October 13, 2024. WHAT MUST I DO?
In the Bible, we read about many great men of God experiencing various types of emotions. For example, David experienced a feeling of isolation from God when he was running for his life from Saul. We read in Psalm 13:1 that David cried out to God and said, “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? (ESV) If you read the rest of Psalm 13, you will realize that David, who was obedient to God at this time, believed that God was not with him during his time of intense trials. He felt isolated from God.
The other example is from our first reading from the book of Job: Job, who lost everything; his children, his wealth, his servants, his reputation, and his friends; experienced despair and isolation from God. It is common and natural to feel isolated from God when we experience difficult times, however, the Bible assures us that God is present even when He seems to be far away! Even when we feel God seems 1,000 miles away and uninterested in our affairs, let me assure you that God is with us, in our step-by-step difficult times.
Our creator God is walking right along with us especially during our times of suffering, even when we feel isolated from Him. God has not abandoned us, for we are His children, and He loves us and cares for us. We must realize that God is watching over us and is doing what is best for us. (1 Peter 5:7) tells us to cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. Does this sound like a God who cares little about our problems? When we suffer, we may feel isolated from God, but the reality is that God is with us all the time, during every step of our journey. If we believe this, it is encouraging news for all of us.
Not only God will not leave us in our time of suffering; but God is on time even when He seems late. Look at Job’s insight in our first reading verses 12-14 When we suffer, we naturally want God to immediately take away our pain. But sometimes, God can be agonizingly slow in solving the problems that we bring to His attention. But even though at times God seems to be late with His assistance, I would like to say that His timing is always perfect. You see, God is never late when it comes to Him handling our painful situations. He is always on time: His time and not our time. When we suffer, there is a possibility that God is allowing us to go through it for His purpose and for our own good.
Sometimes, we wish that God would remove our struggles and take away all the obstacles; God doesn’t take away our problems and difficulties, but He promises to be with us during them and to use them to restore us, making us into better, stronger people. When Job lost his sons and daughters, his wealth, his servants, and was stricken with painful sores that spanned throughout his body, it would have been easy for him to blame God and abandon his faith. However, the Bible says that Job “fell to the ground” (Job 1:20) and worshipped God. Job held onto his faith in God even though his life was full of pain and agony. When we go through tough times, the most important thing for us to do is to keep our faith in God. Faith is important to God.
The gospel lesson for this Sunday is taken from St. Mark 10:17-31, in this passage verses 17-22 we read about the encounter between Jesus and a wealthy young man. The young man comes to Jesus and asks what must he do to inherit the Kingdom of God? This young man appears to Jesus out of nowhere as Jesus is making his way towards Jerusalem. This young man comes to Jesus for assurance that he will be accepted by God after death, that he’ll live forever in the presence of God. Jesus perceives that the man is well educated in the Jewish Scriptures.
Mark tells us that Jesus loved him. Jesus had affection and sincere appreciation for this young man. He was wealthy, he was a respected leader, and he had integrity. Jesus does not see hypocrisy; he sees a young man on a spiritual quest. Jesus invites him to become a follower, but the prerequisite Jesus gives the man is amazing. Jesus tells him to liquidate all his assets, his homes, stocks, businesses, bank accounts--and give the money away to the poor. Then this man will be ready to become a follower of Jesus, to live as a Christian. If you would like to know more about “What must I do?” to inherit the Kingdom of God, please join us in our worship at 11:00 AM on Sunday.
Peace!
Rev. Dr. Christopher Ponnuraj
In the Bible, we read about many great men of God experiencing various types of emotions. For example, David experienced a feeling of isolation from God when he was running for his life from Saul. We read in Psalm 13:1 that David cried out to God and said, “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? (ESV) If you read the rest of Psalm 13, you will realize that David, who was obedient to God at this time, believed that God was not with him during his time of intense trials. He felt isolated from God.
The other example is from our first reading from the book of Job: Job, who lost everything; his children, his wealth, his servants, his reputation, and his friends; experienced despair and isolation from God. It is common and natural to feel isolated from God when we experience difficult times, however, the Bible assures us that God is present even when He seems to be far away! Even when we feel God seems 1,000 miles away and uninterested in our affairs, let me assure you that God is with us, in our step-by-step difficult times.
Our creator God is walking right along with us especially during our times of suffering, even when we feel isolated from Him. God has not abandoned us, for we are His children, and He loves us and cares for us. We must realize that God is watching over us and is doing what is best for us. (1 Peter 5:7) tells us to cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. Does this sound like a God who cares little about our problems? When we suffer, we may feel isolated from God, but the reality is that God is with us all the time, during every step of our journey. If we believe this, it is encouraging news for all of us.
Not only God will not leave us in our time of suffering; but God is on time even when He seems late. Look at Job’s insight in our first reading verses 12-14 When we suffer, we naturally want God to immediately take away our pain. But sometimes, God can be agonizingly slow in solving the problems that we bring to His attention. But even though at times God seems to be late with His assistance, I would like to say that His timing is always perfect. You see, God is never late when it comes to Him handling our painful situations. He is always on time: His time and not our time. When we suffer, there is a possibility that God is allowing us to go through it for His purpose and for our own good.
Sometimes, we wish that God would remove our struggles and take away all the obstacles; God doesn’t take away our problems and difficulties, but He promises to be with us during them and to use them to restore us, making us into better, stronger people. When Job lost his sons and daughters, his wealth, his servants, and was stricken with painful sores that spanned throughout his body, it would have been easy for him to blame God and abandon his faith. However, the Bible says that Job “fell to the ground” (Job 1:20) and worshipped God. Job held onto his faith in God even though his life was full of pain and agony. When we go through tough times, the most important thing for us to do is to keep our faith in God. Faith is important to God.
The gospel lesson for this Sunday is taken from St. Mark 10:17-31, in this passage verses 17-22 we read about the encounter between Jesus and a wealthy young man. The young man comes to Jesus and asks what must he do to inherit the Kingdom of God? This young man appears to Jesus out of nowhere as Jesus is making his way towards Jerusalem. This young man comes to Jesus for assurance that he will be accepted by God after death, that he’ll live forever in the presence of God. Jesus perceives that the man is well educated in the Jewish Scriptures.
Mark tells us that Jesus loved him. Jesus had affection and sincere appreciation for this young man. He was wealthy, he was a respected leader, and he had integrity. Jesus does not see hypocrisy; he sees a young man on a spiritual quest. Jesus invites him to become a follower, but the prerequisite Jesus gives the man is amazing. Jesus tells him to liquidate all his assets, his homes, stocks, businesses, bank accounts--and give the money away to the poor. Then this man will be ready to become a follower of Jesus, to live as a Christian. If you would like to know more about “What must I do?” to inherit the Kingdom of God, please join us in our worship at 11:00 AM on Sunday.
Peace!
Rev. Dr. Christopher Ponnuraj
October 6, 2024. ENFOLDING LOVE
For the last five weeks we have been studying the gospel of St. Mark and will continue for almost 12 weeks just before Christ the King Sunday. The theme of this series is “Following Jesus in the Real World”.
Our gospel reading for this Sunday is St. Mark 10:2-16. This passage speaks to us two values of God’s Kingdom. One is the value that relates to marriage and the other that relates to children.
Our theme today is: "Enfolding Love." It is from the words of our gospel passage, where Jesus says: "Let the little children come to Me..." And when we think of that invitation of Jesus, we have to understand that it is not just for "children" but His invitation goes out to children of all ages whether you are 2-year-old or 102 years old. The invitation has come from Jesus, the Lord of Life! It is Jesus Himself who is standing right here among us today, personally calling each of us, inviting us to come close to Him. Through His Word Jesus wants to speak to us and through us. Jesus longs for an opportunity to work in each of our hearts, to melt us, mold us, and shape us into the men and women, boys, and girls that He wants us to be.
This invitation that Jesus extends is a personal one. You might be saying to yourselves, "Well, I come to church regularly, I even usher on Sunday mornings". Or you might be thinking, "I have my children enrolled in Sunday School." "I do read my Bible now and then." Jesus is not talking about having a casual acquaintance with Him. His invitation is for you this day to take a new step and come even closer to Him than you have been before. He wants you to come to Him so that through His grace He can put His powerful arms of love around you and hold you tight.
Did you ever notice how some people just seem to radiate the love of God. Their attitude is right. They have an unmistakable sense of peace about them during trying situations. People noticed that about the followers of Christ after His resurrection. They noticed the boldness and conviction of the disciples, and it says in Acts 4:13 "they were amazed and realized what being with Jesus had done for them!" The invitation is there; and the opportunities for you to grow close to Jesus are plenty! I pray that God will give you a desire to grow close to Him and have Him come and fill your life and begin, as He always loves to do, a new thing in you!
God’s Word for us today tells us not only about the invitation of Jesus, but it also tells us about the grace of Jesus. Listen to it again: "People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them."
Jesus wants to personally touch you! He wants to reach out to you with His amazing grace: First, touch you with forgiveness, hope, healing, and new life so that He can claim you as His own child. Second is to touch you in ways that help you to grow and mature in your faith and in your walk with Him. Let me ask you a question. When did Jesus first touch you? Most of us, I think, would probably say that we first experienced His saving touch the first time when we were baptized into the family of God. Our parents heard the invitation of Jesus to "Let the little children"... "come to Me.." and God gives us His promises in Holy Baptism.
Although Jesus’ desire is to come and touch us in ways that bless us now for eternity, the world along with our own sinful motivations and Satan’s influences, has its desires too, and its desire is to rebuke us. In other words, "to restrain us" or "to keep us away from Jesus and all that Jesus has for us, just as the disciples did to the parents who were bringing their children to Jesus. Now why in the world would those twelve disciples try to keep people, anyone, regardless of age from Jesus? Well, as simple as I can put it, they had their own ideas of religion, and they had their own ideas on how to get into the Kingdom of God. If you like to know more about the Enfolding Love of Jesus Christ worship with us on Sunday morning at 11:00 AM.
Peace!
Rev. Dr. Christopher Ponnuraj
For the last five weeks we have been studying the gospel of St. Mark and will continue for almost 12 weeks just before Christ the King Sunday. The theme of this series is “Following Jesus in the Real World”.
Our gospel reading for this Sunday is St. Mark 10:2-16. This passage speaks to us two values of God’s Kingdom. One is the value that relates to marriage and the other that relates to children.
Our theme today is: "Enfolding Love." It is from the words of our gospel passage, where Jesus says: "Let the little children come to Me..." And when we think of that invitation of Jesus, we have to understand that it is not just for "children" but His invitation goes out to children of all ages whether you are 2-year-old or 102 years old. The invitation has come from Jesus, the Lord of Life! It is Jesus Himself who is standing right here among us today, personally calling each of us, inviting us to come close to Him. Through His Word Jesus wants to speak to us and through us. Jesus longs for an opportunity to work in each of our hearts, to melt us, mold us, and shape us into the men and women, boys, and girls that He wants us to be.
This invitation that Jesus extends is a personal one. You might be saying to yourselves, "Well, I come to church regularly, I even usher on Sunday mornings". Or you might be thinking, "I have my children enrolled in Sunday School." "I do read my Bible now and then." Jesus is not talking about having a casual acquaintance with Him. His invitation is for you this day to take a new step and come even closer to Him than you have been before. He wants you to come to Him so that through His grace He can put His powerful arms of love around you and hold you tight.
Did you ever notice how some people just seem to radiate the love of God. Their attitude is right. They have an unmistakable sense of peace about them during trying situations. People noticed that about the followers of Christ after His resurrection. They noticed the boldness and conviction of the disciples, and it says in Acts 4:13 "they were amazed and realized what being with Jesus had done for them!" The invitation is there; and the opportunities for you to grow close to Jesus are plenty! I pray that God will give you a desire to grow close to Him and have Him come and fill your life and begin, as He always loves to do, a new thing in you!
God’s Word for us today tells us not only about the invitation of Jesus, but it also tells us about the grace of Jesus. Listen to it again: "People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them."
Jesus wants to personally touch you! He wants to reach out to you with His amazing grace: First, touch you with forgiveness, hope, healing, and new life so that He can claim you as His own child. Second is to touch you in ways that help you to grow and mature in your faith and in your walk with Him. Let me ask you a question. When did Jesus first touch you? Most of us, I think, would probably say that we first experienced His saving touch the first time when we were baptized into the family of God. Our parents heard the invitation of Jesus to "Let the little children"... "come to Me.." and God gives us His promises in Holy Baptism.
Although Jesus’ desire is to come and touch us in ways that bless us now for eternity, the world along with our own sinful motivations and Satan’s influences, has its desires too, and its desire is to rebuke us. In other words, "to restrain us" or "to keep us away from Jesus and all that Jesus has for us, just as the disciples did to the parents who were bringing their children to Jesus. Now why in the world would those twelve disciples try to keep people, anyone, regardless of age from Jesus? Well, as simple as I can put it, they had their own ideas of religion, and they had their own ideas on how to get into the Kingdom of God. If you like to know more about the Enfolding Love of Jesus Christ worship with us on Sunday morning at 11:00 AM.
Peace!
Rev. Dr. Christopher Ponnuraj
September 29, 2024 COURAGE FOR COMMUNITY
The gospel reading for this Sunday is taken from Mark 9:38-50, we read about Jesus addressing what we may see as our first priorities, for Jesus it might be our last priorities. Jesus tells us to stop, turn around and look at life from a different angle. Jesus is not giving us some philosophical thinking. Jesus is telling us how the kingdom of God really works, how we are to live our life as Christians, which will certainly go against our conventional wisdom.
In continuation of our meditation on Mark Chapter 9, this passage opens up with Jesus and the disciples back in the town of Capernaum. Capernaum is a beautiful place. It is lush, abundant in produce and has mild weather, Vatsala and I had the opportunity to experience the beauty and food in Capernaum when we travelled to Israel.
As I studied this passage, I was reminded of the common attitude that prevails in modern society. We live in an age when most believe that truth is relative, rather than absolute. Most believe in existence beyond the grave, with the majority assuming everyone will eventually end up in heaven, or some place of euphoric bliss. While some may agree with the premise of those who have denied God, living a life of sinful rebellion, finding themselves in a place of eternal judgment, most do not believe they would ever be forced to dwell in such a place. While some may believe in a place called hell, they certainly are not worried about going there.
The Scriptures reveal that we are all born in sin, separated from God, and condemned because of our sin. We stand accountable for our sin, and in danger of eternity in hell. While most may believe they would never be forced to endure the horrors of hell, apart from the saving grace of Christ, all are bound for the reality. Modern philosophy may teach that we are all basically good, and if the good outweighs the bad, we will be accepted by God. This may be a popular thought, but it certainly is not biblical. The only way to escape the righteous judgment of God is to be declared righteous through the atonement of Christ.
Jesus was not afraid to deal with heaven and hell. In fact, Jesus preached more about hell than He did about heaven. This passage deals with the horrors of eternal judgment. As Jesus continued this conversation with the disciples, He offered a serious warning regarding hell.
Jesus answers in verse 41, “For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.” Here Jesus shows the extent of need for participation. That it does not need to be something important to be or just something simple. There are no distinctions between simple and important tasks. Because it is like a welcome in Jesus’s name, a cup of water given in Jesus' name, places us back toward being last so that Jesus becomes greater in our lives.
Jesus gives a warning as we read in verse 42 “if anyone is stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung round your neck, and you were thrown into the sea.” Little ones here refer not literally to children, but those whose allegiance is to Jesus. The millstone that Jesus mentions is a very large millstone one pulled by animals as that of a small household item. This type of execution had happened in Jesus' time.
As we continue to read this passage, we understand Jesus is not telling us to literally cut off body parts to be holy. Anyone who makes this type of claim is just plain ignorant. Jesus speaks of an offending hand or leg or eye. He is speaking in the cultural context. Jesus calls for a renunciation of all that causes us to sin. If something stands in the way of your relationship with Jesus, remove it from your life. This is not a demand for self-mutilation, but a demand for costly sacrifice. The parts of the body must not place themselves at the disposal of sin
When we follow the teachings of Jesus, we become less of ourselves, and Jesus becomes greater, the less we become in ourselves, the greater Jesus becomes, the greater Jesus becomes the greater we become. His authority will make us great in the kingdom of God. And it is a key to basic Christian living with courage for community. If you would like to know more about this, please join us in our worship at 11:00 AM
Peace!
Rev. Dr. Christopher Ponnuraj
The gospel reading for this Sunday is taken from Mark 9:38-50, we read about Jesus addressing what we may see as our first priorities, for Jesus it might be our last priorities. Jesus tells us to stop, turn around and look at life from a different angle. Jesus is not giving us some philosophical thinking. Jesus is telling us how the kingdom of God really works, how we are to live our life as Christians, which will certainly go against our conventional wisdom.
In continuation of our meditation on Mark Chapter 9, this passage opens up with Jesus and the disciples back in the town of Capernaum. Capernaum is a beautiful place. It is lush, abundant in produce and has mild weather, Vatsala and I had the opportunity to experience the beauty and food in Capernaum when we travelled to Israel.
As I studied this passage, I was reminded of the common attitude that prevails in modern society. We live in an age when most believe that truth is relative, rather than absolute. Most believe in existence beyond the grave, with the majority assuming everyone will eventually end up in heaven, or some place of euphoric bliss. While some may agree with the premise of those who have denied God, living a life of sinful rebellion, finding themselves in a place of eternal judgment, most do not believe they would ever be forced to dwell in such a place. While some may believe in a place called hell, they certainly are not worried about going there.
The Scriptures reveal that we are all born in sin, separated from God, and condemned because of our sin. We stand accountable for our sin, and in danger of eternity in hell. While most may believe they would never be forced to endure the horrors of hell, apart from the saving grace of Christ, all are bound for the reality. Modern philosophy may teach that we are all basically good, and if the good outweighs the bad, we will be accepted by God. This may be a popular thought, but it certainly is not biblical. The only way to escape the righteous judgment of God is to be declared righteous through the atonement of Christ.
Jesus was not afraid to deal with heaven and hell. In fact, Jesus preached more about hell than He did about heaven. This passage deals with the horrors of eternal judgment. As Jesus continued this conversation with the disciples, He offered a serious warning regarding hell.
Jesus answers in verse 41, “For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.” Here Jesus shows the extent of need for participation. That it does not need to be something important to be or just something simple. There are no distinctions between simple and important tasks. Because it is like a welcome in Jesus’s name, a cup of water given in Jesus' name, places us back toward being last so that Jesus becomes greater in our lives.
Jesus gives a warning as we read in verse 42 “if anyone is stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung round your neck, and you were thrown into the sea.” Little ones here refer not literally to children, but those whose allegiance is to Jesus. The millstone that Jesus mentions is a very large millstone one pulled by animals as that of a small household item. This type of execution had happened in Jesus' time.
As we continue to read this passage, we understand Jesus is not telling us to literally cut off body parts to be holy. Anyone who makes this type of claim is just plain ignorant. Jesus speaks of an offending hand or leg or eye. He is speaking in the cultural context. Jesus calls for a renunciation of all that causes us to sin. If something stands in the way of your relationship with Jesus, remove it from your life. This is not a demand for self-mutilation, but a demand for costly sacrifice. The parts of the body must not place themselves at the disposal of sin
When we follow the teachings of Jesus, we become less of ourselves, and Jesus becomes greater, the less we become in ourselves, the greater Jesus becomes, the greater Jesus becomes the greater we become. His authority will make us great in the kingdom of God. And it is a key to basic Christian living with courage for community. If you would like to know more about this, please join us in our worship at 11:00 AM
Peace!
Rev. Dr. Christopher Ponnuraj
September 22, 2024 FIRST IN CARING
Our Gospel text for this Sunday is from St. Mark 9:30-37, a tiny, yet significant, routine from the course of Jesus' ministry, particularly related to his instructions to his disciples. On a traveling mission to Capernaum, Jesus overheard the disciples carrying on a rather strong and secret discussion of their own. When they arrived at the house, Jesus asked the disciples what the subject of their discussion was on their way. Obviously, they were somewhat ashamed of themselves, for they met Jesus' question with silence, but in verse 34 we read, “for on the way they had discussed with one another who was the greatest”.
Apparently, Jesus suspected what had been the momentum of their concealed debate and he broke the silence with this right comment as we read in verse 35: "If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all." Then, Mark the gospel writer reports, "He took a child, and put him in the midst of them." The issue here was not that the desire of greatness could be sinful in the eyes of God but concerned something more basic – the “ambition” itself.
This was the underlying and ruling passion with this inner circle of disciples. Ambition, however, can be neutral. It is good or bad depending upon what a person is ambitious for and why. Being ambitious for greatness for one's own or for greatness' sake can be destructive of the best within us and of our usefulness to others. Jesus took the concepts of "ambition" and "greatness" and put them into the framework of human conduct and showed how this ambition to serve alone produces a type of greatness that claims our enthusiasm and contributes mightily to the common good.
We read in verse 36, "He took a child and put him in the midst of them." How simple a gesture! Yet often Jesus did this kind of thing. In so doing, he moved a critical matter from the realm of theory and into a living situation: he brought in a person. What would they see in a child? Plenty: no sifting of qualifications to be top among themselves; no struggle to name and rate one's own abilities; and no score card listing of personal merits.
