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Cal's Pastoral Epistles
"Where Is Your Ebenezer?"
January 8, 2009
Star Trek technology exists in 2009. If you don't believe me then just try a
little experiment. Go back to a place that had sentimental meaning for you
and see what happens. This week I was up in the Boston area for a seminar
on church leadership at my alm an>a mater in Newton Centre,
Massachusetts. As I drove onto the campus I was transported back in time
and immediately surrounded by images and emotions that went back nearly
thirty years.
Lori and I were newlyweds when I went to seminary and we spent our first
year together living in one of the studio apartments on campus. All of those
memories came flooding back as I thought about Lori's daily trips to
Brigham & Women's hospital each morning and my late nights studying and
writing papers. I remembered friends and professors who were a part of
that whole era. I thought about the church we were going to and the people
we met. The images were so real that it felt like I had stepped back in time.
The sense of place is a powerful force in our lives. The Israelites
understood this. As you read the Hebrew Scriptures you will see the leaders
making it a point to mark places where significant events happened. They
would make an altar or set up a pile of stones or even dig a well. These
memorials would remind them and others who came by that God had been
with the people there.
Have you ever heard the word "Ebenezer" used before? In the second verse
of the old hymn, "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" it says, "Here I
raise mine Ebenezer; hither by thy help I’m come..." My first thought is
always of the Dicken's character, Ebenezer Scrooge when I sing this song.
The truth is that the term comes from a story in the book of I Samuel. In
the midst of a battle with the Philistines Samuel took a large stone and said
this will remind us that God has always helped us. It became a marker for
the people to declare that God still loved them, that He would be with them
and that He would help them overcome whatever the enemy would throw at
them.
The truth is that we all need these Ebenezers in our lives. If visiting the
place where you and your spouse enjoyed your honeymoon or returning to
your childhood home can bring you back to a joyful time, then finding a
place where you can connect to God is even more important. I think this is
one of the reasons why we generally go somewhere to worship. Whether it
be the small church on the green or the new synagogue on the corner, that
sense of place is important. It will be an Ebenezer for you when the winds
of life begin to blow you over. It will be the rock where you can find your
rest.
So where is your Ebenezer? If you don't have one yet, then I suggest you
start looking. It will be one of the biggest blessings you receive in the new
year.
God bless. Happy New Year. See you in Church. Cal.
January 8, 2009
Star Trek technology exists in 2009. If you don't believe me then just try a
little experiment. Go back to a place that had sentimental meaning for you
and see what happens. This week I was up in the Boston area for a seminar
on church leadership at my alm an>a mater in Newton Centre,
Massachusetts. As I drove onto the campus I was transported back in time
and immediately surrounded by images and emotions that went back nearly
thirty years.
Lori and I were newlyweds when I went to seminary and we spent our first
year together living in one of the studio apartments on campus. All of those
memories came flooding back as I thought about Lori's daily trips to
Brigham & Women's hospital each morning and my late nights studying and
writing papers. I remembered friends and professors who were a part of
that whole era. I thought about the church we were going to and the people
we met. The images were so real that it felt like I had stepped back in time.
The sense of place is a powerful force in our lives. The Israelites
understood this. As you read the Hebrew Scriptures you will see the leaders
making it a point to mark places where significant events happened. They
would make an altar or set up a pile of stones or even dig a well. These
memorials would remind them and others who came by that God had been
with the people there.
Have you ever heard the word "Ebenezer" used before? In the second verse
of the old hymn, "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" it says, "Here I
raise mine Ebenezer; hither by thy help I’m come..." My first thought is
always of the Dicken's character, Ebenezer Scrooge when I sing this song.
The truth is that the term comes from a story in the book of I Samuel. In
the midst of a battle with the Philistines Samuel took a large stone and said
this will remind us that God has always helped us. It became a marker for
the people to declare that God still loved them, that He would be with them
and that He would help them overcome whatever the enemy would throw at
them.
The truth is that we all need these Ebenezers in our lives. If visiting the
place where you and your spouse enjoyed your honeymoon or returning to
your childhood home can bring you back to a joyful time, then finding a
place where you can connect to God is even more important. I think this is
one of the reasons why we generally go somewhere to worship. Whether it
be the small church on the green or the new synagogue on the corner, that
sense of place is important. It will be an Ebenezer for you when the winds
of life begin to blow you over. It will be the rock where you can find your
rest.
So where is your Ebenezer? If you don't have one yet, then I suggest you
start looking. It will be one of the biggest blessings you receive in the new
year.
God bless. Happy New Year. See you in Church. Cal.
Pastor Cal Lord writes these weekly epistles to
help us see God in every day things.
help us see God in every day things.
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