God Is Here

2 Corinthians 1:3-5 

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 

What burden is weighing heavy on your shoulders tonight? What turmoil did you leave at home? What worries do you face tomorrow?

God has not promised us an easy road. Trials are inevitable. Pain is real and ever-present.

But, He offers comfort in our troubles.  Relief in our turmoil.  Stillness.  Peace.  Rest.

Psalm 46:10

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; 

I will be exalted among the nations, 

I will be exalted in the earth.”

So often I get caught up in my circumstances, in my worry, that I find myself spinning in a vicious cycle of stress and anxiety – moving faster and faster, trying to put all of the pieces back together, trying to fix, to solve, to move the mountain in front of me!


And I forget to sit in the stillness of my Creator. To listen to His comforting words of love, of peace. To allow the tranquility of the moment to speak to my soul.

God IS here. He wants to speak to the brokenness of your heart, to lift your heavy burden, to ease your pain. We just need to still our hearts and our minds, and listen. Whether it is here in our choir room, singing in the sanctuary, driving in our cars, or kneeling at home – He is here.

Isaiah 32:16-18 

The LORD’s justice will dwell in the desert, 

his righteousness live in the fertile field. 

The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; 

its effect will be quietness and confidence forever. 

My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, 

in secure homes, 

in undisturbed places of rest. 

In this moment, in this sanctuary, allow the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart. 

He is here.

Heartbeat

Who remembers the sermon at PFB on Palm Sunday 2003?  Erik participated in the speaking that day, as each of the pastoral staff took a turn sharing a part of the Easter story.  At the end of his message, he showed a video – a video announcing that we would be welcoming Baby Waage in October of that year.  The video showed the first ultrasound photo of our precious Claire, and our PFB family heard the beautiful, strong heartbeat that was confirmation of God’s miraculous work in our family.

I will never forget hearing that heartbeat for the first time. Joy, excitement, wonder, relief…so many emotions flooded my senses. Those beautiful whooshing sounds gave me hope that my dream of motherhood would finally be fulfilled.

2000 years ago, into a world desperate for hope, came the most precious baby whose heartbeat meant not just the physical life of a great teacher, but everlasting life for those who proclaim Him as LORD.

Isaiah 42:1-4 foretells this great hope: 

Look at my servant, whom I strengthen.

He is my chosen one, who pleases me.

I have put my Spirit upon him.

He will bring justice to the nations.

He will not shout

or raise his voice in public.

He will not crush the weakest reed

or put out a flickering candle.

He will bring justice to all who have been wronged.

He will not falter or lose heart

until justice prevails throughout the earth.

And his name will be the hope of all the world.

1 Peter 1:3 speaks of the hope that we have as believers: 

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! 

In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…

Titus 2:13 talks about our hope for the future:

…while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ…

Hope. We rejoice in its blessed promise for our lives both now and for eternity.  And we live in a world that is still desperate to hear that special heartbeat that can offer hope for the future.  What a gift we have to offer our neighbors, our friends, our families.  May we earnestly seek God’s leading to share His heartbeat – the promise of salvation – with a hurting world.

Jerusalem

Email to the choir from Bob and Barbara Stollmeyer:


The anthem for tomorrow, Jerusalem, speaks forcibly through its lyrics regarding the city of Jerusalem.

I want to rest on the banks of your river, in that city, city of God.

This is one of our favorite songs, and we'll be watching on streaming!


Jerusalem is the capital city of Israel; it is also the center point of our historical beginnings as Christians.  Jerusalem's heritage with God's nation of Israel spans a timeline of thousands of years.  Jerusalem, the song, reminds us to look again at the prophesies surrounding that wonderful city that God has sustained over these many years.



Thank you, Bob and Barbara for these thoughts about the beautiful city of Jerusalem!