♪A Note of Thanks ♪
“You have tested my thoughts and examined my heart in the night.” Psalm 17:3
“Then came the morning, night turned into day; The stone was rolled away, hope rose with the dawn.
Then came the morning, shadows vanished before the sun; Death was lost and life had won, for morning had come.” by Gaither and Christian
I don’t know when it started, but my sleep patterns have changed significantly in the last few years. Sometimes I could set my clock by the hour that I awaken each night. I almost always find that I am awake between 12:30 to 1:30 each morning. As you can imagine, I often am frustrated by this nocturnal alarm clock. Many times, I awake with a song on my heart. I can hear the words and music playing. What is it about this timeframe? I am able occasionally to fall back asleep by praying, trying to relax by thinking of beautiful and relaxing places, but more often I resort to going to the living room sofa, turning on the weather channel and scrolling through the channels. My Bible is on the coffee table adjacent to the sofa, where I can easily pick it up and start reading. Sometimes I will fall back asleep to find that my Bible or the television changer is laying on my chest. I’ll then get up and fumble back to bed.
If you read the Psalms with any regularity, you will find that the Psalmists frequently wrote about meeting God in the night. Psalm 119, in verse 148, says, “I stay awake through the night, thinking about your promises.” Throughout the scriptures, we find nocturnal encounters with the Holy One. Jacob was awakened by a stranger with whom he wrestled until he received a blessing. As a boy, Samuel was awakened in the night several times. His mentor, Eli, a priest in the temple, told Samuel to respond by saying, “Here am I.” The prophet Isaiah wrote of finding “treasures of darkness.” It seems that all of them experienced middle-of-the-night awakenings, but, instead of being frustrated, they embraced the experience.
While it is much easier to turn on the television or get frustrated with one’s internal alarm clock and middle-of the night awakenings, it might do us well to spend that time allowing God to “test our thoughts and examine our hearts,” as frightening as that might be. By so doing, we might discover that our bedroom has become an altar – a holy time and holy place drawing us ever closer to the God of our longing. May it be so for you and me in this holy season of Lent.
“God’s call is mysterious, it comes in the darkness of faith. It is so fine, so subtle that it is only with the deepest silence within us that we can hear it.” Carlo Carretto
One of my very favorite hymns reminds me of the story from Samuel:
Here I am Lord
I, the Lord of the sea and sky, I have heard My people cry.
All who dwell in dark and sin, My hand will save.
I who made the stars of night. I will make their darkness bright.
Who will bear My light to them? Whom shall I send?
“Here I am Lord, Is it I Lord? I have heard You calling in the night.
I will go Lord, if you lead me. I will hold Your people in my heart.
-by Daniel L. Schutte
Loving God, I have heard you calling in the night. Test my thoughts and examine my heart so that I might say to you, “Here I am, Lord.” In Jesus’ Precious and Holy Name. Amen.
As we work, pray and worship, along-side each other, and looking towards Easter, I am your friend,
Mark David Jackson
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
"We must keep our eyes on Jesus"
♪A Note of Thanks ♪
“Wherefore seeing we also are encompassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2 (KJV)
“So we must get rid of everything that slows us down, especially the sin that just won’t let go. And we must be determined to run the race that is ahead of us. We must keep our eyes on Jesus, who leads us and makes our faith complete.” Hebrews 12:1b-2a (CEV)
Today is Ash Wednesday. It is a day in the Christian Church year that marks the beginning of the Season of Lent, the 40 days leading to Easter Sunday. It is called Ash Wednesday because part of the worship service involves marking the foreheads of those present with a smudge of ashes in the shape of a cross. Ashes were used in an ancient ritual as an outward sign that the person had realized the misguided life they were living and were serious about repenting and turning to a new life.
