THE WORD 4 ev 1

2010-06-16T04:57:00.004-05:00

Hello everyone in the blogosphere,

I know it has been a several days since I last posted. Things have just been too busy around the church. Now that I will be taking a more active lead at our Missouri City campus, I don't know that I can keep the The Word 4ev1 up and running by myself anymore. I hope to finish out John in the next couple of days, and then that might be it for a while. Thank you to all of you who faithfully joined me on this journey.

On the plus side, the blog was read over 1621 times and had hits from every continent except Antartica (obviously). Because, I have a Website tracking the statistics, I know that between 12 and 15 people read the blog every day on average. Also, after writing that many entries, I now have a Word document that is 76 pages long, 10 point font, single space. That is a lot of devotional thoughts!

If the Word 4ev1 ever returns... I will be sure to run announcements at church.

God's blessings today,

Pastor Aaron

2010-06-09T21:45:00.000-05:00

Today’s reading is John 16 (click here for link)

A prayer in Jesus' name…

Jesus says that whatever we ask for from the Father—asking in Jesus’ name—we will receive. Wow! Do we take that seriously? Do we begin our work for the Lord with that kind of certainty and that kind of confidence? Perhaps we don’t give the devil enough credit (which I hate to do) for his ability to hinder our prayers!

Of course, Jesus isn’t implying that his name is a magic word that can grant us any wish we desire. No… a prayer in Jesus’ name is like a vine and its branches; our motives, desires, hopes, and dreams are nourished and fed by the one who abides in us and we in him. A prayer in Jesus’ name is a prayer prayed like a son or as a daughter would ask of their father for good things, for guidance, and for help. Good fathers give us what is good for us, guide us in ways that are safe, and helps us when we are in trouble. But that might means we don’t always get what we think we need, but what our Father knows is best.

We are to pray as sons and daughters because we are “in” the true Son of the Father. Jesus no longer has to pray for us as he does in the Gospels, because his crucified body in the presence of heaven is a constant reminder to God Almighty that we are his children. He died for us. Jesus’ crucified body in the presence of the Father means that he will never ignore or abandon us. It means he hears our prayers.

Before you begin your next task for the glory of the Lord, pray in the name of Jesus and God can’t help but address your cause. And if ever you wonder about the work you are doing for him… if ever you doubt or feel on the verge of failure… identify yourself all the more with Jesus. The Father loves his son and because of him, loves you like a beloved child.

Pastor Aaron

2010-06-08T20:27:00.001-05:00

Today’s reading is John 15 (click here for link)

In this reading, John uses another image, that of a vine and its branches, to help–and challenge–that early community, and ours today, to claim our close relationship with Jesus. In Jesus' time, people would have been familiar with the vine metaphor; it appears in the Hebrew Scriptures several times to describe Israel. But how many modern day readers know how to grow grapes? I like to garden, but I have never grown grapes domestically. However, I do remember climbing up and collecting the wild mustang grapes that grew wild around my childhood home. The huge vines would completely cover the trees, so closely intertwined that you could hardly see the sky through them. This year I am growing pumpkins and squash which themselves have almost completely taken over the back yard with their tangled vines.

But even if contemporary Christians have never tended a vineyard or even if they don’t like to garden, most of us have seen a tangled mess of vines at one time or another. Looking closely, we see the many entwined branches, winding their way around one another in intricate patterns of tight curls that make it impossible to tell where one branch starts or another one ends. This is not just intricate; it's intimate, and the vine shares with its branches the nutrients that sustain it, the life force of the whole plant. Even closer than the shepherd there on the hillside, this vine is one with tangled branches.

Jesus said, “I am the vine you are the branches, if you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit.” A healthy vine is one with tangled branches.
Pastor Aaron

2010-06-07T22:31:00.000-05:00

Today’s reading is John 14 (click here for text)

Do not let your hearts be troubled…

Wow, how do you do that? I hear Sean Hannity say this whenever I listen to his radio show. It sounds good, but sometimes, it seems contradictory… I am often very troubled after listening to his show or any news broadcast. This world, our nation, the Church… there just seems to be plenty out there that is troubling. Most of the time, I find myself asking, “Why?” Why shouldn’t I be troubled?

I find that too many Christians (who happen to be politically conservative) these days are speaking so negatively about the state of the world—politics, economics, society, etc. It’s easy to do that. But if we dwell too much on it, we might find ourselves shutting down, turning inward, protecting ourselves. When we think the world is out of control, we try that much harder to batten down the hatches and maintain whatever control we can of our own lives. But Jesus doesn’t leave us with that option. He says we can’t have our own peace. We must live in the peace that he leaves with us (John 14:27).

Jesus’ peace, when I think about it, doesn't so much take away all the difficult things in life but makes them bearable. It's actually a little more than that. Jesus’ peace doesn't take away the difficult things in life; it just keeps them from dominating, from having mastery, from defining who I am and the possibilities around me. It's like these things – our needs, wants, broken places – they still are accurate descriptions of us, at least parts of us, but they no longer define us. We are more than what's missing. We are, as Paul says, a new creation. Jesus’ peace makes this possible. Peace understood this way is not merely some divine plug for the hole we each carry around inside of us, but rather it is a summons to be more, to live and love more, to share more because there is so much more that God desires for us.

Hannity can’t give this kind of peace; I can’t give you this kind of peace—only Jesus can! His is the peace that comes from knowing that no amount of trouble in this world will every undo what he has done. His peace means knowing the world and all that troubles it will pass away and what will remain is the new creation in Jesus Christ. This may seem a flimsy shield against the troubles that will face you tomorrow. But Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

Pastor Aaron

2010-06-03T18:20:00.000-05:00

Today’s reading is John 13 (click here for text)

Have you ever had a “teachable moment?” I have found as a parent that one of the most important skills to cultivate is the ability to recognize and capitalize on "teachable moments" in everyday life. A teachable moment can happen almost anywhere - in the supermarket, when picking your child up from school, when walking through a shopping mall or doing devotions at the table after dinner. Chances are that many of the valuable moral lessons that you learned from your parents as a child were not consciously taught at all. They were rather learned in the midst of casual moments of real life.

Today Jesus capitalizes on a teachable moment as he washes his disciples feet. He says, “Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.”

Ouch. Lest we think that we can simply ignore the messy work of loving those dirty others out there, Jesus takes aim at our complacent tendencies. Perhaps Jesus wanted to make sure that his disciples didn’t adopt the attitude that he had conferred some dignified status upon them. Perhaps he was preventing them from thinking that wandering around at the heels of the Son of God had elevated their stature above the filth and squalor of the world. And certainly he didn’t want them to exempt themselves from the unpleasant work of actual discipleship. Of course, washing someone’s feet was certainly not an enviable chore, and here Jesus uses this act as a symbol for how his followers are to relate to each other and to the world. If you think you’re above such menial tasks, or that stooping to touch the dirt, the cracks, and the calluses of the world is beneath you, Jesus would ask you a question: Do you think you’re greater than I am? If I did these things, why can’t you? I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them.

His Peace,
Pastor Aaron

2010-06-02T16:19:00.000-05:00

Today’s reading is John 12 (click here for link).

It is commonly held that self-preservation is the first law of nature. We don’t naturally take risks. Yet Jesus is constantly pulling us away from that natural mind set. He says, “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” Christ directly challenges the mindset that has self-preservation as its highest goal. If self-preservation controls us, He says, we’ll end up losing our life. Think about this for a second… you will end up losing your life! Doesn’t that seem to defy our natural logic? At least for me it does. I so often live my life according to “my time,” “my interests,” “my money,” “my…” But Jesus says it’s only when we’re willing to give our life away that we’ll truly have life for now and for eternity. I think perhaps this is the most challenging statement I have heard Jesus say so far.

We are faced with the choice of willingly giving our lives away everyday or the choice of attempting to clutch our lives to ourselves. But it probably won’t be dramatic. Drama is easy. The mundane life of the day-to-day is more complicated. For most of us it will never be a case of facing a firing squad and being given one last chance to renounce Christ before we are blindfolded and shot. It is the daily choices we make that reflect whether we’re entrenched in self-preservation, or whether we genuinely give our lives away, day-by-day.

But how relieving it is to have Jesus as our model for this. He is giving and forgiving everyday.

Hope you are enjoying the rain today. I love rain!
Pastor Aaron

2010-06-01T16:08:00.000-05:00

Today's reading is John 11 (click her for link)

I hope everyone had a good Memorial Day break. I also pray that at some point you gave thanks for the many men and women who have faithfully served our nation and protected our interests. God provides for us through sacrifice.

When I was 19 I first visited the American military cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer with my family which sits on the bluffs above D-Day’s Omaha beach. Yet, much of what I remember about that first trip was talking largely with my brothers about war and the carnage of D-day. However, later in college, I had the privilege of visiting twice more; once when President Bush was there to commemorate the 60th anniversary of that terrible day. It was a very moving experience. My friends and I had managed to talk our way into being seated with the V.I.P.’s. We were literally seated among the families of the fallen and veterans of that day. Of course, I know this sounds unbelievable, especially since we just showed up without knowing that any of these commemorations were going on. Apparently, reservations were to have been made months in advance, with everyone being thoroughly background checked. We were just a bunch of college kids on a road trip through France—hardly people to be trusted when the President was in town. But me and a buddy were in the Corps of Cadets, and when we got to the front gates we talked with the sergeant in charge, who happened to be friends with a friend of a friend who was in the corps… and one thing led to another and before we knew it, we were sitting 30 yards from President Bush, in the middle of this majestic cemetery, surrounded by honorable and brave veterans of war, with V.I.P. tags around our necks. It was truly an unbelievable experience. I’ll never forget the chill that went down my back. I was in the midst of greatness.

(Although, on a side note, it does make me a little nervous about the security of our national leaders, if a bunch of college kids from A&M could talk our way into being 30 yards from President Bush without so much as a background check—but that is another issue.)

The cemetery over the beaches of Normandy and places like it, such as Point Du Hoc, cannot help but create awe in the mind of the visitor. I was stopped by the sight of row upon row of perfectly aligned white marble crosses that seemed to go on forever. It is a painfully beautiful sight where conversation, if any, is held in hushed tones. It is enough to move a grown man to tears. I mean it! Our reading from John 11 coupled with the lectionary readings for this Sunday from 1 Kings 17:17-24 (click here for link) and Luke 7:11-17 (click for link) in a strange way summoned these memories in my mind. It is always like that when death comes suddenly and takes those who seem too young to experience it. (The average age of men who died at Omaha beach was 22). In 1 Kings, the widow weeping gives her only son to the prophet whose presence she assumes has led to his death. “What do you have against me, O man of God?” The prophet is equally pained and questions the intention of the One for whom he speaks. Why, O Lord, have you killed the widow’s son? I imagine not a few of the 9,387 who lie above the beach, or the 1,557 never found, whose names etched in the stone colonnade are all that remain, had mothers like the widow who wept their questions, “Why?” or like the prophet accused God of less than holy intentions. Martha too seems to wonder “why?” as runs to meet Jesus. But what answer can we give, when all in this world is doomed to die?

Jesus gives us the answer: “I am the resurrection and the life…” LIFE IS STRONGER THAN DEATH! Just as Elijah stretched out three times on the breath-less body of the widow’s son and the Lord restored his life, the lifeless body of the Lord, stretched out three days in the darkness of death, burst forth from the tomb so that one day those slain in the course of human conflict might be revived and know the truth; life is stronger than death. When at last the nations learn to study war no more and death is swallowed up in victory those who wait in the silent sleep of death at places like Colleville-sur-Mer will meet again, not as brothers in arms, but as brothers in the arms the Lord.

I proudly salute the brave men and women of our armed forces,
Pastor Aaron

2010-05-28T05:58:00.000-05:00

Today’s reading is John 10 (click here for link)

The choice of the door as a symbol for the Savior is a curious one. While there is some precedent for door language in the Psalms (118:20) and in the synoptic Gospels (Matt. 7:13), it is hardly a dominant New Testament metaphor. It certainly lacks the poetry and the luster of figures like "the bread of life" and "the light of the world." When I think of doors, I can't help thinking of the 20-odd closet, bedroom, bathroom and exterior, doors in an old house that Pam and I used to live in back in Arkansas--few of which worked properly. Some didn’t latch evenly. Others had rusted hardware, squeaky hinges and handles that didn’t match. Still others swelled hopelessly with summer humidity and shrunk miserably with winter cold. So why the reference to Jesus as the door of the sheepfold? Why such a mundane symbol for the Savior of the world?

Well… a door is about as straightforward an image that there is. We all need a door in life. Without a door we are trapped. So when Jesus speaks of saving those who pass through the door, he has rescue in mind. "Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs in by another way, is a thief and "a bandit." No one can know the realm of abundant life without entering through Jesus. Everyone else will come up short. Sheep locked in a pen without a functioning door will never discover freedom. In fact, we can be trapped even when we feel secure in our own self-assuredness that we’ve got things under control. Full life comes through a different door.

For years St. Anthony's Catholic Church in San Francisco has served meals to people in need. Over the doorway to its dining room the church has posted a sign bearing the inscription: Caritate Dei. One day a young mechanic, just released from jail and new to St. Anthony's, entered the door and sat down for a meal. A woman was busy cleaning the adjoining table. "When do we get on our knees and do the chores, lady?" he asked. "You don't," she replied. “Well I guess I need to pay my dues… er… give an offering,” he said sarcastically. The woman just shook her head and said, “Nope… We just enjoy having you here.” "Then when's the sermon comin'?" he inquired. "Aren't any," she said. "How `bout the lecture on life, huh?" "Not here," she said. The man was becoming very suspicious. "Then what's the gimmick?" The woman pointed to the inscription over the door. He squinted at the sign. "What's it mean, lady?" "Out of love for God," she said with a smile, and moved on to another table.

Check out the inscription over your next door in life. If it has to do with genuine love for God, you won't go wrong.

Is Jesus over the door you are walking through today?
Pastor Aaron

2010-05-26T23:35:00.000-05:00

Today’s reading is John 9 (click here for link)

It is amazing how quickly the sinful mind can turn a blessing of God into something miserable. In the Bible we see that the Pharisees succeeded in turning the Sabbath day rest into a burden, rather than the blessing God originally intended it to be for his people. The Jewish legalism was ridiculously absurd. Even today, Orthodox Jews follow this rigid way of life. But Jesus saw it as complete absurdity. It was absolutely contrary to everything he was about.

Jewish law attempted to take the rather vague and very specific laws of Moses (found in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) and apply it to every situation of life—for every generation that came afterwards. But to do this required a obscene about of loose interpretation and construal. Over time the law was divided by the category of “father” and “descendent.” Laws designated as “father” were those originally given by Moses. “Decedents” were those laws that derived from it. For example, plowing was a ‘father’ law. According to the Mosaic law, on the Sabbath, a farmer could not plow his field because that was considered work. But what about a lawyer? Could he plow a field since it wasn’t technically work associated with how he made a living? What about simply making a hole in the ground? Well… to answer these questions several “descendent” laws were made. Digging was a “descendant.” In fact anything that cut or furrowed the soil was considered to be anti-Sabbath. Thus dragging a chair on the ground was a “decendent” because it would make a kind of furrow, and therefore was forbidden, but dragging a chair on a hard surface was permitted. Yes... you can see how tedious this is becoming.

Another ‘father’ law was carrying a load on the Sabbath, and this prohibition was attended by a host of ‘descendants.’ Any unnecessary item was not to be carried on the Sabbath because it was considered a “load.” Therefore, to wear an unneeded garment was prohibited, and so a tailor, for example, had to leave his needle and thread at home, and a scribe could not carry his pen. In fact, so absurd were these regulations, that Sabbath law even made protecting ones property impossible. A humorous example, which apparently caused a great deal of discussion, was what a man could or could not do if his home caught fire on the Sabbath. According to the Pharisaical law code, absolutely nothing could be carried out, except clothing, and only if it were put on one piece at a time. It could be worn outside, taken off, and then one could return for another garment. People must have come from miles around to watch the spectacle as the house of a devout Jew burned down when it happened on the Sabbath! I suppose a gentile could have made a killing charging $100 dollars for every item he carried out of his Jewish neighbor’s burning house.

Although we have only scratched the surface of the issue, you can easily see why our Lord viewed the regulations of the Pharisees as a heavy burden upon the people. Not to mention that fact that many skilled in the Law also were skillful in devising ways to circumvent most of the meticulous rules which they had laid down. Jewish lawyers were very good at finding loop holes and technicalities to squeeze through. In the end, what had been given for a blessing—a way of orienting God’s people toward their holy God in all they did—became just a generic form of legalism, a system that was more concerned with the means than it was with the end.

The Pharisees big problem was that even in following what they believed was a religion faithful to the OT, they had created God in their own image. They in effect were practicing a religion that attempted to control God. They were defining God, putting him in a box. They had become blind to the power of a God who cannot be confined to human expectations, a God who works in mysterious and surprising ways (just read through the OT and anyone “with eyes to see” will behold a surprising and shocking God). It is for this reason that they could not see Jesus as anything but a devil in John 9. He was absolutely the contrary to the god they worshiped.

And so it is with people today. “I like to think of God as …” someone says. But that is precisely the problem. It doesn’t really matter how you wish to think of God. God is who he is. He has made himself known in Jesus.

Are your eyes open to Jesus’ in your life? Or are you trying to close up the box on Him?

Pastor Aaron

2010-05-25T13:59:00.000-05:00

Today’s reading is John 8 (click here for link).

The Pharisees and enemies of Jesus really must have been desperate to get rid of Jesus for them to resort to this… drag a half naked woman to temple and present her to Jesus. They could have judged her themselves, although even in this account they fudge the law a little bit (Deuteronomy 22:23-24 specifically prescribes stoning as a means of execution for betrothed virgins, however adultery too was punishable by death and also included the man involved in the act and not just the woman).

But they thought they would bring someone who was a "real" sinner. No more of this highfalutin theological talk about sin. Sure everyone is sinful in “that” way… We know that “all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God" (Romans 3:23), but what about “real” sin? How frequently do we try this ruse on the Lord? We try to distinguish between real sin and theoretical sin. For example, We might occasionally fall into gossip, but we aren’t "real" gossips like so and so. Or do we ever find ourselves listening to a sermon thinking "Boy, he/she really needs to hear this"?

But Jesus cuts to the quick… it’s not about sin, it is about forgiveness. “Stop looking at other's sin and judging them. You have no right to judge at all,” He says to us sinners. Yesterday he reminded us that “If anyone is thirsty, let him come and drink of me… and rivers of living water will flow out of him.” What is flowing out of us as believers? Stony judgment or forgiveness? If only we could forgive others as liberally as we judge them, the world would be a much less “stony” place to live. Better yet, the Church would be a more inviting place as well.

Of course, I am not saying that we are to live in a sinful world and not see it as sinful. It is sinful! But Jesus calls in another place in the gospels to be as innocent as doves and as shrewd as serpents. We are called to see sin and refrain from it. But at the very same time, Christ calls us to see hope. Even the worst of sinners has hope of forgiveness in Christ. If that wasn’t the case then you and me should be stoned as well.

Don’t ever throw the stone. Forgive… and forgive… even if it is the hardest thing you have ever done… forgive!

Pastor Aaron

2010-05-24T22:06:00.000-05:00

Today’s reading is John 7 (click here for link)

I once had the opportunity to spend a day boating down the Rhine River in Germany. It was one of the most beautiful and inspiring trips of my life. The green, hilly landscape and the ancient cliff-side castles drifted by emerging in and out of the cool morning mist, all in stark—yet appropriate—contrast to the modern fishing villages and shops nestled on the rocky banks. The Rhine made innumerable winds and winds through that rugged landscape, no obstacle could deter it. I will never forget that trip.

A river is a powerful force, it is victoriously persistent. It overcomes every barrier. When it comes to an obstacle, for a brief while it may be baulked, but it soon makes a pathway round the obstacle.

Jesus' words in our text today reflected the same: "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. For whoever believes in me, the Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within him." John 7:37-38

Jesus says our lives lived in faith are like rivers of living water. In fact, this how the Holy Spirit stirs in our hearts—like a river. We never know when and how he will flow through us. But he does! And notice… he flows out of us, too! In fact, it is interesting to note that Jesus did not say, “Believe in me and you will have an abundance of the fullness of God.” Rather, he said, “Believe in me and every blessing God gives to you shall flow out of you.” In other words, If we drink of Jesus, it is not what we gain, but what He pours through us that counts.

The Holy Spirit has been opening up marvelous truths to our minds, and every truth He has opened up is an indication of the wider river He will flow through us. God intends to flow blessing through you into this dry and parched land. Indeed, if you believe in Jesus, you will find that God has nourished in you mighty torrents of blessing for others.

Moral of the story… Don’t put an obstacle in that way of God’s river! Let the Spirit flow through you.

Pastor Aaron

2010-05-20T13:18:00.001-05:00

Today’s Reading John 6 (click here for link).

*** WARNING *** Today’s post is a bit theological. But I am sure you can handle it.

“Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me.” John 6: 53-57

The entire Bible—OT and NT—is entirely an account of how God relates sacramentally or “mysteriously” to his people (Sacrament is a Latin word for “mystery”). In other words, God makes his unsurpassable, almighty, and divine goodness known in “knowable,” physical ways so that we limited and physical creatures can be in relationship with him. Obviously the Lord’s Supper and Baptism are sacraments in this way. God takes bread and wine and water and gives himself through these elements. And in this case, he does this specifically for the forgiveness of sins. But that is not the only way he has communicated something about himself through physical, sacramental means. The prophets and kings of Israel were also an example of God working through sacramental means—in that instance, not for forgiveness of sins but to reveal his Holy will for his people by speaking through a prophet or king. Today, in John 6 we are reminded of another OT sacramental act of God when he gave his people manna (bread) from heaven while they wondered in the desert for 40 years. However, Jesus uses that to allude to an even greater sacramental act… God becoming flesh! Jesus points to himself as the greatest sacramental (mysterious) act of God working to redeem physical, sinfully limited people who could never know him unless he acted in incredible and mysterious ways to make a relationship possible. And who would deny that incarnation (God in the flesh) is anything but a total mystery?

Yes, like manna, Jesus is indeed “bread from heaven,” but he is infinitely better. His life and his death in the flesh show us that God does not just provide for us physically (which is all manna could ever do) he provides for us spiritually and eternally, too.

So how do we interpret John 6? To answer that we must be careful to understand that “eating” and “drinking” and “bread,” “body,” and “blood” in John 6 is not so much a reference to the Lord’s Supper as it is Jesus declaring that he, himself, is the only way to eternal life; that if we have a hope of ever knowing God and being in relationship with God, it can only be done by participating in Jesus body and blood—the greatest sacrament/mystery ever given. We do this by faith. Faith in Jesus is what saves, and faith alone!

Of course, you might wonder how the Lord’s Supper fits into John 6, especially since John never actually mentions the Lord’s Supper later on? Well, why he didn't will always be a mystery. But, nevertheless, the allusion to the Lord’s Supper in John 6 cannot be completely ruled out. After all, Jesus knew even in our text today, that he would later institute this mystery of “bread from heaven” in an actual meal of bread and wine and his real body and real blood.

But we must read this text as is presented. Jesus never actually institutes or even refers to the Lord’s Supper in John 6 nor anywhere else in the entire Gospel of John. But this shouldn’t disappoint; rather, we simply celebrate that by God’s gracious love, he has given us yet another sacramental gift—not just a spiritual connection to Christ through faith (John 6), but a physical connection to him as well when we are baptized into his body and regularly eat his body and blood at the altar (Lord's Supper). Both save us! This means he gives us not only faith upon faith, but grace upon grace, and gift upon gift.

Have a great day,
Pastor Aaron

P.S. Yes, I know today was a bit too theological. But it is important. John 6 was a huge point of contention between Luther and other reformers during the Reformation. For more information, google the Marburg debate between Zwingli and Luther. Also, remember... NO POSTS ON FRIDAYS anymore. See you Monday!

2010-05-19T12:51:00.000-05:00

Today’s reading is John 5 (click here for link)

Comparison between ministries that have a lot in common can be deadly. In the Gospels, we read that John the Baptist’s disciples were highly disturbed that Jesus’ disciples were outbaptizing them. They must have read some of the “new” theories of ministry expansion, because Jesus was clearly siphoning people out of their ministry, devastating their annual plan numbers. Jesus ministry was stealing away precious volunteers. Even Jesus’ disciples were concerned and threatened by someone who was not “one of them,” yet was casting out demons in Jesus’ name (Mark 9:38). And though others compared Jesus to the great prophets (Matt. 6:14), it would have been unhelpful for him to do so. He had to trust the Father explicitly for his mission, without measuring himself against prophets, kings or even angels (Heb. 1:5) No, Jesus did not compare himself to anyone else. He simply looked to what the Father was calling him to do-- march headlong into a place of abandonment and crucifixion – something God had asked of no one else.

