God Claims Earth; God Claims World.

God claims Earth and everything in it, God claims world and all who love on it. He built it on Ocean foundations, laid it out on River girders. Who can climb Mount God? Who can scale the holy north-face? Only the clean-handed, only the pure-hearted; Men who won't cheat, women who won't seduce. God is at their side; with God's help they make it. This, Jacob, is wht happens to God-seekers God-questers. Wake up, you sleepyhead city! Wake up, you sleepyhead people! King-glory is ready to enter. Who is this King-Glory? God, armed and battle-ready. Wake up, you sleepyhead city! Wake up, you sleepyhead people! King-Glory is ready to enter. Who is this King-Glory? God of the angel armies: He is King-Glory (Psalm 24) The Message Version.

No one to claim the body. In news reports and movies, and even in real life, we have heard those words. Usually the deceased was a prisoner or one who died alone; no one to claim the body. A recent newspaper article went in depth in the life of a man who died in the apartment of his long-dead parents. He had been engaged to marry, but the father of the woman denied her to marry him. He never married, worked, and made a few friends. In later life he became a hoarder and did not have a social life, refusing to go out and to let those who knew him, to come into his home. After a few days of his death, police were alerted to a smell in this apartment, and they found the body. The article reported on how a special unit in that city exists to try to put together clues and leads to find someone who might claim the body and the estate of the deceased. This man was cremated and his ashes buried in the city cemetery for those whose bodies are not claimed.

God claims you. No more fitting message can be found for this week of remembrance of the saints in Glory and we, the saints down here. King David knew God and had seen carefully and closely how agos worked, in his life, in the life of Israel, and in the lives of those who sought Him. And we know God never changes, God remains the same. The God Who gave us life, will keep us if we surrender and belong to Him. Our bodies may not be claimed, but our spirits will; He who made You, to whom you gave your heart, will say, "That is my child."

PRAYER: Lord, we pray for those who are alone, for those whose lives have taken sad, unexpected turns and find themselves with no living relatives or people they can call friends. Be with them. But please accept our thanks for Your claim on our lives. We surrender to You and seek to live in Your favor. This we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde ASSIGNMENT: Claim somebody today as your friend; truly and genuinely care for them and their lives. Remember Jesus' commandment to love one another!

The Beginning and The End

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Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away." And the one who was seated on the throne said, "See, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true." Then he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. (Revelation 21:1-6a)

The New Testament is an incredible collection of books. From the four gospels, to the Pauline letters, the other epistles, to the closing book which is literally named "an uncovering." John the writer had an experience while imprisoned on an island on a Sunday. When normally as a free man he would have been in church, this day found him alone when he received a visit and an awesome gift - a trip into what was to come and to see what already exists in the realms of glory. John saw and wrote about many things, but the most telling is what will be and what will not be. The very first verse of this passage tells of a new heaven and a new earth, because the old ones were no more; and if you remember a few weeks ago the importance of the sea being gone too, was shared with him. John saw the holy city, Jerusalem coming down from heaven from God, adorned as a bride ready for marriage. And John heard the promises that are for us: "See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be His peoples, and God Himself will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away." Here on earth right now, God dwells with those who invite Him. In heaven, God invites us to live with Him and we will be in God's dwelling place as God's people. Hear the part that speaks to so many, especially during a remembrance of those who have died; every tear will be wiped away from our faces by God. There will no longer be death! Those things that naturally accompany death here, mourning, crying, pain - gone! All of the earthly things gone. Then the Lord Jesus, seated on His throne will declare, "See, I am making all things new." John was instructed to write these things, and he also heard Jesus say, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end."

The beautiful hymn, "This is a Day of New Beginnings," speaks to this truth: "This is a day of new beginnings, time to remember and move on, time to believe what love is bringing, laying to rest the pain that's gone...Christ is alive, and goes before us to show and share what love can do, This is a day of new beginnings; our God is making all things new." The sorrows and pains of yesterday that may have brought tears to us, and sometimes still do, will one day be completely gone, replaced by the newness of that life that Jesus promised to those who believe. It is a life that sadly, we can't fully comprehend for our minds are still finite minds struggling against the eternal, but that day is coming when we will see clearly and understand fully, the awesome love of God for us.

