 years in one house suddenly find themselves in a nursing home. A person who has never been seriously ill learns he is dying of cancer. The loss of a spouse can be devastating. People feel abandoned, empty, afraid and lost. To whom do they turn for a counselor?

This past Sunday we celebrated Pentecost, when Jesus sent us the counselor we need.

John 15:26-27, 16:4b-11 “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.  … I did not tell you this at first because I was with you. “Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, `Where are you going?’ Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

This comes from the last discourse Jesus gave to His disciples on Maundy Thursday. This Counselor Jesus promises does not try to glorify material success. Nor does He offer counsel that simply tells you what you want to hear. Instead, this Counselor, the Holy Spirit, comes with a special mission. That mission is to convict or rebuke the world in three areas: sin, righteousness and judgment. You may not feel like you need to be rebuked if you already feel abandoned, empty, lost and afraid. But that is exactly what you do need as sinful, fallen creatures. The Holy Spirit is sent to help you see your sins. He shows you that any righteousness that comes from you is not enough. He lets you see the judgment that is coming because of your sin. He wants you to see that the mindset of this world is in reality the mindset of deadly sin.

The reason the Spirit rebukes you is to lead you, to guide you to believe in Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins. His guidance tells you that Jesus took care of your deserved penalty by His death. His guidance reminds you that Jesus conquered death through His Resurrection.

Perhaps the best thing about the Counselor Jesus sends is that He is your Guidance Counselor for life. He doesn’t just take you so far and then leave you on our own. He came to guide you through your entire life. He has promised to work through the Word, Baptism and Holy Communion. And you probably know that this Counselor also comes to you through friends, neighbors, pastors, but most of all, through the Word.

On Pentecost, we celebrate the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise to send this Guidance Counselor. When He came to those first disciples, they could not stop sharing their faith in Jesus. He gives a mindset that is not of this world, a message that this world desperately needs to hear. God has not abandoned you. You have an Advocate. You have a Counselor. You have a Comforter. With the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you need not fear. You are now right with the Lord. Through faith in Jesus, you are His forgiven, redeemed and restored children. And He will always be with you.

Another baseball season is well underway. I hope to go to watch the Texas Rangers at least once this season. Cheryl and I enjoy to  whole experience of going to the Ball Park.

Several years ago I came across an article entitled “GOD’S FAVORITE PLAY” by Phil Tuttle. His thirteen-year-old son’s baseball team traveled to a tournament and asked him to give “a biblical-but-not-too-churchy message” to the team on Sunday morning before their afternoon game.

When Sunday morning came, every ballplayer, parent, and sibling who made the trip was there. The boys were all in uniform, seated in the front, thinking of the clutch hits, well-timed stolen bases, and incredible catches they would soon make. They had big, heroic dreams. Mr. Tuttle knew they were all thinking about baseball, so he asked them: “What is God’s favorite play?”

The response was silence. No one had an answer, so he suggested: “I think God’s favorite play would have to be the bunt.”

“Cause it’s not being selfish,” one of the boys suggested.

“True, but I think there’s more to it than that. What do we call it when someone bunts?”

“A sacrifice.”

“Right, a sacrifice. And look at the language we use for it. You can ‘lay down’ a bunt, and you can ‘give yourself up’ for the team. The reason the bunt is probably God’s favorite play is because that’s exactly what Jesus did for us. He laid Himself down and He gave Himself up. John 15:13 tell us, ‘Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.’ Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice.”

He looked at one of the boys whose reputation for avoiding bunts had become a humorous part of team lore. “Why do you hate them so much?”

“It’s a wimpy thing to do,” he said.

“That’s what most people think. It makes us look weak. It goes against our nature. It is not easy to sacrifice yourself. Even Jesus tried to shake off the bunt sign the night before He was crucified: “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me” (Matthew 26:39). But what did He do in the end? He did what was best for the team.”

Then Mr. Tuttle tried to bring the point home – literally. “What is the ultimate goal of a bunt?”

“To move the runner,” several said in unison.

“Really? What good does it do to just move a runner? What’s the real goal?”

“To get him home.”

“That’s right. And to get him home how?”

“Safely,” they answered. It was starting to sink in. “One last question. What’s the worst thing that can happen if you’re the one who makes the sacrifice?”

“That the idiot on third base doesn’t move,” said one.

And that was the lesson he wanted to share. The sacrifice of Jesus has already been made. That opens the door for everyone to make it home safely. But too many don’t. Some stay on third base because they do not know about the sacrifice. Others don’t move because they don’t believe it is true. Only the ones who believe the sacrifice was for them make it home safely.

If you put your faith in Jesus, you will be one of them.

I love to fish. Cheryl and I have gone out with a fishing guide on Lake Texoma several times and caught a bunch of stripers. We also love to go out on our boat and try to do the same. I like to fish down on the Gulf Coast. Sometimes I go out on a boat in the Laguna Madre, other times I just stand in the surf and cast out into the waves. I like to fish in the little streams up in Colorado.

