Psalm 77

Dear First Pres SLO Family,

Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus the Messiah, the one who promises to be with us now and forever.

I’ve been looking forward to this week for a while now. My son is getting married to a wonderful woman on Sunday, and I’m filled with all kinds of memories and stories and emotions. Family milestones are important—they mark the best of the passage of time, and they give us chances to pass the baton to a new generation.

These milestones remind us of wounds, too. As much as I loved being a dad, I can always find things I wish I’d done better. The low end of this week has me dwelling on those.

But overwhelmingly, I find myself so happy—for my son, for the life that looks so bright as they start their married life together, and for the ways I see him doing better than I did, even as I tried to do better than my dad. It’s that kind of week.

In the first few verses of Paul’s letter to the Philippians, he says: “I thank my God every time I remember you.” That’s how I’m feeling about my son these days. I learned a lot from being his dad—probably more than I taught him. I gave him some skills and shared some interests with him, and now I see those lessons flourishing in his life and work. I really do thank God when I think of him.

How about you? Do you have people or places that fill you with gratitude when you think of them? It’s worth finding those memories and holding them close. They can sustain us through hard and painful times.

I’ll leave you with these verses from Psalm 77:

11I will remember the deeds of the Lord;

    yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.

12 I will consider all your works

    and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”

13 Your ways, God, are holy.

    What god is as great as our God?

14 You are the God who performs miracles;

    you display your power among the peoples.

15 With your mighty arm you redeemed your people,

    the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.

Take a little time this week and meditate on the words of the Psalmist, given in praise of Yahweh. It’s good to remember who God is, and what God has done for us.

Blessings to you and yours,

Pastor John