Monday, November 2, 2009

catching up via some mental images

several things that i have seen or heard over the past few weeks that have caused me to stop and think:

- standing behind a girl in line at the cafeteria, and reading the tattoo on the back of her neck: "trust no one." wow - what pain lies behind such a statement? what a hopeless credo to live by! praise God for surrounding me with people that i love and CAN trust... and even moreso, that even when these people fail me (cause CAN i really trust them or even myself 100% of the time?!?), i can ALWAYS trust God!

- hearing our pastor's young son (just turned 1) calling out from the back of the sanctuary just as we were closing the celebration of the Lord's Supper: "hi dada." and mark's reply of "hi benjamin." the significance that this meal represents the fact that we can approach the King of all creation, the Lord of heaven and earth with simple confidence as our "dada" through the death of His Son - the body and blood broken and shed for our sins. sweet communion!

- the preparations of an elderly christian man for the day of his funeral, assuring that the gospel would be spoken clearly even when he is gone from this lifetime by requesting that the first question of the heidelberg catechism be read as part of the ceremony:
Question 1. What is thy only comfort in life and death? Answer: That I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ; who, with his precious blood, has fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, and therefore, by his Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto him.