Good day dear friends. Sorry your ConCafe didn't arrive yesterday. Thursdays are my Emmaus Reunion days and I had to travel to get to it, then back to where we were and with other church things pending, I did not have a chance to write one.
So, here are the two study guides:
Thursday: Read John 19:38-42. Two interesting character appear in this Good Friday story. Read this short passage, in fact, you can start at verse one, as it’s not that long, and see what is going on. Notice who the second character is in that passage recommended above. Why do you suppose he was present for this event? Would you have been there?
Here is that passage from John 19(NRSV):38 After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body. 39 Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. 40 They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews. 41 Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. 42 And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.
Nick at Nite comes through! We read in verse 39 that this second character is Nicodemus, and it says who he is, "who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes." The first character was a secret service sort of disciple, and Nick wasn't too far behind, but he does come forward at the end, to help in the burial of Jesus' body. That took courage. Perhaps the life and purpose of Jesus did not yet make sense, but they were convinced of Jesus' sincerity and service. They knew Jesus was of God and for that reason helped in this compassionate action. They did now understand the meaning of Christ's suffering and how they were involved in it.
Do you now understand that your sinfulness, and mine, caused the death of this good man? Do you realize the depth of God's love for you and me through what Jesus suffered? I can't honestly say what I would have done had I been in either Joseph of Arimathea or Nick's place. It took boldness and compassion and love, to step forward at the end of this bloody and painful execution to claim Jesus' body.
Lent is leading us to get ready to claim Jesus' body for ourselves and what we need to be about, in terms of God loving us so much that He gave His only begotten Son, so that we might have life. Don't let this Lent be just another time of having given up something; let it be the Lent where we took up the love of God and entered into a fuller, deeper, richer relationship with our God of life and love.
PRAYER: God of life and love, fill me with Your wisdom to better understand Lent and all that is Yours for me today. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Here's the next prayer guide:
Friday: As we spend our time in prayer, let God speak to your heart about the meaning of Lent and especially about the meaning of Christ’s passion for you and me. Let the Holy Spirit prepare you for the fullness of the celebrations that will be ours in a few short weeks. May this year’s Holy Week come alive for you! See you in church!
Have a blessed and great weekend!
e.v.
Friday, March 31, 2006
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
LIFE GIVING EXPERIENCES
Good day dear friends. We thank the Lord for the needed rain! Though it is a bit uneasy for this servant as we're staying right on the Guadalupe River on a mini-retreat. I shared with you that Rev. Barbara Galloway-Edgar had suffered a mild stroke and she is home and undergoing more tests during this week. I believe nothing permanent has affected her and we thank God that she is up and around. Please continue to hold her in your thoughts and prayers. Tomorrow, Wednesday, our brother Hal Blythe is undergoing eye surgery in San Marcos. Please pray for Hal and his successful operation and recovery.
We continue to talk about Christ's suffering and today's study guide takes us to the Old Testament:
Tuesday: Read Numbers 21:4-9. This is the story of Moses having to make a pole with a serpent on it. Read why this was necessary and the outcome of this interesting story. There is life on that pole, is what the story is saying. Compare that to the “pole” where Christ was lifted up. Is there not life on that pole for you and me?
Here is that passage (NRSV): Numbers 21:4 From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; but the people became impatient on the way. 5 The people spoke against God and against Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food." 6 Then the Lord sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died. 7 The people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord to take away the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people. 8 And the Lord said to Moses, "Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live." 9 So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live."
The Old Testament understanding was that if you spoke against God you would suffer the consequences of that action. In this passage, the people "became impatient" and "spoke against God and against Moses." The complaint was there was no food and no water, yet they say in the same sentence they detested "this miserable food." They had food and the water was coming, but it was not to their liking and not to their timing. The area in which they were walking was infested with snakes and the snakes began to bite many and many died. This caused the people to reflect on their thoughts and actions and they realized they shouldn't have said what they did against God and came to Moeses to pray on their behalf to take away the snakes from them.
The Lord directed Moses to make a bronze serpent (this from other versions, this one says "a poisonous serpent"), and to put it upon a pole. That pole once lifted up would serve as a life-giving instrument. Those bit by the snakes could look upon it and be healed from their snake bites.
Jesus knew this story and he knew the comparison one could draw from this experience in the wilderness and the one awaiting Him. In the same way that life was received by those who looked upon that pole in the desert, so could those who, with faith, looked upon the cross upon which He was to be lifted. To look upon the cross of Jesus in remembrance and thankfulness, and to ask that our sins be nailed there with Christ, is to receive the fullness of life. With the death of those sins comes the death of our guilt, shame, etc. that for too long we've carried around because of our sins. For the ancient Hebrew to look upon that pole was to admit his/her sin against God and to, at the same time, receive life and new opportunities to live as a faithful child of God. In the same way, we can look to Christ for forgiveness and new life in Him.
PRAYER: GOD of life, come to me and set me free. Let me see with faith that on that cross Your Son Jesus died for me and has delivered a new opportunity for reconcilation and relationship with You. Put to death the guilt and shame that for too long I've carried around with me because of my sin. Give me the fullness of life. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
We continue to talk about Christ's suffering and today's study guide takes us to the Old Testament:
Tuesday: Read Numbers 21:4-9. This is the story of Moses having to make a pole with a serpent on it. Read why this was necessary and the outcome of this interesting story. There is life on that pole, is what the story is saying. Compare that to the “pole” where Christ was lifted up. Is there not life on that pole for you and me?
Here is that passage (NRSV): Numbers 21:4 From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; but the people became impatient on the way. 5 The people spoke against God and against Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food." 6 Then the Lord sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died. 7 The people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord to take away the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people. 8 And the Lord said to Moses, "Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live." 9 So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live."
The Old Testament understanding was that if you spoke against God you would suffer the consequences of that action. In this passage, the people "became impatient" and "spoke against God and against Moses." The complaint was there was no food and no water, yet they say in the same sentence they detested "this miserable food." They had food and the water was coming, but it was not to their liking and not to their timing. The area in which they were walking was infested with snakes and the snakes began to bite many and many died. This caused the people to reflect on their thoughts and actions and they realized they shouldn't have said what they did against God and came to Moeses to pray on their behalf to take away the snakes from them.
The Lord directed Moses to make a bronze serpent (this from other versions, this one says "a poisonous serpent"), and to put it upon a pole. That pole once lifted up would serve as a life-giving instrument. Those bit by the snakes could look upon it and be healed from their snake bites.
Jesus knew this story and he knew the comparison one could draw from this experience in the wilderness and the one awaiting Him. In the same way that life was received by those who looked upon that pole in the desert, so could those who, with faith, looked upon the cross upon which He was to be lifted. To look upon the cross of Jesus in remembrance and thankfulness, and to ask that our sins be nailed there with Christ, is to receive the fullness of life. With the death of those sins comes the death of our guilt, shame, etc. that for too long we've carried around because of our sins. For the ancient Hebrew to look upon that pole was to admit his/her sin against God and to, at the same time, receive life and new opportunities to live as a faithful child of God. In the same way, we can look to Christ for forgiveness and new life in Him.
PRAYER: GOD of life, come to me and set me free. Let me see with faith that on that cross Your Son Jesus died for me and has delivered a new opportunity for reconcilation and relationship with You. Put to death the guilt and shame that for too long I've carried around with me because of my sin. Give me the fullness of life. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
Monday, March 27, 2006
THE FULLNESS OF LIFE IS YOURS!
Good day dear friends. We're still rejoicing over a very wonderful time together during our PIE with the Pastor and our Fellowship Luncheon yesterday. We even had supper at the Festival Finale and I wondered if there wasn't a breakfast of some sort at the church.
I got word that The Rev. Barbara Galloway-Edgar, pastor of First UMC in Boerne, TX, suffered a mild stroke yesterday morning, but no details were yet available as to any damage. The phone message I received said tests were being run. Please hold Barbara in your prayers.
Yesterday we talked about the meaning of Christ's suffering and it boils down to our being sinful and our needing to repent from our sins and receive the fullness of life through Jesus Christ.
Here is that study guide: Monday: It becomes so easy to accumulate debt, especially of the spiritual kind because we aren’t concerned or aware about it. Yesterday’s passage came as a word of hope and promise for all who would receive it. Read again the entire third chapter of John. Keep a spiritual mind as you read it. Remember Nick at Nite didn’t get it because he wasn’t trained, though he was a Pharisee, to be spiritual. How often being “practical” keeps us from enjoying the fullness of life through Christ. What is keeping you from that fullness today? Which parts of John 3 speak to you? Why?
