May 20. 2022
Last Sunday I had the privilege of preaching at Step Morgan's ordination service at Grace Presbyterian Church in Cookeville, Tennessee. There were so many layers of joy in this event: seeing our brother Step formally enter into his call as a gospel minister, receiving the desire of his heart in spite of (even through!) all the suffering he has been through the past two years; getting to preach in my old pulpit again; seeing so many old friends from Grace, some of whom were members when we first moved there in 2007; seeing so many new faces at Grace, which encourages me as the Morgans begin their ministry there - God is at work in that body of believers; and hearing the excitement from the members about Step coming to be their pastor - I have no doubt that his heart of a shepherd, refined through suffering, will be combined with his skill as a preacher to benefit the saints into whom I poured so much of my life as well. I thank God for giving me a personal connection to the ongoing ministry of my former church. Please be praying for Step and Jessica as they transition into their new surroundings! (P.S. - Sam will be a freshman at Belhaven in the fall, so do reach out to him as you're able.)
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"School's out for the summer!" So sang Alice Cooper (and Disney's High School Musical, depending on your age and musical tastes). I know my bride and children are more than a little excited to be done, and I'm sure if you have kids in the home the relief and energy in your house matches ours. We're looking forward to a few days in Fort Morgan this coming week. Several years back on a summer vacation to the beach, I was struck by the various ways that God uses sand to teach us in His word. So if you find yourself on a beach at some point over the next few days or weeks, look down, feel the soft grit between your toes, and meditate on these truths:
The sinfulness of sin - In Jeremiah 5:22-23, we read these words: "Do you not fear me? declares the LORD. Do you not tremble before me? I placed the sand as the boundary for the sea, a perpetual barrier that it cannot pass; though the waves toss, they cannot prevail; though they roar, they cannot pass over it. But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; they have turned aside and gone away." When we sin, we sin against a God who has created the sand to keep the seas in check, whose power preserves a lunar cycle that brings about high tide and low tide, who prevents flooding (until it is His will not to prevent it). When we sin, we sin against a strong and mighty King, an omnipotent Sovereign whom we do not fear as we ought. Melville puts it well in Moby Dick, “Heaven have mercy on us all – Presbyterians and Pagans alike – for we are all somehow dreadfully cracked about the head, and sadly need mending." And the sand God made shows us how cracked about the head we truly are.
The scope of grace - In Genesis 22:15ff., God tells Abraham about the vastness of His saving purposes: "I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore." Every time we see the beach in all its length and breadth and depth, we should be reminded of the all sons of Abraham - many by blood (the Jewish race) and even more by grace through faith in Jesus, the seed of Abraham in whom men and women and boys and girls from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation are saved.
The splendor of God's knowledge of us - In Psalm 139:17-18, David recounts the beauty of God's knowledge: "How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand." God is the one who wove us together skillfully in our mother’s womb, who made us fearfully and wonderfully, who wrote in His books all the days that were ordained for us. He knows us intimately and loves us still.
The seriousness of our response to His word - In Matthew 7:24-27, we are reminded that if we hear Jesus' word but do not do it, we're like a man who built his house upon the sand, an even worse foundation than Yazoo clay. The sand reminds us of the folly of rejecting the truth of Christ, of living for ourselves and our own pleasure, as well as the serious consequences of disobeying Him. Again, Melville's words in Moby Dick are poignant: "All the things that God would have us do are hard for us to do – remember that – and hence, he oftener commands us than endeavors to persuade. And if we obey God, we must disobey ourselves; and it is in this disobeying ourselves, wherein the hardness of obeying God consists."
Whenever you next make it to the beach, think on these things. Redeem the time, and meditate on His general revelation (creation) and His special revelation (the Bible). Happy summer!