Growing up, my dad didn’t take us fishing much. I remember one time when I was little, he took us fishing on the coast. He was trying to teach me how to cast. I didn’t listen very well and ended up hooking him in the back. Ouch!

When I got a little older, I started fishing in the ponds on a golf course near our house. Sometimes I’d catch a catfish, but mostly Blue Gills. While I was on vicarage, a member of the congregation is was serving in Las Vegas took Cheryl and I fishing out on Lake Mead. When I moved to my first parish in Watonga, Oklahoma, several of the farmers would let me fish in their stock tanks.

But my love of fishing really set in when I moved back to Texas to serve Grace, Denison. A member of the congregation took me fishing as often as I would go with him. He taught me much of what I know about fishing. Let me rephrase that. He taught me most of what I know about catching. I’ve been fishing most of my life, but not always with a lot of success in the catching department.

One of the important things I have learned is that you will not catch anything if you are not out there fishing. And I don’t do it often enough!

On most days the fishing is fantastic. The catching may not always be, but I enjoy being out there trying. And I’ve learned to have that attitude when I go fishing. You may have heard the phrase, “A bad day fishing is better than a good day at the office.” I would beg to differ. I prefer to think there are no bad days fishing. I enjoy the opportunity to be out on the lake, usually with a good friend, taking in the beauty of creation, searching for the combination of the right lure and the right spot, talking with my friend, talking with God, and sometimes just doing nothing other than relaxing and enjoying the moment.

Maybe these thoughts can help shape our attitude about being fishers of men, too. You may mess up sometimes, but you still need to be out there fishing. Your labor will not be in vain.

Matthew 4:19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”

Four old widows got together every Tuesday afternoon to play bridge. At one of these meetings, Agnes announced to the other three that she was getting married. Naturally, they wanted to know all about him, but they were even more curious as to why she was getting married at her advanced age. So they started with the questions.

One suggested, “He must be rich!” to which Agnes replied, “No, he gets a Social Security check just like me.”

Another suggested, “He must be good looking!” to which Agnes replied, “He’s nothing special to look at. Bald, a little overweight.”

The third said, “He must treat you good!” Agnes said, “He treats me okay, but nothing special.”

They couldn’t stand it any longer, so one of them finally said, “Agnes, if he isn’t rich or good looking and he doesn’t treat you good, why in the world are you marrying this fellow?” Agnes smiled and said, “He still sees good enough to drive after dark!”

People have different ideas about aging gracefully. I don’t know how good of a job I’m doing at it, but I’m trying. I try not to complain about the physical failings that I have, but it is difficult not to talk about them in a group of people my age who are going through the same things.

I try to accentuate the positive, remember my blessings, and enjoy the stage of life in which I find myself. I believe God still has a purpose for me being here on this earth before He takes me to Himself. So how can I age gracefully, in a God-pleasing way?

When I think about that, I try to consider what God has said about it in His Word. Here a few of the passages you might want to consider.

If you are having trouble with your kids, regardless of their age, ponder this passage. Cheryl and I both still have our mothers with us in this side of heaven, so this speaks loudly to us.

Proverbs 23:22 Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.

We need to remember to treat our parents the way we want to be treated.

Some passages might “step on your toes” a bit. While the Bible often associates older women with blessings, that is not always the case.

1 Timothy 4:7 Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly.

As people age, one of their big fears is abandonment, and that is addressed in Scripture, too.

Psalm 71:9 Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone…18 Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come.

The blessings of a long life are spoken of in many places, too, like this one:

Genesis 25:8 Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years;

The way for all people to age gracefully is to look to and listen to the one who is the expression of God’s Grace, the one who is God’s promise made flesh, the one who took your sins on Himself and paid the price of His life so that you can be forgiven. Faith and confidence in Him assures you that you are in God’s hands, safe and secure. And when you die, whether it be at a good, old age or sometime before that, you will be with your Redeemer for all eternity.

Young or old, the way to live every day of your life is remembering that you have God’s grace, His undeserved love, which assures you of your forgiveness and salvation.

The Gettysburg Address is famously brief, consisting of 272 words and delivered in just over two minutes. It is made up of ten sentences and three paragraphs. Edward Everett also delivered a speech that day at the same event. He spoke for two hours. Which speech is still remembered and recited today?

Proclamations and messages do not have to be verbose to be powerful and effective. Look at Psalm 117.

Psalm 117 Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord.

That is the entire Psalm. Brief yet powerful and easy to remember. By the way, that last phrase in Hebrew is “Hallelu Yah.”  We should indeed Praise the Lord for the tremendous love He has shown us in sending Jesus to be our Savior.

The prophet Micah spoke of what Jesus would do for us in another short and mighty passage:

Micah 7:18–19 Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.

God’s anger over our sin was appeased by Jesus. He truly has compassion on us and no longer counts our trespasses against us when we put our faith in Jesus.