Originally written Sep 25, 2007. I am reposting this in honor of dear friends whose little one went to be with Jesus. We love you Bryan and Kim…

Matthew 19:14: But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”

As some of you know, I am preaching through the Book of Ecclesiastes. One of the common themes of this book is a reminder of the fleeting nature of life. This message is particularly poignant as I type.

Today, I have heard from two families relating heartbreaking news. Both households suffered miscarriages. The hopes and dreams that accompany the news that the Lord has opened the womb and brought new life disappear like the morning mist on a cool lake. In their place, pain and grief have understandably come. Yet also, these families understand that God is sovereign and that His love and mercy never fail.

Stacy and I have suffered through the complex emotions following a miscarriage ourselves. We know how impossible it is to understand the reasons why the Lord gives life – and then so quickly calls the child to Himself. Yet we also know that the Lord has His own purpose for all He does.

As I reflected on the loss experienced by these two families, I remembered a story from the life of the great reformer Martin Luther. In September 1542, his 13-year-old daughter Magdalene, lay dying. As Martin watched her life slip away, Luther prayed, “I love her very much, but dear God, if it be Thy will to take her, I submit to Thee.” He then leaned over and softly spoke to her, “Magdalene, my dear little daughter, would you like to stay here with your father, or would you willingly go to your Father yonder?” I can only imagine how Luther’s heart must have struggled with both sorrow and joy as she replied, “Darling father, as God wills.”

In tears, Luther again turned to the Lord in prayer saying, “I love her very much; if my flesh is so strong, what can my spirit do? God has given no bishop so great a gift in a thousand years as He has given me in her. I am angry with myself that I cannot rejoice in heart and be thankful as I ought.” With tears in his eyes, Luther fell down at Magdalene’s death bed and prayed through bitter tears that the Lord would free his dear daughter from her pain. She then fell asleep in her father’s arms, and woke up in the arms of her Savior.

As her empty body was laid down into the coffin, Luther said in confident hope, “Darling Lena, you will rise and shine like a star, yea, like the sun. I am happy in spirit, but the flesh is sorrowful and will not be content, the parting grieves me beyond measure. I have sent a saint to Heaven.”

Friends, please pray for our brothers and sisters who have suffered the loss of children this week. Pray that they would be confident in their faith, in the sovereignty of God, and that the Lord would bring peace to their hurting souls.

And, for all of us, may we thank the Lord for the gift of life and for the immeasurable blessing of children.

My only concern with this is that this man didn’t seem to enter into a dialog that would bring the Mormons to see their sin and their need for the redeeming work of Jesus. I applaud his zeal, however.

We had similar missionaries come to our home in Houston a few times. The conversations were cordial, but always ended with the older one calling the meeting off. And it was often at the place where we discussed sin and the need for a Savior. Our works cannot save us. We stand condemned under the penalty of our sin. There is only salvation in Jesus. He is the way, the truth and the life – we cannot come to the Father apart from Him.

Christians – pray for opportunities to share your faith. Do so with confidence. Do so with love.

I am a little late in announcing this series. In November, I started what I thought would be just a short series for Advent, focusing on the work of Jesus in the first few chapters of Genesis. However, the sermons kept coming. There is so much there. So, I am going to continue through to the end.

Genesis is a rich book with many important lessons for us to understand. In the chapters and verses, we find repeated over and over again our sinfulness and folly, yet God’s redeeming love. From the first chapter, where we see His work in Creation, to the last chapter, where we see His work in providence, the power and the provision of our God is displayed. And through it all, we see shadows of the finished work of Jesus.

The Bible says that Jesus was slain from the foundation of the world – and slain for a purpose. He died for our sins, our repeated offenses against a holy God. He took upon Himself the penalty that we deserved. And now, He calls us to come to Him in faith. And He helps us live abundantly with the mission of seeing His Kingdom come.

This, and much more, are in the Book of Genesis. I hope you can come and visit Providence. Come and learn how not only in the beginning, but throughout time, our hope and our confidence is only found in Jesus.

Videos taken by Rev. Louis St. Germain from El Shaddai Ministries International. Please pray for this mission and for the church in Haiti.

Injured person in Port-au-Prince, Haiti after 7.0 earthquake, Jan. 12, 2010.

Over the course of the past few days, my heart has been troubled over the news from the Caribbean nation of Haiti. I have seen the pictures and videos reflecting a country reeling from one of the most frightening events known to man, the unexpected rocking of the ground from an earthquake. In the past, I have felt the tremors of earthquakes, all in California with the exception of one in Illinois. And I can attest that unsettling is an understatement.

But what has occurred in Haiti is beyond unexpected and unsettling, it is heart wrenching. The scenes of bodies of women and children bring tears to the eyes of the most stoic and callous among us. The cries for help haunt us in our dreams. Expressions of horror and confusion, as well as early signs of dehydration fill the images on our computer monitors. My heart is saddened for the loss of so many. One moment, men are preparing to go home, children are playing in a school yard, mothers are nursing babies, life is routine and normal. Yet, in an instant, there is destruction and pandemonium, all that was normal is gone. For some, never to return.

