Kim and I bought a house!  We settled this morning.  Sorry for the lack of posts, but more details on our new house coming soon.

On Saturday, Kelly (Kim’s sister) was married to James O’Brien.  I was both honored and a little scared when, shortly after they became engaged, they asked me if I would officiate the ceremony.  It was a great challenge and a great privilege to talk openly and honestly about marriage with them leading up to the wedding and to be part of their special day.

All in all, it went great.  The ceremony was beautiful.  In fact, I had several people come up to me and tell me that had someone not mentioned to them that it was my first wedding, they never would have known.  I even had someone tell me it was the most beautiful wedding they have ever attended.

The processional and the first few minutes were the most challenging.  After that, I allowed myself to relax and go with it.  I truly believe that weddings are some of the “thin places” between heaven and earth where God’s presence can be especially felt.  In fact, God himself created marriage as part of his great plan for the world.  That through marriage relationships, the earth would be filled with the image of God and that through marriage relationships, we might grasp just a little bit of the mystical union between Christ and his church.  It truly is a privilege that God would allow me, as a minister, to be part of that process.

<Aside>Kim will have pictures of the wedding posted soon.</Aside>

Psalm 25 carries with it a great perspective on the way that we approach the Lord.  The psalmist cries out for mercy and forgiveness not because he deserves it or even because God “owes it to him.”  Rather, he pleads for grace on the basis of God’s character.

Remember, O Lord, your great mercy and love,
for they are from of old.

Remember not the sins of my youth,
and my rebellious ways;
according to your love remember me,
for you are good, O Lord.

Good and upright is the Lord;
therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.

He guides the humble in what is right
and teaches them his way.

All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful
for those who keep the demands of his covenant.

For the sake of your name, O Lord,
forgive my iniquity, though it is great (vs 6-11).

The Lord is merciful.  The Lord is loving.  The Lord is good.  The Lord is upright.  The Lord is faithful.  And for the sake of His name, He forgives us.  There is great danger when we approach the throne of the Most High thinking we deserve to enter into His presence.  Yet, out of the fullness of His character, He invites us in, for the sake of His name.

With less than 48 hours left in New Orleans, I’ve been reflecting on all that I’ve seen and experienced this summer.  I’m not even sure I have the words to describe the devastation this city has experienced.  We started working on the home of Matt yesterday and I spoke with him tonight.  He told me this is the best thing that has happened to him since the storm.  He is blown away by the service of God’s people.  That is so cool.  Probably nothing sums up this summer more than what has become our de facto theme song, “Mighty to Save.”  Read the lyrics…

Everyone needs compassion
A love that’s never failing
Let mercy fall on me
Everyone needs forgiveness
A kindness of a Savior
The hope of nations

My Savior
He can move the mountains
My God is Mighty to save
He is Mighty to save
Forever
Author of salvation
He rose and conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave

So take me as You find me
All my fears and failures
Fill my life again
I give my life to follow
Everything I believe in
Now I surrender

Shine your light and let the whole world see
We’re singing for the glory of the risen King…Jesus

Praise the Lord that the God we serve is mighty to save and that he has conquered the grave.  I’m overwhelmed that I should experience his grace and broken when I look around to see so many who never have experienced that grace.

There are many people here who are living on the second floor of their homes because they can’t afford to repair the first floor or people who are living in one room of their house because the rest has not yet been repaired.  There are beautiful, redone homes with houses that are still boarded up on either side.

Yet, in the midst of this devastation, the goodness of God is shining through.  While everyone else has moved one, the only people still coming to help is the Church.  It’s so amazing because the whole city knows it.  They know that the only help to be found is the church.  Our God is mighty to save!

Psalm 24 is another psalm well known for the praise songs that it has inspired, most recently “Give Us Clean Hands” from Passion and “King of Glory” by Third Day. And it really is a powerful psalm declaring the magnificence, might and glory of YHWH.

Who may ascend the hill of the Lord?
Who may stand in his holy place?

He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to an idol
or swear by what is false.

He will receive blessing from the Lord
and vindication from God his Savior.

Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek your face, O God of Jacob (Psalm 24:3-6).

Only he who has clean hands and a pure heart may stand in the holy place. But only Jesus, the Christ, has ever had clean hands and a pure heart. The rest of us “were by nature objects of wrath” (Eph 2:3). Romans 3:10, quoting the Psalms, declares, “There is no one righteous, not even one.” But that One, the Christ, never lifted his soul to another. He lived a pure, righteous and sinless life. And by his death and resurrection, we have been made righteous that we too may stand confidently on that holy hill. That we may yearn to become the holy generation who seeks the face of the God of Jacob. Praise be to the King of Glory who has invited us into his holy presence that we might honor him and exalt him forever.