“Do Not Be Afraid”
Leave a CommentThis is an audio recording of a sermon that I gave during worship on February 7, 2010, at United Lutheran Presbyterian Parish. It was based on Luke 5:1-11.
What is your bedrock?
Scriptures for today include Psalm 90, Isaiah 1:24-31, and Luke 11:29-32. I coined the title “What is your bedrock?” after I wrestled with a handful of themes. For example, I could have easily chosen “What is your anchor?” or “what keeps you going?” But I hope after you read this you will agree that the real issue is what we hold onto, especially when other things in our life become difficult or unpleasant. In other words, each of us need to ask ourselves the question: what really matters to us in this life? Some might say their family, their lifework, their passion, or even their cars, bank account, tools or possessions. So how would you answer the question?
If you profess to believe in God, you know the answer. You know in your heart that something deeper gives us hope for enduring our trials today and trusting that there will be a tomorrow. That something giving us hope is our faith in God.
Isaiah tells us that when sin is prominent in our lives we look more like an enemy to God’s purposes in the world. But just when we deserve wrath and punishment for preferring our own wants over faithful service, God sees us as the clean metal we could be. Since we just celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday and took note of some things we have to be thankful for, let us be thankful that God’s faithfulness remains as solid as bedrock. Bedrock for geologists is the solid rock below the sandy ground and what you anchor your buildings to so they won’t fall or collapse.
We become God’s enemies whenever we put other things ahead of caring for others. We become rusty and tarnished metal whenever we succumb to concerns for wealth, possessions and security in today’s world. Those temporary things can never be bedrock. Let us be Advent people who wait and trust that our bedrock remains faith in Jesus Christ and nothing else. Jesus promised to be the way, the truth, and the life and let us hear that promise as his being the forever bedrock of our lives. May you trust that Jesus is coming again to make us all bright new metal and righteous in God’s sight. Let God’s love occupy your thinking and remind yourself daily that God loves you and hopes for you to turn your life around. Faith is the bedrock that won’t leave you when the other things fail to support you and can’t comfort you. My friends Jesus revealed his being the true bedrock forever and ever when he died and rose again for each of us.
Be Alert
Scriptures for today include: Psalm 13, Zechariah 12:1-31:1, and Mark 13:9-23. The Gospel of Mark bears witness to the predictions of suffering that Jesus made for his followers. Parallel passages in Matthew 24:9-14 and Luke 21:12-19 make this witness of Jesus’ predictions for the future all the more important. In other words, this prediction of Jesus was remembered by not just one, but by all three of the Synoptic Gospel writers.
Jesus is very clear that his followers will experience hardship and mistreatment by those who reject him as being God’s Son. The interesting thing was that even though the followers of Jesus would be rejected as he was, the message of salvation had to be proclaimed anyway. The good news of Jesus couldn’t be stopped just because others felt threatened by it. Suffering was part of discipleship in a hostile world, but the ability to endure such hostility by his followers was about God’s continued hope for all humanity. God waits out the world’s rejection of him and his Son Jesus, by blessing his people with the endurance they need to proclaim the faith. If they need words at a trial, God provides them through the Holy Spirit. Just when it seems the world has the upper hand, God strengthens the faith of his followers so that the fire of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not quenched. This is our faith. While we aren’t part of the struggle of the early church when it faced widespread rejection and persecution, we are still called now to proclaim the salvation that Christ offers by faith. But the one who endures the end will be saved (verse 13). We are called to pay attention to the times when we can truly sense God’s presence and the hope it offers us and those around us.
The dangers of living in a world that is hostile to Jesus Christ remain, but the message of hope revealed through Christ must be proclaimed. God’s people are called to be alert of the dangers of losing faith or being misguided into following false gods. False messiahs and false prophets will appear and produce signs and omens to lead astray, if possible, the elect. But be alert; I have already told you everything. May we all trust in the power of God’s love and God’s hope for our transformation. Amen.
