Caribbean Moravian Devotions

Yesterday was observed as Thanksgiving Day in the USA. Traditionally, itÂ’s the busiest holiday of the year in terms of FAMILY members travelling either by air or land to spend the day together. Central to the Thanksgiving holiday is bringing FAMILIES together to have a meal. That may sound like not that big of a deal but considering just how busy FAMILY life can get and that FAMILIES are nowadays separated by such great distances, coming together at least on Thanksgiving is something not to be taken for granted. There was a time when the stores closed on Thanksgiving Day because it valued the importance of that family tradition. But thereÂ’s been a recent trend where more and more stores are opening up on Thanksgiving Day and having a jump start to the big sales that normally take place the day after Thanksgiving. So instead of waiting until what is known as Black Friday to catch all of the deals, retailers are now starting from the Thursday. But according to news media, many Americans are saying not supporting this move and are pushing back against the new trend in stores opening up on Thanksgiving. The argument is that Thanksgiving is still more about FAMILY and not about spending more money. With all that is out there that can distract from FAMILIES spending quality time together, it is good to see folks pushing back against this new trend. With that in mind our FF for today is to MAKE FAMILY A PRIORITY!

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Some give freely, yet grow all the richer; others withhold what is due, and only suffer want. Proverbs 11:24

Every culture has its own set of proverbs or wise sayings that preserves wisdom that is important to teach new generations. We all can think of the sayings we grew up with. Having had to do cross cultural ministry I discovered that most of these sayings are repeated with slight variations or in different ways in most if not all cultures. The Book of Proverbs is a collection of similar sayings. While the book itself is attributed to Solomon, not all the proverbs are original to him even though it begins "The Proverbs of Solomon, Son of David, King of Israel." In 1 Kings 4: 32 we are told that Solomon spoke 3000 proverbs. That means there were many wise sayings credited to him that did not make it into the Book of Proverbs. Verse 34 of 1 Kings 4 says many kings came to hear Solomon speak. I am sure that this was not just a one sided conversation but that they shared and compared these sayings even as he was learning. In the Book of Proverbs therefore we have some 300 sayings of Solomon from Ch. 10: 1 – ch. 22: 16. These are believed to originate from him. Another 130 sayings were added to the book during the reign of King Hezekiah, years later. The others however are thought to be from the community and from those who visited him. Others are attributed to other kings and at least one king’s mother. The main focus of the Book of Proverbs is to share wisdom by which we can live morally strong and righteous lives.

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Often have they attacked me from my youth, yet they have not prevailed against me. Ps 129: 2

Psalm 129 is one of the many Psalms that was used as the Israelites marched up to the temple to worship. It was sung as they gave thanks to God as well as declared their trust in Him. Here they thank God for His protection in the light of the many attempts by those around them to destroy them as a people, to wipe their memory from the face of the earth. “They endeavored to annihilate us as a people; but God still preserves us as his own nation.” The first part of verse two is a repeat of verse one. Israel turns her sorrow into song, her misery into music. We read in the Old Testament of the many times that they suffered as a people. Enslaved many times, cities destroyed, displaced and exiled for years, but never destroyed as a people. It is with confidence therefore that they can sing, yet they have not prevailed against me. They have been kept, preserved through it all. Remember that Israel, their forefather, over the angel of the covenant as they wrestled at Bethel. Who or what then could stand in her way? If God is for us, who can be against us? God preserves his chosen.

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Have you ever done or said something that you thought was so embarrassing that you just wished you could immediately become INVISIBLE? One of those times when you would have loved to do a disappearing act? They may not happen very often but I’m sure that we all have our moments when being INVISIBLE would have been just perfect. But not everybody wants to be INVISIBLE. In fact the trend these days seems to be people making greater effort to be visible. How else do you explain that just a few days ago the Oxford Dictionaries declaring that ‘selfie’ is the word of the year for 2013? Just in case you have no idea what is a ‘selfie’ it’s using a cell phone or any mobile device to take a picture of yourself. Most persons post their ‘selfie’ on all of the social media sites (Instagram, Face Book, KIK, Twitter etc.). But with the trend to broadcast ourselves becoming more popular these days, then the thought for today’s FF may be a real challenge. It is MAKE ME INVISIBLE!

