Hello Advent Family,

Today we offer prayers for those in the path of the storm.  Pray for protection, safety and that their fears may be comforted.  I was speaking to some first time hurricane folks the other day and they were experiencing lots of fear.  Fear can be a crippling thing.  It can overwhelm us at times.  David often experienced this and turned to God to help calm his fears let’s look together at his words from Psalm 34.

I will extol the Lord at all times;
    his praise will always be on my lips.

I will glory in the Lord;
    let the afflicted hear and rejoice.

Glorify the Lord with me;
    let us exalt his name together.

I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
    he delivered me from all my fears.

Those who look to him are radiant;
    their faces are never covered with shame.

This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
    he saved him out of all his troubles.

The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,
    and he delivers them.

Taste and see that the Lord is good;
    blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

Hello Advent Family,

One of my favorite older worship songs is My Hope is You by Third Day.  It comes from Psalm 25.  Let’s look at it together today.

In you, Lord my God,
    I put my trust.

I trust in you;
    do not let me be put to shame,
    nor let my enemies triumph over me.
but shame will come on those
    who are treacherous without cause.

Show me your ways, Lord,
    teach me your paths.

Guide me in your truth and teach me,
    for you are God my Savior,
    and my hope is in you all day long.

Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love,
    for they are from of old.

Do not remember the sins of my youth
    and my rebellious ways;
according to your love remember me,
    for you, Lord, are good.

Good and upright is the Lord;
    therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.

He guides the humble in what is right
    and teaches them his way.

All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful
    toward those who keep the demands of his covenant.

For the sake of your name, Lord,
    forgive my iniquity, though it is great.

Hello Advent Family,

Most of you know that I am a big Miami Dolphins fan.  Some of my earliest childhood memories revolve around going to games or watching them on TV with my Dad and my Pop Pop.  Yesterday I talked about the Dolphins a bit in my sermon and when they ended up beating the Bills yesterday the celebratory texts started coming in from other fans.  I began contemplating, amidst my celebration, the things we truly celebrate in life.  One thing that we learn from the Psalms is how frequently David celebrates God.  Who He is, what He has done, just His general awesomeness.  Let’s look together today at Psalm 24.

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,
    the world, and all who live in it;

for he founded it on the seas
    and established it on the waters.

Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?
    Who may stand in his holy place?

The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,
    who does not trust in an idol
    or swear by a false god.

They will receive blessing from the Lord
    and vindication from God their Savior.

Such is the generation of those who seek him,
    who seek your face, God of Jacob.

Lift up your heads, you gates;
    be lifted up, you ancient doors,
    that the King of glory may come in.

Who is this King of glory?
    The Lord strong and mighty,
    the Lord mighty in battle.

Lift up your heads, you gates;
    lift them up, you ancient doors,
    that the King of glory may come in.

Who is he, this King of glory?
    The Lord Almighty—
    he is the King of glory.

Today we take another look at Psalm 23.  Psalm 23 is almost always remembered and thought of for it’s imagery of God as our Good Shepherd but it also portrays God as our Great Host.  Let’s take a look at that together today.

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

    He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,

    he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
    for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.

Surely your goodness and love will follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever.

God preparers a table for us anoints us with oil and we are invited to dwell in His house forever.  Our cup overflows as we bask in God’s love and our enemies are powerless to stop us as they witness God pouring His love out upon us.  Hosting people in your home is a way of honoring them and making them feel special.  The imagery of this Psalm is exactly that.  God is welcoming us and making us feel special.  Dwelling in God’s house would have been a particularly powerful image as only Levites were permitted into the place where God’s presence dwelt.  May we today and everyday be reminded that God is both our Good Shepherd and our Great Host.

In His Grip,

Pastor Dave

Psalm 23 is perhaps one of the most well known Psalms.  It is written by David, who knows a thing or two about what a shepherd does having been one himself.  Let’s look together at this passage for the next couple of days.

One of the things that is significant about the sheep/shepherd relationships that sheep are totally dependent upon the shepherd.  The shepherd guides them, protects them, feeds them, and brings them to shelter or pastures to rest.  The shepherd leads them where they need to go.  Sheep have a tendency to think that they are more independent than they actually are and wander off.  Sound familiar?  Perhaps you find yourself today in a place where you particularly need guidance from the shepherd.  Maybe you have wandered on your own path and feel far off.  The good news is that the Shepherd is always with you.  Even when we feel as though we have gone astray our Good Shepherd never leaves us.  Allow Him to lead you back to those green pastures and still waters because He longs to restore your soul. 

Have you ever experienced the frustration of trying to call someone and not being able to reach them? The other day I needed to ask someone a quick question about something we were working on together.  I couldn’t proceed until I had a simple answer but couldn’t get in touch with them.  It can be a frustrating thing.  Maybe it is a child away at school and you worry because you can’t reach them.  It could be a spouse or significant other that you want to make plans with and you can’t reach them.  A business colleague that you need to discuss something with that you cannot get a hold of can also lead to frustration.  Isn’t it such a blessing that God is always available to hear our prayers?  Let’s look together at David’s words from Psalm 17.

