Author: David Fortune

My friend, Peter, works among refugees and asylum seekers in Paris. The City of Light can be a very dark place if you find yourself in need. Despite the public impression, most refugees do not flee their homes by choice. War, famine, economic failure, and government corruption push people to take desperate measures for their own safety. The people who arrive on the streets of Europe often have nowhere else to turn. Of course, it is not just refugees who are vulnerable in our Western societies. In any city, you will find people who lack the essentials and often go hungry while surrounded by abundance.  Peter writes: “Who are the vulnerable? They are the many and they are people in need of special care, support, or protection because of age, disability, or risk of abuse or neglect. They truly are in need of our attention, our ‘cup of cold water’ or a sleeping bag and warm socks to protect them from the elements and so much more.” Poverty, hunger, oppression and injustice are not new problems in the 21st Century. They have been around for a long time. Our reading in Psalm 82 today makes it clear that God takes these concerns seriously. “How long will youdefend the unjust    and show partiality to the wicked?”Defend the weak and the fatherless;    uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.Rescue the weak and the needy;    deliver them from the hand of the wicked. Psalm 82:2-4 Some people look at the problems of this world and ask God why he doesn’t do something about it. In this Psalm, God looks at the problems of this world and asks us why we aren’t doing something about it. He sees the situation of many needy people and asks us, “How long will you allow this to go on?” Our duty as Christ-followers is made very clear in scripture. I am glad that we can support relief work in many parts of the world where the poor and oppressed need help. Let us not forget that we should do more than just make donations. We need to be aware that in our own city there are those who need help and support. We, the church of Christ, are called to be a voice in ensuring that justice can really be found for all.   Let us pray for those in need but let’s not stop at prayer alone. We need to make sure we act when we can.  We need to speak out against the systems of oppression. We need to defend those who are unable to fight for themselves.  A challenging Psalm for all of us today.

The movie, Darkest Hour, tells the story of Winston Churchill’s early days as Prime Minister of the UK during World War 2. It seems clear today that Churchill was the right leader for the job but in May 1940 he had little support, especially from his own party. There was great pressure in his war cabinet to seek a peace agreement with Hitler as many members didn’t want to fight a war. To counter the pressure and deal with rumors about his plans Churchill goes to Parliament and makes his famous “Never give up” speech. The speech changed the mood, opposition seemed to vanish, his party rallied to his side and the battle of Britain was on. In the movie, one man turns to the other, after the speech, and asks, “What just happened?” “He mobilized the English language and sent it into battle” was the reply. Words matter. Words are powerful. They can be used for good and they can be used to cause great damage. We don’t have to look to social media influences or national leaders to understand this. Our lives are impacted by the power of words every day. In Psalm 64, David is asking God to hide him from his relentless enemies. While he mentions a number of weapons he refers to the power of the tongue. “Hide me” he prays, from the wicked who “sharpen their tongues like swords and aim cruel words like deadly arrows.” (Psalm 64:3) These enemies love to take pot-shots at innocent people without warning. Harsh words can wound and cause damage with far reaching effects. We think of David as the great warrior on the battlefield, fighting physically for his nation. In this Psalm, I think his pain is coming from somewhere else. People have wounded him with falsehood and lies. It seems this was the intention of his enemies, to use their words as weapons. Scripture counsels us many times to watch our words for they can cause as much damage as a bottle of poison. (James 3:3-12) It’s easy to make quick comments on social media or send a flippant text message without thinking. We throw out words without care for how they may sound. The tongue may be the hardest part of the body to sanctify.

2020 was a rough year and 2021 has some challenges ahead. The coronavirus continues to rage, political polarization is dividing people, the economy is fragile, people are tired and frustrated. It’s a bad combination of events. So the beginning of Psalm 46 is one we all need to hear: God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble, Therefore we will not fear The image that comes to mind when I read Psalm 46 is that of a parent and child. The child is frightened or scared, maybe overtired from the day. They are crying and can’t seem to settle down. The parent comes along and wraps their arms around the child, saying “there, there, everything is going to be okay. I’ve got you, just relax.” No matter how old we get we still need that kind of love from our heavenly father. Israel was a nation that faced many threats. The Psalmist declares that God is greater than any enemy – seen or unseen. God himself is in Zion, he dwells among his people, and so they need not be fearful. The Psalm ends with this, Be still and know that I am God I will be exalted among the nations I will be exalted in the earth! No matter what is happening in the nations these days, God will be exalted. He is above all of this. None of this surprises him or will take away from his sovereign plans. Be still and know. Your heavenly Father is caring for you.