Here is that passage John 3:1 Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2 He came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God." 3 Jesus answered him, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above." 4 Nicodemus said to him, "How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother's womb and be born?" 5 Jesus answered, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be astonished that I said to you, "You must be born from above.' 8 The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." 9 Nicodemus said to him, "How can these things be?" 10 Jesus answered him, "Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? 11 "Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. 16 "For 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. 17 "Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. 20 For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. 21 But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God." 22 After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he spent some time there with them and baptized. 23 John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim because water was abundant there; and people kept coming and were being baptized 24 —John, of course, had not yet been thrown into prison. 25 Now a discussion about purification arose between John's disciples and a Jew. 26 They came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you testified, here he is baptizing, and all are going to him." 27 John answered, "No one can receive anything except what has been given from heaven. 28 You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, "I am not the Messiah, but I have been sent ahead of him.' 29 He who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. For this reason my joy has been fulfilled. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease." 31 The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. The one who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He testifies to what he has seen and heard, yet no one accepts his testimony. 33 Whoever has accepted his testimony has certified this, that God is true. 34 He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. 35 The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in his hands. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but must endure God's wrath.
The recommended passage was John 3:14-21. I shared how in my seminary days I fell so easily into debt. I paid off my credit card bill and was tempted to buy a pair of boots for $36. Before I realized it the debt went into the thousands. So it is with our spiritual debt. Something tempts us, we give in, and before we know it, we owe God a lot. As Jesus tried to explain to Nicodemus, we face death because of our sins. Just as the Israelites found life in looking up to the raised serpent on the pole in the wilderness, so can we find life in the sacrifice paid on our behalf by Jesus' death on the cross.
Lent teaches us to see things in the spiritual realm beyond the "practical" and physical. Nicodemus, though he was a Pharisee, did not have the ability to see with spiritual eyes, thus his missing all of what Jesus said in that initial meeting. If anything, during Lent as we examine all things, especially ourselves, we need to see the debt owed to God and how God has paid that through Jesus Christ.
What's keeping you for the fullness of life? Why keep on living in shame and guilt over things that can be erased from your life through Jesus Christ? You owe no one nothing when it comes to God's forgiveness. It's yours for the taking.
PRAYER: God of life, speak to my heart today as I seek You spiritually. Let me know that the fullness of life can be mine if I would turn away from the death that awaits me becuase of my sinfulness. I thank you for Jesus and for how He paid the price and gave me life. Let me receive that today. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day.
e.v.
I got word that The Rev. Barbara Galloway-Edgar, pastor of First UMC in Boerne, TX, suffered a mild stroke yesterday morning, but no details were yet available as to any damage. The phone message I received said tests were being run. Please hold Barbara in your prayers.
Yesterday we talked about the meaning of Christ's suffering and it boils down to our being sinful and our needing to repent from our sins and receive the fullness of life through Jesus Christ.
Here is that study guide: Monday: It becomes so easy to accumulate debt, especially of the spiritual kind because we aren’t concerned or aware about it. Yesterday’s passage came as a word of hope and promise for all who would receive it. Read again the entire third chapter of John. Keep a spiritual mind as you read it. Remember Nick at Nite didn’t get it because he wasn’t trained, though he was a Pharisee, to be spiritual. How often being “practical” keeps us from enjoying the fullness of life through Christ. What is keeping you from that fullness today? Which parts of John 3 speak to you? Why?
Here is that passage John 3:1 Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2 He came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God." 3 Jesus answered him, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above." 4 Nicodemus said to him, "How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother's womb and be born?" 5 Jesus answered, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be astonished that I said to you, "You must be born from above.' 8 The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." 9 Nicodemus said to him, "How can these things be?" 10 Jesus answered him, "Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? 11 "Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. 16 "For 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. 17 "Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. 20 For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. 21 But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God." 22 After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he spent some time there with them and baptized. 23 John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim because water was abundant there; and people kept coming and were being baptized 24 —John, of course, had not yet been thrown into prison. 25 Now a discussion about purification arose between John's disciples and a Jew. 26 They came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you testified, here he is baptizing, and all are going to him." 27 John answered, "No one can receive anything except what has been given from heaven. 28 You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, "I am not the Messiah, but I have been sent ahead of him.' 29 He who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. For this reason my joy has been fulfilled. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease." 31 The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. The one who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He testifies to what he has seen and heard, yet no one accepts his testimony. 33 Whoever has accepted his testimony has certified this, that God is true. 34 He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. 35 The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in his hands. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but must endure God's wrath.
The recommended passage was John 3:14-21. I shared how in my seminary days I fell so easily into debt. I paid off my credit card bill and was tempted to buy a pair of boots for $36. Before I realized it the debt went into the thousands. So it is with our spiritual debt. Something tempts us, we give in, and before we know it, we owe God a lot. As Jesus tried to explain to Nicodemus, we face death because of our sins. Just as the Israelites found life in looking up to the raised serpent on the pole in the wilderness, so can we find life in the sacrifice paid on our behalf by Jesus' death on the cross.
Lent teaches us to see things in the spiritual realm beyond the "practical" and physical. Nicodemus, though he was a Pharisee, did not have the ability to see with spiritual eyes, thus his missing all of what Jesus said in that initial meeting. If anything, during Lent as we examine all things, especially ourselves, we need to see the debt owed to God and how God has paid that through Jesus Christ.
What's keeping you for the fullness of life? Why keep on living in shame and guilt over things that can be erased from your life through Jesus Christ? You owe no one nothing when it comes to God's forgiveness. It's yours for the taking.
PRAYER: God of life, speak to my heart today as I seek You spiritually. Let me know that the fullness of life can be mine if I would turn away from the death that awaits me becuase of my sinfulness. I thank you for Jesus and for how He paid the price and gave me life. Let me receive that today. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day.
e.v.
Sunday, March 26, 2006
OF PRAYER AND MEMBERSHIP MEALS
Good Lord's Day everyone! I trust this finds you checking your early email before you head to church. I just wanted to give you a very quick update on our PIE* with the PASTOR retreat we had yesterday. It went very well, thanks to God, and the people present felt it was not long enough. I've been in ministry long enough to find that a very, very rare thing! Usually folks want to be the first in line out of the door! Yesterday the 25 or so who came to learn more about prayer said they wanted another retreat, perhaps an overnight one, where all the topics presented could be shared again. Several wonderful ideas were shared as a result of the workshops presented, and for that we give glory to God! Please be aware of prayer opportunities that might be mentioned today in different settings. Please be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit to be a pray-er.
Also, after the 11 o'clock worship service we've got our Fellowship Meal. We try to have these on a regular rotation basis and today's the day. It's also a welcome meal for new members and all who have joined in the last six months will be honored. Bring a covered dish according to your last name, the meat will be provided. Everyone is welcome and invited. More importantly, come out and make our new members feel at home!
See you in church!
e.v.
Also, after the 11 o'clock worship service we've got our Fellowship Meal. We try to have these on a regular rotation basis and today's the day. It's also a welcome meal for new members and all who have joined in the last six months will be honored. Bring a covered dish according to your last name, the meat will be provided. Everyone is welcome and invited. More importantly, come out and make our new members feel at home!
See you in church!
e.v.
Friday, March 24, 2006
OUR DAY OF PRAYER
Good day dear friends. Please don't forget tomorrow's Leadership event, PIE* with the PASTOR (*Prayer In Everything!). We've ordered ten of the most delicious pies in San Marcos and I should know I stuck my finger in all ten of 'em! Just kidding! They're on order and will be fresh for tomorrow. But more importantly the event is geared to help us develop our leadership skills in prayer. A leader who does not pray is not really a leader. A good leader is one who is led by God. That will be our focus and you will be blessed. Everyone is invited and welcome. We begin at 8:30 in the Activities Building.
Here is our prayer guide for today:
Friday: As we spend our time in prayer, let God speak to you anew the meaning of worship. Let the meaning and heart of worship be all about God. Let God bless your life, your home, your family with a freshness about humbling yourself before entering God’s house. Let God be real in your prayer time for prayer is a pure form of worship. Worship God today as you pray! See you in church!
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
Here is our prayer guide for today:
Friday: As we spend our time in prayer, let God speak to you anew the meaning of worship. Let the meaning and heart of worship be all about God. Let God bless your life, your home, your family with a freshness about humbling yourself before entering God’s house. Let God be real in your prayer time for prayer is a pure form of worship. Worship God today as you pray! See you in church!
