A Mighty Fortress

“God is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble. Therefore we will not fear...”(Psalm 46:1-2a)

Scotland has castles. A lot of them. Everywhere you look, there's another castle.

In my mind, the most impressive castle in Scotland is Edinburgh Castle. Dominating the skyline of Edinburgh, Scotland, the Castle is set upon a hill above the rest of the city. The hill itself is intimidating—steep, rocky, inaccessible. The stone walls surrounding the Castle, and its stark profile that can be viewed from all directions, give the impression of impregnability. There has been a royal castle on the Castle Rock since the 12^th century; St. Margaret's chapel, which is part of the castle complex, also dates to the 12^th century and is the oldest building in Edinburgh. Through the centuries there have been more than 25 sieges of the castle, making it one of the most attacked places in history. Today it stands as a reminder of the storied history of Edinburgh and the Scottish spirit.

When Carol and I were in Edinburgh, we rented an apartment just beneath the castle, and woke up to this view every morning:

The Edinburgh Castle makes me think of the 46^th Psalm: God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea... (Psalm 46:1-2)

The world can be a pretty harsh place. We live in a climate of fear—fear of terrorism, fear of war, fear that the bad guys are going to win. In this kind of adversarial world, we need to hear a word of promise and hope: God is our refuge and strength, always there to help us in times of trouble.

You see, our faith in God is not in vain. We may feel like life is attacking us from all sides, but when our security is based on our relationship with God, then we will endure. The apostle Paul affirms this when he says, “If God is for us, who can be against us?... For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:31, 38-39)

We will face trials. There will be times when things go against us. We need Someone to whom we can turn, Someone who will offer us refuge.

Martin Luther suffered greatly as a result of his debates with the church. He was pursued by the authorities. He was persecuted for his position on salvation by grace through faith. It is said that when he found himself under intense pressure, he would say to his companion in the Protestant rebellion, Philip Melanchthon, “Come, Philip, let us sing together the 46^th Psalm.” His love for that psalm became the basis for Luther's most famous hymn: A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.

“A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing. Our helper he, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing.”

I can't help but think that when Martin Luther wrote that hymn, he had something like the Edinburgh Castle in mind is his image of the mighty fortress.

A mighty fortress is our God, indeed. God is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble.

When you face trials, where will you turn for strength and hope?  

A Dog's Faith

“Long, long ago God decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son.”
Ephesians 1:4-6, The Message

We have two dogs, Bella and Layla. Both are small (or small-ish) dogs. Bella is a Lord-only-knows-what-kind-of-dog: short stubby legs, a Dachshund-like body, black-and-white mottled coloring. We adopted her when someone in the neighborhood had to move and needed to find a home for her. Layla is mostly Rat Terrier; she was recently adopted into our family when her human developed brain cancer and could no longer care for her.

Shortly after we adopted Layla, we were forced to evacuate our home and “head for the hills” when Hurricane Matthew was approaching. Carol and I had already planned to be at a wedding in middle Tennessee that weekend. But now, instead of flying to Nashville for a fun weekend getaway, we were driving the 12 hour journey with two dogs.

Still, it was a great adventure—at least for Layla and Bella. They got to go with us everywhere (except the wedding, when we left them in the hotel room). They got to see the mountains along I-40. They got to see the parking lot behind the Cracker Barrel. They got to have a picnic by the river. They got to walk five miles along a beautiful greenway in Clarksville. They even got to go to a cave with us.

As long as they were with us, they were happy and in heaven.

As I write this devotion, violent thunderstorms are moving across the southeast United States, and some of them have come into our county. The thunder and lightning have heightened the anxiety of Bella and Layla. Their eyes seem to quadruple in size at the sound of thunder. And they are staying close to us. Very close.

We're going to have two dogs in bed with us tonight, for sure.

Bella and Layla never know what the day will bring. But as long as we're around, they seem ok.

I see an image of faith in all this. Our life in Christ is a journey. It begins when Christ adopts us as his own. Sheer grace, it is, that we become children of God. "God decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ," notes the apostle Paul. Then he adds this thought: "What pleasure God took in planning this." (Ephesians 1:5, The Message) 

When you think of it, life is also full of adventures. Some of them will be exciting and fun, while others will be fearsome. We never know what the day will bring, or where God will lead us. But we know God, and so we can rest confidently that as God has taken care of us to this point, so will God care for us tomorrow and every tomorrow after that.

