Saturday, July 17, 2021

Esther 4:14, Genesis 11:31-12:4, Judges 4:3-9: Deliverance? Yes. But by Whom?

Presented to The Salvation Army Alberni Valley Ministries, 18 July 2021, by Captain Michael Ramsay

 

These stories (Esther, Terah, Barak, and many like them) have impacted my theology greatly over the years. I think this is one of the many keys to comprehending how God works in our world.

 

These passages and stories of which they are a part really answer the question, “What do I do when God is calling me to do something?” “What do I do when the Lord has put someone on my heart?”  and to some extent, in some ways, “What happens if I don’t do what God asks me to do?”  “Can God be thwarted?”

He can’t. Luke Chapter 19:40: “I tell you…if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

 

Luke 19 has the very good news that if it is the time that God wants something done, He will do it. God loves us and He will reach out to us to help us in our distress. The question for us today is what happens if God wants to use us to reach out to others in distress and we refuse? The short answer is that God will do it anyway. In the stories of Barak and of Terah we see that because they didn’t follow what God had said or because they didn’t finish the journey, God raised up other people to do it.

 

Terah was the father of Abram. In Genesis 11 it mentions that after God had sent people away from Babel, he was headed to Canaan. Terah stopped before he ever saw the Promised Land so Terah never did get to see the Promised Land. God did not give up on Terah’s family though. God called Terah’s son who continued the journey to the Promised Land and who’s descendants eventually received this land promised to them hundreds of years before they were born. God called His people to the Promised Land and even though Terah stopped and didn’t make it there, God didn’t stop and his decedents still inherited the land.

 

Barak was a military commander serving God under Deborah, God’s chosen leader of Israel and Ephraim. Judges 4, God commanded Barak to lead his people into battle but Barak refused unless his leader Deborah accompanied him. God still rescued Israel but because Barak did not do as he was instructed, God gave the victory and the Glory to another – Jael became the ‘most blessed of women’; as she was the one who ended forever the threat of this particular enemy.

 

I think these stories and ones like them in the Bible are what Mordecai is drawing on in the book of Esther when he says, Esther 4:14, For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

 

We know the story of Esther, right? If not I encourage you to read it this afternoon. It will almost certainly take you less than an hour to read the whole thing. It is a short story but a very interesting one. In short – Israelites are living in the Persian Empire, the ruler of Persia is convinced to kill all the Jews (completely unaware that his wife – or one of them anyway – is a Jew). There is a whole bunch of intrigue as God delivers His people from destruction. One of the keys to the whole story, I think, is ESTHER 4:14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

 

I think this is a key to our lives today: if we remain silent when the world is in crisis, relief and deliverance will come through someone else, but we won’t be a part of it.

 

There are many times in my life when I am so thankful God has been able to use us to help people or save people from various things. My heart is truly grateful. I would honestly hate – probably more than anything else – to be passed over because of my refusal to serve God and miss out on the blessing that comes from serving others.

 

I truly believe that the Covid-19 pandemic was one such opportunity for which the Lord had raised up The Salvation Army and for which He called those of us whom He called here.

 

In our community, The Salvation Army could have done many things during this pandemic instead of being used by God to care for people. We could have done many things other than be used by God to unite disparate groups in a single purpose – caring for others during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Army here, and many besides, who have served God and the community throughout the pandemic could have instead remained silent. In which case, God would have taken care of the needs of the people in serious need but we would have missed out on being used by God to do just that – and I personally would hate that more than almost anything else. 

 

My encouragement today is this: to everyone who has been following God’s leading through this pandemic and beyond (and please know that GOD may be leading you in very different ways than even the person sitting next to you today!) in whatever direction He has been leading you, look around and see what Good He is using you to do in the lives of others, yourself, this community and the Kingdom of God. 

 

I also encourage us in this, like Samuel was encouraged by the High Priest Eli in Samuel 3:9: if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.’” For as Mordecai says in Esther 4:14, indeed he may have put you in your position for such a time as this

 

Let us pray. 






