“I lift up my eyes to the hills— from where will my help come?
My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1-2
Dear Friends,
Years ago, a pastor shared that it was a tradition in her family to recite Psalm 121 whenever someone went on a trip. The person leaving would say the first two verses and those present would recite the rest of the psalm. In doing so, the one leaving on the journey would be assured that the Lord would be with them in all their comings and goings.
If we did this for all our journeys in life, we would be reciting it each day, and that is not such a bad idea after all. This is true, for God is with us in all life’s journeys: the external (physical), the internal (heart, mind), and in the theological (spiritual) journeys.
External journeys are those we physically take from place to place like moving from our place of birth to other parts of the country or anywhere in the world. We make temporary moves when we go on vacation, or when we travel to warmer places during the winter, or cooler places during the summer.
Internal journeys are the ones we take to explore who we are in relation to one another. It is the horizontal line of the cross. I am thinking about how we change our point of view as we mature from infancy to adulthood, and into our senior years. This journey happens as we come to understand ourselves through our life experiences: the challenges we face, all our ups and downs, our gains and losses, and our successes and failures. In turn, we come to understand our strengths and weaknesses, and how they influence the course of our life, as well as our relationships with others.
Theological journeys are those that help us to learn about God. It is a spiritual journey that informs the relationship between God and us. It is the vertical line of the cross. From our studies, we come to understand what God requires of us and how that knowledge guides us in every step we take.
Thus, every journey we take in life challenges our understandings of God. When we physically reside in a new place, we rely so much on the faithfulness of God to be with us as the Psalmist promises and this gives us strength to make the adjustments needed to live in that new place. When we do the self-examination, we discover our role as residents of God’s created world. We rely on the assurance from God that the Lord is guiding our heart and mind to discover the answers we seek.
During this upcoming Season of Lent, we will be taking a journey to the cross to listen to the last words Jesus said as he died. When Jesus died on the cross, it was a culmination of a life that spanned about 33 years. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus proclaims, “If you want to become my followers, let them… take up their cross and follow me.” Therefore, His final words not only reflect the suffering he endured on Good Friday; they are words that offer us the opportunity to lean in and listen closely for messages that are for us. For Jesus’ last words calls us to go on the same journey that led him to Golgotha.
May the Lord be with us, as we take this journey together.
I thank God for you,
Pastor Kathy Nealand
Lenten Series: The Last Words of Jesus” based on the book, Seven Words: Listening to Christ on the Cross” by Susan Robb:
- Wednesday, March 5, As Wednesday – “Father, forgive them.” Luke 23:32-3
- Sunday, March 9 – “Today you will be with me in Paradise.” Luke 23:42-43
- Sunday, March 16 – “My God, my God” Mark 15:33-34; Matthew 27:46
- Sunday, March 23 – Woman, here is your son.” John 19:25b-27
- Sunday, April 6 – “I am thirsty.” John 19:28
- Sunday, April 13 – “Into your hands” Luke 23:46
- Thursday, April 17 – Holy Thursday "It is Finished” John 19:3
“So, here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out.” Romans 12:1-2 (The Message)
“ For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So, they have no excuse for not knowing God.” Romans 1:20
“So, if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth.” Colossians 3:1-2
“Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes’?” Matthew 21:42
"Walk by the Spirit . . . led by the Spirit . . . live by the Spirit . . . keep in step with the Spirit." Galatians 5:16, 25
“[Paul Gives Thanks to God] I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus. Through him, God has enriched your church in every way—with all of your eloquent words and all of your knowledge.” -1 Corinthians 1:4-5
“Honor the Lord with your substance and with the first fruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.” Proverbs 3:9-10
As we begin a new season in the church, it is good and right to think about what we mean when we pray “give us this day, our daily bread.” It is all about God’s provision. If we see God as a parent, we know that if we have a need, God will provide exactly what we need. The scripture verse above proves the case. Ask and it will be given to you. Knock and the door will be opened.
All children are precious to God. Psalm 139 speaks to God knowing us before we were born. At our conception we are “children of God.” We belong to God by way of grace. However, it is by the power of the Holy Spirit that we know that we are children of God (John 1:12). To acknowledge that we are children of God is a sign that our rebirth from above has begun to take place in our lives. It says that we accept the fact that regardless of our age, we need and want to be parented by our heavenly Father.
“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:8-9, NIV)
