Verse of the Day: “I love you, Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my
fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield
and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”—Psalm 18:1-2
« Je T’aime,
Eternel, ma force, Eternel, mon rocher, ma forteresse, mon libérateur, mon
Dieu, mon rocher où je trouve mon abri, mon bouclier, la force qui me
sauve, mon rempart ! » —Psaumes 18 :2-3
Quote of the Day: “Curiosity is naught but vanity. More often than not, we
only want to know so that we can talk about it.” —Blaise Pascal
« Curiosité
n'est que vanité. Le plus souvent, on ne veut savoir que pour en parler. »—Blaise
Pascal
What Was It About?
“It was on a Saturday while the Mayflower was at anchor in
the harbor of Provincetown that the men
 |
| I love this depiction of the event - immediate dedication to Christ. |
In the name
of God, Amen. We whose names are underwritten, the loyall Subjects of our dread
soveraigne Lord King James, by the grace of God of Great Britaine, France, and
Ireland King, Defender of the Faith, &c.
Having undertaken for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian
Faith, and honour of our King and Countrey, a Voyage to plant the first Colony
in the Northerne parts of Virginia, doe by these presents solemnly and mutually
in the presence of God and one of another, covenant, and combine ourselves
together into a civill body politike, for our better ordering and preservation,
and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by vertue hereof to enact,
constitute and frame such just and equall Lawes, Ordinances, acts,
constitutions, offices from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and
convenient for the generall good of the Colony ; unto which we promise all due
submission and obedience. In witness
whereof we have, hereunder subscribed our names, Cape Cod, 11 of November, in
the yeare of the raigne of our soveraigne Lord King James, of England, France,
and Ireland 18, and of Scotland 54. Anno Domini 1620.
About a month was now spent in making explorations. On
Monday, December twenty-first, they set foot on the mainland where Plymouth now
is.
It is not my purpose at this time to tell the chapter of the
hardships and sufferings which now opened. The tribulations of the first winter
were never forgotten by any body who passed through them. In the months of
January and February, 51 of their number died. Sometimes two and three died in
a single day. At one time there were only six or seven of the entire colony
that were able to be up and around.
It looked as though possibly not one of
them would survive. They used to bury their dead at night, and carefully smooth
over the soil where the graves had been made in order that the Indians prowling
round might not discover how great were their losses. But as William Brewster
once said: " It is not with us as with men whom small things can
discourage, or small discontentments cause to wish themselves home again."
These men and women could not be disheartened, they had come
to America, and they had come to stay They had come to this country for the
sake of religion; it was for the liberty to worship God in a way that they felt
sure God had ordained that they were willing to face all dangers. We are in the
habit of speaking much about our political liberty; we have a right to rejoice
in it, but it should never be forgotten that our political liberty came out of
a passion for religious liberty. It was because men were determined to worship
God free from the dictates of the State that by and by there was liberty both
in the Church and in the State. It is sometimes said that the love of money is
the mightiest force in the world. We are told that men are willing to endure
every hardship for the sake of making money, but the experience of the Pilgrims
proves that there is a mightier force in human nature than love of money, and
that is the love of God. The colonies planted as commercial enterprises on the
coast of New England in the early seventeenth century all went to pieces,
unable to stand the strain of the terrific forces which played upon them. But
the Plymouth colony, composed of men who were dominated by the spirit of
religion, endured. It is devotion to God and to his Son, Jesus Christ, that is
able to bear all things, believe all things, hope all things and endure all
things.
It was on the fifth day of April that the Mayflower started
on its return voyage. There were only about fifty of the original company left;
twenty-one of these were men, and six were lads old enough to work. The
remainder were women and children. When the time came for the Mayflower to
depart, not one of the Pilgrims expressed a desire to return, not a man was
dismayed, not a woman was afraid. I love to think of them as they stood there
on the shore watching the Mayflower sail out to sea, I love to fancy the
wistful look in their eyes as they saw the ship grow smaller and smaller until
at last it was only a speck on the horizon, and then finally disappeared
altogether. If I were a painter I should paint that picture. It is one of the
great scenes in the history of the world.”
(Retrieved from newsforchristians.com – Full Sermon)
What Made It
Great?
Stories like this give me the chills. For me, this ranks up
with the pledge that the
founding fathers made at the end of the Declaration of Independence (Watch
this!!)
Among many other rhetorical qualities, this sermon was great
because it began entirely with Scripture. And yet not only with Scripture;
because this sermon was historical in scope, it began with the specific
historical context of the Old Testament as it related to the story that
Jefferson sought to tell. This set a foundation and drew the listener in,
because the only thing more exciting than hearing a story of adventure, is a hearing
a story of adventure that you are a part of. And every American is a part of
the adventure story of Plymouth Rock.
In a way similar to the pilgrims (but nowhere near as
extreme), I too have landed on my own Plymouth Rock here in France. I can
remember taking one last glance at my mother and father, and my baby sister,
before getting into the line to go through security. I can remember looking out
of my plane window, watching the ‘land of the free and the home of the brave’
grow smaller and smaller beneath me, until it was replaced by an ocean, and
then by a land which I had never seen before. I can remember the LORD answering
prayer after prayer – for money, food, lodging, encounters. I can remember when
I first met with the pastor of my home church here in France.
When I first stepped foot off of my plane in Paris, I
remember being suddenly struck with the audacity of what I was trying to do –
alone in a foreign land with a foreign language. But I also remember the God of
those pilgrims comforting me, as He did them, those many years ago. And though
there are many trials that I have yet to experience, as He was with them, I
know He will continue to be with me.
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