Today, people will gather in churches all over the world and remember the ways in which they have fallen short of the glory of God. They will confess their sins before God and each other, and they will be marked with ashes and with the words, “From dust you were formed, to dust you shall return.” It is a sobering moment to examine your life during the past year and to realize that we are not much more than dust. In a world that prizes self-sufficiency, and in which too many of us are self-absorbed, coming to a worship service and taking a good hard look at our lives is not necessarily an easy thing to do. I suppose one of the reasons so many people come for worship on Ash Wednesday is that we are all desperate to look in the mirror and wash the smudge of ash from our faces and have something stir anew in us. We will confess our failures and also look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Let us remember these words of encouragement:
Return to the Lord, your God, for God is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing. Joel 2:13
With the Winter Olympics being held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and thinking about running the race of life, I was reminded this past Monday, on President’s Day, just how fragile life is. I called to speak to my friend, John Lucas, age 85 during the afternoon. Mrs. Lucas answered the phone. I asked how she was doing and asked to speak to John. Mrs. Lucas, said, “Oh Mark, you don’t know…John passed away on January 10th in his sleep.” I was so shocked and at the same time extended my sympathies to Mrs. Lucas for her loss. They were married for over 64 years. Mr. Lucas retired from teaching upholstery at Fultondale High School after many years of service where he touched many students’ lives. He continued doing little side jobs of upholstery, serving as a deacon at Plainview Baptist Church, gardening and living in their delightful bungalow in Tarrant. He was a gentle man who showed love to his wife, family, neighbors and to those he came in contact with. Mr. Lucas had finished his race on earth and was ushered into the Presence of the Lord. He had touched my life by his kind and gentle ways. In my stunned silence, I began to realize that he was in much better place and was at peace with God. Mrs. Lucas displayed that same peace over the phone to me with a sweet and kind, gracious spirit of love.
As we focus on these days of Lent before Easter and on this special day of Ash Wednesday, would you take time out of your busy life and really give some thought to your life and those things that may encumber and weigh you down? With the Lord’s leading, would you run with patience and a new determination, by keeping your eyes on the Author and finisher of our faith, Jesus?
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. In His Precious Name. Amen.
Along-side you, during this season of reflection and repentance, I remain your friend,
Mark David Jackson
“Wherefore seeing we also are encompassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2 (KJV)
“So we must get rid of everything that slows us down, especially the sin that just won’t let go. And we must be determined to run the race that is ahead of us. We must keep our eyes on Jesus, who leads us and makes our faith complete.” Hebrews 12:1b-2a (CEV)
Today is Ash Wednesday. It is a day in the Christian Church year that marks the beginning of the Season of Lent, the 40 days leading to Easter Sunday. It is called Ash Wednesday because part of the worship service involves marking the foreheads of those present with a smudge of ashes in the shape of a cross. Ashes were used in an ancient ritual as an outward sign that the person had realized the misguided life they were living and were serious about repenting and turning to a new life.
Today, people will gather in churches all over the world and remember the ways in which they have fallen short of the glory of God. They will confess their sins before God and each other, and they will be marked with ashes and with the words, “From dust you were formed, to dust you shall return.” It is a sobering moment to examine your life during the past year and to realize that we are not much more than dust. In a world that prizes self-sufficiency, and in which too many of us are self-absorbed, coming to a worship service and taking a good hard look at our lives is not necessarily an easy thing to do. I suppose one of the reasons so many people come for worship on Ash Wednesday is that we are all desperate to look in the mirror and wash the smudge of ash from our faces and have something stir anew in us. We will confess our failures and also look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Let us remember these words of encouragement:
Return to the Lord, your God, for God is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing. Joel 2:13
With the Winter Olympics being held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and thinking about running the race of life, I was reminded this past Monday, on President’s Day, just how fragile life is. I called to speak to my friend, John Lucas, age 85 during the afternoon. Mrs. Lucas answered the phone. I asked how she was doing and asked to speak to John. Mrs. Lucas, said, “Oh Mark, you don’t know…John passed away on January 10th in his sleep.” I was so shocked and at the same time extended my sympathies to Mrs. Lucas for her loss. They were married for over 64 years. Mr. Lucas retired from teaching upholstery at Fultondale High School after many years of service where he touched many students’ lives. He continued doing little side jobs of upholstery, serving as a deacon at Plainview Baptist Church, gardening and living in their delightful bungalow in Tarrant. He was a gentle man who showed love to his wife, family, neighbors and to those he came in contact with. Mr. Lucas had finished his race on earth and was ushered into the Presence of the Lord. He had touched my life by his kind and gentle ways. In my stunned silence, I began to realize that he was in much better place and was at peace with God. Mrs. Lucas displayed that same peace over the phone to me with a sweet and kind, gracious spirit of love.
