Oh Lord, may the words from my lips be from your inspiration to my heart. Amen
Well here we are in week four of our Lenten journey and we have one more week before Holy week. Our journey this year has been made a challenge for us all to learn and memorize the 23rd Psalms. How is everybody doing with that? Well, let’s see; say with me what we’ve learned so far, using the King James version: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie in green pastures: he leadeth me besides still waters. He resorteth my soul, he leatheth me down the path of righteousness, for his name’s sake. Yea through I walk through the valley of shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Good, now we this week’s verse; 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies : thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
One has to wonder if David knew of the table the Lord prepares for us every time we celebrate Holy Communion? For do we not confront our enemies here at the Lords table. Let me explain what I mean by this. Would we all agree that an enemy is someone or something keeping us from completing or reaching our goal and is not our goal in life to get to Heaven? So, would not our enemies be those items that keep us from Heaven!
Now we know that sin is that which keeps us separated from God, but each of us has our own sins that are our enemies. For some of us, money is our # 1 enemy, maybe, as in my case, too much food, could it be envy for some of us? How about wanting something we can’t have? We all have our own sins that we come to the Lord in prayer seeking and asking for forgiveness.
We’ve described something’s that are enemies, what about the somebody’s? The somebody’s who tell us that no one will know, the somebody’s that say here try this, the somebody’s who get us to go places we shouldn’t, the somebody’s who get us to do what we shouldn’t, and the somebody’s who laugh at us when we in trouble when we get caught. The somebody’s who make fun of us because we are Christians. The somebody’s who idea of religion doesn’t even come close what we believe. These are our enemies as well, for these somebody’s cause us to stray away for our goal. You know, Heaven.
That is when we find ourselves once more on our knees seeking and asking for forgiveness, why, because we know that we are in need of Christ, to wash away those sins, with his blood. The blood that is shed for the remission of all our sins. Not just my sins, and not just yours sins, but the sins of the whole world! That is the journey that Christ took for us all during Holy Week and that is the reason for our Lenten journeys, to remember what Christ has done for us. And what has Christ done for us, he has prepared His table for us. A place for us to remember the sacrifice Jesus did for us. That as we take the body of Christ, given for us, and drink from the Cup, the blood of Christ, shed for us, our sins our forgiven, our enemies have been defeated and we are walking closer to God.
Now as we go back to our seats, after taking Holy Communion, we humbly enjoy those blessings from God. That anointing our heads with oil feeling. Those blessing from Heaven that resoreth our souls. Those blessing that God gives in abundance, that our cup overflows. That God’s love for us is so great, that there is nothing we have that can hold it. An overflowing love that we are commissioned to gladly share with others. That love of our Heavenly Father, who wants us close to him, the Heavenly Father who is our shepherd, the Heavenly Father who leads us down the “right path”, the Heavenly Father who walks besides us as we go towards the valley of death, The Heavenly Father who calms our fears, the Heavenly Father who guides us to a safe place to rest, the Heavenly Father who shows us just how great he is, as we walk through his world, those cool waters, the Heavenly Father who restores our souls, and the Heavenly Father who gives us the tools and the strength to cultivate our Faith to know that he is our Lord.
So, as we continue toward the end of our Lenten journey, let us be joyful in praising our Lord and shepherd because we have receive so many blessings from Heaven that our cup is over flowing.
Praise be to God. Amen.