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
Thursday, March 23, 2006
IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH
Good day dear friends. Just a friendly reminder to be present today at noon for our Lenten Litury and Luncheon. The Rev. Santiago Heredia of El Buen Pastor UMC is presenting the talk. A delicious soup, bread, and water meal follows as does great fellowship!
We've been talking about the meaning of worship and here is our study guide for today:
Thursday: Read John 4:7-26. Read each verse carefully as we tend to focus on the more celebrated part of this story, namely Jesus talking to this woman, but pay close attention to the worship references in this passage. What is this saying to you as a modern person? What can we learn about worship in this passage?
Here is that passage from the NRSV: John 4:7 A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." 8 (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?" (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) {Other ancient authorities lack this sentence} 10 Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, "Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." 11 The woman said to him, "Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?" 13 Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life." 15 The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water." 16 Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come back." 17 The woman answered him, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You are right in saying, "I have no husband'; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!" 19 The woman said to him, "Sir, I see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem." 21 Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." 25 The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ). "When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us." 26 Jesus said to her, "I am he, {Gk [I am]} the one who is speaking to you."
We tend to overlook the worship references in this passage. It is the Samaritan woman who brings them up as a way of changing the subject regarding her marital status. She believes Jesus is a prophet and then shares perhaps the little she knew about worship and that was that worship occurred on the mountain on which they stood. She also adds that Jesus had said people "must worship...in Jerusalem." Jesus replied that the hour was coming when worship would take place in the hearts and spirits of people and that it would be done "in spirit and truth." Jesus knew the coming end of Jerusalem as people at that time knew it, and the Temple would no longer be the same as it once was. But it was that God had revealed grace in Jesus and now face-to-face with Jesus she was a recipient in receiving that grace and begins to understand how we are to worship once we know grace: in our souls (fully surrendered to God) and in truth (hiding nothing, baring our souls to God).
Location is not as important as is the condition of our spirit and heart. That is not to say we don't have to go to church, rather whatever church you choose is not as important as the way you come to worship. Do you come as a "seeker" as was mentioned in the sermon? Do we come excited and expectant to what God can share with us during all that is offered to us? Or do we come with a set list of things WE want? That encounter with Jesus changed the woman. She is known afterwards not as the immoral woman but as the woman whose testimony changed the lives of those in her village.
PRAYER: Come, loving God of life, to my life. Open my soul and heart to Your presence. Let me know how you seek to bless me and use me to give testimony of all You offer. Thank you for the faith of that woman. Thank you for Jesus and what Jesus did for the Samaritans and for us. We praise You in Jesus' name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
We've been talking about the meaning of worship and here is our study guide for today:
Thursday: Read John 4:7-26. Read each verse carefully as we tend to focus on the more celebrated part of this story, namely Jesus talking to this woman, but pay close attention to the worship references in this passage. What is this saying to you as a modern person? What can we learn about worship in this passage?
Here is that passage from the NRSV: John 4:7 A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." 8 (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?" (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) {Other ancient authorities lack this sentence} 10 Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, "Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." 11 The woman said to him, "Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?" 13 Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life." 15 The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water." 16 Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come back." 17 The woman answered him, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You are right in saying, "I have no husband'; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!" 19 The woman said to him, "Sir, I see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem." 21 Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." 25 The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ). "When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us." 26 Jesus said to her, "I am he, {Gk [I am]} the one who is speaking to you."
We tend to overlook the worship references in this passage. It is the Samaritan woman who brings them up as a way of changing the subject regarding her marital status. She believes Jesus is a prophet and then shares perhaps the little she knew about worship and that was that worship occurred on the mountain on which they stood. She also adds that Jesus had said people "must worship...in Jerusalem." Jesus replied that the hour was coming when worship would take place in the hearts and spirits of people and that it would be done "in spirit and truth." Jesus knew the coming end of Jerusalem as people at that time knew it, and the Temple would no longer be the same as it once was. But it was that God had revealed grace in Jesus and now face-to-face with Jesus she was a recipient in receiving that grace and begins to understand how we are to worship once we know grace: in our souls (fully surrendered to God) and in truth (hiding nothing, baring our souls to God).
Location is not as important as is the condition of our spirit and heart. That is not to say we don't have to go to church, rather whatever church you choose is not as important as the way you come to worship. Do you come as a "seeker" as was mentioned in the sermon? Do we come excited and expectant to what God can share with us during all that is offered to us? Or do we come with a set list of things WE want? That encounter with Jesus changed the woman. She is known afterwards not as the immoral woman but as the woman whose testimony changed the lives of those in her village.
PRAYER: Come, loving God of life, to my life. Open my soul and heart to Your presence. Let me know how you seek to bless me and use me to give testimony of all You offer. Thank you for the faith of that woman. Thank you for Jesus and what Jesus did for the Samaritans and for us. We praise You in Jesus' name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
OUR DAY OF PRAYER AND PURPOSE
Good day dear friends.
We continue our Lenten journey discovering the meaning of worship.
Today is our day of prayer and purpose. Here is our prayer and purpose guide:
Wednesday: For our day of prayer and purpose, be in prayer for our church, which means every individual member, to truly understand the heart and purpose of worship. Pray that God will bring a freshness of His Holy Spirit among us to revitalize our worship time. Pray that God would touch those hearts who still think worship is about them being pleased instead of God being the center of our worship.
Please don't forget you're invited to our Lenten Liturgy and Luncheon, 12 noon at Lowman Chapel/Todd Hall tomorrow. We'd love to see you there.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
We continue our Lenten journey discovering the meaning of worship.
Today is our day of prayer and purpose. Here is our prayer and purpose guide:
Wednesday: For our day of prayer and purpose, be in prayer for our church, which means every individual member, to truly understand the heart and purpose of worship. Pray that God will bring a freshness of His Holy Spirit among us to revitalize our worship time. Pray that God would touch those hearts who still think worship is about them being pleased instead of God being the center of our worship.
Please don't forget you're invited to our Lenten Liturgy and Luncheon, 12 noon at Lowman Chapel/Todd Hall tomorrow. We'd love to see you there.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
WHEN IS YOUR SABBATH?
Good day dear friends. Let us be in a spirit of worship and praise today as we thank God for all God has shared with us and as we acknowledge that He is God!
A special prayer request from our daughter Sarai Cortez, whose boss, Mrs. Jackson, suffered a major heart attack on Sunday morning in Galveston. She remains in ICU with a poor prognosis. Pray for her and her daughter and grandchildren during this time.
Also, the funeral for Mrs. Joan Spraigins will be Saturday at 1:30 at Pennington Funeral Home. Those of you who can attend are invited.
We continue our Lenten journey with our study of the meaning of worship. Here is our study guide for today:
Tuesday: Read Exodus 20:8. This is one of the Big Ten! What do you suppose God intended for us when God says, “Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy”? Do you keep a “sabbath” for yourself, a day when your entire focus is on God and God’s word for your life? Is it Sunday or another day? In other words, when do you and God have a day set aside to meet and be blessed?
That passage says: Exodus 20:8 "Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy."
The sabbath for the Jews is Saturday. The Spanish word for Saturday is sabado. We don't argue that. As Christians, we're Resurrection People, who celebrate our Lord's day on Sunday, the day of Jesus' resurrection. We won't argue which day is truly a "sabbath." The question is, when is YOUR sabbath? When is it that you put aside an entire day to spend with God?
Most of you reading this are old enough to remember Texas' blue law. Its intent was to limit commercial sales on Sundays. Yes, boys and girls, there was a time the mall was closed the whole day of Sunday! Shock! I remember going to the grocery store and seeing flags draped across entire aisles of merchandise signifying that those products were not available for purchase. (I also remember when H.E.B. (Helping Every Baptist) didn't sell beer or wine or any liquor on any day). If you want to read something interesting about the term "blue law" go http://www.answers.com/topic/blue-law and read there about the history of such laws.
The point is having a sabbath for our lives is about rest and renewal with God. God rested on the seventh day as Genesis tells us. Jesus modeled a life where He rested as often as possible, seeking time alone with God and with the disciples. His ministry could not have been physically possible had He not made time to spend with God in prayer and in quiet time with the twelve.
A good sabbath for me involves worship. I've shared with you that those Sundays that I cannot be in worship my week is not the same. Being in worship adds a blessing that is not possible if I'm not with fellow believers singing, praying, and praising God. And after worship I try, as often as possible, to spend quiet time with the family. Those days when it is possible to do those things makes for a better person physically to do what God directs.
Luke 4:16 shares that Jesus' custom was to be in worship every sabbath. The Son desiring to stay connected with His father. Why should we be exempt from that ourselves?