PRAYER: Loving God, speak eternity to our minds and hearts. Help us to fully grasp the love You have for us that knows no bounds nor limits. Guide us to a day richly blessed with the joy of things to come in You. In Christ Jesus we pray, amen!

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

New Life In Jesus Christ!

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When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to him, "Lord, come and see." Jesus began to weep. So the Jews said, "See how he loved him!" But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?" Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days." Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, "Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me." When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go." (John 11: 32-44)

Friends, the gospel lesson from yesterday is for Reformation Day on the 31st of this month. Today's gospel lesson is for this coming Sunday.

My daughters attended more funerals than normal kids. Usually, they helped in the service by sitting in our choir balcony and pushing play on our disk clavier piano. Our pianist would record the selected funeral hymns on a diskette (remember those?) and pushing play would be like she was up there playing live. Many people would look up and see these little girls at the piano and thought they were gifted musicians. After one funeral and they were walking with me back to the parsonage, our oldest asked, "Dad, do you ever do a funeral where you know the person went to the other place?" I smiled and thought many things, but replied, "No, I leave that to God. My job is to try to get them into Heaven."

Death is final. But not to the believer, and as a promise and foretaste of resurrection, coming to life again in Christ, Jesus uses the funeral of a dear friend to show that to the family of the deceased. It has all the usual parts of a modern day funeral. The questions; "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died," We tend to frame it as, "Why didn't the Lord answer our prayers and let our loved one die?" The crying; it is a normal and good thing to grieve at a funeral, for it is after all, a separation of people we have known and come to love. Jesus wept. The shortest verse in the Bible in some versions is verse 35 here reading, "Jesus began to weep." In this story, Jesus comes to the tomb after four days of this man having been dead and asks that the stone be rolled away. The sister of the man, Martha, says, "Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days." Jesus replies with love and faith and a promise that those who believe in Him shall see the glory of God. And Jesus called forth the dead man and he arose.

But new life, a resurrection of sorts, occurs when we come to faith in Jesus. Our old selves die to sin and come to new life in Jesus Christ. What has kept us in a tomb of sin, and bound up, like they used to prepare the dead in Jesus' time, is our sin. Jesus calls us forth, removes the binds of our sins, and lets us live a new life. For those who have physically died in faith, the word of today assures us there is new life in Jesus Christ, an eternal one. Death is still hard, and the separation of loved ones will never be easy, but in Christ Jesus we have that which we need to move forward. The talk on Sunday, the flowers, the memorials, will be used to speak of those saints who have died, and some tears may flow; but there should also be peace, comfort, and joy in knowing that He who died in our place has come to receive those who died and given them new life. Buckner Fannin, long time pastor from San Antonio, Texas, once was doing the graveside part of a funeral when a plane departed the airport and made such a racket they paused for silence to return. Rev. Fannin said, "It's appropriate that the plane flew over head to help us understand what is happening here. At the airport are loved ones who are sad in having said goodbye to loved ones who have departed on that plane; but on the other side the plane will land, and loved ones there will be happy to see the arrival of their loved ones join them."

PRAYER: Loving God, for those who are mourning the loss of a loved one, comfort them. For those who still grieve at the death of a spouse or parent, I pray the same. May the words of Your Son, Jesus Christ speak of the hope we need to have in our lives. I pray for those who have been released from the binds of sin, that truly new life be theirs today and all days in which they surrender to Him. This prayer we pray in the name of He who died to save us, Jesus our Lord, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.

Eradio Valverde

We Are Already Free?

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Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." They answered him, "We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean by saying, "You will be made free'?" Jesus answered them, "Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there forever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8: 31-36)

I have been blessed with an event that has happened in one of my small churches, and perhaps is being repeated in all of them; I pray it is! A new family, after many invitations to come and worship, finally came. It was an immediate blessing to the young members of that family, three boys and their little sister. They fell in love with what God offered in worship, and they grew excited about other experiences the church offered during the week. They came to love the pastor and to serve as her acolytes every Sunday. The one of the brothers that does not acolyte on a particular Sunday reads the Scripture. The little sister loves being there though she is still too young to participate herself. In a very real way, these four have come to know freedom in the Lord. They're hearing about God's love. They are hearing of what Jesus has done for them, and I'm praying that soon, if they haven't already done it, they accept the personal freedom that comes in surrendering their lives to Jesus Christ.