Today Jesus reminds us in John 5, "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does.” By sheer grace, we are “in” Christ. God sees us as his sons and daughter, too! As we walk our faith, let us be reminded to look to the Father and all he does for us in grace through Jesus.

I find Jesus words above especially pointed for Epiphany. Our church is a growing multi-site congregation. We have 4 unique worship services every Sunday in 3 different locations (Pearland sanctuary, AFLC, Missouri City campus). In some ways, these services are becoming distinct communities with unique needs. We also have many and varied ministries, groups, organizations, and programs. Comparison is inevitable. But living in Christ means embracing the “oneness” we have in Him—we are one congregation/family in Christ, no matter how many locations. And as his children, the Father is doing amazing things among and through us—reaching the lost with salvation. That is a great work to be a part of no matter how we are involved or where we are involved in the Church. When we remember that we are “in” Christ and loved by the Father, our comparison can’t help but compel us to greater acts of sacrifice and loving encouragement—because wherever our resources go, they go to do the Father business.

Have a great day,
Pastor Aaron

2010-05-18T22:49:00.001-05:00

Okay... So I have been delinquent for a couple of days. Sorry! Just busy. But I am going to go to bed now (11:00 p.m) and I promise I will post for John 5 tomorrow. Seriously :)

Also... I believe that I may go to a Monday-Thursday scheule because it's not working out so well for me to blog on my day off. At least my family is objecting to it.

See you tomorrow and I hope you have a blessed night.

Pastor Aaron

2010-05-13T23:36:00.001-05:00

Today’s reading is John 4 (click here for link)

It is my opinion life is more about asking the right question than having exactly the right answer.

The Samaritan woman is a good example. She immediately recognizes the societal barriers and boundaries that keep her in her place but at the same time she challenges Jesus' authority over and against the ancestors of the faith. Like Nicodemus, she first interprets Jesus' words on a literal level, but she is able to ask for what Jesus has to offer rather than question the possibility. She is not certain that Jesus is the Christ but she does not let that stop her from leaving behind her water jar, going into the city, and inviting the people to their own encounter with Jesus. She demonstrates what can happen when we actually engage in conversation and questions about our faith.

But notice, she has no doubt that Jesus had the needed answers, instead, the woman at the well shows us that faith is about dialogue, about growth and change. Yes he has all the answers… the right answers. But are we willing to ask the right questions? Or do we often ask the wrong questions—our questions—and expect him to provide the answer. Yet there is no right answer to the wrong question. Instead, walking and living by faith means struggling with the fact that It is not about always having the answers. If we think we have all the answers, if we believe more in our own convictions than the possibility of revelation and guidance from God, we will be left to ponder whether or not God will choose to be made known through us. We will have to wonder when and if we will ever feel confident enough, secure enough, and knowledgeable enough, to invite others to "come and see."

Rather, we learn from the Samaritan woman that in our own encounter with Jesus, not only are we changed, but that which God will reveal to us will change as well. After all, he only gives us that which we have faith enough handle. If you can handle things alone then faith is of little use to you.

Only faith changes us, not knowledge. It time to put down the water jug…
Pastor Aaron

2010-05-12T16:35:00.001-05:00

Today’s reading is John 3 (click here for link).

“I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.” John 3:5.

Nowhere in the Christian life is this radical birth made more evident than in Christian baptism. Jesus calls this being “born again.” The believer in Christ experience new life through the radical life and death of Jesus Christ. In Baptism we are attached to this mystery. We experienced two birthdays. The first is in the hospital were our first physical breath is drawn and life in this world begins. The second birthday is in the waters of baptism, were we are suscitated by the breath of God breathed into us and we begin life in eternity. Physical life and Spiritual life are both given us. We can claim neither as a work of our own accomplishing. Both are a sheer gift from God.

Yet, both are a mystery. Even physical life is a mystery. No doubt, we all wondered about such things when we were young. We probably pestered our parents with questions like, “Where do babies come from?” Our parents probably put us off with fictions about birds and bees and storks. But one day we discovered the truth—truth that at the time probably seemed stranger than the fiction. And anyone who has witnessed the birth of their child would still admit to the strange mystery of it all—that God knit us together in our mother’s womb. In the same way, the gift of spiritual life and birth is a mystery. The explanation I give my confirmation kids is really not much of an explanation at all. Mystery is mystery! You can’t really ever understand how and why God works the way he does. Who would have guessed that life—true life—would come from such ordinary things as water and bread and something as unpredictable as wine?

“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked. The answer: “…whosoever believes in HIM shall not parish but have eternal life?”

God’s peace,
Pastor Aaron

2010-05-11T23:21:00.000-05:00

Today’s reading is John 2 (click here for link)

I am no chemist, but I once saw a trick done with water that reminded me very much of John’s account of Jesus turning water into wine. It was like this: Two glasses of water were set before the chemistry class to observe—nothing special, just clear water. But then my teacher took a clever little wand with some special crystals embedded in it and stirred one of the glasses of water. Magically, the water turned a brilliant wine red. My chemistry class was only mildly impressed (I figured I could do the same thing with Kool Aid!). But the trick wasn’t over, yet. My chemistry teacher then proceeded to pour the remaining glass of clear water into the newly tinted red water, and abra cadabra… the red water turned crystal clear once again. Yeah, cool but… Had my chemistry teacher one upped Jesus?

Of course not! My teacher left out one important part… he never gave us a taste. Yes, it looked cool, but it was just a trick. Red water doesn’t make fine wine. However, Jesus’ miracle was no trick, it was the real deal! It was the best wine ever tasted, and it is the taste that makes all the difference.

I know this may seem to be a simplistic point, but then again, there is significance in even some of the most basic details in the Gospel of John. We know the wine Jesus made from water was no tint or dye or trick, it was good wine. In fact, it was no mere miracle… it was a sign! It was Jesus’ first sign that the kingdom of God is at hand. That is significant! In the same way, it is probably no coincidence that this wedding feast took place on the “third day.” Another sign yet to come… interesting! That is what signs do, they point us to the future—to things yet to come. So what was this sign pointing toward?

Maybe it was a sign that wine is a parody of life. There are beautiful wines, quaffing wines, and terrible wines. But even with beautiful wines, some age well, and others turn sour before our very eyes. So then, as with wines, the same with life. We are constantly reminded of the impermanence of life, reminded that "moth and rust corrupts." Disappointment abounds. Everything in this world eventually runs out and we are left dry. And while we can try to be stoic about imperfection and disappointment in this world, this approach doesn’t work for verylong. In the end, it only leaves a bitter taste in our mouth. Or we can follow the signs of the kingdom. We can look beyond this moment to a brighter day when the wine will not disappoint us. The Bible calls it the heavenly banquet—the feast of the kingdom to come.

When Jesus visited a wedding in Cana he performed a miracle that served to remind his disciples of that brighter day, a day that transcends the imperfect moment. His disciples understood the point he was making and decided to trust him to carry them to that day. Do we trust him to carry us to that day? Are you willing to trust the signs he has given you?

Taste and see that the Lord is good. He will not disappoint.

Pastor Aaron

2010-05-10T11:08:00.000-05:00

Today's reading is John 1 (click here for link)

This morning, John takes us to “the beginning,” so let’s follow John.

We are all familiar with “the beginning” of the beginning of Scripture-- Genesis 1—God created the heavens and the earth. But have you ever really taken a moment, especially at night, to stop and look up and consider everything above you? Think about it… the sheer vastness of it all, the endless amount of space above us. It is hopefully enough to knock our own self-centeredness down a peg or two.

Consider also, what Science teaches us about the Universe: Our Galaxy is said to contain some 400 billion stars. Our own star, the Sun, is actually rather puny according to galactic standards; nonetheless, even at 93 million miles away it has the power to burn our skin on a summer’s day! Thank goodness it isn’t 92 million miles away! But this is no accident. In fact, it is said that if one of the more gigantic stars in our Galaxy were positioned where our sun is, things would be way different. Well, actually… we wouldn’t even be here… the earth would be entirely engulfed within that star! It seems beyond belief that these giants are floating around out there somewhere in space, and yet, despite their size and brilliance, from our perspective here on earth, they are nothing more than a prick of light in the night sky. Incredible!

Science also tells us that beyond our own galaxy, there exists myriad other galaxies, each filled with billions of suns and stars. This sheer quantity of light being produced boggles the mind, and yet only one of these galaxies is visible to the naked eye here on earth—and it is more than two million light years away.

This is the very light that God spoke into the darkness at the foundations of time. From our perspective this light barely seems able to penetrate the darkness of space. Yet, it does. It always does.

Now, if you can’t tell, I love Astronomy. I love star gazing. But if you really want to see the stars, everyone knows you have to get away from the Houston lights. You have to get out in the middle of nowhere. But to do that isn’t so easy. The one time that I ever had a chance to really get away—completely away from all manmade light—was many years ago on a road trip with some college buddies of mine to the deserts just north of Rachel, Nevada (aka: Area 51). The night sky there is incredible. The vastness of it and silence of it all is mind numbing. There you are, looking up into eternity and there isn’t a single solitary sound to be heard. In fact it is the silence that is most impressive—it’s almost oppressive. No airplanes flying overhead; no street noises or barking dogs; no hum of the refrigerator or buzz of fluorescent lighting. There is only silence. You can literally hear your thoughts bouncing in your head. And even they eventually fade away, like little question marks ringing tiny and hollow in the face of eternity. You stand as though you are on the edge of the Universe and you can’t help but think of those first words ever uttered, words of power and purpose: “LET THERE BE LIGHT.” How deafening that must have sounded had any of us been there to hear it.

I tried speaking into the darkness that night, tried shouting. But my words were swallowed up by the darkness. Yet God’s Word not only penetrated the darkness, it created light!

When you think about such things it almost starts to seem absurd, even scandalous, that in all of the vast glory of the Universe, God chose to concentrate all his efforts on one little remote blue speck: that he chose this dirt ball to direct his powerful life-producing Word is simply amazing. In fact, it is very easy for our little and very limited vision to be overwhelmed by the hugeness of everything God’s Word has accomplished. Yes, that God would be so particular really does seem scandalous, and for many people it is simply foolishness. But the truth is… the real and bona fide truth of it all is… God has not just made the Universe and every amazing thing in it, like stars and galaxies and mountains and oceans, but he has made you, too. God has concentrated his amazing and wonderful attention on little you. He loves you. He has died for you. Next time you look up at the hugeness of the unknown before you don’t be overwhelmed by the darkness. His light will always shine through. Hallelujah, indeed!

Have a blessed day,
Pastor Aaron

2010-04-30T04:48:00.000-05:00

Good morning. Yesterday we finished reading through Luke. I had considered just plowing straight into John, but I will be gone most of next week at a conference in St. Louis. For that reason, we will first start reading through John on Monday, May 9th. I am sorry for the delay.

I am greatful for everyone who continues this journey through Scripture.

Have a blessed weekend,
Pastor Aaron

2010-04-29T12:54:00.000-05:00

Today’s reading is Luke 24 (click here for link)

I can remember Mary—at least I think that was her name. She was a woman who lived sometimes near the church where I did field work back in St. Louis. I really didn’t know much about her. She could be seen occasionally, crossing the street opposite the church, drinking from a paper bag. Like so many in her situation, her purpose in life—her presence—was reduced to a shadow figure, one who didn’t seem to have much left to live for. She was a shell of a woman—haggard and angry. In fact, woman… man… the classification didn’t really matter. She was like any of the others you sometimes see, but don’t always really see.

I had the opportunity to speak with her once. I wish the conversation had been better. It was after the service on Easter morning, a morning full of proclamation about resurrection hope and new life. My wife and I were loading the kids into the mini-van. We were anticipating a day full of Easter festivities spent with friends. But suddenly I had that distinct feeling that someone was looking over my shoulder. It was Mary. She had come up behind us, right behind us. There we stood, practically face to face. I don’t think there could have been a better picture of opposites. We seemed almost worlds apart. Me and my family, full of life, in our picture-perfect, Sunday morning best, and then Mary, pushing her wind-blown hair out of her eyes, a dry, snarled expression on her face, and a paper bag in her hand. It was true, up close and personal she appeared a dried- out shell of a person—nothing but dry bones—and you could smell her too, the alcohol on her breath. She wanted a ride somewhere. With numerous racial slurs and profanity, she tried to describe the location. Naturally, the seminary student in me wanted to comply (Christian love, right?), but every shred of common sense screamed otherwise. After all, I couldn’t have her sit between the car seats of my 15 month old and our 4 month old. If I hadn’t refused, my wife would have! And so that is what we did, politely, of course. But that is when she stabbed her finger at us and yelled the most startling thing, “What good is your Jesus anyway?”

I know she may have just been goading me, but I felt so helpless, so useless. She seemed so hopeless and empty. It was like a little nightmare of my own. You spend your whole life living out the Christian faith—at least that is what you think—but then you end up in a situation like this. Where is Christian hope in a situation like this? How do you help someone like her? And what about that question? To be honest, I found myself wondering, Could “my” Jesus help her?

I am sure you’ve all had similar experiences, the type of situation where you want to say something nice, something that will make it all better. It is the type of situation where you know you are supposed to give a Christian witness, yet at the same time you are all to keenly aware that anything you might say would only smack of hypocrisy because, after all, there you are standing in your Sunday best next to your new mini-van with dinner waiting in the oven; and across from you is Mary, lacking everything you have. It is hard to make nice of that situation. This world sometimes seems so filled with hopelessness.

Yes, we talk up the resurrection whenever we get a chance, as Christians, but have you ever felt (though you probably wouldn’t admit it) that even though Jesus has risen from the dead and ascended into heaven, the world really doesn’t seem that changed? From our text, it seems like that was the natural reaction of those first resurrection witnesses—huddled together in a locked room. It was business as usual—the same war crimes and atrocities were happening; diseases and poverty were still there, stress from work and the struggles of marriage and parenthood and relationships—all of it was still there. No doubt the world would have bought into Mary’s question, “What good is your Jesus anyway?”

But then, the resurrected Lord appeared, and everything changed! “Peace be with you,” he said. And from that moment forward, a power so great swelled in that room and in the ages beyond, which can still be felt today, 2000 years later. Resurrection power! God’s power of life even wake of death and hopelessness and despair. This power has been the driving force of the Church on earth through the millennia and has never given up its testimony and witness of the resurrection.

New life! New life is at hand! “Peace be with you.” It has the power to change even the most hopeless situations in this world. And if you don’t believe me… well… let me tell you just a little bit more about Mary. You see, the last time I saw her; she was eating soup in the basement of the church. The Youth were serving dinner before the Wednesday evening service. But this time, Mary wasn’t sitting alone. She wasn’t stabbing her finger at anybody, questioning their Jesus. She was smiling! She was talking! She didn’t seem dry anymore. She seemed more alive than I had ever seen her. It was miraculous!

Unfortunately, I have never learned exactly how this miracle happened, but I know one thing for sure, that even when I was left feeling hopeless and useless as Mary walked away on that Easter morning, the Holy Spirit had resurrection in mind. You see, resurrection is more than just something that is preached about in sermons. It is more than just a vague and future hope. No. Resurrection is the power of God, in the here and now. Resurrection is the power of God in midst of dry bones. I pray the next time I meet someone like Mary, I see them through the eyes of resurrection hope.

Have a blessed day,
Pastor Aaron

2010-04-28T12:55:00.000-05:00

Today’s reading is Luke 23 (click here for link)

As Jesus' life slipped from him on the cross, a criminal asked him, "Remember me." It was a request that darkness would not overcome him. Obviously, the criminal believed that Jesus could answer the prayer. And because he believed, Jesus promised him "paradise". The promise wasn't a “maybe” in the future, but an immediate place in the resurrection - hid in Christ now and alive with him in eternity.

Far too often, the gospel is presented in complex terms when it is actually a very simple message. God offers us eternity in his presence through Jesus.

Perhaps we should reverse these words more often in our own lives. Yes “Lord, remember me…” but also, “Lord, I remember you.” Don’t let the gracious gift of Jesus’ love for you slip from your thoughts today. Remember that he remembers you.
“Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” The answer is, “Today…” Today, and forever you are hid with Christ in the resurrection. Hallelujah!

2010-04-27T12:43:00.000-05:00

Today’s reading is Luke 22 (click here for link).

“And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. And when he came to the place, he said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation." And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done." And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” Luke 22:39-44

Jesus' prayer reminds me of another prayer prayed by a struggling apostle in throws of uncertainty and anguish: The apostle Paul wrote: “To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:7-9

Have you ever had an earnest prayer go unanswered? … a prayer cried out in those moments of life when life and death seemed to hang in the balance, but God’s will was against your own?

It takes a mighty faith to endure coming up against the holy will of almighty God and discovering it is not in accord with your own; to find that your vein of payer is perpendicular to the inscrutable hand of God. But mettle must be tested. The perseverance of faith is either always sharpened or always dulled upon that stone of experience.

Don’t dare utter the words, “I live my life for the Glory of God,” unless you mean it… unless you are ready to truly “feel” it. He may hold you to your words! God’s greatest glory is always revealed in human weakness. The cross of Christ is proof enough of that.

To be saved by grace is to abandon all that we see as strength and cling to the weakness of Jesus Christ, crucified but raised in power and glory for us… for you….

*****

I wrote the above words last night as I sleepily meditated upon Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. This morning, at our staff meeting, Pastor Jon opened with a question concerning the difference between “Vision” and “Mission” in the Church and in the Christian’s life. Indeed, there is a distinction. We so easily get caught up in the “mission work” (doing things) that perhaps we lose sight of the vision of inspiration that came over us once upon a time ago. The true vision of the Christian life is realization of complete abandon to divine grace. That God so loved “me” that he gave his only begotten Son. Wow!!!

Grace empowers us to do all things good and right, but in the experience, we realize our weakness all the more and find our strength in the power of grace made perfect in us through Christ, alone.

How has he given you strength in the weaknesses of your life?
Pastor Aaron

2010-04-26T22:16:00.000-05:00

Today’s reading is Luke 21 (click here for link).

We’ve discussed similar texts before on this blog—the parallel texts, Matthew 24 and Mark 13. All of them record these “end time” predictions that Jesus made shortly before his crucifixion. But what exactly is the “end” he is predicting?

Blended together here are two endings separated by 2000 years of time and still counting. The first end was 7O A.D. when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and permanently dispersed the Jews to the ends of the Earth. Merged into this vision of the end of Jerusalem, Jesus also speaks of an even greater end time, one that is still to come—His second coming and the end of the world as we know it.

Jesus words tell us nothing that experience hasn’t already taught us. There are certain things that we cannot avoid in this life and “endings” are one of them. All things that begin in this life will end in this life. It is inevitable. But the Christian embraces the Easter reality that life is not followed by end, but by more life—new life. In that certainty we persevere even when the “endings” of life come.

In this world we will never “feel” like doing anything, for the devil will always dangle the end time visions before our eyes. It will be tempting to say, “Why bother with marriage counseling?” “Why bother with a struggling ministry in a struggling church?” Why bother forgiving that repeat offender in my life?” “Why bother helping do…?” Why bother with…?” It won’t matter much if I don’t…”

In a world that crucifies everything that smacks of Christ, it is easy to see the end before we even begin and wonder “why bother?” But the answer to those questions is not sitting around and wondering “why”? Never pray about the “why.” Only pray “Lord let me do…”

I think Oswald Chambers put it best:

“There are certain things we must not pray about - moods, for instance. Moods never go by praying, moods go by kicking. A mood nearly always has its seat in the physical condition, not in the moral. It is a continual effort not to listen to the moods which arise from a physical condition, never submit to them for a second. We have to take ourselves by the scruff of the neck and shake ourselves, and we will find that we can do what we said we could not. The curse with most of us is that we won't.”

“By standing firm you will gain life”--Luke 21:19 The Christian life that perseveres till the end is one of incarnate spiritual nerve. Jesus says don’t worry about the end. Just seek after new beginnings. Seek ways to bring the beginnings of forgiveness, love, and eternal life into this world. In the end, with that as our goal, the end won’t matter.

Pastor Aaron

2010-04-23T21:21:00.000-05:00

Today’s Reading is Luke 20 (click here for link)

I find Jesus’ answer to the Sadducees’ question about the woman with seven husbands, somewhat unsatisfying. In fact, the whole encounter seems rather bizarre. But the problem is not Jesus. The problem is the question.

While Jesus' answer to the Sadducees is not among his more luminous words, what else can he give them? There is no right answer to a wrong question.

Didn't other seekers get a very different answer to the resurrection question? To Martha, grieving at her brother's tomb, Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life." To Mary Magdalene, blinded with tears outside another tomb, he gave the supreme answer of her own name spoken from the other side of death. To Thomas, he revealed the marks of victory upon his body—the scars of crucifixion.

Pose the question with tears, seeing no lasting hope in this world, and you may hear your name for an answer. Pose it with self confidence, in the cool, comfy light of a temple still under your own management, and what you hear may send you away scratching your head.

Yes, resurrection is the answer. But what is the question we are asking?
Pastor Aaron

2010-04-22T10:46:00.000-05:00

Today’s reading is Luke 19 (click here for link).

I always laugh a little when I review the story of the “wee little man” in the Greek. Traditionally, we always see Zacchaeus as a short man who was forced to climb a tree to catch a glimpse of Jesus over the crowd. But, in the Greek, it is hard to tell exactly who the “wee little man” was. Did Zacchaeus climb the tree because he was too short to see over the crowd or is it the case that Jesus was short and could not be seen by Zacchaeus except from the vantage point of a sycamore tree?

I bet you have never considered Jesus the short one, have you?

Well… I think I will stick with the traditional interpretation. What really matters is that things change when Zacchaeus meets Jesus. The text says, “He wanted to see who Jesus was…” All he had in mind was getting a better glimpse of a celebrity who happened to be in town. But Zacchaeus got more than he bargained for. He got to see Jesus! Exactly WHO he was—the Son of God and a personal Savior from the corrupting power of sin!

Sin had ruined much of Zacchaeus’ life and reputation; perhaps, without him ever really realizing it—that is, until he meets Jesus. In this “little” story, the Gospel of salvation through grace in Jesus and the resultant sanctification of our lives blends together, beautifully. Do we mirror Zacchaeus on both sides?

Yes… Jesus has come to seek and save the lost. Zacchaeus was lost in more ways than he knew. True meaning and value and purpose for his life had never been realized until he met the ONE who would conquer even death with power of resurrection life.

May we all climb the occasional trees of life, see above the fray, and catch a better glimpse of our Lord.

Like Zacchaeus, I want to see Jesus.
Pastor Aaron

2010-04-21T09:11:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I failed to get anything posted because I just never had the chance to sit down and think. So today we pick up with Luke 18 (click here for link).

In the rarely cited parable in Luke 18, Jesus compares God to an Unjust Judge. This judge neither fears God nor cares for humanity. He only grants justice to the poor widow because she constantly harasses him with her petitions. Jesus observes, "And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night?"

The act of nagging God might seem strange to the theologically sophisticated. Can we actually hope to sway the eternal God with the sheer volume of our incessant petitions? Does asking and asking eventually wear God down? The widow in the parable is seeking justice (or vengeance, depending how you translate the Greek). We too offer up prayers of justice in an unjust world. But what good is asking more than once? Unless God is exactly like the unrighteous judge in the parable, in which case we either have to pester him to get what we want or bribe him. Neither method makes a pretty picture of God.

If the parable appears to insult our sense of Almighty God, it also raises basic questions about how the world is governed. We are forced to ponder: If God is good than why is life for his “elect” so often unjust and unfair? Why should we have to beg for justice... and beg, and beg?

It turns out that life is not fair--not to the poor or the poor in spirit, to the comfortable or uncomfortable, to the rich or powerful. Everyone agrees, the world is basically unfair. Just when it gets comfortable, people do surprising things--like die--and we are left holding the empty bag. And apparently there is no judge--neither the one in the parable nor God—who can make or will make unfairness go away. Justice has nothing to do with ridding us of the unfairness of the "changes and chances of this mortal life."

Take the story of Job as an example. Job desperately tries to solve the mystery behind his suffering. He struggles on his own, looking for clues. None appear. Job prays expectantly. God will surely speedily intervene in his life — heal him of his disease and explain to him what in the world is going on. But nothing happens. The horribly painful disease saps Job’s strength. He grows weaker and weaker. Job appeals to God to act before it is too late. At times he even challenges God. Please help me, he cries. Come to me quickly.

