“The Law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces.” Psalm 119:72
“How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth.” Psalm 119:103
Over the last year my family has discovered a new board game that we really enjoy. It is called, CLANK—Catacombs, and in this game each player is an adventurer seeking to discover treasures while journeying in the catacombs. You have to be careful as you journey not to make noise (aka—clank) or this may alert the dragon to your location. What I enjoy about the game is the discovery along the way—you never know what game tiles you are going to flip up, or what cards will be available to add to your deck, or what minor or major secrets will give you advantages for your journey.
This newsletter article is an invitation to discovery, not of the board game Clank—Catacombs, although I highly recommend it, but to discovery of/through God’s Word. The Psalm of the day for 15th Sunday after Pentecost, which is September 1st this year, is from Psalm 119. Psalm 119 is a celebration of God’s Word, of His Torah—His instruction to us. Some of the lines seem strange at first, like this one from our text for that day, “I open my mouth and pant, because I long for your commandments.” Who longs for commandments?! Don’t we typically try to avoid rules if at all possible! Yet, in this Psalm the Psalmist looks to God’s Word for guidance and refreshment, he cherishes it above all riches and looks to it for His salvation. He recognizes the goodness of God’s teaching and wants to discover all that God has to offer through His Word.
I am hoping to inspire you with this message—to inspire you to an adventure of discovery in God’s Word this Fall. Would you like to know the Bible better? Are you curious about parts you have never read or never been able to understand? Let’s go on this adventure of discovery together! Our Sunday morning worship at 10:00 is a time to discover God’s Word together. So is the hour before this from 8:45-9:45 as we have Sunday School and youth and adult Bible Classes. On Thursdays, beginning September 12th, there is an adult class in the morning at 10:00 and then Weekday School and Confirmation in the evening from 6:45-8:15. Continue your adventure of discovery at home. I asked the boys what they wanted to do for devotions this Fall (this is something we are going to try to do regularly though we have not been very good at sticking with it in the past), and they said how about some of the minor prophets—books like Hosea, Joel, Amos…
God’s Word is rich with treasure and refreshment—you never know what you will find as you turn it’s pages—except that you can be certain you will find this: JESUS. Come and discover Christ through His Word. See His teaching and how He fulfils it for us. And, I will let you in on a little secret—a big part of the discovery isn’t just what you will learn from God’s Word, but what God’s Word will do to you. “For as the rain and snow come down from heaven, and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” As you go on this adventure in God’s Word, God’s Word works on you and in you to change you. What will He do with you and through you? This is a great adventure worth discovering!
In Christ,
Pastor Liebich