The passage today has Jesus talking to Jews who believed in Him; Jesus offers them an even better relationship in their coming to know the truth in Him. "You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." They countered they had never been slaves due to their lineage (As the cartoon above illustrates they conveniently forgot about those years in Egypt as, what was it? Oh yes, slaves!) Jesus answers they were slaves to sin, and He, as the Son of God, was offering true freedom to them, yes, even freedom to sin. Sin has a way of repeating itself in us if we don't surrender ourselves and our sins to Christ. If we suffer from an addiction, we can easily make excuses for why we need to continue feeding that addiction; Christ has come to free us from that addiction and that sin. To be truly free, we must be free from our sins, and we can't do it alone, for that we have the power and peace of Jesus Christ.

Dear Friend, whatever has you enslaved does not have to continue to hold you; Jesus offers to make YOU free. All you have to do is ask...

PRAYER: Loving God, I confess that I sometimes hide my sins too well, or so I think; I ask that You, Lord Jesus, come and remove those sins from me. I want to know that truth that You alone offer so that I might not be a slave to sin any longer. This I ask in His name, Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Too Good to Be True

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It seemed like a dream, too good to be true, when God returned Zion's exiles. We laughed, we sang, we couldn't believe our good fortune. We were the talk of the nations - "God was wonderful to them!" God was wonderful to us; we are one happy people. And now, God, do it again - bring rains to our drought-stricken lives So those who planted their crops in despair will shout hurrahs at the harvest, So those who went off with heavy hearts will come home laughing, with armloads of blessing. (Psalm 126) The Message

The Prodigal story is mentioned here and that's because it is a universal story, at times applying to you and me. Though we never change addresses, it sometimes does happen that we find ourselves far from home. In the story told by Jesus, two sons wandered off - one literally, the other in spirit. One did travel miles to far away places, and the older one wandered off in his mind and thinking. Both were welcomed home, as will we, when we come home to God's love.

The psalmist writes this with a hopeful heart; a prophetic word, almost dreamlike with a hope "too good to be true," when those who were taken away return home. Our churches have empty pews and chairs of those who were taken exile by sin, temptation, opportunities, petty anger, silly disagreements; all seem to big at the time to get over, and our steps and hearts walked away from a community of believers. The psalmist says, one day, one day God will allow them to return in their own way, back to Him. Even now, we who are back should rejoice and be glad; our laughter and our singing should give us away to the point others outside the fellowship or church will say, "God was wonderful to them!" Indeed, God is wonderful, and awesome, to the point where we are happy people.

Our prayer is, "God, do it again - bring rains to our drought-stricken lives. May the seeds of faith planted in us bring forth a harvest of faith, new believers even among those who have physically not left; and yes, bring home all who left, let them laugh as they return, sharing blessings as they come.

PRAYER: HEAVENLY FATHER, forgive me for my wanderings and wonderings; let me be among those of the harvest as we enter Your presence and service with laughter and singing. May I be among the reasons people say, "God was wonderful to them!" Indeed, because You are, and always will be, wonderful to us. Thank You! This I pray in faith in Christ Jesus' precious name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

A Shepherd For All People

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For thus says the Lord: Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, and raise shouts for the chief of the nations; proclaim, give praise, and say, "Save, O Lord, your people, the remnant of Israel." See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north, and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, those with child and those in labor, together; a great company, they shall return here. With weeping they shall come, and with consolations I will lead them back, I will let them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble; for I have become a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn. Hear the word of the Lord, O nations, and declare it in the coastlands far away; say, "He who scattered Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd a flock." For the Lord has ransomed Jacob, and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him. They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the Lord, over the grain, the wine, and the oil, and over the young of the flock and the herd; their life shall become like a watered garden, and they shall never languish again. Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow. I will give the priests their fill of fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my bounty, says the Lord. (Jeremiah 32:7-14)

Nothing like good news from home! I remember my college days; days of pay phone calls home, and rare occasions when the pay phone call was actually for me from home, and letters of news of things going on that I loved hearing. And nothing more soothing and exciting to the soul than the words, "Please come home." And in some cases, "Please come home, all is forgiven..."

Such is the message of the prophet Jeremiah to the people of God; God has forgiven you, please come home. The people found themselves alienated from God, and from their home. They had been scattered all over the known world and God's call was for all to come home. The picture the prophet paints is of people of all shapes, colors, conditions, coming home. Some are weeping, some are laughing; the entire journey home is lined with provision and confirmation that they need to come home.