PRAYER: God of life and fullness of life, help me to realize all that is mine through worship and through a careful observation of a sabbath. Let me make time to spend as much time as I can with You. Let those moments be a time of renewal and rest and a refreshing of my spirit so I can best serve You. I can't do it alone, so help me. I pray in Christ Jesus' name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
A special prayer request from our daughter Sarai Cortez, whose boss, Mrs. Jackson, suffered a major heart attack on Sunday morning in Galveston. She remains in ICU with a poor prognosis. Pray for her and her daughter and grandchildren during this time.
Also, the funeral for Mrs. Joan Spraigins will be Saturday at 1:30 at Pennington Funeral Home. Those of you who can attend are invited.
We continue our Lenten journey with our study of the meaning of worship. Here is our study guide for today:
Tuesday: Read Exodus 20:8. This is one of the Big Ten! What do you suppose God intended for us when God says, “Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy”? Do you keep a “sabbath” for yourself, a day when your entire focus is on God and God’s word for your life? Is it Sunday or another day? In other words, when do you and God have a day set aside to meet and be blessed?
That passage says: Exodus 20:8 "Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy."
The sabbath for the Jews is Saturday. The Spanish word for Saturday is sabado. We don't argue that. As Christians, we're Resurrection People, who celebrate our Lord's day on Sunday, the day of Jesus' resurrection. We won't argue which day is truly a "sabbath." The question is, when is YOUR sabbath? When is it that you put aside an entire day to spend with God?
Most of you reading this are old enough to remember Texas' blue law. Its intent was to limit commercial sales on Sundays. Yes, boys and girls, there was a time the mall was closed the whole day of Sunday! Shock! I remember going to the grocery store and seeing flags draped across entire aisles of merchandise signifying that those products were not available for purchase. (I also remember when H.E.B. (Helping Every Baptist) didn't sell beer or wine or any liquor on any day). If you want to read something interesting about the term "blue law" go http://www.answers.com/topic/blue-law and read there about the history of such laws.
The point is having a sabbath for our lives is about rest and renewal with God. God rested on the seventh day as Genesis tells us. Jesus modeled a life where He rested as often as possible, seeking time alone with God and with the disciples. His ministry could not have been physically possible had He not made time to spend with God in prayer and in quiet time with the twelve.
A good sabbath for me involves worship. I've shared with you that those Sundays that I cannot be in worship my week is not the same. Being in worship adds a blessing that is not possible if I'm not with fellow believers singing, praying, and praising God. And after worship I try, as often as possible, to spend quiet time with the family. Those days when it is possible to do those things makes for a better person physically to do what God directs.
Luke 4:16 shares that Jesus' custom was to be in worship every sabbath. The Son desiring to stay connected with His father. Why should we be exempt from that ourselves?
PRAYER: God of life and fullness of life, help me to realize all that is mine through worship and through a careful observation of a sabbath. Let me make time to spend as much time as I can with You. Let those moments be a time of renewal and rest and a refreshing of my spirit so I can best serve You. I can't do it alone, so help me. I pray in Christ Jesus' name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
Monday, March 20, 2006
YOU READY TO SERVE?
Good day dear friends. What a storm blew through San Marcos last night! It was 12:55 when the thunder and lightning awoke us and brought some much needed rain. We had had some drizzle but I guess God decided to turn on the faucet and bring some nice rain.
We studied the meaning of worship yesterday. Interesting how sometimes the best ideas come on Sunday morning. Sometimes the ideas aren't the most popular. For example, I asked God in my morning prayers, "Lord, what kinds of people come to worship?" I didn't get an immediate answer and so after reading The Upper Room online, I did a Google search of 'Types of people who attend worship' and got nothing to speak of or much less, preach on. Then it was as if God was saying, there's three types of people: seekers, streakers, and reekers. I knew what that meant and I said, that won't be too popular! Yes, God replied, but there's Good News, for folks don't have to stay there; that's why I sent Jesus. The text was from John 2:13-22 about Jesus going to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover and finding a permanent bazaar/livestock auction/cattleshow, etc. For your reference, that passage will appear at the bottom of today's email. I also will include Luke 4:16 which I mentioned stresses the importance of worship for Jesus.
Here's our study guide for today:
Monday: In yesterday’s sermon we studied the passage from John 2 dealing with what had taken the place of worship. It is very easy for fellowship and social purposes to take the place of the real reason for worshiping together as a community. It is up to the individual to make the purpose of worship meaningful for his/herself. It’s not about what we “get out” of worship, but what we bring. We leave it to God to bless and use our time in worship, because it is all about God and not about us. Read Exodus 8:1-2. In most versions of the Bible the word for “worship” is “serve.” It is more modern versions such as The Message that uses “worship” instead of “serve.” What notion do you suppose is intended in using “serve” to mean worship?
Here is Exodus 8:1-2 in The Message: God said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and tell him, 'God's Message: Release my people so they can worship me. 2 If you refuse to release them, I'm warning you, I'll hit the whole country with frogs."
"I don't get anything out of worship!" How many times have you heard or said that? I love hearing church people, and I'm referring to the unpaid kind, speak against that. I've had dedicated church people in all the churches that I've served. This would fall under the category "seekers" that I mentioned yesterday. But these folks, who love God and everything dealing with God, especially worship, would say things like, "You can go to Luby's (a cafeteria), and see all that is laid out before you and 'not get anything out of it' because you're not hungry." And that would make me think about days growing up when my mother would make something that someone didn't like (I loved everything! Can't you tell?) and they would say, "I don't like that!" And Mom would say, "Then you're not hungry!"
When God called Moses to lead His people, God first asked Moses to get permission to go out of the city, into the wilderness, to worship Him. As I mentioned in the study guide most versions say "serve" instead of worship. In understanding this, we must remember worship is all about God and not about us. If we love God and seek God's blessing each time we go into worship, we should enter in with a servant's heart. And I'm talking about a servant that loves his/her job, and can't wait to get to the next assignment. If you worship in a traditional setting, I know you won't love ALL the hymns, especially some that don't get sung that often, but that shouldn't ruin your worship experience. And in the contemporary setting, the band may not play all your favorites every Sunday and the same is true. If we enter into God's house, expectant and excited to be alive and to have that wonderful opportunity to reach spiritual heights in praise, we're going to be lessed. (Notice I used one of the acronyms from yesterday: W.O.R.S.H.I.P.: Wonderful Opportunity to Reach Spiritual Heights In Praise). To a certain extent, how "hungry" do you come to worship? And I'm not talking about physically hungry, because at 11 most folks are hungry; but how spiritually hungry are you to be fed by God in all that has been prepared for you in worship? Can you be fed by a hymn, a prayer, a reading, the children's sermon, the sermon, etc? Yes, you can! But it depends on you and how you enter.
PRAYER: Loving God, let me seek to serve You today in my devotional time and in the rest of the day. Let me know worship is all about my surrendering to You and seeking You. Let this spill over to others, so that Your Kingdom might grow. I pray in Jesus' name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
John 2:13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers at their business. 15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all, with the sheep and oxen, out of the temple; and he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. 16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, "Take these things away; you shall not make my Father's house a house of trade." 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for thy house will consume me." 18 The Jews then said to him, "What sign have you to show us for doing this?" 19 Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." 20 The Jews then said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?" 21 But he spoke of the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken.
Luke 4:16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up; and he went to the synagogue, as his custom was, on the sabbath day.
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
WHERE AM I?
Good day dear friends. I have not received any updates other than the ones sent last night regarding Ashtyn and Francis. We continue to keep them in our prayers.
Here is our study guide as we continue to study self-denial.
Tuesday: In Luke 9:57-62 Jesus is followed by someone who cries out that he would follow Him. Read Jesus’ response to him and what it might say to you. In your setting today, are those words ringing true for your life or do you find yourself in the midst of a more servant role? Read the passage slowly and allow each condition mentioned there speak to your spirit. Pray that God would share a blessing to you as you learn to surrender more to Him.
Here is that passage:
Luke 9:57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." 58 And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." 59 To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." 60 But Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." 61 Another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home." 62 Jesus said to him, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."
The first one volunteered to go with Jesus. Jesus explains the reality of the itinerant ministry in which he was involved; "you might not get a bed every night." Jesus invites the second one and this one replies he must return home to bury his father. To this one Jesus replies that the urgency of the gospel is to go and proclaim now the kingdom of God and to "let the dead bury their own dead." The third one volunteered with a condition, I will follow you after I go and say my goodbyes to my family. To this one Jesus says, once you set after me, don't look back.
