Redeemer Lutheran Church, DeSoto, MO

“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

Do not say, ‘Why were the old days better than these? For it is not wise to ask such questions.”  Ecclesiastes 7:10

Dear Redeemer Family:

The “Good Old Days” weren’t. And nothing has changed. Here’s an interesting lesson from some guy named Martin Luther which I found in a book I have, Faith Alone, a Daily Devotional, all by Luther, edited by James C. Galvin. The quote is extended.

“Then people are ungrateful to us, we often start complaining, ‘Things are worse now than they ever were.’ But we shouldn’t talk like this. Elderly people tend to say, ‘When I was a child, everything was better.’ They are the ‘people who praise the days gone by,’ as one poet calls them. But the author of Ecclesiastes says this isn’t true. Things never really went well. We only realize how bad things are now because as we grow older, the number of things that annoy us also increases.

Children don’t pay much attention to news about someone deceiving or murdering someone else. They keep on playing, running, and riding. They think it’ s the worst thing in the world when someone steals another’s marbles. Only then do they become angry. But when they become adults, they become sensitive to the troubles and disloyalty of people around them. They get angry when a horse breaks a leg, when the cattle don’t fatten properly, and so on.

The world has always been filled with troubles, but we haven’t always been aware of them all. When we were children, nothing bothered us. Our lives remained relatively calm. But the world has always been wicked. Therefore, make sure that you have a quiet and peaceful heart. Don’t become upset when you see these evils. Though you can’t change the world, make sure you are changed into a new person.”

It seems that nothing has really changed in at least the last 500 years. But this is still good advice to live by. Let’s hope for the “Good New Day!”

In Christ, Pastor Rose