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- Marching Order - Marching Order: Setting the stage: Jesus has been crucified, dead and buried in a tomb. Only one disciple, John, was there on Calvary with Jesus’ mother, Mary, and the other Mary. The other disciples were hiding in the city, fearful of retaliation by the Jewish leadership. Then, the Resurrection and the instructions given to the women at the tomb for the disciples to meet Jesus on the hillside near Capernaum, in Galilee. Matthew’s gospel continues, and the eleven make the three-day journey into Galilee, where Jesus spends time with them, calming them of their excitement of seeing Him alive, then He gives them their marching order that will serve them throughout their lives as apostles. Continue reading
- If You Only Knew - If You Only Knew: James and John were asking, but they did not know what they were asking for, and Jesus told them, in no uncertain terms. Are like those blessed brothers, are we seeking? Why do we come here together as the church? I think most of us would say we came to worship, almost as if was God calling and we’ve responded. I have to confess that there are times when I would prefer the comfort of my living room, my PJs, a cup of coffee, and a streaming Church service by a Pastor that I have high regard for. I would hazard is a guess that many of you find that to be a comfortable approach to worship as well. Call it a gift of the pandemic.You can’t blame James and John for wanting to step up into military leadership when He “sits on His throne.” Much later, the transformation of these disciples will happen, but they had much more to learn. How about you and me. Do we have much more to learn? Continue reading
- Water, Water Everywhere? - Water, Water Everywhere? I read and studied “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” when I was in 7th Grade English. It conjured up interesting mental pictures of long adventure, of lost and of found, of mystery and visions, and on the way, I learned a bit about poetry and song.How long can our Christian lives be sustained without Living Water? His Living Water is everywhere, His Living Word is life. Continue reading
- Got Any Habits? - Got Any Habits? I have to confess I’ve had a number of habits, over the years, some good and some not so much. Some are in the past, some are still with me. I learned to smoke as an 18-year-old in Korea and held on to that habit until I was in my 30’s and got some smarts. Jesus was teaching His disciples about living according to His Word. Some of those lessons were in the form of parables, sometimes the lessons were about teaching the disciples how to pray. Sometimes His lessons were about opening their eyes, as well as their ears, to understand life around them and to be aware of the movement of the Holy Spirit, to do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Lessons of go and do likewise. Continue reading
- Here Comes Pentecost - Here Comes Pentecost: As the Spirit has moved us in our Christian walk, we hear more and more that the Old Testament is all about Jesus Christ. There are books written and studies designed around this very topic. As you may have taken this seriously, spending time in the Old Testament books and chapters you may find yourself questioning, where, where is Jesus in that passage? Maybe you’re looking with the wrong set of eyes. If we start with the clear assumption that the Old Testament is, indeed, all about Jesus Christ, and you consider the power of the Holy Spirit in whatever portion of that testament you are reading, the grand design of the triune God is to reveal Christ exactly at the right time in His story. Continue reading
- Complaining and Self-pity - Complaining and Self-pity: During the course of Jesus’ ministry, He and the Twelve walked the Holy Land, from Capernaum to Calvary. They crossed the Sea of Galilee more than once, and walked around that lake, over the hills and through the valleys, and along the southern course of the Jordan River. How many times did they climb the very rough and steep Road from Jericho up to Jerusalem? Seventeen miles. Did He listen to complaining of the disciples as they stumbled along at times, probably exhausted? Maybe there was some questioning about why are we doing this and where are we going, that probably resulted in another lesson from Jesus. God incarnate. God made flesh and dwelt among us. From birth to resurrection, He experienced first-hand life as a human, all the pains and the joys. Continue reading
- Worry, Worry, Worry - Worry, Worry, Worry: How often in the morning have you recited Psalm 118:24? You know, “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” You don’t need to look it up, it is right there on the tip of your tongue. Praising the Lord is a good way to start your day. You have praised the Lord for the day, now, what has happened to your worries and concerns? Let me ask, how do you humble yourself before the Lord, burdened down by all those worries? How can you manage everything that weighs heavily on you in order to seek the Lord? What is the impact of you living on over-load? You know, your is schedule is full and you keep adding to it. It seemed that you never learned the value of “No”. Continue reading
- You Did Win the Lottery! - You Did Win the Lottery! Yesterday’s news carried the announcement that some poor person had won the Powerball lottery, $700 million! I wonder if he/she even knows what that means. The winner did choose to take the cash, and I would do the same, but that left a measly $490 million, with all taxes paid. How sad, how very sad.Does that sound cynical? Maybe just a little. It’s possible that looking at that situation from my age and stage in life, let’s me view it from little more pragmatic standpoint or possibly from the standpoint of what do I worship? What is dearest to me? Continue reading
- The Power of Aha! - The Power of Aha! A moment of epiphany, the sudden realization that you finally knew something that was there before your eyes all along, but failed to fully understand. Perhaps a little thing and it was confusing. I had such a moment in junior high school math, trying to understand finding the square root and then an aha moment and it all came together! Just a little thing, a turn of phrase, an awareness, and the problem was solved. In our Christian walk, we have many of those aha moments as we go through life with our Lord Savior. Maybe a final awareness that the voice you are hearing in your head is actually the Holy Spirit, pointing us in the direction of Love. Continue reading