The same holds true today for some. For one reason or another, you may have wandered away from God; you're in a foreign land of sin and despair and you don't know what your next step may be, but hear the news: All can be forgiven, and you can come home. There will be much rejoicing and celebration in heaven and in the home where you left angry or confused. All will be forgiven, and you can come home. God provided a Shepherd for you, and His name is Jesus - you belong to His flock. Surrender you life, turn over your sins, and begin the journey home. He awaits you with open arms and a loving and forgiving heart. Soon, you can say, "There's no place like home!"

PRAYER: Father, for those who have wandered, help them hear the message of hope: All can be and will be forgiven, come home. Lord, may Your Shepherd lead them out of the foreign and dangerous land of sin and lead them to the land of life and joy, a life filled with the abundance of life. This is my prayer, Loving God; in Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.

Eradio Valverde

PS I ask prayers for a 14 year old named Amber of San Antonio. Her mother is Lisa Wright. Amber needs cancer surgery and her mom would like for this cancer to be removed before it can do more damage to her. A situation has arisen where the doctor is moving the surgery back a month. Please join me in praying that God work a way for the surgery to be as scheduled originally, but more importantly, pray that God's healing touch be upon Amber to remove the cancer Himself. May the doctors be astonished by what God can do. Lisa Wright is now a friend of mine on FaceBook and I believe, she would love those of you on FB to make her your friend so that you can share how you are praying for her and her baby. Thank you for taking time to pray her Amber and Lisa. May the Lord bless you and keep you!

No Better High Priest

Furthermore, the former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office; but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently he is able for all time to save those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, blameless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he has no need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for those of the people; this he did once for all when he offered himself. For the law appoints as high priests those who are subject to weakness, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever. (Hebrews 7:23-28)

There is no tenure to the term of office for High Priest Jesus. His tenure is permanent. Like popes who die, so did the high priests of Israel. This high priest will never die; he's in office for good, and for you and me! He serves as Savior; whoever approaches Him asking for freedom from sin and entrance into the Kingdom of God, Jesus grants it. Jesus intercedes for us; proclaims us "blameless. He himself is holy, blameless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens." The ultimate sacrifice offered was Himself, death on the cross, the Pascal Lamb of God; all our sins were paid in full. The law allowed the appointment of high priests, then the word of God appointed His Son, Jesus our Lord, as the perfect and eternal high priest.

We know His name. He knows ours. He loves us, and is waiting to hear from us. Let us approach His throne with faith.

PRAYER: Loving God, we praise You and thank You for Jesus, our high priest. May we seek all we need from Him this day. In Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Help Me to See!

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They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. 4When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" Jesus stood still and said, "Call him here." And they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take heart; get up, he is calling you." So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him, "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man said to him, "My teacher, let me see again." Jesus said to him, "Go; your faith has made you well." Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way. (Mark 10: 46-52).

If you have a smart phone, is your vision limited, or expanded? On the one hand, if you are addicted to it, your range of vision is a small screen. Your eyes are focused on what it on the screen. On the other hand, one could make the case for having access on that phone to almost all of the information out there. One can Google this or Google that, and trip on a curb; or miss out on some wonderful scenery that God has provided. This is, of course, an argument with you that I don't want to have, but compare it to today's gospel lesson. Jesus encounters a blind man named Bartimaeus, forced into being a beggar because of his inability to see. Though Bartimaeus could not see, he did hear and listen and learn; His first reaction to hearing that Jesus was near was to shout out a declaration of faith not yet found in the Gospel of Mark, he calls Jesus, the "Son of David." He knew the lineage and prophecy behind the Messiah and to call Jesus a Son of David was to declare to those hearing, "This is the Messiah!" Yet, his cry was for mercy and healing. Those around him when they heard Jesus calling to him encourage him, "Take heart; get up, He is calling you." From his usual place as beggar he arises quickly and comes to Jesus. Jesus asks him what he would have him do, and Bartimaeus replies he would like to see again. Something had blinded him. He had once had vision, but now was blind. His request was to regain that vision so that he could once again fend for himself and leave this world of begging.