To follow Christ means to do so wholeheartedly; with a commitment that isn't easily shaken. To follow Christ is a journey best traveled forward and not back. The realities of self-denial is putting God first may not always bring you want you want or think you need; but it does bring satisfaction and fulfillment not measured with beds or places to stay. To follow Christ means to fulfill the will of your heavenly Father not your earthly one. Barclay has said that this saying of "let me go and first bury my father" really means to return home to work and fulfill his family obligation until the father dies, the estate and situation is settled, someone is found to stay in charge of the rest of the family, and then he can follow. Jesus knew that could take some time. And the more time one takes away from the calling of God the less one will be able to do the will of God. And to the third Jesus said, once you start out with me, don't look back at what could have been; ours is to move towards 'the best is yet to come.'
As you have read the passage and my comments on it, where do you find yourself? Are you like the first, ready to go but not so sure you're ready for some of the hazards or limitations of physical accomodations involved in ministry? Are you like the second who still has many obligations to your family that you can't start yet? Or are you hesitating because you have it good now and you think if you leave now, you'll miss out on more?
Only you can answer that question in conversation with God, and that is your assignment for today.
PRAYER: Come, loving God, speak to my heart. Let me see through Your eyes where I am. Open my spirit to minister to all regardless of my situation, but if You want me somewhere else in ministry, then reveal that to me now. I pray in Jesus' name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
Here is our study guide as we continue to study self-denial.
Tuesday: In Luke 9:57-62 Jesus is followed by someone who cries out that he would follow Him. Read Jesus’ response to him and what it might say to you. In your setting today, are those words ringing true for your life or do you find yourself in the midst of a more servant role? Read the passage slowly and allow each condition mentioned there speak to your spirit. Pray that God would share a blessing to you as you learn to surrender more to Him.
Here is that passage:
Luke 9:57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." 58 And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." 59 To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." 60 But Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." 61 Another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home." 62 Jesus said to him, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."
The first one volunteered to go with Jesus. Jesus explains the reality of the itinerant ministry in which he was involved; "you might not get a bed every night." Jesus invites the second one and this one replies he must return home to bury his father. To this one Jesus replies that the urgency of the gospel is to go and proclaim now the kingdom of God and to "let the dead bury their own dead." The third one volunteered with a condition, I will follow you after I go and say my goodbyes to my family. To this one Jesus says, once you set after me, don't look back.
To follow Christ means to do so wholeheartedly; with a commitment that isn't easily shaken. To follow Christ is a journey best traveled forward and not back. The realities of self-denial is putting God first may not always bring you want you want or think you need; but it does bring satisfaction and fulfillment not measured with beds or places to stay. To follow Christ means to fulfill the will of your heavenly Father not your earthly one. Barclay has said that this saying of "let me go and first bury my father" really means to return home to work and fulfill his family obligation until the father dies, the estate and situation is settled, someone is found to stay in charge of the rest of the family, and then he can follow. Jesus knew that could take some time. And the more time one takes away from the calling of God the less one will be able to do the will of God. And to the third Jesus said, once you start out with me, don't look back at what could have been; ours is to move towards 'the best is yet to come.'
As you have read the passage and my comments on it, where do you find yourself? Are you like the first, ready to go but not so sure you're ready for some of the hazards or limitations of physical accomodations involved in ministry? Are you like the second who still has many obligations to your family that you can't start yet? Or are you hesitating because you have it good now and you think if you leave now, you'll miss out on more?
Only you can answer that question in conversation with God, and that is your assignment for today.
PRAYER: Come, loving God, speak to my heart. Let me see through Your eyes where I am. Open my spirit to minister to all regardless of my situation, but if You want me somewhere else in ministry, then reveal that to me now. I pray in Jesus' name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
Monday, March 13, 2006
THE "NEW" GOSPEL
Good day dear friends. A special prayer for all the spring breakers, especially the ones who left SM!
We studied Jesus' meaning of self-denial from Mark 8. Here is our study guide for today:
Monday: Just yesterday I mentioned a “new” gospel of Self-Satisfaction and Self-Love. Actually, it’s an ancient gospel, written and rewritten by those who feel they’re “entitled” to all things. Jesus mentions a man who said in Luke 12:13-21 words along the lines that we could find in such a gospel of self-satisfaction and self-love. Where do you find yourself living? In Christ’s land of self-sacrifice and self-denial or in the land of self-satisfaction and self-love (the roar of the crowd?)
The reference to a "new" gospel was made in my sermon. I said we have rewritten Jesus' Gospel of Sacrifice and Love with the Gospel of Self-Satisfaction and Self-Love with the major quote being, “If anyone would come after me, he must please himself and take up his couch and stay right where he/she is.” For too many, this is so true. Me first, right here, right now. Yet, as I've shared in the study guide this is an ancient thing dating back even to Jesus' day as we read about someone in the Luke passage.
Here is that passage: 12:13 Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me." 14 But he said to him, "Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?" 15 And he said to them, "Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions." 16 Then he told them a parable: "The land of a rich man produced abundantly. 17 And he thought to himself, "What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?' 18 Then he said, "I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.' 20 But God said to him, "You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' 21 So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God."
Oh, if this was the only reference to such a person in Jesus' messages. Remember the rich man and Lazarus? God has a thing against rich, self-centered people. God does not have a thing against being rich, but if someone chooses riches only to please themselves, then that rich person and God need to talk. The man in this story had a nice problem by worldly standards, of needing more room in which to store his crops. The solution was simple, he would tear down those barns and build new ones in which to store "all (his) grain and (his) goods." (v. 18). And his attitude then becomes one of complete self-centeredness as we read in verse 19. And in verse 20 the reality of life shows up; we're not always in control of our lives or our fate. And if you've spent your life storing up treasures for yourself here on the earth and not worried about treasures in heaven, then you will lose everything.
Jesus told this story not to lose anyone, but to invite everyone to realize how important it is to live with the mind of Christ. To live with the mind of Christ means having the love of Christ in our hearts and acting towards God and others in that same way. We put God first, others second and ourselves third. And we'll see that God always provides. Our Lenten journey is intended to show us such spiritual truths. It's up to embrace them and make them ours.
PRAYER: God of all treasures, help me today realize which treasure is best for me. Help me to look away from the treasures proclaimed here, to the treasures that you offer to me, the treasure of Your love and grace. Help me to share that with others. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
We studied Jesus' meaning of self-denial from Mark 8. Here is our study guide for today:
Monday: Just yesterday I mentioned a “new” gospel of Self-Satisfaction and Self-Love. Actually, it’s an ancient gospel, written and rewritten by those who feel they’re “entitled” to all things. Jesus mentions a man who said in Luke 12:13-21 words along the lines that we could find in such a gospel of self-satisfaction and self-love. Where do you find yourself living? In Christ’s land of self-sacrifice and self-denial or in the land of self-satisfaction and self-love (the roar of the crowd?)
The reference to a "new" gospel was made in my sermon. I said we have rewritten Jesus' Gospel of Sacrifice and Love with the Gospel of Self-Satisfaction and Self-Love with the major quote being, “If anyone would come after me, he must please himself and take up his couch and stay right where he/she is.” For too many, this is so true. Me first, right here, right now. Yet, as I've shared in the study guide this is an ancient thing dating back even to Jesus' day as we read about someone in the Luke passage.
Here is that passage: 12:13 Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me." 14 But he said to him, "Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?" 15 And he said to them, "Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions." 16 Then he told them a parable: "The land of a rich man produced abundantly. 17 And he thought to himself, "What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?' 18 Then he said, "I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.' 20 But God said to him, "You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' 21 So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God."
Oh, if this was the only reference to such a person in Jesus' messages. Remember the rich man and Lazarus? God has a thing against rich, self-centered people. God does not have a thing against being rich, but if someone chooses riches only to please themselves, then that rich person and God need to talk. The man in this story had a nice problem by worldly standards, of needing more room in which to store his crops. The solution was simple, he would tear down those barns and build new ones in which to store "all (his) grain and (his) goods." (v. 18). And his attitude then becomes one of complete self-centeredness as we read in verse 19. And in verse 20 the reality of life shows up; we're not always in control of our lives or our fate. And if you've spent your life storing up treasures for yourself here on the earth and not worried about treasures in heaven, then you will lose everything.
Jesus told this story not to lose anyone, but to invite everyone to realize how important it is to live with the mind of Christ. To live with the mind of Christ means having the love of Christ in our hearts and acting towards God and others in that same way. We put God first, others second and ourselves third. And we'll see that God always provides. Our Lenten journey is intended to show us such spiritual truths. It's up to embrace them and make them ours.
