Preparing for a Great Meal

     Cooking a homemade meal has been something I have done on a regular basis.  I enjoy cooking and am following in the footsteps of my dear mother who also made home cooked dinners.  We did not have a lot of frozen dinners or fast food restaurants when I was growing up.  Living on a farm, we had a garden, an apple orchard and a nearby farmer's market that offered fresh sweet corn in the summer.  Yes, it takes some extra effort but the rewards are very satisfying in the end.  The same is true when we approach worship in church.  How do we do at setting the table of our heart to hear the Word of God?

     In preparing a meal, I set out the recipe and gather all the ingredients.  It saves time to prep what I need before the cooking process begins.  This is also true in getting ready for church.  Prayer is the best way to spend time before opening God's Word and reading the passage that will be preached that Sunday.  Thinking and meditating on Scripture, talking to the Lord and taking stock of our lives before coming into His presence clears out a lot of cobwebs before we cross the threshold of the sanctuary.  Our thoughts are more focused and our hearts are more ready to enter in to a time of holy worship.  

     Another important element in fixing a good meal is the process of combining the ingredients.  Once my preparation is done, I can begin to add in items as needed without having to race through the cupboard to find something.  Adding an ingredient at the right time leads to success in the outcome.  Have we ever thought about worship that way?  It is a process too.  We enter in each week  into the presence of God as a Body of believers in Jesus Christ to sing, lift up praise, and pray.  This is where our hearts come together in corporate worship.  Jesus said "For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”  Just as I have to be careful to add the right ingredient at the right time in my process of cooking, we must have our minds present in what we are singing, praying and confessing before the Lord.  We all know it is possible to be present in the body but absent in the mind.  So when we enter into God's House, let us do so ready to fully engage our mind and spirit.

     Once my cooking is completed, I look forward to enjoying what has been prepared.  Most of us look forward to a meal but do we look forward to the sermon with as much expectation?  We should because it is the main course prepared by our pastor to feed the flock God has given into his care.  God speaks to us through His Word which is true.  Scripture itself tells us in 2 Timothy 3:16:  "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness..."  Additionally Scripture can also work to show us areas of sin.  Hebrews 4:12 tells us:  "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."  We need this meal....we cannot skip it for our souls need nourishment as much as our bodies.

     Church fellowship and attendance are just as important as eating a good meal every day.  Our body needs food to stay healthy, but our spiritual lives also need a good dose of God's Word in worship.  When we neglect eating at all, we can starve.  If we eat unhealthy, over processed foods, we run the risk of other health issues.  The same is true in church.  If we come unprepared to worship, we miss all the rich blessings set out on God's table.  Likewise, if we avoid attending worship, we will starve spiritually.  Our faith won't grow and we will be ripe picking for Satan who loves to attack a sheep out on his/her own.  

     Preparing a great meal isn't an accident.  It is intentional.  So is worship in our church meant to be done with care, respect and expectancy that we will meet with God.  We go to the table hungry in our homes and ready to eat good food.  Oh that we could learn to do the same each week as we prepare for and attend worship services.  God wants to commune with us that we might glorify Him and enjoy Him forever.  Therefore, lets take a look at our preparation, process  and readiness to dig in to the spiritual feast He has for us.  Selah!

Rocked by Tragedy but Surrounded by Blessings

     Our little community was rocked by tragedy this past weekend as three young lives were taken in a traffic accident.  Even now, my heart aches for all three families because I know what it is to lose family members.  During a ten year period, I lost both sets of grandparents, my thirty-nine year old aunt and my father who was only 63.  It was tough to face funerals and funeral homes after that painful time.  Then in 2014, the Lord called our six year old grandson to Himself, and I remember the shock of all our family in this sudden loss.  Yet, in spite of all the brokenness we felt, underneath it all was the Everlasting Arms of the Lord Jesus Christ that saw us through.  I confess, I do not understand why things happen the way they do, or why the Lord calls some home when He does.  It is not always for us to know this side of heaven.  However, it is what we decide to do with our pain of loss that can make a big difference in our lives and the lives of others.