And unlike some of the other healings of sight, Jesus does not spit and make a paste, nor touches him, Jesus simply said, "Go; your faith has made you well." Just like that. A word from Jesus and this blind man regains his sight immediately. His first reaction is to follow Jesus on the way (road).

No longer limited by blindness, this man rejoins society like never before. His faith had blessed him, and for a way, followed Jesus, and you know the topic of most of his conversations for many years would be how his life had been changed forever by the Son of David, the Messiah. How much do you suppose Bartemeaus had missed during his blind years? Did he have a family? Children? Did he miss seeing them grow up? Crawl? Walk? Run? I know he probably missed sunsets and sunrises, the smiles of his friends and family, seeing rain fall on the earth. Now, I believe, beyond seeing what was happening, because he knew the One behind all things, he could see even more.

Because you and I know Jesus, and because at one time, Jesus came and touched our lives and restored us to fullness of life, what do you see that others can't? And what are you sharing about what has changed in your life?

PRAYER: Awesome God, thank You for that touch upon my life. May it not be a one-time event some years ago, may it be a daily occurrence where as I pray or as I read Your word, you touch me again, and restore my faith and vision to You and what You are doing in our midst. Let my sight not be limited to small areas, but to the big picture of possibility in Your realm. This I pray in Thy name, O Jesus, my Lord and healer, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

I Trust in You, O God, and I'm Safe!

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You who sit down in the High God's presence, spend the night in Shaddai's shadow, Say this: "God, you're my refuge. I trust in you and I'm safe!" Yes, because God's your refuge, the High God your very own home, Evil can't get close to you, harm can't get through the door. He ordered his angels to guard you wherever you go. If you stumble, they'll catch you; their job is to keep you from falling. You'll walk unharmed among lions and snakes, and kick young lions and serpents from the path. "If you'll hold on to me for dear life," says God, "I'll get you out of any trouble. I'll give you the best of care if you'll only get to know and trust me. Call me and I'll answer, be at your side in bad times; I'll rescue you, then throw you a party. I'll give you a long life, give you a long drink of salvation!" (Psalm 91:(1-2), 9-16) The Message

Those who know and love the Lord know the truth of this psalm. Written by one who did sit in God's presence and one who loved to stay in God's shadow, knew the power and protection of God. It was natural for the writer to say, "God, you're my refuge. I trust in You and I'm safe!" I remember with great fondness the developmental stages of my children, especially their learning to crawl. They would be on a blanket and they would raise up on their little arms, then their knees and once they started to crawl, they would look around to make sure either Mom or Dad was watching them, smile or giggle, and get near to the edge of the blanket. The trick for them was to decide if stepping off the blanket was safe. They would try it with a hand and then put weight on that hand, and again, would look back to make sure they were not alone, smile and laugh, and off the blanket and down the hallways they would go. Then teaching them to cross the street reminded me of how safe I felt holding my mother or father's hand. We would look both ways, but completely trust our parents for making the dangerous trek across the street. Again, those who know and love the Lord know the truth of this psalm. How powerful to read that neither harm nor evil can come close to us or get through the door. God's angels have been ordered to keep watch over us, to keep us from stumbling or falling. God's promise is to bless us with life and protection come what may. And when the challenge is over, God says a party is ours, long life, and a long drink of salvation!

What more could we want?

PRAYER: Loving God, grant to us the promises of this psalm. Let us love you more and walk with you always to feel the warmth of your presence and strength. Keep us on the path, prevent us from stumbling or falling; grant to us long life, and that long drink of salvation. In Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

We Are Healed!

Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By a perversion of justice he was taken away. Who could have imagined his future? For he was cut off from the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people. They made his grave with the wicked and his tomb with the rich, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him with pain. When you make his life an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring, and shall prolong his days; through him the will of the Lord shall prosper. Out of his anguish he shall see light; he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge. The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. (Isaiah 53:4-12)

There is no greater healing than the permanent, eternal healing of our sins and transgressions against God. In re-reading the Gospel of Mark this week for my own personal growth, I am amazed again and again by the awesome, unexplainable healings that Jesus offered to people, and that some people demanded. The deaf and mute could hear and speak, the lame could walk, withered hands were restored, even the dead were raised; all truly miracles and rich, wonderful blessings for those who received them and for their families, friends, and neighbors. Yet, the prophet Isaiah heard the word of the Lord about the healing that really mattered: Getting right with God and ourselves. In this word about the coming crucifixion and its pain and agony, there was One coming Who would bear our infirmities, carry our diseases, be "wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities," whose punishment made us whole, and whose bruises made us "healed." That eternity-wide gap between God and us because of our sins was closed by Jesus. Jesus paid a terrible price by His suffering and death, but because of God's love, all sins, yes, all sins, even mine, and even yours, dear friend, were paid and removed. Their memory may haunt us, but for that there is no need; remind the Devil that Jesus paid it all.