Longing for Better Times
Scriptures for today include: Psalm 13, Daniel 8:15-27, and Hebrews 10:32-39. These words of Scripture remind us that trials and suffering are part of human events preceding the time when Christ will come again in his glory. The prophet Daniel sees a disturbing vision in Chapter 8, and the angel Gabriel helps him to understand it. “A king of bold countenance shall arise” and that king “without warning …shall destroy many and shall even rise up against the Prince of princes.” It sounds hopeless until we hear “But he shall be broken, and not by human hands.” So just when the forces of evil seem to be overwhelming the ones close to God, God intervenes and delivers his people from those misguided powers.
The writer of Hebrews, chapter 10, speaks of enduring suffering, persecution, and mistreatment, while extending compassion to those who also suffer or are imprisoned. What makes the listener take notice here is that the one enduring struggles and losses has already been blessed to know Jesus Christ as their Lord. The writer of Hebrews wants us to know that being blessed to know Jesus Christ comes with a confidence about the future. Such confidence gives one the ability to weather human hardship whatever it might be, because God’s promise of a future with him can’t be broken. When you read verse 39, you can see what faith does, it provides the spiritual strength to see the world through God’s continued hope for transformation and renewal. We are told that those without such confidence in Christ will shrink back and be lost in the midst of earthly trials, while those who keep the faith will be saved.
As human beings we, by nature, long for better times. We remember the blessings we have been given, over the years, through family, friends, coworkers, and through our brothers and sisters of the faith. The writer of Psalm 13, speaks of times of apparent separation from God’s presence or God’s favor, “How long, O Lord? will you forget me forever? Four times the psalmist pleads for God to rethink his seemingly distant relationship with him or her by saying “how long.” Doubtless many of us have felt at one time or another an apparent absence of God. But was it God or something about us or the way we were feeling or thinking that made our relationship feel strained or distant? We may never know, but here in Psalm 13, we understand that such moments, when we do experience them, can lead us to grow as Christians. As Christians we know faith as a mystery, being given to us by the gift of the Holy Spirit and something honed and sharpened by life experiences, but more importantly, lived with the confidence of Jesus Christ as our Lord. With the faith of Jesus in our heart we can understand how after a time of longing for God, we too can know God’s presence again in its fullness. Whether it is poor health, the loss of a loved one due to death or the tragedy of divorce, or unforeseen events, we have the confidence of knowing that God is faithful and never far away from our pleas for help. In the confidence of our knowing Jesus Christ as Lord, we can say like the psalmist: “But I trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.”
May you know the confidence of God’s love in Jesus Christ today. This powerful love can turn us toward God and help us endure whatever might come to us as trials in this lfe. This powerful love speaks hope and the promise of resurrection to anyone who believes. Amen.
God’s vineyard
Scriptures for November 14th include Psalm 16, Daniel 4:28-37, and Mark 12:1-12. Listen to verse 12 of Mark: Then he [Jesus] began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a pit for the wine press, and built a watchtower; then he leased it to tenants and went to another country.
I have been trying to grow grapes for at least three years now and I have learned much more about vines. Vines require good soil, the right amount of water, nutrients, and extensive pruning. Grapes won’t grow just anywhere and here is an established vineyard ready to be worked. So imagine if you created a vineyard and then employed some folks to run it for you and the outcome was that they tried to seize the vineyard from you. That is what I focused on when I read the parable. I focused on tenants who were so ungrateful that they acted as if the vineyard was theirs. They seized the owners servants when they came to collect his share of the harvest. Then they beat and killed the owners servants and even killed the owners son. When Jesus asked his audience: what the owner will do in this situation? It must have come as no surprise that the owner would exercise severe punishment to such ungrateful tenants.
So are we hopelessly condemned because we are ungrateful tenants of our bodies and the gifts and talents God gave us? No. There is good news here for those who believe in Jesus Christ. The good news is that just when God would have every right to punish us for being ungrateful stewards, we were redeemed by the blood of Jesus. We were redeemed because of the awesome power of God’s love being revealed through our Savior Jesus. Let us trust that God’s desire is for us to share eternity with him and not that we be condemned. God offers us forgiveness of our sins for those who truly repent and this is grace.
