Marilyn's Musings
August 25, 2026
It is the end of August and we are getting closer to the cooler months at the end of the year. This summer has been a very interesting and thought provoking one with Pastor Debbie discussing The Lord’s Prayer with us every week. I have come away from church feeling the spirit and thinking about the different parts of the prayer. Pastor Debbie gives us a lot of information on each part of the prayer and somehow there is always something in there that “clicks” with me and I have the moment where it comes together. It is sometimes hard to share that with you.
This week was “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil”. God does not “lead” us into temptation in the sense of actively causing us to sin. Instead, the prayer is a plea for God to protect us from circumstances and situations that might lure us into sin (1 Corinthians 10:13) And then when He has us say “deliver us from evil” it shows that the petition also seeks protection from Satan’s influence. “Jesus Himself was tempted in every way but without sin (Hebrews 4:15), and His victory over temptation is the basis for our plea”.
When I did my usual research these practical applications came up. I thought I would share them with you.
· Awareness: Recognize situations that could lead to sin and seek God’s guidance to avoid them.
· Submission: If trials come, submit to God’s will and trust His provision of a way out (1 Corinthians 10:13).
· Prayer: Ask God to “permit” you to be spared from temptation, trusting His authority and love.
I am not sure I have covered or interpreted everything Pastor Debbie said. I apologize if I got anything not quite right. God won’t lead us into temptation but He knows it is there and we have to be aware of it. We need to be closer to God so we can talk to Him when “evil” presents itself in our lives.
I like the part of The Lord’s Prayer that we said at the end of our service where we said –
“Protect us God from enticing entrapment in all that would separate us from your Love. And lead us away from all that creates suffering and pain and death, for us and all others.”
I’ve been spending a lot of time in my musing talking about our services this summer. There has been a lot going on in addition to worshiping together every Sunday. I’d like to say a special thank you to Alan, our organist, who is there every week and plays so beautifully for us. I don’t know if many of us get a chance to say thank you after church on Sunday, but I did this week and he was very happy to hear that he makes our services so enjoyable. I am sure you have seen on Facebook and in the sanctuary how many items were donated for our annual school drive. We may not fill all the pews every Sunday but we sure filled many hearts with our love with all the donations. It is amazing the work we do as a church family. And another thanks to Scott who runs the food drive every month. The outreach our church does is wonderful and makes a difference in people’s lives – the volunteers and the recipients. All we are doing is following God’s commandment to love one another. It’s that simple.
We are working hard on getting ready for our September Thrift Shoppe Sale. There will be some fun surprises to see when our regulars come in and maybe some new people will be tempted to visit us on September 12th.
And then the fall season begins……Isn’t this a wonderful world that God made that we can see the changes in His world and enjoy them…..
As we get ready to change seasons in a couple of weeks, let’s sing “The Church’s One Foundation” and remember that Jesus Christ is her foundation.
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=U3GzJlXa2fQ&si=Lw1VFVDZPUdDS7qf
Preview YouTube video BEAUTIFUL Hymn- The Church's One Foundation (Sing Along with Lyrics)
