Calvin Synod Herald, 2012 (113. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

2012-05-01 / 5-6. szám

CALVIN SYNOD HERALD

5

First to the cradle lightly stepped,

Where the new nameless baby slept.

“Shall it be Baby? ” whispered John.

I took his hand and hurried on To Lily ’s crib. Her sleeping grasp Held her old doll within its clasp;

Her bright curls lay, like gold alight,

A glory ‘gainst the pillow white.

Softly her father stooped to lay His rough hand down in loving way,

When dream or whisper made her stir,

And huskily he said, “Not her? ”

We stooped beside the trundle-bed,

And one long ray of lamp-light shed Athwart the boyish faces there,

In sleep so pitiful and fair.

I saw on Jamie ’s rough red cheek A tear undried. Ere john could speak,

“He s but a baby too, ” said I,

And kissed him as we hurried by.

Pale, patient Robbie s angel face,

Still in his sleep bore suffering’s trace.

“No! for a thousand crowns, not him,"

He whispered; while our eyes were dim. Poor Dick! Bad Dick! Our wayward son, - Turbulent, reckless, idle one, - Could he be spared? “Nay! He who gave Bids us befriend him to the grave.

Only a mother ’s heart can be Patient enough for such as he;

And so, ” said John, “I would not dare To send him from her bedside prayer. ”

Then stole we softly up above,

And knelt by Mary, child of love.

“Perhaps for her ‘twould better be, ”

I said to John. Quite silently He lifted up a curl that lay Across her cheek in willful way,

And shook his head: “Nay, love, not thee; ” The while my heart beat audibly.

Only one more, - our eldest lad,

Trusty and truthful, good and glad,

So like his father: “No, John, no;

I cannot, will not let him go! ”

And so we wrote, in courteous way,

We would not give one child away.

And afterward toil lighter seemed,

Thinking of that of which we dreamed, - Happy, in truth, that not one face Was missed from its accustomed place; Thankful to work for all the seven,

Trusting the rest to One in heaven.

Hope That Makes A Difference

A man approached a little league baseball game one afternoon. He asked a boy in the dugout what the score was. The boy responded, "Eighteen to nothing - we’re behind."

"Boy," said the spectator, Til bet you’re discouraged." "Why should I be discouraged?" replied the little boy. "We haven’t even gotten up to bat yet!"

I love the attitude expressed by the boy but it would seem that his hope might just be in vain.

Hope means hoping when things are hopeless, or it is no virtue at all. As long as matters are really hopeful, hope is mere flattery or platitude; it is only when everything is hopeless that hope begins to be a strength.

Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever felt that your hope was in vain? I think we have all been at that point at some time in our life. I think that our church should be a beacon of hope in a hopeless world. If there was anywhere in Crooksville that could be called a place of hope it should be our church.

I want to remind you of three key facts about hope.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade - kept in heaven for you," 1 Peter 1:3-4 Three facts about hope

A. God has given us a living hope

1. God has given us new birth through Christ

2. This new birth allows us to have a living hope, a hope that makes a difference

3. A hope that will never perish, spoil or fade

B. Hope is more than just wishful thinking

1. Hope is based in fact - God loves you

2. Hope is based in firm conviction - God cares for you

3. Hope is based in final assurance - God wants to be with you

C. Hope can and must be a vital part of your life

1. We cannot make it through life without hope

2. Hope is our greatest asset in life

So where do we find this hope that makes a difference?

Our hope comes from an eternal person

"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and

is to come." Revelation 4:8

Jesus is pre-existent of us. He existed before time began. He was there before light was created. He was there before stars were hung in the heavens. He was there before Adam became the first man. He was there before sin entered the world. He was there before the solution was needed for the broken relationship between God and humanity.

Ethel Lynn Beers (1827 - 1879)

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