Saturday, July 10, 2021

Reflections on Ezekiel 4-5

Presented to The Salvation Army Alberni Valley Ministries, 11 July 2021, by Sarah-Grace, Heather  and Captain Michael Ramsay

 

Israel is in a bit of trouble here. Ezekiel has just put on this big show so that the exiles at the time and the rest of us now might learn from it. Remember that Ezekiel is not in Jerusalem, Judah, or even Israel as he is acting out this prophesy. Ezekiel is a thirty-year-old man who would like nothing more than to be a priest in Jerusalem instead he is sitting by the probably very dirty water near his refugee camp and then spending much of his time lying on his side eating food cooked on animal dung and doing everything else mentioned in this book. 


The message Ezekiel seems to be giving the people in the refugee camp with him is this: It seems that the people were comforting themselves in their exile by saying that God would never let anything happen to Jerusalem and that He would never let anything happen to the temple in Jerusalem; some people even believed that God actually lived just there – even though Jerusalem had already been overrun once and they themselves have been deported. They seemed to think that they could do whatever they wanted and because they are God’ chosen people it doesn’t matter. Ezekiel is telling them here that is does matter how we treat God and how we treat each other. They were chosen to be God’s servants taking care of those in need and instead they began to treat God and others as if HE was their servants. Ezekiel says Israel, Judah and Jerusalem were even more selfish than the other nations that God hadn’t chosen to show and tell the world how to serve God and others. 


Israel believed that God was on their side no matter what; so it didn’t matter how they acted they would be safe and secure, but the truth is different. The truth is that as long as Israel was on God’s side, they would be safe and secure no matter what. That is VERY different! And we show we are on God’s side by putting our love for God and our love for our neighbour into action. 


This is my encouragement to us today. Stay close to God! Life will get tough. You may never wind up on the banks of a dirty river running through a refugee camp… but you might. You may have something that effects you just as roughly or worse too! But here is the important truth, as long as we remain close to God looking to Him and looking after our neighbour, everything will be alright. 


Let us pray. 


Lord God we thank you that you are the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, and as long as we remain in you everything will be alright – even when it isn’t. You can see us through any storm. Thank you. 


A MESSAGE OF RECONCILIATION ON CANADA DAY TO OUR VETERANS AND OTHERS IN LIGHT OF THE RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL REVELATIONS

 PRESENTED AT THE ROYAL CANADIAN LEGION, 01 JULY 2021.[1]

 

In the Alberni Valley today we would like to acknowledge Winston Joseph, who has passed on since the previous Canada Day. He was the driving force behind our community's Canada Day activities for many years.

 

Canada Day is very important to our veterans as they offered up their lives and many of them laid down their lives for Canada and for all of us.

 

Today we are gathering to remember Canada and, as always at the Legion, those who have lived, fought and died for Canada and for our future. One of the many brave people from this area who offered their lives up for the future of others was Edward John Clutesi of the Tseshaht Nation. (Our community is on the un-ceded territories of the Tseshaht and Hupacasath First Nations)

 

Today, heavy on our hearts is the tragedy of the horrors of the residential schools and those who suffered and even lost their lives, across this country and even in our community. This is why I am wearing this pin in the shape of the orange ribbon on my uniform today. Every child matters.

 

Our veterans fought for a brave new world. It was hoped that the First World War would be the war to end all wars. It wasn’t. After the Second World War one amazing thing did happen though and that was we were reconciled with old foes: Germany, Japan, and Italy are now some of our closest allies, trading partners and friends. 

 

Many people passed before they could see the culmination of those wars and that reconciliation. Today in Canada we do have heavy hearts remembering the residential schools and today we have grateful hearts for all of those who died for us – including Edward John Clutesi.

 

Reading from Hebrews 11:16, the verse on the Order of Canada: "But they now desire a better country, that is an heavenly, wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God for He has prepared for them."

 

Today We are hoping now that we will all commit to and be a part of the inauguration of a new era of reconciliation and healing in our nation and in our community in our people and in ourselves. May there be peace in our time and may there be peace in our hearts. 

 

Let us pray:

 

Eternal God, we thank you for the peace we enjoy and for the opportunity that is ours of building a better order of society in this Canada for the generations still to come. Amen. 

 


[1] This was presented after conversations with the current and previous Chief Councillor of the Tseshaht First Nation. The current Chief Councilor was unable to attend as he was out of town but committed to send a member of the council to be present.