Instead, the child portrayed humility and obedience, and did so unconsciously, an innocent freshness remote from well-worn arguments of these rustic men, and no hangover of guilt from things said and done in regretful yesterdays. Jesus “was calling upon these disciples to cherish and to keep if they could the childlike spirit and the childlike heart, the childlike way of looking at life, the childlike way of believing in life, the childlike way of wanting confidently for what life has to bring." To live with a childlike spirit will temper our every ambition and cleanse them from narrow concern for self. Chiefly, however, in conformity with Jesus' teaching and example, Christians will allow themselves to be absorbed into the community of a kingdom where no one fights to be first and where greatness is the legacy of each person who volunteers to be servant of all.
Now, what must we grown-ups resolve to be and to do to respond positively when Jesus puts a little child in our midst? One, we must recapture the sense of wonder. Ours is a materialistic age. Only what can be seen and handled visibly seems to count. Only what is spelled out in black and white is believed. Where is the world of wonder of the little child? True, there is the element of naiveté in juvenile wide-eyed wonder, but in our quenching it within ourselves, we have almost destroyed beauty with our ugly graffiti, allowed utility to design our buildings, and not gracefulness, and permitted cold facts to create an era of speed. Wonder has gone out of our music and, hence, it no longer soars but trudges in a monotonous beat. Wonder has slipped from our painting and without the "sky" we get senseless daubs of colors. Wonder has left our literature and, instead of great imaginative novels, we are given only the seamy side of life.
Jesus "took a child and put him in the midst of them." This was his way of showing men and women there was another dimension to life than they had ever recognized. Parables, miracles, teaching made them see that life was not merely a-b-c, that there was a world of the unseen impinging upon their ordinary commonplace living and, if they opened their hearts to it, they would see. Jesus does not say that greatness is in being a child and he doesn’t say that greatness is in being childlike. Greatness is in welcoming the child.
If you would like to learn more,
please join us in our Sunday worship at 11:00 AM.
Peace!
Rev. Dr. Christopher Ponnuraj
Our Gospel text for this Sunday is from St. Mark 9:30-37, a tiny, yet significant, routine from the course of Jesus' ministry, particularly related to his instructions to his disciples. On a traveling mission to Capernaum, Jesus overheard the disciples carrying on a rather strong and secret discussion of their own. When they arrived at the house, Jesus asked the disciples what the subject of their discussion was on their way. Obviously, they were somewhat ashamed of themselves, for they met Jesus' question with silence, but in verse 34 we read, “for on the way they had discussed with one another who was the greatest”.
Apparently, Jesus suspected what had been the momentum of their concealed debate and he broke the silence with this right comment as we read in verse 35: "If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all." Then, Mark the gospel writer reports, "He took a child, and put him in the midst of them." The issue here was not that the desire of greatness could be sinful in the eyes of God but concerned something more basic – the “ambition” itself.
This was the underlying and ruling passion with this inner circle of disciples. Ambition, however, can be neutral. It is good or bad depending upon what a person is ambitious for and why. Being ambitious for greatness for one's own or for greatness' sake can be destructive of the best within us and of our usefulness to others. Jesus took the concepts of "ambition" and "greatness" and put them into the framework of human conduct and showed how this ambition to serve alone produces a type of greatness that claims our enthusiasm and contributes mightily to the common good.
We read in verse 36, "He took a child and put him in the midst of them." How simple a gesture! Yet often Jesus did this kind of thing. In so doing, he moved a critical matter from the realm of theory and into a living situation: he brought in a person. What would they see in a child? Plenty: no sifting of qualifications to be top among themselves; no struggle to name and rate one's own abilities; and no score card listing of personal merits.
Instead, the child portrayed humility and obedience, and did so unconsciously, an innocent freshness remote from well-worn arguments of these rustic men, and no hangover of guilt from things said and done in regretful yesterdays. Jesus “was calling upon these disciples to cherish and to keep if they could the childlike spirit and the childlike heart, the childlike way of looking at life, the childlike way of believing in life, the childlike way of wanting confidently for what life has to bring." To live with a childlike spirit will temper our every ambition and cleanse them from narrow concern for self. Chiefly, however, in conformity with Jesus' teaching and example, Christians will allow themselves to be absorbed into the community of a kingdom where no one fights to be first and where greatness is the legacy of each person who volunteers to be servant of all.
Now, what must we grown-ups resolve to be and to do to respond positively when Jesus puts a little child in our midst? One, we must recapture the sense of wonder. Ours is a materialistic age. Only what can be seen and handled visibly seems to count. Only what is spelled out in black and white is believed. Where is the world of wonder of the little child? True, there is the element of naiveté in juvenile wide-eyed wonder, but in our quenching it within ourselves, we have almost destroyed beauty with our ugly graffiti, allowed utility to design our buildings, and not gracefulness, and permitted cold facts to create an era of speed. Wonder has gone out of our music and, hence, it no longer soars but trudges in a monotonous beat. Wonder has slipped from our painting and without the "sky" we get senseless daubs of colors. Wonder has left our literature and, instead of great imaginative novels, we are given only the seamy side of life.
Jesus "took a child and put him in the midst of them." This was his way of showing men and women there was another dimension to life than they had ever recognized. Parables, miracles, teaching made them see that life was not merely a-b-c, that there was a world of the unseen impinging upon their ordinary commonplace living and, if they opened their hearts to it, they would see. Jesus does not say that greatness is in being a child and he doesn’t say that greatness is in being childlike. Greatness is in welcoming the child.
If you would like to learn more,
please join us in our Sunday worship at 11:00 AM.
Peace!
Rev. Dr. Christopher Ponnuraj
September 15, 2024 WHO IS JESUS?
The gospel passage for this Sunday is St. Mark 8: 27-38, we read Jesus, and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asks the question to the disciples who do people say I am? The disciples answered the prophet or John the Baptist. But Peter the disciple of Jesus Christ makes an important confession of faith by saying “You are the Messiah, the Son of God”.
Even back then people were wondering just who Jesus was? People over the last two thousand years have asked the same question and have come up with different answers. Many people today think Jesus was just some nice guy who lived in another country over 2000 years ago. As we are seated in this church, the question for us is what Jesus has to do with your life and my life today? The popular opinion of the people in the world today are very similar? For many will say that Jesus was a great religious teacher and he started one of the great religions of the world. Someone will compare him to famous religious or political leaders or teachers of this world.
After Peter saying, “You are the Messiah”, Jesus told the disciples his purpose for coming into this world. When Peter heard that Jesus was going to die, he began to rebuke Jesus. "That’s crazy", Peter said. "You are not going to die” and you cannot allow that to happen." "You are the Messiah, the Christ. You are supposed to be king and live forever!" Maybe Peter did not understand what was happening. But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. "Get behind me, Satan!" he said. "You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."
We must understand that there are two worlds. The physical world and the spiritual world. Jesus came from the spiritual world to our world that is the physical world. Jesus was still connected to the spiritual realm. Jesus could see things spiritually that the disciples could not see the things as Jesus sees and understands. The day will come when we pass from this physical world and go into the spiritual world. Then we shall understand the things of God.
Jesus says in verse 33 “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Our relationship with God is day-by-day and moment-by-moment. It is not something we do in one hour a week during the worship. It is a commitment we make to follow Jesus for the rest of our lives. Many do not understand why we gather Sunday after Sunday in this place. It is because of the relationship we have with God. If we try by ourselves to gain God’s favor, we will lose. We need a community of believers to support and be with us.
Many people try to get as much as they can out of life. A good job, new homes, cars, money in the bank, lots of family and friends, etc. But in the end, they lose everything. You see we entered this world with nothing, and we will leave this world with nothing. What counts is spiritual life. The important thing we must understand is our love for God and our love for one another.
Jesus looks up to the crowd and says, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” We learn something about the call of the cross. First, it’s giving up our whole self. We are to deny ourselves. And that may be the most difficult thing of all. In a culture which teaches us to pursue our desires and fulfill them, Jesus instead calls us to deny ourselves. Taking up your cross and following Jesus is not denying ourselves the best ice cream or a new car. Jesus is talking about something more that is denying your whole self. In other words, if there is something more important than Jesus, then that is what you need to deny in your life, you are not following Jesus and if you are unwilling to change, you won't. The idea is that we do not even think about ourselves or our needs and desires but only that of God’s will and the mission of Christ.
Second, it is choosing the cross. That is a sharp contrast to the prevalent situation of Jesus’ day when the cross was forced upon. No one on Jesus day chose crucifixion. It was something which was forced on because of the criminal actions. Crucifixion was used for several different crimes. Two of the most prevalent were low life criminals, who had committed repeated crimes or actively seeking to overthrow the Roman government.
Therefore, Jesus calls us to choose the cross. In other words, Jesus is calling us to choose to die to the life we are living but to die so that new life, life in him, may be born in us. It is a voluntary decision. It is a daily decision. It is born out of love. For Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commands. If you would like to learn more about the love of Jesus Christ, please join us in our Sunday worship at 11:00 A.M.
Peace!
Rev. Dr. Christopher Ponnuraj
The gospel passage for this Sunday is St. Mark 8: 27-38, we read Jesus, and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asks the question to the disciples who do people say I am? The disciples answered the prophet or John the Baptist. But Peter the disciple of Jesus Christ makes an important confession of faith by saying “You are the Messiah, the Son of God”.
Even back then people were wondering just who Jesus was? People over the last two thousand years have asked the same question and have come up with different answers. Many people today think Jesus was just some nice guy who lived in another country over 2000 years ago. As we are seated in this church, the question for us is what Jesus has to do with your life and my life today? The popular opinion of the people in the world today are very similar? For many will say that Jesus was a great religious teacher and he started one of the great religions of the world. Someone will compare him to famous religious or political leaders or teachers of this world.
After Peter saying, “You are the Messiah”, Jesus told the disciples his purpose for coming into this world. When Peter heard that Jesus was going to die, he began to rebuke Jesus. "That’s crazy", Peter said. "You are not going to die” and you cannot allow that to happen." "You are the Messiah, the Christ. You are supposed to be king and live forever!" Maybe Peter did not understand what was happening. But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. "Get behind me, Satan!" he said. "You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."
We must understand that there are two worlds. The physical world and the spiritual world. Jesus came from the spiritual world to our world that is the physical world. Jesus was still connected to the spiritual realm. Jesus could see things spiritually that the disciples could not see the things as Jesus sees and understands. The day will come when we pass from this physical world and go into the spiritual world. Then we shall understand the things of God.
Jesus says in verse 33 “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Our relationship with God is day-by-day and moment-by-moment. It is not something we do in one hour a week during the worship. It is a commitment we make to follow Jesus for the rest of our lives. Many do not understand why we gather Sunday after Sunday in this place. It is because of the relationship we have with God. If we try by ourselves to gain God’s favor, we will lose. We need a community of believers to support and be with us.
Many people try to get as much as they can out of life. A good job, new homes, cars, money in the bank, lots of family and friends, etc. But in the end, they lose everything. You see we entered this world with nothing, and we will leave this world with nothing. What counts is spiritual life. The important thing we must understand is our love for God and our love for one another.
Jesus looks up to the crowd and says, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” We learn something about the call of the cross. First, it’s giving up our whole self. We are to deny ourselves. And that may be the most difficult thing of all. In a culture which teaches us to pursue our desires and fulfill them, Jesus instead calls us to deny ourselves. Taking up your cross and following Jesus is not denying ourselves the best ice cream or a new car. Jesus is talking about something more that is denying your whole self. In other words, if there is something more important than Jesus, then that is what you need to deny in your life, you are not following Jesus and if you are unwilling to change, you won't. The idea is that we do not even think about ourselves or our needs and desires but only that of God’s will and the mission of Christ.
Second, it is choosing the cross. That is a sharp contrast to the prevalent situation of Jesus’ day when the cross was forced upon. No one on Jesus day chose crucifixion. It was something which was forced on because of the criminal actions. Crucifixion was used for several different crimes. Two of the most prevalent were low life criminals, who had committed repeated crimes or actively seeking to overthrow the Roman government.
Therefore, Jesus calls us to choose the cross. In other words, Jesus is calling us to choose to die to the life we are living but to die so that new life, life in him, may be born in us. It is a voluntary decision. It is a daily decision. It is born out of love. For Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commands. If you would like to learn more about the love of Jesus Christ, please join us in our Sunday worship at 11:00 A.M.
Peace!
Rev. Dr. Christopher Ponnuraj
September 8, 2024 BE OPENED
Day after day we hear the news about war, terrorism, gunshots on the streets, shootings in the schools and even the illness of our loved ones, and the list goes on and on. Twenty-three years have passed after the 9/11 devastation, and we still live in fear. We are gathered this Sunday morning and are reminded that what will happen next is what God wants to happen next. We read in Psalm 118:6 -7 “The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? The LORD is with me; he is my helper. I will look in triumph on my enemies" No matter the terrifying, horrible headlines in the newspapers, you and I realize that as the Lord reminds us by saying, ‘be strong, do not fear’, we can do just that.
We have been in a series through the New Testament book of Mark called Following Jesus in the Real World. Last week, we saw Jesus in a debate with a religious group called the Pharisees over traditions and purity. In that debate we saw Jesus question the traditions of the Pharisees, the rules, and rituals that they added to the Old Testament law. But Jesus went even further than questioning their traditions, because he also overturned all the Jewish dietary laws. We saw two weeks ago that it’s not the food that goes into a person that causes that person to become unclean, but that it’s what comes out of a person’s heart. It only makes sense that if Jesus questioned the Jewish food laws, that he’d also question the traditional categorization of people into categories of clean and unclean.
Today we’re going to see Jesus cross some radical boundaries in his ministry. We’re going to see Jesus’ venture into non-Jewish territory, and while there we’re going to see Jesus’ encounter with two non-Jewish people. In these two encounters we’re going to find some principles that apply to us as well as we follow Jesus to the outer limits of our comfort zone. Encounter With a Non-Jewish Woman (Mark 7:24-30): This episode is among the most difficult to understand in all of Mark’s biography, because Jesus seems to be very mean to this woman.
Jesus travels from the region around the Sea of Galilee to a city named Tyre. Tyre was an ancient non-Jewish city that had a long history of hostility with the people of Israel. Tyre is in modern day Lebanon. Now, why does Jesus go there? Well, his conflict with the religious leaders in the region of Galilee has probably put the spotlight on him, getting the attention of the Roman authorities in the region of Galilee. By fleeing to Tyre, Jesus goes outside the jurisdiction of the Roman authorities in Galilee. Perhaps that’s part of the reason. But we also get a sense from Mark that Jesus is trying to get a break from the crowd. He goes for some privacy, for a break from the exhausting pace of ministry he’s been on in Galilee.
But once there a woman comes to him with a request. This is not the first time someone has come to Jesus with a special request. But out of all the people who do this, this woman has the most against her. First, she’s a woman, and many of the Jewish men of Jesus’ day would not even speak to a woman unless it was their wife or their mother. But this isn’t just any woman; she’s a non-Jewish woman, a Greek woman born in Syrophoenician. Yet despite her strikes against her, she begs Jesus to deliver her daughter from a demonic spirit. Now most of the Jewish people of Jesus’ day believed that all non-Jewish people were demonized, so the fact that this woman’s daughter was demonized wouldn’t come as a surprise to a first century Jew. What would surprise them was that she wanted her daughter to be free from this stronghold of evil.
But what surprises us even more is Jesus’ response to the woman. He uses a parable, a metaphor, to explain his reluctance to heal her daughter. He says, "First let the children eat all they want because it’s not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs." Clearly the "children" in this parable refer to the people of Israel, and the "bread" refers to Jesus’ ministry. The "dogs" then refer to non-Jewish people. Jesus is saying that he should finish his ministry in Israel before he branches out to non-Jewish peoples.
Jesus is affirming the priority of the people of Israel in his mission, that his focus has been the people of Israel, and it’s only after he leaves the earth, and his church starts expanding that the doors will open to non-Jewish people like this woman. Jesus is affirming what the apostle Paul would later affirm as well, when Paul says, in Romans 1:16 " For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile".
If you would like to learn more, please join us in our worship on Sunday at 11:00 A.M.
Day after day we hear the news about war, terrorism, gunshots on the streets, shootings in the schools and even the illness of our loved ones, and the list goes on and on. Twenty-three years have passed after the 9/11 devastation, and we still live in fear. We are gathered this Sunday morning and are reminded that what will happen next is what God wants to happen next. We read in Psalm 118:6 -7 “The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? The LORD is with me; he is my helper. I will look in triumph on my enemies" No matter the terrifying, horrible headlines in the newspapers, you and I realize that as the Lord reminds us by saying, ‘be strong, do not fear’, we can do just that.
We have been in a series through the New Testament book of Mark called Following Jesus in the Real World. Last week, we saw Jesus in a debate with a religious group called the Pharisees over traditions and purity. In that debate we saw Jesus question the traditions of the Pharisees, the rules, and rituals that they added to the Old Testament law. But Jesus went even further than questioning their traditions, because he also overturned all the Jewish dietary laws. We saw two weeks ago that it’s not the food that goes into a person that causes that person to become unclean, but that it’s what comes out of a person’s heart. It only makes sense that if Jesus questioned the Jewish food laws, that he’d also question the traditional categorization of people into categories of clean and unclean.
Today we’re going to see Jesus cross some radical boundaries in his ministry. We’re going to see Jesus’ venture into non-Jewish territory, and while there we’re going to see Jesus’ encounter with two non-Jewish people. In these two encounters we’re going to find some principles that apply to us as well as we follow Jesus to the outer limits of our comfort zone. Encounter With a Non-Jewish Woman (Mark 7:24-30): This episode is among the most difficult to understand in all of Mark’s biography, because Jesus seems to be very mean to this woman.
Jesus travels from the region around the Sea of Galilee to a city named Tyre. Tyre was an ancient non-Jewish city that had a long history of hostility with the people of Israel. Tyre is in modern day Lebanon. Now, why does Jesus go there? Well, his conflict with the religious leaders in the region of Galilee has probably put the spotlight on him, getting the attention of the Roman authorities in the region of Galilee. By fleeing to Tyre, Jesus goes outside the jurisdiction of the Roman authorities in Galilee. Perhaps that’s part of the reason. But we also get a sense from Mark that Jesus is trying to get a break from the crowd. He goes for some privacy, for a break from the exhausting pace of ministry he’s been on in Galilee.
But once there a woman comes to him with a request. This is not the first time someone has come to Jesus with a special request. But out of all the people who do this, this woman has the most against her. First, she’s a woman, and many of the Jewish men of Jesus’ day would not even speak to a woman unless it was their wife or their mother. But this isn’t just any woman; she’s a non-Jewish woman, a Greek woman born in Syrophoenician. Yet despite her strikes against her, she begs Jesus to deliver her daughter from a demonic spirit. Now most of the Jewish people of Jesus’ day believed that all non-Jewish people were demonized, so the fact that this woman’s daughter was demonized wouldn’t come as a surprise to a first century Jew. What would surprise them was that she wanted her daughter to be free from this stronghold of evil.
But what surprises us even more is Jesus’ response to the woman. He uses a parable, a metaphor, to explain his reluctance to heal her daughter. He says, "First let the children eat all they want because it’s not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs." Clearly the "children" in this parable refer to the people of Israel, and the "bread" refers to Jesus’ ministry. The "dogs" then refer to non-Jewish people. Jesus is saying that he should finish his ministry in Israel before he branches out to non-Jewish peoples.
Jesus is affirming the priority of the people of Israel in his mission, that his focus has been the people of Israel, and it’s only after he leaves the earth, and his church starts expanding that the doors will open to non-Jewish people like this woman. Jesus is affirming what the apostle Paul would later affirm as well, when Paul says, in Romans 1:16 " For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile".
If you would like to learn more, please join us in our worship on Sunday at 11:00 A.M.
September 1, 2024. BE LOVE
The gospel passage that is assigned for this Sunday is St. Mark, chapter 7, which helps the readers to “Following Jesus in the Real world”. Jesus’ debates with a group of religious scholars, the Pharisees about how best to root away the sin. We are going to meditate that although Jesus’ ministry and this group agreed on the problem, they differed greatly about how to get to the heart of the matter.
Let’s look at how this debate between Jesus and a religious group starts in vv. 1-5. Now you get the sense from Mark that this group of Pharisees is an official delegation sent from Jerusalem to investigate Jesus. They came with their scribes, who were experts in the interpretation of the Jewish law. You might think of the scribes as their attorneys. Now the Pharisees were a subgroup within Judaism. After 2,000 years of church history, we get a negative picture in our minds when we hear the word "Pharisee" because of how we know that they responded to Jesus. But to people back then, the Pharisees were heroes, not villains. The Pharisees were all laypeople, not any priests among them. They were a reform movement whose passion was to help ordinary people in Israel to learn to live out their devotion to God. They believed that every detail of the Old Testament law was to be applied to everyday life.
The Pharisees believed that every person ought to strive for the same level of godliness that God required of the Jewish priests who served in the temple in Jerusalem. They believed that if Israel was to be a nation of priests as the Old Testament claims, then God required all people in Israel to live by the same standards he required of the Jewish priests. So, the Pharisees expected a higher level of obedience and commitment among the people than the Old Testament required of people. If we say, "A person’s home is his castle," the Pharisees would say, "A person’s home is his temple."
In the Old Testament law God required the temple priest to go through a special washing ritual before eating a meal that came from the temple offering. Now the temple priest only had to go through this washing ritual when in the temple and eating a temple sacrifice as a meal. But the Pharisees expanded that requirement to apply to all Jewish people during all meals. They believed that all Jewish people ought to follow the example of the temple priests by washing before each meal. Now it’s very important to understand that these washings had nothing to do with hygiene.
