WEEKLY MESSAGE

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  August 17th presented the familiar story of Moses as a child being placed in a basket to protect him from the Pharoah's order to kill all male Hebrew children. While the decision to hide Moses defied the authorities, it saved his life and allowed him to become a great leader in the future. For us, the question is how will we react when we confront an unfair edict of this kind. While we confront this question in our own lives, let's remember that God is with us, watching and blessing us, perhaps asking "Where are my people?" 

 July 20 continued the 'Unravelled" theme with the story of Apostle Paul, who found his life unravelled. He was Saul of Tarsus, who actively  persecuted the Jews.  Suddenly God blinded Saul and  chose him as a vessel to spread the gospel. Ananias, a disciple of Jesus in Damascus, befriended Saul, accepting him as a brother and helping heal his blindness. He foretold that all would hear him in the future. For us in our church, we can learn from Ananias' example, as he lived among an existing group but was willing to make room for this new member. In the same way, we need to stand aside and welcome new believers. In a way, we may feel unravelled in this change, but we can have faith that God is leading the way. 

  On June 29 Pastor A introduced a little-known Biblical story from 2nd Samuel. Here we learn of Rizpah, who mourned the murder of the sons of her and Saul, dedicating herself to guard their remains on the mountaintop for a very long time. Finally they were buried in the family grave. Her grief is reminiscent of Mary's grief after her son Jesus was murdered, and we can learn from their grief. After the crucifixion, the world speaks of death while Jesus spoke of life. In the book of Revelations we learn of grief which is comforted by joy as God blesses us and those we love.