Whatever history you have in taking care of God’s vineyard, don’t despair. Trust in the power of God to forgive you through Jesus Christ.
Rooted in Christ
Scriptures for today include Psalm 16, Daniel 4:19-27, and Colossians 2:6-15. I’ll quote verses 6-7 from Colossians this morning. As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and established in faith, just as you were taught, abounding in Thanksgiving.
These two verses give us a charge as Christians. It sounds simple enough. We are to continue in the faith as we were taught. However, the important point is that being a follower of Jesus is not just remembering what Jesus did and what we are to believe. No, the charge is to live rooted in the mindset of Jesus as Lord. To be rooted in the concerns of establishing peace, reflecting God’s unconditional love to ourselves and others, and seeking justice and fairness. We can be rooted in Christ’s concerns for humanity when we constantly surrender to the Lord in our prayers and then continually listen for God’s hopes and desires for us. What is impossible for us on our own, because of our sin, is made possible by the power of Christ working in our lives.
May our practice of faith through prayer, study of Scripture, the Sacraments, and worship, lead us to grow deep and strong roots that keep us connected to our Lord. Amen.
Hearts for God
Scriptures for today include: Psalm 146, Numbers 36:1-13, and Romans 5:6-11. Reflecting on these passages, I was drawn to verse 10 of Romans 5. “For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life.”
Recently, I asked our elders to consider which passages in the Bible gave them the most comfort or meant the most to their faith. I would have to count this verse as one of those passages that truly reflects the power of God’s love. As human beings we can see others as friends, strangers or as foes through the daily experiences of life. But as followers of Jesus Christ and people who still sin, God continues to see us as his children to be loved and not as enemies. Romans 5:8 tells us more about God’s love. “But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.” God’s love seeks to redeem us from sin and death, and offer us the gift of eternal life.
So if God proved his love by sending Jesus to save all his children, then how can we not, as his followers, love others in the same way? Well some might say, but pastor that is God and even as God’s followers we can’t do the same thing. But my response is to listen to Romans 5:5 where it says, “and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” It says to me that when we encounter others we can draw from the well of God’s hope and love, because that love has already been poured into our hearts. Because divine love has been poured into our hearts, as believers in Jesus Christ, we now have hearts for God. Because we have hearts for God it means we have the ability to look past another person’s sin, just as we trust that God looks past our sin, and therefore we can see what God as the Holy Trinity does–that we are all creatures loved by God.
Let us pray that we draw from the well of love God has put in us through faith in Jesus Christ. May our hearts reflect the love of Christ as we live and breathe on this earth. May our hearts for God bear witness through acts of compassion and love when we interact with others. Amen.
Remembering
Our Scripture readings are from Psalm 51, Micah 6:1-8, and John 13:31-35.
Here are the words from John 13:34: I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.
Jesus told the disciples to love others, but he added that they were to love them as he did. Loving others is not an automatic thing anyway, but to love them as Christ did and does remains an act of faith. We are incapable of truly loving others on our own, because of human sin. God’s grace is an awesome thing and it led the apostle Paul to say, in Ephesians 2:4-5, that because of God’s mercy, God loved us even when we were dead in sin and made us alive together with Christ. God sees what we can become and looks past the sin in our lives. We have a loving God that hopes for us to remember his faithfulness. The prophet Micah became God’s mouthpiece in verses 3-4 of chapter 6 when he said: “O my people, what have I done to you? In what have I weared you? Answer me! For I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and redeemed you form the house of slavery. . .” If anyone should feel weary it is God when God looks at our wavering from his way. But God asks us to remember his grace and to live and love as Christ showed us to do. Let us today confess our failings and trust that God’s love and grace is sufficient for us. By God’s grace we can be Christ for others and it begins with our remembering God’s grace and mercy which desires our redemption through Christ. May that hope inspire us to love in Christ’s name. Amen.
