Good morning on this 11th of November. Well few people could complain about the weather we enjoyed earlier this week - temps in the mid 70s during this second week of November were mighty nice for a change. There is something so uplifting about the refreshing warmth and brightness of the sunshine, especially after going several days with overcast or dreary skies. It is not a coincidence that God compares the Son of God to the Sun of Righteousness as one of the many metaphors used in Scripture for the Saviour. In fact there are exactly 365 separate names and titles for our Lord given in the Bible, one for each day of the year. It is quite a devotional study to carefully examine each of these names and titles and their important applications as they relate to God's Son. Many years ago, Benjamin Keach, a predecessor of Charles Haddon Spurgeon, wrote the definitive work on the topic, The Key to Open Scripture Metaphor. The book has been out of print for many years, but I was fortunate to obtain a copy after one of the most respected theologians of the twentieth century mentioned it to me with the comment, "You would do well in your ministry if you had only this book besides your Bible." Now back to the Son as the Sun. Although there are probably some twenty-five parallels between the Sun and Son, consider this important teaching. The sun with its remarkable warmth, light and brightness is always there whether visible or not. During those days when the clouds block the sunshine from our view leaving us with darkened dreary cloud-filled skies, the sun is still very much present. You can board a plane on such a day, climb through the thick cloud cover and suddenly experience the burst of sunshine as you climb above the clouds. That is how it can be for a child of God. Sometimes when circumstances make life seem overcast or dreary, it seems that God's presence is far removed from us. We don't sense or feel His closeness. Many of the Psalmists reflected on this theme when they were going through dark days or periods in their lives. As they expressed their anguish, they cried out to God to manifest His presence to them and soon realized that He was always there, they just needed to roll back the cloulds to experience the fulness of His presence. So when He seems far removed, pray through the clouds until the sun breaks through. In Psalm 22, the psalmist suggests praising the Lord as the way to roll back the clouds in your life to access the fulness of God's presence when he states, "God inhabits the praises of His people."
Going through the problems brought on by shingles has been a difficult experience. Facing the usual aftereffects of the chemotherapy has been compounded with the pain and problems associated with the shingles and has not been a pleasant combination. Some days have been pretty cloud-filled and dreary, but thank God, I realize that He is still very much there and that on those days I need to be vigilant in rolling back the clouds through prayer, the Word, and especially praise - until the sun (son) bursts through. The shingles are gradually improving and I am slowly feeling better on a day-by-day basis. Please continue to pray with me about the specifics of my current condition. I hope to be back in the pulpit very soon. Pastor Ed will be preaching in the AM services tomorrow. Meantime may the sunshine of His presence fill your life today.
Love in Christ,
Pastor Brown