Grief and Gladness

We have gotten together with family & friends a few times this week. First we had lunch at the Sarratts' house with my sister, Grace, and her kids, which was lovely. They served a delicious strawberry and lettuce salad with poppy-seed dressing and baked potatoes with rosemary and toppings such as bacon bits and cheese. We chatted and did some crochet and played with the kids, watching them blow bubbles and pop them. We sat on their porch, and it was surprisingly tolerable, though it was upwards of 95 degrees. There was a bit of a breeze. My littlest niece enjoyed the bubbles, but she was most excited by the fluffy caramel-colored dog, Poochy, crawling around after her and flailing her little hands at the dog.

Some of our friends are up in Boston at the Reformation 500, which looks like a wonderful event. (See even more about it here, and some pictures of reenactors in costume, some of which people we know and love.)

Well, I shall end with some quotes from Spurgeon's The Treasury of David, Vol. 1, shorter nuggets. I've really been profiting from and enjoying the book, and the commentary on Psalm 22 is great in helping me to see the amazing love of God through Christ.

"They shoot out the lip, they shake the head." These were gestures of contempt. Panting, grinning, shaking of the head, thrusting out of the tongue, and other modes of derision were endured by our patient Lord; men made faces at him before whom angels vail their faces and adore. The basest signs of disgrace which disdain could devise were maliciously cast at him. They punned upon his prayers, they made matter for laughter of his sufferings, and set him utterly at nought. Herbert sings of our Lord as saying,--

"Shame tears my soul, my body many a wound;
Sharp nails pierce this, but sharper that confound;
Reproaches which are free, while I am bound.
Was ever grief like mine?"

"I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee." (Psalm 22:22)

We mention our sorrows readily enough; why are we so slow in declaring our deliverances?

"All they that go down to the dust shall bow before him." (Psalm 22:29, in part)
There is relief and comfort in bowing before God when our case is at its worst; even amid our dust of death prayer kindles the lamp of hope.