Spoken word by the spiritual poet

This thought is in honor of my Mom who had a near death experience over one year ago.  But by the mercy of God, she’s on the mend and by his all sufficient grace she will witness in the land of the living her 86 birthday on March 21, 2014.

“We Honor The Aged Living Stones In Our Community Of Faith“

Today, we stand and lift up our hands for the joy of the Lord is our strength; for he has blessed us with aged living stones in our community of faith as a reminder that he is the Good Shepherd.  He is the life giver and guardian of our souls.  He is the God of our salvation and the Rock of all ages, Almighty God is he.

Mavis Rebecca Ricketts or Mother Ricketts or Mom Ricketts or Mom is one of many aged living stones who are still among us.  We do recognize that these aged living stones do not stand alone but are deeply rooted in the firm foundation and mortar laid by the apostles and prophets of long ago with Jesus Christ as the chief Cornerstone.  We, too, recognize and do acknowledge that we have been called to be living stones in the house of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  For we are part and parcel of this indivisible, indestructible, immense and immortal structure inextricably joined and sealed together life upon life, faith upon faith and living stone upon living stone by the Holy Spirit.  As we grow in salvation into a holy temple, a dwelling place for the Most High God, the Mighty One of Israel.

As we behold the higher heights and higher grounds gained at the foothills of heaven’s tableland in Christ, it’s all attributed to the aged living stones who have affixed their faith to the firm foundation of Ebenezer.   They are the living stones who prayed for the blessings of the Lord to follow us from the beckoning of our birth to benediction of our last breath.  They are the living stones who turned down their plates and tirelessly tarried before the Lord when we turned away from the God of our fathers and became one with the spirit of apostasy in the days of our youth.   They are the living stones who travailed on bended knees in prayer for our prophets, preachers, leaders and teachers that they might receive the Holy Ghost revelation resurrection revival in the latter days of deepest darkness.  And they are the living stones, burden bearers and prayer warriors who are not afraid to “Stand your ground” and put on the full body armor of Almighty God to advance and wage Ephesians’ warfare beyond flesh and blood, breaching the spiritual forces of evil, rulers of darkness, authorities and cosmic powers in the heavenly realm; beseeching God to snatch and save souls of sons and daughters from the eternal fires of condemnation.

Behold, the God of their silent prayers, the God of their silent tears and the God of their weary years has heard their prayers.  For while they waited in the fire of delayed answers sweet hour of prayer has come and her wings their petitions no long bear.  Now here we are former outcasts, outliers and outlaws of God’s love have become the epitome of  the vilest sinners who have been saved by grace.  Here we are, former scoffers, slanderers and secular dissidence of God’s Word, have become his bulwark, his buttress and his body of believers to our neighbors, nemesis and nations at large.  Here we are buying homes we did not build, owning the finest of manicured lawn and landscape we did not cultivate, and homes replete with glitz and glamour and goods we did not create.  Here we are prolific writers, publishers, president and founder of caliber companies contending for the crown to be number one.  And here we are in the latter days of deepest darkness as prophets and preachers, leaders and teachers, and the movers and shakers for the unapologetic Word of Almighty God!

We are indebted to Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior who indwells these our aged living stones.  We are much more than a community of bricks and mortar, much more than a parade of parishioners and pews and so much more than members of a monolithic faith following.   As a community of faith, we are the spiritual house, the holy temple made of aged living stones to provide a dwelling place for our God to come that we might worship him in spirit and truth.  Now as an act of worship, we lift up the aged hands of living stones as the joy of the Lord is their strength.  With one heart, one mind and one voice, we sing unto our God the psalm of long ago.  “In Christ alone my hope is found.  He is my light, my strength, my song.  This Cornerstone, this Solid Ground, firm through the fiercest drought and storm.  What heights of love, what depths of peace, when fears are stilled, when striving cease!  My Comforter, my all in all, here in the love of Christ I stand.”  So as living stones we stand in the love of Christ alone with the Ancient of Days in that dwelling place as we honor the aged living stones in our community of faith.