Shade Tree Wisdom 8/9/11

On my way to church I had a program on the radio that features religious music, anthems etc. This Sunday I heard a cathedral choir from the north of England sing that wonderful hymn.
“The Church’s One Foundation, is Jesus Christ, Her Lord.”

The Hymn teaches that the Church is God’s handiwork. “From heaven He came and sought her, to be His holy bride. With His own blood he bought her, and for her life He died.” LS 644,1.

The words are so pregnant with meaning, and so comforting to hear and know they are true. “Elect from every nation, yet one o’er all the earth. Her charter of salvation, One Lord, One faith, One birth.” And I thought, “I belong among them, the millions in every corner of this earth, believe Jesus Christ died for us.”

So what, when “Though with a scornful wonder, the world sees her oppressed, By schisms rent asunder, by heresies distressed. Yet saints their watch are keeping; their cry goes up, ‘How long’? And soon the night of weeping, shall be the morn of song.”

Yet the promise is “She on earth has union, with God, the Three in One.”

To hear these rich enduring promises sung by the Cathedral choir was an enriching experience filled for me with wonder of it all, and the comfort of knowing that every word of God is true. So I nearly missed the light, which brought us to the end of the program and brought me back to earth.

An earth that lately seems filled with dire news, the stock market is down horribly, the predictions for the future are dire, the fighting for position for the coming elections becomes more intense each day, and the times are indeed scary. And I wonder if this is how the early settlers felt when under Indian attack which seemed imminent and the cavalry was still not coming over the hill.

And then I remembered that I belong to a Church that God builds, sent His Son to die for, and that this God cares for me, and each of us. And I am still content.

GPD 8/9/11