August 2017 - Pastor Dan

Most of Tucson got rain last night. There's something about receiving rain in the hot summer months in the desert climate. It's been record breaking heat in the Sonoran desert this summer. And just when it seems just way too much to bear, The Lord provides. To have the heat broken with the sound, smell and feel of the rain is a very special moment of Sonoran summertime. The Lord is sooo good!!

I awoke this morning, after the evening rain, to read the assigned psalm, which was Psalm 65. It's an incredible psalm which helps us consider that there is a special place where God calls us to come to be with Him. God's called people gather in the Lord's house; God's holy temple. This is God's doing and God even forgives the inequity of God's people in order that they may indeed gather in the Lord's special place and presence. But then, the psalm continues and we hear the following verses:

"You [God] visit the earth and water it, you greatly enrich it;

The river of God is full of water;

You provide the people with grain, for so you have prepared it.

You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges,

Softening it with showers, and blessing its growth." (vs. 9-10; NRSV)

The Lord is not just God of His Temple and of His people. The Lord is Lord of all the earth and all creation. The Lord is active throughout all the forces and ways the world is put together and works. God provides for all of humankind whether all of humankind recognizes it, or not. Indeed, "the river of God is full of water." The river flows so that all of life may continue in its course. The Lord provides for the well- being of all things and from this truth we see that God's chosen benefit from the well- being of all things. The Lord blesses those who faithfully sow seed which eventually, through God's blessing, comes to fruition for the sake of the world. May we continue to be faithful servants who are called not just to care for the called and chosen but for all those who are in need of benefitting from the fullness of God's river.

May we also give thought to the fact that God does visit the earth and waters it and at the same time, comes to us and waters us as loved and cared for individual children of God's holy family. God continues to "water" our lives in the promise of being baptized into the eternal relationship of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Sometimes, the rain which God provides seems to come as a downpour and we find the landscape of our living and our lives is moved around and our outlook is shifted. Sometimes, the rain God provides settles the ridges of our furrows. Sometimes, it's a gentle rain and waters the depths of our souls. In any and all cases, may we continue in know that it is God's doing: God does provide for us specifically. God does know what type of rain to water our lives because God knows us. God knows you specifically. God cares for you in very intentional and in all-knowing ways.

May this month of August be a blessing for you, for your loved ones and for our Lord. May we, along with the mountains and meadows, the wilderness and the pastures, the valleys and the seas together shout and sing praises to the God of all and the Lord of our lives.

In Christ's love and service, Pastor Dan