“Psalm 23 teaches us to embrace the immensity of the adventure that takes us home. David has been there. He knows. He’s learned the twists and pitfalls, the sunny trails and the dangerous cliff edges. He knows where the forks are and the spacious green fields. He’s painted us a picture in this stanza. He’s set a table in the wilderness for us and invited us to hear his adventures by a roaring campfire…
“I’m not home yet. But I’m closer than I was 35 years ago when my dad read me this psalm that calmed my terror-stricken heart back then. Wild dogs were snarling at me from that dark valley of death but goodness and mercy were there all along, leading me home.
Every mile, every trial, every cross, every loss, Every step, every stop, All has been mercy and grace.
Through every danger, toil, and snare Mercy and grace has followed close beside, nipping at my heels.“
I could as easily have called this message “Dad and Me and Psalm 23” because the two are so intimately entwined in my life. You’ll see why.
What you’ll hear today is from a recent sermon I shared with the wonderful people of West Huntsville Baptist Church* back in late May. Ipray it’s a blessing and encouragement to you…and that the calming grace of our Shepherd God will lay a blanket over yoursoul.
As always, thank you for listening – and by all means, please share this podcast episode with others who might need the Lord’s comfort as well.
* I absolutely LOVE these people! My wife and I had our very first date on their campus wayyyy back in 1982 – just 4 months after my life-altering, life-bettering ‘accident’ (go to the “My Story” page)! Then youth pastor Pastor Scott (whose wife’s name is also Sandra) invited me to share my very new-to-me story at their fellowship’s Valentine Banquet, so I took my future sweetheart along for the occasion. Scott has been one of my life’s most important encouragers. So, what you’ll hear today is us being with our faith family of three decades…
In this new economy, we have the hope of our physical resurrection from this earth and translation to glory – in glorified bodies – to our forever homeland.
Amen.
Indeed, that is our “Sunday, one day” reality…but we don’t much feel like we’re people of resurrection in today’s culture…and from a slowly-turning calendar.
The calendar tells us it’s (still, ‘somewhat’) Friday for us.
Gethsemane ever goads us to Golgotha.
Waiting with the Lord one hour is our struggle too.
To forgive our tormentors is our mandate.
We’re surrounded by our own “bulls of Bashan.”
A secularized culture taunts our discipleship.
We’re saddled with a whole earth that “lies in the power of the evil one” (1Jn 5:19)
Injustice is everywhere.
Darkness covers our earth.
The bread of adversity and water of affliction (Isa 30:20) is our communion.
What, then, is our play?
How do we make it to Sunday?
How do we BE a people of Sunday?
In today’s podcast* (#25), the first of a two-parter I got to preach to my former congregation, we’ll try to navigate through this dilemma with five practical and hopeful revelations from John 19:24-27.
Join me, won’t you?
* I apologize as the quality of the recording is lacking…but the message is so important! Thank you for sticking through!!!
