A mighty fortress is our God; a sacred refuge is Your name
Your kingdom is unshakable; With You forever we will reign
You may have heard Pastor Brian allude to a family whose house was broken into this last week. Well, we were the family. After a full day of work, dinner together as family and a couple of hours of CPR instruction, we came home to open drawers, tossed clothing, and a TV parked close to the exit window the burglars used. We were in shock and we were shaken.
While we still feel the effects of last Thursday’s break-in, we have been able to put some of this crime in perspective. Much of what we lost was jewelry and money. While some of the pieces were family gifts, it all amounts to stuff. No one was hurt. No one was a hostage. The things – read, people – we value most are intact.
Yes, we lost “valuables,” and we could have lost other things as well. Yet these “treasures” are not what our life is about. We have this opportunity now to understand what it really means to not treasure the material things of this world more than the kingdom of our Lord and King. Jesus himself reminded us,
“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”
Matthew 6:19-21
I certainly do not want robberies to be a regular occurrence for us in order to hold this perspective. If anything, I hope we continue to have a lasting gratitude for what we have been given as a trust for the purposes of God’s glory. I also do not want this event to rob us of the certain truth that God is our fortress and refuge, our very present help in time of trouble.
Our confidence in locks and gates is certainly shaken. Our sense of personal security is rattled. The good news is that God’s kingdom among us is NOT shaken. Our confidence in the Lord is intact. He certainly knows what happened and will certainly take care of the justice we desire. We stand confident that our God is still watching us and giving us refuge even now. May this witness to God’s faithfulness encourage and remind you that the Lord will be a refuge for you even as He is for our family.
-Mike Spinelli-Choir Drector
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