“Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” John 11:23-27
This photo brings back a lot of memories of a forty-five minute boat ride with Pastor Israel Isidor from Les Cayes in 2001. We had two choices of boats to rent on that day, a typical Haitian wooden boat or a ‘modern’ canoe and I offered to pay for the upgrade instead of traveling with the authentic boat as neither had life preservers and we were going out into the Caribbean. We were going to visit a remote congregation that was a long way off by foot and a shorter way off by boat and my crippled feet did much better swimming than walking. The purpose of our visit was to encourage people and take the Sacrament to those who requested as this was not a regular visit for Pastor who only visited them once a quarter. It is interesting that I’m sharing this with you this morning as Pastor Israel has been celebrating Victory with Jesus for over a decade now and I am still here waiting on this side of Heaven, wondering when my story will end. There are so many things that we can do before that final sentence of our lives finally appears and we never know when our finger will strike the key for the last time. This weekend, will you prayerfully consider joining me in being a Matthew 25 donor with Trinity/HOPE in the remaining days and help to bring encouragement and much needed nourishment to Haitian children attending a large Lutheran school in Les Cayes? Today, I am closing with words from the last verse of the hymn ‘I AM forever Who I AM’ from Kurt Von Kampen.
Some days seem long, though life is brief and death is waiting like a thief. When vision fades and dreams go dry we will on unseen things rely. Our stories take up but a page, but Your’s goes on from age to age. I AM forever WHO I AM. Above you, beneath you, around you and within you; be still and know that I am God.
Dear Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.
May God be with you…Jay