Untitled Sermon (10)

I will recount the gracious days of the Lord, the praiseworthy acts of the Lord, because of all that the Lord has done for us, and the great favor to the house of Israel that he has shown them according to hi mercy. NRS

Isaiah 63:7 ASV

I will make mention of the lovingkindnesses of Jehovah, and the praises of Jehovah, according to all that Jehovah hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses.

in what we know of Israel’s past, the community appeals to God for mercy and help in its present miserable circumstances.

In this closure of 2022 and 2023 just a few days away, I wonder has our loss of friends and love ones held us captive to the past? Or are we yet grateful for the constant blessings and favor God continues to bestow on us, things so undeserved the song writer wrote-yet he did so to prove His love for us—God employed the voices of a million angels -who is said to not even put a dent in the number of blessings-cannot express our gratitude…all that I am and ever hope to be-We owe it all to thee.

These few lines are but an attempt to speak of the goodness of God to his creation…both the Cain’s and the Ables…the just as well as the unjust,

the righteous and certainly those we have deemed not so worth of his grace.

I had a brief encounter while hospitalized…first I was so sad that the doctor advised that I must have dialysis-its been a good 19 years yet he did try to prepare me for the worst. The day that they prepared me was rough. We are always in fear of the unknown…so my day was full of doubt and fear-then I was sent to the area at Montefiore-for dialysis. Remember I said its been 19 years.

I was greeted by an African young man who had a small cap over his hair and full surgical gown…he spoke softly-and he introduced himself, my name is Emmanuel...his mannerism was so gentle and polite. He just kept apologizing-please forgive me if I’m being wrought, please forgive me if I’m taking too long, I was so comfortable that as soon as he started the dialysis, I went to sleep. Now two days later I entered the same room-I asked my aide, would it be okay if I had the same young man who attended to me on Monday…my aide looked puzzled, she said Rev. Tobias-we don’t have a person here by that name…Emmanuel.

Emmanuel-God with us. if i were to ask you this morning-has Emmanuel ever showed up for you over 2022, discounting the pain or disappointment about things out of your control, has Emmanuel ever showed up and reminded you that ‘this TOO SHALL PASS”.

My testimony this morning is-despite the painful surgery, despite the nuisance of dialysis and the set back with my health, Emmanuel showed up and put all my fears to rest.

I want you to adopt that attitude...”I will recount the gracious deeds of the LORD”

things so undeserved, yet he Died to prove his love for me” the voices of a million angels cannot express my gratitude. All that I am and ever hope to be -I owe it all to thee.

God showed up in this story out of antiquity. He reminds us that his children-those to whom he has spent a life-time loving, has been so disappointing then He goes on to pick up the pieces of our frail bodies of sin and draws us back into his loving arms-forgiving and accepting all our short comings…isn’t that it?

We walk by faith. We continue to pray and we don’t look back at something that happened outside our ability to change.

The Calvinist believe that there are those that God has chosen…a society of people designed from birth to enter the promise land while others perish in hell.

I am not a subscriber to that theology. What I have seen and learned about God is that he is not only just open to loving us all-the short, the tall, the fat, and the skinny-- the ugly and the pretty!

I’ll never fully grasp that kind of theology that would separate all of human kind, by a man’s opinion-or some other organization.