Through his agony, Job becomes increasingly confused, perplexed, discouraged, and without hope. In his worst nightmare, Job sees death careening around the corner of his life, ready to run him down. Job knows he is finished. In one place he moans, "My spirit is broken, my days are cut short, the grave awaits me.” Even though Job has done nothing wrong and pleads desperately for help, God still chooses to stay hidden. "I cry out to you, O God, but you do not answer," Job wails. Job’s tragic circumstances challenge and contradict everything he has always believed about God.

Indeed, God is very much like that for us, as well! But for one thing... Jesus Christ.

Even in the midst of his worst agony, when God seemed cruel or hostile, Job maintains faith that God will act with justice. He is able to say such amazing words of faith as “I know my redeemer lives,” and “Even if my God should slay me, yet will I trust in him.” Yes, living in this world of injustice makes faith in a just God seem impossible, but faith persists, nonetheless.

For the child of God, Jesus means justice even in the midst of injustice. As people of faith, we persist in our prayers and petition to God even when it doesn’t make any sense to do so. We persist even when it seems futile or foolish. We persist because we know, like Job, that God is just. He is just and loving even when he seems cruel or uncaring. We know because he has proven this in the death and resurrection of Christ.

Think of Job again... When God does finally respond to Job, it is interesting that He does not answer any of Job’s questions. He dismisses them entirely. He basically says, “Job you can never know even a tenth of Almighty God. You can’t comprehend me! You can’t even understand how the physical world works; why do you attempt to understand how the moral world works?” Rather God points Job—points each of us—to the one thing we can know for certain: God has proven that he loves us in Jesus Christ and those whom the almighty, unknowable God loves can expect justice in the end.

So... the next time you cry out to God, do you dare be persistent like the poor widow from our reading today? Well... in Philip Yancey’s words: "One bold message in the Book of Job is that you can say anything to God. Throw at him your grief, your anger, your doubt, your bitterness, your betrayal, your disappointment — he can absorb them all."

Never give up throwing Jesus Christ—your advocate with the Father—in the face of God. There is no more powerful prayer in the Universe than the prayer in Jesus’ name. That name means full justice and redemption for each of us one day yet to come. And that prayer can change even the heart of Holy God for a sinner’s cause.

Blessings as you “inwardly digest” these thoughts,
Pastor Aaron

2010-04-19T09:06:00.000-05:00

Today’s Reading is Luke 17 (click here for link)

Jesus said, “Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and sit down at table'? Will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink'? Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.'"

This section begins with the disciples asking Jesus to “increase our faith.” Jesus' response is a parable about duty. Is Jesus saying that for a person to have more faith, that person must do his duty? Well… that doesn’t sound right does it? When do we ever claim the Gospel to be “do your duty and God will bless you with faith?”

But that is exactly what Jesus is saying! But here is the key to understanding: While faith and duty are inextricably connected, nevertheless, nothing you do matters in terms of your relationship to God.

Confused???

Strangely, this reading becomes good news as we realize that it doesn’t let us off the hook. It is finally a relief to know that reading one more book, contemplating one more pithy saying, meditating on one more piece of scripture, doing one more good deed, joining one more church organization -- none of these is going to make the difference. It is finally a relief to know that my reward is not going to be greater if I think of God as a boss who will be somehow gratified that I did what I was supposed to do, or even more. It is a relief not to have to spend time worrying about these things.

Rather, the Gospel is simply this: We are servants of our Lord because he has graciously called us into service. He didn’t have to!!! We certainly don’t deserve it! And like any servant, we are replaceable. And yet, God calls us “his” people anyway. He does this out of love. For Pete’s sake, the “Boss” died for his servants! In whom else would we trust and put our faith?

The Christian life then is a response to gracious love. If you see that something needs doing in His kingdom, Jesus is saying, “Don’t pause to wonder how God will reward you for your service, just do it. It is your duty.”

In the end, acting in faith (responding to love) is faithful duty. If we are going to quantify faith, then let’s look at its source: The overwhelming gift of undeserved love. In this case, even faith the size of a mustard seed is powerful stuff!

Have a great day,
P.Aaron

2010-04-16T08:54:00.000-05:00

Today’s reading is Luke 16 (click here for link)

I don’t think there is any parable that causes more consternation than the one that begins our reading today: The Parable of the Dishonest Steward. How can a guy who is so clearly crooked and self-seeking be commended for his action, so much so that his action is an example for us on our conduct in the kingdom of God? Seems bizarre, doesn’t it?

Well, I suppose if I were to be preaching on this text, I would now begin the arduous task of pulling out every commentary I own on Luke and parables (and brew gallons of coffee) trying to figure out this problem. But this morning, I don’t want to take the time to do all of that. Instead, let’s just answer one question: What, precisely, is it that the steward does, albeit without authorization and with deception, that Jesus finds so commendable?

The servant forgives! The answer seems a bit too simple. Yet, it's been a moral of great emphasis for Luke so far: FORGIVE. Forgive it all. Forgive it now. Forgive it for any reason you want, or for no reason at all. Just forgive.

Jesus points out that if even the crooked and the self-seeking of this world understand the value and advantage of forgiveness, how much more should we as children of light live in forgiveness and practice forgiveness?

Of course, forgiveness is a hard business to be about. It extends to all facets of life. Can we forgive more often than we are willing to sue? Can we forgive more often than we are willing to defend ourselves? Can we forgive even when it doesn’t seem right or fair?

Why forgive someone who's sinned against us, or against our sense of what is obviously right? We don't have to do it out of love for the other person, if we're not there yet. We could forgive the other person because of that whole business of what we pray in Jesus' name every Sunday morning, and because we know we'd like forgiveness ourselves. We could forgive because we've experienced what we're like as unforgiving people. We could forgive because we know that refusing to forgive so that the other person does not benefit is, as the saying goes, like eating rat poison hoping it will hurt the rat. We could forgive because we are, or we want to be, deeply in touch with a sense of Jesus' power to forgive and free sinners like us. Or we could forgive because we think it will improve our odds of winning the lottery. We could forgive for just about any reason in between.

However, it all boils down to the same thing: deluded or sane, selfish and/or unselfish, there is no bad reason to forgive. Extending the kind of grace God shows us in every possible arena -- financial and moral -- can only put us more deeply in touch with God's grace.

Now, I suppose I should look in some of those commentaries and see if they agree!

Have a forgiving day,
Pastor Aaron

2010-04-15T09:12:00.000-05:00

Read Luke 15 (click here for link to text).

There is something funny that has happened to the three accounts found here in Luke 15—the parable of the lost sheep; the widow’s lost coins; and the prodigal son. Each of them are beautiful tales of grace and redemption in their own right, but for some reason the shock and awe have worn off, at least, it can seem that way sometimes. Too often I hear the words, “There was a man with two sons…” and immediately I know where the story is going. Or how often have you heard someone refer to “leaving the 99 to go and find the 1 lost sheep” to reinforce a point about evangelism or some other ministry work?

We know these stories perhaps too well. As a result, I think it is easy to miss the point. Thomas Long, a great teacher of homiletics and preaching, put it this way:

“Maybe it’s just my imagination, but has the parable of the prodigal son become something of a bore lately? I know, I know, this is one of the most beautiful stories of grace in the Bible. And yes, I know this is a powerful archetype of human redemption. And yes, this parable presents a picture of divine acceptance so radical and sweeping that it has sometimes generated astonishment and provoked sputtering outrage.

But the shock value has worn off. Just say the opening line, "There was a man who had two sons," and we know where this one is going. The story has all the bland predictability of a biblical theme park. The awful, relationship-shattering words, "Give me my share of the inheritance," leave us unruffled because we can already hear the musicians tuning up for the joyful dance jig at the end. We are untroubled by the son’s anguished lament, "I am no longer worthy to be called your son," because the aroma of fatted calf roasting on the spit wafts over the narrative, and covers up the fetid stench of the pigsty. Fear not; the boy is coming home. He always does. The road back from the far country is paved and well lit, and we have traveled it many times.

But the power brownout in the prodigal son story is not just the result of over familiarity. Countless repetitions have transformed what was once a parable with trap doors and mysterious and unexpected depths into an Aesop’s fable, an anecdote with a prosaic moral tag. Instead of knocking our socks off with the surprise of the father improbably hiking up his skirts and dashing down the road shouting for joy and calling for "A robe! A ring! And sandals!," the story coos a little cultural wisdom in our ear: "Hey, no matter how badly you have messed up life, pick yourself up. A ready supply of forgiveness is waiting, and you can start over where you left off." The prodigal son becomes the "Comeback Player of the Year," and, as Hartford Courant columnist Jeff Rivers notes, "Everybody comes back. Mary Albert came back. Hugh Grant came back. Mike Tyson came back, Marion Barry came back. . . . It’s a forgiving culture."

"…When we treat the prodigal son as a comeback story, we miss the point. When we say, "Head home, God’s feast is waiting!" we misunderstand. It is not our remorse that forces God to set the banquet table; it is not our deep desire to start over again that leads God to roast the fatted calf. We cannot throw our own party. By all rights, this story ought to end with the younger son sweating in the furrows, eating in the slave quarters and spending his days serving his older brother. So if we prodigals see the father running in our direction with open arms, we should know in our souls that this as an event so unexpected, so undeserved, so out of joint with all that life should bring us, that we fall down in awe before this joyful mystery." (“Surprise Party.” The Christian Century, March 14, 2001, p. 10.)

Yes, we are beggars! All of us!

These parables remind me of when my children disobey the rules Pam and I work so hard to impress upon them. Even though we both understand the need to establish discipline in the lives our children especially when they are young, it just sometimes seems futile, because both of them are under 3 years in age and too young to know much about “remorse” or “repentance” or “apology.” However, even more importantly, we always forgive, love , and encourage them. God loves you and me the same way. The only difference is that we, unlike little children, are perfectly aware of just how unholy we are before God.

We each go through those “dry” spells, where we feel like there is a great distance between us and our Lord and we can’t even imagine how to get back. But our Lord always finds a way for us. He seeks us out in the dry places and returns us to our proper place as his children. And why does he do it? Why does he care so much for people who take Him for granted and wander so frequently? Well… He just does. There is no satisfying answer to that question. He just does! He loves us enough to die for us, and he did!

May the truth of His eternal love bless your day,
Pastor Aaron

2010-04-14T07:32:00.000-05:00

Today’s reading is Luke 14. (click for link)

Many people are often confused by Jesus words in this chapter about discipleship. How can hating family be in line with what Jesus ordinarily teaches about love? He is a Savior whose constant catch phrase is “love one another as I have loved you.”

Of course, “hate” is a strong word and certainly it is important to note that Jesus is using hyperbole here to amplify his point; however, let’s not use that as an excuse to soften his words so that they are more to our liking. This is serious stuff! Jesus is making one thing painfully and uncomfortably clear: His disciples must always pay very careful attention to their priorities.

Obviously, this need for “hating” ones family would only be necessary if ones faith conflicted with familial relationships. An extreme example would be a Muslim who converts to Christianity and must face the persecution of his loved ones, who often will disown him for his betrayal. But things are rarely that extreme for most of us in the West.

Will your priorities ever mean you choose between following your Lord and following your family? I had a friend at Seminary who struggled with the difficulty of this question.

His family had been Catholic for generations. However, Andrew never felt he was raised “Christian” but just Catholic. As a result he didn’t come to faith until he was almost finished with College. He graduated, got a great job, wife, nice house, etc. His parents thought he had everything they had always wanted for him. He was a success in their eyes.

However, his parents didn’t realize that Andrew’s priorities were beginning to change. He had found the Lord. His passion for following Jesus led him to leave the Catholic tradition and find a theology that he felt was more faithful to the Word of God. He came to Concordia Seminary to train to be a Lutheran pastor. But, this meant leaving a very well paying Job as an engineer and his big house. He and his wife moved half way across the country. Andrew’s parents didn’t understand any of it. His mother locked herself in her room for three days and refused to come out in protest. They told him that he was dishonoring his family. He was throwing away everything. He had gone from being a success to an utter disappointment in his family’s eyes. But Andrew had a new priority.

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple.” Perhaps Andrew’s story is what Jesus was talking about. But Andrew doesn’t really hate his family, he bears with them. It has meant living with criticism and constant appeals to leave this new path he has chosen in life. It has meant loving and still honoring ones parents even when their hopes and dreams for you utterly conflict with your called purpose. It has meant having one’s own children and prayerfully raising them in a family that is now in some ways divided because of you. It has meant bearing a cross—perhaps the heaviest type of cross—the misdirected love from a mother whose maternal love conflicts with one’s calling to be a disciple.

Yes, family can be the most persuasive and destructive force against faith—not for all of us, but for many. It can happen in many ways: A wife living with an unbelieving husband; parents struggling to guide a child who has chosen an ungodly lifestyle; loving a sibling who has hurt you intentionally. These are all crosses that are carried not just in the flash-and-burn conflicts which blow up every so often, but rather in the long lifetime of living out faith and discipleship in the mundane, ordinary interactions with those who share your blood but not your faith convictions. It is perhaps honoring your father and mother even if they don’t honor your Lord.

His Peace,
Pastor Aaron

2010-04-13T06:22:00.000-05:00

Today's reading is Luke 13 (click for link to the text)

There is a story that is told about a little Georgia country church about a certain Sunday night in October 1938. Evening prayer services were in full swing when a man named Sam, a member of the congregation who lived down the road from the church, charged into the prayer meeting trembling with fear and excitement. Finally gaining the breath to speak, he shouted, "Martians are attacking the earth in spaceships! Some of ‘em have already landed in New Jersey!" The preacher halted in mid-sentence; the congregation stared at Sam blankly. "I s-s-swear," he stammered, now a little unsure of his footing. "I h-h-heard it on the radio."

What Sam had heard, of course, was Orson Welles’s now infamous Mercury Theater radio production of War of the Worlds, but no one in the congregation was aware of that at the moment. For all they knew, the world outside was coming to a flaming end. The little flock looked apprehensively at the preacher, but he was mute and indecisive, never having had a sermon disrupted by interplanetary invasion. Finally one of the oldest members of the congregation, a red-clay farmer of modest education, stood up, gripped the pew in front of him with his large, callused hands, and said, "I expeck what Sam says ain’t completely true, but if it is true, we’re in the right place here in church. Let’s go on with the meetin’." And so they did.

Spaceships landing in New Jersey? Signs of the end of the world? The old farmer sized it all up, measured it against his rough-hewn view of God and God’s will and decided it was probably a better idea to be in church praising God than gathering guns and ammunition and preparing for war with intergalactic intruders.

According to Jesus, most of us are not nearly as astute as this farmer at reading the signs of the times, at distinguishing what matters and what doesn’t, at discerning what is truly happening in God’s world. Indeed, Jesus says that most of us are far better at meteorology than theology. "You hypocrites!" Jesus thunders. "You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?"

Jesus is talking, of course, about “God’s time,” the breaking-in of God’s reign like a thief in the night, plundering and destroying the old order. "Watch for it" Jesus says. "Be on the alert. Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit."

It will never be what we expect. In fact, the more we think we can foresee it, the farther we are from the truth. I remember many people during the last presidential elections making the claim that Obama’s win meant that God must be giving us some sign as a nation, punishing us for our immorality. Others claimed that he was the anti-Christ and that this was sign of the times. But how would Jesus have responded to such wild claims?

"You haven’t a clue," Jesus said, "about how to interpret the present time." No sooner had Jesus issued this challenge than some in the crowd stepped forward. "Don’t say we cannot read the times. How about that terrible incident in the temple, the one where Pilate’s police slaughtered some innocent worshipers from Galilee?"

"No," Jesus responded, "it isn’t a sign. And don’t bother bringing up the tragic case where the tower of Siloam collapsed, killing 18 people," he added. "That is not the kind of sign I mean either."

What is the sign of God’s will being done on earth as it is in heaven? Well, we are told that we must watch closely and faithfully, or we will miss it. To give us a hint, Jesus tells a parable about an orchard owner who was frustrated by a barren fig tree and ordered the gardener to cut the tree down. "Sir," pleads the gardener, "let’s nurture it, care for it and give it one more year."

That’s it! That is the sign of the times, the clue to the breaking in of God’s reign; the gracious and patient hand that reaches out to halt the ax, the merciful gesture woven into the fabric of life that attempts to stop all that would give up on the barren and the broken, the merciful voice that says, "Let’s give this hopeless case one more year.” “Let’s reach out to our changing community even if it is racially or ethnically different than us.” “Let’s forgive our brother or neighbor or employer for the wrongs they have committed against us rather than holding a grudge against them for life.” “Let’s not give up on the power of God’s love and mercy.”

"Even now," cried John the Baptist, "the ax is lying at the root of the trees." But Jesus said, "The Spirit of the Lord has sent me to bring good news to the poor and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. Let’s give this one more year. Yes evil will come and will go, and will come again and will go… but our Lord calls us to look beyond, over the horizon and see that God is very much in control, and in light of that certainty, to know that we are called to be light in the darkness, to point the world to that which lies just beyond the vale—and that vale is about to be lifted, any moment now.

Peace to you today as you bring that certainty to an uncertain world,
Pastor Aaron

2010-04-12T08:02:00.000-05:00

Today’s Reading is Luke 12 (click here for link).

Perhaps I have mentioned this before, but I am an avid gardener. I mean it! Much to my wife’s dismay, I have transformed more than half of our back yard into garden soil. In fact, Pam was making fun me last night for spending half an hour looking at heirloom seeds online. (Call me a dork if you like, but I just couldn’t decide which ones I wanted to grow this year.)

Well, those who know me best know that if it hadn’t been for the Lord calling me to ministry, I would have wound up a farmer of some sort. And, while getting out and getting dirty is one of the most relaxing things I can think of to relieve a stressful week, nevertheless, gardening and church work don’t always go well together. Why? Well, the busiest times of the year in the church—Lent and Easter—just so happens to coincide with the busiest time of the gardening season—Spring! All this beautiful weather has made getting dressed and heading into the office particularly difficult these days. But I am sure all of you outdoorsy people in understand my struggles. Spring is just an addictive, period.

However, there is no better time to celebrate the highest season of the Church year. It is Easter now. Easter and spring go together like seeds and soil. The new growth of flowers and plants and the spring birth of animal life in one sense is a great reminder of our gift of life in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. His emerging from the tomb of death into glorious life means new life for each of us. Let me repeat that again… It means new life for each of us… NOW! Easter is not just about eternal life, it is about NEW LIFE. REAL LIFE!

Now, while we must as be careful not to let little bunnies and eggs and the silliness of the secular world overshadow our true reason for celebrating Easter, nonetheless, take joy in the beauty of spring and never forget that new life is yours in Christ—life which will always emerge from death and darkness.

But let’s explore this a little bit more:

In our reading today, Jesus gives his disciples (and all who hear) a lesson on resurrection living—even though his resurrection has not yet happened. Jesus understands that death and darkness are yet to come. He says, “I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed” (vs. 50). In fact, this world is—and will always be—characterized by death and darkness. And while baptism does mean we have the hope of eternal life, we must not forget that our baptism does not release us from death but rather, forever connects us to death—Jesus’s death (Romans 6). Like winter is necessary for spring, so death now, because of sin, is necessary for life in God’s salvation plan.

He calls us today to have eyes that see life even in death, light even in darkness. Our baptism promises life even in death. Thus our lives are now lived seeing life even in what seems hopeless death. How else could Christians deal with the evil things that happen in this world? Therefore, Jesus, says be watchful and be ready! Don’t worry, even when the darkness in life seems great. Troubles and worries and calamity will always seem eminent. Every day has its own set of problems. But God calls us to see beyond the events of days and directs our attention to eternity. In God’s great time, the darkness of winter will give way to the eternal life of spring.

Yes, Jesus has much to say to us today. Resurrection life in this world is not going to be easy. Living for life in a world of death never is. But don’t be afraid. No amount of death or darkness can separate you from Him. He is risen! Alleluia!

Now, I wonder how long those seeds are going to take to get here?

Have a great day,
Pastor Aaron

2010-04-02T11:14:00.000-05:00

Blessed Good Friday. Today will be the last post until the 12th of April when we will resume with Luke 11. Today I provide you with the Good Friday Sermon that will be preached tonight at 7:00 p.m. May the Lord hold you in the resurrection hope!

Sermon--Good Friday 2010

In his marvelous book author and pastor Tony Campolo points out the great and dynamic distinction in the Christian life—a life constantly juxtaposed between the darkness of Good Friday and the Living Hope in the Sunday Resurrection . I’d like to share a portion of it with you now:

Campolo writes, “ It was Friday, and my Jesus was hanging dead from the tree. But that was Friday, and Sunday's coming.

It was Friday, and Mary was crying her eyes out. The disciples were running in every direction, like sheep without a shepherd, but that was Friday, and Sunday's coming.

It was Friday. The cynics were looking at the world and saying you can't change anything in this world, so why even try. See what it got Jesus? But those cynics didn't realize that that was Friday, and Sunday's a coming.

It was Friday. And on Friday, those forces of darkness that oppress and destroy were in control. But that was Friday. Sunday's coming.

It was Friday, and on Friday Pilate thought he had washed his hands of a lot of trouble. The Pharisees were strutting around, laughing and poking each other in the ribs. They thought they were back in charge of things. But, they didn't know that it was only Friday. Sunday's coming.”

Have you ever looked at your life that way? I’ll tell you, it makes all the difference in the world. Are you going to stay living in the events of Good Friday or are you willing to go beyond? To look beyond the present horizon, through the dark and terrible night, and know that Sunday is still a comin’?

I fear too many people, who profess faith in Christ, live as if Good Friday is the end of the road. They live as if Sunday never came or will ever come. But I'm here to tell you, Jesus was dead, as dead as dead can be, but now he is alive, and because he lives, we can live beyond the Fridays of this world—the Fridays of this life.

Make no mistake about it, the Friday's hurt. Sometimes they look as if they might even be permanent, but for the Christian, Friday always gives way to Sunday. For the Christian, after death there is always the resurrection. In the midst of sorrow there is comfort. In the middle of trials and tribulations there is always hope!
That’s what Good Friday is all about: Hope in the midst of suffering; Comfort in the midst of sorrow; Resurrection in the midst of death. Not because of anything we have done, but it is all ours because of what Christ has done for us as our sacrifice.

The book of Hebrews says, “But he (Jesus Christ) has now appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him” (Hebrews 9:26-28).
The book of Hebrews was written to people who were being tempted to leave the true faith. They may have been tempted by persecution, or hardship. They may have been tempted, which is more likely the case, by false teachers who wanted to bring them back to the old time religion of the Jews. Whatever the case was this was the author’s way of saying to the people in the midst of their trials and temptations: Hang in there. Your trials will pass. Your temptations will come to an end. Right now you are experiencing the pain of Friday but Sunday’s comin'.

Remember, friends who are dearly loved by God, because Jesus sacrificed himself for you, your Friday’s are not permanent. Your Friday’s must give way to resurrection Sunday! THEY MUST!!! It can be no other way. For Jesus died to take away your sin. Jesus paid the price in full. He suffered the penalty of death for us. That is why the Scriptures triumphantly declare, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ.” We are free from sin and the condemnation it brings. And sure… Fridays do come, even for God’s people. Pain, suffering, hurt and sorrow are all things we experience. They are realities of living in a Good Friday World! But through it all remember Sunday’s coming. And that means victory is at hand!

And I don’t mean vague and spiritual, I mean specific… So let me get specific:

For some people it’s Friday in their marriage. It is coming apart at the seams, but remember, it is only Friday, and Sunday's coming. Nothing brings new life into a dead marriage like the Resurrected Jesus. For some, it is Friday and you might be struggling with some particular sin which is dragging you down and it looks as if it is going to pull you under, but it's only Friday. Sunday's coming. The Resurrected Lord has promised in His Word that “sin shall no long be your master” because in your Baptism you were given power for living a new life to the glory of God.

For some, it is Friday, and the bills keep rolling in, and the pressure keeps mounting because times are tough, and you are on a fixed income. But it’s only Friday. Sunday's coming. And the resurrected Jesus has promised that even as he cares for the birds of the air and the lillies of the field so he cares for you not just spiritually but also physically.

It is Friday and someone you love may be suffering and you don't know how you are ever going to cope, but my friends, it's Friday. Sunday's coming. The same Jesus who bound up the broken hearted in the Gospels is the same Jesus who promises to mend our broken hearts as he applies the healing balm of the Gospel to our lives. He will give you the strength to go on, until you finish the race, until He brings to completion the good work He has begun in you.

And yes, today is Good Friday, and we remember that on that fateful day, outside of Jerusalem, on a place called Golgotha, Jesus really and truly breathed his last and he really and truly died. And that news in and of itself is not good at all. And it’s hard not to be touched by Christ’s pain. It is hard not to be touched by the blessed suffering of God’s Son. Through it all, we must remember that God was in control of the event of Good Friday. He was working out his plan to bring us live, forgiveness and peace. I have no idea who ever first decided to call the day Jesus died: “Good Friday,” but whoever did it new Sunday was coming.

