Looking for an earlier Watchword?
- Fellowship II - Fellowship II: We left the last Watchword with this question unanswered: What does it take to be a disciple of Christ, an Apostle of the One True God? I think that most of us would agree that walking humbly with God, if we given thought and consideration that it certainly deserves, is indeed a humbling experience. More than that it’s not an easy path that we follow but we are more than a equipped. Still there are number of observations that I think we could make that relate to the question of what does it take…The greatest of these is Love for without love nothing works. No matter how big or how small, nothing works without it. Continue reading
- Fellowship I - Fellowship I: I wonder if we have grown to underestimate the importance of fellowship in the community of believers. Have we been conditioned to avoid gathering in groups and now, although our situation has improved, we still hesitate. The pandemic has been largely the culprit in discouraging gatherings and that has set us back. Have we not recovered from the pandemic? As Christians, we are called to fellowship. We have been given two clear, unavoidable commandments by our Lord. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart…” and “Love your neighbor…” Continue reading
- Rejoice Always! - Rejoice Always! Jesus tells us that faith in Him will revolutionize your life. Faith in Jesus. Start the day with a great, big “Thank you, Lord!” Give it your all, with rejoicing. Show you are glad that you are His and that you love Him. Did you ever praise Him with Psalm 118? Of course, you have. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Did you rejoice because of the Joy that filled your heart? I know, it is a rainy and cold day, but rejoice, anyway. As we praise Him and Rejoice, day by day, our lives become richer, more peaceful. Like those apostles on the Emmaus Road, our hearts burn within us as we embrace our Christ. Continue reading
- Intervention? - Intervention? It was early evening, still daylight. I was driving back from visiting a friend in the hospital. I’d stopped at my favorite Italian eatery and had a nice meal, wine included, of course. I don’t know where my mind was, as I drove home, but I suddenly was jolted alert when my car bounced over the ditch, and I found myself in a field, on the opposite side of the highway. I had dozed behind the wheel, and, now wide awake, I was frightened by what might have been. Cautionary tales, living parables, lessons to be learned. Sometimes the lesson is “change your ways”, or “always remember this when driving”, or the lesson is compassion, or living empathy, all part of God loving us and helping us understand what it means to love others. I think that God was watching over me that evening on the highway. I believe that God is watching over all of us as we live our lives. Continue reading
- Skydiving with Jesus - Skydiving with Jesus: Does it ever feel a bit like our walk with Christ takes us way out of our comfort zone? I recall a saying that religion is easy, but faith, that’s hard. I’ve thought about that from time to time. Doing the right thing is not always the thing we want to do, and, yes, sometimes it is hard. And there are times when doing the right thing may seem as challenging as skydiving. We are called to follow the road less travelled, to love others as Jesus loves us. We knew that commandment would require us to do those things which test us. Continue reading
- Expectations - Expectations: What do we expect of God? Or, better question, what do we believe He expects of us? Oh, sure, we know what Micah says about acting justly and loving mercy, and we can figure out what they mean, day by day. But, then there is that “walking humbly” thing that I am not sure about its meaning. I think about the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s Well, when He talks to her about living water. She doesn’t understand what He means, because she is defining it in practical, everyday terms. She responds by saying you have nothing to draw water with and the well is deep. Just when you think you know what living water means, Jesus reshapes it in our own practical terms and right away it seems to go far beyond our understanding. Learning to walk by faith, daily. Continue reading
- What Does God Look Like? - What Does God Look Like?:The Youth Pastor sat on the floor in front of the altar in the midst of a small crowd of kids, ages 4 to 10. They had been laughing at a story that the young pastor had told. He had their attention. Then the question, “What does God look like?” With barely a hesitation, a little girl in the yellow dress blurted out: “He looks just like my Grampa!” It was clear that among these kids, God is “old” and appears to be a man. I suppose in the mind of a child we are all old. Is there danger in the child imagining that God is old and that he is a man? Probably not. If the child grows up imagining that God is not only old but is old-fashioned, out of touch with their life, then that might be worth looking at. The “faith-fact” is that God has not moved, nor is God “old fashioned”, but I do believe that many of us make our God too small. Continue reading
- Patience - Patience: Does it seem like patience is in short supply in so many areas of our lives, or we are faced with circumstances that require us to wait, and wait, and we don’t like a lot of waiting. Jesus had a time with his disciples. They wanted to move, He wanted them to wait while He prayed. They got bored while waiting and fell asleep. In James we are reminded to be patient until the Lord’s coming. Scattered throughout the Bible, God is reminding us to wait for his good plan to unfold. So Jesus reminds you and I, to wait patiently and not to complain. But, Lord, it’s hard and we hesitate to pray for patience, because we might not like the lesson. Continue reading
- Doubting - Doubting (your name goes here): I believe that Thomas, the disciple, the Apostle, has been saddled with an unfair label. I would guess that among all of the disciples, Thomas is in the majority when it comes to wonder, a sense of being overwhelmed, being confronted with a mystery, each one seeking some grounding in the reality of the moment. We would like to believe that our faith is strong enough to overcome many obstacles. That we would have absolutely no doubt about the resurrection. Of course, here we are on this of the Resurrection and the Twelve, were not there, yet. It makes a difference. In your walk of faith as a Christian, have you entertained the idea that you would like a little proof, a little certainty. “ Continue reading
