by Rev Don Schatz

Surrounded by Love

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.
Psalm 4:8, New International Version

Our infant grandson was banded like a grey wolf in Yellowstone Park, or a wolverine in the Yukon.  The hospital puts these bands around the ankles of newborns in the nursery.  An alarm would sound if anyone who was not supposed to tried to take the baby.

This image is both a sad reality and a powerful picture.  In the ancient world of the Psalmists, the simple act of lying down and sleeping could be life threatening!  Not only animals but also people prowled the highways and byways of the ancient world, intent to do harm.  We take going to bed at night in peace and safety so for granted that we are not aware that even today, in some dark corners of the world, this simple action is not reality.

The New Year is 3 days old today.  It is an infant in time.  Know that you are surrounded by God’s love, encased in grace, and are the delight of God’s own heart.  You are safe, in time and into eternity, in the loving arms of the Lord.  The passing of the peace in worship reminds us that God is with us, he is at peace with us, and he surrounds us with the peace of heart, spirit, and soul.

The alarm on our grandson’s ankle reads, “Hugs”.  God hugs you close to his very breast in the outpouring of his love for you in Jesus.  If you look closely at the picture you will see that the device was warranted until May 2011.  God’s ‘warranty’ never expires.  You are safe in the embrace of grace, the awesome safety of God’s own love for you.

God sweeps us up into the outpouring of his love.  We, through Baptism, became part of the story of God’s grace in Jesus.  So today, this very day, we may be the band, and the bond, of peace as we share the true peace that is Jesus.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, CO