The Old Testament book of Micah, chapter 7, verse 19 has these words: "You (God) will again have compassion on us; You will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sin." I live by the sea, and I drive by it as often as I can, and I know it's a deep place and there at the bottom of it lay the things that used to separate me from God. Now, listen to the last book, Revelation, chapter 21, verse 1: "Then I saw a new haven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea." Boom! The day is coming, dear friends, when the sea will be no more. And guess what? With the disappearance of the sin, our sins will also eternally disappear.

Do you want your sins at the bottom of the sea? Confess them to God, ask God to remove them, and God will handle the rest. Then drive by the sea and pray the fish don't die from our sinfulness!

PRAYER: Eternal God, for this passage and promise, I thank You. I confess that I am a sinful person and I ask that You remove my sins. Please handle them as You wish, just get them out of my heart, mind, spirit, body; and let peace and joy replace them. Let me love You for that. In Jesus' strong name, He who paid it all, I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Every high priest chosen from among mortals is put in charge of things pertaining to God on their behalf, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is subject to weakness; and because of this he must offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people. And one does not presume to take this honor, but takes it only when called by God, just as Aaron was. So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him, "You are my Son, today I have begotten you"; as he says also in another place, "You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek." In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, having been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek. (Hebrews 5:1-10)

I remember the moment when the thought hit me. I was about to officiate a ceremony, and I thought, "Who am I to do this special service?" If I'm remembering correctly, it was a baptism and I looked at my hands and knew that it was not me doing a thing; it was God, but yet, who was I to be "put in charge of things pertaining to God," among humans, for among them I was called and set apart to do such celebrations. This verse comes right in the middle of Pastor's Appreciation Month and it speaks about what happens among the call from God among clergy. "Chosen from among mortals," "put in charge of things pertaining to God on their behalf, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins." We are called to deal lovingly and gently "with the ignorant and wayward," since we ourselves are "subject to weakness." Yet, we serve the one true high priest, Jesus Christ. Called by God, Son of God, yet came to be servant among us, offering prayers and supplication, ultimately offering Himself for us to save us from death; the ultimate example of one who was reverent and submissive to God. The ancient word for priest was pontifex, based on the word for bridge; a priest, especially the high priest was the bridge between us and God. All we have has come from Him, and what we offer up to God goes through Christ.

Jesus was obedient to God, learning through suffering, yet made perfect and became our source of eternal salvation for our sake, if we are obedient to God. Jesus remains our model for all believers, to be obedient, committed, faithful and fruitful to what God has called us to do.

PRAYER: Loving God, we thank You for Jesus, our High Priest. For those who are servants of Yours among us, we give You thanks. We pray Your blessing and protection upon our clergy. For those who love You and serve You among us as laity, we pray the same blessing upon them. We pray this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Why Worry? Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God!

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"No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, "What will we eat?' or "What will we drink?' or "What will we wear?' For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. "So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today. (Matthew 6:24-34)

You may have learned a song that goes, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you; Alleluia." Simple, but powerful. It's the first thing that came to mind as I read this Gospel passage from Matthew. Again, Jesus addressing money and material possessions; the truth is, Jesus said, "No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth." In other words, if your possessions come to possess you, then you're done. God deserves His rightful place in your life and heart. But, Jesus goes on to talk about God's provision for our lives; God provides what we need, when we need it. Jesus knew the worries of the day, and they're not much different from today. What shall become of my life? What will I eat? What will I drink? What's going on with my body? What will I wear? These and other questions still get asked. Jesus knew that and so He adds how we need not look far to see the provision of God all around us. Birds are taken care of; look at the flowers of the field and how beautifully dressed they are; what do we gain by worrying about such things? What we should worry about, Jesus says, is to be the people God wants us to be; people of righteousness, seeking to be true citizens of God's kingdom right here and now; and once you have those, you'll have all the rest.