- Envy - Envy: How would you define envy? My Webster’s gives me multiple definitions for envy. What would you say is the opposite of envy? I suppose contentment would be one. I think about Joni Eareckson Tada who embodies the same kind of character, rising above her catastrophic disability, to sing and write joy. Living out her God-given purpose. Our task is to live out the enduring word of God to the best of our abilities, those same abilities that God has given us. So, we are perfectly made. No grounds for envy. Continue reading
- Maker of the Stars – Awesome! - Makers of the Stars - Awesome! Psalm 8 would seem to be an appropriate passage during this time of Lent. The psalm proclaims that humans are God’s agents on earth, and this psalm is spoken entirely to God. "The darkness deepened and the silence of the prairie was broken only by the calls of coyotes communicating and the distant bugle of an elk somewhere far out on the prairie. Beautiful music of the night. Then, as they leaned back in their chairs and lifted their eyes toward the heavens; the biggest surprise of all! A sky filled with millions of stars and constellations." Each glimpse of creation is a promise, just as the rainbow is a promise and the sunset, a promise of tomorrow. Lent is a promise of a beautiful dawning of a new day. Continue reading
- Darkness of Lent - WATCHWORD: For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of... Continue reading
- Do You Love Me? - Do You Love Me? Peter has his hands full. Jesus knew the worth of Peter, but Peter didn’t his real worth. Peter, the impulsive one, whose words often got him into trouble. Peter whose heart was golden, but he had a lot to learn, and some of those lessons were painful. Can you relate? Peter loved Jesus in the same way that we love a truly good person – emotional love. Jesus says to us: “Do you love Me?”. Then in Luke 12:8 we read His words that define Love, “Whoever confesses Me before men [that is confesses his love by everything he does, not merely his words], him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God.” That is a definition of love that strips away all pretense, all deception. Continue reading
- My Faith, My Idol - My Faith, My Idol: “Living a life of faith means never knowing where you are being led.” How often do we resolved to follow our Lord without question, only to be side-tracked by our own desires, our own wishes, our own idols? You know, the ones we worship, the ones that take precedence over matters of faith. In every life journey that leads to faith, also leads to a change in our character, our priorities, our style of living in the world. Our commitment to the Lord opens our eyes to see what He wants us to see, ears to hear what He would have us hear, and a willingness to act according to His will. Continue reading
- Gratitude Attitude - Gratitude Attitude: Gratitude. Being thankful for ALL that God has given us. That is “all”, everything, right down to the stubbed toe, the hug of a grandchild, the argument with a loved one, the restful night’s sleep, the pain in our knees, the disappointments, a new friend, the sudden loss of a loved one, everything. The goods and the bads. It all flows from the hands of our Lord and makes up our life. Our lives follow a plan that is both smooth and rough. Adversity sets us back, makes us sad and fills us with grief. Then, there are times of insane happiness and we cannot stop singing. A persisting attitude of gratitude would thank Him for the ups, and for the downs. Continue reading
- The Lenten Vigil Begins - The Lenten Vigil Begins: Choosing a theme to base a meditation upon is, let’s say, a challenge. This is a “dark season”, one of confession, persecution and, toward the end, the anguish of Calvary. So much happened in the life of Jesus during these 40 days that we call Lent. So many events that we could call to mind occurred as He and his disciples made their way along the Jordan River to Jericho, then from Jericho up the long, dangerous and steep road that led to Jerusalem and to Calvary. Who is this man, our Lord and Savior,, who willingly made this journey for you and for me? Are we worth it? Continue reading
- Ash Wednesday (Tomorrow) - Ash Wednesday (Tomorrow): Ash Wednesday is always 46 days before Easter Sunday. Ash Wednesday is not considered a Holy Day, it simply marks the beginning of Lent, a period of spiritual renewal which informs us and helps us prepare for the celebration of the mystery of Christ, his passion, death and resurrection. The season of Lent is 40-days (not counting Sundays) which is marked by repentance, fasting, and reflection. The season ends with Maundy Thursday, which commemorates the foot washing and Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Disciples. In many churches, a Seder, representative of Jesus’ Last Supper, is held on Maundy Thursday. Continue reading
- Conditional Forgiveness? - Conditional Forgiveness? Do we do that, that conditional forgiveness stuff? You know how it goes: I’ll forgive you, if… Really. Does God do that? In effect, does He say, “Do that again, and I’ll take back My forgiveness!” You know there is truth in that little play on words: Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. How about this, do me wrong once, shame on me, do me wrong twice, get out of my life! Isn’t that the way it sometimes goes? Our “forgiveness card” is good for one get out of jail. For Jesus, the “forgiveness card” is different, right? 70 times 7! Oh, come on! Conditional forgiveness? Nothing Christian in that. Continue reading
- Judging - Judging: God certainly doesn’t mean not to judge. Does He? How does one go through a day without judging? Sources tells me that this may be the most often misused verse in the entire Bible. Jesus command gets twisted into never disapprove or correct the actions of another. Jesus does not say never judge. What Jesus did say is that he warns that there is a consequence to each judgment. It all boils down to love, the love Jesus prescribes. Loving others as he loves us. When that is in the equation, then judging is transformed into lifting up, encouraging, and supporting. Continue reading
- Baptism - Baptism: Years ago, a friend of mine, who had been teaching Sunday School at his church for several years, was approached by the new pastor and was told he had to be re-baptized or he could no longer teach. My friend did not understand the thinking of the pastor, so he not only stopped teaching but he and his wife left that church and joined another. I know that in certain churches, infant baptism is only considered a commitment by the parents to raise the child in the faith. That only adult baptism, with the confession, “counts”. As one baptized as an infant, I have a different position. I believe that baptism is between God and the one being baptized, an infilling of God within the heart forever. Continue reading
