I’m delighted for the opportunity to talk
to you today. This is my contribution toward all of us pitching in
during Pastor Brian’s sabbatical, showing that Ascension Church is a
lively and active congregation!
I’m a fan of folk music and
singer-songwriters, so I like to listen to this kind of music on the
radio and my big collection of CD albums. Once in a while a song really
grabs me with a message worth sharing. I hear lots of songs with
religious themes, most of which are not appropriate for this occasion:
“Jesus Loves Me, but He Can’t Stand You”, “There Are No Banjo Players in
Heaven”, “Going to Hell in Your Heavenly Arms” are some obvious
examples.
I will talk instead about a serious song
of our need for mercy, read the lyrics, then play it for you.
My dictionary defines mercy as “a blessing
that is an act of divine favor or compassion” – a dry way of saying that
God shows us compassion, whether or not it is deserved. We use the word
all the time in our liturgy. I saw it twice in last week’s bulletin – in
the Confession (“In the Mercy of Almighty God Jesus Christ was given to
die for you and for his sake forgives you all your sins”) and in the
Prayers of the Church (the response was, “your mercy is great”).
The
song “Mercy Now” was written by Mary Gauthier, a singer-songwriter from
Louisiana who sings of her life experiences and sympathetic observations
of less fortunate people. Her songs can be very personal and painful.
This
song caught my ear a few months ago. I had to buy her CD! Then I heard
her sing it in person last month at the Old Settlers Music Festival. The
song is a prayer, and it made me uncomfortable the first time I heard
it. I still cringe a little even now. It certainly is not a joyful song
of praise; instead it forces us to think about the difficult situations
in our lives.
The
song begins as a prayer asking God’s mercy on loved ones facing life
crises. Next is a plea for the church (she’s Catholic, but Lutherans
shouldn’t be smug) and our nation as they face serious challenges.
Finally she points out that everyone and all living things need divine
mercy as well, since we seem to be “at the mercy” of merciless forces
beyond our control. Maybe you can recognize some of your own
experiences:
My
father could use a little mercy now
The fruits of his labor
Fall and rot slowly on the ground
His work is almost over
It won't be long and he won't be around
I love my father, and he could use some mercy now
My brother could use a little mercy now
He's a stranger to freedom
He's shackled to his fears and doubts
The pain that he lives in is
Almost more than living will allow
I love my brother, and he could use some mercy now
My church and my country could use a little mercy now
As they sink into a poisoned pit
That's going to take forever to climb out
They carry the weight of the faithful
Who follow them down
I love my church and country, and they could use some mercy now
Every living thing could use a little mercy now
Only the hand of grace can end the race
Towards another mushroom cloud
People in power, well
They'll do anything to keep their crown
I love life, and life itself could use some mercy now
Yeah, we all could use a little mercy now
I know we don't deserve it
But we need it anyhow
We hang in the balance
Dangle 'tween hell and hallowed ground
Every single one of us could use some mercy now
Every single one of us could use some mercy now
Every single one of us could use some mercy now
Carter Naylor
Lisi
Lifesong
This is my church home, I grew up here. I
went to Sunday school, was confirmed here, and I thought I had grown
into an adult here too! This is where I was married and all four of my
children were baptized. I have come back to this place for happy and
sad times. This was my extended family. If I needed anything I knew I
could come to this place for it for it.
When I think about the feeling of safety,
this place comes to mind. It was where I learned to speak in front of a
crowd of people. I learned how to be a leader during my years in Luther
League. I was nurtured here and it was home. Most of my times here
are happy, some of them are painful, but they are all filled with
family.
One of the things I like to do is find
people who inspire me or speak to me. They need to be honest and
heartfelt. Too many seem to just be talking and it is hard to listen.
But, through all my searching I have found a woman who speaks to my
heart and has taught me so much, her name is Beth Moore. I feel like
she knows me and I am her friend. She is a Texan and lives in Houston,
where she attends First Baptist in Houston. She is as Southern Baptist
as they come- Amen! (That was for the ladies in our Bible Study class!)
But, her heart is totally for empowering
women through bible learning. She has so many good things to say that I
hope she never stops teaching.
She has shown me that if I stop and listen
long enough I will hear God speaking to me. She is right, I can. I
have heard his encouragement and his kind words. The last few years
have been really hard on me and my kids. We have had a real struggle
with where we are going and how we were going to get there. I have made
some really hard choices and they have paid off in some very positive
ways. We have a long way to go but, we are getting there. My boys are
pretty happy and the girls are both doing great. As a parent I could
not be happier, I am so proud of them all. I see God’s face in each of
them. When I see Nate smile and get that gleam in his eyes. When
Samuel is hugging me telling me I look amazing today! When Brandi is
taking care of kids she shines! And Brittani has a gift that is
amazing.
They all have a love for Jesus and he is
in their hearts. You can tell that by their actions, most of the time!
The love God has for us is called Agape.
Agape never fails. It is a steadfast out pouring of unconditional
love. Can you imagine that kind of love? I can not. It is the
way God loves us and we can not return it even a little compared to Him.
He would love it if we tried, but, we could not compare.
1 Corinthians 13:13 states: And now Faith,
Hope and Love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:8 says; Love never ends.”
Everything else will but, not love.
John 3:16 – For God so loved the world he
gave his only son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish
but, have eternal life.
Wow!!
Can you imagine that? Think about what
that means! Ok try this one day:
This person cuts you off in traffic on
the long drive home! Should you yell at them and call names etc?
Or should you just smile at them? Say a prayer for them. They need
it! Thank God that your day is better than theirs!
It also means trying to take a few minutes
out of your way to help someone. I have done this a few times. Three
of those times stick out in my memory:
1)
Ralph Olsen
2)
Man in car
3)
Man by Jason’s
Wow huh?!?!
Those were what I like to refer to as “God
Times” I want my life filled with those times.
There is a song by a Christian group,
called Casting Crowns, that I just love. They are amazing. The words in
their songs really hit home. Thanks to my daughter Brittani, I got to
see them here is Austin a year or so ago. I had goose bumps the whole
time. WOW! They have put a finger on a lot of things I wondered about
in their words.
The song I want you to hear is called
Lifesong. It is a testimony on how we should live our days – with Jesus
in our minds and our hearts. “I want to sign your name to the end of
this day. Let my Lifesong sing for you”
Let us try to live that way. Let us start
right here in this small church. Smile at someone who is sad. Hug a
friend just because. Let someone in front of you in line!
The people in this church are committed to
each other and to continuing God’s work, especially while our Pastor is
gone. Let us grow and share and tell everyone we know that this is an
amazing place to be. Let us add some life back in here. Let us have
Ascension as part of our Lifesong.
Thank you all for being part of my
family!
Amen
Lisi Naylor