And when we find ourselves in the midst of storms in life, we have One to whom we can come and cling in our fear and anxiety. We have One who has the power to calm the storm and take us safely home.

Thank God, that God has chosen to adopt us into his family! Thank God for the indescribable gift of entering into God's grace, and experiencing God's providential care and constant presence!

I hope and pray that I can look to the Lord with faith and love that equals the way our dogs trust and love us.

Waiting for the Morning

“My soul waits for the Lord...”Psalm 130:6

On one of my morning jogs around town, I came across a place at the top of the bay, with a solitary tree between the road and the shoreline. I registered that spot into my memory banks, thinking it would be a great place to catch a picture of the sun rising one day.

A month or so later I drove over to the spot, parked my car, and started to watch the horizon for the signs of sunrise. I positioned my tripod in a spot where the solitary tree would be off to the side of the picture, giving me a good frame.

After I had taken several pictures, I noticed that there seemed to be something that I hadn't seen earlier right at the base of one of the branches of the tree. I zoomed in with my camera, and I discovered that it was a hawk (watching the waterfront for breakfast, I presume). It sat there in the tree for several more minutes. With the hawk between me and the sun, the best I could hope for was a silhouette; I'm not disappointed, though.

When I look at that picture of the hawk scanning the horizon, my mind goes to the 130^th psalm. The psalmist is in a dark night of the soul; he feels all alone, and the world is against him. He realizes that his only hope is for God's mercy. So he confesses, “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than the watchman waits for the morning, more than the watchman waits for the morning.” (Ps. 130:5-6)

The psalm refers to the watchman, the sentry stationed on the wall watching for enemy advances in the dark of night. It is a terrifying and lonely job, and daylight couldn't arrive quick enough. When the sentries scan the horizon, they are not only watching for approaching enemies and danger; they are also watching for the sun to come up, so they can be relieved of their duty.

Their waiting for the morning is a deep longing of the heart.

Sometimes we find ourselves in times of darkness. We're frightened at the world around us. We're grieved at the loss of a loved one. We're anxious about the phone message from the doctor's office. We're heartbroken over a shattered relationship. We're _________________________ . You can surely fill in the blank, because each of us has had something that has cast us into darkness of spirit.

When those times of darkness come upon us, we long for the light. We want some sign that this darkness will not last forever. We want hope.

We find hope when we fix our hearts upon the Lord. God will turn our darkness into light. He will turn our mourning into joy. He will heal our broken hearts with his love.

Wait for the Lord, more than the watchman waits for the morning. More than the watchman waits for the morning.

Something else strikes me about this psalm. It is written from the darkness. The writer is in the darkness when he pens these words. It's not a wishy-washy faith that he expresses, but a faith forged in the darkness. And yet, even in the darkness, he is able not only to confess his own faith, but also to urge all of God's people to turn their hearts to the Lord:

“O Israel (in other words, O people of God), put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is steadfast love and with him is unfailing redemption.” (Psalm 130:7)

And so I don't offer you this hope lightly. I know that some of you reading this may very well be in the darkness right now. But I know that you are not alone in the darkness. And I know that as you hope in the Lord, and as your soul waits with the same longing as the sentry for the morning, then daylight will come.

Wait for the morning. It will come.

Because God is faithful. And God is love. And with God is unfailing redemption.

A New Creation

“Therefore, whoever is in Christ is a new creation; the old has gone, and the new has come.”2 Corinthians 5:17

One of the most photographed places in Edinburgh, Scotland, is Princes Street Gardens. It is a public park in the center (or as they say in Edinburgh, the centre) of the city, separating “Old Town” from “New Town.” Interesting fact: New Town isn't very new, as it dates to the 1760s.

Princes Street Gardens used to be a lake (or, as they say in Edinburgh, a loch), so the park itself is below street level, with the sides of the parks made of grassy slopes. The people of Edinburgh will flock to the Gardens at the first sign of sunshine. In the spring and summer, the Gardens are adorned with beautiful seasonal flowers, blooming shrubs, and trees. Along the Princes Street edge of the gardens, a number of monuments and statues can be found, the most prominent of which is the monument to Sir Walter Scott. Carol and I spent a lovely afternoon at the Gardens when we were in Edinburgh in 2016.

