Joy Lutheran Church, Ocala, Florida

Fanny Crosby’s hymn “Saved by Grace” is one of over 8,000 hymns which she wrote under her name and numerous pen names. She was blind from infancy yet lived a long and active life as a preacher, teacher, lobbyist, wife and mother. No computers to help her write. No televisions to spread her works. No large monetary rewards for her work.

She was a life-long Christian who poured her soul into her music. “Saved by Grace” was originally written as personal hymn for herself, not to be published. When D.L. Moody asked her to make some off-the-cuff remarks at a Bible Conference, she recited this poem.

This is what she said to the audience: “There is one hymn I have written which has never been published. I call it my soul’s poem. Sometimes when I am troubled, I repeat it to myself, for it brings comfort to my heart.” (Then Sings My Soul, Robert J. Morgan, page 215).

The words were inspired by a sermon preached by her friend Dr. Howard Crosby. The message relayed the thought that no Christian should fear death because God’s grace teaches us to live and will also teach us how to die. After this talk, the hymn was published and added to her long repertoire.

Quite a remarkable woman of God, she gave away most of what she earned to support the Rescue Missions in some of New York City’s toughest neighborhoods. Fanny Crosby wrote hymns right up to the night before she died at the age of 95. Amazing!

Her poet’s eyes see the power and majesty of God. Her timeless music brings comfort and healing to souls over 100 years after her death. Her poems and hymns tell of God’s unconditional love for us. They reflect her love for God and her joy at the prospect of eternal life in His presence. Take a moment and reflect on what it will be like to “see Him face to face.”

Terri

It’s fun, it’s scary, but does it have any spiritual roots?  The historical origin dates back to a pagan Celtic festival called Samhain (pronounced “sow-in”).  Over 2,000 years ago, the Celts in what is now Ireland, the UK, and northern France marked October 31^st as the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. They believed that on that day, the boundary between the physical world and the spiritual world became thin, allowing the dead to return and walk among the living.

October 31^st was their time to honor the dead, pay respects to their ancestors, and prepare for the cold months ahead.  People lit bonfires to ward off harmful spirits. They wore costumes (of animal skins) to ward off wandering ghosts.  Food was left out as an offering to the spirits. Yes, Samhain was about fear.  But the Celts also believed that the thinning of the veil allowed them to receive wisdom from the spirit world.

As Christianity took hold, the Catholic Church established All Saint’s Day on November 1^st to honor saints and martyrs.  They hoped to replace the pagan festival of Samhain.  The night before, All Hallows’ Eve, eventually shortened to Halloween. It seems that as much as the church tried, some of the old pagan traditions persisted.   Well, the dead may not return to walk among the living now, but their skeletons still wander about on Halloween costumes, along with the spookiness of witches and ghosts.

Why all this chatter about Halloween, well no reason at all, except that I found it interesting to learn about the spirituality of our ancestors. So have fun and don’t worry about the ghosts! 

Perhaps even for us, it is the beginning of a new season.  The day after Halloween, next Sunday November 1^st we celebrate All Saints Day. We remember the saints of old.  And, looking forward, we pray to learn from them so that we also may live in holiness.

“Give thanks for those whose faith is firm,
when all around seems bleak:
on God’s good promise they rely,
so while they live and when they die
how forcefully they speak —
the strong, who once were weak!”
Evangelical Lutheran Worship, Hymn 428, stanza 1
Text: Martin E. Leekebusch, b. 1962
Music: C. Hubert H. Perry, 1848-1918

Stand strong under the unconditional love of Father God.

Judy

Have you ever surprised someone? A personal visit? A thoughtful gift? A surprise party? A hug? Being a good listener? Generosity extends YOU to others without considering a “payback.” Try forgiveness, it is a generous gift to yourself as well as to the person(s) you are forgiving.

Are you stymied thinking you don’t even know where to begin to show your generosity? It is easy. Can you stop by a friend’s house and just see how they are doing? Maybe a friend has been a little “down,” you could get a small vase of flowers, or a bakery cookie, or a new book and just deliver it with a smile. Perhaps surprise a friend for their birthday with a shared lunch at your house or even a nearby cafe. This does not need to be fancy. This can be simple and easy, but it is a perfect example of generosity because you are looking for nothing in return. Some folks just need someone to talk to . . . a good listener, that could be you. These kinds of generosity are pure examples of HEART GIVING.

No paybacks are needed. Hugs are interchangeable and free. Open your heart to the “joy of giving” and your generosity will fill your being with a sense of joy. Try it. I’m guessing that joy will fill you up and it might even show up as a smile. Giving from your heart allows generosity to envelope you in warmth, and meaning, and a sense of peace. Forgiving yourself and forgiving someone else who has wronged you is one of the BEST gifts of generosity. God forgives you.

Jill

But He said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”

Luke 18:27

My “tank” seems to be low on fuel these days and I’m not talking about my car. I just can’t accomplish as much as I used to and it really annoys me. We just finished power washing our house and sidewalks, etc., and what used to take us two days stretched into six days with multiple breaks to refuel our bodies with rest, snacks, drinks and the massage chair. Not a pretty sight! It was discouraging along the way, but we prevailed and the job is done for another year.

That being said, there are times in our lives when our faith tank starts running low on fuel. The road gets rough, the journey feels long, and the weight of our worries leaves us running on empty. We pray, but the answers seem delayed. We trust, but our fear begins to creep back in. In those moments, we must remember that God never intended for us to travel this road on our own strength.

Just as our bodies need fuel to keep moving, our souls need the presence of God to keep going. He provides that fuel through His Word, through prayer, through worship, and through encouragement from others. Sometimes He fills our faith tanks with a quiet moment of peace. Other times, He sends someone to remind us that we are not forgotten. Luke 18:27 reminds us with God all things are possible, we just need to ask.

What a beautiful promise. When our faith is weak, His strength remains strong. When we feel empty, His grace is still sufficient. We don’t have to pretend we are strong. We just need to bring our emptiness to Him.

So, when your tank is running low, take a break, spend time with God. Let Him refill your spirit. It won’t take six days to get it done. God loves us unconditionally. He will provide that spiritual fuel today and tomorrow and the next day. Thanks be to God!

Patty

He never leaves! LOL!

I found this saying on a Fall tee shirt. It may be a little silly, but it is sooooooo true!

If we fall in love with Jesus, really fall in love we have a divine being who will never leave us lonely. Trust Him. Confide in Him. Ask Him for help. Pray to Him for the world and all our loved ones. Miss Him when you haven’t been in constant contact.

If we do all the actions and feel all the emotions that we do when we really love someone, we will be in relationship with a person who will never abandon you, no matter what you do, how you look, how you feel-never. Truly. “It is not a romantic feeling but a transforming spiritual relationship rooted in trust, devotion, and gratitude.” (biblestudyforyou.com)

You might have to practice this state of being for a while to get used to the feeling of being in love with Jesus. It will be wonderful practice. You will be able to tell Him anything and not worry about someone lowering the boom on your head. He understands. In the quiet of your time with Him, you will get answers.

Yes, I know that the answers are not always straight forward or what we want to hear, but our trust in our loving Jesus will carry us over the rough waters to the tranquility of new life.

Give it a try. “Fall for Jesus, he never leaves.” He loves you unconditionally!

Terri

(BTW: there are many references and study guides to be found on this topic. Enjoy!)

In sophomore English we read James Hilton’s Lost Horizon, the novel about Shangri-la, a mysterious religious community high in the Himalayas. Four travelers stranded after a plane crash are taken to safety by a Chinese guide, Chang. While Chang shows them around the lamasery, Miss Brinklow, a prim Christian missionary questions him.

“What do the lamas do?” she continued.

“They devote themselves, madam, to contemplation and to the pursuit of wisdom.”

“But that isn’t doing anything.”

“Then, madam, they do nothing.”

“I thought as much.” She found occasion to sum up. “Well, Mr. Chang, it’s a pleasure being shown all these things, I’m sure, but you won’t convince me that a place like this does any real good.”

That exchange troubled me. I thought a missionary would understand the value of contemplation– even if I wasn’t sure what that was. Years later  I discovered that Miss Brinklow typifies many Christians.

I was a pastor for 20 years before I realized how empty my spiritual life was because I did not devote sufficient effort to prayer. I found, however, many members of my church couldn’t make sense of my newly-discovered need for prayer, devotion and contemplation. When I told a council member that I needed to take time for prayer, he responded, “And you expect us to pay you for these little ‘vacations?’”

Believe me, you have to take the time for intense prayer, or you can do nothing at all.

Important Prayer Lesson No.4. Praying looks like doing nothing, but it’s the most important nothing you can do.

Read Mark 11:24  and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Wayne

I read Trevor Noah’s autobiographical essays entitled Born a Crime. Noah, a South African comedian, was born five years before the end of the practice of apartheid. At the time of his birth, it was a crime, punishable by jail time for a white man and a black woman to be in a sexual relationship. The same was true for a black man and a white woman. It was the law of the land, complete with proscribed jail time.