The categories of "clean" and "unclean" in Old Testament Jewish thought do not refer to observable categories of cleanliness or dirtiness. These categories of "clean" and "unclean" referred to ritual purity. This is kind of hard for us to understand today because we don’t have anything like ritual purity in our culture.
In ancient Israel, you had to be in a state of ritual purity to worship God. But if you were ritually impure, you had to go through a purification ritual to become clean again. But the Pharisees went beyond the food laws prescribed in the Old Testament by also prescribing these ritual washings as well. That’s where the hand washing rituals came in, as well as the washing of pots and pans.
Now the fact that the gospel writer Mark explains these practices for readers in verses 3 and 4, suggests that most of the original readers who Mark was writing were not Jewish, they are Gentile converts. In fact, many scholars believe Mark was writing for Romans, people who wouldn’t know enough about Old Testament law to understand these purity laws. Mark interrupts the story to explain it for us, that the Pharisees performed all kinds of ritual washings to avoid this ceremonial uncleanness. The Pharisees were a “Reform movement”, an attempt to call the people of Israel to a life of godliness. Yet the way they did this was by focusing on things like washings and rituals, in addition to maintaining the dietary laws.
If you would like to learn more law and love, please join us in our worship on Sunday at 11:00 AM.
August 25, 2024 AT HOME WITH GOD
Solomon spent millions and millions of dollars, tons of gold, silver, and precious jewels; whole forests of cedar, quarries of stone, and the backs of thousands of thousands of workers to build the temple. He spent seven years building it and two weeks celebrating its grand opening. And do you know what’s left of it now? Nothing. The Temple now at Jerusalem is not the original Temple. And yet here we are thousands of years later still talking about King Solomon's prayer at the time of dedication. Now what is the most powerful thing you and I can do to testify about God? There are many answers to that question.
The first reading from I Kings, chapter 8 for this Sunday describes the dedication of the Temple, the magnificent house that Solomon built for the name of the Lord. The Temple itself is something to behold, built of cedar and cypress overlaid with pure gold. It took seven years altogether to complete the Temple, to finish all the details; doors of olivewood with carved palms, open flowers, cherubim, an inner core of hewn stone and cedar beams. In the inner sanctum, the Holy of Holies where the ark would be placed, Solomon built two cherubim of 10 cubits, and those cherubim were overlaid with pure gold. When the Temple was finished, Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes and all the leaders of the ancestral houses of Israel. The temple is filled with throngs of people.
All those assembled held their breath in holy expectation, as the priests brought forth the Ark of the Covenant. All assembled held their breath in holy expectation as the priests placed the ark of the Lord under the wingspread of cherubim 10 cubits wide. All assembled hold their breath wondering, would the Lord be pleased with the Temple as a dwelling place? The assembled also asked, "Would God make God's presence known?" The priests come out of the holy place and the people's expectation is fulfilled, as a cloud fills the house of the Lord, "so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord." God's glory filled the Temple. God is present. God is known.
Scholars agree that 1 and 2 Kings is a history, a compilation of texts, which includes the Succession Narrative, the Book of Acts of Solomon, and the History of the Monarchs. Scholars agree that 1 and 2 Kings was written during the time of the exile, when the saving history of Israel seemed to be at a standstill. 1 and 2 Kings were written to support the people coping with defeat and despair, to strengthen the people of Israel in their obedience to the law and to point to Solomon's wisdom. 1 and 2 Kings were written to point to Solomon's relation to God as a model for the people, who understood fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
This section of 1 Kings, Solomon's prayer of dedication for the Temple discloses Solomon's spirit of wisdom and understanding, spirit of counsel and might, spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord, all qualities valued by the writer of 1 Kings. In Chapter 8, verse 23 Solomon begins the prayer by acknowledging God's transcendence and imminence all in one breath. "There is no God like you in heaven above (as God is transcendent) keeping covenant and steadfast love for your servants who walk before you with all their heart (as God is imminent)”. Solomon blessed the people. Then he prayed this prayer. It is long I know but I don’t believe that we hear the Word enough, so listen as Solomon is having a conversation with God.
I don’t know about you, but my prayers have never been that poetic. They may not be that memorable or quite that long. But Solomon’s prayer says some things about God that we say every time we pray, however short or long, plain, or eloquent our prayers. And I believe that if we can add this thought to our prayer life, we will be able to pray heroically.
First when we pray, we are testifying that God is attentive. Twelve times in this prayer, Solomon asks God to hear or listen. Twice he says that God’s eyes are open. He asks God to give attention. The very act of prayer is testimony that God is an attentive God - that he listens, looks, and pays attention. The most significant thing you can do to show you care about someone is to listen to him or her. It’s important to speak - to speak back. That’s important. But people will only feel cared for, valued and important when you are willing to hear what they have to say. If you want children to feel valued, listen to them. If you would like to learn more of Prayer, please join us in our worship on Sunday at 11:00 A.M.
Solomon spent millions and millions of dollars, tons of gold, silver, and precious jewels; whole forests of cedar, quarries of stone, and the backs of thousands of thousands of workers to build the temple. He spent seven years building it and two weeks celebrating its grand opening. And do you know what’s left of it now? Nothing. The Temple now at Jerusalem is not the original Temple. And yet here we are thousands of years later still talking about King Solomon's prayer at the time of dedication. Now what is the most powerful thing you and I can do to testify about God? There are many answers to that question.
The first reading from I Kings, chapter 8 for this Sunday describes the dedication of the Temple, the magnificent house that Solomon built for the name of the Lord. The Temple itself is something to behold, built of cedar and cypress overlaid with pure gold. It took seven years altogether to complete the Temple, to finish all the details; doors of olivewood with carved palms, open flowers, cherubim, an inner core of hewn stone and cedar beams. In the inner sanctum, the Holy of Holies where the ark would be placed, Solomon built two cherubim of 10 cubits, and those cherubim were overlaid with pure gold. When the Temple was finished, Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes and all the leaders of the ancestral houses of Israel. The temple is filled with throngs of people.
All those assembled held their breath in holy expectation, as the priests brought forth the Ark of the Covenant. All assembled held their breath in holy expectation as the priests placed the ark of the Lord under the wingspread of cherubim 10 cubits wide. All assembled hold their breath wondering, would the Lord be pleased with the Temple as a dwelling place? The assembled also asked, "Would God make God's presence known?" The priests come out of the holy place and the people's expectation is fulfilled, as a cloud fills the house of the Lord, "so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord." God's glory filled the Temple. God is present. God is known.
Scholars agree that 1 and 2 Kings is a history, a compilation of texts, which includes the Succession Narrative, the Book of Acts of Solomon, and the History of the Monarchs. Scholars agree that 1 and 2 Kings was written during the time of the exile, when the saving history of Israel seemed to be at a standstill. 1 and 2 Kings were written to support the people coping with defeat and despair, to strengthen the people of Israel in their obedience to the law and to point to Solomon's wisdom. 1 and 2 Kings were written to point to Solomon's relation to God as a model for the people, who understood fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
This section of 1 Kings, Solomon's prayer of dedication for the Temple discloses Solomon's spirit of wisdom and understanding, spirit of counsel and might, spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord, all qualities valued by the writer of 1 Kings. In Chapter 8, verse 23 Solomon begins the prayer by acknowledging God's transcendence and imminence all in one breath. "There is no God like you in heaven above (as God is transcendent) keeping covenant and steadfast love for your servants who walk before you with all their heart (as God is imminent)”. Solomon blessed the people. Then he prayed this prayer. It is long I know but I don’t believe that we hear the Word enough, so listen as Solomon is having a conversation with God.
I don’t know about you, but my prayers have never been that poetic. They may not be that memorable or quite that long. But Solomon’s prayer says some things about God that we say every time we pray, however short or long, plain, or eloquent our prayers. And I believe that if we can add this thought to our prayer life, we will be able to pray heroically.
First when we pray, we are testifying that God is attentive. Twelve times in this prayer, Solomon asks God to hear or listen. Twice he says that God’s eyes are open. He asks God to give attention. The very act of prayer is testimony that God is an attentive God - that he listens, looks, and pays attention. The most significant thing you can do to show you care about someone is to listen to him or her. It’s important to speak - to speak back. That’s important. But people will only feel cared for, valued and important when you are willing to hear what they have to say. If you want children to feel valued, listen to them. If you would like to learn more of Prayer, please join us in our worship on Sunday at 11:00 A.M.
August 11, 2024 SHAPING COMMUNITY
Two weeks ago, we started to meditate on John chapter 6. We learned about what it means to place ourselves in “Gods holy hands”. We also learned the miracle of feeding more than 5000 people with two fish and five loaves of bread, in the end the people did not believe in Jesus Christ. They wanted Jesus to show them another sign. Jesus then suggested that he is the bread of life and that the people should labor for food that endures to everlasting life instead of pursuing things that do not endure. Jesus went on to say that he was the bread that came down from heaven and this Sundays’ gospel passage John 6:35, 41-51tells us that the people did not buy the idea of Jesus being the bread of life.
The scriptures say that they murmured against him, in verse 41, we read “The Jews complained (murmured) about him because he said, “I am the bread of life that came down from heaven”. Gospel writer John simply stated, they did not believe. I am not sure if it is any different today. We have many who fill the pews of Churches all over but not all of them truly believe. Jesus opens his heart and invites anyone who hears him to come and believe in him. To those who believe, he promised eternal life.
We are invited to come, but our coming itself is not entirely our doing. We can never come without help; we need a push; we need someone to edge us along and that someone is God the Father who is continually working hard to move us towards his son. Jesus says “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him or her” – and yet we often think that belief itself is entirely a human decision. Oftentimes we have overemphasized our capacity “to come to Jesus”.
We hear of many who say “I decided to accept Christ” which in a certain sense means that salvation is “our business” – it is our doing and God simply watches in a position of helplessness because the power to make such a decision rests with us. But the fact is that God already made that decision when Jesus died for the sins of the whole world – every single person has been chosen and our response is really limited to the willingness to walk that sacred journey that is often fought with trials and tribulations.
And so, it is fair to conclude that it is only through the grace of God that we come to believe. It is the power of God’s Holy Spirit planted within us that steers us to belief. God calls us. God chooses us before we choose Him – we are chosen before the foundation of the world and adopted as His children. God invites us – the initiative is His and not ours. It is He who knew us and formed us while we were still in our mother’s womb. It is He who has written our names in the palm of His hands.
To His disciples (John 15:16) Jesus said, you did not choose me, but I chose you. Since we claim to be His disciples it is then reasonable to say that Jesus chose us! What an awesome privilege it is to be chosen and adopted as a child of God!
But people who do not understand all of this “murmur” and complain. They fail to understand the infinite love that God has for humankind and so they constantly attack and question the will of God. There are many who will constantly oppose Jesus and while they do that, the enemy will be patting them on the back for a job well done. Jesus came as a King; He came as the son of God, hidden in the flesh of man so that He can befriend us; but Jesus’ lowly birth and social status gave people an opportunity to “talk” and murmur and complain.
If you would like to learn more about Jesus Christ, please join us in our worship at 11:00 AM on Sunday.
Two weeks ago, we started to meditate on John chapter 6. We learned about what it means to place ourselves in “Gods holy hands”. We also learned the miracle of feeding more than 5000 people with two fish and five loaves of bread, in the end the people did not believe in Jesus Christ. They wanted Jesus to show them another sign. Jesus then suggested that he is the bread of life and that the people should labor for food that endures to everlasting life instead of pursuing things that do not endure. Jesus went on to say that he was the bread that came down from heaven and this Sundays’ gospel passage John 6:35, 41-51tells us that the people did not buy the idea of Jesus being the bread of life.
The scriptures say that they murmured against him, in verse 41, we read “The Jews complained (murmured) about him because he said, “I am the bread of life that came down from heaven”. Gospel writer John simply stated, they did not believe. I am not sure if it is any different today. We have many who fill the pews of Churches all over but not all of them truly believe. Jesus opens his heart and invites anyone who hears him to come and believe in him. To those who believe, he promised eternal life.
We are invited to come, but our coming itself is not entirely our doing. We can never come without help; we need a push; we need someone to edge us along and that someone is God the Father who is continually working hard to move us towards his son. Jesus says “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him or her” – and yet we often think that belief itself is entirely a human decision. Oftentimes we have overemphasized our capacity “to come to Jesus”.
We hear of many who say “I decided to accept Christ” which in a certain sense means that salvation is “our business” – it is our doing and God simply watches in a position of helplessness because the power to make such a decision rests with us. But the fact is that God already made that decision when Jesus died for the sins of the whole world – every single person has been chosen and our response is really limited to the willingness to walk that sacred journey that is often fought with trials and tribulations.
And so, it is fair to conclude that it is only through the grace of God that we come to believe. It is the power of God’s Holy Spirit planted within us that steers us to belief. God calls us. God chooses us before we choose Him – we are chosen before the foundation of the world and adopted as His children. God invites us – the initiative is His and not ours. It is He who knew us and formed us while we were still in our mother’s womb. It is He who has written our names in the palm of His hands.
To His disciples (John 15:16) Jesus said, you did not choose me, but I chose you. Since we claim to be His disciples it is then reasonable to say that Jesus chose us! What an awesome privilege it is to be chosen and adopted as a child of God!
But people who do not understand all of this “murmur” and complain. They fail to understand the infinite love that God has for humankind and so they constantly attack and question the will of God. There are many who will constantly oppose Jesus and while they do that, the enemy will be patting them on the back for a job well done. Jesus came as a King; He came as the son of God, hidden in the flesh of man so that He can befriend us; but Jesus’ lowly birth and social status gave people an opportunity to “talk” and murmur and complain.
If you would like to learn more about Jesus Christ, please join us in our worship at 11:00 AM on Sunday.
August 4, 2024. BREAD OF LIFE
Our gospel passage for this Sunday is John 6:24-35. John records that Jesus told a record-breaking crowd in verse 35 "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty”. The text gives us some clues as to the kind of people that left Jesus behind when he preached the “bread of life” sermon. Think about it. Jesus had just fed over 5,000 people with 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread, which we discussed last week.
The very next day, they are asking him for a “sign!” Obviously, the miracle of feeding the 5,000 gave them enough faith to climb in the boats and row all the way across the lake to find Jesus. But the miracle of feeding the multitude was not enough to last until the next morning.
In our text for today, John narrates the crowd questioning Jesus as to how he is going to prove himself to them. They had followed Jesus all the way around the lake, rather than recognizing the fact that they were being offered the solution to a real need, they were asking yet again to have a perceived need. Jesus reminded them of the importance of what he was offering them in his teaching and then continued to teach them rather than meeting their perceived need for food.
When the crowd demanded food, he referred them to the fact that he was pointing them to Spiritual food by his teaching about the things of heaven. When the Jewish listeners were trying to grasp what he was teaching them, he made a historical connection for them by referring to the Manna from Heaven that God provided for the Israelites when they were wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. Again, demonstrating that God met their needs when they needed it. Jesus turned the discussion to things of a spiritual nature, and they asked him to provide “this food” for them. Jesus then told them that he is the bread of life. With a belief in Jesus, they would never be hungry, at least not in things of eternal significance.
How sad it is when we as wayward children put other “needs” ahead of this need for the bread of life made known in the person of Jesus Christ! Jesus Christ is the only real need that we must live a life of eternal blessing, and yet, we go after cars, homes, and all manner of possessions and in the process, neglect the importance of returning thanks to the giver of all good gifts for the only thing that really matters for eternity.
Today we look at Jesus’ words that He is the Bread of Life. What does that mean? The next morning, the crowd that had been fed by Jesus the night before, went to Capernaum in search of Him. When they find Jesus, He says to them; we read in verse 26 “You are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you”.
Our gospel passage for this Sunday is John 6:24-35. John records that Jesus told a record-breaking crowd in verse 35 "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty”. The text gives us some clues as to the kind of people that left Jesus behind when he preached the “bread of life” sermon. Think about it. Jesus had just fed over 5,000 people with 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread, which we discussed last week.
The very next day, they are asking him for a “sign!” Obviously, the miracle of feeding the 5,000 gave them enough faith to climb in the boats and row all the way across the lake to find Jesus. But the miracle of feeding the multitude was not enough to last until the next morning.
In our text for today, John narrates the crowd questioning Jesus as to how he is going to prove himself to them. They had followed Jesus all the way around the lake, rather than recognizing the fact that they were being offered the solution to a real need, they were asking yet again to have a perceived need. Jesus reminded them of the importance of what he was offering them in his teaching and then continued to teach them rather than meeting their perceived need for food.
When the crowd demanded food, he referred them to the fact that he was pointing them to Spiritual food by his teaching about the things of heaven. When the Jewish listeners were trying to grasp what he was teaching them, he made a historical connection for them by referring to the Manna from Heaven that God provided for the Israelites when they were wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. Again, demonstrating that God met their needs when they needed it. Jesus turned the discussion to things of a spiritual nature, and they asked him to provide “this food” for them. Jesus then told them that he is the bread of life. With a belief in Jesus, they would never be hungry, at least not in things of eternal significance.
How sad it is when we as wayward children put other “needs” ahead of this need for the bread of life made known in the person of Jesus Christ! Jesus Christ is the only real need that we must live a life of eternal blessing, and yet, we go after cars, homes, and all manner of possessions and in the process, neglect the importance of returning thanks to the giver of all good gifts for the only thing that really matters for eternity.
Today we look at Jesus’ words that He is the Bread of Life. What does that mean? The next morning, the crowd that had been fed by Jesus the night before, went to Capernaum in search of Him. When they find Jesus, He says to them; we read in verse 26 “You are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you”.
In other words, Jesus tells them not to seek or work for food that spoils but offers them something far better which brings everlasting life. He is telling them to seek eternal salvation over temporary substance. Each of the “I am” statements represent a particular relationship of Jesus to our spiritual needs. Jesus is the light in darkness. He is the gate to security. He is the shepherd that guides and cares for us. In every “I am” statement Jesus reveals another aspect of His love and care for us.
Jesus is saying here that what bread is to the stomach, He is to the soul. All of us in life struggle to find meaning, purpose and worth. That is because God created us to be in relationship with Him but because of sin we are separated. We are not living the life created for us to live. It was St. Augustine who noted that every single person has within them a god-shaped vacuum in their soul. We can and do attempt to fill that cavity with a host of other things, but finally nothing fills our hunger for purpose and significance except Jesus. You will never be truly content in life without Him.
Jesus’ words were intended to lift the listeners from their barren, food-dominated existence to the recognition and acknowledgement of the supreme hunger of life that can only be filled with a different bread. Food and power blind the mind to the need for nourishment and strength of our soul. When Jesus had fed the crowd, none of them had earned the meal they received. It was given to them freely. Now Jesus is offering them a greater gift - eternal life. If you like to learn more, please join us in our worship on Sunday at 11:00 AM.
Jesus is saying here that what bread is to the stomach, He is to the soul. All of us in life struggle to find meaning, purpose and worth. That is because God created us to be in relationship with Him but because of sin we are separated. We are not living the life created for us to live. It was St. Augustine who noted that every single person has within them a god-shaped vacuum in their soul. We can and do attempt to fill that cavity with a host of other things, but finally nothing fills our hunger for purpose and significance except Jesus. You will never be truly content in life without Him.
Jesus’ words were intended to lift the listeners from their barren, food-dominated existence to the recognition and acknowledgement of the supreme hunger of life that can only be filled with a different bread. Food and power blind the mind to the need for nourishment and strength of our soul. When Jesus had fed the crowd, none of them had earned the meal they received. It was given to them freely. Now Jesus is offering them a greater gift - eternal life. If you like to learn more, please join us in our worship on Sunday at 11:00 AM.
August 4, 2024. BREAD OF LIFE
Our gospel passage for this Sunday is John 6:24-35. John records that Jesus told a record-breaking crowd in verse 35 "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty”. The text gives us some clues as to the kind of people that left Jesus behind when he preached the “bread of life” sermon. Think about it. Jesus had just fed over 5,000 people with 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread, which we discussed last week.
The very next day, they are asking him for a “sign!” Obviously, the miracle of feeding the 5,000 gave them enough faith to climb in the boats and row all the way across the lake to find Jesus. But the miracle of feeding the multitude was not enough to last until the next morning.
In our text for today, John narrates the crowd questioning Jesus as to how he is going to prove himself to them. They had followed Jesus all the way around the lake, rather than recognizing the fact that they were being offered the solution to a real need, they were asking yet again to have a perceived need. Jesus reminded them of the importance of what he was offering them in his teaching and then continued to teach them rather than meeting their perceived need for food.
When the crowd demanded food, he referred them to the fact that he was pointing them to Spiritual food by his teaching about the things of heaven. When the Jewish listeners were trying to grasp what he was teaching them, he made a historical connection for them by referring to the Manna from Heaven that God provided for the Israelites when they were wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. Again, demonstrating that God met their needs when they needed it. Jesus turned the discussion to things of a spiritual nature, and they asked him to provide “this food” for them. Jesus then told them that he is the bread of life. With a belief in Jesus, they would never be hungry, at least not in things of eternal significance.
How sad it is when we as wayward children put other “needs” ahead of this need for the bread of life made known in the person of Jesus Christ! Jesus Christ is the only real need that we must live a life of eternal blessing, and yet, we go after cars, homes, and all manner of possessions and in the process, neglect the importance of returning thanks to the giver of all good gifts for the only thing that really matters for eternity.
