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.

Bless the Lord, my soul

Every second Sunday of the month our service is now a service filled with songs from Taizé. There is no sermon but two readings and time for meditation.
I have been singing these songs for twenty years and I am yet to get tired with them. They are ment to help us meditate and that is, I guess, why they cannot get old.

Christ, Spirit of compassion,
you hold us in your love,
with our light and our shadow,
offering us the gift of life.
For the grace of forgiveness,
we give thanks.
For grace to forgive others,
and also ourselves,
we offer prayer.
Amen.

Souls shining bright with grace

This is last Sunday's sermon:

A Cambridge scholar Mark Frank preached at Candlemas during the seventeenth century like this:

Light up now your candles … it is Candlemas, become we all burning and shining lights, to do honour to this day, and the blessed armful of it. Let your souls shine bright with grace, your hands with good works; let God see it, and let man see it; so bless we God. Walk we ‘as children of the light,’ as so many walking lights; and offer we ourselves up like so many holy candles to the Father of Light. But be sure we light all our lights at this Babe’s eyes, that lies so enfolded in our arms; and neither use nor acknowledge any other light for better than darkness, that proceeds from any other but this Eternal Light, upon whom all our best thoughts, and words, and works, must humbly now attend like so many petty sparks, or rays, or glimmerings, darted from and perpetually reflecting thankfully to that glorious Light; from this day beginning our blessing God, the only lightsome kind of life, till we come to the land of light, there to offer up continual praises, sing endless Benedicites and Alleujas, no longer according to the laws or customs upon earth, but after the manner of heaven, and in the choir of angels, with holy Simeon, and Anna, and Mary, and Joseph, all the saints in light and glory everlasting. Amen, amen.

"Let your souls shine bright with grace, your hands with good works; let God see it, and let man see it; so bless we God. Walk we ‘as children of the light’."

The actual date of Candlemas is the second of February (which incidentally is my husband’s birthday). Second of February comes 40 days after Christmas. Additionally, it is also the mid-point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. In Europe

bears and wolves are said to emerge from hibernation to inspect the weather. If they go back to their lairs it means severe winter will last another 40 days. In North-America Groundhog day is one example of this, too.

The second of February has in many places also been the annual beginnings of the agricultural season. Something one finds hard to believe up here in the north. According to an English saying, "If Candlemas Day be bright and clear, there'll be two winters in the year." I regret to remind you of the fact that it also was – and extremely cold.

The two themes that merge in the Gospel of this day are: the purification of Mary and the presentation of Christ in the Temple. The basis of the Feast of the Purification was the Jewish tradition that women were considered unclean after the birth of a child and were not permitted to enter the Temple to worship 40 days after the birth of a son and 60 days after the birth of a daughter. At the end of the 40 or 60 days, the mother was brought to the Temple or synagogue and ritually purified. Now she could go to religious services again, and generally go out in public.

Today’s women probably find this somewhat insulting (I do at least) but insult aside this custom did in fact protect the mother’s and baby’s health. Even today the same six weeks is when mothers in Finland go to have a check up after giving birth.

The second theme is the one which gives rise to the blessing of the candles. As Jesus, as the first born son, is presented in the temple old Simeon picks the baby in his arms he praises God and calls the baby the Light of all the peoples, gentiles and Israel.

One writer says this about Candlemas:

“To present Christ anew with many candles each year, is to present Him anew in our own lives. The beauty of the litugical year is its hallowing of time, much as the Jewish festivals are to its people.”

For the Church Candlemas is a day of hope and light. It is a time to honor the Lord as the Light of the World and to remind us that we too have that light within us. We too have Christ’s light within us. And my prayer is that it will shine through.

Because we wanted the children to be present for the blessing of the candles we have not walked into this chapel as a procession carrying lit candles. However, as we leave I shall come to the doorway to hold this Christ candle and as you make your way to out please light them. It’ll be a symbol for us that with us we take the light of Christ with us to the world, for the world to see.

"Let your souls shine bright with grace, your hands with good works; let God see it, and let man see it; so bless we God. Walk we ‘as children of the light’."