Count

Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. You turn us back to dust, and say, “Turn back, you mortals.” For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past, or like a watch in the night. You sweep them away; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning; in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers. For we are consumed by your anger; by your wrath we are overwhelmed. You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your countenance. For all our days pass away under your wrath; our years come to an end like a sigh. The days of our life are seventy years, or perhaps eighty, if we are strong; even then their span is only toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away. Who considers the power of your anger? Your wrath is as great as the fear that is due you. So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart. (Psalm 90:1-12, NRSV)

We are dust and to dust we shall all return!

Our days are numbered. Iron Maiden spoke the one thing we can all rely on “Once you are born you are dying!” We will all die and there is nothing we can do to escape the physical death. Unless of course Jesus comes back before then and the Kingdom of God comes in its fulness.

We will all die.

But this prayer of Moses is one we can all pray. That we would have the wisdom to count each day and the gift that it is, and not worry about our future, for that is secured in Jesus Christ, but to focus our energy on today and make it count for God!

So make this day count. And live your life in service of the Lord!

messenger

In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was a descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. Both of them were righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord. But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were getting on in years. Once when he was serving as priest before God and his section was on duty, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and offer incense. Now at the time of the incense offering, the whole assembly of the people was praying outside. Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified; and fear overwhelmed him. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink; even before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” (Luke 1:5-17, NRSV)

Zechariah was chosen by lot to go into the Holy of Holies to light incense at the altar. This was a high honor.

And as he was in there an angel, a messenger appeared to him and told him his prayers have been answered, you will have a son.

You will name him John and he will be filled withe the Holy Spirit.

Now what would you do if this happened?

How do people react to you when you are the messenger?

Yes that’s right, you are a messenger of God.

You take His word to the world. And when you speak of God to the world, do they look at you like you have six heads and 12 hands?

Maybe we should say to the world before we speak of God, what angels seem to say to all they deliver a message to in the Bible, “Do not be afraid…”

Why did the messengers of God say this before their messages?

Maybe because what they were going to say was a bit scary… Or maybe because their appearance was a little scary. In that they looked different, or in that they shouldn’t be where they are.

And as those who take His message to the world, we sometimes look different, and seem out-of-place.

But know as His messenger that He is always with you! So go and boldly share his love and mercy with all!

His image…

See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the LORD in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years. (Malachi 3:1-4, NRSV)

This is one of my favorite verses!

God will purify us in a fire and refine us like gold and silver.

God is going to put us in the fire and heat us up and get all the impurities out of us.

It sounds hot and not very much fun.

But the fun comes in the process with which we will be refined, like silver!

And in order to refine silver, the one refining has to sit and watch it all time. You can not remove it too soon, or allow it to sit in the fire too long, either will not make the silver the best it can be.

And how does the refiner know when the silver is done? When they can see their reflection in the silver!

God knows you are refined and ready when He can see His reflection in you!

So Take the heat, for God is making you just like Him!

level

Trust in the LORD forever, for in the LORD GOD you have an everlasting rock. For he has brought low the inhabitants of the height; the lofty city he lays low. He lays it low to the ground, casts it to the dust. The foot tramples it, the feet of the poor, the steps of the needy. The way of the righteous is level; O Just One, you make smooth the path of the righteous. In the path of your judgments, O LORD, we wait for you; your name and your renown are the soul’s desire. My soul yearns for you in the night, my spirit within me earnestly seeks you. For when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness. (Isaiah 26:4-9, NRSV)

Have you ever dealt with a counter or a desk that wasn’t level?

It is horrible! nothing stays in the place you set it, because it all seeks the place of no motion…

And our lives can be out of synch, or rough.

But the way of righteousness is level. And if we can trust in God and follow where He is leading us and do what He has commanded, our lives will be level.

And while this does not mea we will not have problems or issues or complete smooth sailing, we know that God will be with us to help us maintain balance in the waves of life!

The beginning…

The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’” John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” (Mark 1:1-8, NRSV)

Here we see the story of John the Baptist, one who was sent to prepare the way of the Lord. To help the people prepare for the coming Messiah.

But if all we come away with here is a weird guy wearing camel hides and eating bugs was shouting at people, I think we have misses the boat, or the point…

The gospel of Mark ends with the woman running from the empty tomb, “So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.” (Mark 16:8) Not a really good ending to the story, but it actually isn’t the end…

You see Mark gives us the beginning. The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ! And today you continue the story!

We are still writing the story of the good news of Jesus Christ by living our lives as the beacon of hope and spreading His love!