“Seeking God”
If someone said to you that they were seeking God, it would probably lead you to ask questions. You would want to know more, like were they facing a crisis or were they hungry for a relationship with God. You might even suspect that maybe the individual was at the crossroads of facing their own mortality or even aware that they have made too many mistakes for too long and now they needed divine help. All those things could bring any of us closer to God.
Our reading from Hebrews 9:1-12 offers a picture of an ancient Jewish sanctuary. The author describes the details of the place where the priest would go and seek God. It was in the Holy of the Holies, that innermost tent of the sanctuary, where a chosen priest would enter at a special time–the Day of Atonement. On that day the priest made a sin offering to God so the people’s sins were forgiven.
But something better than the previous blood sacrifices in the Holy of Holies had already come according the writer of Hebrews. A new high priest, in the person of Jesus Christ, became the pathway to seek God. In verse 12, we hear “He entered once for all into the Holy Place, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.”
In contrast with earlier times when temple ritual was all important in seeking God through a chosen priest, Jesus as God’s son came as the new temple and the new Holy of Holies. Insead of an annual blood sacrifice given by a priest, the writer of Hebrews wants us to know that because Christ died once for all everything changed about seeking God. The temple or sanctuary wasn’t needed as we now had access to God through the glorified son, Jesus.
The Good News is that because Jesus died once for all, any believer could seek God whenever they prayed in Jesus’ name. What it means for us as Christians is that through Jesus’ death and resurrection we received not only forgiveness, but the gift of eternal life. Thanks be to God that we can pray and confess to God our failings as well as our joys wherever we are, because of what Jesus did for us on the cross. May God’s love fill you today and strengthen you for Christian service. Amen.
“God in the wind”
God bless you my friends,
Thanks for visiting this blog and for your being interested in hearing about “God in the wind.” I pray that you will soon know him in your heart as your Lord through the revelation of his son, Jesus Christ. May the awesome power of the Word made flesh bring you everlasting peace and joy this day.
Today’s devotion comes from reading the words of Psalm 104:1-9 (NRSV). “Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, you are very great. You are clothed with honor and majesty, 2 wrapped in light as with a garment. You stretch out the heavens like a tent, 3 you set the beams of your chambers on the waters, you make the clouds your chariot, you ride on the wings of the wind, 4 you make the winds your messengers, fire and flame your ministers. 5 You set the earth on its foundations, so that it shall never be shaken. 6 You cover it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. 7 At your rebuke they flee; at the sound of your thunder they take to flight. 8 They rose up to the mountains, ran down to the valleys to the place that you appointed for them. 9 You set a boundary that they may not pass, so that they might not again cover the earth.
It is no secret to my parishioners at United Lutheran Presbyterian Parish (Dolgeville, NY) that their pastor loves the psalms. This passage speaks of God’s majesty, the majesty that created all that we see around us. It was the same sense of God’s majesty that inspired Jay Hayford to compose the contemporary hymn “Majesty.” The words from that hymn witness God’s majesty, “Majesty, worship his majesty, Jesus who died, now glorified, King of all kings.” Similarly, the psalmist here had a great sense of awe and was clearly wise to complexities of God’s work in making the earth and the skies not to mention the weather. I was drawn to verses 3 and 4, “you set the beams of your chambers on the waters, you make the clouds your chariot, you ride on the wings of the wind, you make the winds your messengers, fire and flame your ministers.” Our modern weatherperson with all the available technology of the day still can’t grasp the workings of God in creation. Let us remember like this psalmist that God is in the wind. Let us holdfast that we know and worship our God who continues to be with us in majesty. Our “God in the wind” is still creating what we see around us even when we either can’t see it or understand it. The amazing thing is that while human beings brought sin into the world and tainted this awesome creation, God’s love, mercy and grace, seeks to redeem us and all of creation. God’s wind is the wind of the Holy Spirit that sustains us in our struggles and difficulties of life. Let us come to the altar of divine grace today and confess our failings and our gratitude that we are so loved by our triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit + Amen.