Today we look at Jesus’ words that He is the Bread of Life. What does that mean? The next morning, the crowd that had been fed by Jesus the night before, went to Capernaum in search of Him. When they find Jesus, He says to them; we read in verse 26 “You are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you”.
In other words, Jesus tells them not to seek or work for food that spoils but offers them something far better which brings everlasting life. He is telling them to seek eternal salvation over temporary substance. Each of the “I am” statements represent a particular relationship of Jesus to our spiritual needs. Jesus is the light in darkness. He is the gate to security. He is the shepherd that guides and cares for us. In every “I am” statement Jesus reveals another aspect of His love and care for us.
Jesus is saying here that what bread is to the stomach, He is to the soul. All of us in life struggle to find meaning, purpose and worth. That is because God created us to be in relationship with Him but because of sin we are separated. We are not living the life created for us to live. It was St. Augustine who noted that every single person has within them a god-shaped vacuum in their soul. We can and do attempt to fill that cavity with a host of other things, but finally nothing fills our hunger for purpose and significance except Jesus. You will never be truly content in life without Him.
Jesus’ words were intended to lift the listeners from their barren, food-dominated existence to the recognition and acknowledgement of the supreme hunger of life that can only be filled with a different bread. Food and power blind the mind to the need for nourishment and strength of our soul. When Jesus had fed the crowd, none of them had earned the meal they received. It was given to them freely. Now Jesus is offering them a greater gift - eternal life. If you like to learn more, please join us in our worship on Sunday at 11:00 AM.
July 28,2024 GOD’S ABUNDANT PRESENCE
Our gospel passage for this Sunday is John 6: 1- 21. John records in this chapter a unique incident in the ministry of our Savior. This event not only confirms the deity of Christ, but also gives us a thrilling insight into the power of Jesus to do the impossible. It is a miracle that was performed not only in the presence of His disciples, but it involves the personal participation of thousands of other people as well. If we examine the miracle, we can only conclude that it is an absolute miracle. It does not involve the alteration of a natural phenomenon. It is not based upon the setting aside of some malignant condition.
In this miracle Jesus does what only a Creator God can do. Jesus in essence brings into existence huge quantities of food that did not exist previously. That is impossible in anyone’s life. Let us ponder upon what is involved in God doing the impossible. Perhaps it would be good for each of us to pause here for a moment and look deeply into our own hearts and ask ourselves just what is the most impossible challenge we face in our Christian life today? As we seriously consider the matter, would it be possible to place the values of that impossibility in the equation of God’s power and possibility, and find a real and lasting solution that is pleasing to God?
The impossible becomes possible when we rely upon our Redeemer. As the story begins, we find the tired and weary followers gathered around Jesus on a mountainside. Looking back through the gospel accounts of earlier events we find that the disciples had been called out and sent forth into all the villages of the surrounding areas. Their mission was to reach into every little corner and spread the message of redemption. They were commissioned to preach the message of repentance and of the arrival of the King and His gospel of the kingdom. They have been through terribly tense and trying times.
Only the Savior can give them what they need at this hour. Jesus looks up and sees this enormous crowd of people coming toward them. If we correlate all the gospel accounts of this event, we can only conclude that there were more than five thousand people spilling over up that mountainside. Imagine the energy they were emitting and the noise they were making!
Just what everyone needs when they are trying to rest and recuperate! The crowd is hungry and there is no ready source of food. Seems there’s nothing within miles of this lonely and barren place. No fast-food outlets. No supermarkets. Not even a convenience store. If there are farmers or householders around with a sufficient supply, the disciples don’t know about it. It truly is an impossible situation!
Jesus' disciples see the impossibility of the situation immediately. What are we going to do now? Is this not all too often the predictable response of those of us who are His followers today as well? It is obvious here that everything is turning out just as our Savior planned. The disciples’ response will be critical, not only for this occasion, but for their own future ministries. From the beginning, He has taught them that He is God in the flesh. He is the Master of every situation. They saw it first evidenced in a miracle of a similar kind at the wedding feast in Cana.
This was is Jesus’s ' perfect opportunity to again turn theory into positive reality by solving this impossible situation with a miracle beyond anyone could imagine. His disciples will now face an acid test. Their response will provide a key for their future. Jesus said unto Phillip, how are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat? And this he said to prove to him: for he himself knew what he would do." The God of the impossible always knows what He is going to do.
If God knows the end from the beginning, oversees all that comes in between and controls the ultimate outcome, why doesn’t He just spare us the stress and strain, relieve us of all the pressure, snatch us right on through and get it all over with quickly? It’s clear that coping with the impossible is a process designed for our benefit. Someone has said that the Christian are like a tea bag; hot water brings out the best in them. Someone else has said Christians are like a steam engine; it works best when under pressure.
Jesus chooses a special person to take the exam first. Why did He choose Phillip? Perhaps it was because Phillip seemed to be one of those, "Seeing is believing," sort of people. Even after this great miracle, he would later say to the Lord, "Just let us see God and we won’t have any more questions." Evidently forgetting he had seen God again and again in Jesus and through the many miracles performed by the Son of God. Yes, Phillip seems to have forgotten that the impossible only becomes possible when we totally rely upon God.
Our gospel passage for this Sunday is John 6: 1- 21. John records in this chapter a unique incident in the ministry of our Savior. This event not only confirms the deity of Christ, but also gives us a thrilling insight into the power of Jesus to do the impossible. It is a miracle that was performed not only in the presence of His disciples, but it involves the personal participation of thousands of other people as well. If we examine the miracle, we can only conclude that it is an absolute miracle. It does not involve the alteration of a natural phenomenon. It is not based upon the setting aside of some malignant condition.
In this miracle Jesus does what only a Creator God can do. Jesus in essence brings into existence huge quantities of food that did not exist previously. That is impossible in anyone’s life. Let us ponder upon what is involved in God doing the impossible. Perhaps it would be good for each of us to pause here for a moment and look deeply into our own hearts and ask ourselves just what is the most impossible challenge we face in our Christian life today? As we seriously consider the matter, would it be possible to place the values of that impossibility in the equation of God’s power and possibility, and find a real and lasting solution that is pleasing to God?
The impossible becomes possible when we rely upon our Redeemer. As the story begins, we find the tired and weary followers gathered around Jesus on a mountainside. Looking back through the gospel accounts of earlier events we find that the disciples had been called out and sent forth into all the villages of the surrounding areas. Their mission was to reach into every little corner and spread the message of redemption. They were commissioned to preach the message of repentance and of the arrival of the King and His gospel of the kingdom. They have been through terribly tense and trying times.
Only the Savior can give them what they need at this hour. Jesus looks up and sees this enormous crowd of people coming toward them. If we correlate all the gospel accounts of this event, we can only conclude that there were more than five thousand people spilling over up that mountainside. Imagine the energy they were emitting and the noise they were making!
Just what everyone needs when they are trying to rest and recuperate! The crowd is hungry and there is no ready source of food. Seems there’s nothing within miles of this lonely and barren place. No fast-food outlets. No supermarkets. Not even a convenience store. If there are farmers or householders around with a sufficient supply, the disciples don’t know about it. It truly is an impossible situation!
Jesus' disciples see the impossibility of the situation immediately. What are we going to do now? Is this not all too often the predictable response of those of us who are His followers today as well? It is obvious here that everything is turning out just as our Savior planned. The disciples’ response will be critical, not only for this occasion, but for their own future ministries. From the beginning, He has taught them that He is God in the flesh. He is the Master of every situation. They saw it first evidenced in a miracle of a similar kind at the wedding feast in Cana.
This was is Jesus’s ' perfect opportunity to again turn theory into positive reality by solving this impossible situation with a miracle beyond anyone could imagine. His disciples will now face an acid test. Their response will provide a key for their future. Jesus said unto Phillip, how are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat? And this he said to prove to him: for he himself knew what he would do." The God of the impossible always knows what He is going to do.
If God knows the end from the beginning, oversees all that comes in between and controls the ultimate outcome, why doesn’t He just spare us the stress and strain, relieve us of all the pressure, snatch us right on through and get it all over with quickly? It’s clear that coping with the impossible is a process designed for our benefit. Someone has said that the Christian are like a tea bag; hot water brings out the best in them. Someone else has said Christians are like a steam engine; it works best when under pressure.
Jesus chooses a special person to take the exam first. Why did He choose Phillip? Perhaps it was because Phillip seemed to be one of those, "Seeing is believing," sort of people. Even after this great miracle, he would later say to the Lord, "Just let us see God and we won’t have any more questions." Evidently forgetting he had seen God again and again in Jesus and through the many miracles performed by the Son of God. Yes, Phillip seems to have forgotten that the impossible only becomes possible when we totally rely upon God.
July 28, 2024 GOD’S ABUNDANT PRESENCE
Our gospel passage for this Sunday is John 6: 1- 21. John records in this chapter a unique incident in the ministry of our Savior. This event not only confirms the deity of Christ, but also gives us a thrilling insight into the power of Jesus to do the impossible. It is a miracle that was performed not only in the presence of His disciples, but it involves the personal participation of thousands of other people as well. If we examine the miracle, we can only conclude that it is an absolute miracle. It does not involve the alteration of a natural phenomenon. It is not based upon the setting aside of some malignant condition.
In this miracle Jesus does what only a Creator God can do. Jesus in essence brings into existence huge quantities of food that did not exist previously. That is impossible in anyone’s life. Let us ponder upon what is involved in God doing the impossible. Perhaps it would be good for each of us to pause here for a moment and look deeply into our own hearts and ask ourselves just what is the most impossible challenge we face in our Christian life today? As we seriously consider the matter, would it be possible to place the values of that impossibility in the equation of God’s power and possibility, and find a real and lasting solution that is pleasing to God?
The impossible becomes possible when we rely upon our Redeemer. As the story begins, we find the tired and weary followers gathered around Jesus on a mountainside. Looking back through the gospel accounts of earlier events we find that the disciples had been called out and sent forth into all the villages of the surrounding areas. Their mission was to reach into every little corner and spread the message of redemption. They were commissioned to preach the message of repentance and of the arrival of the King and His gospel of the kingdom. They have been through terribly tense and trying times.
Only the Savior can give them what they need at this hour. Jesus looks up and sees this enormous crowd of people coming toward them. If we correlate all the gospel accounts of this event, we can only conclude that there were more than five thousand people spilling over up that mountainside. Imagine the energy they were emitting and the noise they were making!
Just what everyone needs when they are trying to rest and recuperate! The crowd is hungry and there is no ready source of food. Seems there’s nothing within miles of this lonely and barren place. No fast-food outlets. No supermarkets. Not even a convenience store. If there are farmers or householders around with a sufficient supply, the disciples don’t know about it. It truly is an impossible situation!
Jesus' disciples see the impossibility of the situation immediately. What are we going to do now? Is this not all too often the predictable response of those of us who are His followers today as well? It is obvious here that everything is turning out just as our Savior planned. The disciples’ response will be critical, not only for this occasion, but for their own future ministries. From the beginning, He has taught them that He is God in the flesh. He is the Master of every situation. They saw it first evidenced in a miracle of a similar kind at the wedding feast in Cana.
This was is Jesus’s ' perfect opportunity to again turn theory into positive reality by solving this impossible situation with a miracle beyond anyone could imagine. His disciples will now face an acid test. Their response will provide a key for their future. Jesus said unto Phillip, how are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat? And this he said to prove to him: for he himself knew what he would do." The God of the impossible always knows what He is going to do.
If God knows the end from the beginning, oversees all that comes in between and controls the ultimate outcome, why doesn’t He just spare us the stress and strain, relieve us of all the pressure, snatch us right on through and get it all over with quickly? It’s clear that coping with the impossible is a process designed for our benefit. Someone has said that the Christian are like a tea bag; hot water brings out the best in them. Someone else has said Christians are like a steam engine; it works best when under pressure.
Jesus chooses a special person to take the exam first. Why did He choose Phillip? Perhaps it was because Phillip seemed to be one of those, "Seeing is believing," sort of people. Even after this great miracle, he would later say to the Lord, "Just let us see God and we won’t have any more questions." Evidently forgetting he had seen God again and again in Jesus and through the many miracles performed by the Son of God. Yes, Phillip seems to have forgotten that the impossible only becomes possible when we totally rely upon God.
Our gospel passage for this Sunday is John 6: 1- 21. John records in this chapter a unique incident in the ministry of our Savior. This event not only confirms the deity of Christ, but also gives us a thrilling insight into the power of Jesus to do the impossible. It is a miracle that was performed not only in the presence of His disciples, but it involves the personal participation of thousands of other people as well. If we examine the miracle, we can only conclude that it is an absolute miracle. It does not involve the alteration of a natural phenomenon. It is not based upon the setting aside of some malignant condition.
In this miracle Jesus does what only a Creator God can do. Jesus in essence brings into existence huge quantities of food that did not exist previously. That is impossible in anyone’s life. Let us ponder upon what is involved in God doing the impossible. Perhaps it would be good for each of us to pause here for a moment and look deeply into our own hearts and ask ourselves just what is the most impossible challenge we face in our Christian life today? As we seriously consider the matter, would it be possible to place the values of that impossibility in the equation of God’s power and possibility, and find a real and lasting solution that is pleasing to God?
The impossible becomes possible when we rely upon our Redeemer. As the story begins, we find the tired and weary followers gathered around Jesus on a mountainside. Looking back through the gospel accounts of earlier events we find that the disciples had been called out and sent forth into all the villages of the surrounding areas. Their mission was to reach into every little corner and spread the message of redemption. They were commissioned to preach the message of repentance and of the arrival of the King and His gospel of the kingdom. They have been through terribly tense and trying times.
Only the Savior can give them what they need at this hour. Jesus looks up and sees this enormous crowd of people coming toward them. If we correlate all the gospel accounts of this event, we can only conclude that there were more than five thousand people spilling over up that mountainside. Imagine the energy they were emitting and the noise they were making!
Just what everyone needs when they are trying to rest and recuperate! The crowd is hungry and there is no ready source of food. Seems there’s nothing within miles of this lonely and barren place. No fast-food outlets. No supermarkets. Not even a convenience store. If there are farmers or householders around with a sufficient supply, the disciples don’t know about it. It truly is an impossible situation!
Jesus' disciples see the impossibility of the situation immediately. What are we going to do now? Is this not all too often the predictable response of those of us who are His followers today as well? It is obvious here that everything is turning out just as our Savior planned. The disciples’ response will be critical, not only for this occasion, but for their own future ministries. From the beginning, He has taught them that He is God in the flesh. He is the Master of every situation. They saw it first evidenced in a miracle of a similar kind at the wedding feast in Cana.
This was is Jesus’s ' perfect opportunity to again turn theory into positive reality by solving this impossible situation with a miracle beyond anyone could imagine. His disciples will now face an acid test. Their response will provide a key for their future. Jesus said unto Phillip, how are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat? And this he said to prove to him: for he himself knew what he would do." The God of the impossible always knows what He is going to do.
If God knows the end from the beginning, oversees all that comes in between and controls the ultimate outcome, why doesn’t He just spare us the stress and strain, relieve us of all the pressure, snatch us right on through and get it all over with quickly? It’s clear that coping with the impossible is a process designed for our benefit. Someone has said that the Christian are like a tea bag; hot water brings out the best in them. Someone else has said Christians are like a steam engine; it works best when under pressure.
Jesus chooses a special person to take the exam first. Why did He choose Phillip? Perhaps it was because Phillip seemed to be one of those, "Seeing is believing," sort of people. Even after this great miracle, he would later say to the Lord, "Just let us see God and we won’t have any more questions." Evidently forgetting he had seen God again and again in Jesus and through the many miracles performed by the Son of God. Yes, Phillip seems to have forgotten that the impossible only becomes possible when we totally rely upon God.
July 21, 2024 WHEREVER YOU ARE
Old Testament Reading for this Sunday is from II Samuel 7:1-14, wherein we learn that King David wanted to build a Temple for God. David has come a long way from being a shepherd boy in Bethlehem and the youngest of eight children of Jesse to being the king of Israel. King David, reunited the northern and southern Kingdoms, established the capital at Jerusalem, and moved the Ark of the Covenant into the city. King David most likely had a great palace, and the scripture tells us that the Lord gave David rest from all his enemies. So, he was at ease.
One day King David looked out of his palace onto the tent that housed the Ark of the Covenant, and he thought, “I need to build a temple for the Lord.” he got really excited about his plan, and probably thought he would be doing a great thing. Of course, he needs the “Prophet’s” permission. King David called prophet Nathan and asked him what he thought of the temple idea. And Nathan the prophet immediately said, “I think it’s great, do what your heart tells you to do”. I mean who would argue with the king? We soon learn that God had other plans. Have you ever had an idea and gotten really excited about something, and passed that excitement along, only to find out later that though it sounds great to you, it’s not quite what God has in mind?
That’s what happened here. That night, God spoke to Nathan, “Today you acted more like a politician than a prophet. You went along with the king’s plan, but you did not take the time to ask me what I thought.” How often in our lives, and maybe even in our ministries, do we think we have it all worked out, or develop a sure-fire plan for our lives or for our day or have a great solution to a problem at hand, and then realize we have not even consulted God about it, or asked and listened for what God wanted us to do?
Someone once said that many Christians are functional atheists: that is, despite believing and worshipping God, they live their everyday lives as if God doesn’t exist. There may be some truth to that in some ways. David learned a lesson about that. See once he got his attention, and in essence, God let Nathan know that he had handled the situation as if God didn’t exist, God gave Nathan a different answer to give to David than what David or Nathan had in mind. The next morning Nathan told David what God really thought about his idea. I imagine David was sad and surprised by the news Nathan brought him. After all, it was a worthy cause, a great idea.
God said, “I’ve never lived in a house. I can’t be contained by any house you build. I am everywhere and can be anywhere I want when I want to.” See, the ark was in a tent, the symbol of nomadic life. Nomads are always on the move, no one controls them; they go where they want when they want. The question is: why did David want to build a temple? Was it out of love and dedication to God or was it that David felt that building a temple in Jerusalem and putting the Ark of the Covenant in the temple would mean, or make the statement that God is always in Jerusalem?
See, our great temptation is that we want to control God. We try to squeeze God into our way of thinking, into our mold, if we will. It is as if some Christians put God in a little box, the box of what they know, how they would react, what they would expect, how they want things to go, or how they would expect something to be handled. Still others treat God as something they can pull out when they need Him and neatly tuck back away when they don’t. Sometimes we claim to have all the truth, that we can always predict and explain what God does and why.
For centuries Christians have fought among themselves claiming that they have the whole truth. These people believe that others who think differently are wrong. John Wesley said that no one has all the truth. That is a big part of our heritage. (Open heart, minds, and doors). See, God is bigger than all of us and then anything we can imagine. How do finite creatures wrap our minds around the infinite? With God there must always be some mystery, or we have fallen into the trap of trying to control God.
Sometimes we, like David, are not even conscious of the fact that we are trying to control God. But you see, God is not like that. God cannot be dictated to by humanity or controlled by humanity. We need to remember that we are created in the image of God when we are tempted to try to make God into our image. If you like to learn more about the Almighty God, please attend our Sunday worship at 11:00 AM.
Peace!
Rev. Dr. Christopher Ponnuraj
Minister
West Center Congregational Church
101 Pondfield Road West
Bronxville, NY 10708
Old Testament Reading for this Sunday is from II Samuel 7:1-14, wherein we learn that King David wanted to build a Temple for God. David has come a long way from being a shepherd boy in Bethlehem and the youngest of eight children of Jesse to being the king of Israel. King David, reunited the northern and southern Kingdoms, established the capital at Jerusalem, and moved the Ark of the Covenant into the city. King David most likely had a great palace, and the scripture tells us that the Lord gave David rest from all his enemies. So, he was at ease.
One day King David looked out of his palace onto the tent that housed the Ark of the Covenant, and he thought, “I need to build a temple for the Lord.” he got really excited about his plan, and probably thought he would be doing a great thing. Of course, he needs the “Prophet’s” permission. King David called prophet Nathan and asked him what he thought of the temple idea. And Nathan the prophet immediately said, “I think it’s great, do what your heart tells you to do”. I mean who would argue with the king? We soon learn that God had other plans. Have you ever had an idea and gotten really excited about something, and passed that excitement along, only to find out later that though it sounds great to you, it’s not quite what God has in mind?
That’s what happened here. That night, God spoke to Nathan, “Today you acted more like a politician than a prophet. You went along with the king’s plan, but you did not take the time to ask me what I thought.” How often in our lives, and maybe even in our ministries, do we think we have it all worked out, or develop a sure-fire plan for our lives or for our day or have a great solution to a problem at hand, and then realize we have not even consulted God about it, or asked and listened for what God wanted us to do?
Someone once said that many Christians are functional atheists: that is, despite believing and worshipping God, they live their everyday lives as if God doesn’t exist. There may be some truth to that in some ways. David learned a lesson about that. See once he got his attention, and in essence, God let Nathan know that he had handled the situation as if God didn’t exist, God gave Nathan a different answer to give to David than what David or Nathan had in mind. The next morning Nathan told David what God really thought about his idea. I imagine David was sad and surprised by the news Nathan brought him. After all, it was a worthy cause, a great idea.
