Sometimes when I walk on the beach, the old hymn “Love Lifted Me” comes to mind. The memory of Daddy, who couldn’t carry a tune in a 5-gallon bucket, rushes into my mind. Then these words get stuck in my head:
I was sinking deep in sin
far from the peaceful shore.
…
but the master of the Sea,
heard my dispairing cry,
from the water lifted me;
now safe am I.
Love lifted me. Love lifted me.
When nothing else could help,
love lifted me. (James Rowe, 1912)
In our prayer of confession, said by the whole congregation before Communion, we acknowledge that “We have not heard the cry of the needy.” God not only hears my cries, but also hears others’ desperate pleas. This week, I have heard the cries of broken hearts, of migrant children, of those without electricity, of those who are not treated with dignity. All of them need for love to lift them out of their current situation. I need for love to lift me to worship, trust, and step out to walk with Jesus.
Pastor Laura