God’s peace,
Pastor Jim Paulson
“Blessed are the Caregivers”
This devotion comes from reading God’s Word as written in Psalm 91:9-16, Isaiah 47:10-15, and Luke 22:24-30. I offer the text from Luke 22:24-30 (NRSV) for reflection today.
A dispute also arose among them as to which one of them was to be regarded as the greatest. 25 But he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those in authority over them are called benefactors. 26 But not so with you; rather the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like one who serves. 27 For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. 28 “You are those who have stood by me in my trials; 29 and I confer on you, just as my Father has conferred on me, a kingdom, 30 so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve
tribes of Israel.
Tomorrow, my sisters and brothers in the faith at United Lutheran Presbyterian Parish (Dolgeville, NY) will hear me preach about this aspect from the Gospel of Mark. As I pondered Luke’s witness of faith, verse 27 spoke volumes as to how God saw things for everyday human life. Listen to Jesus here: For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. At a time when the disciples wondered who would be the greatest among them, Jesus showed them a new understanding greatness. It was radical, to serve was greater, more holy, and yielded more glory to God than being served. Like Jesus in being glorified by the Father through the cross and the resurection, Jesus’ disciples were to be glorified by living through his example.
What does that mean for us? We may have parents, spouses, brothers and sisters, children, grandchildren, or a friend in need of caring attention. Caring for others comes at some human cost. but the Lord shows us our faith is witnessed by putting another first as Christian service. Take heart that the Lord blesses the caregivers by sustaining them in doing that holy work. While the world sees other things as signs or measures of human success, our membership in the kingdom is more visible to God when we love others and care for them. In those moments we are glorified in heaven as being faithful witnesses of the saving grace of Jesus Christ. What a privilege God gives us to do this and may God touch your heart to carry his love everywhere you go in life. Amen.
Shalom,
“Nobody Does It Better”
Today’s devotional readings are Isaiah 53:4-12, Psalm 91:9-16, Hebrews 5:1-10, and Mark 10:35-45. The text for Mark 10:35-45 (NRSV) is provided for your reflection.
“James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” 36 And he said to them, “What is it you want me to do for you?” 37 And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” 38 But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” 39 They replied, “We are able.” Then Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; 40 but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” 41 When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. 42 So Jesus called them and said to them, “You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. 43 But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”
What can we say about a couple of the disciples wanting to be the greatest when Jesus came in the second coming? We can say that it wasn’t just two disciples that wondered about possible privileges in following Jesus at the second coming, they all must have wondered. To compete and be the best were common desires of people of that time and are now ours. In this situation Jesus challenged the disciples by telling them about meaning of greatness. The cup of suffering that he would drink, his death and resurrection, was his baptism. When they said “We are able” Jesus made promises to them. He said: “You will drink the cup and you will be baptized.”
Carly Simon sung the theme song, “Nobody Does It Better”, for the 1977 James Bond movie “The Spy Who Loved Me.” For the disciples and us those promises of Jesus revealed that nobody did it better than Jesus Christ by dying for us and thereby offering us eternal life. Our privilege is not to exercise power over others, but to be loved and claimed by him in our baptism and to have the promise of eternal life. That my friends is the good news! Jesus did it already and we are claimed by him. Jesus is the one who did it better and continues to do it better, because he is the Savior of the world. Amen.
Peace and joy,
“Walking with God”
Scriptures for today include Psalm 37:23-40, 1 Samuel 8:1-18, and Hebrews 6:1-12. These passages say much about God’s care and concern for us, including the warnings we are given to straighten up. I offer verses 23-24 of Psalm 37 for reflection. “Our steps are made firm by the LORD, when he delights in our way; 24 though we stumble, we shall not fall headlong, for the LORD holds us by the hand.”