Say it again, Jesus: "So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today." And God is with us all the time, even to the end of the age. Amen? Amen!

PRAYER: Loving God, it is easy to fall into a pattern of worry. Will I have enough to pay my bills? Will I have enough to provide for my children? And the list goes on, but stop me whenever my mind takes one of these unnecessary field trips; guide me back to Your comforting words, that God does provide and I should not worry. I need that and I claim that for my life. In Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed, and worry-free day!

Eradio Valverde

Seek the Lord and Live

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Seek the Lord and live, or he will break out against the house of Joseph like fire, and it will devour Bethel, with no one to quench it. Ah, you that turn justice to wormwood, and bring righteousness to the ground! They hate the one who reproves in the gate, and they abhor the one who speaks the truth. Therefore because you trample on the poor and take from them levies of grain, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not live in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine. For I know how many are your transgressions, and how great are your sins— you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and push aside the needy in the gate. Therefore the prudent will keep silent in such a time; for it is an evil time. Seek good and not evil, that you may live; and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, just as you have said. Hate evil and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph. (Amos 5:6-7)

No one likes to lose something. And as careful as we are, we sometimes misplace keys, phones, purses, pens, etc. And we panic and we seek here and seek there, throwing cushions, pillows, picking up rugs, putting our hands in places where sofas sometimes swallow things. Have you ever lost the Lord? I mean, with the busyness of life and the demands of family and work, it sometimes becomes too easy to seek everything else, and we forget how near and dear the Lord truly is for us. Amos the prophet heard the words, "Seek the Lord and live." In seeking everything else but God, the people of God were lost, not God. And they were wandering down a road that would soon lead to their death. The word from God was to seek God and live. Nothing beats having the Lord in our lives and hearts, nothing. But seeking the Lord means surrendering all to God, and becoming a person of righteousness and justice. This week's gospel lesson is on the rich man seeking eternal life. What he heard from Jesus disappointed him, for he had found riches and wealth, and the thing that eluded him was the assurance of God's love for him and his life, even beyond this life. It may have been that his life up to that point had been all about finding the riches of this world at any cost, and he had not sought justice and compassion in that undertaking. Our job is to seek to be and do good, and avoid evil at all cost.

Seek the Lord and live. Everything else will pale in comparison.

PRAYER: Loving God, may I seek You and Your righteousness for my life. Help me to know what is truly important and I know the fullness of life will be mine. Keep my heart and vision on You and serving You; let me surrender all to You. This I pray in Christ Jesus my Lord, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.

Eradio Valverde

Approach the Throne with Boldness

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Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account. Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4: 12-16)

In these few, short verses are found some powerful truths for our lives. The first is that in God's word, we can find a living and active word, one that still speaks to us if we would be pick up our Bibles, open them (Some of you would have to dust them off first!), and listen as you read to what God may be saying to you. Some of what you may read may cut to your heart as you read the truth about where you are, and where you know you need to be. The Bible is very much your mirror to your soul. Sometimes, we don't like what we see looking back at us. The second is that we cannot hide any part of our lives from God; the Bible speaks to our need and also how to get right with God. The third and very key, is that we have Jesus Christ as our high priest; the bridge between God and us. Jesus has made our access to God possible and it's ready even now. For through Jesus we can confess our sins and find forgiveness; for we have in Jesus, One who understands and sympathizes with us and our condition. And last, we have access to God's throne though prayer, and we should use it with boldness. Since God knows all things, why should we hem and haw about what we need to share with Him? Be bold!

PRAYER: Loving God, thank you for all You have done and all You have shared with us. We thank you for the Bible, for prayer, and for access to Your throne. Hear my dear *|FNAME|* as hearts confess and share with You what You already know. But, bring us forgiveness, bring us boldness for life. This we pray in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Stuff or Salvation?

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As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: "You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.' " He said to him, "Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth." Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions. Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!" And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God."They were greatly astounded and said to one another, "Then who can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible." Peter began to say to him, "Look, we have left everything and followed you." Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first." (Mark 10: 17-31 NRSV)

The United State of America leads the world in storage rental places. It is a strong indication that we have been blessed (or cursed) with too much stuff. It's a sad note to me personally, to know that if I have no room in my house, then I can rent a place where I can store the stuff. Nellie and I have been blessed in having lived in parsonages which are usually blessed with plenty of space in which to store unused (and really, unwanted) stuff. When we moved from our parsonage to our first home, we had to get rid of a lot of it, so that our home would have just what we needed. We're back in a parsonage and we find we have the same problem; too much stuff.

