Readings for the Day:
Sermon:
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In the Psalm this morning, we heard that "he who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, abides under the shadow of the Almighty", and that to one such as this, the Lord will be "my refuge and my stronghold".
Today's Psalm seems very appropriate as we prepare to bless Christopher Commons. Dwelling place, God's protection, these are the things we deal with today.
We bless things in this world, even seemingly ordinary things, in order to set them apart for God's use and purpose. Blessing is a reminder that God is always there and is a part of every single fabric of our lives.
It's a reminder that God is always there for us. It's a reminder that God will protect us, even when we are in the midst of the worst possible things. God is there to give us love and return us to our true dwelling place with Him, just as the story of Lazarus reminds us this morning.
When we set aside the things of our life for the Lord, we know that in the end everything will be okay, even if it takes time and hardship for everything to get to be okay. When God is our center, our lives will be well ordered. God will be present, even when it doesn't feel like it. God will make the journey with us, even when we don't always see Him there. God is listening even when we aren't paying attention.
When we have God's refuge in our shelter and stronghold, we are called to respond as the Psalm states. We are called to answer the call of the Lord and to satisfy God's will, to show Him our salvation even.
My hope is that we will respond this way, that we will keep looking for ways to use Christopher Commons in a way that will help serve this church and our mission to make the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ known throughout the world. My hope is that we will never stop looking for ways to give gratitude to the Lord.
Please join me in setting aside this house to receive God's blessing. Please join me in giving thanks for God's favor upon this house, upon us, and upon all that we do for our Lord. Please join me in striving continually to serve our Lord Jesus Christ and to bring all creation back to Him in love and grace.