You will be safe in His care

This was last Sunday's sermon from our family service.

The Psalm of this Sunday is Psalm 91 and I will read verses 1-2, 4 and 9-11.

Whoever goes to the Lord for safety,

whoever remains under the protection of the Almighty,

can say to him, You are my defender and protector.

You are my God; in you I trust.

He will cover you with his wings;

you will be safe in his care;

his faithfulness will protect and defend you.

You have made the Lord your[a] defender,

the Most High your protector,

and so no disaster will strike you,

no violence will come near your home.

God will put his angels in charge of you

to protect you wherever you go.

Have you heard the story about David and Goliath? (Remember how) he as a young man killed this Giant by the name of Goliath with a little rock. David was a very brave young man, but he wasn't always without fear. There were many times when he was tired and afraid and when he felt like God was far away. His way of finding a way forward was to write poems and make songs. He wrote many songs and we can still read them in the book of Psalms.

These songs comforted him and made him feel better and they still are a comfort to millions of people today. We don't know who wrote psalm 91 but I like to think it could have been David.

My favourite part are these words:

God will cover you with his wings; you will be safe in his care;

his faithfulness will protect and defend you.

Have you ever watched a hen with her chicks or seen them on TV? The little chicks follow their mother everywhere she goes. She shows them where to find food and makes sure that they are safe. The little chicks know not to go too far from her.

Whenever the mother hen thinks there is danger she lifts up her wings and the little chicks all come running for cover. She protects them not only from danger but from the wind, and rain by covering them with her wings. Under her wings the chicks are safe and warm just like this lovely red blanket keeps me warm right now.

The Bible tells in so many words that God is – among other things - a lot like a mother hen who protects and watches over her chicks. He watches over us and protects us. Under His wings we are safe. The text I read in the beginning from Psalm 91 goes like this - if we use a translation that comes close to the original choice of words : "He will shield you with his wings. He will shelter you with his feathers. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.”

Why do I have a blanket around myself you ask. Well, you see, I couldn’t really bring a mother hen to church could I? Hens and chicks belong to a farm yard. But I wanted to not only talk about God’s protection but also show you.

God is like a mother hen and also like a big soft blanket. You can ask him to comfort you and to be very, very close to you like a blanket is. Close to Him you will know that all things will be well. And sometimes, if you are worried or afraid, you can hide under your own blanket at home and remember that God is also there with you hugging you with his great big love.

RESPONSE TIME

You adults and you who are a little younger, last month I invited you to think about the things in your life you are afraid of and to invite Jesus into them. Today I invite you to let God remind you of the millions of ways He has and does comfort and protect you. If you find it easier to pray and meditate when you walk you are most welcome to wander around in the main nave or you may just stay seated. You can also do a similar thing we did last time which is to write a thank you note to God which you can then place in this basket. I shall say a prayer blessing your notes as we move on to the next part of the service.

And then you little ones: I have feathers and glue! The words “ God will shield you with his wings. He will shelter you with his feathers” are written on these papers and you can decorate them anyway you would like and then take them home and maybe place them somewhere close by your bed to remind you that God is close.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father,

as we thank you for the wonderful and sometimes even funny ways you make your love known to us please take over and resolve what we are not able to resolve.

Take care of those things that are beyond our reach.

You have the power to do so.

Thank you for watching over us and keeping us safe.

We know there are angels watching over us at all times and thank You for them.

In Jesus name we ask you for your peace to come over us when ever we find ourselves scared and afraid. Amen.