May 2024 - Taking Time to Be Holy

Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord;
abide in him always, and feed on his word.
Make friends of God’s children, help those who are weak,
forgetting in nothing his blessing to seek.

Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;
spend much time in secret with Jesus alone.
By looking to Jesus, like him thou shalt be;
thy friends in thy conduct his likeness shall see.

Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul,
and run not before him, whatever betide.
In joy or in sorrow, still follow the Lord,
and, looking to Jesus, still trust in his word.

Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul,
each thought and each motive beneath his control.
Thus led by his spirit to fountains of love,
thou soon shalt be fitted for service above.

These words penned by William D. Longstaff around 1882 still speak to us today.  In fact, as busy as it seemed to Longstaff in 1882, I think he’d be amazed at how the “world rushes on” today.  Today as I write this, there is a rummage sale going on at the church and I am caring for last things before I leave to attend the United Methodist General Conference.

As I read through the words of this song, I realized that all of us need to be careful about the busyness of our lives be it at a rummage sale, a general conference, a hospital room, work, home, church, play, or anywhere else.

We need to make sure that we are taking time to be holy.  As your pastor, I cannot be holy for you, nor can you be holy for me.  Each of us must make sure that we take the time to “be calm in thy soul”, to give ourselves over to God that each thought and motive are under control of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  We are called to abide in Christ and open our hearts so that Christ may abide in us.  We need to feast on God’s word.

We need to feast on God’s word; we need to gather together as God’s family and share in worship of God together; we need to gather in Bible study that the depth of the word may be discovered and unfold in our lives.

As we follow the Lord, as we allow God’s Spirit to lead us to the fountains of love; we will find ourselves ready for that day in which we meet God face-to-face.  But between now and then, let us discover Christ within each other already at work.

I look forward to when I see you again!

Alan