Blessed Sunday to you all! It was senior Sunday in church this morning. Seeing all of the pictures of the graduates from very young to the present totally made me wonder where did all of that time go and how did it go by so very fast. The quilts presented to each of the graduates were beautiful and their creators seem to capture the personalities of their new owners. The quilts are given in love to remind these young people that they are always wrapped in the love of God no matter how far from home they may go.

John 5: 17 “My Father never stops working, and so I keep working too.”

Our world does not take a day off any more. In days past, Wednesday nights were set aside for “church” activities and Sundays were only for going to worship and spending time with family. Most businesses were closed so if you needed it you needed to buy it on Saturday or wait until Monday. But our time today is spent a bit differently than we used to spend it. Nearly all businesses are open seven day per week and someone has to work at those businesses. Goods and services in our society are needed 24/7.

God does not take a day off. In the wonderful work by Mendelssohn ,”He, Watching over Israel.” The key line in the choral work states that “He slumbers not nor sleeps. “ I don’t know about you but I need God’s love, grace and forgiveness 24/7.

God said in Genesis that He created the world in six days and on the seventh day He rested. But as the world continued to grow I am pretty sure God hasn’t had a day off since. When Jesus came on the scene He became the mirror of His Father. God’s love, grace, and compassion does not know a 24 hour day or a day of the week. Those measurements were created by man. God works on His own created time. On a Sunday in Bethsaida Jesus healed the man who had been paralyzed for years. He did not consult the Books of the Law or ask permission from the local officials to heal this man. He told the man, “Rise up. Take your bed and go home.”

God taught Jesus so well that after His death on the cross, He sent back the Holy Spirit so that the work of God could continue through the Holy Spirit and act in the believers 24/7. Because God chose us in which to place His Holy Spirit we are called to be “mirrors of God.”

Have we looked in the mirror lately? Not the bathroom mirror or the mirror on the door or dresser, but the mirror of our hearts. Do our hearts reflect the love, grace and compassion of God as taught to us by Jesus in His Word? Have we “paid forward” the love of God to others? (For you know paying it forward is the best we can do!) Before we leave for work or school or reach for that second cup of coffee let us check the mirror of our heart and see who looks back. Do we see our sleepy selves or do we see the shining face of Jesus?

Take joy in the journey. Love you all, Bruce, Gaylene, Geni and Travis.

Gcapplenotes@aol.com

I am not moved by by what I see. I am not moved by what I feel. I am moved only by what I believe and I believe God.