- God Moments - God Moments: A few days ago, I experienced what I can only think of as a “God moment”. “We have all experienced times of exaltation on the mountain, when we have seen things from God’s perspective and have wanted to stay there.” Each of those moments is a look behind the curtain, a blink of the eye that reveals a tiny slice of Heaven. Continue reading
- What Is Your Name? - What Is Your Name? Mike Wittmer, in a recent Our Daily Bread, wrote a devotional, entitled “What’s Your Name?” He begins with this statement: “Someone said we go through life with three names: the name our parents gave us, the names others give us (our reputation), and the name we give ourselves (our character). So, what do you value most -- A good reputation or maintaining a sterling character? I think the answer to that question varies as we go through the ages and stages of life. Those three names that we carry around, work for the here and now, in this sphere. But, according to Revelation, there is a fourth name, one given to everyone who is victorious by God. Continue reading
- How Do You Worship? - How Do You Worship? In the Matthew 11 passage, Jesus is clearly perturbed. He started his ministry in Capernaum. He moved there from Nazareth, and built his own house (He was a carpenter, you know.) His house was a gathering place and he taught. He was well known in the town and people came from surrounding areas to hear Him. He was a frequent rabbi in the synagogue and on the beach. He is perturbed, for his message for more than a year, had always been peace, and come all weary I will give you rest. And they had turned their backs on His Way and Word. Jesus says, “I know all the things you do…” He tells us, in no uncertain terms, that resting in Him is a form of worship. Continue reading
- Be Still and Know - Be Still and Know: This verse is familiar to us, so simple and to the point, and yet…why do we find it difficult to follow God’s admonition to “be still and to know”? I think we can understand the “be still”. That would mean to calm your mind and do nothing but focus on the Almighty. The rest of that, “know that I am God” is less clear, especially the “know” part. How are we to know, or maybe better yet, what are we to know? We acknowledge God, we pray to Him, we read His Book and study His Word, but what do we actually Continue reading
- The Voice of the Shepherd - The Voice of the Shepherd: Recently, prior to Sunday morning worship where I was to do the homily, I was, as usual, a little nervous. As I prepared, I became aware of that voice in my mind telling me “be at peace”. I thought about Ezbon and how his sheep recognized his voice. I also thought about the other voices that I often hear, not the voice of the Shepard but the voice of negativism, a voice that sometimes encourages me to go in ways that I did not and should not go. Multiple voices, some bringing light and blessedness, some bringing darkness. What is the difference? Our discernment among those voices rests in our commitment to Christ. Continue reading
- Facing the Music - Facing the Music: Ever listen to some popular music on the radio and hear a song that, at first, seemed almost like a hymn, but then you realized that you were listening to, maybe, Casey Kasem and the 40 hits of the day. At that point, you might have dialed it out and moved on. But the fact is that some of the most beautiful songs that we view as faith-based, like Amazing Grace, Ave Maria, You Raise Me Up , The Prayer, all spent some time on the Top 40 charts. All were celebrated, probably without a thought about God or faith. Yet, who knows, seeds may have been planted. Continue reading
- Our Trusting Times - Our Trusting Times: As I write this, a personal friend of mine, and many of you, a member of my church, is going through those last days on this plain, awaiting God’s call to her eternal glory in Christ. We know that she, as well as her family, have suffered for a little while, but then, she will be restored and made strong, firm in Christ’s love. This we believe. We all go through suffering from time to time. And because we know whose we are, we persevere with confidence and faith because of the hope we have in Jesus Christ. Scripture tells us that because of our belief and faith, we will be called to Christ’s eternal glory and, in truth, we will be restored and made strong. Continue reading
- No Sin? Really? - No Sin? Really? Surely, you jest. You don’t look like the kind that would deceive yourself and I know for a fact that truth is in you. So, what is your story? Oh, you don’t say. That many, huh? That is quite a lot. Me? Ah, let me count… Well, I have a lot, too. You say God purified your heart when you told Him all about those. You told Him ALL of those? You did. How did that make you feel? Clean? Free? Oh, that’s nice. I’ve heard that confession is good for the soul. You think I should give it a try? How did you do that? Continue reading
- GOAT - GOAT: I first heard the word GOAT during a sports broadcast when the two announcers were debating who was the best, who would be going into the Hall of Fame. Who was the Greatest Of All Time, the GOAT. They, of course, were considering the talents that the athlete displayed on the field, the court, the pool. They were not talking about the kind of person they were out of the context of athletic prowess. I am sorry, I can’t use that term, GOAT, in reference to my Lord and Savior. It is demeaning, and does not belong in our praising and reverence for the Creator God. Use it in reference to a talented athlete or a chess champion, or a mountain climber, but keep that term in those categories and not in our worship. Continue reading
- Do You Smell Like a Christian? - Do You Smell Like a Christian? Terrible question, you say. Let me put it this way, Do you impart the fragrance of Christ to others, others that are saved through Him? What does that mean, anyway, to be the fragrance of Christ? Is there an aroma of love in your wake as you live your life and touch the lives of others? I’m not talking about proselytizing, or sharing your faith journey, necessarily. In fact, I’m not even talking about words, I’m talking about the general sense that the Love of Christ was in the air and present in that interaction. Continue reading
- What is Love? - What is Love? That would seem to be a simple and rather obvious question, but I wonder. Have we redefined love in small and maybe even shabby ways? Seriously, have we thrown that word around for various personal, and somewhat shady motives, maybe to get our way, or to forge a relationship that may or may not follow your heart? Or maybe to underscore something that your actions do not support. We are not told to love your neighbor as you love your car. Or, love one another as you love your dog. Come to think of it, for some, loving others as you love your dog, or cat, that might actually elevate their relationship with others. Continue reading
