I lift up my eyes to the hills —from where will my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade at your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and for evermore. Psalm 121

The biggest movie on the planet right now is The Batman.  At the end of the weekend, it grossed just shy of 500 million dollars at the box office, and that would have been much higher except many theatres in China are closed due to Covid.

Most people that know me know I am a big Bat-Fan.  I grew up watching reruns of the Adam West tv show and read the comics as a kid.  Batman appeals to me because he is a human with no superpowers, rather he has honed himself mentally and physically to be Gotham’s protector.

There is only one problem.  In our world, filled with war, strife, racism, hunger, poverty and the rest, Batman is not going to provide help.  He is, after all, a literary creation.

So where do we turn for help?  The psalmist knows – we call to the Lord, the very Creator of all Creation. The Lord will provide us help – as long as we turn to the Lord.  God will be our protector and keep us from evil, provided we seek God instead of evil.  And when we truly turn to God, truly rely on the Lord, guess what happens?  God will use us to take care of those problems of the world.  Maybe you and I cannot end the war in Ukraine, but we can certainly relieve some of the suffering.  Perhaps we cannot end world hunger, but we can feed those around us. 

Take some time this Lenten season to truly reflect on God and remember from where your help comes.  Turn back to the Lord, seek the Lord and allow God to guide you.  Who knows, you might be called to minister to someone and become their superhero.

Peace,

Pastor Bill

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.  Matthew 5:9

It is hard to look at pictures from Ukraine as the devastation is unimaginable.  I try to keep up with the news, but often it is hard.  There are already over 1.5 million refugees from Ukraine (adding to an already inconceivable refugee problem around the world) and there are innocent people being bombed as they flee their homes.

Will the peacemakers please stand up?

It is so hard to decide what to do.  Yes, we need to pray for peace, for safety for the Ukrainian people and changed hearts among leaders (especially Russian leaders).  We need to pray for the Russian people as well, as many are being suppressed in their opposition to the war.

However, prayer is not enough.  Yes, prayer is powerful and can change things.  Prayer is something we should all be doing.  We need action to accompany our prayers, and the action should be informed through our prayer. 

How can you be a peacemaker in your home, in your school, in your workplace, in your church for peace begins with each of us in our daily lives?  Pray about this, then put it into action.  And while you are at it, pray about how you can bring a little bit of peace to Ukraine. 

Peace,

Pastor Bill