Category: Pastor’s Monthly Message

“The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their cry…When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears, and rescues them from all their troubles.” Psalm 34:15 & 17

Dear Redeemer Family:
Last week, my family and I spent the better part of the week in Branson. It was a short family vacation. But we took in a number of the sights and attractions which we hadn’t before. On Tuesday night, Ruth and I went to see the musical “Queen Esther,” which, of course, is based on The Book of Esther in the Bible.

The Book of Esther is a unique work. It is the only book in the Bible in which God is never mentioned. That is probably one of the reasons why we never have a lesson from Esther on Sundays. But God’s presence and action in implied throughout. It is the favorite biblical book of the Jewish people. It is also one of my favorites. It is a wonderful story. It is only 10 chapters long. You may care to read it. Or, we will be covering it in the Bible Class between services on Sundays.

It is the story of how the Jewish people are saved from a terrible pogrom by the evil vizier (prime minister) Haman, through the acts and bravery of Queen Esther and her kinsman Mordecai. And the result becomes the Jewish festival of Purim. I won’t tell you the story. Read it.

I think that the story is important for us for a number of reasons. It is ultimately a story of faith. In our lives, we may not face the terrible possibilities which Esther, Mordecai and the Jewish people in Persia faced, but we all face crises. Some of them are mild. Some may be horrific. But God is there listening, and working in ways which we may not discern. As I said, God is never mentioned in Esther. But that doesn’t mean God isn’t active in the story. In the same way, God is active in our world still. “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their cry…When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears, and rescues them from all their troubles.” Those are words of hope from the Psalmist. They are also words of hope for all who have faith. Amidst all the troubles in our lives, we need not face them alone. In faith, we know that God sees and hears us.

Our stories may not be as dramatic as those in Esther, nor in the rest of the Bible. But we have the same hope which has always been with us. So, be at peace. Know that God is not there, but rather here. And we can trust in God’s abiding love. And read The Book of Esther. You will like it.

In Christ,
Pastor Rose

“When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?” Psalm 8-4

Dear Redeemer Family:
We are in the midst of Summer. That usually means that we are also in the season of beholding the wonders of creation. It may be while we are off on vacation. Or, it could be that we are strolling in a park. Or, it can just be when we are looking out from our yards. Or, even when we are mowing our yards. Yes, I had to throw that in. Creation is beautiful. We appreciate watching the plants grow, except when mowing, and the flowers blooming, the songbirds singing. But there is a lot about creation which we don’t understand, or even misunderstand. Yet, it is still beautiful, glorious. And God continues still to create.

Creating can be messy. It can be all in the way that you see things. It can also be destructive to what is already there. Here’s an example: volcanos. When you think of a volcano, you often thing of tremendous destruction, especially if you live near one. But they are also creative. Hawaii is the only state in the union which is actively growing. Every time Kilauea erupts, Hawaii picks up some more real estate. True, it also loses some in the wake of the lava flow temporarily. And the new ground can’t be used for some time. But it is an act of creation. Presently, there are several volcanos in the world that are quite active besides Kilauea: in Iceland, off of the island of Tongo in the Pacific, both Mt. Etna and Stromboli in Sicily have erupted, and just the other day there was a minor eruption in Yellowstone National Park (by the way, if you didn’t know it, Yellowstone is actually a “Super Volcano,” remember that if you are planning on visiting). Volcanos are destructive, yes, creative also. A misunderstanding that many have yet to come to terms with. We don’t quite understand it.

Then there is even the air which we breathe. Recently, scientists have been investigating a large section of chunks of metals (they called them “nodes”) on the ocean floor between Hawaii and Mexico. It turns out that these are a large source of oxygen for the air which we breathe. These metal deposits chemically are separating the oxygen and hydrogen from the sea water, releasing the gases into the atmosphere. The scientists were shocked because they had all been taught that the oxygen had to come from plants. In fact, they had known about these deposits for years, and hadn’t made the connection!

Ah, God’s wonders to behold! And yet, He is also mindful of us! Stand in awe of the beauty and wonder of God’s creation. We may well not understand it. But God put everything in place for a purpose. Enjoy this creation. And most especially, stand in awe of its Creator! He created us as well.

In Christ,
Pastor Rose