Reflections

By Sarah Olivo

Sunday August 17, 2014

This week Pastor Pat began reading the story of Joseph in Genesis. We took a look at the tension that existed between Joseph and his eleven older brothers, and how it led little Joe being thrown into what seemed like a huge disaster! Of course, if you know the rest of the story, you know that God was leading him in exactly the way he needed to be going, and I wrote a poem anticipating that.

Life is a bumpy road.

With hills and rocks and ditches.

There is no way around it,

No human hands can fix it.

One day life will lead you,

Down a path that’s dark and steep

Like black and white, now it’s all good,

And now you’re on your knees.

We all will make mistakes,

And shipwreck on the way.

But remember what it means that

“God works in mysterious ways.”

Perhaps you’ll think it’s your fault,

That you tripped o’er your own feet.

You might think that it’s punishment,

For some past evil deed.

Whatever you may think of it,

The road will push you on.

You may begin to think God

Stayed behind at that last turn.

But listen, don’t imagine

That He’s let go of the wheel,

No matter how unsure your steps,

Don’t ever start to feel

Like He’s not in control, even

When all your strength gives way.

I promise that if you hold on,

You’ll find it worth the pain.

‘Cuz as crazy as the ride seems,

At the end when you’ve emerged,

You’ll look back and you’ll realize

He was guiding every turn.

By Sarah Olivo

 

Sunday July 13, 2014

This week Pastor Pat titled his sermon “In the world, but not of the world”. He talked about the things that set us, as God’s children, apart from other people. The message was great and I couldn’t wait to write a killer poem! ;)

 

They’re staring from across the room

A questioning look in their eyes.

We’ve piqued their curiosity,

And they can’t quite pinpoint why.

 

We seem to do everything wrong,

And yet nothing seems out of place.

We smile when most would turn and leave,

And we slow down when they make haste.

 

In the burning sun, we prosper best,

As they gaze wond’ringly from the shade.

And when all has grown dark, we somehow walk on,

Our lamps lit with invisible flame.

 

Our manners are peculiar,

Kind in the strangest of ways,

The people they can’t live around

We hasten to embrace.

 

We stay away from what the world

Tells us is worth it all,

Running after a mysterious

And invisible goal.

 

We seem to be all backwards,

Never following the trend

Criticized and pointed-at,

Yet our joy seems never to end.

 

The strangest part of all

Is what we tell them when they ask.

The reason that we give for all

The normal-ness we lack.

 

An all-powerful God?

Forgiveness for our sins?

What does that even mean,

To have hope and life in Him?

 

As we gleefully explain

It all as clearly we can ,

They marvel as they hear how

Truly simple is His plan.

 

And always, if they walk away,

Or if they turn and follow;

It always leaves a crater,

Always fills what once was hollow.

 

People stare from every corner

As we join our hands and pray

They can see, that vague distinction

We all carry in our veins

 

We’re like aliens, so different

From anything they’ve seen,

Whether they hate or love us

They can’t help but be intrigued.

 

For we are, indeed, not of this

World we live in anymore.

When we choose Whom to follow,

We inherit something more.

 

And we all act so strangely

Because our homes are in our hearts

We smile because we know that God

Has saved for us a part

 

Of His kingdom in heaven,

For there we will abide.

We’re only passing through here,

Only staying overnight.

 

Lingering only to tell

To all who we can reach

That they can be forgiven,

That they can have this peace.

 

That makes us unlike all the rest,

This fire in our hearts,

Citizenship not of the world,

But of His perfect love.

 

For we are pretty ordinary,

As much as we seem odd.

But we follow, you remember,

An extraordinary God.