Hear me, Lord, my plea is just;
    listen to my cry.
Hear my prayer—
    it does not rise from deceitful lips.

Let my vindication come from you;
    may your eyes see what is right.

Though you probe my heart,
    though you examine me at night and test me,
you will find that I have planned no evil;
    my mouth has not transgressed.

Though people tried to bribe me,
    I have kept myself from the ways of the violent
    through what your lips have commanded.

My steps have held to your paths;
    my feet have not stumbled.

I call on you, my God, for you will answer me;
    turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.

Show me the wonders of your great love,
    you who save by your right hand
    those who take refuge in you from their foes.

Keep me as the apple of your eye;
    hide me in the shadow of your wings

from the wicked who are out to destroy me,
    from my mortal enemies who surround me.

David’s words are, “I call on you Lord for you will answer me.”  We can all have that confidence when we call out to God.  He may not always answer the way we want Him to but He always answers and His answers are always in our best interests.  Call out to God with boldness He is always there!

A few years back I was in Seattle at a conference.  We were out to eat after the evening session and I had the opportunity to catch up with an old spiritual mentor of mine.  One of the people in the group was talking about a recent wave of awful crimes in the city and said something to the effect of the world was really evil.  My mentor piped up, “Isn’t God awesome!”  We all were a little taken back and he followed up with saying, “but for the grace of God go I.”  One of the folks in the group asked him to elaborate and he began expounding on how God’s grace is such an amazing thing and that absent of the grace of God that same crime spree might be our own fate.  It reminded me of Psalm 14.  Let’s look at it together today.

Left to our own devices we all are children of wrath.  We go our own way, do our own thing, and think we have no need for God.  Our sin problem is much bigger than we think but so is God’s grace in our lives.  God’s grace in our lives turns our hearts toward Him.  It reconciles us to Him but it also protects us from ourselves.  The next time you find yourself thinking about some of the evils and bad things you see in life take a moment and thank God for His amazing grace in your life!

This morning I had my annual physical at my doctor’s office.  I went last week for the typical bloodwork and tests and today was the follow up.  The Doctor came in and we started catching up.  He went to the computer to pull up my results and his face went white and he said please excuse me for a moment.  Trust me, I had some moments of trepidation and calling out to God really quickly.  It was probably only a minute or two but it felt like a long time and I was thinking, God where are you?  I told myself that no matter how bad the news was God had my back. I had a moment of peace then when I sensed God’s calming presence.  The Doctor came back in and apologized and said that they had pulled up the wrong records.  Phew!  That was a relief.  He told me I was healthy as a horse and sent me on my way.  Life doesn’t always have happy endings like that though and sometimes it can even feel like God is far away.  King David experienced this.  Let’s look at his words in Psalm 13.

How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?
    How long will you hide your face from me?

How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
    and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
    How long will my enemy triumph over me?

Look on me and answer, Lord my God.
    Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,

and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
    and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

But I trust in your unfailing love;
    my heart rejoices in your salvation.

I will sing the Lord’s praise,
    for he has been good to me.

In the midst of a troubling time, David recalls God’s faithfulness to him and experiences peace.  My troubling time this morning only lasted a few moments but often we can go through seasons like that.  Either way David’s example is crucial.  Where we remember the love and faithfulness of God, His peace is not far behind.

Wednesday night was truly one of the most spectacular sunsets I have ever seen.  I could not even see the setting sun from where I was but the sky was remarkable.  Deep reds and oranges and purples set against the fading blue sky I was in awe with the beauty of God’s creation.  Often we simply walk through life without stopping and taking in the amazing beauty of creation and more importantly praising God for it.  Throughout the Psalms David thanks God for His work in creation and also for how He allows humankind to play a role in that.  Let’s look at Psalm 8 together today.

Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory
    in the heavens.

Through the praise of children and infants
    you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
    to silence the foe and the avenger.

When I consider your heavens,
    the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
    which you have set in place,

what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
    human beings that you care for them?

You have made them a little lower than the angels
    and crowned them with glory and honor.

You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
    you put everything under their feet:

all flocks and herds,
    and the animals of the wild,

the birds in the sky,
    and the fish in the sea,
    all that swim the paths of the seas.

Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

When the going gets tough what is your natural reaction?  For some it’s the saying the tough get going.  Others may avoid tough times like the plague and avoid the tough situation as much as possible.  Some white knuckle it and just grind their way through.  I like King David’s approach.  He cries out to God.  The Psalms are filled with David crying out to God.  Let’s look at David talking about this in Psalm 4 together today.

Answer me when I call to you,
    my righteous God.
Give me relief from my distress;
    have mercy on me and hear my prayer.

How long will you people turn my glory into shame?
    How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?

Know that the Lord has set apart his faithful servant for himself;
    the Lord hears when I call to him.

Tremble and do not sin;
    when you are on your beds,
    search your hearts and be silent.

Offer the sacrifices of the righteous
    and trust in the Lord.

Many, Lord, are asking, “Who will bring us prosperity?”
    Let the light of your face shine on us.

Fill my heart with joy
    when their grain and new wine abound.

In peace I will lie down and sleep,
    for you alone, Lord,
    make me dwell in safety.