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Yes, narration today! Listen here: https://bit.ly/3lpvSw4
1 Praise the Lord! O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever. 2 Who can utter the mighty doings of the Lord, or declare all his praise? 3 Happy are those who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times. 4 Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people; help me when you deliver them; 5 that I may see the prosperity of your chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation, that I may glory in your heritage. 6 Both we and our ancestors have sinned; we have committed iniquity, have done wickedly. 19 They made a calf at Horeb and worshiped a cast image. 20 They exchanged the glory of God for the image of an ox that eats grass. 21 They forgot God, their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt, 22 wondrous works in the land of Ham, and awesome deeds by the Red Sea. 23 Therefore he said he would destroy them— had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him, to turn away his wrath from destroying them. (Psalm 106:1-6, 19-23 NRSV)
A blessed Friday be yours, dear Friend, is my prayer for you and yours. We begin with the sad news that Ms. Elizabeth Alegria Riley died on Thursday at 12:53 pm in Corpus Christi, as a result of Covid-19. She fought a long, difficult battle, and finally the disease got the better of her and she entered into the rest of the Lord. Also, I received word that Mr. Desi Del Pozo, Jr., died two days ago in his Sugarland, TX, home. We pray God's comfort and peace for both families in these sad days. Also, we have received a prayer request for retired local pastor, Rev Mike Thompson who had a abscess after a surgery and is now fighting the infection. We pray the Lord heal him quickly of this and allow him a full recovery. We continue to ask your pray for one another, and that we not let down our guard against this dreaded disease that is claiming, still, so many people. Please wear your masks, wash your hands, stay a safe distance from others, and do all you can to be healthy and well. Pray for yourselves as well, asking God's blessings on you and those whom you hold dear.
I remember the first time I heard a pastor say, from the pulpit, "God is good," and immediately, his congregation responding loudly and joyfully, "All the time!" Wait? What? Yes! That is so true! And I "borrowed" it as did so many others, that it is now a universal greeting and affirmation! God is known for His goodness and His persistence in His goodness towards us, in spite of what we have or haven't done. That greeting might as well be the shortened version of this psalm, as the psalmist declares again, his faith in an unchanging, always loving, always forgiving God. And he adds that those who can chant that affirmation, should also do it while living a life of justice and doing righteousness all the time. How would it sound if the pastor said, "God is good!" And his/her congregation responded, " All the time!" And the preacher responded, "And we live a life of justice and righteousness!" And the congregation startled might say, "Most of the time?" One or two, in a less loud voice, "Maybe once or twice?" You get the idea; the two go hand in hand; our declaring and our living a life called for us to live by God.
In those affirmations we say or hear from our churches, we should also be about acknowledging our sins before God. The psalmist did, and he even remembered his family's sins in verses 6, and 19-22. He was correct in saying, "We messed up, our ancestors messed up, and we don't deserve anything from God, yet, because of Who God is, we do get extra chances and are blessed for all eternity, if we confess and try to mend our lives to the way God intended. The Israelites had Moses, you and I had Jesus; with knowing that Jesus went beyond Moses' pleas to the Lord, He gave Himself as the sacrifice to save us.
PRAYER: Awesome God, we humble ourselves before You knowing we deserve nothing from You by the way we sometimes live our lives; but yet, we see that you have forgiven our ancestors and even us. Grant us new opportunities to truly shine our lives before You. This we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Live a life worthy of the calling God has shared with You!
Receive my blessing of peace and joy,
Pastor Eradio
