“For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession. The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.”

Deuteronomy 7:6-9

Dear HBIC Family,

One of my favorite past times is watching old concerts online. This has become even more pronounced now that we are currently unable to attend live shows. I feel like the stage is where most artists feel at home. I live for the stories that sometimes pop up in between songs or in the middle of songs. These stories often provide the inspiration to the songs and insight into the people behind the music.

One of my favorite concert storytellers is Keith Green and one of my favorite Keith stories is told before he plays When I Hear the Praises Start at a show in Los Angeles in 1978. In this story, Keith shares that God wrote the song for him. He was in need and struggling for inspiration. As God’s little kid, Keith was reminded that God cares about him. Our God cares about the small and the great.

Keith reminds us that we don’t have to save up for something big before we go to God with our needs. God is the Lord of all creation and the universe, yet God also cares even about the small things that affect us. Parents love their children. In so doing, parents care about the small and the big that affects their children and that love compels parents to act on their behalf. When I Hear the Praises Start always reminds me that God has chosen to love us and acts on our behalf.

This week, as we continue our new Remembrance sermon series, we will be meeting up with a people not yet in the Promised Land. Nevertheless, these blessed saints of old had God on their side acting on their behalf. They had the Lord of the Universe as their God and his faithful love promised to them in their present and for generations to come. To prepare for this week’s service, I would like to invite you to read and meditate on Deuteronomy 7:1-9. To help you reflect, I would like to ask you to focus on the following questions:

What does it mean to you that God loves you?

What does it mean to you that God has chosen you?

What does it mean to you that God considers you treasured and most valuable?

How is God calling you to be faithful right now?

What is one promise God has made to you for generations to come?

I pray we never take for granted that God loves us. I hope we never forget that in Christ, God has chosen us to be family. I trust that, with the Spirit’s help, we can be faithful to our God who promises to be faithful to us and to generations to come.

Praise God for mercy and compassion on all those who have come before. Praise God for love and grace that rains down on all of us now. And praise God for faithfulness and blessing for all the generations to come.

God bless you all, and take care.

Love in Christ,

Pastor Hank (Deuteronomy 7:6-9)