Abe Donsky from Connecticut is credited with inventing the night light in 1965. Not surprisingly, he was the father of four children. If you have young children at home then one of the must have items in the house is night light. They have been greatly improved over the last 55 years but still serve the same purpose – to help children who are afraid of the dark. If wonder if in the days before electricity parents had to leave a candle burning or oil lamp on for the night. Parents in need of sleep will do many things to get it. Now that I know Mr. Donsky was the inventor I can send him my thanks. What makes the darkness so frightening? For one thing, we can’t see and when we can’t see our imagination takes over. Children begin to envision or imagine all kinds of creatures that might ‘be out there.’ Despite parents best speeches about how safe it is at night, some children just can’t let it go. So, they place a small light somewhere in the room or a hallway, just enough that if the child awakes they can see that all is well. As we grow up, we usually overcome our fear of darkness but our imagination still works just fine. When we can’t see what lies ahead of us, when we feel like there might be danger, we have plenty of voices painting scary pictures in our mind. When we sense danger there is no end to the scenarios that we can create and that only leads to more fear. Psalm 27 begins with this verse: The Lord is my light and my salvation. (27:1) How reassuring that verse is. Because he is our light, we can see the reality of where we are. We can see the world; we can see our own situation in the light of Jesus Christ.  Even when there is legitimate danger we can rest assured that nothing in the darkness is hidden from God. When everything around us seems to be dangerous or hard to comprehend, “he will hide me in his shelter.” (27:5) Learning this truth is another good reason to keep reading through scripture.

One day, a teacher announced to her class there would be a surprise test.  She handed out a sheet of paper face down to each student. The teacher said, “When you turn the paper over, I want you to write about what you see.” When the students turned the paper over there was just a small black dot in the centre of the page. It was an odd test but the students started writing. Once the papers were collected the teacher started reading the answers out loud to the whole class. All of the students had written about the black dot, trying to describe it, its size and position. After reading out all the answers, the teacher said to the students: “None of you will be graded on this test. I just wanted you to think over something. All of you wrote about the black dot. No one wrote about the white part of the paper. The same thing happens in our lives too. We all have a white paper to observe and learn from, yet we always focus on the dark spots. We have so many reasons to celebrate – our parents, co-workers, friends, good health, a satisfactory job, a child’s smile, the miracles we witness every day, and so on. However, we simply limit our horizons by focusing on just the dark spots – our disappointments, our frustrations, our fears and anxieties, things that bother us, people that wronged us, etc. In our day-to-day lives, we tend to take so many good things for granted, and focus our energy on insignificant dot-like failures and disappointments.” (Source: R. Sharma) The Psalmist says, “I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.” (Psalm 9:1) As you read through Psalm 9 it is clear that there is much pain and suffering but the Psalmist wants to focus on the goodness of God. Life is more positive when we let our praise and thanksgiving to God govern our thoughts.

One of my concerns, as a pastor, during this time of coronavirus is how people are staying mentally healthy. Even during the best of times, there are plenty of stresses in life but this year has brought extra concerns. There is increased pressure on our work/life balance, more isolation from friends, and now the days are getting shorter and darker. For many people, this is not helpful. If you are someone who struggles please know that it is okay to take care of yourself. You may wish to reach out to a doctor or mental health professional for some support. That is wisdom, not weakness. Taking care of our mental health is just as important as taking care of our physical health. Here are a few things to keep in mind: Watch your routines – Our regular routines have changed and that can bring disruption and leave us feeling unsettled. Intentionally making some new routines can bring a sense of normalcy. Whether that’s a coffee break every morning or a walk each afternoon, having some repetition is helpful. Keep up good eating and exercise habits.  Go to bed at a regular time.  Cut back on news & social media – Less social media is good advice anytime but if things start to feel overwhelming it is better to cut back. Find a good book or play a board game with the family but leave the phone alone for a while. Find a friend to vent with – We all need a place where we can share and be heard. Often this is best done outside our family circle. You might need to ask a friend if you can just vent. I’m in a Whatsapp group with some friends and it has been one of the most helpful things for me this year. Being able to share my real frustrations in a safe place is refreshing.  Practice turning it over to God in prayer – we can pray specifically about our concerns and anxiety and ask God to lift them. We might have to repeat this often but he is interested and willing to help. Take a few moments now and ask yourself if there are any changes you need to make. By paying attention to how you are doing today, you can help prevent more difficulties tomorrow. You will keep in perfect peace    all who trust in you,    all whose thoughts are fixed on you!Trust in the Lord always,    for the Lord God is the eternal Rock. (Isaiah 26:3-4)