PRAYER: God of all treasures, help me today realize which treasure is best for me. Help me to look away from the treasures proclaimed here, to the treasures that you offer to me, the treasure of Your love and grace. Help me to share that with others. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
Thursday, March 09, 2006
SUCH A DEAL!
Good day dear friends.
Let us continue to study the meaning of baptism.
Check out Acts 2:36-38. We see here how the early church came to be joined together in the Body of Christ; they responded to the Good News that Jesus is Lord and the Christ. They responded by repenting of their sins and being baptized. The gift of the Holy Spirit is promised to all believers. How do you experience the Holy Spirit? Be attentive today for the move of the Holy Spirit around you and in you.
Here is that text: Acts 2:36 Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified." 37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, "Brothers, what should we do?" 38 Peter said to them, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
There is no greater Easter gift you can give than the gift of faith to a nonbeliever. And the easiest way is to invite that person to come to one of our Holy Week services and especially our Easter Sunday services. We see in the above passage, the concluding part of that first Christian sermon preached by the apostle Peter. As he proclaimed Jesus, the Holy Spirit was touching lives and hearts and the people who heard it could not help but respond, "Brothers, what should we do?" There is that excitement and urgency in their response. They heard the truth and they knew it. They knew they were not right with God and needed to do something about it. (And this in the midst of a religious celebration, the giving of the Law to Moses by God - Pentecost). Peter knew what they needed to do: First, repent, which means turn away from your sins, and then make a faith commitment to be baptized so that this act of repentance is complete as your sins will be washed away, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Quite a deal!
I just finished teaching the class on the Trinity and it's interesting to study that throughout the ages, the major controversies have been on Jesus and his Sonship. It's taken several councils to finalize orthodox language on Jesus because most in ages past and even today, seek a rational explanation to Jesus and his humanity and divinity. Yet, very little controversy on the third person of the Godhead and that is Holy Spirit. People ask, "Person?" Yes, the Holy Spirit is a person or being like God and Jesus, not a feeling like Toyota wants you to get; He is a real moving person in our midst doing all that scripture says He does. We don't speak often enough about what the Holy Spirit does or can do for us. He is an advocate, counselor, guide, intercessor, prayer interpreter, God's presence on the earth. The Holy Spirit is God's gift to us right now. The Holy Spirit empowers us for holy living and His presence during our Lenten journey is exactly what we need.
PRAYER: Come Holy Spirit and touch my life. Let me be aware of what You offer and let me take advantage of it. Bring me to faithfulness. I pray in Christ Jesus' name. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
Let us continue to study the meaning of baptism.
Check out Acts 2:36-38. We see here how the early church came to be joined together in the Body of Christ; they responded to the Good News that Jesus is Lord and the Christ. They responded by repenting of their sins and being baptized. The gift of the Holy Spirit is promised to all believers. How do you experience the Holy Spirit? Be attentive today for the move of the Holy Spirit around you and in you.
Here is that text: Acts 2:36 Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified." 37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, "Brothers, what should we do?" 38 Peter said to them, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
There is no greater Easter gift you can give than the gift of faith to a nonbeliever. And the easiest way is to invite that person to come to one of our Holy Week services and especially our Easter Sunday services. We see in the above passage, the concluding part of that first Christian sermon preached by the apostle Peter. As he proclaimed Jesus, the Holy Spirit was touching lives and hearts and the people who heard it could not help but respond, "Brothers, what should we do?" There is that excitement and urgency in their response. They heard the truth and they knew it. They knew they were not right with God and needed to do something about it. (And this in the midst of a religious celebration, the giving of the Law to Moses by God - Pentecost). Peter knew what they needed to do: First, repent, which means turn away from your sins, and then make a faith commitment to be baptized so that this act of repentance is complete as your sins will be washed away, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Quite a deal!
I just finished teaching the class on the Trinity and it's interesting to study that throughout the ages, the major controversies have been on Jesus and his Sonship. It's taken several councils to finalize orthodox language on Jesus because most in ages past and even today, seek a rational explanation to Jesus and his humanity and divinity. Yet, very little controversy on the third person of the Godhead and that is Holy Spirit. People ask, "Person?" Yes, the Holy Spirit is a person or being like God and Jesus, not a feeling like Toyota wants you to get; He is a real moving person in our midst doing all that scripture says He does. We don't speak often enough about what the Holy Spirit does or can do for us. He is an advocate, counselor, guide, intercessor, prayer interpreter, God's presence on the earth. The Holy Spirit is God's gift to us right now. The Holy Spirit empowers us for holy living and His presence during our Lenten journey is exactly what we need.
PRAYER: Come Holy Spirit and touch my life. Let me be aware of what You offer and let me take advantage of it. Bring me to faithfulness. I pray in Christ Jesus' name. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY DOUBLE ISSUE
Good day dear friends. Yesterday found me in Kerrville, Texas with no internet access thus no ConCafe for yesterday. I will share yesterday's study guide and today's prayer guide in this mailing.
Our prayer focus today for those traveling on spring break and vacations. Eric and Sarai Cortez travel to California on their vacation today. A special prayer for the Ehler family of San Antonio.
We studied the meaning of baptism in Sunday's sermon and here is Tuesday's study guide:
In the Gospel of John 3:-122, Jesus visits the Pharisee, Nicodemus. Slowly read this passage. You might recognize the familiar verse John 3:16. How does Jesus' declaration of God's purpose in sending the Son relate to Nicodemus' question about being born again? Could our rebirth be a rebirth into this eternal life that Jesus came to bring? What might it mean to "live by the truth" in verse 21?
Here is that passage: John 3:1 Now there was a Phar'isee named Nicode'mus, a leader of the Jews. 2 He came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God." 3 Jesus answered him, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above." 4 Nicode'mus said to him, "How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother's womb and be born?" 5 Jesus answered, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be astonished that I said to you, "You must be born from above.' 8 The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." 9 Nicode'mus said to him, "How can these things be?" 10 Jesus answered him, "Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? 11 "Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. 16 "For 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. 17 "Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. 20 For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. 21 But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God." 22 After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he spent some time there with them and baptized.
To fully understand Jesus' purpose it takes a spiritual mind. To possess a spiritual mind, one must surrender to God, repent of past sins, and invite Jesus in as Lord and Savior. That marks the beginning of a spiritual journey with the Lord that takes us to new and deeper understandings of what God has for us. Nicodemus wanted to know more but was limited by his carnal mind. Nic was a righteous man but hadn't yet surrendered to God in a complete manner, thus Jesus telling him to be "born again" (or "from above"). This confuses the poor man and Jesus explains it to him, telling Nic that spiritual understandings come through Him. Jesus came to reveal the spiritual realm not yet understood even by the righteous. God's love, grace and mercy were ours if we could just understand from a spiritual standpoint, but as the saying goes, "We can't see the forest for the trees!" Our busy-ness keeps us from it. Study again John Wesley's schedule and see how busy he was, truly engaged in doing God's work, but that kept him from truly knowing Jesus as he needed until that day that he slowed down enough to let someone else do the work of God, in this case a lay person who was reading Luther's Preface to the Epistle of Romans, that Wesley felt his heart strangely warmed. Is your busy-ness kept you from slowly down and letting God speak to you? Are you thinking with a spiritual mind or still using a limited not-yet exposed to God mind?
To "live by the truth" (or "do what is true" NRSV) as we find in verse 21 means to be guided by God through our new spiritual understanding after we allow God to give us new spiritual birth. This means to trust God and allow God to speak to us through our prayer time, our devotional time, our scriptural reflection time, worship time, and our Christian fellowship time. All of these work to bring us God's blessings of direction.
Our prayer guide for today says, "For our day of prayer and purpose, we remember this season of Lent. Let us remember that the journey to the cross is down hill. In the Kingdom of God, the way up is the way down. Jesus was our example in this. Rather than getting on the fast track to earthly power and glory, he humbled himself and submitted to His Father's plan. How can we trade our striving for humble faith in God's dreams for us? How can we be a faithful member of the Body of Christ? That humble body that bore all our sins." (LT)
PRAYER: Come, Holy Spirit to my life. Let me slow down enough to receive the blessing of new life in You. Let the Father's will for my life be known to me as I let You speak to me His will. I pray through the Son, Jesus Christ my Savior. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day.
e.v.
Our prayer focus today for those traveling on spring break and vacations. Eric and Sarai Cortez travel to California on their vacation today. A special prayer for the Ehler family of San Antonio.