Yes, I am a Reformed pastor. As such, I know that the Lord allows events such as these for His purposes. We don’t know the mind of God. And it is not our place to question the motives of the Lord. He has clearly said throughout His Word that He is at work in the midst of acts of Providence.

Amos 3:6 – If a trumpet is blown in a city, will not the people be afraid? If there is calamity in a city, will not the LORD have done it?

Yet I have heard of one leading evangelical who claimed that the earthquake was God’s judgment against Haiti because of some alleged pact with the Devil. The problem with this statement is that it does not go far enough. The Scripture is clear that there is none who does good, there is none who seeks after righteousness (Romans 3:10-18). And so, if this were the judgment of God, we should all ask ourselves, why is it that the Lord has spared us? Why has the United States not experienced this type of calamity? Or something even worse? We have, in many ways, made our own pacts with evil.

The answer, of course, is God’s common grace (Matthew 5:45). He is a gracious God who is longsuffering (2 Peter 3:9). He is a patient God who does not take pleasure in the destruction of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:11).

And so, when events like this happen, it is not up to us to question why. If we want to ask questions, a better inquiry might be, why did the Lord allow us to take our last breath? It is only His grace and mercy that allows us to see the light of another day. How thankful we should be for a God who gives us more than we deserve. It is a wonder to understand that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

And yet, there is still Haiti. Haiti is still on my heart. It is my prayer that this event will mean a new day of revival and reformation to that troubled land. I am praying that Jesus binds up the brokenhearted and brings peace to the afflicted. And I know that this is only possible when He is acknowledged as Lord and Savior.

I am not sure we can find a better prayer for Haiti than this…

Psalm 107:8–16
Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
For He satisfies the longing soul,
And fills the hungry soul with goodness.
Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
Bound in affliction and irons—
Because they rebelled against the words of God,
And despised the counsel of the Most High,
Therefore He brought down their heart with labor;
They fell down, and there was none to help.
Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
And He saved them out of their distresses.
He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
And broke their chains in pieces.
Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
For He has broken the gates of bronze,
And cut the bars of iron in two.

So let it be for Haiti.

If you are looking for a way to reach out to this nation in this hour of need, please consider El Shaddai Ministries International. This ministry is run by two native Haitians: Rev. Dony and Louis St. Germain. They are doing a great work ministering to the hurting with the love of the Gospel.

The words of former United States Senator James A. Reed of Missouri, is a forceful speech delivered before the United States Senate, June 4, 1926:

I am getting a little tired of hearing about the sacred rights of the majority; that this is a country ruled by the majority. . . . This is not a country ruled by the majority. This is not a country of majority rule. The Constitution of the United States was written, in large part, to prevent majority rule. The Declaration of Independence was an announcement that there are limitations upon majority rule.

The rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, were declared in the Declaration to be inalienable rights. They could not be given away by the citizen himself. Much less could they be taken away by temporary agents, sitting in legislative bodies, holding a limited authority of brief duration. . . .

Majority rule! Where is the logic or the reason to be found back of majority rule except in the mere necessity to dispatch business. . . . The majority has been wrong oftener than it has been right in all the course of time. The majority crucified Jesus Christ. The majority burned the Christians at the stake. The majority drove the Jews into exile and the ghetto. The majority established slavery. The majority set up innumerable gibbets. The majority chained to stakes and surrounded with circles of flame martyrs through all the ages of the world’s history. The majority in China believe in a doctrine and follow a code of ethics different from ours. Either they are wrong or we are wrong. . . .

The majority went down the pathway of the ages wearing gyves, which they voluntarily forged and fastened upon their arms; and when a minority arose headed by some brave soul, they hanged him upon a gibbet, they crucified him upon a cross, they pulled his limbs apart with horrible instruments of torture, and the majority stood there leering and jibing at the man who was the apostle of a better day.

Majority rule without any limitation or curb upon the particular set of fools who happen to be placed for the moment in charge of the machinery of a government! The majority grinned and jeered when Columbus said the world was round. The majority threw him into a dungeon for having discovered a new world. The majority said that Galileo must recant or that Galileo must go to prison. . . .

Father God, renew our spirits by Your Holy Spirit, and draw our hearts unto You this day, that our work may not be a burden, but a delight; and give us such a mighty love for You that our obedience may be sweet. Let us not serve with the spirit of bondage as slaves, but with cheerfulness and gladness, as children, delighting ourselves in You and rejoicing in Your desires for the sake of the Kingdom. In Jesus Name, Amen.

revised from the Book of Commom Prayer

One of my favorite hymns focusing on the Incarnation of Jesus. A powerful message of His work and His Lordship. This one dates back to the 5th Century. Prayerfully, enjoy.

Most of the leadership of Providence Church and their spouses gathered at our home last night for an evening of feasting and fellowship. Thanks to all who came and served.

The Serving Ladies

The Serving Men

The Table is Set!

We gather together...

A time of fellowship...

Plates are prepared...

A blur of activity...

Time for the feast...

We were entertained by the deaconate...

Ready to retire...

I am very blessed to serve with the leadership of this church. The unity God has given is wonderful. And I am thankful the focus of one and all is to lift up Jesus!

I can’t wait to see what the Lord has in store for our fellowship in the coming year!