This is a powerful story about Jesus and about us. This "rich" guy, could be me, or you. He has a troubling question; "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" We don't know his age, but given the place and times, this man had seen more than his share of deaths. We jokingly read of those who read the obituaries first thing in the morning along with their morning coffee, and say, "If I see that I'm not in there, I can have a good day!" But we are faced with our mortality, as was this man. Jesus answers the question: Whatever you learned in Sunday school, just do that, and you'll be fine! The man replies, "No problem I've done all those things." But Jesus knew that death was still nagging this man. But Jesus, notice, "Looking at him, loved him and said, 'You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." That was more than he wanted to hear. You see, his problem was his possessions; they possessed him. Stuff? Or salvation? It will be easier for camels to walk through the eyes of needles than for those possessed by possessions to enter the kingdom of God. Those who are willing to, and do, leave their possessions to follow Jesus will find the joy of fullness of life here, and the joy of eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven.

The second part of Jesus' explanation has come true in my life over and over. I made a difficult decision early in my life to leave home to serve the Lord. I was sent to wonderful places at the cost of leaving my mom and dad, brothers and sisters, all for the sake of sharing the good news. I have been blessed with countless moms, dads, brothers and sisters during all of my ministry; yes, even more than a hundred. Dear, kind ladies who would do things for me in loving ways like a mother. Sweet, strong men, who lovingly counseled and guided me, like a father. I set Jesus first, and Jesus blessed me. I have sought to be last, and Jesus has blessed me.

The decision is not easy. It is hard for those possessed by possessions to take leave of them. Many would rather rent more storage space. Stuff? Or salvation? Yes, we can be saved from too many things into the joy of knowing we have enough.

PRAYER: GOD of all provision, thank You for the blessings that have come my way. Help me to know the times and seasons, rhymes and reasons for the time to rid myself of too many things, to enjoy You and the eternal things You have shared with me. This I pray in the name of He who loves me enough to bless me out of false blessings; Jesus, my Lord, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

God's Name Echoes Around the World!

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God, brilliant Lord, yours is a household name. Nursing infants gurgle choruses about you; toddlers shout the songs That drown out enemy talk, and silence atheist babble. I look up at your macro-skies, dark and enormous, your handmade sky-jewelry, Moon and stars mounted in their settings. Then I look at my micro-self and wonder, Why do you bother with us? Why take a second look our way? Yet we've so narrowly missed being gods, bright with Eden's dawn light. You put us in charge of your handcrafted world, repeated to us your Genesis-charge, Made us lords of sheep and cattle, even animals out in the wild, Birds flying and fish swimming, whales singing in the ocean deeps. God, brilliant Lord, your name echoes around the world. (Psalm 8 The Message Version)

This is the same passage in the New International Version: 1 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. 2 From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? 5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: 7 all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, 8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. 9 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

This psalm is best known for the question asked in verses 3 and 4, and the declaration by the psalmist in verses 5 through 8, and the praise of verse 9. Who hasn't stopped to consider the works of God's hands? If you're one who hasn't; you're too busy or too silly. The artwork for today captures a modern scene of someone sizing us up against God's creation. The blood red moon of a few nights ago made some of us ooh and aww at how awesome this world, and things near our world, are to us. But it still comes down to what Jesus asks His disciples and what the psalmist declares: What about you? What say you about me and my creation? The modern version of this passage has the psalmist declaring that the name of God is a "household name" so much so that even infants still nursing "gurgle choruses" about God; "toddlers shout the songs" that even drown out thoughts that seek to bring us down. We should join their singing and shouting as we consider how close and how loving God truly is in our lives.

Dear friend, God is mindful of you, and God cares for you. Just take some time and look around. And if that doesn't get you excited to the point of singing or shouting, I don't know what will.

PRAYER: Loving God, thank You! Let me join the songs all around me that are praising You and Your work here on the earth. Thank You for caring for me and sharing Your love for me. I praise You in Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde