It’s a title that has fallen out of vogue – “Master”. Even in Christian hymnody it is only found in a few of the “golden oldies”, the most well-known being “O Master, Let Me Walk With Thee”. The term “master” conjures up the unfortunate, hurtful aspect of slavery. I am reading the book “Master and Commander” about 18^th century British sailing vessels. It was made into a movie with Russell Crowe as the eponymous main character. In our Navy the highest enlisted rank is Master Chief Petty Officer. One of our Joy members went that far. In the officer ranks, Commander is just one step below Captain, and then you get into the flag ranks of Admirals. Mmmmaybe that was more information than you wanted…I can’t help it – it was twenty years of my life!

 One of our human weaknesses is getting a puffed-up opinion of ourselves. “I am master of all I survey”. Nothing could be further from the truth. One of my favorite life-mottoes has been expressed by father often: “seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness.” It serves us well when we initiate a Stephen Ministry relationship. We surrender to our Master and helper, the Good Shepherd. Doing so opens us up to receive more blessings, wonderful surprises, “God winks”. Our frustrations and disappointments are more about our will being thwarted. When we are not satisfied by earthly things, reckon that as righteousness! We are made for another world. It’s like we’re in the I.C.U. waiting room. The people in that room are all in the same boat. There is no pretense, no exalted status. There is encouragement, support, and prayer. We give our lives over to the Master of our destiny, our fate, our future. All is in God’s hands. He is gracious and trusting enough to let us have a role to play. We console, love, and care for each other. Letting our Master be who He is eliminates a lot of stress and worry. We are each other’s companions on the wilderness journey. Do not allow the man-made, imposed restrictions create unwarranted fear in you. Community and fellowship will always be important, especially in this time of pandemic. The serenity prayer and devotion to God’s Word put us in the right frame of mind and spirit to let the Master be the Master. His unconditional love will guard our hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus.

Pastor Art