Good morning and a most blessed Thursday to you. We are in the middle of a a winter storm warning today, and there's just a little bit of snow on the ground where I am. I hope that you are staying safe and warm wherever you are. And you know,  I was thinking about warmth and how really the great warmth that we have is from the light of the world.

The light of the world that is Christ. And regardless of how cold the world around us is, we have the light of Christ burning within us. And it is the Spirit of God that warms us always and protects us and guards us from from the coldness and the darkness and the bleakness of this world. Outside my window there are birds that are clamoring to get as much seed as they can from the bird feeder that I have. And they are chirping and singing and busily eating and gathering seed to keep them warm.

And even that is a blessing from God that he provides for even the birds. He provides for all of us. And I thank the Lord so much for the provision of sustenance and nourishment and shelter and warmth that we have by his grace and by his goodness. So I want to pray for you as we face these next couple of days, not quite knowing what the weather is exactly gonna do. And thank the Lord for all the provision that he gives to us every day.

Let's pray. Lord Jesus, we thank you so much. We thank you for the blessings that you provide. We thank you that even though we don't know the big picture, we don't know what is happening from one day to the next with full clarity. We know that nothing comes as a surprise to you.

And we thank you that all of our needs are met in you, that we are provided for by you. Lord, the greatest need that we have, the need of redemption and of forgiveness, is provided by you for us out of your great mercy and love for us. And we thank you that we can trust you. We can trust you that our sins are forgiven.

We can trust you that we are guarded in your protection. And we can trust that we are warmed by your Spirit and and held so dearly to you. Lord, we ask that you would keep all those who are under warning of winter weather, that you would keep us all safe, that you would keep us sheltered. For those that are without shelter, Lord, we ask that you would use your people to help them whether it is through the ministry partners of Union Gospel Mission or other ministries that can help. Lord, we ask that you would provide shelter for those without, that you would provide warmth for those who are cold. And that you would provide your love for those that do not yet know your love. Lord, we thank you for being the God that you are. For the God that watches us, that interacts with us, that listens to us, and that loves us so richly and so dearly.

Lord, we thank you for this day. We thank you for your promise of love for us. And we thank you that we know, regardless of what we don't know. You know all. And we praise you for your sovereignty. Lord, we lift this to you in the precious name of Jesus Christ. Amen. 

Stay warm. Have an amazing rest of your week, and I will look forward to worshiping with you in just a couple of days. God bless.

Pastor Malinak