Memorial Day Promises

It's Sunday, May 29th. Memorial Day weekend.  In case you want to sing along,

here is our little choir singing

"America the Beautiful"

"O beautiful for spacious skies, For amber waves of grain

For purple mountain majesties above the fruited plan!

America! America! God shed His grace on thee

And crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet, whose stern, impassioned stress

A thoroughfare for freedom beat across the wilderness!

America! America! God mend thine every flaw

Confirm thy soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law!

O beautiful for heroes proved in liberating strife

Who more than self their country loved and mercy more than life!

America! America! May God thy gold refine

Till all success be nobleness, and every gain divine!

O beautiful for patriot dream that sees beyond the years

Thine alabaster cities gleam, undimmed by human tears!

America! America! God shed His grace on thee

And crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea!

I hope you were standing while we sang. What a wonderful song. We have so much to be thankful for on this Memorial Day. Without those "heroes proved in liberating strife, who more than self their country loved and mercy more than life", where would we be as a country? Probably locked in a battle still with countries like Russia or China...may God protect us and continue to "shed His grace on thee and crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea."  We sure need God's protection more and more in these turbulent and evil days.  

Our Pastor's message is titled “Ascension Sunday.” The Scripture reading is from Acts 1:1-11, if you want to follow along.  It was a very good message and a wonderful service today. 

Our closing hymn was "God Bless America", and one of our Marine veterans, who happened to survive the bombing in Beirut in 1983, held the flag in attention while we sang. He suffers still from serious PTSD as a result of that horrific tragedy, and if weren't for the Lord in his life he would probably not be able to cope at all. It's been very very hard. He suffers from survivor's guilt,  among other things. So, when we honor those who gave up their lives for our country, we should also remember those who were seriously wounded both emotionally and/or physically in service to our country. They have also given up a big portion of their lives.

However, just now we saw this beautiful rainbow outside our front door.  There's a storm in the distance, but we are only seeing the sign of God's promise to us...yes His promise that He would never again destroy the earth with water like He did the great flood. You can read all about that in Genesis chapters 6-9.  But this is what God said to Noah after the flood waters receded:

Genesis 9:12-17

12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: 13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. 16 Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”

17 So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth.”

Isn't it wonderful to think that right now God is remembering His covenant with Noah and with us? He is thinking of us, His creation, and even though things are looking very grim in the world, we are on God's heart and mind. He loves us very much, and He wants us to be reminded of His love, especially right now.

A perfect way to end this Memorial Day Sunday, don't you think?

I hope you have a blessed and peaceful day tomorrow as well.

Good night Friends.