Episode 43: 6/1/09

Readings:

Psalm 107:1-32
Ezekiel 34:17-31
Hebrews 8:1-13
Luke 10:38-42

Sermon:

“O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south. They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them. Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses. And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation. Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!”
Psalm 107:1-8

Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.

Life, amidst this world, is hardly an easy experience at times…

For the children of Israel this was no exception. They wandered… nomadic, with no home to call their own, they wandered through the desert, the tent their shelter, their possessions whatever they could carry with them. Even when they had found for themselves a land that seemed to welcome them in, it was not long before the generations passed and the lives of their fathers were forgotten. Under the task masters' whip they found themselves, beaten and wounded, used as slaves to build the cities for the honor of Pharaoh.

Finally delivered from the hands of that cruel fate, once more they would find themselves wandering. Forty years in the desert, the wind and the sand beating against them, the fear of hunger and starvation, thirst and dehydration weighing on them.

Why? “Why Moses would God lead us to the desert to die? Were there not enough graves in Egypt?” They would ask of the Prophet as all the troubles they could imagine gripped their souls and they found themselves more than willing to trade their bodies and their spirits to their Egyptian masters for water in a vase and a roof over their head, forgetting the whip and believing no fate could be crueler than the one they found themselves now amidst.

Yet each story… each journey embarked upon, it represents a journey into God’s great love for His children. For even though they found themselves amidst pain and sorrow, trial and challenge, even though they dwelt amidst distress and despair there the Lord was with them, offering unto them deliverance, guiding them and protect them each and every step of the way. Though they felt they had nothing and though they struggled with everything God would not fail them, He would not abandon them or forsake them. His mercy, His compassion, His love would shelter them, lighting a fire that would guide them throughout the paths of this world, redeeming them, rescuing them, liberating them from the forces in this world and of this world that would seek to bind them.

Though they would not always understand the road ahead it would not stop God from leading them throughout the rocky path of this world to those places of rest and comfort that they so yearned for. Ever present His hand would move in mysterious ways that perhaps they could not comprehend but that offered unto them salvation and redemption.

Throughout our world today, there is little doubt that we still need God’s deliverance….

We see wickedness and transgressions all around us, we see evil men working their evil ways to oppress and subjugate their fellow man, we see the iniquity of the unjust as they seek to rob their neighbor of peace and comfort, ripping them from their homes and their families. Hostages are taken, human flesh is trafficked, slaves are bought and sold as if they were nothing more than cattle, as flesh is bartered and traded for.

At home we see the poor and the disenfranchised, the hurt and the suffering, who want to believe in the greater promises of this land but somehow feel as if they were left behind by the inevitable march of progress. Unemployment rises, poverty rises and human dignity decreases as we see the working mother who has to decide between dinner and shelter, or the family living out of its car trying to find work, or the old veteran who sacrificed his youth and his innocence fighting for our freedom now sleeping on the street corner.

We know people who suffer with mental illness, with sickness and disease as they feel the pain and the distress encompass their lives, as the hurt and the longing for peace seems to creep from their souls to their eyes. Anguish and sorrow, agony and torment rob them of the solace and the comfort that they so seek as peace seems so elusive to them.

And here… here… we are hit with that same inevitable truth that every generation through the course of human history is hit with, we need a God of Deliverance.

Yet, in trust, in faith, we have it. We have a God who understands the needs of His children and who works to heal the broken, wounded places in their soul, a God who gives unto the world mercy and compassion, understanding and wisdom. He works through us, by the power of His Holy Spirit that our hearts may be open to helping the poor and the downtrodden, the sick and the needy, He works through the forces in this world to bring justice to the oppressed and slave. Ever present, ever vigilant He stands by His Children, lifting them, carrying them, offering His peace through it all, strengthening their spirits by His Holy name.

Just because we cannot always see God’s hand at work does not mean it is not there. The Children of Israel would abandon God, believing He was far from them, to their false idols and graven images as soon as the road became tough or the challenges seemed too great. Yet He was always there, He was always beside them, leading them and guiding them, delivering them when they needed Him the most, even when their eyes were so turned from Him that they could no longer see Him there with them.

So too is it with us. He lights His flaming pillar to guide us through the deserts of this world to the promised land of our salvation, though we wander He guides us each and every step of the way in each and every step that we take if we just open our eyes to see His divine plan and His perfect ways.

Trust therefore in the Lord and search for His wisdom knowing that He is a God of deliverance, turn your life to Him that He may use you as an instrument of His divine will to help your fellow man, to be a blessing unto him or her in all of their troubles and needs, and seek the Lord in all the challenges that you face, knowing that He is forever with you throughout the trials of this world.

Lord, grant this unto us all.

Now may the peace of the Lord that transcends all human understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus even unto life everlasting, Amen.