And yes, on one Friday every last one of us will die as our Savior once died, but, that will be a Friday, and Sunday is coming. For the same Lord who said, “Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest,” is also the one who has promised to say to all who finish the race and die in the one true faith, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.”

May you find hope and comfort this Good Friday, and all the Fridays of life, in the assurance that Sunday is coming! Amen.

2010-04-01T04:41:00.000-05:00

Luke 22:19-20 - And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them saying, “This is My body given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you.”

Some liken Jesus’ Last Supper with His disciples to a dying man’s last meal. I’ve also heard it compared to someone who is near death gathering the family for one final time of being able to celebrate together.

We know from Jesus’ own word He specifically wanted to eat this particular Passover meal with His disciples, and in yesterday’s devotion we saw how Jesus was taking one final opportunity to teach them about serving others.

This bread and wine He gives them in today’s Bible verse reminds me of the gifts we sometimes exchange at family gatherings. On the very night He was betrayed, Jesus takes bread and wine, gives it to His disciples and tells them that this is “for you.”

Christian churches have celebrated this gift ever since, repeating the sharing of Jesus’ very body and blood in the bread and wine, in remembrance of Him, just as He instructed. I pray you have the opportunity to partake of this holy meal when you are invited to receive it in remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins.

THE PRAYER: Lord, on this Holy Thursday, the night before Your death, keep us mindful and thankful of the great gift You have given us through Your sacrifice on the cross. Amen.

2010-03-30T06:14:00.000-05:00

John 12:27-28 - (Jesus said) “Now My heart is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your Name!”

Have you ever thought how easy someone else’s job looked? Ever gotten the feeling that somebody thought you really had it made in your job? These conclusions are usually based on things we observe from the outside.

I can recall times when I’ve thought, “Yeah, you think so? Maybe you should try actually walking in my shoes for a day.” We likely never really do understand what others are going through.

We don’t have a detailed account of what Jesus did minute by minute during the week he died, but there are a number of times we get a glimpse of His agony—the suffering Jesus is going through even before the actual physical punishment begins.

Jesus’ burden isn’t any easier or the pain any less real because He is God’s Son. This sacrifice, His agonizing death, is all very real. Plus, Jesus is carrying the burden of all our sins. In today’s verse he even speculates about an easier way out: “ … and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’?”

Thankfully, Jesus didn’t take an easy way out. As He said, “No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your Name!”

THE PRAYER: Jesus, as we meditate during these final days, help us to appreciate the
great love You have for us that brought You to bear the punishment that should have been ours. Thank You for the price You paid that we might spend eternity with You in heaven.
Amen.

2010-03-29T21:29:00.000-05:00

1 Peter 4:7-8 - The end of all things is near. Therefore, be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

We’ve traveled a long way through these weeks in Lent. I hope as we enter Holy Week
you know God loves you deeply. His love for you is what brought Him to earth and to this week in which He will suffer and die for your sins. The instruction above, to “love each other deeply,” is meant for us. It is the example God set for us as to how He wants us to act toward one another.

Ever have someone pick up a check? It’s a good feeling when someone covers the tab for us. “You’re covered,” means everything is taken care of. There’s nothing more you need to do.

Through His sacrifice, Jesus is saying exactly that: “you’re covered. Everything is taken care of, and there’s nothing more you need do.” Now Jesus calls on us to share this same love with others because love truly is the one thing that covers all sins.

Is there someone who needs your forgiveness? I pray God’s Holy Spirit will enable you to say to them, “You’re covered. There’s nothing you need to do. I forgive you for Jesus’ sake.”
THE PRAYER: Lord, thank You for the forgiveness that is mine through Jesus. Give me the strength to share that same love and forgiveness with others. Amen.

2010-03-26T09:06:00.000-05:00

Romans 5:6 - You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.

It’s said that “timing is everything,” and there are lots of applications to that saying. In baseball, a split second may mean the difference between a home run and just a long foul ball.

We may look for “just the right time” to approach someone on a matter of business. Maybe we need to ask for a day off. Perhaps we’re trying to share some difficult information, like a report isn’t going to be finished on time.

Do you recall an instance when you searched for just the right time to do something?

When did God choose Jesus to die for you? Scripture says, “At just the right time, when (you) were still powerless.” You see, it is no accident God sent His Son to die for you or that you are at this current place in your walk with Him. God’s timing is perfect; His plan for you is without flaw.

God didn’t wait for us to do something right or in some way measure up; He sent Jesus to die for us when we had nothing to offer in return, while we were totally powerless and without any worthiness.

The timing is perfect. It’s all on God and His grace and mercy.

THE PRAYER: Father, thank You for calling me at this time, helping me to know that it is for me and all sinners that Jesus died. Amen.

2010-03-25T08:15:00.000-05:00

Isaiah 63:9 - In all their distresses He too was distressed, and the angel of His presence saved them. In His love and mercy He redeemed them; He lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.

Jim was a good neighbor, a really nice guy, and I don’t want you to get any wrong ideas from this story. I needed a favor. I needed Jim’s help with something I did not feel able to do on my own,and his involvement had to be kept confidential. After listening, Jim told me why he felt it would be better for me to handle this on my own. Yet, he understood my awkward feeling with this particular situation and agreed to help in some way.

Before our conversation ended, Jim let me know there might come a time in the future when he might need to call on me for something. This favor wasn’t going to come without strings attached. Like I said, don’t get any wrong ideas or think less of Jim. He was just conducting business as many of us might do, nothing wrong or illegal. He was helpful to me, but he was also a shrewd administrator, and the world had taught him to get something in return for his efforts.

Jim was a good neighbor, but he didn’t love me as a father might love his child or a husband a wife. He certainly helped me out, but he also held out the possibility he might expect me to do the same. God saw us in our distress, and He too was distressed. He lifts us up; He carries us. In His love and mercy He has redeemed us, and there are no strings attached to that promise.

THE PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your unconditional love that is ours through Jesus our Savior. Amen.

2010-03-23T19:24:00.000-05:00

1 Corinthians 1:18 - For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Science is not my strong suit. It’s a subject in which I often get things backwards. Our Bible verse describes the cross of Jesus in a similar manner. By most standards of common sense and worldly wisdom, the cross as the way to salvation appears backwards or just plain foolish.

In my quest to become a better science teacher, I took some courses to increase my understanding. I soon found that Bernoulli’s Principle (air pressure) could explain many scientific concepts.

Take a glass laboratory funnel for example. Turn it upside down, covering a ping-ong ball atop a book, and invite kids in a chapel service to see if they can make the ball rise inside this glass cone and stay there when the book is removed. Your first volunteers will always be the oldest kids in the school, usually boys. No problem, just suck on the skinny end of the funnel, like a straw, and watch the lightweight ping-pong ball rise.

Over the years of teaching this lesson, not a single junior high kid has ever made the ball rise inside the funnel. I really confound them when I invite a young child to come forward and instruct the little one to take a deep breath and then blow. As they blow down into the funnel, the ball rises and I remove the book. Amazing! Well, not really. It is similar to the concept of an airplane wing. Air passing over theball creates a low pressure, causing air underneath to push upward—a high pressure rushing in under the low and causing lift.

What appears to be utter foolishness results in amazement. Such are the amazing ways of our God who sent His only Son to die for us sinners.

THE PRAYER: Father, thank You for Your amazing love for us in Jesus. Amen.

2010-03-22T14:51:00.000-05:00

Matthew 26:48 - Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them; “The one I kiss is the man; arrest Him.”

“Dad, will you take a picture of us?” It was Jenny’s eighth-grade graduation banquet. She, Julie, and Nathan were standing under the arbor set up especially for capturing the evening’s picture memories. “Dad, count out loud and snap it on three.” Uh oh! Poor Nathan. I know these girls and have no doubt what is coming. “One, two…” SMACK! Terrific athletes with perfect timing, the girls got on tiptoe, turned, and Nathan received a kiss on each cheek just as the flash went off. I felt like I had betrayed him.

In the case of the graduation banquet, things worked out all right. Jenny, Julie, and Nathan are great friends. Nathan’s parents even requested a re-enactment, but they had to settle for a copy of my picture.

Judas’ kiss was much different. I can’t recall another time when such a sign of love and affection was used in such a terrible way—to betray a close friend. In this case, it was Judas’ own teacher, his Lord and Savior. Yes, I said Savior. Remember, the once-and-for-all sacrifice? Jesus died for all, even Judas.

The sad part of Judas’ story isn’t that he betrayed Jesus but that after returning the blood money to the Jewish leaders and trying to undo what he had done, Judas did not turn to Jesus to seek forgiveness. Instead, he hung himself. He missed accepting Jesus as his Savior, a Savior who would forgive even that kiss in the Garden.

Is there something you are carrying that you feel is too big, too terrible for Jesus to forgive? I invite you to turn it over to Him today.

THE PRAYER: Dear Savior, I bring all my sins to You, especially those heavier burdens. Send Your Spirit to guide me and bring peace to my troubled heart. Amen.

2010-03-18T21:56:00.000-05:00

John 12:35-36a - Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is going. Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light.” …

At the end of our block is an electric company substation. My first thought was that all those metal boxes, towers and wires were a lightning rod for every passing storm, but in time I realized that our neighborhood loses power even when the weather just threatens and becomes overcast. We’ve lived here 20 years, and I’m still not convinced the substation does not have something to do with our frequent outages.

Whatever the case, we’ve learned to keep light sources handy—battery operated lights, crank lights, kerosene lamps, even some propane camping lights—except for that first night, that is. Yep, the day we moved in a terrible storm hit, and with tornado warnings up, Diane ordered us all to the basement. Do you have any idea what it is like to spend your first night in your new home, a totally unfamiliar place, in complete darkness?

As we draw closer to the time of Jesus’ crucifixion, He is speaking about Himself as the light. In another place, John records Jesus as saying, “I am the light of the world” (John 9:5b). Jesus goes by many names, each of which describes an important role He plays in our lives.

The life without Jesus is even more lost than being in the basement of a strange house without electricity in the middle of the night. “Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light” (John 12:36a).

THE PRAYER: Dear Jesus, You are the Light of the world. Thank You for bringing safety and comfort to me in a world that is dark with sin. Amen

2010-03-17T22:32:00.000-05:00

John 12:23-24 - Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”

By now, you pretty well know I grew up in Chicago, but the first place I taught was in rural Michigan, the Saginaw Valley, or what is commonly known as Michigan’s Thumb. That was a neat experience for a city boy. Grandpa grew up on a farm in Austria. Coming to the United States when he was 19,he lived most of his 83 years in Chicago, where he always had a large garden. I was eager to live in a farming community, and he was excited for me to have this opportunity and experience.

Gardening, however, is apparently not hereditary. No, I never have been a very successful gardener. Enjoying what comes from the garden, cooking and even canning fresh garden produce has been great; I’ve always been a good consumer, but not a good producer.

Have you ever seen a wheat field? It is amazing how those tiny grains can produce a field so thick and lush, a beautiful thing to see when it turn colors as harvest approaches. Jesus tells His disciples above that the planting time is at hand for Him, the time when He will fall to the ground and die. Jesus understood where this journey was taking Him, and we will hear more about this during the days of Lent to come.

THE PRAYER: Jesus, thank You for the sacrifice You made on our behalf. Help us to continue planting the seed of Your Word, that Your harvest of souls might indeed be full and beautiful. Amen.

2010-03-16T10:33:00.000-05:00

Philippians 2:5-8 - Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!

The sign at the end of the driveway read, “Purse Party – Public Welcome.” Had I not been blessed with a daughter I would be ignorant of such terms as LV (Louis Vuitton), Burberry, Coach, Dooney & Bourke, and other fashion designers. The public purse party, however, was for knock-offs, imitations of the expensive designer line of purses.

Usually we think of an imitation as something bad or less than authentic. But imitation can also be a form of flattery, a compliment if you will. We are called to imitate Jesus, to be like-minded, having the same selfless attitude as Him, setting aside things that perhaps place us over others and to become more Christ-like,a servant.

The really wonderful thing about Jesus is that He is no imitator. Jesus is the real thing, true God just like his Father, but He didn’t consider His “equality with God” something He had to hold on to tightly. Rather, He willingly set it aside for a time, making Himself nothing and becoming like us, humbling Himself even to the point of death on a cross for our sake.

God invites us to be like Christ. On our own, we couldn’t even manage a cheap imitation, but through the power of the Holy Spirit we can indeed become imitators of Christ, spreading His message by word and deed to others who do not yet know Him.

THE PRAYER: Father, bless me with Your Holy Spirit that I may become like Your Son, Jesus, humbling myself and for His sake, becoming a servant to all. Amen.

2010-03-15T09:52:00.000-05:00

Good morning, everyone! I want to thank the many of you who have continued with the journey even through Lent. I know I have dropped the ball a couple of times and forgotten to post the LHM devotional for the day. My sincere apologies. It is harder than I thought to remember to post something that I haven't written myself.

Have a great day...
Pastor Aaron

Deuteronomy 32:39a - See now that I Myself am He! There is no other god besides Me. …

My favorite restaurant sits next to a marina, and many of the boats docked there during the summer are worth several times more than my house. The boats in the yacht club harbor, a bit closer to Lake Michigan, are larger yet and even more expensive.
Most days during the summer, those boats don’t move. They are used only occasionally by weekenders who drive up to our community. Sometimes I sit and wonder just how much
money a person must have to own such an expensive boat and use it so little. And, when I’m not careful, I begin to envy what I see or imagine.

In today’s Bible verse, God reminds us that only He is God. He warns His people about putting their trust in other gods and even challenges them with these words about other gods:

“Let them rise up to help you! Let them give you shelter!” (Deuteronomy 32:38b).

Sort of like me, I guess, when I begin imagining how wonderful life must be for someone who owns one of the luxury boats in the marina. There’s certainly nothing wrong with having a lot of money or owning a beautiful boat. The danger comes when these things become our god, the thing in which we put our trust. Or, when like me, you begin to envy someone for what they have.

THE PRAYER: Father, forgive me when I put my trust somewhere other than You. Remind
me daily that You are the only true God and that through Your Son, Jesus, I have all I need. Amen.

2010-03-11T18:37:00.000-06:00

Psalm 4:8 - I will both lie down and sleep in peace; for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

“What are you doing up?”

It was late, the middle of the night, and Jenny was very young. She found me in the living room watching an old movie on TV and …

“The cookies were calling me. Didn’t you hear them?”

So began a long tradition with my daughter, Jenny. It wasn’t the last time she found me eating cookies in the middle of the night. Ever since that first night, I don’t think Jenny ever found me up in the middle of the night when she hasn’t asked, “Were the cookies calling you?” And I know for sure she’s never found me up in the night when there haven’t been cookies and a glass of milk on my table next to me. As Jenny got older, not only did she faithfully continue asking about the cookies calling, she often began asking, “Are you okay?”

The late night milk and cookies aren’t a frequent occurrence anymore, and whatever has caused my restlessness isn’t typically very serious. Sometimes Jenny and I may chat, nothing too heavy, but in those couple of minutes I think God is reminding me that He does care about me, and He sends Jenny to deliver the message. I finish up my cookies, head back to bed and sleep well.

It sounds like the writer of this Psalm may have been familiar with losing a bit of sleep, but in today’s verse he lies down in peaceful sleep because he knows that in the Lord he is dwelling in safety.

THE PRAYER: Lord, thank You for those people You have placed in my life to remind me of Your love and protection. Amen.

2010-03-10T08:02:00.000-06:00

Isaiah 43:18-19a - Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? …

“I can forgive them, but I cannot forget,” she told me. That said, the friendship cooled and an estrangement set in that lasted for years. While the relationship was eventually repaired, sadly, nothing could replace the time lost.

Forgetting is an essential part of forgiveness. Without it, the person above merely said she would forgive, but no true forgiveness had really taken place.

When God talks about forgiveness, here is what He says: “For I will forgive their wickednessand will remember their sins no more” (Jeremiah 31:34b). Odd, isn’t it? Forgetfulness is a human shortcoming few of us can escape; yet the person above states she cannot forget the wrong done to her. And then God, who is perfect, says
that He indeed does forget when it comes to our sins.

Again, we learn how God’s way is different than our way. I’ll never quite understand how God who is all knowing cannot remember something, but I’ll take Him at His Word,
especially since it’s my sins He promises not to remember. Is there something you are holding on to that you need to let go of?

THE PRAYER: Lord, help me to forget those former things that need to be forgotten. For Jesus’ sake, enable me to forgive others as You have forgiven me. Amen.

2010-03-08T07:38:00.000-06:00

Luke 15:1-2 - Now the tax collectors and “sinners” were all gathering around to hear Him. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

I told you that harmful, even hateful words would be spoken about Jesus. In this case, it is the Pharisees and teachers, the so-called “good people” who are talking about Him in a hurtful way. Actually, they were muttering. You know—-that kind of quiet grumbling we sometimes do about others. All the while, however, these religious leaders were really hoping the words would come around to hurt Jesus. He heard their muttering and responded, but that is tomorrow’s devotion.

The reason for their muttering was that these good people were upset that Jesus was dining with bad people. Remember “Good Better Best”? The religious leaders didn’t approve of the company Jesus was keeping. But look who is muttering, and look who is listening. These so-called sinners and tax collectors are gathering around Jesus to hear Him. They don’t presume to tell the Lord of the creation and the Savior of the world anything. They gather to listen.

Are you in the company of Jesus today? You are the company that He would like to keep. I pray your heart is open and you are listening to His words of comfort and forgiveness. He wants to dine with you.

THE PRAYER: Lord Jesus, speak to my heart today. Open my ears to Your message; guide my steps in Your path. Amen.

2010-03-05T09:11:00.000-06:00

2 Corinthians 5:21 - God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.

It doesn’t always take a lot of words to say something powerful. Sometimes when I got in trouble as a kid, my dad, an ex-Marine, would look at me and say, “I’ve got just two words for you, and they ain’t happy birthday.” This always got my full attention rather quickly. That being said, Dad was a great guy and, thankfully, I never did hear those “two words.”

Today’s Bible reading contains two very powerful words—“for us.” Jesus was born and God made Him who was sinless to be sin (to bear the world’s sins) for us. There was no other reason for Jesus to suffer as He did and die except to do so for us.

But why suffer and die? There are two more important words—“so that.” Why did Jesus die for us? He did this so that we might become righteous in God’s sight. Justice demands payment for sin, and God knew we certainly weren’t able to pay for our own
sins or to save ourselves. I’ve actually got four words for you: for us so that.
THE PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for becoming sin for us so that we might become “the righteousness of God” and spend eternity with You in heaven. Amen.

2010-03-04T11:45:00.000-06:00

2 Corinthians 5:16-17; 20b - So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! … We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.

Wow! Can you imagine no longer looking at people “from a worldly point of view”? The guy who blares his horn at you while driving or the person who is impatient or rude with you—what about them? Just imagine for a moment not responding to them with equal rudeness, repaying evil with evil. Kind of tough to imagine, isn’t it?

How is this accomplished? It’s not by our willpower, that’s for sure, but through Jesus who has reconciled us to God. Through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for our sins, God responded to our sin in a way that is the opposite of how the world would respond. Instead of punishing us for our sin, God sent His Son to provide us with the free gift of forgiveness.

Now, in Christ, God has made us a new creation, enabling us by the power of the Holy Spirit to react to others in a new—and Christ-like—way.

Is there someone who has wronged you, someone with whom you are angry? By worldly standards they may deserve your anger, perhaps even punishment, just as we deserve punishment for our sins. How is God calling you to respond in a new way, a way different from the worldly way of doing things?

THE PRAYER: Lord, thank You for the forgiveness that is ours through Jesus our Savior. Through our own reconciliation to You, enable us to be reconciled to one another. Amen.

2010-03-03T21:54:00.000-06:00

Isaiah 12:5 - Sing to the Lord, for He has done glorious things: let this be known to all the world.

Today’s newspaper carried a story on local myths: “The Satanic Skater of Hickory Creek,” “The Monster of Sister Lakes,” “The Black Panther of Grand Mere,” and “Melon Heads.” The writer was making a connection between local legends and today’s urban myths of the Internet.

Have you noticed how quickly horrific stories or false information spread? Sometimes it seems that news about bad things circulates more rapidly than good news. Maybe that’s our fault. Do we perhaps show more interest in the prurient and the ugly?
Sure, some of the local legends’ stuff is good-natured kidding or just old-fashioned story telling, and I can appreciate that. But what about those things people say are false and truly harmful?

As we continue our Lenten journey, there will be many lies and hateful things said about Jesus our Savior, even though He had come to earth to accomplish wondrous things for us, and to save us from our sins.

Isaiah encourages us to “sing to the Lord” and declare the glorious things He has done on our behalf. He would have us tell the whole world!

THE PRAYER: Lord, bless our speech, that our words may be God-pleasing, that what we say builds up others rather than tearing them down, and that we share with others the glorious things You have done for us in Jesus our Savior. Amen.

2010-03-02T08:12:00.000-06:00

Psalm 51:1-2 - Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your unfailing love, according to Your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

Before moving on from the recent devotions about our sin, “worse” sinners, “better” sinners, and all that …

One of God’s most famous apostles, Paul, called himself the “the worst” of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15b). I guess that would technically make him the best (i.e. worst) sinner ever. Paul wasn’t joking either; he knew his sins had even brought death to others, much like we learned about King David yesterday.

How deep is our sin? It goes to the core, all the way back to our conception and birth according to Psalm 51.

The verse above talks about “transgressions,” “iniquity,” and “sin.” You’d think
one word would be enough, but it’s not. It doesn’t cover it all. To transgress means to “step beyond” the boundaries. In King David’s case, it could be said he did that when he committed adultery or when he gave the order to station the husband of the woman he was having an affair with on the front lines, thereby increasing his chances of being hurt or killed.

But before David actually did anything, he had those sinful thoughts in his heart. Iniquity refers to this sinful state, which is our very nature. The word sin refers to missing the mark—as when we’re trying to do our level best and still fall ridiculously short.

Anyway you look at it—our very nature, our trying our best but falling short, and our
outright decision to hurt someone else—are all sin. But there are even more words God uses when describing how He covers our sins: mercy, unfailing love, great compassion, blot out, wash away, cleanse, create, restore, sustain,and more.

THE PRAYER: Father, have mercy on me, according to Your unfailing love, according to
Your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Amen.

2010-03-01T09:22:00.000-06:00

Psalm 51:1 - Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your unfailing love; according to Your great compassion blot out my transgressions. (Also read Psalm 51:2-12.)

Having read our previous devotions about God’s love and forgiveness, have you forgiven others and accepted God’s forgiveness toward you? Today’s passage from the Psalms is actually a prayer. Quite likely it is the prayer King David prayed after being confronted by God’s prophet, Nathan. David committed adultery with the beautiful Bathsheba and then tried to cover up his sin by placing Bathsheba’s husband in the front line of a battle where he ended up being killed. Nathan called him to account.

Pretty bad stuff, isn’t it—adultery, murder, conspiracy? How terrible are your sins? Worse than David’s? Remember yesterday’s devotion about “worse” and “better” sinners?
King David understood that sin is sin, that all of us our sinners, and that all sin, no matter the severity,separates us from God.

God sent Jesus into the world to remove that separation, to heal the brokenness caused by our sins, and to renew our relationship with God through the sacrifice of His own blood. Let’s borrow a bit from David’s words and pray together:

Have mercy on me, God, according to Your unfailing love, According to Your great compassion, blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. My transgressions and my sin are always right here in front of me. I can’t deny them. Lord, cleanse me, and I will indeed be clean. Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow! Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Amen.

2010-02-26T07:37:00.000-06:00

Below is the devotional from LHM:

Ezekiel 33:7 - (The LORD said) “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from Me.”

In the verses following the above passage, God explains to His prophet Ezekiel that not everyone is going to accept his message. At one point God says to Ezekiel, and I’m paraphrasing, “You know, Ezekiel, I want all people to be saved. I don’t take any pleasure in the death of evil people, but I want them to turn from their wicked ways and live. Now, Ezekiel, some other folks are going to have a problem with this approach.”

I’ve been a watchman. One of the strangest jobs I did was watch cement dry. A company I worked for was putting up a large addition, and the owner was concerned about newly poured cement being tampered with by neighborhood teenagers, so he hired me to watch the wet cement overnight. About 2 a.m. a Chicago police car pulled into the parking lot next to my car; the officer looked at me suspiciously and asked what I was doing. Now I hadn’t given the potential of such a question much thought, so when I replied, “I’m watching wet cement,” in my mind I was already thinking he’s not going to buy this. And he didn’t. Especially after shining his spotlight on a place where cement hadn’t been poured. I ended up in the back of the police car until phone calls could be made and my story confirmed.