The writer of this psalm shows us what it means to be in relationship with God. “Our steps are made firm when he delights in our way.” They understood that God is with us in all the circumstances of life. If we are honest we’ll admit we often take many steps in life that bring us away from God’s hope for us. This is why we publically confess our sin through the Brief Order for Confession and Forgiveness on Sunday mornings. We want to be clean again before we can truly open our hearts to worship the Lord. We want to remove the things that have separated us from God so we can start anew. The Good News is that God always seeks to be part of our thinking and close to our hearts, and gladly guides us in our steps. The question is can we delight in God’s way? If we can grow in such faith as to delight in God’s way, we’ll both be taking the same steps. In our prayer life we can ask God to keep us mindful of his desires for us and then that we will be faithful in our response to him.This is the walk of faith where we are often called to take steps to care for others rather than to indulge our own wants and desires. The temptations to stumble are always there, but through prayer and confession we walk with confidence through the saving grace of Jesus Christ that we are never alone.
Amen.
May the Lord be your dearest friend!
“God’s Faithfulness”
Readings from Scripture include Psalm 37:23-40, 1 Samuel 10:17-25, and Hebrews 6:13-20.
I have recently spoken about God’s hopes for us to walk with him and our opportunities to share God’ dreams for the redemption of humanity and the world. In particular, Psalm 37:23 tells us that we can walk securely with God when our hearts are open to God’s thoughts. How well do we handle that invitation? How well did the people of the Bible handle it? 1 Samuel 10:17-25 shows us something important about our being in relationship with God. Listen to God’s disappointment being expressed to his people through the prophet Samuel in verses 17-19. Now Samuel called the people together to the LORD at Mizpah; 18 and he said to the people of Israel, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, `I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.’ 19 But you have this day rejected your God, who saves you from all your calamities and your distresses; and you have said, `No! but set a king over us.’ Now therefore present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and by your thousands.”
The truth is that we often ask God for the wrong thing. The thing that we ask for might not be best for us or for the one that we love and for our family. A country vocalist recently captured that same idea when he sang about the blessings of unanswered prayer. We ask God for a “king” when something else matters more and that something involves us. The Israelites already had a king, God, and it was their God as king who had faithfully rescued them from the oppression of the Egyptians. Do we ask God for a “king” when we are the ones that need to change? God and the prophet Samuel saw what was going on, but instead of rejecting his people God granted their wish. God was disappointed, but God didn’t abandon the people.
My friends, we worship a gracious and merciful God who stands by us even when we momentarily desert him. Our wants can distract us from going God’s work, but God’s faithfulness is never in doubt. This is radical good news for us sinners. Jesus was rejected and crucified, but God gave us all forgiveness and mercy if we believe in him. Always trust in God’s faithfulness and trust that answers will come to your prayers. However, the answers may be different than we expect and often are.
Peace in the Risen Christ,
Pastor Jim Paulson
“Intercessory Prayer”
Scriptures for today are from Psalm 37:23-40, 1 Samuel 12:1-25, and John 13:1-17. I offer reflection on 1 Samuel 12:23 (NRSV). It reads, “…far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you; and I will instruct you in the good and the right way.”
Samuel was a prophet and he didn’t agree with the wishes of his people that they have a king. God consented to the people’s wish for a king and yet having a king made their relationship with God all the more complicated. Now the people and their king were held accountible for following God’s commandents. Neither of them could stray from following God or there would be judgment. Samuel as a prophet could have assumed a hands off relationship since he and God were displeased with the choices made by the ancient Israelites. But as we hear from the prophet’s words, being faithful to God is staying in the game whether you agree with the actions of the team or not.