The Princes Street Gardens weren't always such a lovely place. As I mentioned, it used to be a man-made loch. It was also the place into which all the sewage from Old Town drained.

The place now known as Princes Street Gardens was once a stagnant cesspool of runoff rainwater and raw human sewage. But now it has been transformed into a place of beauty and joy for the people of Edinburgh. QUITE the transformation. Even a new creation, one might conclude.

Well, now, isn't that a coincidence: The Bible verse at the top of this devotion refers to new creations, doesn't it? “Whoever is in Christ is a new creation.”

Really, now, you don't think it's a coincidence, do you? Of course not.

In all seriousness, as amazing as the transformation of a place like Princes Street Gardens is – from an open sewer to one of the most beautiful parks in Britain – even that transformation pales in comparison to the transformation of our hearts when Jesus Christ takes up residence with us. Not that you and I are like a stagnant sewage pond before Christ (that's just gross); but in Christ, everything changes.

In Christ, despair is met with assurance that God is in control, and that God works all things for the good for those who love him.

In Christ, sin and failure and brokenness are met with forgiveness and second chances and healing.

In Christ, cynicism about the world is met with hope that the day is drawing near when God's kingdom will come, and God's will will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

In Christ, our rebellion is met with peace and reconciliation.

In Christ, we – you and I, and all who believe in him – are met by the love of God.

The truth is, Christ changes everything. Christ transforms everything.

Thanks be to God, who makes us new creations!

Distance Running

“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.”Hebrews 12:1-2

Me, while running.

In recent years I have become hooked on running. Mainly for fitness, and also for stress reduction. I try to run three times per week, as a matter of habit. I mostly use the treadmill at the Y (I like air conditioning!), but about once each week I will run around my neighborhood.

When I first started running, I would run for about 2 or 2.5 miles. Gradually, I have increased that distance to about four miles. The other day, on my neighborhood run, I ran my own 10K, a little over 6 miles. Some day I might try to run in a race, maybe even shoot for a half marathon.

So, I also have a Fitbit that tracks my steps, heart rate, and a few other things. The Fitbit app on my phone uses GPS that can actually show where I ran. I tried it the other day, and here is the display of my route:

As you can see, I kind of went all over the place around town. Up and down main thoroughfares, on side streets; by the looks of the tracking app I even ran halfway across the Black River without falling in. (Just kidding – it's a closed-down bridge that no longer appears on mapping apps, so it looks like I walked on water. Who did you think I was – Jesus? I don't think so.)

Ultimately I made it to my goal, which was to be able to walk upright into my house at the end of the run. I thought I had done pretty well, until I found out that one of my Confirmation class members ran the same distance nine minutes faster than I did. I guess I'm old.

Anyway, I see a metaphor for faith in all this. There are similarities in the discipline of running, and the life of faith.

I have learned that when you try to run any distance, you need to train consistently; and you need to persevere. At my age, I certainly couldn't have started off running 10K; it has taken me a good bit of time to build up my endurance to be able to transport myself that distance without stopping. And I have to convince myself to “keep on keeping on” even when I am tempted to stay in bed for an extra half-hour in the morning instead of going to the Y.

In the life of faith, we need consistency. We need to pray regularly. We need to study God's word regularly. We need to attend worship regularly (and by regularly I suggest more than Christmas and Easter). We need to exercise our faith, just as we need to exercise our body. Feeding and nurturing and strengthening our faith won't happen unless we develop a consistent, regular, and frequent discipline.

There is something else that helps, immensely.

Encouragement.

It's amazing how much farther you can run when you have people cheering you on. There was a 10K in Charleston in which about 35,000 people ran recently. And the newscast the next day showed one of the local town characters – a portly middle-aged security officer – cheering on the runners. He was about halfway into the road and he was clapping, dancing, giving high-fives and fist bumps to every runner who passed him. And they all had a smile on their face after they passed. Maybe even a little extra zip in their stride.

Encouragement is so very important to the life of faith. We need others in the body of Christ to lift us up when we are tired and weary and ready to give up. We need to witness what others have achieved through trials, and gain strength from their example. We need someone to cheer us on.

The author of the letter to the Hebrews spends a whole chapter talking about all the great heroes of the faith from the Old Testament, lifting up their examples of perseverance and strength in the midst of tough and trying times. After recounting the faith of those who have gone before, the author then speaks to us: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders... And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.”