God warned his watchman, Ezekiel, that many people weren’t going to accept his story, especially the part of God wanting to save evil people. Everything in our nature wants to see the bad guy punished. Of course, we never perceive ourselves as the bad guy.

THE PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank You for the unlikely story that Jesus came to save sinners, including me. Amen.

2010-02-25T08:53:00.000-06:00

Luke 13:31-32 - At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to Him, “Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you.” He replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘I will drive out demons and heal people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.’”

Do you have a job that requires goals to be set and accomplished? Some of us do, and
some don’t. When I worked in the shop of an industrial pipe, valve, and fitting company in Chicago, nobody spoke to me of goals. They were satisfied if I packed orders correctly and didn’t injure myself (or others) in the process.
But for the salespeople who worked upstairs, it was a different story. They had definite goals to be met and their job security depended on meeting them. And, the owner of the company provided them with certain tools to assist them in accomplishing their work.

A company car, an expense account, support staff, etc. were among the things they
needed and I didn’t. As an educator and administrator, I’ve become more familiar with goals. A board chairman once declared we set a goal of increasing enrollment for the coming school year by 20 students. When I inquired about a plan and tools, specifically money in the budget to accomplish this task, he said we couldn’t afford any additional expenses. The goal ultimately failed because it lacked some key elements.

Achieving goals typically requires a plan as well as a commitment. In today’s verse, Jesus is warned to stop what He is doing and flee because Herod is out to kill Him. Jesus, however, doesn’t run but rather He speaks of reaching His goal. He understood that accomplishing this goal—rescuing us from our sin—required the ultimate commitment. It would come at a high price—His very life.

THE PRAYER: Jesus, thank You for paying the ultimate price for accomplishing the goal of our salvation. Amen.

2010-02-24T06:49:00.000-06:00

Philippians 3:20-21 - But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.

The sign read, “Wait here. Do not proceed beyond this point.” Drab walls, institutional furniture, a place of rules and interrogation—this was not a welcoming place for anyone,let alone a young family and their two-year-old daughter.
Then a tall, strong man appeared, one in uniform and wearing a sidearm. He was someone you didn’t want to mess with. We were at a border crossing that particular Saturday afternoon. We rose very early that morning and had driven a long way to this most unwelcome place. And now, there was a man with a gun standing in front of us. But then he smiled and gently inquired, “Does someone here want to become a citizen?”

“Our daughter, sir.”

“Come on around here and follow me,” he said, motioning us past the “Do not proceed
beyond this point” sign.

This place, and this man, were not strangers to people trying to break the law. But on this day, he spoke gently and said, “Follow me.” Our Jenny was two years old and the time had come for us to declare her United States’ citizenship, a blessing and a gift bestowed on her through no merit of her own.

After we finished signing papers, the strong man in uniform took Jenny in his arms and posed for pictures with us. He smiled warmly, and I knew without a doubt that he loved this part of his job.

THE PRAYER: Father, thank You for the gift of Jesus, under whom You have placed all power and through whom we are called to enjoy all the blessings of citizenship in heaven. Amen.

Have a great day,
Pastor Aaron

2010-02-23T07:26:00.000-06:00

Stay warm today.

Pastor Aaron

Below is the LHM devotional.

Jeremiah 26:8 - But as soon as Jeremiah finished telling all the people everything the LORD had commanded him to say, the priests, the prophets and all the people seized him and said, “You must die!”

Ever been in that position? Perhaps you’ve even said these words, “Don’t shoot me; I’m only the messenger!” I can imagine that’s how Jeremiah must have felt. He’s just spoken words that the Lord commanded him to say, and now people, important people, want to
kill him.

Now imagine this: Jesus came to earth with a message of love and forgiveness and eternal life in heaven. And for that, they nailed Him to a cross, leaving Him to hang there until He died. Still feeling misunderstood or persecuted? Okay, maybe so, but at times like these in yourdaily walk, remember that Jesus died for you. For speaking the truth, calling people to repentance, and proclaiming that people’s sins were forgiven, Jesus paid the ultimate price.But He did that for you and me.

THE PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank You for dying for my sins, for paying the debt I owe—thedebt I could never repay. Amen

2010-02-22T07:58:00.000-06:00

Good morning. I hope you all had a great weekend. On Friday, I referred everyone to Ezekiel 9. Much mystery surrounds the man clothed in white linen, who goes around “marking the mark” (as the Hebrew text puts it) on the foreheads of the few faithful in the Jerusalem. Of course, the city is under siege and will soon be destroyed by the Babylonian army and the finale exile of the Jews will ensue. But Ezekiel is already in Babylon and he understands that what is taking place in God’s holy city is much more than human war fare.

However, what is most interesting is this mark that is placed upon the foreheads of the faithful. In the ancient world the last letter of the alphabet was often used as the mark for a signature or ownership—much like we use the “X” today. In Hebrew, this was the letter “taw.” In fact, our letter “T” originates from the Hebrew “taw.” Amazingly, this letter’s shape originally looked much more like our modern day “X”, except it was upright—in fact, it looked very much like “+.” It looked like a cross! The faithful in Jerusalem were saved by a cross! For this reason, many theologians have long associated the man in white linen as the pre-incarnate Son of God, similar to the “Angel of the Lord” found elsewhere in the Old Testament.

In light of the tradition of Ash Wednesday, I find this text from Ezekiel fascinating. On Ash Wednesday, we too are marked with the very same mark made from charcoal and ash, which would have been the very same material contained within the “writing kit” used by the man in white linen. By the cross of Jesus Christ, we are marked as those faithful—faithful only because we are under the cross.

I pray you find peace there.

Pastor Aaron

Below is the LHM devotion for today:

Deuteronomy 26:2 & 4 - Take some of the firstfruits of all that you produce from the soil of the land the LORD your God is giving you and put them in a basket. … The priest shall take the basket from your hands and set it down in front of the altar of the Lord your God.

Today’s verse speaks to the toughest part of my personal walk with God—my offerings to the Lord. It’s personal confession time: I am not what you would call a “cheerful” giver. I’m a nervous giver, a reluctant giver, a fearful giver. Why does God need anything from me? I barely get by now.

Putting an offering in the plate has always been very difficult for me, especially giving of what is called the “firstfruits” above. That means giving first to God as opposed to giving to Him from my leftovers—what remains after I satisfy my own wants.
A friend I greatly respected once told me his wife had a much closer “walk with God” than he did and that there were certain things she did more joyfully than him. It hit me that what he said applied to Diane and me, especially when it comes to our giving. Diane is the cheerful giver in our family.

During Lent, we hear the story of Jesus, which ultimately takes Him to an agonizing death on the cross for us. God gave not only His first, but also His only Son as payment for our sins—a firstfruits offering if there ever was one! How very differently I approach giving than God. But then, that’s why God in His mercy forgives me and, it is undoubtedly why God in His grace, blessed me with Diane as my wife.

Who are the people God has placed in your life to aid you in your walk with Him?

THE PRAYER: Father, thank You for sending Jesus to be my Savior, and thank You for the people around me that You provide to hold me up in my daily walk. Amen.

2010-02-19T07:55:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone... If you get a chance today, study Ezekiel 9. What do you think of the man in linen who with the writing kit, places a mark on the faithful of Jerusalem? What do you think that mark is? If you wuold like, let me know your thoughts in the comment bar at the bottom of today's post. I'll make some comments about this on Monday. See you then.

Pastor Aaron

Below is the LHM devotional:

2 Corinthians 5:20b-21; 6:3a - We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the
righteousness of God. … We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path. …

Photography is one of my hobbies, and among my files of pictures is one labeled “Funny Signs.” These are signs that can be easily misinterpreted, contain misspellings, or seem out of place. Occasionally, they’re signs on churches. If it makes me smile or can be misunderstood or taken in a whimsical way, I snap a picture.

Last summer I came upon such a sign after miles of weaving and dodging orange barrels
and waiting at temporary traffic lights that allowed only one lane of traffic to flow at a time in either direction. As I finally left the construction zone there was a sign that read, “End Road Work.” My feelings exactly!

The words in today’s text give me a similar feeling. God wants everyone to know there is nothing blocking our path to Jesus’ love and forgiveness and that nobody should place such obstacles in the way of people coming to Him. Some people would place all kinds of requirements in front of you to gain access to God’s love, but God’s Son became like us so that through Him we may be holy and acceptable in God’s eyes. No stumbling blocks, no orange barrels or other mazes that we must navigate to gain God’s favor. The path is straight and access free to God our Heavenly Father through Jesus our brother.

If God doesn’t want others placing obstacles between you and Him, He doesn’t want you
erecting such barriers either. Is there something you are allowing to stand in the way of God’s free access to His love and grace?

THE PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Jesus to remove all barriers to Your love. Help us to accept that love and forgiveness that is ours in His Name. Amen.

2010-02-18T07:52:00.000-06:00

Good Morning! Perhaps this sounds a little strange, but Lent is one of my favorite Church seasons-even more than Christmas. However, it is more than just the sombre hymns, liturgy and ancient rits; I am always grateful for the chance to be reminded in vivid ways of the love of my God for me through the sacrifice of Jesus Chrsit. I pray that your Ash Wednesday perperations were filled with the Lord.

Below is devotional from Lutheran Hour Ministries. Thank you all for being so gracious and patient as I take a little Lenten break from our journey through Luke.

Joel 2:13b - … Return to the LORD your God for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and He relents from sending calamity.

Returning things can sometimes be difficult. Certain electronic items can’t be returned for a full refund once the box has been opened. Sometimes we lose the receipt for an item and can’t get reimbursed the full price we paid. Perhaps a store won’t even take an item back if the tagshave been removed. Maybe you’re like me and regularly lose the tags and the receipt. Good luck then!

There are other types of returns, also. Returning to a place that holds bad memories may be challenging. Returning something that doesn’t belong to us to its rightful owner can make us feel guilty. If we’ve been away from church for a time, there could be feelings we have that make it hard for us to return. How about a strained relationship? It could be tough to return and face that person.

Many circumstances and feelings may get in the way of returning, but God’s “return policy” is wide open, no strings or guilt attached. He always wants us to be with Him. Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, a season of repentance, of turning around and coming back to God. During Lent we retrace Jesus’ walk to the cross, His suffering and death for us, and His resurrection that guarantees our own resurrection and life eternal with Him in heaven.

Is there something standing in the way of a return you’d like to make? I can’t guarantee it won’t be difficult, but I pray God will guide you in this process. Is a return to God what you desire? Here I can say with certainty that no matter what the circumstances, His love for you is immeasurable, and He is eager to have you close to Him again.

THE PRAYER: Father, thank You for the forgiveness that is ours in Jesus and for always welcoming us back into Your arms. Amen.

2010-02-17T05:34:00.000-06:00

Good morning. Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. In a couple of hours, here at Epiphany, people will gather at the church before work and the day’s activities begin. There we will have a short service of confession. That is what this day is about—our need to confess and repent. Each person will be marked with a double sign of death—ashes and a cross. We will wear this sign today upon our foreheads and it will be upon our hearts until Easter. We will yearn for the day of resurrection even as we walk the path of death; for one day this body of dust and ashes will be redeemed. The mark you wear today—the cross of Christ—is proof of that.

For the next 46 days or so, I invite you to utilize the devotional series provided by LHM (below). I will enjoy the chance to journey with you to the cross of our Lord. Along that path, if you should have any comments or questions, please don’t hesitate to share. Because like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, I pray that the Lord be revealed to us in amazing ways this Lenten journey.

Remember, child of God, from dust you are and to dust you shall return.

Pastor Aaron

Luke 24:13-18 - Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus,about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everythingthat had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, JesusHimself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him. He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?” They stood still,their faces downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, asked Him, “Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?”

He (Jesus) said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all thatthe prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enterHis glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them whatwas said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself (Luke 24:25-27).

Later in the day on Easter Sunday, two followers of Jesus are walking along the road to Emmaus when they are joined by a stranger—Jesus. They are still having a difficult timetrying to process what they know about the crucifixion as well as what they’ve heardabout the empty tomb, the women, angels, and resurrection.

Although He chides them a bit at first, on this walk to Emmaus, Jesus once more gently reveals to them what the Scriptures have to say about Him and His work. Later, theyinvite Jesus to stay the night with them and, over dinner, He takes bread and wine, andthe men’s eyes are opened and they recognize Him.

God’s blessings to you as you continue walking with Jesus, allowing Him to lead and
reveal His magnificent plan for your life.

THE PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for walking beside me daily. Enable me to follow
where You lead. Amen.

2010-02-16T06:24:00.000-06:00

Today’s reading is Luke 11 (click here for link)

"Lord, teach us to pray." Luke 11:1

Many theologians have taught and do teach that prayer changes nothing except the one praying. For example, a favorite devotional write of mine, Oswald Chambers, wrote: “It is not so true that ‘prayer changes things’ as that prayer changes me and I change things. God has so constituted things that prayer on the basis of Redemption alters the way in which a man looks at things. Prayer is not a question of altering things externally, but of working wonders in a man's disposition." However, I completely disagree. After all, our Lord says “ask, and it shall be given unto you, seek and you will find.” In fact, Jesus even emphasizes the power and effectiveness of bold prayer; and please… let’s not make the silly assumption that our Lord is only talking about spiritual gifts and not physical gifts. I unfortunately hear that explanation too often. Instead, let’s take our Lord at his word and trust that prayer is powerful and effective, especially if it is prayed without reserve and with the boldness of childlike faith and trust.

Of course, there are those who will consider all the many times that their prayers have either gone unanswered or answered in the negative and have concluded that prayer simply does not change God’s mind but rather changes us and shows us the will of God. However, that is putting too much emphasis on that act of praying. Truth is, prayer doesn’t really change us at all—nothing really can, except the Word of God. His life giving Word turns sinners into saints. Therefore prayer is the response and natural desire of the saint. This means that the question we must be asking ourselves, concerning our prayers, is whether they are driving from our exposure to the Word or whether they are driving from our own petty thoughts on how we think the world should be?

Perhaps, in your life, it might seem as though you have been crying out, asking and asking, but still you have not received. Try a new approach. Turn to God’s word. Let your prayer come from there. Perhaps the burden you are asking God to remove from you is the very burden God has chosen to lay upon you for your own good, to draw you closer to Him. But how will you know this if you have not heard the Word of God? Try reading James 1 or Romans 8:28 and following. Pray from the scriptures. Let them motivate, instruct, form, and energize your prayers. God does listen and God does respond in amazing ways—just ask Hezekiah (Isaiah 38:1-8). But remember that prayer is more than blind, one-sided, petitions from you. It is a two way conversation. Don’t just ask… listen, too.

Someone once said that an avid writer must be an avid reader. I completely agree. Perhaps the same is true of prayer.

Blessings,

Pastor Aaron

2010-02-15T09:21:00.000-06:00

Today’s reading is Luke 10 (click here for link)

Happy Monday everyone! I know I am late to the game again this morning. This past week was killer and I am sure the Lenten season will prove no less. However it is always nice to begin a new week with a sense of accomplishment—even if it was “killer.” But maybe that brings me to my point for today:

Luke records Jesus' word's: "… do not rejoice that… but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." Jesus is saying here, in effect, “Don't rejoice in successful service, but rejoice because you are rightly related to Me.”

Sometimes, I believe that a real temptation in our Christian work can be to rejoice in successful service as if success is the mark of true accomplishment. But is that really a healthy attitude? Are you only content to serve your Lord when success is certain, or are you happy to rejoice in the fact that God has used you? Truth is, you never can measure what God will do through you if you are rightly related to Jesus Christ, because then your joy will not be bound only to success. The joy of knowing Jesus as Lord is that no matter the success or failure of our lives or our service for him, nothing can separate us from him and our status as a part of His mystical body.

I know I had to remind myself over and over again the past few days as I awoke at 3:00 or 4:00 each morning to begin my task; but whether failures or successes, I was comforted to know that through it all I was doing what I have been called to do, serve Him. That is… when I wasn’t grouchy and irritable from being so tired. :o)

We must be careful that whatever circumstances we are in, and whoever we meet day by day, we never object to His pouring rivers of living water through us. It is easy to do! Life can quickly get in the way. And I firmly believe that our obsession with the “act” of service—the details of the work—can overwhelm the joy of the service in a hurry. In fact, beware of the people who make their “usefulness” their ground of appeal. If you make usefulness the test, then Jesus Christ was most certainly the greatest failure that ever lived, for the world has never deemed him very useful at all. Instead, let our standard be God Himself, not our estimated usefulness. It is the work that God does through us that counts, not the detailed plans we make in our service for Him.

In your life, let Jesus bring you to the Father. Never rely on your usefulness for that. Only He can write your name in the book of heaven.

Thank you for keeping with the journey,

Pastor Aaron

2010-02-12T05:38:00.000-06:00

Today’s reading is Luke 9 (click here for link)

I will follow you, but… Luke 9:61

How often do you respond to God in this way? Sometimes we are just like the two men Jesus calls at the end of Luke 9--we find that at the time of "testing" our faith is a bit uncomfortable. “Yes God, I’d love to do that… but what about…?” If God were to tell you something that seemed to go against your common sense, what would your response be? Would you hesitate? Would you wait and see? Sadly, our experience teaches us that the human mind demands rationale and evidence in exchange for action. After all, no one likes taking a step in the dark. It’s uncomfortable! We prefer to know what we are getting into before we commit. But, I believe the real problem for us is not so much that we often avoid godly action in the physical realm—helping our neighbor, forgiving our spouse, proclaiming the Gospel. Rather our biggest danger is that inevitably our inaction in the physical realm translates over into the spiritual realm of faith. If we get into the habit of always playing it safe—never taking a risk—concerning our earthly work as Christians, how long will it be before we no longer take risks of faith in our spiritual lives as well? The truth is, faith is not dependent upon actions, but our actions certainly do affect our faith. Thus if we allow common sense to be our only guide, faith cannot last long.

The author to the Hebrews says that, “Faith is the certainty of what we hope for and the proof of what we do not see.” To follow Christ in faith means to recklessly throw ourselves upon him. Christ is the light shining in the darkness. Therefore, in the end, we have only two choices in the face of conflict: We either act like pagans or we act like Christians. The pagan mind is a mind of rationale. The Christian’s rationale is blinded by faith. So when the great venture of life brings you to a cross-roads, follow Jesus in faith—no exceptions or reservations. Doing this is guaranteed to make you uncomfortable!

I am reminded of the story of Rahab, the prostitute of Jericho. Rahab’s faith couldn’t have been more uncomfortable on that day the Hebrew spies showed up at her inn. Fear and anxiety surely rushed through her mind. She no doubt asked herself those familiar “yes…but…” type questions. “Yes, I know that the God of Israel is the true God, but what happens if…?” Despite the danger she faced for betraying her city, Rahab in faith recklessly through herself upon the mercy of God. The truth is that faith is only as good as its object. Simply having faith for the sake of having faith is foolish. Faith is more than mental gymnastics. It is a full mind and body experience. Faith stirs your emotions, motivates your body, and instructs the will. Like growing pains deep inside the bone, faith will certainly be uncomfortable at times. But through this wonderful gift we grow into children of God.

Stay warm today,

Pastor Aaron

2010-02-11T10:45:00.000-06:00

Today’s reading is Luke 8 (click here for link)

This morning the alarm clock rang and I woke up the same as any other morning, tired. However, instead of going downstairs and reading some Luke and posting the day’s devotion, I did something different. I got dressed and attended a 6:00 morning meeting of “Men’s Fraternity.” (So my apologies to all you early risers out there who logged on to find nothing posted… yet!)

Today was only the second session, but already I am appreciating the chance to meet with other men in the community to learn and discuss what it means to be a godly man, husband, and father. It will be a 16 week journey. Today’s topic was “What Men Need To Know About Women.” It may seem simple enough, but anyone who has been married or has ever been in a serious relationship with a woman understands just how complicated things of this nature really are. This morning, we were reminded that “immature men assume women see life the way a man does, but real men know women don’t, and a real man works at recognizing and appreciating the differences.” This may sound simple enough, but it is complicated, nonetheless. And so, it felt good beginning my day with little bit of direction—“manly” direction. However, I never expected to find a correlation in our reading from Luke. Apparently, Luke doesn’t mind complicating our picture of Jesus with the subject of gender roles.

We read this morning that Jesus and his disciples were supported by women. What’s that? …supported by women? While that might not sound strange to 21st century readers who are accustomed to a world of career driven women and “Mr. Moms” (to use Lonestar’s lingo), it does seem strange to hear that 2000 years ago, Jesus and his “men” were supported by women. However, it shouldn’t surprise us, because, after all, Scripture is quite clear on what it looks like for men and women to live together in a godly way, and despite the many differences between the two sexes, that often that means that women will play the supportive role in our relationships together. In fact, the Dr. Phil of the 1st century’s—the Apostle Peter—had this to say about the subject:

You husbands likewise, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with a weaker vessel, since she is a woman; and grant her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered. 1Peter 3:7

All you men out there (including me)… Did you hear that? Peter says that we should live with our wives in an “understanding” way. Why? Well… because they are not men, they are women. That means they are different from us and that difference is pleasing to God. The difference matters!

But do we always “understand?” Jesus did! The difference mattered to him. He included women in his ministry and honored them by making them the first witnesses of the most important event in history—his death and resurrection. In fact, Luke reports to us this morning, that women were a part of Jesus’ ministry from the very beginning. They facilitated the ministry by supporting the ministry. This support or “service” was no demeaning thing. It was a godly thing. In fact, all throughout the gospels, it is women who have this privilege of serving our Lord, especially in the Gospel of Luke: In chapter 4:39, Peter’s mother-in-law serves Jesus; in the reading this morning we hear about the service of Mary, Joanna, and Susanna; Martha serves our Lord and the disciples in 10:40; and finally, it is women who come to provide one last act of service for our Lord on the first Easter morning. But this isn’t surprising, Scripture begins in this very same way. Adam and Eve, the first man and woman to live in relationship do so as partners—Eve giving support and being a help to Adam. And God did not make woman to be “helper” for nothing, because in a very real way, it is the woman who makes the man! In fact, that is still the case today. Think about it...

Therefore, men likewise, honor the woman in your life. She makes many sacrifices for you. She, like our Lord, is willing to become last so that you can be first. Honor that! Make her the passion of your life—make her first. Be like Jesus in that way—sacrificing for her as he sacrificed for us. This may mean dying a little to yourself, which is hard to do, but then again, Jesus did that, too—not a little, but a lot!

Pastor Aaron

2010-02-10T06:44:00.000-06:00

Read Luke 7 (click here for link)

Yesterday, I encountered a word that I haven’t heard used in a long while. The word was “wherewithal.” It’s a funny looking word that sounds a bit archaic. It means something like “the means by which” an act is accomplished. If you used it in a sentence, it would sound something like this: Though of a meager background, the family had the “wherewithal” to survive the recent economic downturn. Wherewithal… It is closely related to “wherewith” and “withal,” both of which seem even more archaic. But now I digress, so let me get back to my point…

I think of this word this morning as I read through Luke 7. In this chapter, we encounter the amazing wherewithal that produces faith in the most unlikely of people—people stuck between a rock and hard place in life. The major characters of this chapter come from the fringes of Palestinian society: A Gentile centurion, a widow, John the Baptist and his disciples, and a sinful woman. But it is John, this morning, who particularly remains on my mind. He is sitting in prison. Imagine if it was you instead of him. Imagine if you knew the Messiah was out there somewhere doing amazing and wonderful deeds—healing the sick, raising the dead. Wouldn’t you have some of the same doubts as John? Lord, why haven’t you come to rescue me? I am the one who prepared the way for you. I am your cousin, your own family.

But John was to remain in prison until his death by the orders of King Herod (Mark 6:14-29). It seems strange, especially since Jesus will say, “Of those born of a women there is none greater than John.” Besides, it is a not as though miraculous rescue from prison is without precedent in the Bible (Acts 12). If Jesus was really the Messiah, then I am sure John was expecting to be freed. After all, God always takes care of his servants, right? But John’s high hopes were never to be realized. Perhaps he was now feeling the full weight of his prophet prediction when he said, “He must become greater, and I must become less” (John 3:30). But wherewithal did John hold on in faith?

And you? By what means do you hold on in faith when your troubles in life, like John’s, seem forgotten by God? In fact, to say John was disappointed in Jesus might be an understatement. John was beyond disappointed; he was deeply troubled. Everything he had believed in, hoped for, worked day and night to accomplish all hinged on his cousin making good on Jesus claim that He was, indeed, God’s Anointed and Chosen One! But Jesus wasn’t making any sense. John just couldn’t understand what was going on. And it depressed him, discouraged him. Deep down I am certain he was furious. That’s consistent with what we see of John’s fiery nature. What was wrong with Jesus?! He wasn’t making any sense to John at all. So John sent Jesus this message: “Are you really the Messiah…or should we look for someone else?”