     When news came out about the tragic accident, our community came together in a prayer vigil to lift up the families.  A man in our community streamed the event so that others could watch who were not able to attend.  Others rose up to form meal trains for a family and even "Go Fund Me" pages to assist with all the expenses.  Then, a high school  prayer vigil was held for students who knew these young people.  At times like these, we see the love of Christ working to bring comfort to hurting hearts.  The Bible tells us that we are to "Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep (Romans 12:15).  As we do this, God brings about blessings in the middle of pain.

     One of the first and greatest blessings to come from this is the gift of life.  Wanting to be an organ donor, Lindsay Sapp saved the lives of six other people and ultimately will touch the lives of 35 others.  She has been a blessing to those who desperately needed help to go on living.  Even as she gained heaven's crown, she gave to those in need.

     A second blessing has been watching so many become the hands and feet of Jesus Christ as they have reached out to minister to the heartbroken families.  Coming together in community to pray, raising funds for expenses and providing meals are all tangible ways to show love and comfort.

     Finally, we do not know how many lives will be changed by what has happened.  When tragedy strikes, we are all confronted with the certainty of death.  No one is promised tomorrow.  We have today as a gift from God, and we must consider where our future home will be.  Hebrews 9:27 tells us:  "And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,...."  Each one of us will face our appointment with death; so will we spend it living in the light of God's glory or will we forever live in separation from God in Hell?  Tragedies like we have witnessed in our small community makes us all think about that seriously, and my prayer is that many will come to Christ as they consider their future residence.

     My mother, God rest her soul, closed many letters and cards to me throughout her life with a blessing that comes from Numbers 6:24-26.  I prayerfully am passing this on to the families who lost their loved ones and to our community as well as to those who have also recently lost loved ones.  "The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace."  If anyone reading this does not know Christ, today is the day of salvation.  Tomorrow is not promised.  Selah!

Unrealistic Expectations

     Having positive expectations is a good thing as long as we are not unrealistic in our outlook.  This was true for me when I approached knee surgery.  In January 2020, I had a partial replacement of my left knee.  Rehab was a challenge but manageable.  However, some months later, it became clear that I would need a full replacement to deal with issues I was having.  So in November of 2020, I had another surgery to remedy these problems.  Rehab was a breeze.  I seemed to recover very quickly.  Knowing I would need my right knee replaced, we planned on surgery at the end of March 2021.  I expected the quick recovery I had with the left knee.  However things do not always go as planned.

     In reality, the right knee rehab has been more painful and has taken longer than I expected. 
Of course, I based my expectations on my previous experience, but this sometimes leads to disappointment.  Proverbs 13:12 reminds us:  "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but desire fulfilled is a tree of life."  When we put our hope in anything other than the Lord, we can find ourselves discouraged.  I admit that I have felt that way as I have gone through rehab.  Why am I not progressing as fast as I did before?  What's wrong with me?  As I would lament, my dear husband would remind me that I had been through three major surgeries in a little over a year.  Sometimes, we don't bounce back like we did when we were younger, and every surgery is a little bit different.  Most importantly, God is in control. 

     Funny how we succumb to the notion that things will always turn out the same, but life is filled with changes.  The only constant is our Lord Jesus Christ who is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).  We often place a lot of our hope on past experiences so we expect certain outcomes.  For example, we may get married expecting our spouse to be a great cook like our mother or father.  When it doesn't turn out that way, we can become critical of our partner because they have not met our expectations forgetting that we may have disappointed them too in some area.  The point is that we must place our hope in Christ not on particular outcomes.

     What we often forget is that God's timing is perfect in all things.  His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts.  Yet, God is mindful of us and knows our desires even before we pray about them.  This was proven to me over and over when we wanted to have children. I had difficulty getting pregnant, and we underwent many tests.  In due time, God heard our prayers and blessed us with four children.  His timetable was different from ours, but His plan was always to bring us good as Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us:  "For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope."   

     Yesterday at physical therapy, I had a very good report on the progress I was making with my slow but steady right knee.  How I thanked God for that positive news!  Unrealistic expectations had tried to make me feel discouraged, but God reminded me that, in Him, we have hope for each new day.  May our prayer for each day be that of Proverbs 3:5-6:  "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."  Place your hope in Him and you will not be disappointed!  Selah!