God said, “I’ve never lived in a house. I can’t be contained by any house you build. I am everywhere and can be anywhere I want when I want to.” See, the ark was in a tent, the symbol of nomadic life. Nomads are always on the move, no one controls them; they go where they want when they want. The question is: why did David want to build a temple? Was it out of love and dedication to God or was it that David felt that building a temple in Jerusalem and putting the Ark of the Covenant in the temple would mean, or make the statement that God is always in Jerusalem?
See, our great temptation is that we want to control God. We try to squeeze God into our way of thinking, into our mold, if we will. It is as if some Christians put God in a little box, the box of what they know, how they would react, what they would expect, how they want things to go, or how they would expect something to be handled. Still others treat God as something they can pull out when they need Him and neatly tuck back away when they don’t. Sometimes we claim to have all the truth, that we can always predict and explain what God does and why.
For centuries Christians have fought among themselves claiming that they have the whole truth. These people believe that others who think differently are wrong. John Wesley said that no one has all the truth. That is a big part of our heritage. (Open heart, minds, and doors). See, God is bigger than all of us and then anything we can imagine. How do finite creatures wrap our minds around the infinite? With God there must always be some mystery, or we have fallen into the trap of trying to control God.
Sometimes we, like David, are not even conscious of the fact that we are trying to control God. But you see, God is not like that. God cannot be dictated to by humanity or controlled by humanity. We need to remember that we are created in the image of God when we are tempted to try to make God into our image. If you like to learn more about the Almighty God, please attend our Sunday worship at 11:00 AM.
Peace!
Rev. Dr. Christopher Ponnuraj
Minister
West Center Congregational Church
101 Pondfield Road West
Bronxville, NY 10708
July 14, 2024 GOD INSPIRED JOY
The gospel reading for this Sunday is from St. Mark 6: 14 -29. We hear from this reading that there was pressure in the life of King Herod. We all face pressures in our lives, different kinds of pressures, different degrees, at different stages of our life. For example, from school projects, workload, meeting deadlines, and many others. If you have faith in God, no matter how strong it is, the faith will take away the pressures of your life. In fact, sometimes, being a Christian only increases the pressures we face. We face pressures from people too, from our teachers, from our bosses, even from our friends, committee members and peer pressure as well.
People’s pressure can be most difficult to deal with, far more difficult than pressure from circumstances, schedules or work. We feel compelled to respond because people expect us to do something. How do you respond to the pressure? We cannot run away from them all the time. We must learn to handle it, and yet please God in the process. Herod did not do a good job in handling his pressure. St. Mark is writing in his gospel recalling an event that has taken place to update us on what happened to John the Baptist.
John the Baptist had been beheaded by Herod. Jesus came onto the scene and some thought that he must be John, who had been raised from the dead. Herod felt the same way. For king Herod, it was the cry of a guilty conscience, somehow he felt that John the Baptist was a good prophet of God and yet he killed him.
St. Mark writes this historical sketch, to give us insight into the kinds of pressures, which caused Herod to act against even his own conscience. Apparently, Mark deviated from the regular flow of events to tell us all these details, so that his readers would understand the folly of Herod’s decision and learn from it. As we seek to understand this story, we must keep before us this truth, what happened to Herod can also happen to us today.
Have you ever been pulled or pushed in every direction? Do you allow yourself to be manipulated by the pressures of other people’s expectations and demands? Are you able, during that pressure, to think clearly and make the right decisions? Did you ever end up doing what you would not want to do? Herod felt the pressure. In verse 26 “The king was greatly distressed, but because of his promises and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse the request of his stepdaughter Salome.” People-pressure forced Herod to do what he knew was not right.
We need to beware of Pressure-Pushers. In this story Herodias is a pressure-pusher. She is the wife of Herod’s brother Philip, whom Herod had taken unlawfully and married. John the Baptist confronted Herod: "It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife." That’s why Herodias was not happy, John the Baptist had embarrassed her in verse 19 we read “So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him.” Somehow Herod was unwilling to remove John.
The gospel reading for this Sunday is from St. Mark 6: 14 -29. We hear from this reading that there was pressure in the life of King Herod. We all face pressures in our lives, different kinds of pressures, different degrees, at different stages of our life. For example, from school projects, workload, meeting deadlines, and many others. If you have faith in God, no matter how strong it is, the faith will take away the pressures of your life. In fact, sometimes, being a Christian only increases the pressures we face. We face pressures from people too, from our teachers, from our bosses, even from our friends, committee members and peer pressure as well.
People’s pressure can be most difficult to deal with, far more difficult than pressure from circumstances, schedules or work. We feel compelled to respond because people expect us to do something. How do you respond to the pressure? We cannot run away from them all the time. We must learn to handle it, and yet please God in the process. Herod did not do a good job in handling his pressure. St. Mark is writing in his gospel recalling an event that has taken place to update us on what happened to John the Baptist.
John the Baptist had been beheaded by Herod. Jesus came onto the scene and some thought that he must be John, who had been raised from the dead. Herod felt the same way. For king Herod, it was the cry of a guilty conscience, somehow he felt that John the Baptist was a good prophet of God and yet he killed him.
St. Mark writes this historical sketch, to give us insight into the kinds of pressures, which caused Herod to act against even his own conscience. Apparently, Mark deviated from the regular flow of events to tell us all these details, so that his readers would understand the folly of Herod’s decision and learn from it. As we seek to understand this story, we must keep before us this truth, what happened to Herod can also happen to us today.
Have you ever been pulled or pushed in every direction? Do you allow yourself to be manipulated by the pressures of other people’s expectations and demands? Are you able, during that pressure, to think clearly and make the right decisions? Did you ever end up doing what you would not want to do? Herod felt the pressure. In verse 26 “The king was greatly distressed, but because of his promises and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse the request of his stepdaughter Salome.” People-pressure forced Herod to do what he knew was not right.
We need to beware of Pressure-Pushers. In this story Herodias is a pressure-pusher. She is the wife of Herod’s brother Philip, whom Herod had taken unlawfully and married. John the Baptist confronted Herod: "It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife." That’s why Herodias was not happy, John the Baptist had embarrassed her in verse 19 we read “So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him.” Somehow Herod was unwilling to remove John.
July 7, 2024 SEND WITH POWERS
When I recollect how God called me into the ministry. I struggled with the call for a long time. I went back and forth in my mind. It was not an easy decision that we as a family made to accept the call. The thing is, we must come to a point where we either embrace the call of God or we turn our back on Him. God is like a coach. We can either embrace the training schedule he has for us, or we can forget Him and walk away. We sometimes want only the blessings of God without the discipline that goes along with it.
The first thing that comes to my mind is the call of God has power. When we submit to God’s will we have power from him. We can see God’s power exercised in our life. It is unmistakable. We can conquer strongholds with God’s power. What are the strongholds we face? What impossible obstacles lay in our way in accomplishing the will and call of God in our life? Have we ever seen God move in a supernatural way in our life? One thing is clear, God calls us. Others recognize the call of God in our lives. The call of God has power.
The question for us today is God calling you to do something? God may be calling you to deepen your broken relationship with Him. God may be calling you for greater service for Him. God’s call on our lives is as real today as it ever has been. Listen to God. Our choice is clear. Either we can listen to His call for us, or we can turn our back on Him. We can have the assurance that we are following the call of God in our life.
From the gospel reading for this Sunday, St. Mark 6:1-13, Jesus is teaching his disciples how to do the work of God's ministry. Jesus is saying, you have watched me preach. You have seen me do healings. You have observed me driving out demons. You have watched me love people that have never been loved before. You have seen me do the things that a servant of God would normally do. Now it’s time for YOU to do it! It’s time for YOU to get some experience!"
First, he gives them a model for the ministry. In verse six we read that "Jesus went around teaching from village to village." What is very important to note is that Jesus leads them by example? Before he tells the disciples to go out there and do the work of the ministry, he was out there doing it first! Jesus didn’t hide up in heaven and tell us what to do from a distance. He came down here and SHOWED us what to do! And notice that Jesus doesn’t wait around for the villagers to come to Him. He left Nazareth and went to them! I think there’s a lesson here
In Christian circles, we talk a lot about getting people to come to our church. But we don’t talk enough about getting our church to go to the people. That’s what Jesus is talking about here! He does not say, "Wait in the sanctuary, and pray for people to come in and fill the pews." He is saying, "I want the people in the pews to go to them!" I am convinced that most of the ministry that God calls us to do is outside the church. It happens when we reach out with God’s word to the people in our own neighborhood. When we teach our kids right from wrong. When we discuss Bible stories around the dinner table. When we reach out in Christian friendship to coworkers that God has placed in our lives. Reaching out with the love of God beyond the walls of the church building. That’s our model for ministry.
The second thing that Jesus gives us is Companionship for ministry. In verse 7, we read "Calling the Twelve to him, he sent them out two by two." It was customary in both Jewish and Greek culture to send messengers in groups of two. The bottom line is that God never intended you and I to do the work of the ministry by ourselves. We need help! We need encouragement! I pity the person who thinks they can do God’s work all by themselves. Because when they fail miserably, there will be no one there to console them. No one to help them up. Before you try anything new for the Lord, I want you to pray to God that he will send someone who will pray for you and work with you and love you. Don’t try to do everything by yourself. We must get some help. If you would like to learn more about God's call please join us in our Sunday worship at 11:00 AM.
When I recollect how God called me into the ministry. I struggled with the call for a long time. I went back and forth in my mind. It was not an easy decision that we as a family made to accept the call. The thing is, we must come to a point where we either embrace the call of God or we turn our back on Him. God is like a coach. We can either embrace the training schedule he has for us, or we can forget Him and walk away. We sometimes want only the blessings of God without the discipline that goes along with it.
The first thing that comes to my mind is the call of God has power. When we submit to God’s will we have power from him. We can see God’s power exercised in our life. It is unmistakable. We can conquer strongholds with God’s power. What are the strongholds we face? What impossible obstacles lay in our way in accomplishing the will and call of God in our life? Have we ever seen God move in a supernatural way in our life? One thing is clear, God calls us. Others recognize the call of God in our lives. The call of God has power.
The question for us today is God calling you to do something? God may be calling you to deepen your broken relationship with Him. God may be calling you for greater service for Him. God’s call on our lives is as real today as it ever has been. Listen to God. Our choice is clear. Either we can listen to His call for us, or we can turn our back on Him. We can have the assurance that we are following the call of God in our life.
From the gospel reading for this Sunday, St. Mark 6:1-13, Jesus is teaching his disciples how to do the work of God's ministry. Jesus is saying, you have watched me preach. You have seen me do healings. You have observed me driving out demons. You have watched me love people that have never been loved before. You have seen me do the things that a servant of God would normally do. Now it’s time for YOU to do it! It’s time for YOU to get some experience!"
First, he gives them a model for the ministry. In verse six we read that "Jesus went around teaching from village to village." What is very important to note is that Jesus leads them by example? Before he tells the disciples to go out there and do the work of the ministry, he was out there doing it first! Jesus didn’t hide up in heaven and tell us what to do from a distance. He came down here and SHOWED us what to do! And notice that Jesus doesn’t wait around for the villagers to come to Him. He left Nazareth and went to them! I think there’s a lesson here
In Christian circles, we talk a lot about getting people to come to our church. But we don’t talk enough about getting our church to go to the people. That’s what Jesus is talking about here! He does not say, "Wait in the sanctuary, and pray for people to come in and fill the pews." He is saying, "I want the people in the pews to go to them!" I am convinced that most of the ministry that God calls us to do is outside the church. It happens when we reach out with God’s word to the people in our own neighborhood. When we teach our kids right from wrong. When we discuss Bible stories around the dinner table. When we reach out in Christian friendship to coworkers that God has placed in our lives. Reaching out with the love of God beyond the walls of the church building. That’s our model for ministry.
The second thing that Jesus gives us is Companionship for ministry. In verse 7, we read "Calling the Twelve to him, he sent them out two by two." It was customary in both Jewish and Greek culture to send messengers in groups of two. The bottom line is that God never intended you and I to do the work of the ministry by ourselves. We need help! We need encouragement! I pity the person who thinks they can do God’s work all by themselves. Because when they fail miserably, there will be no one there to console them. No one to help them up. Before you try anything new for the Lord, I want you to pray to God that he will send someone who will pray for you and work with you and love you. Don’t try to do everything by yourself. We must get some help. If you would like to learn more about God's call please join us in our Sunday worship at 11:00 AM.
June 30, 2024 HEALING POWERS
Our gospel reading for this Sunday is St. Mark 5: 21- 43. The story begins with a request by Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, for Jesus to heal his daughter. Jesus with his disciples decided to go to Jairus’s house. On their way a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages interrupted them. While dealing with this sick woman, the word came to Jairus that his daughter had died. The rest of the passage deals with Jesus raising Jairus’ daughter from the dead.
First, the woman who has no name mentioned in this passage had been suffering from hemorrhage for more than twelve years. In fact, this woman didn't know what to do. She did not know where to turn. Everybody suggested a different remedy, but none of it worked. She visited many physicians, but none of them could heal her. As time passed, her sickness grew worse. When she heard Jesus was coming to town, she pushed her way through the crowd and touched his clothes, thinking to herself, if I touch his clothes I will be made well. We read in St. Mark chapter 3, verse 10, “for he had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed around him to touch him” (ESV).
Under Jewish law, this woman was “untouchable,” cut off from the rest of society. She couldn’t marry, or if she was married, her husband would divorce her on these grounds. She couldn’t go to the temple to worship. She couldn’t socialize. She was an outcast. According to Leviticus, anything, or anybody she touched would be considered “unclean”. If touched, that person must wash their clothes, take a bath, and would be considered “unclean” until the evening. She infects everyone and everything she touches. She had lived in isolation for 12 long years.
Everybody has “issues”. For this woman, it was an “issue” of blood. You may have some unresolved “issues” in your life. It may be a physical issue that the doctors haven’t been able to resolve. It may be a financial issue that you feel overwhelmed and burdened. It may be a social issue that you are dealing with problems with your family or friends. Or it might be a spiritual issue that you have some sin problems that are weighing you down.
Everybody has “issues” … and, maybe this has been going on for a long time. This woman found relief when she fell at the feet of Jesus. That’s a good starting place to find relief, at the feet of Jesus. She came and fell before Him and told Him the whole truth. Remember when we come to Jesus, we must tell Him the whole truth.
This woman was condemned by religious law to a feeling, a belief. She was condemned to believe that she was soiled and unworthy. Not only was she unclean, but anything she touched was unclean. This meant it was her responsibility not to contaminate others. And we know that this was the way she felt because the text says that when she had to identify herself as the one who touched Jesus, she "came in fear and trembling." She knew she was unclean, and she had hoped nobody would notice her. She knew that by touching the hem of Jesus' garment he would make her clean.
The story leaves no doubt about how she felt. She knew that now Jesus would have to observe some washing rituals to purify himself. Can you imagine the state of mind of this person? She had indeed internalized the condemnation of her society and her religion. She had been socialized to think of herself as dirty, as soiled, and as filthy.
I want us to think about this. Socialization is such a strong force in our lives. Even if we know differently "intellectually," we often act the way we have been socialized. Why? Because the process of socialization convinces us that what society says, what society has as a rule or custom, that is what is normal. If we think differently, if we act differently, we are deviants, we are abnormal. There is something wrong with us, sometimes we become inferior because of our thinking and action.
It is against this social norm that this courageous woman must act. What gave her the courage to act? What pushed her to go ahead and touch the hem of Jesus' garment despite her feelings of uncleanness? It is her positive thinking that she will be made well and when Jesus encountered her, she told the whole truth about all her problems and the reason she touched the hem of his garment. In return Jesus said “daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your disease”.
Our gospel reading for this Sunday is St. Mark 5: 21- 43. The story begins with a request by Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, for Jesus to heal his daughter. Jesus with his disciples decided to go to Jairus’s house. On their way a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages interrupted them. While dealing with this sick woman, the word came to Jairus that his daughter had died. The rest of the passage deals with Jesus raising Jairus’ daughter from the dead.
First, the woman who has no name mentioned in this passage had been suffering from hemorrhage for more than twelve years. In fact, this woman didn't know what to do. She did not know where to turn. Everybody suggested a different remedy, but none of it worked. She visited many physicians, but none of them could heal her. As time passed, her sickness grew worse. When she heard Jesus was coming to town, she pushed her way through the crowd and touched his clothes, thinking to herself, if I touch his clothes I will be made well. We read in St. Mark chapter 3, verse 10, “for he had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed around him to touch him” (ESV).
Under Jewish law, this woman was “untouchable,” cut off from the rest of society. She couldn’t marry, or if she was married, her husband would divorce her on these grounds. She couldn’t go to the temple to worship. She couldn’t socialize. She was an outcast. According to Leviticus, anything, or anybody she touched would be considered “unclean”. If touched, that person must wash their clothes, take a bath, and would be considered “unclean” until the evening. She infects everyone and everything she touches. She had lived in isolation for 12 long years.
Everybody has “issues”. For this woman, it was an “issue” of blood. You may have some unresolved “issues” in your life. It may be a physical issue that the doctors haven’t been able to resolve. It may be a financial issue that you feel overwhelmed and burdened. It may be a social issue that you are dealing with problems with your family or friends. Or it might be a spiritual issue that you have some sin problems that are weighing you down.
Everybody has “issues” … and, maybe this has been going on for a long time. This woman found relief when she fell at the feet of Jesus. That’s a good starting place to find relief, at the feet of Jesus. She came and fell before Him and told Him the whole truth. Remember when we come to Jesus, we must tell Him the whole truth.
This woman was condemned by religious law to a feeling, a belief. She was condemned to believe that she was soiled and unworthy. Not only was she unclean, but anything she touched was unclean. This meant it was her responsibility not to contaminate others. And we know that this was the way she felt because the text says that when she had to identify herself as the one who touched Jesus, she "came in fear and trembling." She knew she was unclean, and she had hoped nobody would notice her. She knew that by touching the hem of Jesus' garment he would make her clean.
The story leaves no doubt about how she felt. She knew that now Jesus would have to observe some washing rituals to purify himself. Can you imagine the state of mind of this person? She had indeed internalized the condemnation of her society and her religion. She had been socialized to think of herself as dirty, as soiled, and as filthy.
I want us to think about this. Socialization is such a strong force in our lives. Even if we know differently "intellectually," we often act the way we have been socialized. Why? Because the process of socialization convinces us that what society says, what society has as a rule or custom, that is what is normal. If we think differently, if we act differently, we are deviants, we are abnormal. There is something wrong with us, sometimes we become inferior because of our thinking and action.
It is against this social norm that this courageous woman must act. What gave her the courage to act? What pushed her to go ahead and touch the hem of Jesus' garment despite her feelings of uncleanness? It is her positive thinking that she will be made well and when Jesus encountered her, she told the whole truth about all her problems and the reason she touched the hem of his garment. In return Jesus said “daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your disease”.
June 23, 2024. PUSHING THE BOAT OUT
The gospel text for this Sunday St. Mark 4:35-41, we read about Jesus doing what human beings cannot. We see Him make the list of engineering feats. He controls the water and waves, and does so with just two, little, simple words. Our gospel reading takes place on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus has just finished a period of teaching when He decides to leave the crowd and, along with His disciples, go across to the other side. There was a small fleet of boats accompanying them. As they were making this journey we are told that a great windstorm arose.
This morning, we will look at this miracle, and see what it means for our lives. This would not have just been a bit of rough water. Few years back Vatsala and I were in a boat on the sea of Galilee. That was an awesome and wonderful experience!
The Sea of Galilee is about 696 feet, below sea level, it is about fourteen miles long and about seven miles wide. It is shaped like a harp. On any given night, it should have taken the disciples about three hours to sail or row across the lake resulting in violent downdrafts and sudden storms. It would have hit suddenly, and it would have hit hard. Calm sea could be whipped up into ferocious waves by fierce winds within minutes. It comes as absolutely no surprise then that the passage tells us that waves were breaking into the boat to the extent that it was quickly filling with water. This would have seemed like a hopeless situation. It would have been panic, chaos and terror aboard those boats. Men running about desperately trying to do whatever they could to try and keep their vessels afloat. The disciples would have been convinced that this was the end.
During this scene of devastation, the disciples come to find that Jesus is asleep! This would have seemed absurd and shocking in this situation. How could someone sleep amidst this chaos? How could someone sleep knowing that they were likely about to die? It gives a glimpse into Jesus’s character and who He was. It shows us that He had no fear of the wind and the waves. He knew who He was, and He knew that the storm was no threat to Him. The disciples do not have this confidence and they ask Him ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’
We can look at this question from two angles. On one hand, it seems like a completely natural and plausible question to ask in this situation. They would have wondered why He wasn’t helping them during this desperate situation. But then, on the other hand, we remember that this man is Jesus. The disciples have spent time with Him, listened to His groundbreaking teaching and have seen Him perform miracles of healing. What we see playing out here, is that their fear of perishing is greater than their confidence in the presence of Jesus.
It’s at this point that Jesus gets up and we’re told that He rebukes the wind and says to the sea ‘Peace, be still’. And suddenly, the wind and the waves which only moments earlier were raging to a terrifying extent, stop and are replaced with what we are told is a great calm. What we witness here is Jesus displaying His divine power over the forces of nature. He then turns to His disciples and rebukes them. He says ‘Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?’ Why did He say this? He said this because faith is the ultimate antidote to fear. Jesus is expecting that as they put their faith in Him, they will cease to fear the threats of the world. This whole event, we’re told, caused them to ask themselves the question ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?’