But even with his doubts, there remained in John a deep, unshakable trust in Jesus. Jesus would tell him the truth. He just needed to hear from him again. So he sent two of his closest disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”

The affection that radiated from Jesus is obvious. Jesus was familiar with John’s sorrows and grief and the satanic storms that break on the saints when they are weak and alone. He loved John.

So he invited John’s faithful friends to sit near him as he healed many and delivered many from demonic prisons. Then he turned to them with kind tears glistening in his eyes and quoted these words from the Messianic prophecies of Isaiah, “Tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.” John would recognize Isaiah’s prophecy in those words. This promise would bring the peace John needed to sustain him for the few difficult days he had remaining.

Out of love for his friend, perhaps Jesus didn’t include Isaiah’s phrase “proclaim liberty to the captives” which Jesus quoted earlier in chapter 4:18. John would understand.

Whatever it was, today, like yesterday's reading, I see here in this chapter the power of words—Jesus’ words. Only his words could supply the wherewithal for John to remain steadfast even in the midst of great doubts.

Wherewithal do you find hope in time of great doubt?

Pastor Aaron

2010-02-09T05:01:00.000-06:00

Good morning everyone!

The Reading for today is Luke 6 (click here for link)

I guess an apology is in order. I knew it would happen eventually. Yesterday’s blog post never materialized. I was at various hospitals throughout the day making visitations and never found the time to sit down and write. In any case, today we will pick up with Luke 6 and carry on as though it never happened—and hopefully won’t happen again. But only the Lord knows.

Concerning our text today:

All I know about Jesus is what I heard him say. That’s all I know about almost anybody.

I was thinking about this fact as I roamed the hospitals at the Medical Center in Houston. That place is like a maze and I felt like a rat who obviously didn’t know his way through the maze. However, sometimes “getting yourself lost” can be a good thing. It brings you into contact with people. It forces you to interact with people, even if it is just looking for directions… which brings me back to my main point: It’s not true that "deeds speak louder than words." Only words speak!

Last Friday (and in the gospel lesson on Sunday) we read about Jesus calling the first disciples in Luke 5. He tells them that from that point on they would be “fishers of men.” However, the text doesn’t really say that—not exactly. Luke doesn’t just say the disciples will be fishers for people, instead, Luke uses the very rare Greek word Zogreo which means “capture alive.” Jesus literally is saying, “You will capture people alive for me.” Perhaps capturing people alive does take both words and deeds, but as I was making my rounds yesterday I realized that while words without deeds are empty, it is exactly the same the other way around.

The old "I’d rather see a sermon than hear one" is only partly true. Words give meaning to what we do. In fact, I did many kind deeds yesterday as I walked through the Medical Center and most of the strangers I encountered did kind deeds for me as well—holding the door, etc. But I wonder how many of those strangers thought I was a Christian?

In Luke’s account of Jesus great sermon on the plain (although, Matthew says the sermon took place on a mountain). Jesus talks a lot about deeds. He is describing holy living. But if his words in this text are the standard for Christian living, then we are all in a heap of trouble, that is, if deeds are what really matter. Thankfully, our Lord prefers words to deeds. He wants words that profess faith in Him. “I love you.” “I forgive you.” “Do not be afraid.” These are words that our Lord speaks to us and they are words which we speak to others. I know there are no better words to speak or words to hear when you have been angry with your spouse or your children. These words heal. They create faith.

Never forget the power of the Word of God. His word can bring life to your deeds, and your words about him can bring life to others. And there are plenty of people you know who need to hear “those” words today.

Pastor Aaron

2010-02-05T08:00:00.000-06:00

Today’s reading is Luke 5 (click here for link)

I remember the first--and the last--time I ever took my wife deer hunting (actually, we were engaged at the time). I thought it would be fun watching her get out of her comfort zone and experience something new. You see, she is not really the out-of-doors type. So, I suppose, I shouldn’t have been surprised when I arrived at her house to pick her up and discovered that she had every intention of bringing the comforts of home with her on our hunting trip together. There I stood protesting as she began loading the truck with snacks, drinks, magazines, and dog treats—yes, DOG TREATS--for her little Yorkshire terrier named Schatzie. I couldn’t believe it, she was bringing her little yippy dog along, too! This was going to be the worst hunting trip ever. I could already hear the deer running for miles ahead of us. This was never going to work. And I knew there was no point arguing with her about proper hunting gear or procedure. So there we sat that evening, in a deer blind, me shushing Pam every 30 seconds and getting more and more frustrated with Schatzie as he excitedly rustled around in the leaves at the bottom of the blind; and it got even worse when Pam insisted on letting Schatzie out on the leash to go pee. I was just shaking my head, thinking about all the deer I could have seen. This was a disaster.

However, apparently deer are not as sensitive as we usually believe (or there were a bunch of very dumb deer in the woods that night), because despite all that noise and ruckus, I couldn’t believe it when the deer started emerging from the brush to nibble on the oats over which we were hunting. It wasn’t just one or two, but lots and lots of deer. They didn’t seem to mind Pam or Schatzie or my fussing at all!

This morning we encounter a similar incident. We read Luke’s description of the miraculous catch of fish. Jesus asks Peter and his friends to do something that was against their better nature. These men were expert fisherman. They know the in’s and outs, the do’s and don’ts of fishing. And one thing every 1st century fisherman knew was that you don’t go fishing in the middle of the day—besides, there didn’t seem to be any point because the fish weren’t out there, anyway. A night of fruitless fishing had proven that.

But Jesus insists. And those tired fishermen oblige this preacher. Out they go, into the deep water. It doesn’t make any sense to do so, but much like the woods on that day I took my wife hunting, I suppose the lake was filled with dumb fish that day; because by a complete miracle, the fisherman get the catch of their lives. But Jesus informs them that the fishing wasn’t over—not by a long shot. From now on, they will be fishers of men.

Perhaps it is this way for each of us, too. Jesus has called you to be a fisher for men. It is not always going to make sense to do so. It will be awkward and sometimes seem foolish. Things won’t always be “just right.” But if we wait until things are perfect, we will never get out into the woods where the deer are, or out into the deep where the fish are waiting.

Don’t wait. Don’t plan too much. Just go!

Here am I Lord… send me.

Pastor Aaron

2010-02-04T05:46:00.000-06:00

Today’s Reading is Luke 4 (click here for link)

Do you renounce the Devil and all his works and all his ways? Well… do you? Jesus did. In fact. this question has some very serious implications: We are to live our lives resisting the devil in every aspect of our lives over which he tries to rule. Now I know that we’ve all been asked this question at least once in our lives—that is, if you were baptized. In fact, baptism is a type of exorcism. The Holy Spirit literally comes to dwell in us where before only the Devil dwelt. Martin Luther took this literally; so much so, that in his first catechism written in 1530, he included an actual exorcism in the baptismal rite. The pastor was actually instructed to address the evil spirit within the child and tell him to be removed by the power of Jesus name to make room for the Holy Spirit. How wide would our eyes be if a pastor did that today in the middle of the a baptism?

Yes, we know baptism makes us a child of God, but how many of us really take this seriously? How many of us actually renounce and resist… ALL THE TIME? Sadly, we too often justify our willingness to go along with Satan’s suggestions.

It could be just about anything… that attractive co-worker that takes lunch-hour with you; the one you find yourself flirting with more and more… it really doesn’t matter as long as you don’t get physically involved, right? Maybe it is the mundane and humdrum relationship between you and your spouse after 10 years of marriage that makes you more critical than you used to be… after all, after 10 years, some things just start to get on your nerves and you shouldn’t be expected to put up with it forever. Or perhaps it is the slow and steady weight of regret after a lifetime of hard work and you feel stuck at a dead-end job, with no fulfillment or excitement left in your work and you find yourself bitter to the core… in that case, why should you waste your time resisting Satan; just have fun with the time you have left.

Yes, Satan can use just about anything to make us forget who we really are. Of course, this battle is nothing new. It began with Adam and Eve who engaged in a similar battle, and tragically, we are all too aware of the result of that battle—humanity fell into sin. But, notice how Satan went about luring Adam and Eve. He never actually told them to eat from the tree. Rather, he merely proposed the idea and suggested a lie or two to get them thinking. “Did God really say…?” Of course he did! Satan then proceeds to lie some more, suggesting that the fruit really provides great wisdom and knowledge and it would therefore be a terrible waste not to eat from the tree—right? Satan suggests that God is keeping them from gaining wisdom and knowledge; he suggests such things are theirs by right. And suddenly our two hapless ancestors find themselves justifying their reasons for eating from the tree. It looks good and gives knowledge! Why not eat? The rest is history.

So what are we to learn from Luke’s account of Jesus temptation in the desert? Perhaps, like yesterday’s text about Jesus baptism, there are too many theological explanations for why Jesus endured the temptation of Satan. In fact, here again is another text that always gets the same questions… “Pastor, was Jesus “really” tempted? After all, He is God.” Well… yes he was, but he was also man. But answering such a question is not really my purpose for this morning. I want to get us back to that question—that question for YOU! Do you renounce the devil and all his works and all his ways? If Luke is asking us that question through this text today, then I think the answer is very obvious: We are to renounce the devil and all his works and all his ways because Jesus did so.

You see, it would seem (and I speak from experience, and I am sure you could, also) that Satan’s most devious scheme—and his most successful—is to make us doubt at times that we are children of God. Oh sure… we know we were baptized at some point in our lives, but I’m in control of my life. I am my own man… an independent woman… this seems right… it feels good… did God really mean… maybe in the “old days” this was considered taboo, but not anymore… they had it coming to them anyway… it doesn’t matter, it is the truth… and on and on the devil whispers in our ears.

But are we forgetting the question? Do you renounce the devil and all his works and all his ways? That is what a child of God does. Are you remembering that you are a child of God because of your baptism? Do you stand at the intersections in life with that in mind? Notice that the devil tried the same tricks on Jesus. Twice he asks our Lord, “If you are the Son of God…” But wasn’t that an absurd question? Of course Jesus was the Son of God—the devil knew it and so did Jesus. And yet, just as certainly as Jesus was the Son of God, so are we! We are sons and daughters of God through Jesus and our baptism into his body. But why then are we so easily tricked? Why do we so easily forget?

Perhaps such questions are a bit too harsh. It seems to be our lot in life—we struggle with the flesh and Satan knows just how much we struggle. So perhaps it behooves us to remember—intentionally—each and every day—exactly who we are and ask ourselves the question at those intersections in life, “Am I resisting the devil and all his works and all his ways.” It is a serious question and your answer will have serious consequences, one way or the other.

God bless you this morning, child of God,

Pastor Aaron

2010-02-03T07:45:00.000-06:00

Today’s text is Luke 3 (Click here for link)

Our reading today describes for us one of most theologically perplexing events in Jesus life, his baptism. Jesus Baptized? I know I haven’t been a Pastor for long, but every time I teach this in Catechism or Sunday school, the question always comes up, “Why in the world did Jesus do that? Did he really have to? And, of course, I try to be the wise pastor; I try to give an eloquent answer that actually has some meaning, but I don’t know that that is what always happens. Somehow, all that I manage to stammer and stutter out seems more like random and varied theological speak than anything meaningful and relevant to everyday life. Of course that doesn’t mean that here is no answer. I have books and books upon my office shelves that speak to this matter. But sometimes I wonder how does all that “theological speaking” really matter? Yes theology is the very substance of our faith, and yet sometimes theological words just seem to get in the way.

Take our writer Luke this morning. There really isn’t any theology in his description of Jesus baptism. He really doesn’t explain any of it to us, just the bare minimum. In fact, he describes the baptism of our Lord as though Jesus was simply swept up with the crowd and herded through the river, but nonetheless, something significant happens in those shallow waters of the Jordan. Luke says Jesus was baptized, that he prayed. But then an amazing thing happened—God spoke from heaven and the Holy Spirit descended on him as a dove. But we must ask, “What does this mean?”

Of course, we could talk about the theology of anointing, or Christ’s perfect example to humanity, there is the theology of recapitulation, of identification, sanctification of baptismal waters, Scriptural fulfillment… In fact, there are as many as 8 distinct theological reasons for the necessity of Jesus baptism in the Jordan, all them good and right and salutary. But somehow, I couldn’t quite get them to jive in my head with this bare bones account from Luke. Somehow they don’t quite capture that particular day and that hour when the Son of God made flesh, took off his apron, headed out into the desert to gather with the crowds and hear that itinerate preacher proclaiming that the kingdom of God was at hand, “Repent.” “Be Baptized.” And there, with sinners on either side of him, Jesus walks out into those waters to be met by John, and he is baptized. There in that moment was God standing hip deep in water with sinners! Yes, there are many theological reasons why Jesus was baptized, but the picture Luke paints for us this morning is clear: whatever the reasons, here is the Son of God and he is standing among us.

But how does this help us now? Perhaps it is only people who truly are in need. Take the Haitian earthquake which unfolded before us on the evening news broadcasts a couple of weeks ago. It is hard to put words to such things. Countless people dead—mothers, children, husbands, daughters, and aunts and uncles; so many empty eyes, wandering souls, looking for water or food or shelter. Such a place could no doubt make one question the motives (or even the existence) of God, especially as you walk among the dead and the suffering. However, could it not also be that sometimes it is precisely in such places that God is found to be more with us than anyone ever imagined?

I think of the woman I saw on the TV being interviewed by an NBC reporter. She was clutching her two children. She described the horrors of that moment when all the earth trembled and buildings and brick and mortar came crashing down around her. But all she could think about in that moment was the fact that her two babies were at home, 3 blocks away, in the third story of their apartment building. She described how she scrambled, even as things still heaved beneath her, over the wreckage, down the street, searching for but unable to recognize the rubble that used to be her apartment. She described that desperate moment when she realized she had lost them—that she had lost everything—when she realized that she was standing on top of what used to be her apartment. Crying to the reporter, she recalled asking God, “Why have you forsaken me?” Her life truly felt destroyed in that moment like the city around her. That is, until she heard the most beautiful sound in the world. From deep down inside the rubble of the apartment building, she heard the weak cries of her precious babies calling out for their mommy. She described digging them out with her bare hands. She described that moment when she reached down with bleeding hands and pulled out her two little treasures. And then (I will never forget this), she stopped her story and looked the reporter right in the eyes and said, “In that moment, I knew, more than ever before, that God loves me.”

Yes, it is hard to nail down the assurance of God with us in any better words than those of that Haitian mother. No theological book could compare. In fact, perhaps sometimes it takes tragic circumstances for us to see this. However, we would be wrong to assume that it is only is such circumstances that we need God. Baptism is not just for Haitian earthquake survivors or the down and out. No… that is too often the mistake we make in the church, as individual Christians when it come to telling our friends and family about the wonderful assurance we have in Christ through a simple thing like baptism. We think we need a crisis to happen before we can act; and so we sometimes wait, thinking that circumstances will change things. Thinking that God only makes sense when the sinner feels a need for him. And so we wait. We think we can only minister to people when they are down and out, got a crises, family falling apart, got fired, on drugs, this and that. We are like vultures circling overhead thinking to ourselves, “One day you will go down, and then I can help you?” And then one day you find that person in a dirty room, 15-watt bulb swinging overhead, bare mattress on the floor, smell of stale beer and cigarette butts in the toilet, and then finally you come waltzing in saying, “You need the Lord.”

Tragically, that is what they needed before.

You see, it doesn’t matter who you are—an American idol or someone who is wheeled into service each week in a chair because they have muscular dystrophy. Your need is the same. It doesn’t matter if you are at the peak of your financial power, or you’re the person whose credit card won’t swipe at the grocery store because it is maxed out. It’s all the same for us. Your Baptism means God IS WITH YOU. YOU WILL NEVER BE ALONE. We stand where he stood and as the deep waters of baptism were sprinkled over us, the name of God was applied to us, heaven was opened to us, and the Holy Spirit is in us. You are God’s child now. You are forgiven.

So what is that like? The Bible speaks about it in so many ways. New creation… don’t let that theological term slip past you. New Creation? It means for you it is like morning has broken like that very first morning--a new beginning. Sort of like when you were a kid, trying to finish your math test with only a few minutes before the bell. You hurry, the teacher is fussing. You make a mistake; try to erase it, but the paper tears. You try to flatten it out, but now everything has become a big black smear. You’re not going to make it and the bell is going to ring. Another failed exam… But then the teacher comes by and sees your predicament and says, “My goodness,” and slides a clean white sheet on your desk and says, “Why don’t you just start all over.” Your baptism in to Jesus means that for you—not years ago, but right now, today.

The bible calls it new birth, like at the hospital… A new dad, standing over the little warmer studying each feature of his little girl. He looks at her squinting eyes and wrinkly skin and fuzzy hair. His eyes look at each little arm, tracing each little finger and there on the wrist that little band that bears a name—His name. This is his little girl! That is what Jesus means for you. His baptism and your baptism into his name means you bear forever the name of God. You are God’s new creation.

The Bible describes it like snowfall. You get up in the morning, early, and you look out: just a few inches has changed everything. You look down the street and what the day before had been an ugly dumpster has suddenly been transformed into a mound of brilliant glory. That is what the Bible says it is like. Jesus came for you. He has claimed you. Baptism saves you. You are forgiven. Right now! You have nothing to be afraid of anymore.

Remember your baptism today,

Pastor Aaron

2010-02-02T06:56:00.000-06:00

Today’s reading is Luke 2 (click here for link)

“Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary… a sword will pierce your own soul too." Luke 2:34-35

Today Joseph and Mary take Jesus to the temple where they are greeted by the Old prophet and prophetess, Simeon and Anna. Both recognize him as the promised Savior and praise God because of him. However, while all the sudden attention might have surprised Joseph and Mary, there was some news that Mary was perhaps not ready to hear. Simeon uses the metaphor of a “sword” to describe the suffering that Mary too will face as the mother of God—she would witness her son’s suffering, even his suffering on her behalf because Mary too was a sinner.

But it is strange that Simeon would use a sword as his metaphor, because this comparison will become surprisingly literal as we read through the New Testament. Have you ever noticed how prominent a role the sword plays in the Scriptures? In Jesus preaching, he reminds his followers that comes “not to bring peace but the sword.” Later, the mob that had Jesus arrested in the garden of Gethsemane was armed “with swords and clubs.” Of course, Peter’s reaction was to strike with his own sword, cutting of the ear of one of the high priest’s guards. Finally, a soldier will use a variant of a sword—a spear—to pierce Jesus’ side as he hangs on the cross. It is no wonder that the disciples, while in the upper room, ask Jesus if two swords will be enough to face the dangers ahead (Luke 22:38).

In fact, Mary is not the only one who will experience a soul-piercing sword. We do too—thank God! Hebrews 4:12 reminds us that, “the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” In Ephesians 6:17, Paul calls attention to “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Yes, we are all to be cut to the quick. Jesus means that for us.

The sword hurts to be sure, but it hurts that it might also heal. Jesus Christ said that when the Holy Spirit came He would convict of sin, and when the Holy Spirit stirs up a person’s conscience and brings him into the presence of God, it is then that we feel the sword most sharply. It is our relationship with God that bothers us more than anything else in this life-- "against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned, and done what is evil in Thy sight." Yet, even in this pain of realization of our sinfulness under the gaze of an almighty and righteous God, surprisingly, there also forgiveness and holiness are given through the blessed reality of what Jesus has done for us. That is what Repentance does; it always brings a man to this point: I have sinned. The surest sign that God’s sword is at work is when a man says that and means it. Only then can we understand Jesus as Lord.

Yes, the sword is God’s greatest Law, but it is Law so that it might be Gospel.

Pastor Aaron

2010-02-01T06:32:00.000-06:00

Welcome back!

Today’s reading is Luke 1 (click here for link)

Luke chapter 1 is not only the longest chapter in this gospel, but the longest chapter in the entire New Testament! So, we receive a lot of information, and of course, much of it is very familiar. However, as I was reading this morning, something unusual happened… In the back of my mind I kept hearing the words, “Let my prayer rise before you as incense, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.”

Beautiful words which I immediately recognized to be a part of our liturgy for the service of Vespers, and later, I tracked it to Psalm 141:2. But what does it mean for our prayers to rise like incense?

Perhaps a little explanation might help:

The use of incense was a part of the religious rites of ancient Israel and has a long history in Christianity. In a worship service, clouds of incense represent cleansing and purification, and the sweet smell suggests Christ’s robe of righteousness that covers our sin. Incense is sometimes used to give honor to holy things and holy people, the primary symbols of the liturgy. In very traditional services, the gospel book, the altar, the bread and wine, the ministers and the congregation are incensed as a way of showing their importance in worship. Incense is also used to add a festive accompaniment to processions, adding “holy clouds” and “holy smells” to the air. Incense deepens our experience of the liturgy because it incorporates the sense of smell.

Incense is mentioned frequently in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. In fact, the gifts the Magi offered to the Christ Child included gold, frank”incense” and myrrh. In 2 Corinthians 2:14-16, the knowledge of Christ is compared to a fragrant odor. And finally, the vision of heaven in Revelation includes the elders holding bowls of incense, described as the prayers of the saints. (Revelation 5:8)

However, what struck me as interesting in today’s reading was the picture of old Zachariah standing before the altar with incense drifting heavenward. This was more than just a duty for him that day—although a very honorable duty it really was as Luke explains that priests were chosen by lot for this service, which meant that some priests could go their entire lifetime without having this honor. But Zachariah apparently had other things on his mind. He was praying. His prayer was, no doubt, a familiar one, “Lord have mercy. Give us a child.” Like any parents who have longed for a child, I am sure that Zachariah’s prayer had “incensed” the presence of the Lord many times.

Yet, amazingly, on this particular day, God smells the fragrance of longing in old Zachariah’s prayers and God responds. Imagine looking up from your prayers in the dark temple and seeing Gabriel across the altar from you, as if he has just come out from the Holy of Holies, between the altar and the table of shewbread, “on the right side of the altar.”

But was God really answering Zachariah’s prayer? After all, it could be argued that Elizabeth was allowed to conceive because it was God’s plan all along to send John the Baptist (Zachariah’s son) to be the one who prepares the way for the ministry of Jesus. Yet, while this is true, don’t be too hasty. God could have chosen any set of parents for this noble duty—to raise the Baptist. But God chose Zachariah and his barren wife Elizabeth. He chose the desperateness of their terrible situation to show great mercy. The fragrance of this elderly couple’s prayer moved him to action. In fact, Gabriel says, “Zachariah, Do not be afraid. Your prayer has been heard.”

Has your prayer been such? Does it drift perpetually into the nostrils of our Lord like incense?

Never discount the power of prayer. We have a God who loves us for the sake of his own Son, Jesus Christ. For Jesus sake, the Father listens to our prayers—even gives his own Spirit, who dwells in us and prays for us (Romans 8). And yes, while it may be true that God sometimes denies us the things for which we pray, never stop offering up the incense of your prayers. Fill heaven with aroma of them. Who knows, perhaps for the sake of Jesus, God may reverse a sickness, heal an infertile womb, a fractured marriage. God has done such things before on behalf of prayer! But if not… we also pray, “Yet, not my will, but thy will be done.” (Luke 22:42)

Even when there seems no hope, the Christian prays, “Dear Father, for Jesus sake, please…”

“O Lord, I call to you: come quickly to me. Hear my voice when I call to you. Let my prayer rise before you as incense, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.” (Psalm 141:1-2)

God’s blessings to you as you wait for his answer.

Pastor Aaron

2010-01-25T08:19:00.000-06:00

Just a reminder... we are taking a break until next Monday. See you then as we continue the journey into Luke.
P.A.

2010-01-22T15:55:00.000-06:00

Read Mark 16 (click here for link)

--SORRY AGAIN FOR THE DELAY--ANOTHER TECHNICAL GLITCH--

Have you ever read the word of God, heard and understood His promises, and yet still not get it when it happens? Unfortunately, that seems to be our nature. We struggle with the contradiction between common sense and “faith sense.” We hope and expect, but our minds tell us that it just can’t be. So why are we so hard on the people that we read about in the scriptures; they are ordinary people just like us. They experienced the pain and watched the events unfold that would forever shape the path of history. Unlike us, they didn’t have the advantage of looking back at an historic account of the events. This is why we often read that the disciples didn’t get the significance of many things until much later when they were able to look back and “connect the dots”.

Jesus tried to prepare them on many occasions:

“He took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him. “We are going up to Jerusalem,” he said, “and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise.” (Mark 10:32-34)

Like the disciples, our ccommonsense defies the message of Jesus Christ raised from the dead. In our world, many would say that this text is nothing but a fairytale. In fact, even the women who witnessed it had a hard time excepting it. The angels told the women in Mark 16, “Don’t be afraid. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you." Yet the earliest manuscripts of Mark end with verse eight: The women running away terrified, afraid to say anything to anyone. Perhaps they didn’t understand yet!