The life of faith is not a sprint. It's a long-distance run. It's going to take you all over the map. It requires discipline, endurance, perseverance.

Let us, then, run with perseverance this race that is set before us.

Together.

One. Day. At. A. Time.

Sunday Prayer

Sunday Prayer

“Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”Psalm 124:8

On Sundays during Lent it is my practice to offer a prayer from one of the saints of the church who has gone before us. As a Presbyterian, I would be remiss if I did not include a prayer from John Calvin. So today I have included the only hymn written by John Calvin in our Presbyterian hymnal (actually it's only attributed to him, so I guess there is no original manuscript). The hymn is a prayer of faith addressed to Jesus Christ as our Savior. The hymn is “I Greet Thee, Who My Sure Redeemer Art”.

I greet thee, who my sure Redeemer art,

my only trust and Savior of my heart,

who pain didst undergo for my poor sake;

I pray thee from our hearts all cares to take.

Thou art the King of mercy and of grace,

reigning omnipotent in every place:

so come, O King, and our whole being sway;

shine on us with the light of thy pure day.

Thou art the life, by which alone we live,

and all our substance and our strength receive;

sustain us by thy faith and by thy power,

and give us strength in every trying hour.

Thou hast the true and perfect gentleness,

no harshness hast thou and no bitterness:

O grant to us the grace we find in thee,

that we may dwell in perfect unity.

Our hope is in no other save in thee;

our faith is built upon thy promise free;

Lord, give us peace, and make us calm and sure,

that in thy strength we evermore endure.

Note: I thought about including a prayer for John Knox, our Scottish patriarch in the Presbyterian family tree. However, his most famous prayer is “Give me Scotland, or I die.” Sounds drastic, but in reality it was a heartfelt yearning for God to grant that the gospel would spread through the land.

Feeding on the Bread of Life

Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

John 6:35

My wife, Carol, has me hooked on watching the bird feeder. We've set up a couple of feeders in our back yard so we can watch from our back porch. It is very calming to watch the birds in the morning and evening. We get cardinals, bluejays, red-winged blackbirds, doves, titmice (the plural of titmouse, according to Webster), chickadees, woodpeckers, robins, sparrows, rufous-sided towhees. We're still waiting for our bluebirds to come back this year.

We even get squirrels coming to the feeder. We've tried to move the feeder away from the tree and fence, and I've even trimmed back the tree branches so they can't jump onto the feeder. We've tried to grease the pole with coconut oil. The squirrels still get to the food. They are determined and persistent!

Every once in a while I will see different kinds of birds on the feeder at the same time. I like it when they do that, because it reminds me that it's possible to coexist among differences. The birds seem to get along much better when they are eating food off of the ground, than when they are sharing space on the feeder.

Look carefully and you will see the
cardinal at the left, along
with the bluejay

Once I even saw the bluejay and the cardinal both eating together on the ground. Red and Blue, coming together to the same table. Imagine that. #notpolitical #actuallyitwaspolitical

I get a couple of kingdom lessons from the bird feeder.

First, everyone who comes to the feeder is hungry; and everyone who comes to the feeder finds food.

Everyone: blackbirds, bluejays, cardinals, sparrows, robins, towhees, doves—you name it; at the feeder they find what they are seeking. Even the squirrels.

In like manner, humans by our very nature have a hunger and thirst within us. Jesus is the Bread of Life. Everyone who comes to him will find satisfaction for their hunger and thirst (I still don't get how bread satisfies thirst, but Jesus said it, so it must be true).

Everyone: Red and yellow, black and white; rich and poor, educated and illiterate. You name it. Whoever comes to Jesus will find what their soul longs for. Everyone who comes to Christ will find satisfaction.

Second, at the feeder I see a coming together. It's not perfect, because not everyone wants to be together. But I do see them sharing the same food, and the same space.

That sparks within me an appreciation for the unity we experience in Christ's church. We are one body. In Christ, table is big enough for all of us, even with our differences. In his first letter to the church in Corinth, the apostle Paul makes this observation: 

“Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread what we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.” (1 Corinthians 10:16-17)

The church I serve will celebrate the Lord's Supper this week. We also call it communion, for it reminds us not only that Christ reconciles us with God, but also with one another.

If the bird feeder is a big-enough table for all the birds that gather—and the persistent squirrels, as well—then the table that Christ prepares for us is more than big enough for all of us who gather in his name.