The questions for us to ask now are what does this mean for me, right here, this morning? How is this relevant to my life? Life is stormy. We never know what is ahead. We have all experienced pain, fear and loss. We’ve all been in those situations where we wonder where Jesus is during it all. Through this passage, God is speaking directly into those situations today. The disciples asked, ‘who is this man?’ The quick answer, of course, well He was Jesus, the Son of God. But to get the full answer we need to rewind back to the very beginning and connect in with the overarching story of the whole Bible. So here it is, in brief: Since before the beginning of time itself, God knew each of us and He loved each of us more than we can ever comprehend, and He has a plan for our lives.
The gospel text for this Sunday St. Mark 4:35-41, we read about Jesus doing what human beings cannot. We see Him make the list of engineering feats. He controls the water and waves, and does so with just two, little, simple words. Our gospel reading takes place on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus has just finished a period of teaching when He decides to leave the crowd and, along with His disciples, go across to the other side. There was a small fleet of boats accompanying them. As they were making this journey we are told that a great windstorm arose.
This morning, we will look at this miracle, and see what it means for our lives. This would not have just been a bit of rough water. Few years back Vatsala and I were in a boat on the sea of Galilee. That was an awesome and wonderful experience!
The Sea of Galilee is about 696 feet, below sea level, it is about fourteen miles long and about seven miles wide. It is shaped like a harp. On any given night, it should have taken the disciples about three hours to sail or row across the lake resulting in violent downdrafts and sudden storms. It would have hit suddenly, and it would have hit hard. Calm sea could be whipped up into ferocious waves by fierce winds within minutes. It comes as absolutely no surprise then that the passage tells us that waves were breaking into the boat to the extent that it was quickly filling with water. This would have seemed like a hopeless situation. It would have been panic, chaos and terror aboard those boats. Men running about desperately trying to do whatever they could to try and keep their vessels afloat. The disciples would have been convinced that this was the end.
During this scene of devastation, the disciples come to find that Jesus is asleep! This would have seemed absurd and shocking in this situation. How could someone sleep amidst this chaos? How could someone sleep knowing that they were likely about to die? It gives a glimpse into Jesus’s character and who He was. It shows us that He had no fear of the wind and the waves. He knew who He was, and He knew that the storm was no threat to Him. The disciples do not have this confidence and they ask Him ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’
We can look at this question from two angles. On one hand, it seems like a completely natural and plausible question to ask in this situation. They would have wondered why He wasn’t helping them during this desperate situation. But then, on the other hand, we remember that this man is Jesus. The disciples have spent time with Him, listened to His groundbreaking teaching and have seen Him perform miracles of healing. What we see playing out here, is that their fear of perishing is greater than their confidence in the presence of Jesus.
It’s at this point that Jesus gets up and we’re told that He rebukes the wind and says to the sea ‘Peace, be still’. And suddenly, the wind and the waves which only moments earlier were raging to a terrifying extent, stop and are replaced with what we are told is a great calm. What we witness here is Jesus displaying His divine power over the forces of nature. He then turns to His disciples and rebukes them. He says ‘Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?’ Why did He say this? He said this because faith is the ultimate antidote to fear. Jesus is expecting that as they put their faith in Him, they will cease to fear the threats of the world. This whole event, we’re told, caused them to ask themselves the question ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?’
The questions for us to ask now are what does this mean for me, right here, this morning? How is this relevant to my life? Life is stormy. We never know what is ahead. We have all experienced pain, fear and loss. We’ve all been in those situations where we wonder where Jesus is during it all. Through this passage, God is speaking directly into those situations today. The disciples asked, ‘who is this man?’ The quick answer, of course, well He was Jesus, the Son of God. But to get the full answer we need to rewind back to the very beginning and connect in with the overarching story of the whole Bible. So here it is, in brief: Since before the beginning of time itself, God knew each of us and He loved each of us more than we can ever comprehend, and He has a plan for our lives.
2024
Short Sermons
June 16, 2024. FLOURISHING
Happy Father’s Day.
Many Christians are fascinated with the life story of King David, and I am one of them. I like to focus my thoughts for this Sunday on the first reading. The first reading for this Sunday is taken from form I Samuel 15: 34 -16:13. The passage opens with God reminding Samuel of the fact that He has rejected Saul as the king of Israel. As a result of Saul’s rebellion, God chooses a new king to rule over Israel. He chooses a young man named David. When God chooses David, He chooses an unlikely candidate for such a lofty and powerful office. In God’s choice of David as a king, we see something of the process God uses when He would choose someone to work for Him.
Today, we will be learning upon how God Chooses His servant-Leader David. There are few things I would like to highlight: God's choices are Sovereign, God’s Choice are Surprising, and God’s choices are specific. It may be that God has His hand on someone this morning in this sanctuary. It may be that He is about to choose someone from our gathering this morning to work for Him. I know He is looking for such people this morning.
First, God’s choices are Sovereign. It is against the backdrop of rebellion and rejection that God begins the process of choosing a new king for Israel. He was ready to raise up a new king and the people had been made ready to accept a new king. God worked behind the scenes during those difficult days in Israel’s history to prepare the way for His plan to be fulfilled. Samuel is told where to go to find the new king. It appears that the Lord had been arranging everything to bring His chosen king into the world at precisely the right moment in history. For me there are no accidents in life! Everything that occurs is part of a larger plan. God is working, often behind the scenes; in ways that we cannot comprehend, to accomplish His plans and His purposes.
Thank God for the truth that God is in absolute control! God is well able to bring His plan to pass. He will never propose a plan that He is not able to accomplish! Whether it is a plan to raise up a shepherd boy and make him a king, or whether it is a plan to work out His will in your life; He is well able to see it through. God’s sovereign choices extend to every area of life. I do not presume to understand it all, but I believe the Bible teaches us that God is in the business of working out all things according to His will and bringing His eternal purposes to pass in time. Some people are bothered by the notion that God is in absolute control of all of life. However, I find it very comforting! I know that nothing can happen unless God ordains it. Thank God for His sovereign choices!
The second is that God's choices are Surprising. Samuel is set to Bethlehem to anoint the new king. When Samuel arrives there, at Jesse’s house, Samuel commands Jesse to gather his sons. They come before the prophet Samuel and pass before him one by one. It is in this process that God makes known His choice for king. But, His choices, while they are sovereign, also carry with them some real surprises. The first of Jesse’s sons passes before Samuel, and on seeing his sons Samuel thinks that he is surely the chosen one. But, God says, “I have refused him.” The word “refuse” simply means to “reject, God tells Samuel that He does not look at the physical attributes of a man. God looks at the character of a man’s heart.
Before Saul ever ceased being King, God had already determined to raise up a man with the right kind of heart. You see, as the sons of Jesse stood there that day, what Samuel could not see was the condition of their hearts. After the seven sons of Jesse have passed before Samuel and all have been rejected by God, Samuel finds out that there is another son. He is the youngest and he is said to be with the sheep. He is so insignificant within the family that he is not even summoned with the rest of the boys, but he is left out of the feast and the sacrifice. He is out there doing the job of a humble servant.
In fact, when he is mentioned by his father, he is not even called by his name; he is simply called “the youngest.” When he walks in, Samuel sees a handsome, young man; bright-eyed. God tells Samuel to anoint this one, for this is him! The one rejected and passed over by the others is the very one picked by the Lord! No doubt Jesse and his sons were all amazed as they watched the ancient prophet hobble over to young David and pour the anointing oil on his head.
Happy Father’s Day.
Many Christians are fascinated with the life story of King David, and I am one of them. I like to focus my thoughts for this Sunday on the first reading. The first reading for this Sunday is taken from form I Samuel 15: 34 -16:13. The passage opens with God reminding Samuel of the fact that He has rejected Saul as the king of Israel. As a result of Saul’s rebellion, God chooses a new king to rule over Israel. He chooses a young man named David. When God chooses David, He chooses an unlikely candidate for such a lofty and powerful office. In God’s choice of David as a king, we see something of the process God uses when He would choose someone to work for Him.
Today, we will be learning upon how God Chooses His servant-Leader David. There are few things I would like to highlight: God's choices are Sovereign, God’s Choice are Surprising, and God’s choices are specific. It may be that God has His hand on someone this morning in this sanctuary. It may be that He is about to choose someone from our gathering this morning to work for Him. I know He is looking for such people this morning.
First, God’s choices are Sovereign. It is against the backdrop of rebellion and rejection that God begins the process of choosing a new king for Israel. He was ready to raise up a new king and the people had been made ready to accept a new king. God worked behind the scenes during those difficult days in Israel’s history to prepare the way for His plan to be fulfilled. Samuel is told where to go to find the new king. It appears that the Lord had been arranging everything to bring His chosen king into the world at precisely the right moment in history. For me there are no accidents in life! Everything that occurs is part of a larger plan. God is working, often behind the scenes; in ways that we cannot comprehend, to accomplish His plans and His purposes.
Thank God for the truth that God is in absolute control! God is well able to bring His plan to pass. He will never propose a plan that He is not able to accomplish! Whether it is a plan to raise up a shepherd boy and make him a king, or whether it is a plan to work out His will in your life; He is well able to see it through. God’s sovereign choices extend to every area of life. I do not presume to understand it all, but I believe the Bible teaches us that God is in the business of working out all things according to His will and bringing His eternal purposes to pass in time. Some people are bothered by the notion that God is in absolute control of all of life. However, I find it very comforting! I know that nothing can happen unless God ordains it. Thank God for His sovereign choices!
The second is that God's choices are Surprising. Samuel is set to Bethlehem to anoint the new king. When Samuel arrives there, at Jesse’s house, Samuel commands Jesse to gather his sons. They come before the prophet Samuel and pass before him one by one. It is in this process that God makes known His choice for king. But, His choices, while they are sovereign, also carry with them some real surprises. The first of Jesse’s sons passes before Samuel, and on seeing his sons Samuel thinks that he is surely the chosen one. But, God says, “I have refused him.” The word “refuse” simply means to “reject, God tells Samuel that He does not look at the physical attributes of a man. God looks at the character of a man’s heart.
Before Saul ever ceased being King, God had already determined to raise up a man with the right kind of heart. You see, as the sons of Jesse stood there that day, what Samuel could not see was the condition of their hearts. After the seven sons of Jesse have passed before Samuel and all have been rejected by God, Samuel finds out that there is another son. He is the youngest and he is said to be with the sheep. He is so insignificant within the family that he is not even summoned with the rest of the boys, but he is left out of the feast and the sacrifice. He is out there doing the job of a humble servant.
In fact, when he is mentioned by his father, he is not even called by his name; he is simply called “the youngest.” When he walks in, Samuel sees a handsome, young man; bright-eyed. God tells Samuel to anoint this one, for this is him! The one rejected and passed over by the others is the very one picked by the Lord! No doubt Jesse and his sons were all amazed as they watched the ancient prophet hobble over to young David and pour the anointing oil on his head.
May 19,2024 SPIRIT FOR ALL
This Sunday is Pentecost Sunday. Pentecost is the story of the Holy Spirit breathing a movement into the life of the disciples. On this day of the year, we celebrate how the church began. Here’s what happened in the history and development of the church: The disciples had gathered in Jerusalem. Jesus had instructed them not to leave Jerusalem, to wait for the gift that the Father had promised. So, the disciples waited.
It was now 50 days since Passover, and it was the custom of the Jewish tradition to celebrate two important things at this time of the year. The first is the fruits of the Harvest and the other is giving of the Law. They called it the Harvest of Weeks. The disciples find themselves surrounded by travelers from all over the world. It is Jewish custom that every male Jew had to come back home to participate in this agricultural and religious Festivals. Some had come from Europe, some from Asia, and some from Africa. Many different nationalities and languages could be seen in the marketplaces.
The Gift that the Father had promised came like a mighty rushing wind and flames of fire the disciples were filled with and engulfed by the Holy Spirit. They began to speak to everyone about what Jesus had done. Peter stood up amidst throngs of people in the street and said, "Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, but you with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to a cross. “But God” raised him from the dead, and we all are witnesses of this fact. Exalted to the right hand of God he has poured out the Holy Spirit upon us. Therefore, let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." View the entire short sermon.
This Sunday is Pentecost Sunday. Pentecost is the story of the Holy Spirit breathing a movement into the life of the disciples. On this day of the year, we celebrate how the church began. Here’s what happened in the history and development of the church: The disciples had gathered in Jerusalem. Jesus had instructed them not to leave Jerusalem, to wait for the gift that the Father had promised. So, the disciples waited.
It was now 50 days since Passover, and it was the custom of the Jewish tradition to celebrate two important things at this time of the year. The first is the fruits of the Harvest and the other is giving of the Law. They called it the Harvest of Weeks. The disciples find themselves surrounded by travelers from all over the world. It is Jewish custom that every male Jew had to come back home to participate in this agricultural and religious Festivals. Some had come from Europe, some from Asia, and some from Africa. Many different nationalities and languages could be seen in the marketplaces.
The Gift that the Father had promised came like a mighty rushing wind and flames of fire the disciples were filled with and engulfed by the Holy Spirit. They began to speak to everyone about what Jesus had done. Peter stood up amidst throngs of people in the street and said, "Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, but you with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to a cross. “But God” raised him from the dead, and we all are witnesses of this fact. Exalted to the right hand of God he has poured out the Holy Spirit upon us. Therefore, let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." View the entire short sermon.
May 12, 2024 GUIDED IN PRAYER
Happy Mother's Day!
The gospel reading for this Sunday St. John 17: 6-19, explains to us about the prayer of Jesus. One of the most encouraging experiences as a Christian is to be prayed for by someone else and not only prayed for but prayed with. When someone prays for you in your presence, something special happens in your heart: you feel warmed and encouraged. You will feel the sense of intimacy, both between the person praying for you and you, and between God and you. It’s like you are knocking on heaven’s doors together. Prayer is one of the best ways to build relationships between Christians and one of the surest ways of ensuring unity in the church. When people are praying together there is always unity.
Jesus prays for us. Paul writes to Romans 8:34 says something very similar: “It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us.” If you have had the experience of someone praying with you, of having someone, bringing your concerns and needs before God, I invite you now to imagine Jesus doing exactly that.
In the gospel passage for this Sunday, which also explains Jesus’ final moments with his disciples before being arrested, Jesus prays for his disciples. Knowing that he will be leaving them, praying for them is the best way to prepare them. This prayer is a famous prayer called the high priestly prayer. Jesus prays for us, and we should pray for each other and pray for the revival of our church. View the entire short sermon.
Happy Mother's Day!
The gospel reading for this Sunday St. John 17: 6-19, explains to us about the prayer of Jesus. One of the most encouraging experiences as a Christian is to be prayed for by someone else and not only prayed for but prayed with. When someone prays for you in your presence, something special happens in your heart: you feel warmed and encouraged. You will feel the sense of intimacy, both between the person praying for you and you, and between God and you. It’s like you are knocking on heaven’s doors together. Prayer is one of the best ways to build relationships between Christians and one of the surest ways of ensuring unity in the church. When people are praying together there is always unity.
Jesus prays for us. Paul writes to Romans 8:34 says something very similar: “It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us.” If you have had the experience of someone praying with you, of having someone, bringing your concerns and needs before God, I invite you now to imagine Jesus doing exactly that.
In the gospel passage for this Sunday, which also explains Jesus’ final moments with his disciples before being arrested, Jesus prays for his disciples. Knowing that he will be leaving them, praying for them is the best way to prepare them. This prayer is a famous prayer called the high priestly prayer. Jesus prays for us, and we should pray for each other and pray for the revival of our church. View the entire short sermon.
May 5, 2025 FRIENDS TOGETHER
In our gospel passage this morning St. John 15:9-17, the writer John is helping us to understand the relationship between the servant and friend. For Jesus said in verse 15 “I do not call you servants any longer, but I have called you friends.” Does this mean something like a close friend who sits next to us in the church or our neighbor and our coworker or our employer. Jesus chose to change our relationship with us from servitude to friendship.
Jesus is the one in whom we can confide as he confides in us, that there is mutuality and equality, laughter and joy, trust and companionship, just like in our human relationship. Let us look at what a servant is and what a friend is? Jesus said, “I do not call you servants any longer.” The Greek word used here for servant is “douloi” which means servant or bondsman or slave. Servant sounds better than the word slave. There was slavery in the ancient world, Greek law defined slaves as “living tool” and the purpose of a slave is to work. The slave was not free to refuse the tasks, but required to do whatever the master willed.
The basis of the relationship between a master and a servant was work. When orders were given obedience was expected without even knowing the master’s intentions. The Bible gives a completely different view. Biblical characters of great honor were named as servants of God. In Deuteronomy 34:35 Moses was called servant of God. In the book of Joshua 24:29 Joshua was mentioned as the servant of God. In Psalm 89:20 we read David as a servant of God. All lived as servants or slaves of God, in that they did what God had told them to do. In most of the cases we see that they were obedient to God’s word and their goal was to fulfill God’s will.
Like slaves they accepted and followed their masters’ instructions, doing what he told them to do and accomplishing the work set before them. Christ is our Lord and master in that our lives are dependent on his, we belong to him, we find no true freedom apart from him, and even though we do not fully understand the mind of God, we are to follow the instruction of our Lord. Being a servant of Jesus Christ is not a bad thing, it is an honorable way to live for a strong believer and a true Christian. Being a servant of Jesus Christ makes it better in our lives. View the entire short sermon.
In our gospel passage this morning St. John 15:9-17, the writer John is helping us to understand the relationship between the servant and friend. For Jesus said in verse 15 “I do not call you servants any longer, but I have called you friends.” Does this mean something like a close friend who sits next to us in the church or our neighbor and our coworker or our employer. Jesus chose to change our relationship with us from servitude to friendship.
Jesus is the one in whom we can confide as he confides in us, that there is mutuality and equality, laughter and joy, trust and companionship, just like in our human relationship. Let us look at what a servant is and what a friend is? Jesus said, “I do not call you servants any longer.” The Greek word used here for servant is “douloi” which means servant or bondsman or slave. Servant sounds better than the word slave. There was slavery in the ancient world, Greek law defined slaves as “living tool” and the purpose of a slave is to work. The slave was not free to refuse the tasks, but required to do whatever the master willed.
The basis of the relationship between a master and a servant was work. When orders were given obedience was expected without even knowing the master’s intentions. The Bible gives a completely different view. Biblical characters of great honor were named as servants of God. In Deuteronomy 34:35 Moses was called servant of God. In the book of Joshua 24:29 Joshua was mentioned as the servant of God. In Psalm 89:20 we read David as a servant of God. All lived as servants or slaves of God, in that they did what God had told them to do. In most of the cases we see that they were obedient to God’s word and their goal was to fulfill God’s will.
Like slaves they accepted and followed their masters’ instructions, doing what he told them to do and accomplishing the work set before them. Christ is our Lord and master in that our lives are dependent on his, we belong to him, we find no true freedom apart from him, and even though we do not fully understand the mind of God, we are to follow the instruction of our Lord. Being a servant of Jesus Christ is not a bad thing, it is an honorable way to live for a strong believer and a true Christian. Being a servant of Jesus Christ makes it better in our lives. View the entire short sermon.
April 28, 2024 ABIDING IN LOVE
The gospel passage for this Sunday St. John 15: 1-8, explains to us that Jesus is the Source of life. In verse 1, Jesus says “I am the true vine” Jesus was a master teacher. Jesus always used examples, the things which were common to those people who listened, so that they could understand His teaching.
As we are meditating on this gospel lesson for this Sunday morning, we see each of us must answer two questions: First, are we connected to the vine, or is the life of Christ flowing within us? Secondly, if we are connected to the vine and we are joined to Christ, then how much fruit are we producing through our lives; is there no fruit, some fruit, or an abundance of fruit?
I believe that Jesus and His disciples were making their way, they have been walking beside something familiar to everyone in Jerusalem, one of them is a grapevine. Jesus told His disciples, “I am the true vine.”
Everyone living in Jerusalem, and even those fishermen among the disciples who walked with Jesus knew that life flowed from the vine into the branches. So, Jesus uses these common examples around Jerusalem to bring further understanding to what He had said earlier. Jesus is the source of life, a resource made available by the Holy Spirit when He comes to dwell within the believer. View the entire short sermon.
The gospel passage for this Sunday St. John 15: 1-8, explains to us that Jesus is the Source of life. In verse 1, Jesus says “I am the true vine” Jesus was a master teacher. Jesus always used examples, the things which were common to those people who listened, so that they could understand His teaching.
As we are meditating on this gospel lesson for this Sunday morning, we see each of us must answer two questions: First, are we connected to the vine, or is the life of Christ flowing within us? Secondly, if we are connected to the vine and we are joined to Christ, then how much fruit are we producing through our lives; is there no fruit, some fruit, or an abundance of fruit?
I believe that Jesus and His disciples were making their way, they have been walking beside something familiar to everyone in Jerusalem, one of them is a grapevine. Jesus told His disciples, “I am the true vine.”
Everyone living in Jerusalem, and even those fishermen among the disciples who walked with Jesus knew that life flowed from the vine into the branches. So, Jesus uses these common examples around Jerusalem to bring further understanding to what He had said earlier. Jesus is the source of life, a resource made available by the Holy Spirit when He comes to dwell within the believer. View the entire short sermon.
April 21, 2024 ENFOLDED BY LOVE
The fourth Sunday after Easter has been traditionally known as the Shepherd Sunday. In our Gospel passage for today, St. John 10:11-18, in verse 11we read “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father.”
