Saturday  August 23rd 2008

 Amusing Grace

 “For the heavy-handed, every day is evil.  For the lighthearted, life is a feast…  A merry heart is excellent medicine but a sullen spirit dries up the bones.” (Proverbs 15:15, and 17:22)

       Given the mood of our nation these days, I thought it appropriate to consider this text.  We do not normally turn to the Bible for humor and laughter and modern readers of the scripture tend to miss the “dry wit” of our Hebrew forbearers.

       An example early in the Bible, the book of Genesis, has God asking Adam, “Where Are You?”  If we know God as all-knowing, all-seeing, this can be a very funny text.  Especially so if we recall our days as a father or mother to our children – we know exactly where they are and what they are doing, but we play the role of knowing Confessor.

       Take another example, the Old Testament story of Jonah.  The scriptures point out that he was a pious bigot and his stuffy, self-righteous rage got him into a lot of trouble when it came to doing God’s will.  His bizarre misfortunes of spending time in a whale’s belly and feeling sullen over Ninevah’s repentance was a comical, but pointed example to the ancient Hebrews as to how much conceit can place us in a very ponderous situation!

       But, modern western Christians tend to read this passage with no eye for the humor in it.  So the impression one can get from scripture is that the matter of religion and faith is a thoroughly joyless experience.

       Jesus and his followers were not like that.  Even though there is no written records of any time where Jesus and the disciples “laughed themselves sick” over some incongruity or gag or prank, I am certain it must have been a part of all those weeks and months they spent together.

       Just as it is said in the Book of Proverbs: “There is health to be found in light heartedness and that sullen, ponderous, heavyheartedness is deadly to the human spirit.”   Had Jesus and his disciples not found any humor in life, people would have avoided them, not flocked to them.

       Do you see?  The ability to laugh at one’s own quirks or encumbrances or weaknesses or failings is not only entertaining – but according to the Bible – it is good for the soul.

       There are many delightful stories about persons having developed this quality.  W.C. Fields the comedian, for example, on the day he died, opened his eyes for the last time to discover his attorney standing next to one side of his bed and a minister standing on the other side.  He used some of his last energy and breath to quip, “Here I die like Jesus, between two thieves.”  That’s keeping a sense of play to the comic spirit right to the very end.

       In that spirit, let’s look at the word ”celebration”.  The dictionary implies the word – found throughout the Old Testament – is the marking of an occasion or event, especially a joyous one, with ceremony or festivities.  It also suggests celebrate is to have a convivial good time.

       Obviously, not all humor and laughter is uplifting or creative or beneficial.  Sometimes people laugh to ridicule or giggle to humiliate.  But still, certainly humor has its place in life.  So, in the midst of life’s circumstances, let us be sure to keep an eye out for what is comic in our living and struggling together. For it is just as our scripture says, “For the heavy hearted, every day is evil, while for the light hearted, life is a feast…  A merry heart is excellent medicine, but a sullen spirit dries up the bones.”

 Sincerely,
Craig,  Associate Pastor

Saturday August 30^th. 2008

 God’s Prescription For
Dark Valleys

 “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with my. Thy rod and thy staff comfort me” (Psalm 23:4)

             There is an Arabian saying; “All sunshine and no rain makes a desert.” If you never have down times, dark times, or gloomy times in life – you will soon dry up like a desert. You will have no depth and no maturity. It takes the good times and bad times to make a mature person. Life is a mixture of pain and pleasure, of victory and defeat, of success and failure, of mountain tops and valleys. Today’s scripture reading reminds us that God has a prescription for the dark valleys.

             “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death – I will fear no evil for Thou art with me. Thy rod and they staff comfort me.”

             In Israel there is a real Valley of the Shadow of Death. It’s a step, deep, and narrow canyon. The sun only hits the bottom of this valley at high noon when it is directly overhead. The rest of the time the bottom of this canyon is dark. David probably led his sheep though this valley when he was a shepherd.

             As you look in the Bible, the term “valley” referred to all kinds of rough times in life:

 -         Joshua talked about the Valley of Calamity.

 -         Psalm 84 talks of the Valley of Weeping.

 -         Hosea talks about the Valley of Trouble.

 How, then, do we cope with the dark valleys of life? There are five facts that I know about valleys:

 (1)   Valleys are inevitable – they are going to happen sooner or later. You can count on them.

(2)   Valleys are unpredictable – they are usually unexpected. You usually don’t plan them, schedule them, or time them.

(3)   Valleys are impartial – no one is insulated from pain or sorrow. No one get’s to skate through life problem-free.

(4)   Valleys are temporary – they have and end to them. They don’t last forever.

(5)   Valleys are purposeful – God has a reason for taking you through the dark valleys. Whether it’s doubt, depression, despair or defeat – God has a reason behind it.

 Once we come to term with these truths – we can learn from God’s word what we can do with our valleys. David said, “I will fear no evil.” He said, “I will walk with the Shepherd through my valleys.” In essence David is saying, “I will not fear evil. I will  walk calmly.” On our own, we will be afraid, we will wander, and we will get lost. Human energy will run out. We will become discouraged. But with the Lord as our Shepherd, guiding us through our valleys – we will be strengthened from it. We will not fall apart and we will be strengthened through it. We must simply keep our eye on Jesus, the Good Shepherd, He is our Source that will get us through it. The Good Shepherd is our true Source of strength.    

 Sincerely,
Peter G. St.Don

What to do in dark valleys: 

1. Refuse to give in to discouragement

Remember: You can’t go around the valley. You can’t go under the valley. You can’t go over the valley. You can only go through the valley – choose to look at the Shepherd as he guides you through the valley.

 “I will fear no evil.”

 “God will strengthen you with his own great power so that you will not give up when troubles come, but you will be patient” (Colossians 1:11). 

2. Believe that God is with me

 Remember: It’s the valleys of life that bring us face to face with God – He becomes real and God says, “I am with you.”

 “For thou art with me.”

 “When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up – the flames will not consume you” (Isaiah 34:19). 

3. Rely on God’s protection and guidance

 Remember: The shepherd’s rod is today’s gun – when you are discouraged and fighting for your life God is also fighting for you. The shepherd’s staff was a long stick with a crook at the end of it – the staff was used to lift the sheep up or gently nudge and comfort the sheep in the right direction.

Sincerely,
Peter G. St. Don