I gave this devotion the title “intercessory prayer” because God calls us to offer prayer for others. As a parent we pray for our children, even when we don’t agree with their life choices. We pray because we love them and we care about them without conditions. Sometimes our relationships transition into a tough love, because some issues are quite destructive. However, God’s love working through us never stops. God’s love always seeks for a chance of redemption and life change, but personal accountability has to be part of it. Sincerity about making mistakes and feeling bad about doing them can’t be faked when it comes to repentance and new life with God. We pray for others because God calls us to do it out of our witness of faith. We pray for others because we ourselves know we are dependent on God’s gift of grace and we know the peace that comes from being forgiven by God. We pray because God gave us the ability to love and it reflects the same love and grace that Christ demonstrated on the cross when he died for our sins.
May we continue to pray for those who struggle in any way and may God comfort us when we feel pain in our family relationships. Those are the times when our prayers for others is a letting go and a trusting that God can do what might otherwise seem impossible. When we pray in that way we also have to realize God works in longer timeframes than we often like to think.
God’s peace,
Pastor Jim Paulson
“Marching Orders”
Today readings include Psalm 126, Jeremiah 29:12-24, and Hebrews 7:11-22. Listen to verses 13-14 of Jeremiah 29: Now therefore amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the Lord your God, and the Lord will change his mind about the disaster he has pronounced against you. But as for me, here I am in your hands. Do with me as seems good and right for you.
Recently, I provided some pastoral care for a family who grieved their mother’s passing. This wonderful lady lived to be 89 years old. One of the things the family shared with me was about mom’s lists. Their mom had been wearing out physically, but she continued to give her children lists of things that needed to be done. Despite her illness, she was clear in her mind of the need to take care of things and she depended on her kids to do it. Their mom communicated her expectations through lists. I’ll call her lists of expectations by another name, because they were really her marching orders.
This passage from Jeremiah is about the prophet conveying God’s expectations to his people. This was God’s marching orders being delivered to a wayward people. Jeremiah gave the people a warning, heed God’s marching orders or you’ll be punished. The people were called to obedience and we hear that as following God’s Law. But there is something else here too, there is Gospel or good news along with it. God gave the people another chance, they could turn around, repent, and listen to the God who provided for them. Jeremiah was a prophet, but he was also a messenger of grace. Jeremiah made no bones about his own vulnerability. They could easily kill the messenger, but Jeremiah trusted in the Lord to save him and the people. That is how we undertand grace. Yes we have the Law to guide us to be obedient, be we also have the Gospel that tells us God wants us to be saved. God sends Jeremiah’s into our lives and hopes that we’ll come to love him wholeheartedly. The awesome thing is that our God is more about love than about condemning us for failing to follow his marching orders.
“Everyday Miracles”
Devotional readings for today include Psalm 119:17-24, 2 Kings 6:8-23, and Acts 9:32-35. Listen to Acts 9:32-35: Now as Peter went here and there among all the believers, he came down also to the saints living in Lydda. 33 There he found a man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden for eight years, for he was paralyzed. 34 Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; get up and make your bed!” And immediately he got up. 35 And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.
Yesterday, I worked in my garden and I spread pine needles around my plants. Since the soils are heavy clay soil, it helps the plants if I can find ways to increase soil acidity and add organic matter. I’m growing berries and grapes and so my soil needs a lot of amending. I enjoyed the fresh smell of the pine needles and their pleasant color on the ground. I also added some fresh compost to the plants from a bin I’d made about 5 years ago. Someone could very well say that what I did yesterday was no big deal. But to me this rich homemade compost is a miracle. You see for over 5 years now I mixed kitchen vegetable scraps, egg shells, coffee grounds, shredded paper, cardboard, branches, and wood waste from my shop and yesterday it was something new –it was black soil. That compost is just one example of God’s handiwork and it reminds me of how awesome God is to do the work of Creation.
When Peter went to Lydda and healed a man who had been bedridden for eight years it was definitely a miracle. It made people take notice. But I believe it was an even bigger miracle that so many people could be inspired to love God and live changed lives. We can debate what a miracle is, but I have a simple answer God’s grace is what makes miracles. By God’s grace there are miracles all around us, our job is to notice them and give thanks for them. For me, those miracles are holding a newborn, waking up for another day, kissing your spouse, and more.
