WATCHWORD:
30 “Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me. 31 “So I tell you, every sin and blasphemy can be forgiven—except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which will never be forgiven. 32 Anyone who speaks against the Son of Man can be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, either in this world or in the world to come. Matthew 12:30-32
Meditation:
Seen a Ghost?
OOOOOhhh. Ghosties, everywhere. Beware, they come, unannounced, so prepare yourselves. OOOOOhhh…
There is a castle by the name of Leap, that is said to be haunted by more than 150 souls who apparently were murdered within its walls over the 400 years that it has been in existence. One of the ghosts as a woman, beautifully dressed in a red dress, holding a bloody dagger. It is best that tourists not visit Leap Castle.
Ballygally Castle is another haunted site in Ireland. Lady Isobel Shaw, in a dispute with her husband, was locked her in the tower and was starved to death. She now wanders the castle at night, and knocks on the doors of guests and there is a strange green fog that settles over the castle when she is out and about.
More strange happenings. There’s a Haunted Road that was built through a fairy fort, and travelers on the road annoy the fairies. If you turn off your car engine, put it in neutral, you will still move on up the slope, seemingly by itself, away from the fairy fort. It’s a weird and eerie experience according to some.
On the northern-most coast of the Isle of Skye is Castle Dunnotar where many say the Chapel there is the most haunted and regularly there are sightings of a bright light art night. Those who know the history, call this The Bloody Chapel. OOOOOH.
So much for Halloween and ghosties and things that go bump in the night. The only ghost that I have an interest in, is the Holy Ghost. How about you? The Holy Ghost, the Spirit of God that dwells within each one of us. Did you catch that in the scripture above? “…anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven.”
I can understand some parent’s opposition to Halloween, and all that seems to surround that day. My daughter was born on November 2, and for years she has adopted “Day of the dead” as a theme for her Halloween/Birthday parties. They’re quite a lot of fun and that’s exactly the intent.
In Ezekiel 36, we have this wonderful and encouraging promise: 26 And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.[a] 27 And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations. The Holy Spirit dwelling within us, our own built-in GPS (God-Positioning System) to guide us and keep us within the Will of God. Take that, you ghosties! Scat!
Bulletin Board:
You may have noticed that you received two copies of the yesterday’s Watchword. One looked like the old ones, while the second had a picture of a rustic bridge, which identifies my website. From now on all Watchwords will look like that. Don’t you like that little bridge? I took that picture during my time volunteering in Arkansas.
Art Hunn entertains us with this story, from an unknown source – “History has recorded a number of great floods that have ravaged the earth down through the ages, not the least of which is the famous Johnstown flood in Pennsylvania. The story is told of a survivor of that event who was fond of telling all about it to any and all who would listen. With each telling his story became more embellished. The flood waters got deeper and his struggle for survival became more heroic. When the man died, and went to heaven, St. Peter stopped by to ask if everything came up to his expectations. “Everything is great”, the man said. “But I surely would like to tell the story of the Johnstown flood to some of those up here.” So, St. Peter assembled a large heavenly audience. But as the speaker rose to address his audience, St. Peter whispered in his ear, “I think I should warn you. Noah is in the audience.”
Closing Prayer:
Lord, it is easy to become afraid as we look at how prevalent evil is in our world and the power it holds. But God, YOU are greater! You are far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else–not only in this world but also in the world to come. And though I live in the world, I do not wage war as the world does. The weapons I fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. In your strength, Lord, I will demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and I take captive each and every thought to make it obedient to Christ. My life is hidden with Christ in you, God, so help me to fix my eyes on things above, not on the things that are on this earth. Help me to hold firm to the truth that will bring freedom.
You have told us, Lord, to overcome evil with good. Show us how to do that in practical ways. Help us to fix our minds on you and your goodness, not on the evil that is before us. May our lives be a living testimony to your goodness, Lord, and may our lips proclaim your forever love. Amen.