We studied the meaning of baptism in Sunday's sermon and here is Tuesday's study guide:
In the Gospel of John 3:-122, Jesus visits the Pharisee, Nicodemus. Slowly read this passage. You might recognize the familiar verse John 3:16. How does Jesus' declaration of God's purpose in sending the Son relate to Nicodemus' question about being born again? Could our rebirth be a rebirth into this eternal life that Jesus came to bring? What might it mean to "live by the truth" in verse 21?
Here is that passage: John 3:1 Now there was a Phar'isee named Nicode'mus, a leader of the Jews. 2 He came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God." 3 Jesus answered him, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above." 4 Nicode'mus said to him, "How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother's womb and be born?" 5 Jesus answered, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be astonished that I said to you, "You must be born from above.' 8 The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." 9 Nicode'mus said to him, "How can these things be?" 10 Jesus answered him, "Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? 11 "Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. 16 "For 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. 17 "Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. 20 For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. 21 But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God." 22 After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he spent some time there with them and baptized.
To fully understand Jesus' purpose it takes a spiritual mind. To possess a spiritual mind, one must surrender to God, repent of past sins, and invite Jesus in as Lord and Savior. That marks the beginning of a spiritual journey with the Lord that takes us to new and deeper understandings of what God has for us. Nicodemus wanted to know more but was limited by his carnal mind. Nic was a righteous man but hadn't yet surrendered to God in a complete manner, thus Jesus telling him to be "born again" (or "from above"). This confuses the poor man and Jesus explains it to him, telling Nic that spiritual understandings come through Him. Jesus came to reveal the spiritual realm not yet understood even by the righteous. God's love, grace and mercy were ours if we could just understand from a spiritual standpoint, but as the saying goes, "We can't see the forest for the trees!" Our busy-ness keeps us from it. Study again John Wesley's schedule and see how busy he was, truly engaged in doing God's work, but that kept him from truly knowing Jesus as he needed until that day that he slowed down enough to let someone else do the work of God, in this case a lay person who was reading Luther's Preface to the Epistle of Romans, that Wesley felt his heart strangely warmed. Is your busy-ness kept you from slowly down and letting God speak to you? Are you thinking with a spiritual mind or still using a limited not-yet exposed to God mind?
To "live by the truth" (or "do what is true" NRSV) as we find in verse 21 means to be guided by God through our new spiritual understanding after we allow God to give us new spiritual birth. This means to trust God and allow God to speak to us through our prayer time, our devotional time, our scriptural reflection time, worship time, and our Christian fellowship time. All of these work to bring us God's blessings of direction.
Our prayer guide for today says, "For our day of prayer and purpose, we remember this season of Lent. Let us remember that the journey to the cross is down hill. In the Kingdom of God, the way up is the way down. Jesus was our example in this. Rather than getting on the fast track to earthly power and glory, he humbled himself and submitted to His Father's plan. How can we trade our striving for humble faith in God's dreams for us? How can we be a faithful member of the Body of Christ? That humble body that bore all our sins." (LT)
PRAYER: Come, Holy Spirit to my life. Let me slow down enough to receive the blessing of new life in You. Let the Father's will for my life be known to me as I let You speak to me His will. I pray through the Son, Jesus Christ my Savior. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day.
e.v.
Monday, March 06, 2006
STRENGTH FOR THE JOURNEY
Good day dear friends. We shared the update we had on Cindy Gratz yesterday and she continues on the mend but with some concerns. A small spinal fluid leak was found near the base of her spine and this has kept her in Critical Care, but Bob and doctors are optimistic about this being corrected. Please continue to hold Cindy in your prayers.
We studied the meaning of Baptism in our worship services yesterday. Pastor Leslie preached at both traditional services and I preached at our Contemporary service. Pastor Leslie shared a wonderful sermon on baptism and mine was an overview of all that we believe is involved in our sacrament.
Our study guide this week was written by Pastor Leslie and here it is:
Let's look again at Jesus' baptism by John in the Jordan River. Mark 1:9-15 includes a brief description of Jesus' days in the desert following his baptism. Read more about Jesus' temptation in the desert in Matthew 4:1-11.
Here is the Mark passage: 1:9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11 And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased." 12 And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him. 14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, 15 and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news."
He, who was without sin, presented himself to receive this washing of sins by John at the Jordan River. Such was Jesus' love for humanity that he presents himself at this invitation to relationship with God the Father along with those whose hearts were being touched by John's invitation. "Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand" was the invitation, and it cut right to the hearts of all who heard it and understood. Matthew 3 reports huge turnouts from people from Jerusalem and all Judea. Men and women who felt that they needed to be free from the burden and guilt of sin. This baptism was the freedom and the power they needed for abundant living. Baptism was the invitation to enter into the fullness of God's love. I shared an old story about a little boy who did something to one of the family animals. He thought no one had seen him but someone had. It was his older sister who told him, "I know what you did and I'm going to tell Mom and Dad." The little boy pleaded for her not to tell including the words, "I'll do anything you want just please don't tell!" That night at supper it was Sissy's turn to do the dishes and guess who ends up doing them? Her brother. This made mom and dad wonder what was going on, but said nothing. The mom then told Sissy she needed to clean up her room. Guess who cleaned it up? Her brother. All the chores that Sissy was assigned got done by her brother. The grandmother who lived with the family sat the brother down and asked, "Sissy has something on you doesn't she?" Yes, replied the brother. "Well, confess your sin to your parents and you'll be free from the burden of that guilt that's keeping you a prisoner to your sister." The boy did and was free. So it is with us when we carry the burden of sin. And when John says there is a way out through baptism, many responded.
Through baptism Jesus received the blessing of being called God's "beloved Son." It was an affirmation to what Jesus was called to; thus through baptism Jesus received that which he needed to begin his forty days of preparation in the wilderness.
Matthew's account of those forty days includes full detail of all Jesus experienced, unlike Mark's. "1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. 3 The tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." 4 But he answered, "It is written, "One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.' " 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 saying to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, "He will command his angels concerning you,' and "On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.' " 7 Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, "Do not put the Lord your God to the test.' " 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; 9 and he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me." 10 Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! for it is written, "Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.' " 11 Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.
As we continue our Lenten journey, thank God for your baptism. Though you may have been an infant and you may not remember all that went on, God does, for God was present and it was God who welcomed you into the Body of Christ. If you're not baptized, now would be a good time to prayerfully consider receiving this sacrament. A call to the church office will put you in touch with us and we can sit down and discuss all that is involved.
Remember that any spiritual undertaking is not easy. It requires the starting point of prayer and a daily dosage of God's word for our lives. Take your Lenten journey seriously, step by step. Use this forty day period as a time of growth and blessing. Remember as God affirmed to Jesus, you and I are not alone, God is with us.
PRAYER: God of the journey, walk with me today. Let me grow closer to You in all ways. In Christ Jesus' name I pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
PS Don't forget that Thursday at noon, you're invited to a Lenten Liturgy and Luncheon. We'll start in Lowman Chapel and if we need, we can move to the sanctuary. Lunch will be soup, bread, and water in Todd Hall.
Everyone's invited.
We studied the meaning of Baptism in our worship services yesterday. Pastor Leslie preached at both traditional services and I preached at our Contemporary service. Pastor Leslie shared a wonderful sermon on baptism and mine was an overview of all that we believe is involved in our sacrament.
Our study guide this week was written by Pastor Leslie and here it is:
Let's look again at Jesus' baptism by John in the Jordan River. Mark 1:9-15 includes a brief description of Jesus' days in the desert following his baptism. Read more about Jesus' temptation in the desert in Matthew 4:1-11.
Here is the Mark passage: 1:9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11 And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased." 12 And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him. 14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, 15 and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news."
He, who was without sin, presented himself to receive this washing of sins by John at the Jordan River. Such was Jesus' love for humanity that he presents himself at this invitation to relationship with God the Father along with those whose hearts were being touched by John's invitation. "Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand" was the invitation, and it cut right to the hearts of all who heard it and understood. Matthew 3 reports huge turnouts from people from Jerusalem and all Judea. Men and women who felt that they needed to be free from the burden and guilt of sin. This baptism was the freedom and the power they needed for abundant living. Baptism was the invitation to enter into the fullness of God's love. I shared an old story about a little boy who did something to one of the family animals. He thought no one had seen him but someone had. It was his older sister who told him, "I know what you did and I'm going to tell Mom and Dad." The little boy pleaded for her not to tell including the words, "I'll do anything you want just please don't tell!" That night at supper it was Sissy's turn to do the dishes and guess who ends up doing them? Her brother. This made mom and dad wonder what was going on, but said nothing. The mom then told Sissy she needed to clean up her room. Guess who cleaned it up? Her brother. All the chores that Sissy was assigned got done by her brother. The grandmother who lived with the family sat the brother down and asked, "Sissy has something on you doesn't she?" Yes, replied the brother. "Well, confess your sin to your parents and you'll be free from the burden of that guilt that's keeping you a prisoner to your sister." The boy did and was free. So it is with us when we carry the burden of sin. And when John says there is a way out through baptism, many responded.
