Sunday, February 26
Rev. Troy Medlin
You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance.
There was no place like my grandparents’ house growing up. Walking in the door of their house at the corner of Constitution and Lowell it felt like all the troubles of life would melt away and be left outside. There I could truly rest. It was as if just the unique aroma caused a deep breath to exhale from the lungs. It was one of my hiding places. A shelter where things were okay no matter what was swirling around out in the world or in my heart.
Both as young people and adults we crave those kinds of spaces. They are like mini escapes from the heartache and the pressures of this fallen and broken world. The problem is of course, all these oases are only temporary. The troubles and burdens we carry, whatever they are, are still real and lurking. They always greet us again whether we are ready for them or not.
This Psalm reminds us that the most secure and enduring hiding spot is not a place but a person. The one the psalmist speaks of is the one who created all things and who has come among us in Jesus Christ. He has stretched out his arms of love upon the cross, and those of us who have been born from his wounded side can find a home in his embrace. Carried in his arms of love we know that the troubles that we face are not the end. For Christ will bring us through every death into life. In each twist and turn he leads us to that dwelling place where all are safe at last. And all along that path, we are kept. Our wounded and risen Savior is our hiding place. There we can breathe for we know the future. Not even death’s arrows can harm us anymore. As his body on earth, may we become a hiding place for others and a refuge for those in need.
God of mercy, may we find our hiding place in your wounded and risen body. Safe in your hands we are kept safe from death’s power. Preserve us as people who offer refuge to all in your name until our Lenten cries of deliverance are transformed into shouts of Easter praise. Amen.
Encounters With Christ 