As we focus on these days of Lent before Easter and on this special day of Ash Wednesday, would you take time out of your busy life and really give some thought to your life and those things that may encumber and weigh you down? With the Lord’s leading, would you run with patience and a new determination, by keeping your eyes on the Author and finisher of our faith, Jesus?
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. In His Precious Name. Amen.
Along-side you, during this season of reflection and repentance, I remain your friend,
Mark David Jackson
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Joy, a Gift from Jesus
♪A Note of Thanks ♪
“You now have sorrow, but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice and your joy no one will take from you.” John 16:22
Do you know people who have a cheerful disposition? They are happy and make you laugh. Their smile radiates love and joy. But then there are others who are melancholy and seem to be sad. When having conversations with them, they seem to have lots of problems, perhaps health, finance, family, job situations and other things that deter them from having joy. And who can deny that afflictions in life are discouraging. Sometimes we are faced with many problems that come our way, caring for aging parents, getting our children grown up and through college and into productive lives, ongoing health problems and the stress of life in general. God’s Word, meditation and prayer, receiving encouragement by friends and loved ones, having a song on our heart, eating healthy food, exercising daily and re-focusing to help others will begin to take that sadness away. His Light will pierce through your darkness and drive away the sadness and bring Joy!
We have to agree that not everyone is blessed with a bright outlook on life. We need to remember that joy is one of the gifts Jesus promised to His followers. When we encounter difficulties in life, we need to resist any tendency to let sadness dominate our emotional lives.
Jesus promised His disciples on the night Judas betrayed Him, “Your joy no one can take from you” (John 16:22). Remember that joy is the fruit of the Holy Spirit who indwells us (Galatians 5:22). Let us ask the Lord to help us look beyond the sorrow and grief that we sometimes face and encourage our hearts by the vision of joy that awaits us:
Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2 (English Standard Version)
You alone, Lord Jesus, can true joy impart,
For You know the sorrow of the human heart;
You came here from glory many hearts to win,
And in love for sinners suffered once for sin.
-Anonymous
Do you remember this little chorus? I learned it in the Beginners Sunday School Class of Hillcrest Baptist Church when I was a little boy:
I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart.
Down in my heart,
Down in my heart,
I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart.
Down in my heart to stay.
It is a joy to serve along-side you,
Your friend,
Mark David Jackson
“You now have sorrow, but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice and your joy no one will take from you.” John 16:22
Do you know people who have a cheerful disposition? They are happy and make you laugh. Their smile radiates love and joy. But then there are others who are melancholy and seem to be sad. When having conversations with them, they seem to have lots of problems, perhaps health, finance, family, job situations and other things that deter them from having joy. And who can deny that afflictions in life are discouraging. Sometimes we are faced with many problems that come our way, caring for aging parents, getting our children grown up and through college and into productive lives, ongoing health problems and the stress of life in general. God’s Word, meditation and prayer, receiving encouragement by friends and loved ones, having a song on our heart, eating healthy food, exercising daily and re-focusing to help others will begin to take that sadness away. His Light will pierce through your darkness and drive away the sadness and bring Joy!
We have to agree that not everyone is blessed with a bright outlook on life. We need to remember that joy is one of the gifts Jesus promised to His followers. When we encounter difficulties in life, we need to resist any tendency to let sadness dominate our emotional lives.
Jesus promised His disciples on the night Judas betrayed Him, “Your joy no one can take from you” (John 16:22). Remember that joy is the fruit of the Holy Spirit who indwells us (Galatians 5:22). Let us ask the Lord to help us look beyond the sorrow and grief that we sometimes face and encourage our hearts by the vision of joy that awaits us:
Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2 (English Standard Version)
You alone, Lord Jesus, can true joy impart,
For You know the sorrow of the human heart;
You came here from glory many hearts to win,
And in love for sinners suffered once for sin.
-Anonymous
Do you remember this little chorus? I learned it in the Beginners Sunday School Class of Hillcrest Baptist Church when I was a little boy:
I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart.
Down in my heart,
Down in my heart,
I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart.
Down in my heart to stay.
It is a joy to serve along-side you,
Your friend,
Mark David Jackson
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)