Through baptism Jesus received the blessing of being called God's "beloved Son." It was an affirmation to what Jesus was called to; thus through baptism Jesus received that which he needed to begin his forty days of preparation in the wilderness.
Matthew's account of those forty days includes full detail of all Jesus experienced, unlike Mark's. "1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. 3 The tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." 4 But he answered, "It is written, "One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.' " 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 saying to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, "He will command his angels concerning you,' and "On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.' " 7 Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, "Do not put the Lord your God to the test.' " 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; 9 and he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me." 10 Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! for it is written, "Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.' " 11 Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.
As we continue our Lenten journey, thank God for your baptism. Though you may have been an infant and you may not remember all that went on, God does, for God was present and it was God who welcomed you into the Body of Christ. If you're not baptized, now would be a good time to prayerfully consider receiving this sacrament. A call to the church office will put you in touch with us and we can sit down and discuss all that is involved.
Remember that any spiritual undertaking is not easy. It requires the starting point of prayer and a daily dosage of God's word for our lives. Take your Lenten journey seriously, step by step. Use this forty day period as a time of growth and blessing. Remember as God affirmed to Jesus, you and I are not alone, God is with us.
PRAYER: God of the journey, walk with me today. Let me grow closer to You in all ways. In Christ Jesus' name I pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
PS Don't forget that Thursday at noon, you're invited to a Lenten Liturgy and Luncheon. We'll start in Lowman Chapel and if we need, we can move to the sanctuary. Lunch will be soup, bread, and water in Todd Hall.
Everyone's invited.
Thursday, March 02, 2006
RECOVERING OUR FIRST LOVE
Good day dear friends.
Please keep David Baker and his family in your prayers. His mother died yesterday in Arlington, Texas. May the Lord bring comfort to David and family during these days. Also, Jo Ann Bryan will be having a procedure done this afternoon in San Antonio, Texas at the SA Spinal Hospital. We pray the Lord bring healing to her.
We continue to talk about Building Up the Body of Christ and here is our study guide:
Thursday: Read Revelation 2:1-7. Here the Lord Jesus is speaking to the angels of the church in Ephesus. Read what the Lord is saying. You can compare that to the other churches and their deeds in the verses that follow. But the Lord has a word to the angel of our church. What do you suppose that word is. Could we learn from this passage in chapter two and apply it to the church here?
Here is that passage in The Message version:
2:1 Write this to Ephesus, to the Angel of the church. The One with Seven Stars in his right-fist grip, striding through the golden seven-lights' circle, speaks: 2 "I see what you've done, your hard, hard work, your refusal to quit. I know you can't stomach evil, that you weed out apostolic pretenders. 3 I know your persistence, your courage in my cause, that you never wear out. 4 "But you walked away from your first love - why? What's going on with you, anyway? 5 Do you have any idea how far you've fallen? A Lucifer fall! "Turn back! Recover your dear early love. No time to waste, for I'm well on my way to removing your light from the golden circle. 6 "You do have this to your credit: You hate the Nicolaitan business. I hate it, too. 7 "Are your ears awake? Listen. Listen to the Wind Words, the Spirit blowing through the churches. I'm about to call each conqueror to dinner. I'm spreading a banquet of Tree-of-Life fruit, a supper plucked from God's orchard."
Outward form intact, doing the right things. Inwardly, where is the love? That's the message in this passage to the people of this church. You're working hard and doing all the right things, but inside, you're so far from your "first love" the love of Jesus, that what good does it do that you're doing so much work? Does this sound familiar? Does it hit home? We can, as a church or as individual members of it, become so busy with busy-ness that we forget all about Jesus. The prime example was John Wesley who for so many years of his life had the outward form of service, but inwardly didn't know of the love Christ had for him and John had really not thought about loving Christ like he needed. It took that evening lay-led prayer service where someone read Luther's Preface to the Romans, when it made sense! It clicked. John Wesley joyously wrote that he felt his heart "strangely warmed." He recovered his first love. And from then he was never the same person. Can you imagine that happening wide spread among all of God's people in a church? There would be no limit to what God could do in our midst if we all turned our hearts back to that love that Christ!
PRAYER: Come, oh Lord of love to me. Let me recover that first love that was from You to me and let me love You like I should. Let it be contagious from me to others. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
Please keep David Baker and his family in your prayers. His mother died yesterday in Arlington, Texas. May the Lord bring comfort to David and family during these days. Also, Jo Ann Bryan will be having a procedure done this afternoon in San Antonio, Texas at the SA Spinal Hospital. We pray the Lord bring healing to her.
We continue to talk about Building Up the Body of Christ and here is our study guide:
Thursday: Read Revelation 2:1-7. Here the Lord Jesus is speaking to the angels of the church in Ephesus. Read what the Lord is saying. You can compare that to the other churches and their deeds in the verses that follow. But the Lord has a word to the angel of our church. What do you suppose that word is. Could we learn from this passage in chapter two and apply it to the church here?
Here is that passage in The Message version:
2:1 Write this to Ephesus, to the Angel of the church. The One with Seven Stars in his right-fist grip, striding through the golden seven-lights' circle, speaks: 2 "I see what you've done, your hard, hard work, your refusal to quit. I know you can't stomach evil, that you weed out apostolic pretenders. 3 I know your persistence, your courage in my cause, that you never wear out. 4 "But you walked away from your first love - why? What's going on with you, anyway? 5 Do you have any idea how far you've fallen? A Lucifer fall! "Turn back! Recover your dear early love. No time to waste, for I'm well on my way to removing your light from the golden circle. 6 "You do have this to your credit: You hate the Nicolaitan business. I hate it, too. 7 "Are your ears awake? Listen. Listen to the Wind Words, the Spirit blowing through the churches. I'm about to call each conqueror to dinner. I'm spreading a banquet of Tree-of-Life fruit, a supper plucked from God's orchard."
Outward form intact, doing the right things. Inwardly, where is the love? That's the message in this passage to the people of this church. You're working hard and doing all the right things, but inside, you're so far from your "first love" the love of Jesus, that what good does it do that you're doing so much work? Does this sound familiar? Does it hit home? We can, as a church or as individual members of it, become so busy with busy-ness that we forget all about Jesus. The prime example was John Wesley who for so many years of his life had the outward form of service, but inwardly didn't know of the love Christ had for him and John had really not thought about loving Christ like he needed. It took that evening lay-led prayer service where someone read Luther's Preface to the Romans, when it made sense! It clicked. John Wesley joyously wrote that he felt his heart "strangely warmed." He recovered his first love. And from then he was never the same person. Can you imagine that happening wide spread among all of God's people in a church? There would be no limit to what God could do in our midst if we all turned our hearts back to that love that Christ!
PRAYER: Come, oh Lord of love to me. Let me recover that first love that was from You to me and let me love You like I should. Let it be contagious from me to others. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
ASH WEDNESDAY
Good day dear friends. Today we begin the journey of forty days called Lent. Ash Wednesday is the day to mark that beginning and I remind those of you in this area that we will have Come and Go imposition of Ashes at Lowman Chapel from 11 to 2 and our Ash Wednesday night service at 7 in the church.
Here is our prayer guide for today:
Wednesday: For our day of prayer and purpose, I am again asking everyone reading this to be in prayer and fasting for our church. We heard on Sunday what a fellowship of believers is supposed to be like. Ask God to make this real in your heart, the heart of those with whom you’re friends and in the heart of those who worship alongside you. Pray for all hearts of FUMC-SM be touched by God’s Holy Spirit to be touched by a sense of the joy and wonder that is ours.
Have a great and blessed day and a great beginning to a spiritual journey of preparation for the Resurrection of our Lord on Easter Sunday!
e.v.
Here is our prayer guide for today:
Wednesday: For our day of prayer and purpose, I am again asking everyone reading this to be in prayer and fasting for our church. We heard on Sunday what a fellowship of believers is supposed to be like. Ask God to make this real in your heart, the heart of those with whom you’re friends and in the heart of those who worship alongside you. Pray for all hearts of FUMC-SM be touched by God’s Holy Spirit to be touched by a sense of the joy and wonder that is ours.
Have a great and blessed day and a great beginning to a spiritual journey of preparation for the Resurrection of our Lord on Easter Sunday!
e.v.
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