I knew that apartheid was a repressive and dehumanizing practice.  I did not know the extent of the persecution, oppression and violence that was intrinsic to it.  However, what I learned from reading Born a Crime appalled me.

Like Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation effectively ending the practice of slavery in the United States, the ending of apartheid did not magically bring all the injustices in South Africa into balance.  Noah’s telling of his life post-apartheid is both tragic and charming.  He is a very funny, very smart, very inciteful man.

His straightforward writing had an impact on me with its candid description of his life. Here is a quote that stands out for me, “We live in a world where we don’t see the ramifications of what we do to others, because we don’t live with them.” In the case of apartheid, blacks and whites were prohibited from living in physical proximity. This makes the “seeing” of adverse effects impossible. I think that the same is true for most of us in today’s world.

There is a lesson here for us.  Expressing “sympathy” about unjust situations may get us off the hook, in a manner of speaking.  However, mean comments or observations about a group of people or worse, acting in an unjust manner illustrates that we really don’t understand the effects of our actions on others. 

Christ’s journey on earth was centered around bringing a new commandment into being:  Love- Love of God above all others and love of neighbor.  We are the recipients of God’s unconditional love.  It’s a difficult example to follow, but one worth trying.

Proverbs 28:5 Evil men do not understand justice,
But those who seek the Lord understand all things.

 Terri

It was 3 a.m. and I couldn’t sleep. I picked up a book and read this remark by a former Trappist abbot: “Saint Bernard talks about coming to the monastery to see God. But when we get here, that’s not what God lays on us. What he lays on us is self knowledge.”*  I stopped there, turned off the lights, and meditated on those words until I fell asleep.

One might think of the Christian life as a quest to find God, but it becomes a way of finding ourselves. That sounds nutty. We don’t have to find ourselves. We know ourselves. Or do we? I’m not so sure. In a sense we are always hiding ourselves from ourselves. It takes God to show us who we really are.

Psalm 139 speaks of God’s knowledge of us.

O LORD, you have searched me and known me.
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from far away.
You search out my path and my lying down,
and are acquainted with all my ways.

God knows us better than we know ourselves. It’s no surprise, then, that in seeking God we should find ourselves, our true selves. We find the parts that aren’t very pleasant to discover, but also the marvel of who we are as God’s child. As the Psalmist writes: “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well.”

Seek God, find yourself, and then know God.

Read Psalm 139:1-14 and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Wayne

*Frank Bianco, Lives of the Trappists Today, p. 99

My life today is far different than it was in years past, say 50 years ago, even 10 years ago.  Not better, not worse, just changed.  I expect your lives have also changed.

Our world has changed along with us.   In every aspect, it’s not the same world we grew up in, raised our children in, or pursued our working careers in. 

In a more immediate sense, the seasons change.  Depending on our locale, we may go from the heat of summer to the glorious colors of autumn to the snows of winter, and then to the arrival of spring.  We might not have all that in Florida, but our seasons do change.

It seems like everything changes – nothing is constant.  But take comfort.  Our God is UNCHANGING.  God is consistent.  His promises of love and faithfulness do not change.  In a world of uncertainty and challenges, He stands firm, our anchor and refuge.  That is an awesome promise.

The Apostle Paul speaks boldly as he assures us of this.  “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 that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 8:38-39

Be confident.  Be positive.  Our God is unchanging, and He will always be so.  An unconditional and unchanging love – now that’s both fearsome and humbling.

Judy

This is a toughie! Fear and Faith just cannot work together. If you are fearful, your faith needs to be strengthened. How can you build up your faith? Isaiah 41:10 is a great reminder! This is a verse to tuck into your memory so if fear creeps up, you can let this verse flash into your mind to restore the strength of faith! Isaiah 41:10 “Don’t panic. I’m with you. There’s no need to fear for I’m your God. I’ll give you strength. I’ll help you. I’ll hold you steady, keep a firm grip.” Lots of things in this crazy world of ours can stimulate the fear issue. Our world and the folks in it can sometimes be quite out of balance and forget whose world this really is and that HE is in charge.

When illness knocks on your door and befalls you, for many of us, fear rushes into your thoughts. Do you anticipate illness based on your “family” line of ailments? Did you watch something online or on TV and now fear it is “headed” your way? Jeremiah 30:17 reminds us, “I will restore health to you, and your wounds I will heal, says the Lord.” Do your part. Claim the FAITH God teaches you in His Holy Word. Strengthen your faith to stand strong against fear. Fear NOT, you are loved unconditionally.

Jill