We may not run in fear today from the preaching of the resurrection, but sometimes I think it is easy for us to put it aside. We wonder, “Does it actually affect me now, today?” As we continue with our read through Scripture, continue to ask this question. Paul says that without the resurrection, our faith is in vain (1 Corinthians 15). As people of the resurrection, new life is in you. Ponder what that means for you.

Once again, for the sake of Pastor Aaron's sanity, we will take a week break before beginning the Gospel of Luke. Thank you for all who are still continuing this journey with me. God's peace to you during our break.

Pastor Aaron

2010-01-21T05:25:00.000-06:00

Read Mark 15 (click here for link)

A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. –Mark 15:21

Isn’t that how it is in your life sometimes? You’re going along just fine and dandy, and turn a corner and suddenly you are forced to bear a cross—a loved one receives a serious diagnosis from the doctor, or someone hurts your feelings. Yes, crosses come in all shapes and sizes. But it is how you bear your cross that matters; because in this way, God is glorified and Christ receives honor. After all, Jesus said, “Anyone who does not bear his own cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:27

The crosses that are laid upon us because of our faith in Christ are much, much more than simple persecution for our faith. That would be too simple. No, our crosses are any bad thing that happens to us in life. But the way in which you bear up under such things—the way you handle yourself as a person of faith—either gives glory to Jesus or dishonors him and shows the cross to be a week and paltry thing. If stress from work leaves you angry and bitter in life, than perhaps you must re-evaluate what it means to pick up our cross and follow Him. If financial burdens leave you contemplating how you might skip out on our taxes, than perhaps you should ask yourself, “Am I a Christian? Has the cross saved me?”
We are not just passer-by’s observing Jesus from a distance—admiring him and his work but never getting involved. No, we are much like Simon of Cyrene; crosses are simply laid upon us. As Christians, we are inseparably connected to Christ. We now live under the cross, in the cross and through the cross. Our crosses are now a sign of the Glory of God which is upon us. It is through our crosses that God strengthens us and, yes, even gives us peace and calm and serenity. Because we know that in all things—the worst of things and even the everyday little bothers that we face—the cross of Christ means salvation for us. It means healing. It means that even in the here and now of this sinful world, we have hope of a blessed end with Christ.

Apparently, Simon’s faithful service to the Lord had a lasting impression. Mark identifies him as the father of “Alexander and Rufus.” Apparently these young men were well known to the Christian community to which Mark is writing. Simon’s willingness to bear the cross influenced his sons. Even Paul writes about a certain faithful Rufus (could it be the very same one?) in Romans 16:13. Simon’s example reminds us that when we faithfully bear our crosses in life—be they big or small—we testify to Jesus Christ in ways that often speak louder than words.
Pick up your cross and follow him!

Pastor Aaron

2010-01-20T07:03:00.000-06:00

Read Mark 14 (click here for link)

Mark 14 is one of the most heart-wrenching passages of the Bible. Our Lord is left all alone and is abandoned by his disciples. It seem so strange that Jesus would be led away in chains like a common criminal. This was the man who calmed storms and healed the lame. This man had control over demons.

Yet, sometimes scripture also give us intriguing information as well. Who is this young man who flees, leaving his cloak behind? Some have suggested that this is a reference to John Mark, who wrote this gospel -- these verses don't occur in any of the other Gospels -- and that this is his signature placed with the Gospel to insure its authenticity. If this is so, it is yet another reminder that even those who secretly tried to follow Jesus during his Passion were run off by the violent mob that attacked the Lord, leaving Jesus completely alone, without a friendly face when surrounded by a crowd thirsty for blood. No matter who this young man may have been, he is a reminder of a host of those who followed the Lord about whom we know little or nothing. Yet their presence and support of the Lord at other times were crucial to the spread of God's Kingdom and the triumph of the Gospel.

Yes, we have all disowned him and left him at some time or another, but our Lord calls us back through grace and forgiveness. His grace and forgiveness over your sins is his victory over you. You are called into the service of God's Kingdom and the spread of his Gospel.

His peace be with you,

Pastor Aaron

2010-01-19T00:40:00.000-06:00

Read Mark 13 (click here for link)

None of us wants to offend a family member because our faith conflicts with their actions. None of us wants to offend our friends or co-workers because our faith conflicts with their lifestyles. And yet, in the back of our minds we hear Christ’s words echoing: “There will be wars and rumors of wars. . . Nation will rise up against nation. . .Brother will betray brother and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents. . .” These things will happen because of our faith, because of the hatred that exists for Christ’s name. And this will not be the end. Christ warns of earthquakes and famines; of political persecution; of false teachers and deceivers. Yet, all these things will be but the “beginning of birth pains,” as Christ says—the beginning of the end.

So what do we do? Do we run and hide from this hatred? Do we hide behind our jobs, our friendships, our nice houses, or our political correctness? Do we hide our faith and confession behind the closed doors of our church and between the dusty covers of our Bible? On account of Christ, do we ever make a stand, or do we try to camouflage ourselves with the things of our culture (money, friends, and new cars) in an attempt to blend in?

Thankfully, the answer is NO! We (in faith) take Christ at his word. We look past all this prophecy promising persecution. We fall on our knees and hear the blessed words of Christ who says: “. . . he who stands firm in the faith will be saved.” It is to this single word — saved — that we cling. For Christ promises more than just persecution. He promises us salvation—won for us by his suffering, his death, his blood and broken body. He is a savior calling us to the comforts of eternal life. He says, “I go to prepare a place for you;” “do not suffer the little children to come unto me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” He says, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” And yet he promises us even more. He promises us the sustaining power of the Holy Spirit. He says, “. . . do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.” “ Do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.”

We are not alone. We have a God who promises even to give us the words we need. It is our faith and the firm and bold confession of that faith that assures us of our salvation, especially when we are tempted to hide from the awkwardness of sharing our faith with others.

2010-01-18T11:00:00.000-06:00

Today’s Reading is Mark 12 (click here for link)

Sometimes the Christian life means great sacrifice.

But not always! That is the difficult thing. Today Mark tells us about the widow’s two mites. Jesus says hers was the greatest offering, because she gave all that she had—it was a sacrifice. But where do we go from here? To say that our offerings must emulate the widow’s is perhaps too extreme, yet sometimes that is the conclusion drawn from this text. Remember too, that Jesus told the rich young man, “Go and sell all that you have…”

Are we all sinning because we are withholding from our Lord?

But you might argue, “I have a family to support.” Yes you do… but what about that nice set of golf clubs you bought last year? What about the manicure you treated yourself to? Could you not have gone without and given to the Lord instead? After all, the widow did! Yet… somehow I don’t think that is the point Jesus was making. Otherwise, why would he not have stopped Mary of Bethany, who broke the jar of precious perfume and poured it on Jesus' head, it was an act for which no one else saw any occasion; the disciples said it was a waste. But Jesus commended Mary for her extravagant act of devotion, and said that wherever His gospel was preached she would be remembered for it.

Yes… sometimes the Christian life means great sacrifice.

But not always! That is the difficult thing. To sell everything you have and give it to the poor until you yourself are poor and your family has nothing to eat would be foolish. You would be testing God. On the other hand, to live your life with the hope of increase or running after leisure would certainly lead you away from God, as well. Instead, the life of sacrifice is the life of walking the fine line. Sacrifice without reason can quickly become waste.

In this way, the Gospel is always surprising us with its endorsement of the unexpected—the great sacrifice. There are times when it is necessary. But not all the time! The difficulty lies in trusting the plan of God when he calls you to sacrifice.

Jesus said, “Whoever believes in me… ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'" John 7:38

Jesus has a purpose for each of us, and His purpose is not the development of a man or a woman. His purpose is to make you exactly like Himself, and the characteristic of the Son of God is self-expenditure. If we believe in Jesus, it is not what we gain, but what He pours through us that counts (Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest).

Good wine comes from good grapes. God’s purpose is not to make us plump little grapes to be left on the vine. That is not His intention at all. He desires to squeeze the sweetness right out of us when the time for harvest is near.

Will you lay it all down when he calls?

Pastor Aaron

2010-01-15T06:15:00.000-06:00

Read Matthew 11 (Click here for link)

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins." Mark 11: 24-25

God is generous with his forgiveness! Aren't we glad? However, just as God is generous with forgiveness, he is also adamant about our forgiving of others. Remember, we pray, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven…” and “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Therefore, what Jesus says in our Gospel reading should chill us to our soul. Forgiveness is not just a heavenly thing—it is lived out here on earth. We will be forgiven the way we forgive others. (See also Matthew 6:14-15 to have this point reinforced!)

Holding grudges blocks the Lord's graciousness from our lives. Or perhaps it is that we block out the graciousness of the Lord from our lives by holding grudges. Either way, when we hold on to grudges and anger it is our will that we are doing and not the Lord’s. You must ask yourself, “Do I believe that Almighty God is the source of my will?” (You claim your faith in him each time you say the creed.) Yet, God not only expects you to do His will, He is in you to do it. THANK GOD! His Spirit dwells in you through Christ.

So, when you hold a grudge, you wage war against God, who is in you and that is a battle you cannot win! Forgiveness can never be compatible with hate.

Today, let's be children of our Father -- generous in forgiveness, quick to love, and slow to condemn.

Pastor Aaron

2010-01-14T08:41:00.000-06:00

Good morning everyone. Just wanted to apologize for the late postings. Our internet is out at the house so I have to wait until I get to the office to post the devotional. I hope to have this problem resolved soon.

Today's reading is Mark 10 (click here for link)

Today, Jesus teaches on marriage and divorce. This is always a prickly issue.

In the Old Testament, Moses had allowed for divorce. In Deuteronomy 24:1-5 the law stated:

If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, and if after she leaves his house she becomes the wife of another man, and her second husband dislikes her and writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, or if he dies, then her first husband, who divorced her, is not allowed to marry her again after she has been defiled. That would be detestable in the eyes of the LORD. Do not bring sin upon the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance. If a man has recently married, he must not be sent to war or have any other duty laid on him. For one year he is to be free to stay at home and bring happiness to the wife he has married.

This clause, was not meant to give license to sin. Divorce was never seen as ideal or a good thing. In fact, few would say that divorce is ever “good.” It brings hardship and pain no matter how inevitable it may sometimes be. In Deuteronomy, God allowing an option for divorce was meant to provide a means of living as holy of a life as possible even in sinful situations. In Jesus’ day, there were two prevailing interpretations of this passage. The first interpretation emphasized the clause: “…because he finds something indecent about her…”. The second interpretation emphasized the preceding clause, stating that divorce was acceptable if a wife should ever “displease” her husband in any way—even if it was burning his supper.

The Pharisees pose this devious question as an attempt to trap Jesus. However, as conservatives themselves, many of the Pharisees probably agreed with the first interpretation. But they were hoping to get Jesus in trouble with Herod, whom John the Baptist had denounced for unlawful marriage to his brother’s wife(Mark 6:17-18).

Jesus clearly sides with the more conservative interpretation of Deuteronomy 24:1-5. In the Matthew parallel, he qualifies exactly what “indecent” behavior is, adultery and abandonment (if we also consider Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 7:10-15). Yet Jesus grounds his authority not in a law taught by Moses, he instead refers back to the very first marriage. He grounds the authority of marriage in God’s original intention that man and woman live as one flesh. For man to put asunder what God has joined together is blatant sin. Thus the bonds of marriage go well beyond what any courts may decree. This indeed makes divorce a prickly issue!

Sadly, divorce is sometimes inevitable. Marriage bonds are made in sinful world and we know that the “wages of sin is death.” Sin brings death to everything it touches and sometimes this may mean the bonds of love and trust between a husband and wife. While marriage bonds may sometimes fail in this sinful world, on union we must never put asunder is the union of our sin to Jesus Christ on the cross. God has given each man and woman complete reconciliation through his son. Through this “marriage, God has Christ’s righteousness to our sinfulness. We are righteous in God’s eyes even though we still may sin and even though our marriage may fail.

Living as a reconciled child of God in this sinful world is not easy, just as living out Christian love and forgiveness is never easy in the midst of a divorce. However, Jesus warns here in Mark as the scriptures do elsewhere, that in this world even the most basic social institutions may fail, yet even despite the pain and brokenness of this world, there is mercy for sinners. However, his gracious mercy should never obscure the fact that in all things, loving and faithful relationships between husband and wife should be cherished and cultivated. In fact, it the ideals of marriage that best reveal to us the relationship we have to Christ (Ephesians 5:22-33). We are joined to Christ forever. His love and his faithfulness will sustain us!

What God has joined together, let no man put asunder.

Pastor Aaron

2010-01-13T10:49:00.000-06:00

Read Mark 9 (click here for link)

“After six days, Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them.” Mark 9:2

We have all had times on the mountain, when we have seen things from God's point of view and have wanted to stay there; but God will never allow us to stay there. Never! It must be the way of things, because the true test of our spiritual life is strength in the valley. For sure, it is a great thing to be on the mountain with God, but our lives are lived beneath the mountain, among the devil-possessed (which is the entire world); it is our work to lift them up—to bring them to the vision of God we have seen.

Oswald Chambers wrote: “We are not built for the mountains and the dawns and aesthetic affinities, those are for moments of inspiration, that is all. We are built for the valley, for the ordinary stuff we are in, and that is where we have to prove our mettle.”

I think Chambers got it right. Remember, what Jesus said yesterday in our reading, that whoever would be his disciple “must deny himself and bear up his cross and follow me.” Notice his remark about “denying” oneself. Spiritual selfishness always wants repeated moments on the mount. We feel as though we cannot go on unless we receive some mountaintop clarity. We believe we could talk like angels and live like angels, if only we could stay near the clouds. Indeed, such times are exceptional, they have their meaning in our life with God, but they are meant to be like the energy drink before the final sprint—eventually we are going to have to start running!

In this morning’s text, Peter thought it would be a fine thing for them to remain on the mount, but Jesus Christ took the disciples down from the mountain into the valley, the place where the purpose of the vision is run out.

“…if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” Mark 9:22

It takes the valley to root the skepticism out of us. Look back at your own experience, and you will find that until you learned “who” Jesus was (really saw his power for you), you were a bit doubtful about His power. After all, how many of us believe that the miracles we read in scriptures are not really for us? But then we receive a mountaintop vision; God does something amazing for you. You believe! But how long does it last?

It is easy to believe just about anything when you are up on the mountain, but what about the times when you are up against the hard facts of life in the valley? It is hard to testify to the mountain vision when we are bearing the burden or humiliation of a cross down in the valley. So hang on to those mountaintop memories. The God who has been faithful will be faithful still. He is with you in the valley too, but he is teaching you the power of the cross.

The last time you were on the mount with God, you saw that all power in heaven and on earth belonged to Jesus - will you be skeptical now in the valley?

Perhaps we find the prayer, “Lord I believe, help my unbelief,” a familiar one.

Pastor Aaron

2010-01-12T08:14:00.000-06:00

Read Matthew 8 (click here for link)

“Get behind me, Satan!”

Notice that Jesus does not say, “Get behind me, Peter.” Instead he says, “Satan.” Was this Jesus’ way of suggesting that Peter’s advice was so evil, that Peter was so taken over by Satan, he had lost his identity and had become Satan in Peter’s clothing? Or was this Jesus way of pinpointing the real enemy on this occasion—Satan and not Peter: “But this is your hour [Satan] and the power of darkness (Luke 22:53)?

No doubt, both explanations are correct.

Yes, while Satan does not play a prominent role in the Gospels, he is certainly there. At the beginning of Matthew, Mark and Luke, the ministry of Jesus begins with an assault by the persuasive power of the Devil. After spending 40 days in the dessert fasting, our Savior is tempted by suggestions of Satan for food, fame, and power. But what is the real purpose? Satan doesn't just want Jesus to listen to him and obey his petty suggestions; rather, Satan wants Jesus to avoid one thing, the cross. Without the cross, Satan wins! Without the death of the Son of God for man, death reigns! And thus, today in our reading, Satan works through on of Jesus closest friends, Peter, to keep him from heading toward the cross.

Consider these words from the popular hymn:

1. When I survey the wondrous cross
on which the Prince of Glory died;
my richest gain I count but loss,
and pour contempt on all my pride.

2. Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
save in the death of Christ, my God;
all the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to his blood.

3. See, from his head, his hands, his feet,
sorrow and love flow mingled down.
Did e'er such love and sorrow meet,
or thorns compose so rich a crown.

4. Were the whole realm of nature mine,
that were an offering far too small;
love so amazing, so divine,
demands my soul, my life, my all.

The cross truly is our greatest treasure despite its horrors. It is the only legitimate defense we have before an evil enemy and a righteous and perfectly just God. Thus Satan will do anything to keep us from the cross just as he tried to keep Jesus from his cross. Even as Jesus took his final breaths, Satan was there trying to prevent Jesus’ great work of salvation through the cross. Read Mark’s description of Satan in those final hours:

“And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, "Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!" So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, "He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe." Those who were crucified with him also reviled him. And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.” Mark 15: 29-33

Yes, those who “wagged their heads” and mocked him at the foot of the cross saying, “Come down” and “Save yourself” sounded very much like Satan asking Jesus to cast himself down from the Temple tower to be acknowledged the Son of God in Luke 4 and Matthew 4. But Jesus’ love for us was even greater than the temptation. He now asks us to follow him in the way of the cross; for it is there that we truly avoid the work of Satan in us and through us. “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

In Christ,
Pastor Aaron

2010-01-11T08:22:00.000-06:00

Today’s Reading is Mark 7 (click here for link)

Last night I was at Epiphany’s Missouri City campus teaching confirmation again for the first time since the Christmas break. The kids are studying the 2nd Article of the Apostles Creed: “[I believe] in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord…”

The confirmation kids were asking great questions, but then I noticed something… the answers aren’t always so easy. We believe some rather fantastic stuff. We believe in a Savior who is 100% God and 100% man; we believe in a Savior who died for the sins of every man, woman, and child—one for billions; we believe that his body and blood are even now, still present each time we eat the bread and wine; we believe that even though this Supper is served on literally thousands of altars around the world each Sunday, there is always enough of Jesus body and blood to go around; we believe that even though Jesus ascended into heaven, he presently dwells there with his human body; we believe that this very physical Jesus will one day descend and raise up all the dead—even those who are nothing but dust and ashes now—and give them back their physical body; we believe that all of us then will live eternally with God.

It is rare that in an adult Bible class there is anyone as brave as those confirmation students--brave enough to ask directly about such things. Adults don’t like to appear ignorant. And so too often they pretend. We shake our heads and acknowledge the seemingly fantastic and absurd tenets of our faith. We may believe but perhaps we are afraid to understand.

But not confirmation kids! They question everything!

This morning, in our text the Pharisees question Jesus. Of course, these are not innocent questions, it is meant to be a trap. They want to know why the disciples don’t follow the most basic ritual observances of Jewish law, such as washing of hands before eating.

Obviously, they are wrongheaded and have nothing but evil intentions, but ironically, the Pharisees are not so far from the truth in their insistence on the need for washing. Truth is, we are all in need of washing—thorough, thorough washing. However, not just our hands need a cleaning but our very lives. No matter who we are and no matter what we have done, there is baggage that we all carry around with us—dirty baggage. We need to be clean. Scripture is clear that this can happen in only one way: Baptism through the life giving Word of Jesus.

Scripture speaks of this in many and various poetic ways: Revelations 7:14 says we must wash our robes and make them white in the blood of the lamb; 1 Corinthians 6:11 says that unless we are washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus…; Hebrews 10:22 says that our hearts must be sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water; Acts 22:16 proclaims “Arise” and “be baptized;” Ephesians 5: 26 that we have been made holy by washing of water by the word; and Psalms 51:7 reports that we must be purged with hyssop and made whiter than snow.

Perhaps such language seems at times too abstract or philosophical in the ears of the average adult in adult Bible class. Yes, we believe it and nod our heads acceptingly, but are we afraid to probe too deeply that which we don’t always understand.

The tenets of our faith are not absurd at all, they are fantastic. You have been saved through baptism into the life of Jesus. His life means life for you. His peace means peace for you. The reality of “God with us” in Jesus Christ means amazing things will happen to you. Don’t stifle the questions. Engage the confirmation student in your life and see if you can answer his questions.

Peace,
Pastor Aaron

2010-01-08T06:45:00.001-06:00

Read Mark 6 (click here for link)

When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. –Mark 6:34

On December 23 I quoted from Isaiah 53. Read again a brief portion of this prophecy of the suffering Servant, Jesus Christ.

Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away.

Afterwards, I closed that blog post with these words:

It would be untrue entirely to build a theology on the premise that God forgives us our sins because he loves us. Yes, he does love us, but he hates our sin. Jesus Christ on the Cross is the proof of his hatred for sin. We must never believe that God has sympathy for us sinners. There is no sympathy from the perfect justice and righteousness of God; He does not sympathize with sin. He condemns it! If God does forgive sin it is only by the death of Christ. This is the mercy of God: that he sent Jesus to become the curse that was hanging over our heads.

The past week I have had a few people make comments to me about the above words. Some took offense at the statement that our theology should not be built around the fact that God loves us. That is indeed a shocking statement—and scary! But it is entirely true.

God does indeed love us—he loves all his creation. But the moment we begin to base our status before God on his love for us, a dangerous thing happens, we forget the terrible act that God performed to save us—Jesus Christ crucified.

The only love we know from God is through Jesus. Apart from Jesus there is no love from God—only damnation. It took the blood of God to bring out the love of God for us. That is a terrible thing. But for us it is SALVATION.

Thus it is entirely appropriate for Jesus to have compassion on sinners in our text from Mark 6.

He is the love of God made flesh.

Francisco de Zurbaran, "Agnus Dei" (1635-40)

…He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. –Isaiah 53

Pastor Aaron

2010-01-07T06:41:00.000-06:00

Today’s Reading: Mark 5 (click here for link)

He went in and said to them, "Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep." But they laughed at him.

I think I get a small sense of déjà vu reading this account of Jesus raising Jairus’ daughter from the dead. The King James Version here translates verse 40 as, “They laughed him to scorn.” This sounds strikingly similar to another death and resurrection account we recently read—Matthew 27. In fact, this text from Mark 5 greatly foreshadows Marks description of Jesus passion, where like in Matthew’s account, Jesus too is mocked and derided by synagogue rulers, soldiers, the crowds beneath the cross, and finally by a criminal hanging beside him; each of them ridiculing him for his claim to be the Christ; each of them laughing because their hard hearts could not understand.

"You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross."

“He saved others, but can he save himself?”

"Hail, King of the Jews!"

"Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who is it that struck you?"

"His blood be on us and on our children!"

“He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, 'I am the Son of God.”

(From Matthew 26, 27 and Mark 15)

They laugh him to scorn at Jarius’s house and they laugh him to scorn at the cross. Yet in both places Jesus performs his greatest miracle—he reveals his sacred purpose: He brings life from death. The dead girl rises up and eats! Jesus after three days rises up and eats a meal of fish on the lake shore.

Who is it that has the last laugh?

The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the LORD and against his Anointed One… [But] he who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury. O why do the nations rage, and the people plot in vain? (Psalm 2)

This morning we witness a small taste of the great victory. Talitha koum reminds us of the angel’s words in the early light of Easter morning, “He is risen, he is not here.”

The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at him, but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming. (psalm 37) On that day every knee will bow and tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. There will be no laughing on that day. (Philippians 2)

Dear Christian friends, whatever may trouble you today, hear these words: "Talitha koum!" (which means, "Little girl, I say to you, get up!").

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed in us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8)

Come quickly, Lord… raise us up from our suffering.

Pastor Aaron

2010-01-06T07:43:00.000-06:00

Read Mark 4 (click here for link)

Again he said, "What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it?
—Mark 4:30

In Mark chapter 4, Jesus uses several analogies about seed to describe the kingdom of God. And yet the crowds—even his own disciples—have a difficult time understanding him. But isn’t that the way God seems to work in your life, as well? Things are never as we expect them to be. You keep looking for the kingdom of God to manifest itself in your life, and just when you begin to despair, you turn a corner in life and suddenly it unfolds right before your very eyes.

Lately, I have been thinking about such things. As a pastor here at Epiphany, there are many things that I am responsible for and ministries that I oversee. But sometimes it can start to seem more like busy work. The new small group program that will begin this January is a good example. Working toward this has been a huge stress in my life the past few months. I keep thinking and distressing about it. I worry…

What if it doesn’t work?

How am I going to get everything organized when I have sermons to write and other things that need to get done?

What if people don’t sign up?

But you know what… the kingdom is out of my hands! God’s kingdom is like a seed. I may plant it, but I can’t make it germinate; that is entirely in God’s hands.