Jesus was telling the people a parable about a good shepherd. A shepherd who was honest, caring, compassionate, and will die to take care of his sheep. Jesus is also telling us something about himself, as he is the good shepherd of our lives. Jesus uses the example that people can understand, a parable about shepherds to tell us something about himself, that he is the good shepherd of our lives.
Jesus uses this parable about shepherds because the people in his days knew the kind of life that a shepherd lived, it was a difficult and a hard life. A shepherd felt he had a calling from a young age to tend to sheep, so he spent his whole young life learning how to care for the sheep, then the rest of his adult life tending the sheep will be easy for him, fighting the animals who would attack the sheep, and sometimes fighting with robbers who would steal the sheep. Shephard’s life was a lonely life, a difficult life, but if a shepherd did his job well everyone would know that he was a good shepherd
What an important and timely message to hear from our crucified and risen Lord. We are known by the shepherd! We are known by God! And we are known intimately, not just by our numbers. Jesus knows us personally. He knows us by our character. He knows what is in our heart and soul. He knows us by our name.
View the entire short sermon.
The fourth Sunday after Easter has been traditionally known as the Shepherd Sunday. In our Gospel passage for today, St. John 10:11-18, in verse 11we read “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father.”
Jesus was telling the people a parable about a good shepherd. A shepherd who was honest, caring, compassionate, and will die to take care of his sheep. Jesus is also telling us something about himself, as he is the good shepherd of our lives. Jesus uses the example that people can understand, a parable about shepherds to tell us something about himself, that he is the good shepherd of our lives.
Jesus uses this parable about shepherds because the people in his days knew the kind of life that a shepherd lived, it was a difficult and a hard life. A shepherd felt he had a calling from a young age to tend to sheep, so he spent his whole young life learning how to care for the sheep, then the rest of his adult life tending the sheep will be easy for him, fighting the animals who would attack the sheep, and sometimes fighting with robbers who would steal the sheep. Shephard’s life was a lonely life, a difficult life, but if a shepherd did his job well everyone would know that he was a good shepherd
What an important and timely message to hear from our crucified and risen Lord. We are known by the shepherd! We are known by God! And we are known intimately, not just by our numbers. Jesus knows us personally. He knows us by our character. He knows what is in our heart and soul. He knows us by our name.
View the entire short sermon.
April 14, 2024 CHRIST AMONG US
The New Testament records ten different resurrection appearances of Jesus. Today we are going to look at one of the most captivating, a story only found in the gospel of Luke chapter 24. Luke is famous for the way he uses the role of walking and traveling to share the fundamental truths of the Gospel of Jesus. Much of Luke’s Gospel from chapter nine onwards centers around Jesus’ walking towards Jerusalem.
In the world we live in today, we can identify a lot with those disciples of Jesus after His resurrection. It is interesting how the lectionary texts seem to always manage to address current issues? Fear: If there was a common theme between all the doors that we hide behind (from both the past and the present), then it seems that it would have to be fear. Is our fear creating distance between who we are and who God wants us to be? In our life isolation and fear create distance.
This Sunday's Gospel lesson St. Luke 24: 36-48, is about Jesus appearing to the fearful disciples and saying to them Peace be with you! After the death of Jesus Christ, the life story of the disciples was filled with fear. Luke writes about their confusion, doubt, and uncertainty. In chapter 24 the first part is all about disappointment and disillusionment. Have you ever noticed that some of the saddest words in the English language begin with the letter D? For example, disappointment, doubt, disillusionment, defeat, despair, and death. View the entire short sermon.
The New Testament records ten different resurrection appearances of Jesus. Today we are going to look at one of the most captivating, a story only found in the gospel of Luke chapter 24. Luke is famous for the way he uses the role of walking and traveling to share the fundamental truths of the Gospel of Jesus. Much of Luke’s Gospel from chapter nine onwards centers around Jesus’ walking towards Jerusalem.
In the world we live in today, we can identify a lot with those disciples of Jesus after His resurrection. It is interesting how the lectionary texts seem to always manage to address current issues? Fear: If there was a common theme between all the doors that we hide behind (from both the past and the present), then it seems that it would have to be fear. Is our fear creating distance between who we are and who God wants us to be? In our life isolation and fear create distance.
This Sunday's Gospel lesson St. Luke 24: 36-48, is about Jesus appearing to the fearful disciples and saying to them Peace be with you! After the death of Jesus Christ, the life story of the disciples was filled with fear. Luke writes about their confusion, doubt, and uncertainty. In chapter 24 the first part is all about disappointment and disillusionment. Have you ever noticed that some of the saddest words in the English language begin with the letter D? For example, disappointment, doubt, disillusionment, defeat, despair, and death. View the entire short sermon.
April 7, 2024 MARKS OF FAITH
The Holy Gospel appointed for this Sunday St. John 20: 19-31, announces how our Lord Jesus Christ conferred huge powers upon his followers when he appeared to them as the Risen Christ. This story places at our disposal the same kind of Easter power.
The appearance of Jesus appears to be substantiated by the other Gospel account in Luke. The disciples were quite obviously in a state of shock. They were completely drenched with fear because of what might happen to them in the light of the disappearance of Jesus from the tomb. They are locked in the Upper Room as a defense against anyone who might be seeking them out.
The first words Jesus uttered to his assembled and frightened disciples the first time He saw them after the resurrection was “PEACE BE WITH YOU!” Jesus speaks these words to the disciples, once without Thomas and once when Thomas was present.
What is the message of Easter for you this year? I believe God has a new message for us this morning. For those of you who live constantly in fear: fear of failure, fear of death, fear of so many things, etc., etc. and the list goes on. Christ is risen and He brings PEACE!
Sometimes we do not know how to convey the news to someone, to the group of fearful disciples the risen Lord Jesus comes to them to take away the fear and tells them “Peace be unto you”. View the entire short sermon.
The Holy Gospel appointed for this Sunday St. John 20: 19-31, announces how our Lord Jesus Christ conferred huge powers upon his followers when he appeared to them as the Risen Christ. This story places at our disposal the same kind of Easter power.
The appearance of Jesus appears to be substantiated by the other Gospel account in Luke. The disciples were quite obviously in a state of shock. They were completely drenched with fear because of what might happen to them in the light of the disappearance of Jesus from the tomb. They are locked in the Upper Room as a defense against anyone who might be seeking them out.
The first words Jesus uttered to his assembled and frightened disciples the first time He saw them after the resurrection was “PEACE BE WITH YOU!” Jesus speaks these words to the disciples, once without Thomas and once when Thomas was present.
What is the message of Easter for you this year? I believe God has a new message for us this morning. For those of you who live constantly in fear: fear of failure, fear of death, fear of so many things, etc., etc. and the list goes on. Christ is risen and He brings PEACE!
Sometimes we do not know how to convey the news to someone, to the group of fearful disciples the risen Lord Jesus comes to them to take away the fear and tells them “Peace be unto you”. View the entire short sermon.
March 31, 2024 NOW WHAT?
May the peace and grace of our resurrected Lord Jesus Christ be with you all!
The Apostle Paul insists that the resurrection is central to Christianity. 1 Corinthians 15:14–19, we read “and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain, and your faith has been in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified of God that he raised Christ—whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile, and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have died in Christ have perished. If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied" (NRSV).
Love carried Christ to the cross, but the moral influence of a mere model of love is of minimal value. The crucifixion without the resurrection grants no forgiveness. But the Bible insists that this Jesus – crucified, dead, and buried – rose from the dead! Furthermore, this is the best news anyone could ever hear. The resurrection of Jesus is that kind of news: life-changing truth, which demands at least three responses from us today.
According to the gospel passage for this Easter Sunday St. John 20:1-18, we must accept the “Resurrection” because it is true: (John 20.1-10) Peter and John run to the tomb after Mary’s report of a missing body. John arrives first and stops at the short doorway. Peter plunges into the cave, John then follows. They see something surprising: the burial cloth. God provides more evidence of the resurrection: the testimonies of Jesus’ apostles, the reports of hundreds of eyewitnesses, the changed character of the disciples, and the manuscripts which offer many proofs of their historicity and reliability. We could also study how these accounts have marks of first-hand truth to the evidence of the empty tomb. View the entire short sermon.
May the peace and grace of our resurrected Lord Jesus Christ be with you all!
The Apostle Paul insists that the resurrection is central to Christianity. 1 Corinthians 15:14–19, we read “and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain, and your faith has been in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified of God that he raised Christ—whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile, and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have died in Christ have perished. If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied" (NRSV).
Love carried Christ to the cross, but the moral influence of a mere model of love is of minimal value. The crucifixion without the resurrection grants no forgiveness. But the Bible insists that this Jesus – crucified, dead, and buried – rose from the dead! Furthermore, this is the best news anyone could ever hear. The resurrection of Jesus is that kind of news: life-changing truth, which demands at least three responses from us today.
According to the gospel passage for this Easter Sunday St. John 20:1-18, we must accept the “Resurrection” because it is true: (John 20.1-10) Peter and John run to the tomb after Mary’s report of a missing body. John arrives first and stops at the short doorway. Peter plunges into the cave, John then follows. They see something surprising: the burial cloth. God provides more evidence of the resurrection: the testimonies of Jesus’ apostles, the reports of hundreds of eyewitnesses, the changed character of the disciples, and the manuscripts which offer many proofs of their historicity and reliability. We could also study how these accounts have marks of first-hand truth to the evidence of the empty tomb. View the entire short sermon.
March 17, 2024 DEEP IN OUR HEARTS
The context to the gospel passage for this Sunday St. John 12:20-33, Jesus was on His way to the cross. His public ministry was coming to a close and a variety of things were unfolding. A crowd of people from many different places had gathered for the Passover Feast. The people in the crowd had many different opinions of Jesus. The religious Jews were upset because people were following Jesus. They were plotting how they might go about killing Him. They said, “Look, how the whole world has gone after Him.”
John writes in this passage about some Greeks, Gentiles who had come to worship at the Passover, went to Philip and said, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.” They were seekers who were sincere people but they only had limited access at the Feast. They probably approached Philip because he was from Bethsaida where there was a large settlement of Gentiles. Maybe they recognized Philip and Andrew as having Greek names who would be more receptive and less likely to snub them.
When these Greeks (Gentiles) came and requested to see Jesus, He was pleased about it because they were some of the first Gentiles who were being brought into the harvest. He considered them “first-fruits” of the great harvest of Gentiles that was to be brought into the kingdom of God. At that point Jesus explained what is about to happen at the crucifixion when He tells them, if you read the verse 24: “except a kernel of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds”. View entire short sermon.
The context to the gospel passage for this Sunday St. John 12:20-33, Jesus was on His way to the cross. His public ministry was coming to a close and a variety of things were unfolding. A crowd of people from many different places had gathered for the Passover Feast. The people in the crowd had many different opinions of Jesus. The religious Jews were upset because people were following Jesus. They were plotting how they might go about killing Him. They said, “Look, how the whole world has gone after Him.”
John writes in this passage about some Greeks, Gentiles who had come to worship at the Passover, went to Philip and said, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.” They were seekers who were sincere people but they only had limited access at the Feast. They probably approached Philip because he was from Bethsaida where there was a large settlement of Gentiles. Maybe they recognized Philip and Andrew as having Greek names who would be more receptive and less likely to snub them.
When these Greeks (Gentiles) came and requested to see Jesus, He was pleased about it because they were some of the first Gentiles who were being brought into the harvest. He considered them “first-fruits” of the great harvest of Gentiles that was to be brought into the kingdom of God. At that point Jesus explained what is about to happen at the crucifixion when He tells them, if you read the verse 24: “except a kernel of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds”. View entire short sermon.
March 10, 2024 NO MATTER WHAT
In the Holy Gospel appointed for this Sunday St. John 3: 14-21, our Lord refers to the manner in which Moses "lifted up the serpent in the wilderness." The incident to which our Lord referred is narrated in the First Lesson from Numbers 21: 4-9. The reason that Jesus saw a parallel between his own passion and the lifting up of the brazen serpent was because the conditions were the same. Whether it was Jesus who said it, or John the writer of the gospel editorialized about it, the fact is that "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life."
The problem is that the world is perishing as surely as the Israelites were dying of poisonous venom. That is not difficult to see. Yet we are stuck with the hard fact that all nations still go to war. We know that we have to spend enormous sums to maintain a defense posture. Yet we have not found ways to make it just as emergent to fight the enemies of hunger, famine, and injustice all over the world. The world sows the seeds of its own destruction. Evil and demonic leadership shows us how people prefer to live in the bondage to their own desires rather than to live for the sake of others.
Another condition which is the same as that of the time of the children of Israel in the desert is that the world is in the dark. In his gospel John writes, "The people loved darkness rather than light." That was the same way in which the Israelites said they preferred the days of slavery in Egypt to the freedom under God in the desert. In the same way the world is in the dark today. View entire short sermon.
In the Holy Gospel appointed for this Sunday St. John 3: 14-21, our Lord refers to the manner in which Moses "lifted up the serpent in the wilderness." The incident to which our Lord referred is narrated in the First Lesson from Numbers 21: 4-9. The reason that Jesus saw a parallel between his own passion and the lifting up of the brazen serpent was because the conditions were the same. Whether it was Jesus who said it, or John the writer of the gospel editorialized about it, the fact is that "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life."
The problem is that the world is perishing as surely as the Israelites were dying of poisonous venom. That is not difficult to see. Yet we are stuck with the hard fact that all nations still go to war. We know that we have to spend enormous sums to maintain a defense posture. Yet we have not found ways to make it just as emergent to fight the enemies of hunger, famine, and injustice all over the world. The world sows the seeds of its own destruction. Evil and demonic leadership shows us how people prefer to live in the bondage to their own desires rather than to live for the sake of others.
Another condition which is the same as that of the time of the children of Israel in the desert is that the world is in the dark. In his gospel John writes, "The people loved darkness rather than light." That was the same way in which the Israelites said they preferred the days of slavery in Egypt to the freedom under God in the desert. In the same way the world is in the dark today. View entire short sermon.
March 3, 2024 BEAUTIFUL LAW
The gospel passage for the third Sunday in Lent is St. John 2:13-22, in which we read that Jesus went on a cleaning spree in the Temple. It was Passover time, the Jewish holiday that recognized the angel of death in Egypt. Jewish pilgrims came from all over to the great Temple in Jerusalem and thank God for their deliverance from slavery. Currently they are under Roman oppression, the religious leadership has been corrupted by trade and commerce.
The Jewish people who come from different parts of the country for religious observance found that the money changers had moved right into the court of the Temple. They were disobeying the spirit of the Law. To buy animals for their Passover sacrifice, the people had to convert their own currency into the local Temple coin and they were cheated by the money changers at high rates.
The sacredness of the Temple’s purpose for the people was violated. On to this scene, Jesus came, with a whip made from rope; he drove the animals and their keepers out of the courtyard. He dumped the moneychanger’s sacks. All their profits are rolled on to the floor. Jesus overturned their tables. He ordered the keepers of the animals and doves to keep out of the Temple and shouted at them “stop making my Father’s house a marketplace”!
When the people asked Jesus “give us a sign” Jesus told them to destroy the Temple and he will raise it three days. Jesus did not mean the actual building. He referred to the Temple as the place of worship of the true God. They have destroyed the covenant with Yahweh one more time. The situation was this; the temple priest needed money to renovate the building, the way they chose was to compromise the principles of their own faith. View the entire short sermon.
The gospel passage for the third Sunday in Lent is St. John 2:13-22, in which we read that Jesus went on a cleaning spree in the Temple. It was Passover time, the Jewish holiday that recognized the angel of death in Egypt. Jewish pilgrims came from all over to the great Temple in Jerusalem and thank God for their deliverance from slavery. Currently they are under Roman oppression, the religious leadership has been corrupted by trade and commerce.
The Jewish people who come from different parts of the country for religious observance found that the money changers had moved right into the court of the Temple. They were disobeying the spirit of the Law. To buy animals for their Passover sacrifice, the people had to convert their own currency into the local Temple coin and they were cheated by the money changers at high rates.
The sacredness of the Temple’s purpose for the people was violated. On to this scene, Jesus came, with a whip made from rope; he drove the animals and their keepers out of the courtyard. He dumped the moneychanger’s sacks. All their profits are rolled on to the floor. Jesus overturned their tables. He ordered the keepers of the animals and doves to keep out of the Temple and shouted at them “stop making my Father’s house a marketplace”!
When the people asked Jesus “give us a sign” Jesus told them to destroy the Temple and he will raise it three days. Jesus did not mean the actual building. He referred to the Temple as the place of worship of the true God. They have destroyed the covenant with Yahweh one more time. The situation was this; the temple priest needed money to renovate the building, the way they chose was to compromise the principles of their own faith. View the entire short sermon.
February 25, 2024 ALWAYS CLOSE
The gospel passage for this second Sunday in Lent is St. Mark 8:31-38, in verse 34 we read, “And when he had called the people to him with his disciples, he said to them, ‘Whoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” I have read many commentaries and explanations for this verse. Some suggest this act is talking about giving up things for God.
To understand what Jesus was saying, you must first see this verse in the context of this chapter and understand the cultural context: that is, to see what the cross meant to the people in the days of Jesus. In the verses 31-33, Jesus had made it very clear that His path will lead to self-denial and suffering and to a cross. When Jesus is talking about self-denial and suffering, He’s basically calling His disciples to follow in His steps in suffering for His cause of establishing the Kingdom of God
Culturally, the cross in the days of Jesus was not pretty jewelry around their necks; rather it was an instrument of torture, suffering and death. The point is, Jesus was laying out the realities for those who aspired to follow Him. It would involve two things: First, it would require denying self. To deny yourself means to turn from self-centeredness and every attempt to orient your life by your own self-interests. It’s to follow wholeheartedly the will of God, even if it means great sacrifice and hardship.
Second, it means to take up the cross of Christ. In Jesus’ day, bearing one’s cross conjured up the sight of a condemned man forced to demonstrate his submission to Rome by carrying the crossbeam through the city to his place of execution. So, to “take up our cross” is to accept our submission to Jesus against whom we had previously rebelled.
These two requirements of discipleship signify our total allegiance to Jesus and total relinquishment of everything you have to Him. Jesus continues in verse 35, “For whoever will save his life will lose it; but whoever will lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? 37 Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Jesus is not talking about the cost of our salvation here because salvation is free.
View the entire short sermon.
The gospel passage for this second Sunday in Lent is St. Mark 8:31-38, in verse 34 we read, “And when he had called the people to him with his disciples, he said to them, ‘Whoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” I have read many commentaries and explanations for this verse. Some suggest this act is talking about giving up things for God.
To understand what Jesus was saying, you must first see this verse in the context of this chapter and understand the cultural context: that is, to see what the cross meant to the people in the days of Jesus. In the verses 31-33, Jesus had made it very clear that His path will lead to self-denial and suffering and to a cross. When Jesus is talking about self-denial and suffering, He’s basically calling His disciples to follow in His steps in suffering for His cause of establishing the Kingdom of God
Culturally, the cross in the days of Jesus was not pretty jewelry around their necks; rather it was an instrument of torture, suffering and death. The point is, Jesus was laying out the realities for those who aspired to follow Him. It would involve two things: First, it would require denying self. To deny yourself means to turn from self-centeredness and every attempt to orient your life by your own self-interests. It’s to follow wholeheartedly the will of God, even if it means great sacrifice and hardship.
Second, it means to take up the cross of Christ. In Jesus’ day, bearing one’s cross conjured up the sight of a condemned man forced to demonstrate his submission to Rome by carrying the crossbeam through the city to his place of execution. So, to “take up our cross” is to accept our submission to Jesus against whom we had previously rebelled.
These two requirements of discipleship signify our total allegiance to Jesus and total relinquishment of everything you have to Him. Jesus continues in verse 35, “For whoever will save his life will lose it; but whoever will lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? 37 Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Jesus is not talking about the cost of our salvation here because salvation is free.
View the entire short sermon.
February 18, 2024 GOD’S LOVING PATHS
Lent is to be the time in which Christians remember and reflect on Jesus’ Journey to the cross. Traditionally, it is also a time to reflect on our own lives and faith to practice spiritual disciplines such as praying, fasting, and to renew our baptismal covenant as disciples. Lent is a time to consider what we need to release, which is another image of repentance. The question about the release is what do we need to let go? What has a hold on us to the degree that it keeps us from a daily awareness of the love and grace of God?
The Holy Gospel for this First Sunday in Lent is from Mark 1:9-15, a brief account of the temptation of Christ. We do not know precisely how all the temptations did come to our Lord. However, we do know that our Lord as we read in Hebrews 4:11 "in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin". What is important for us to understand is that Jesus was tempted all through his life. Of all those temptations, the most troublesome ones had to be the kind of temptation he experienced in the very beginning of his ministry. Those temptations had to do with the use of power, and they were repeated in a variety of ways throughout his ministry.
One of the traditional themes of Lent is confession and there is one place where what the church has called confession is practiced religiously. Even if we are familiar with the practice of confession in our private prayer, even if we fear the idea of making an inventory of our Christian life, it is important to know we need to confess our sins.
To follow a confession path during the season of Lent means that we spend some time in prayer reflecting on our lives as Christians. It means that if that reflection reveals some shortcoming to us, then we confess that to God. We need not fear the examination of conscience nor confession, because Jesus has already paid it all. Jesus had done that once for all, for each one of us. So, reflection and confession are not supposed to be beating ourselves over the head with guilt and shame. They are our ways of recommitting our lives to Christ each year during Lent. View the entire short sermon.