May the Lord touch your heart today to see his grace all around you. May the Lord give you joy in believing. Amen.
Jesus is Lord!
May the words of Matthew 10:29-34 inspire you today. As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. 30 There were two blind men sitting by the roadside. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 31 The crowd sternly ordered them to be quiet; but they shouted even more loudly, “Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!” 32 Jesus stood still and called them, saying, “What do you want me to do for you?” 33 They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” 34 Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they regained their sight and followed him.
Two blind men were sitting by the roadside. They were there when Jesus came by and when he did, they did not hold back from shouting for his mercy. Even after the crowds ordered them to stop shouting for Jesus, they continued. They called him Lord and Son of David, and Matthew said that Jesus stood still and called back to them. Jesus asked them specifically what they wanted and they answered that it was to have their sight. Moved with compassion Jesus gave them the gift of healing.
What kind of blindness do we each have now? In our fast paced world, we can be overwhelmed with information and visual images of our time. Commercials on TV intentionally condense images for effect so that we see what they want us to see and will want to buy their product. Yet, even then, we can be blind to their efforts to manipulate our senses. We can be blind or unaware of our own obstacles to grow as a human being and to grow in our faith. If we know that we are blind in some way, this passage gives us hope that Jesus will not walk past our cries for help. When we call him Lord, we can trust that he will stop and be with us when we need to be whole. These two men addressed Jesus as Lord. Let us remember that it is an act of faith to call him Lord, even when we have no other words to say. To him we can confess our own failings, our blindness, and trust that he will hear us and we are important to him. It is an act of faith to call Jesus Lord when people around us want us to keep our faith to ourselves. Knowing that Jesus is Lord in our hearts gives a boldness and courage to live as his people that can’t be silenced by others who are without faith. May we pray to know when and where to proclaim our faith in Jesus as Lord. God bless you.
New Covenant
Scripture readings for today include, Psalm 146, Deuteronomy 15:1-11, and Hebrews 9:15-24. I offer these words from Hebrews 9:24 for reflection. “For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by human hands, a mere copy of the true one, but he entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.”
The senseless violence at Fort Hood yesterday reminds us of how fragile human life can be when a misguided person fires a gun into people nearby. While our lives can come to an end through such violence, God gives us these words of Scripture as comfort. When we believe in Jesus we are made holy to stand in God’s presence whenever the moment comes for us to leave this earth. Jesus was glorified by the cross and the resurrection. Jesus took upon himself the burdens of all our sins. To those of ancient times who knew what it meant to offer blood sacrifices of animals to God as worship in the temple, Jesus changed the rules. No longer was it necessary for God’s people to be purified of their sin through sacrifices of animals, because Jesus took the place of all those things. Priest’s had offered sacrifices in the temple, but it still couldn’t remove all the sin from the people’s lives. God had something better to offer and we understand that as our redemption from sins and death through Jesus. Jesus was the sacrifice that made us whole people with God and he became the new temple and the NEW COVENANT in our midst. He put his life on the line and took away our sin. We’ll never understand this obedient surrender of Jesus on the cross completely, but what matters is that we trust and believe God loves us. The good news is that God made us right with him through Jesus.
We can call on Jesus in whatever situation of life we find ourselves in, good or bad, because we have nothing to fear as we were made right with God. We just have to believe that by the blood of Christ we were made worthy of eternal life. No bullet from a gun can ever remove God’s hope from us. God has given us a NEW COVENANT in Jesus and it doesn’t depend on our performance. This NEW COVENANT happened because of God’s love and grace for us. God simply asks us to believe and to forgive others, no matter what the sin, as he does in his divine mercy. God and only God knows what is in the human heart and here we trust that God mercy is great. Therefore, God judges and God forgives and those things are all about God. Let us pray for those who are hurting now in Texas from the loss of loved ones. May they recieve God’s comfort and peace. Amen.
