Happy St Patrick's Day

St.  Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland and although I’m not catholic I am part Irish so top of the mornin’ to you and may St Patrick’s prayer be your prayer today.

The Prayer of St. Patrick

I arise today
Through the strength of heaven;
Light of the sun,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of the wind,
Depth of the sea,
Stability of the earth,
Firmness of the rock.

I arise today
Through God's strength to pilot me;
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's hosts to save me
Afar and anear,
Alone or in a multiude.

Christ shield me today
Against wounding
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me.

I arise todayThrough the mighty strength
Of the Lord of creation.

Immortality

I’m reading a novel about the quest for immortality.  This seems to be the theme of many books both fiction and nonfiction.  As humans we have a natural desire to live forever.   But I don’t think we really start thinking about this until we hit 50 or 60 years old.  All of a sudden time speeds up and years go by in the blink of an eye and we start to wonder about eternity. 

There are many ways to prolong our lives from living a healthy life style to cryonics (the act of freezing the body after death hoping for resuscitation later on).  There are also ways to ensure we leave a legacy after our death; having families, producing a great piece of art or literature, becoming a philanthropist etc. 

The Bible says in Ecclesiastes says that God has put eternity in our hearts.  Our quest for immortality is really a God shaped vacuum longing to be filled put there by the Creator Himself.   The search for immortality is ultimately a search for God.    The good news is that God wants to be found and that He has provided a way for us to live eternally. 

  For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  John 3:16

Sunday Morning Musings

I’ve decided to do some other posts besides just book reviews.  These will be labeled as Sunday morning musings and if you are here strictly for the book reviews feel free to ignore them; but if my musings generate thoughts and discussion all the better.

In my yearly quest to read through the Bible (sadly I almost never make it through to the end of the year) I was reading in Genesis this week where Isaac and Rebekah can’t have children (Gen 25:21).  This struck me in a new way as I remembered that Isaac is the son God gave to Abraham to fulfil the promise that he would be a great nation.  Secondly, Rebekah is the wife God chose for Isaac.  (Gen. 24)  Seems to me God should have remembered that she needed to be able to have children!!  Instead, Isaac must pray to the Lord on behalf of his wife and God answers his prayer with twins.  God could have skipped this step and just given them the twins but  I think that the prayer of a faithful man was “needed” to show that this was something only God could accomplish.

The Christian journey is one that is begun in faith and travelled by faith.   Hebrews 11:1-2 says that “faith is the being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.  This is what the ancients were commended for.”    We can be sure of God’s love and care for us even through the times when it is only our faith that keeps us believing. 

Enjoy your Sunday.