Lent is to be the time in which Christians remember and reflect on Jesus’ Journey to the cross. Traditionally, it is also a time to reflect on our own lives and faith to practice spiritual disciplines such as praying, fasting, and to renew our baptismal covenant as disciples. Lent is a time to consider what we need to release, which is another image of repentance. The question about the release is what do we need to let go? What has a hold on us to the degree that it keeps us from a daily awareness of the love and grace of God?
The Holy Gospel for this First Sunday in Lent is from Mark 1:9-15, a brief account of the temptation of Christ. We do not know precisely how all the temptations did come to our Lord. However, we do know that our Lord as we read in Hebrews 4:11 "in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin". What is important for us to understand is that Jesus was tempted all through his life. Of all those temptations, the most troublesome ones had to be the kind of temptation he experienced in the very beginning of his ministry. Those temptations had to do with the use of power, and they were repeated in a variety of ways throughout his ministry.
One of the traditional themes of Lent is confession and there is one place where what the church has called confession is practiced religiously. Even if we are familiar with the practice of confession in our private prayer, even if we fear the idea of making an inventory of our Christian life, it is important to know we need to confess our sins.
To follow a confession path during the season of Lent means that we spend some time in prayer reflecting on our lives as Christians. It means that if that reflection reveals some shortcoming to us, then we confess that to God. We need not fear the examination of conscience nor confession, because Jesus has already paid it all. Jesus had done that once for all, for each one of us. So, reflection and confession are not supposed to be beating ourselves over the head with guilt and shame. They are our ways of recommitting our lives to Christ each year during Lent. View the entire short sermon.
February 11, 2024 COMPASSIONATE COMMUNITY
When we look at the scripture passage for this Sunday, St. Mark 9:2-9, it’s all about the Blessed Hope we have in the return of Jesus. It is also the account of the transfiguration of Jesus. But the transfiguration is a preview, a foretaste of the second coming of Jesus.
The transfiguration of Jesus is an important turning point in His ministry. The three gospels Matthew, Mark, and Luke record it. What is the purpose of the transfiguration? It was more than just Jesus showing that He was God in flesh. There is an important truth: He was trying to communicate to his disciples. In this message, let’s examine the main truth, and then look at three applications of this truth.
Our main thought will be the “Transfiguration”. It is a preview of the Second Coming of Jesus: The transfiguration is like a preview of a coming attraction, a literal attraction, the second coming of Jesus Christ. Jesus took Peter, James, and John up the mountain, and they were given a front-row seat to the preview of when Jesus returns in majesty and glory. View the entire shot sermon.
When we look at the scripture passage for this Sunday, St. Mark 9:2-9, it’s all about the Blessed Hope we have in the return of Jesus. It is also the account of the transfiguration of Jesus. But the transfiguration is a preview, a foretaste of the second coming of Jesus.
The transfiguration of Jesus is an important turning point in His ministry. The three gospels Matthew, Mark, and Luke record it. What is the purpose of the transfiguration? It was more than just Jesus showing that He was God in flesh. There is an important truth: He was trying to communicate to his disciples. In this message, let’s examine the main truth, and then look at three applications of this truth.
Our main thought will be the “Transfiguration”. It is a preview of the Second Coming of Jesus: The transfiguration is like a preview of a coming attraction, a literal attraction, the second coming of Jesus Christ. Jesus took Peter, James, and John up the mountain, and they were given a front-row seat to the preview of when Jesus returns in majesty and glory. View the entire shot sermon.
January 28, 2024 POWER TO DO
In our passage for this Sunday St. Mark 1:21-28, we understand Jesus drives out the spirit of evil and fills it with a spirit of love. It was remarkable and even miraculous. The first chapter of Mark describes the start of Jesus’ ministry by John the Baptizer baptizing Jesus in the River Jordan. After his baptism Jesus was in the wilderness for 40 days, where Satan tempted him. When Jesus returned victoriously, he invited Simon, Andrew, James, and John to follow him. Jesus went into a synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed at his teaching because he taught them with authority.
What is a synagogue? There is a basic difference between the synagogue and the Temple, as we know it today. The synagogue was primarily a teaching institution. The synagogue service consisted of only three things: (1). Prayer (2) Reading of God’s word and (3) the exposition of the word. There is no music or singing, and no sacrifice. It may be said the Temple was the place of worship and sacrifice: the synagogue is the place of teaching and instruction.
The Jewish law laid down the rules for every ten Jewish families there should be one synagogue. If a person wants to preach a new message, synagogue is the best place to preach. The synagogue had a ruler, who was responsible for administration of the service. Daily collection will be taken in cash and in kind and they are distributed to the poor by the distributor as alms. The poor were given fourteen meals per week. There was another person who was called as Minister; he was responsible for the Scripture and scrolls. The synagogue did not have a permanent preacher or teacher.
When a synagogue service is going on the ruler will call on any competent person to give the address and the exposition. That is why Jesus was able to open his ministry in the synagogue. Jesus was known to be a man with messages and for that very reason the synagogue of every community provided the pulpit. When Jesus did teach in the synagogue the whole method and atmosphere of his teaching was like a new revelation. View the entire short sermon.
In our passage for this Sunday St. Mark 1:21-28, we understand Jesus drives out the spirit of evil and fills it with a spirit of love. It was remarkable and even miraculous. The first chapter of Mark describes the start of Jesus’ ministry by John the Baptizer baptizing Jesus in the River Jordan. After his baptism Jesus was in the wilderness for 40 days, where Satan tempted him. When Jesus returned victoriously, he invited Simon, Andrew, James, and John to follow him. Jesus went into a synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed at his teaching because he taught them with authority.
What is a synagogue? There is a basic difference between the synagogue and the Temple, as we know it today. The synagogue was primarily a teaching institution. The synagogue service consisted of only three things: (1). Prayer (2) Reading of God’s word and (3) the exposition of the word. There is no music or singing, and no sacrifice. It may be said the Temple was the place of worship and sacrifice: the synagogue is the place of teaching and instruction.
The Jewish law laid down the rules for every ten Jewish families there should be one synagogue. If a person wants to preach a new message, synagogue is the best place to preach. The synagogue had a ruler, who was responsible for administration of the service. Daily collection will be taken in cash and in kind and they are distributed to the poor by the distributor as alms. The poor were given fourteen meals per week. There was another person who was called as Minister; he was responsible for the Scripture and scrolls. The synagogue did not have a permanent preacher or teacher.
When a synagogue service is going on the ruler will call on any competent person to give the address and the exposition. That is why Jesus was able to open his ministry in the synagogue. Jesus was known to be a man with messages and for that very reason the synagogue of every community provided the pulpit. When Jesus did teach in the synagogue the whole method and atmosphere of his teaching was like a new revelation. View the entire short sermon.
February 4, 2024 SOURCE OF STRENGTH
This Sunday’s gospel passage St. Mark 1:29-39. We learn that Jesus’ preaching and healing ministry had some very profound consequences for those who received the gospel message and were healed by Jesus. This passage in Mark’s gospel gives us the opportunity to ponder the healing work of Jesus. In the Mark gospel, approximately one-third of it is composed of Jesus’ healing miracles. For Mark, Jesus often combines his words with his works and his actions. This passage reminds us that the ministry of Jesus preaching the gospel and healing people of all manner of illness and disease caused by sin and evil.
I believe that we, particularly as Christians need to take the healing ministry of Jesus more seriously. It is no accident that in the New Testament Greek, the word “to heal” also means “to save.” Jesus saves people through healing them of physical, mental, emotional, and other diseases and illnesses. In doing so, Jesus is demonstrating the power of God and of the gospel to the world.
In the Bible, healing is the symbol of redemptive grace and a manifestation of God’s love. Healing and salvation are constantly associated. In Jeremiah. 17:14 we read “Heal me o Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved; for thou are my praise.” In I Kings 8:37-39, When Solomon, having completed the building of the Temple, is addressing to God his magnificent prayer of consecration, he asks God to comfort them with His blessing in all their troubles - calamity, disease, and sin…
Jesus performs His miracles of healing in order to relieve the suffering of those who appeal to Him, but He always performs them in order to show forth God’s power as well. When Jesus sends his disciples two by two as we read in Luke 9: 2 “He set them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal.” The gift of healing played a large part in the primitive church. We read in I Corinthians 12: 9 “to another faith by the same Spirit to other gifts of healing by the one Spirit.” View the entire short sermon.
This Sunday’s gospel passage St. Mark 1:29-39. We learn that Jesus’ preaching and healing ministry had some very profound consequences for those who received the gospel message and were healed by Jesus. This passage in Mark’s gospel gives us the opportunity to ponder the healing work of Jesus. In the Mark gospel, approximately one-third of it is composed of Jesus’ healing miracles. For Mark, Jesus often combines his words with his works and his actions. This passage reminds us that the ministry of Jesus preaching the gospel and healing people of all manner of illness and disease caused by sin and evil.
I believe that we, particularly as Christians need to take the healing ministry of Jesus more seriously. It is no accident that in the New Testament Greek, the word “to heal” also means “to save.” Jesus saves people through healing them of physical, mental, emotional, and other diseases and illnesses. In doing so, Jesus is demonstrating the power of God and of the gospel to the world.
In the Bible, healing is the symbol of redemptive grace and a manifestation of God’s love. Healing and salvation are constantly associated. In Jeremiah. 17:14 we read “Heal me o Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved; for thou are my praise.” In I Kings 8:37-39, When Solomon, having completed the building of the Temple, is addressing to God his magnificent prayer of consecration, he asks God to comfort them with His blessing in all their troubles - calamity, disease, and sin…
Jesus performs His miracles of healing in order to relieve the suffering of those who appeal to Him, but He always performs them in order to show forth God’s power as well. When Jesus sends his disciples two by two as we read in Luke 9: 2 “He set them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal.” The gift of healing played a large part in the primitive church. We read in I Corinthians 12: 9 “to another faith by the same Spirit to other gifts of healing by the one Spirit.” View the entire short sermon.
January 21, 2024 FOLLOW ME
In the gospel text for this Sunday St. Mark 1:14-20, we find a statement about a radical discipleship. It needs to be pointed out at the beginning, this reading is the most compact and compressed statement of the gospel expressed anywhere in the New Testament. New Testament scholars point out, in these few verses, Jesus' role as an authoritative, compelling, charismatic preacher is defined; the fruit of the gospel message is expressed. For Peter, Andrew, James, and John the meaning of Discipleship is the result of seeing Jesus and hearing his message is well described.
The word in verse 18, "immediately" captures our attention. Jesus called Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John, and immediately they left their nets and followed him. They abandoned their nets, their boats, and their livelihood. They walked away from their old life, their old ways of doing things, their kindred and family.
Accepting the discipleship is taking a risk. This is a radical and bold move on the four fishermen's part. Why? Why did they do it? It appears that their response is simply and exclusively based on the power of Jesus' personality and message. The call of Jesus is so strong in their lives that all the burdens of their old lives are abandoned; their boats and nets, their families, their old life, and old ways of doing things are abandoned. Immediately, they make this radical move to become disciples of this charismatic preacher.
We must keep in mind that one of the purposes of Mark's gospel is to help us understand what it means to be a disciple of Jesus of Nazareth. This Jesus of Nazareth is radical, new, and different. He is preaching to the poor and the dispossessed in Galilee who cannot afford the price-of-living in Jerusalem. What are his career prospects? The chances appear rather clear that he will end up like his cousin John the Baptist, facing both prison and death. View the entire short sermon.
In the gospel text for this Sunday St. Mark 1:14-20, we find a statement about a radical discipleship. It needs to be pointed out at the beginning, this reading is the most compact and compressed statement of the gospel expressed anywhere in the New Testament. New Testament scholars point out, in these few verses, Jesus' role as an authoritative, compelling, charismatic preacher is defined; the fruit of the gospel message is expressed. For Peter, Andrew, James, and John the meaning of Discipleship is the result of seeing Jesus and hearing his message is well described.
The word in verse 18, "immediately" captures our attention. Jesus called Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John, and immediately they left their nets and followed him. They abandoned their nets, their boats, and their livelihood. They walked away from their old life, their old ways of doing things, their kindred and family.
Accepting the discipleship is taking a risk. This is a radical and bold move on the four fishermen's part. Why? Why did they do it? It appears that their response is simply and exclusively based on the power of Jesus' personality and message. The call of Jesus is so strong in their lives that all the burdens of their old lives are abandoned; their boats and nets, their families, their old life, and old ways of doing things are abandoned. Immediately, they make this radical move to become disciples of this charismatic preacher.
We must keep in mind that one of the purposes of Mark's gospel is to help us understand what it means to be a disciple of Jesus of Nazareth. This Jesus of Nazareth is radical, new, and different. He is preaching to the poor and the dispossessed in Galilee who cannot afford the price-of-living in Jerusalem. What are his career prospects? The chances appear rather clear that he will end up like his cousin John the Baptist, facing both prison and death. View the entire short sermon.
January 14, 2024 KNOWN AND LOVED
The Old Testament passage for this Sunday, I Samuel 3:1-20, is about the story of Samuel. I love the story of young Samuel apparently sleeping in the sanctuary. Some years before, his mother Hannah had brought him to Shiloh in fulfillment of a promise she had made to God before the boy was ever born - as a woman who had been unable to have children, she promised God that if she were to be granted that privilege, she would return the child to divine service. She was as good as her word - Samuel was born, and as soon as he was able to make it on his own, she brought the lad to the High Priest Eli. After all, Samuel was only hers for a little while; Samuel was on LOAN from the Lord.
It was not the best of times for the people of Israel, but not the worst either. There were no wars going on, no threats from hostile neighbors, although the Philistines were always looming nearby. The nation was not the unified whole it would come to be, but rather still a loose confederation of tribes. Religiously, no new ground was being broken.
In fact, it seems that the faith that had sustained the people through centuries of slavery, the exodus from Egypt, a generation of wilderness wandering, and finally settlement in the promised homeland, was now reduced to the routine. As the text has it in verse 1, "The word of the LORD was rare in those days; visions were not widespread." Sounds unnervingly familiar, does it not? Because even to this day people are waiting for the word of God to come to them.
Now we find Samuel. He is asleep in the sanctuary, apparently his assigned position near the Ark of the Covenant. A voice comes in the early morning darkness: "Samuel...Samuel." The boy assumes it is Eli calling...no one else is there. Eli has called like this before - he is old, nearly blind; he needs help getting around. So, rubbing sleep from his eyes, the boy goes into the old man and says, "Here am I. You called?"
Just as sleepily, the aging priest turns over on his palate and says, "No, I didn't. Go back to sleep." So, the boy turns, goes back through the curtain, and lays down again. But now the call comes again and again: "Samuel!" You can imagine the perplexed look that comes over the child's face. He comes back to Eli, not quite so sleepily now. He was still awake from the first visit. "You called?"
The third time Samuel ran to Eli and asked, "You called?" Samuel must have thought Eli was playing a game with him, but it was certainly a strange time of the night for games. But by now, Eli knows to whom the voice belongs. He turns that old gray head and those age-dimmed eyes to the boy Samuel and says, "No, I did not call. Go back and lie down. But if the voice comes again, say, 'Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.'"
Now the boy's mind is racing a mile a minute. What could the Lord want with him? He had never heard of anyone else being called this way. So, with a little shrug of the shoulders, it is back to bed again. And sure enough, a fourth time it comes: "Samuel...Samuel!"
"Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening." And the rest, as they say, is history. The young boy who met God in the sanctuary responded to the divine call and went on to become Yahweh's messenger to Israel...ranking in the eyes of the faithful with Moses and Abraham. Have you anytime recognized the voice of God and said Lord Speak to me for I am listening. God will speak to us in many ways, if you would like to learn more about how to listen to the voice of God, please join us in our worship on Sundays at 11:00 AM.
The Old Testament passage for this Sunday, I Samuel 3:1-20, is about the story of Samuel. I love the story of young Samuel apparently sleeping in the sanctuary. Some years before, his mother Hannah had brought him to Shiloh in fulfillment of a promise she had made to God before the boy was ever born - as a woman who had been unable to have children, she promised God that if she were to be granted that privilege, she would return the child to divine service. She was as good as her word - Samuel was born, and as soon as he was able to make it on his own, she brought the lad to the High Priest Eli. After all, Samuel was only hers for a little while; Samuel was on LOAN from the Lord.
It was not the best of times for the people of Israel, but not the worst either. There were no wars going on, no threats from hostile neighbors, although the Philistines were always looming nearby. The nation was not the unified whole it would come to be, but rather still a loose confederation of tribes. Religiously, no new ground was being broken.
In fact, it seems that the faith that had sustained the people through centuries of slavery, the exodus from Egypt, a generation of wilderness wandering, and finally settlement in the promised homeland, was now reduced to the routine. As the text has it in verse 1, "The word of the LORD was rare in those days; visions were not widespread." Sounds unnervingly familiar, does it not? Because even to this day people are waiting for the word of God to come to them.
Now we find Samuel. He is asleep in the sanctuary, apparently his assigned position near the Ark of the Covenant. A voice comes in the early morning darkness: "Samuel...Samuel." The boy assumes it is Eli calling...no one else is there. Eli has called like this before - he is old, nearly blind; he needs help getting around. So, rubbing sleep from his eyes, the boy goes into the old man and says, "Here am I. You called?"
Just as sleepily, the aging priest turns over on his palate and says, "No, I didn't. Go back to sleep." So, the boy turns, goes back through the curtain, and lays down again. But now the call comes again and again: "Samuel!" You can imagine the perplexed look that comes over the child's face. He comes back to Eli, not quite so sleepily now. He was still awake from the first visit. "You called?"
The third time Samuel ran to Eli and asked, "You called?" Samuel must have thought Eli was playing a game with him, but it was certainly a strange time of the night for games. But by now, Eli knows to whom the voice belongs. He turns that old gray head and those age-dimmed eyes to the boy Samuel and says, "No, I did not call. Go back and lie down. But if the voice comes again, say, 'Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.'"
Now the boy's mind is racing a mile a minute. What could the Lord want with him? He had never heard of anyone else being called this way. So, with a little shrug of the shoulders, it is back to bed again. And sure enough, a fourth time it comes: "Samuel...Samuel!"
"Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening." And the rest, as they say, is history. The young boy who met God in the sanctuary responded to the divine call and went on to become Yahweh's messenger to Israel...ranking in the eyes of the faithful with Moses and Abraham. Have you anytime recognized the voice of God and said Lord Speak to me for I am listening. God will speak to us in many ways, if you would like to learn more about how to listen to the voice of God, please join us in our worship on Sundays at 11:00 AM.
January 7, 2024 DEFINING MOMENTS
The gospel passage for this Sunday St. Mark 1:4-11 we read John the Baptist advises us some important things that pertain to our faith.
First is the path of faith that leads us to confession or repentance. John the Baptist's message came as a shock to those who heard it. They expected to hear the message of God's return, His vindication for His People and His Judgment against all the pagan nations. People expected to hear a message praising the people of God while at the same time condemning all the Gentile nations.
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John the Baptist’s message is one that we need to hear today. We too are at a time when it appears that things on the surface are okay but we all sense that there is something wrong. We have more books published about how to live as a disciple of Jesus and yet as a Body of Christ we are experiencing more division, more divorce and more distorted thinking than ever.
There is a growing spirit of putting up walls instead of building bridges. There is a growing spirit of casting out those who don't think like us, live like us, or appreciate our values. There is a growing spirit of being at war with our enemies and those of other faiths. There is a spirit of anger and malice towards those who do not agree with us or join in our causes.
This is not the way of Jesus nor is it the way of His disciples. Yes, Jesus does not want us to compromise or to believe that anyone else, but He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. That is a given. That's solid. But instead of walls we must begin to build bridges of love. We need to go to war on our knees in prayer for them to see the Light and to receive Our Lord Jesus as their Savior and LORD. We need to quit worrying about being politically correct or incorrect and be people of prayer, the Word and Holiness. View the entire short sermon.
The gospel passage for this Sunday St. Mark 1:4-11 we read John the Baptist advises us some important things that pertain to our faith.
First is the path of faith that leads us to confession or repentance. John the Baptist's message came as a shock to those who heard it. They expected to hear the message of God's return, His vindication for His People and His Judgment against all the pagan nations. People expected to hear a message praising the people of God while at the same time condemning all the Gentile nations.
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John the Baptist’s message is one that we need to hear today. We too are at a time when it appears that things on the surface are okay but we all sense that there is something wrong. We have more books published about how to live as a disciple of Jesus and yet as a Body of Christ we are experiencing more division, more divorce and more distorted thinking than ever.
There is a growing spirit of putting up walls instead of building bridges. There is a growing spirit of casting out those who don't think like us, live like us, or appreciate our values. There is a growing spirit of being at war with our enemies and those of other faiths. There is a spirit of anger and malice towards those who do not agree with us or join in our causes.
This is not the way of Jesus nor is it the way of His disciples. Yes, Jesus does not want us to compromise or to believe that anyone else, but He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. That is a given. That's solid. But instead of walls we must begin to build bridges of love. We need to go to war on our knees in prayer for them to see the Light and to receive Our Lord Jesus as their Savior and LORD. We need to quit worrying about being politically correct or incorrect and be people of prayer, the Word and Holiness. View the entire short sermon.