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As a child growing up in Antigua, I always wanted to experience a hurricane. I would often hear my parents talk about a 1950 hurricane and felt as though I was missing out on something. Well on September 17th, 1989 Hurricane Hugo gave me my first taste of what it is like to go through a hurricane. That experience taught me that you must be careful what you wish for and that there are some experiences in life you can do without. Half of the roof on our family house went flying during the storm and water came pouring in wetting just about everything. Living through the storm was scary at times. But it was life afterwards that was the tough part. Basic necessities like electricity and having clean running were things that you now had a better appreciation for. Now when I look at the news and see the overwhelming devastation that Typhoon Haiyan has brought to the people of the Philippines, there’s one thing I can’t help but say to myself – WE HAVE IT GOOD! And that’s our FF for today – WE HAVE IT GOOD!

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I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you. Genesis 28:15

We all should remember the chorus ‘we are climbing Jacob’s ladder’. It is about the dream he had as he journeyed from Beersheba to Harran in search of a wife in his uncle Laban’s household. As he slept on the cold ground with a rock for his pillow, he had the dream of the steps up to heaven, angels going up and down and the Lord himself at the very top. The promise of the land is given to him even as it had been given to his grandfather Abraham before him. The Lord closes off by assuring Jacob of his presence until the all that was promised had happened. In other words, not only was God making the promise, but also a commitment to see it happen. God’s promises come with God’s commitment.

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I donÂ’t know if thereÂ’s a person who may say that he/she likes to be KICKED. We donÂ’t walk around with stickers on our backs inviting persons to KICK me. To be KICKED by someone makes you feel as if youÂ’re no body. ItÂ’s not just disrespectful but it also robs us of the qualities that make us feel worthwhile human beings. So if anybody has ever gotten you so mad that you feel as if the only thing you want to do is to use your foot to offer a hard KICK, think again. Whatever the person may have done, however stupid you think the action may have been, however bad it made you feel, no one is ever deserving of being made to feel less than a person by being on the other side of a KICK. And hereÂ’s the issue to ponder, if we think that what the person has done is deserving of nothing less than a KICK, shouldnÂ’t we apply the same medicine to ourselves when we behave the same way? So then if anybody is deserving of being KICKED, then be man or woman enough and KICK YOURSELF!

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Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress. Psalm 31: 9

In Psalm 31 David has written a song that describes his distress as well as his dependence on God in times of trouble. He is quick to point out that he is at fault and not God and as such he throws himself on God’s mercy. The text is in the first section of the song. The man of God describes and pleads his sorrowful case. ‘He unbosoms his heart, lays bare his wounds, and expresses his inward desolation’. There could be no better way of laying himself at the mercy of God. God understands a heart broken with grief and sorrow because of sin. Misery moves mercy - no more reasoning is needed. The King James Version puts it thus: “Have mercy I am in trouble.” The prayer is short but deeply pleading thus far reaching. The argument, or reason for the prayer, is as prevalent as it is plain and personal. The depth and soul of our prayers reach much further than its length.

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On October 31, 1981 at 12 MIDNIGHT the sovereign rule of a small island in the heart of the Caribbean Sea was transferred fully from the British government to own citizens. And with the movement of the clock from October 31 to November 1, we witnessed the birth of an independent Antigua and Barbuda. Today marks 32 years since that memorable occasion. As I reflect on that most memorable night IÂ’m thankful to know that I was alive then to witness for myself history in the making. I remember well all of the excitement building up to that day. What I couldnÂ’t figure out then was why the tens of thousands of Antiguans and Barbudans stayed up pass MIDNIGHT on October 31? If independence was on November 1, why not just celebrate in the morning on that day? But then I finally realized that the CHANGE of our status into an independent nation did not take place at sunrise on the morning of November 1. Rather the CHANGE took place at MIDNIGHT on October 31. So under the darkness of the MIDNIGHT sky, one flag was lowered and another raised; one anthem was replaced by another; one nation died and another was born. So much CHANGED that MIDNIGHT. With this in mind I invite us today to reflect on our FF, THE MIDNIGHT CHANGE!

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