The Shaky Foundations of Mr S.O.

Row
1 Peter 2:6  “See, I lay a stone in Zion,  a chosen and
precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will
never be put to shame.”

What a difficult time

It can shake all your senses
Not too long ago
We were doubly intensive

We were thinking of Baseball

And Cheating and trash cans
Our economy was growing
We all had such big plans

For summer and spring

For trips and vacations
And we began to hear
Bad news from all stations

A city called Wuhan

And a thing called Corona
And all just like that
it all just went splat
 Our lives have been altered
Who could have known?
How things would have changed
Isolated and alone.

Days like these

With death and destruction
Will measure your faith
And test your foundations

Upon what is built

Your faith and your trust
The Father’s provision
Or possessions and stuff

And so, in this cauldron

The Phone rang again
Mr. S.O. Row
Called to complain

What will we do?

How will we meet?
How will the government
Stave off defeat?
 What if our country
Crumbles and falls?
What if our economy
Stumbles and stalls?

What if my retirement
Is gone in an instant?
What if my children
Forget how to visit?

I’m terrified Pastor

What should we do?
Breath Mr. Row
Breath and I’ll tell you

I was studying preparing

To preach on Sunday.
Readings from scripture
May I quote what they say.

Surely, he said,
I called here for comfort
Well God has a word
To speak on that front.
 In Psalm 146
It teaches us clear
Put not your trust in princes,
In men who are feared

For they go to the dust

As oft humans do
And all of his plans
Die with him too.

Instead put your hope

In the God of Jacob
Our Father and Lord
Of compassion and love

He gives sight to the blind

He sets pris’ners free
He protects all the helpless
Lifts the bowed down off their knees

For sure Our Father

is a mysterious sort
Who knows why he does
certain things in this world?
But know this that he loves you
And will always provide
What you need to live
What you need to survive.

Pastor, I love you

But this is a Psalm
It is nice to read
But brings little calm.

Then listen to Jesus

Hear what he will say
I am the Life
The Truth and the Way

You are worried no doubt

In the face of this strife
Just what you can do
To protect eternal life.

Well it’s been done on the cross

He freely gave
His arms to the nails
His body to the grave
 And the work that he did
On the cross was for all
He gave us his perfection
He took bitter gall

He suffered the pain

Our sins had created
Our fears and our anger
They were all satiated.

So, it is no doubt
That Christ is the way
The way out of hell
A path to new Day

That Christ is the truth

He speaks God’s good word
He shows us the Heart
Of His Father Above

And not only are sins

Forgiven wiped clean
But a new heavens and earth
Are our hope, life eternal
 He is the way,
the truth and the life
why would you doubt
even in these times?

Pastor, that sounds very good

But my heart won’t believe it
It’s made out of stone
And nothing can break it.

Well a heart made of stone

Needs a stone to come fall
To fall on it break it
The greatest of all.

What things do you trust?

What stone did you build on?
Just like the Psalm
Peter tells of a stone.

To those who disdain

It’s a stone that’s rejected
A stumbling rock
A stone not respected
 Christ is the foundation
Of Christians through time
We are a chosen race
A People of light.

We trust in Christ Jesus

He won us release.
He gave us forgiveness
Salvation and peace.

In this world stone crumbles

Governments fall apart
But our Lord never wavers
He never departs

Inspect your foundations

My Dear Mr. Row
Is Christ your cornerstone
Or is it the world?

When looking at disaster

Epidemic and plague
It can look like it’s over
All you see is the grave.
 But God’s in control
Christ is your redeemer
And God will not shame
All who are believers.

What will you do?

Be scared every day?
Or trust in the Truth
And the Life and the Way.