Jesus assures us today the Kingdom of God is outside our every expectation. In fact, it often turns up where we least expect it—like a small seed which quickly grows into a healthy plant. Your challenge is to trust the calling God has given you and the work you are doing for him even when it seems you are tilling barren soil, because if just one of those seeds you are sowing sprouts, it will grow into a mighty and fruitful tree.

Sometimes, I just have to remember to keep working hard. God will be faithful. His kingdom will come. The question is: Am I hoping for my will or His will be done?

One thing is for sure, it is lot less stressful if you simply pray for His will to be done—because it always will! Then you have nothing to worry about.

Peace,
Pastor Aaron

2010-01-05T06:36:00.000-06:00

Today’s reading is Mark 3. (click here for link)

In church (the Lutheran church, for sure) we preach the truth of the Gospel that all our sins are forgiven because of Jesus Christ. We do our best to proclaim Jesus as a Savior strong enough to forgive even the most evil acts of any person—the worst of the worst. The key is faith. Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.

However, it surprises me how often people will respond to me when I invite them to church, “Pastor, you don’t know the things I have done.” They seem to be convinced that God cannot or will not forgive them. How I wish I could sit them down and teach them about our gospel reading today. Jesus so clearly describes himself, not as a fickle minded judge who is quick to condemn sinners; but rather, he describes himself as a thief who is able to break in into a strong man’s house, tie up the strong man, and steal his prized possessions. Jesus is speaking of Satan’s hold over us. Satan wants nothing more than to keep us locked up in our sin, believing that we are too separated from God to receive forgiveness. However, Jesus is stronger.

In fact, Mark more than adequately demonstrates this by recording more of Jesus’ exorcisms than any of the other gospels. Jesus entry into the world according to Mark, was like a thief into a strong man’s house. He literally went about his ministry tying up Satan and casting him out. Yet, surprisingly, no one recognized this lowly Galilean as the Son of God—no one except the demons, but by the time they recognized him, it was always too late.

Our Savior comes to steal us back from the grip of the strong man, Satan, and once we are in his hand, no one can snatch us away from him (John 10:28). There is no length our Lord is not willing to go to make us His own. Just read 1 Timothy 2:4 (click here for link).

The only way Satan wins is if we reject the power of Jesus. To refuse to believe in the power of Jesus is to refuse the very Holy Spirit who reveals that truth to each of us. In this way, forgiveness can never be obtained.

Don’t let Satan pull the wool over your eyes. You have forgiveness in Jesus. He calls you by name in this gospel. He says you are his brother, or sister, or mother. In Him you are no longer under the power of Satan. You are in Jesus possession now!

Many Hallelujahs!

Pastor Aaron

P.S. Sorry for the broken link yesterday. I hope things work better this morning :)

2010-01-04T07:53:00.000-06:00

Read Mark 2 (Click here for link)

This morning Jesus says, “Follow me.”

This past Sunday morning, in Bible class, pastor Jon made the comment that Christians who were raised in the Church often have a tendency to take things for granted concerning Christian “calling,” “sending,” and “mission.” At times, my own experience has been this. Sometimes it takes a real conscious effort to step out of our own self-imposed status quo and take a fresh look at our Christian lives. Do we perennially ask ourselves the questions: How is Jesus calling me? Will I come when he calls?

It would seem that one of the greatest hindrances in coming to Jesus is the excuse of temperament. We make our temperament and our natural affinities barriers to coming to Jesus when he calls. The first thing we realize when we come to Jesus is that He pays no attention whatever to our natural affinities. We have the false idea that we can more properly discern how our gifts, talents and time can be used in his service. But the truth is, how can you give what is not yours? Such things are gifts that have been given to you by our Lord.

Consider the words of the great devotional writer, Oswald Chambers, who said, “If you will give God your right to yourself, He will make a holy experiment out of you. God's experiments always succeed.”

In this New year, take to heart your calling as a child of God. You are not your own any longer. You are called to a greater purpose. Pray about it!

But heed also Oswald Chambers warning: “If you abandon to Jesus, and come when He says "Come," He will continue to say "Come" through you; you will go out into life reproducing the echo of Christ's "Come." That is the result in every soul who has abandoned and come to Jesus.”

Have I come to Jesus? Will I come now?
LORD HELP ME…
Pastor Aaron

P.S. Sorry for the tardiness of these last two posts. I will work on that.

2010-01-01T08:07:00.001-06:00

Today’s Reading is Mark 1 (click here for link)

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope you all had a great holiday week. Perhaps many of you won’t be reading this until a little later because of the late night spent waiting for the ball to drop. I, however, went to bed at 9:30 last night. I guess that is what having young kids does to you. Yet, despite going to bed early, I am up late this morning. It is almost 8:00 and I am first now writing this. But what else is a Holiday for?

This morning we began reading through the Gospel of Mark. This gospel is interesting particularly because of its “immediacy.” In other words, everywhere that Jesus goes and everything he does, he does it “immediately” or “at once” (depending on the translation). Just try counting the number of times this word is used in each chapter. Consequently, because Jesus does everything “immediately” and coupled with the fact that this gospel is only 16 chapters long, it would seem that according to Mark, Jesus’ ministry lasted not much more than a matter of a few months. Which, for example, is in sharp contrast to John’s recording of Jesus’ ministry which he indicates was at least 3 years long.

Of course, reading the Gospels this way (one after another) will tend to make the differences between them stand out. However, don’t worry about any so called “inconstancies.” Each of these gospels was written for future generations of Christians to record for them the amazing things that Jesus did and the amazing things he taught. Each writer had his own manner of doing this; each writer wrote with specific style and purpose; furthermore, none of the writers wrote with the expectation or knowledge that their gospel would be bound side-by-side with other gospels in the Bible. They simply wrote what was necessary to reveal that the man Jesus was truly the Christ—the Son of God. In this way, it is actually quite remarkable just how similar the four gospels really are. Each of them testifies 100%that Jesus is the Son of God, who died on the cross for atonement of our sins and was raised on the third day and seen by many witnesses.

Concerning Mark, specifically… We learn from ancient sources that he was a disciple of Peter. Mark followed Peter around later in Peter’s ministry. By this time, Peter was an old man. He would get up in front of a church to deliver his sermons, and no doubt the congregation would see the light his eyes as Peter recounted the amazing things he experienced as a disciple of Jesus. Peter would tell these stories about his days with Jesus and Mark would be sitting somewhere in the back writing them all down. Later, Mark would organize all these “sermon stories” into one orderly account, which we now know as the Gospel of Mark.

That is the story as we have it from the ancient Church… but who really knows? I believe the testimony of the ancient Church, but we may have to wait until kingdom come to know for sure. Until then, I think we can rely on what Mark records as his purpose for writing. He says in Mark 1:1—“The beginning of the Gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” He doesn’t mince any words, he tells us straight up: THIS IS ABOUT JESUS, THE SON OF GOD. Any book that makes this claim is undoubtedly one to which we should pay careful attention.

Enjoy!!!

Pastor Aaron

2009-12-24T06:33:00.000-06:00

Today’s Reading is Matthew 28 (click here for link)

Merry Christmas! Here we are at last, Christmas Eve. Perhaps it was the juxtaposition of Easter and Christmas this morning, but today I ask that each of you remember that you are of an entirely different order of things. You are not of this world any longer, but of the next. Whatever the world may celebrate today and tomorrow, remember what it is exactly that we observe. Our Lord—our meaning for life—is born, is risen, and is returning. We live for a very different reason than all the rest of this world.

I offer you this ancient Christmas prayer from the 10th century:

You are our eternal salvation,
The unfailing light of the world.
Light everlasting,
You are truly our redemption.
Grieving that the human race was perishing
through the tempter's power,
without leaving the heights
You came to the depths in your loving kindness.
Readily taking our humanity by Your gracious will,
You saved all earthly creatures, long since lost,
Restoring joy to the world.
Redeem our souls and bodies, O Christ,
and so possess us as Your shining dwellings.
By Your first coming, make us righteous;
At your second coming, set us free:
So that, when the world is filled with light
and you judge all things,
We may be clad in spotless robes
and follow in Your steps, O King,
Into the heavenly hall.
Again… in all that you do remember your true calling as a child of God made possible through the Son of God made flesh, Jesus Christ.

BLESSED CHRISTMAS,
Pastor Aaron

P.S. Taking seriously the command of God for Sabbath rest (and Pastor Aaron’s need for rest), we will not begin blogging through Mark until the first of the New Year. So sleep in for one week and then start the New Year right with gospel of our Lord.

2009-12-23T06:51:00.000-06:00

Today’s reading is Matthew 27 (click here for link)

The Death of Jesus Christ is the acting in history of the very Mind of God. This was no accident. His death was not something that might have been prevented: His death was the very reason why He came. I invite you to meditate on these words from Isaiah 53:

Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

It would be untrue entirely to build a theology on the premise that God forgives us our sins because he loves us. Yes, he does love us, but he hates our sin. Jesus Christ on the Cross is the proof of his hatred for sin. We must never believe that God has sympathy for us sinners. There is no sympathy from the perfect justice and righteousness of God; He does not sympathize with sin. He condemns it! If God does forgive sin it is only by the death of Christ. This is the mercy of God: that he sent Jesus to become the curse that was hanging over our heads.

Pastor Aaron

2009-12-22T06:50:00.000-06:00

Read Matthew 26 (click here for link)

It is a rather sobering coincidence that we will be reading the end of Matthew on the Eve of Christmas. However, while you might argue that on the one hand, juxtaposing in this way the two greatest celebrations in the Church year—Easter and Christmas—heightens the meaning of both; somehow, I don’t really feel it. Despite the Christmas parties and numerous cookies lying around the office, Matthew’s passion account keeps lingering in my thoughts even when I should be thinking Christmas thoughts (and thinking about my Christmas day sermon!). Unfortunately, reading the Easter story at this time of year seems a lot like watching The Grinch Stole Christmas.

But thankfully Christ’s death was not the end. Death is not the last word: as at both birth and resurrection, the creation's deep darkness is scattered by God's light. On Christmas day, we will read in church, "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” We will hear how a particular moment in time and place becomes the "fullness of time." But we know this already. We have heard both ends of Matthew (also Mark, Luke and John) many times over. How many times can our faith be bookended by birth and death until we fail to really pay attention anymore?

It might take munching on a few more icing laced cookies to figure this one out. Or maybe some little fudge squares, instead!

Perhaps we might remind ours elves that despite the nearness of Christmas, we are not there yet. Advent is still upon us. We are still in Easter, even on December 22! Our Lord was crucified and was dead and buried. He rose and appeared to witnesses, and we testify of this and point to his return. But when will that be? How long must we wait? Much like the Pharisees in our text today, the world begins to plot all around us; the nations so furiously rage. Sin and immorality are everywhere, but even worse, there doesn’t always seem to be anything we can do about it.

I was considering such thoughts yesterday evening, as I made a quick run to Walgreens to pick up an overlooked grocery item. It was dusk outside, and the inky-black outline of two story houses and twiggy live oak trees made all the world seem grotesque and empty (Well... maybe not the whole world, but at least West Oaks Drive). In the car, the radio news was on and, as usual, it was announcing the same old story—the same old account of sin’s apparent victory over good, darkness over light. The economy, the wars in the Middle East, politics, a pro-golfer’s frequent adultery…

But as I drove, I was filled with a vision of hope; for on either side of me, beneath those live oak branches, in gaudy disarray, were countless yards filled with Christmas lights, each little bulb shining brightly. I was reminded that this is our Christmas task—waiting in the dark aftermath of Easter for the coming of the next Christmas. Our Lord has risen and ascended in to heaven. But he will return. Like the ten virgins from yesterday’s reading and the disciples outside Gethsemane in today’s reading, we must not fall asleep nor can our light grow dim. The bridegroom is near. The birthday we celebrate in a few days the birthday of the light of the world.

As I drove back from Walgreens, with red, yellow, green, and the new bluish-white LED lights shining all around, I couldn’t help but hear the strains of the Halleluiah Chorus. Advent is almost over. The fullness of time is near!

Halleluiah! Halleluiah! Halleluiah! King of kings and Lord of lords. He shall reign forever and ever. Halleluiah!

Pastor Aaron

2009-12-21T06:07:00.000-06:00

Read Matthew 25 (click here for link)

A major part of God’s will for our lives is that we simply be faithful with the day-to-day responsibilities he entrusts to us. Just as the master in the parable about the the talents, God entrusts us with talents, resources and relationships. He expects us to be faithful in employing them to further his kingdom.

Normally, our lives are lived in the ordinary. It is rare that God would call someone to abandon a current obligation so that they may pursue some higher calling. Trust me; you’ll know when God want you to do something bigger—just ask Isaiah or Paul. Both of these men were wrenched out of their day-to-day lives and put upon a new path chosen by God. However, for most of us, God wants us to honor our current obligations. Often he uses such things as a stepping stone to even greater things. As the master in the above parable told his servant, “You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things” (Matthew 25:21 NIV).

We have many opportunities to prove our faithfulness each day. Ask yourself, “Am I being a good husband, wife, parent, child, employer, employee, friend, citizen, courteous driver, helpful neighbor?” Have you proven yourself faithful in such things?

Pastor Aaron

2009-12-18T06:09:00.000-06:00

Read Matthew 24 (click here for link)

Where yesterday’s reading seemed harsh, todays seems bleak. Jesus predicts the end. But the end of what, exactly?

Near the beginning of the chapter the disciples ask Jesus what appears to be three separate questions: When will the things you describe occur? What will be the signs that will herald your return? What will be the things that happen at the end of the age? Jesus supplies a lengthy answer; however it is difficult to determine in which order Jesus answers the disciples questions. Does he answer them in the order they were asked, or does he answer the last question first and first, last? In fact, at times, there doesn’t seem to be any ryhm or reason to his answers, one moment speaking about the near event and in next moment speaking about the remote future. Because of these difficulties, much confusion abounds as to the interpretation of this passage. As a result it seems as though whenever a major catastrophic event occurs somewhere around the globe there are those who cite this passage and raise the alarm that end must be near.

Word to the wise: Be wary of anyone who makes these claims!

Here are a few things of which we can be certain:

1. Jesus is speaking of at least two different events separated by a long period of time. The first event Jesus refers to is the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. This is relatively clear because of various direct statements He makes, such as, that no two stones of the temple will be left standing together. He also says, “…this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.” These references and others were immediately fulfilled in 70 A.D. when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem—only about 40 years after Jesus’ crucifixion. Antiquity records this event as one of the most brutal sieges of any city in History. The historian Josephus, a man whom the Romans used to attempt negotiations with the Jewish rebels, recorded that about one million people died at the end of it all, many of them crucified. In fact, it is rumored that the Romans ran out of space to fit their makeshift crosses. Josephus even records the horrible account of woman roasting her own new born child for food. It seems almost too abominable to be true, but then we remember what Jesus said, “How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again."

2. The second event to which Jesus refers is the coming of the Son of Man riding on the clouds which will be the end of the age. However, exactly when this will happen, no one knows, apparently not even our Lord! It will simply be like lightening which comes out of nowhere, traveling from the east to the west. While there will be signs that that will point us to the coming our Lord, none of these signs will definitively tell us when this will take place. These signs will simply be a reminder that our Lord is indeed returning. Jesus says that such things are like “the beginning of birth pangs.” In other words, in the same way that a pregnant woman’s contractions tells her that she is about to give birth, so History will be filled with terrible reminders that our world is headed toward judgment. However, like that pregnant woman’s labor, no one can predict which contraction will be the last, bringing forth the long awaited baby. Thus, Jesus very carefully explains to his disciples that they are to always be ready, for they do not know when their master will return. So it is that we still wait—like an eager father by the side of his laboring wife—we watch the contractions of this world which began with the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.

3. Our Lord is vastly more patient than we are; and he uses his patients liberally. In the days of Noah, God waited patiently for 120 years for that sinful generation to repent. He did not bring destruction immediately, but instead set Noah to an incredibly long task, building the ark, which no doubt may have frustrated Noah at times, but nevertheless it gave him ample opportunity to preach. So too, our Lord waits. Even as sinfulness increases in this present age, he waits. He waits for you and me to be like patient Noah—to proclaim the good news while there is still time.

Have a blessed day,
Pastor Aaron

2009-12-17T06:54:00.000-06:00

Today’s reading: Matthew 23 (click here for link)

Jesus’ words today are harsh. In many ways they seem a little out of character. But these words are perfectly fitting. The Jewish religious leaders were all of these things and more. It was not just simple lack of faith that led them to hate Jesus. Rather it is that Jesus stood against everything that they loved. These religious leaders had taken the law of God and turned it into a means of extortion. They had literally blinded God’s people to the fact that God was a loving God willing to do anything to save his people—even be born among them to die for them. The Jewish religious leaders were indeed those whom Jesus earlier referred, “If anyone should lead one of these little ones astray, it would be better for him to be cast into the sea with a millstone around his neck.” But the “woes” of this chapter are even harsher when we realize that we, too, are guilty of many of these same crimes. Just read through verses 1-30 again.

A couple of days ago we read about Jesus triumphal entry. When Jesus presented Himself to Jerusalem, it was the Sunday in which the families of Israel selected their lamb for Passover sacrifice. He came into town on a donkey as the kings of Israel did when they were coming in peace. The crowds seemed to be receptive, welcoming Him, but Jesus wept and uttered the lament that is our passage for today. He looked beyond the crowd, caught up in the moment, and could see their next enthusiastic shouts would be "Crucify Him!" He looked even further into the future and saw the Roman army leveling the city and the Temple.

His heart was to save them from the destruction they were bringing on themselves, both physical and spiritual. The crowd did not have ears to hear or understand. We look back and wonder how they could be so dull in heart. How could they see the miracles and yet insist on their own agenda? Yet, we tend to live in the same pattern. Jesus comes to give us new life and we welcome it with shouts of "Hosanna!" Before long we are making decisions against our Savior. We are all of like nature. That is why Jesus made this journey to the cross. He came to deliver us from our nature, not material difficulties or hardship.

He longs to gather us, too. What a beautiful picture! The mother hen sees the hawk and calls her chicks under her wings. She is willing to be the one that endures the talons to save her little ones. Won't you run under the wings of Jesus?

Pastor Aaron

2009-12-16T06:31:00.000-06:00

Read Matthew 22 (click here for link)

Happy Anniversary! It has been exactly one month since we began the adventure of reading through the New Testament Scriptures. I hope you have been as blessed by it as I have been; although, I must confess that there were times I dreaded waking up early to write the morning’s post. Yet, I have been amazed at how frequently I have found myself discovering and re-discovering bits of Scripture and learning new things based upon the greater context.

Today, I found myself thinking about Jesus words “Give unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” Jesus said this after taking a Roman coin and asking whose image the coin bore. I found myself suddenly thinking of these words also: “God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27)

If image determines ownership, then we must give back what is due. Jesus is pretty clear on that. If you ever find yourself believing that you are your own—doing things on your own time—recall these words: “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am…” (John 17:24). Perhaps also these words: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own.” (1 Corinthians 6:19).

I know how we all can at times balk at giving of our money for taxes and even our tithe, but money is nothing compared to what else God lays claim to in our lives. He has created us. He has given us his name in baptism. We are not our own. Indeed, we are his! Be entirely HIS.

How do I do this? How do I surrender everything?

Lord, help me to come to terms with such questions as I come to terms with my prayer, “Thy will be done…”

Blessings,
Pastor Aaron

2009-12-15T06:36:00.000-06:00

Read Matthew 21 (click here for link)

The withered fig tree… What an unusual account!

Nowhere does this text appear in any series of our Lectionary and therefore seldom will you ever hear a sermon on the withered fig tree. Matthew and Mark both record this miracle (if we want to call it that), however, Mark records that the fig tree was not in season and therefore there was no reason to expect figs in the first place. Also, Mark, unlike Matthew, records that this event happened in two parts with Jesus cursing the fig tree on Monday and the disciples discovering it withered on Tuesday. As for its interpretation, at first glance, the reader would think this to be a type of parable on judgment. After all, Jesus has just entered Jerusalem and is headed toward his passion. He will cleanse the temple. He will be crucified by a people in covenant with God, and yet, these very same covenant people will crucify God’s own Son, much like the wicked tenants in the parable Jesus tells at end of chapter 21. This interpretation fits well, because much like the Jews, who claimed to be in covenant with God, the fig tree seemed as though it might have fruit, being lush and well leafed. However, closer inspection revealed a tree that was figless and therefore useless. Much the same way were the Pharisees. They had all the pretense of godly people, but they had forgotten the real reason for the covenant in the first place—that through them, God would bless all nations with a savior/seed of Abraham.

Yet, while judgment may appear to be the reason behind Jesus’ act of cursing the fig tree, he goes on to give the application of faith and confidence in prayer. He says, “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

So what do we make of the withered fig tree?

Granted, I am a young pastor and wouldn’t dare to claim the definitive interpretation for this enigmatic act of our Lord. Indeed, it may be that we must wait until the day of our Lord for the answer. But might I suggest, that until then, we meditate on the themes of judgment and faith. Perhaps we look for judgment too often, like the disciples standing amazed at the fig tree. But what does our Lord do? He points them to faith. Judgment is not for us, it is only the Lord’s business. We are called to faith.

There are examples of faith all around us. C.S. Lewis observed this too once when he commented on his propensity for judging his own Anglican church. He especially disliked the hymns. But it was through the very things he judged that he realized great faith. He wrote:

“I dislike very much their hymns, which I considered to be fifth-rate poems set to sixth-rate music. But as I went on I saw the great merit of it… I realized that the hymns (which, indeed, were sixth-rate music) were, nevertheless, being sung with devotion and benefit by an old saint in elastic-side boots in the opposite pew, and then you realize that you aren’t even fit to clean those boots. It gets you out of your solitary conceit.”

Perhaps too often we strut about, all leafed-out in our own pretense and judgments. After all, if God’s covenant people could fall into that trap, so can we. But such things are cursed. Our Lord points us instead to great faith. With God nothing is impossible. When we would rather stand by the withered tree shaking our heads in opinionated wonder, our Lord points us to a mountain and dares us to believe.

Blessings as you prune the withered branches that new, fruitful, shoots may appear.

Pastor Aaron

2009-12-14T07:04:00.000-06:00

Read Matthew 20 (click here for link)

There are times when living in faith will mean there is confusion, and there really isn’t any way around it, even if we believe there shouldn’t be confusion. It is not a question of right and wrong or black and white. Rather it is God leading you down a path that you just don’t understand. Perhaps like our discussion on Friday, things seem a little dark in terms of God’s plans for you. But be assured that God has you just where he needs you. For we know that the person who seeks will find and the one who knocks will have the door opened unto him. Consider these other verses:

The Shrouding of His Friendship. Luke 11:5-8. Jesus gave the illustration of the man who looked as if he did not care for his friend, and He said that that is how the Heavenly Father will appear to you at times. You will think He is an unkind friend, but remember He is not; the time will come when everything will be explained. There is a cloud on the friendship of the heart, and often even love itself has to wait in pain and tears for the blessing of fuller communion. When God looks completely shrouded, will you hang on in confidence in Him?

The Shadow on His Fatherhood. Luke 11:11-13. Jesus says there are times when your Father will appear as if He were an unnatural father, as if He were callous and indifferent, but remember He is not; I have told you - "Everyone that asks, receives." If there is a shadow over the face of the Father, with childlike faith trust that he will give clear understanding and justification for silence toward you.

The Strangeness of His Faithfulness. Luke 18:1-8. "When the Son of Man comes, shall He find faith on the earth?" Will He find the faith which banks on Him in spite of the confusion? We must fortify ourselves in faith believing that what Jesus said is true, no matter what; although in the meantime we do not understand what God is doing. He has bigger issues at stake than the particular things you ask.

Confusion is only human. Just ask those sons of Zebeddee all about it.

Pastor Aaron

2009-12-11T07:17:00.000-06:00

Today’s Reading: Matthew 19 (click here for link)

Perhaps you remember how God appeared to his people upon Mount Sinai some 3500 years ago. That was his great theophany (which means appearance) of God, for the first time revealing himself to his people. It was a day of lightning and thunder and fire on the mountain. But it was also a day of darkness. God veiled himself in the darkness of a cloud. The interesting thing about this picture is that despite the fact that the people were literally in the presence of God, God was hidden from them. The closer they drew to him, the deeper they came into darkness. Exodus 20:21 says that “the people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.”

The paradoxical aspect of this picture intrigues me. The Paradox being that Scripture normally describes God as being in unapproachable light, yet often God hides himself from us, even in darkness. Luther would call this the “hidden God.” He would say that often when we are closest to God, he hides his presence from us. When what we want from him is light and clarity, he sometimes gives only darkness. This is especially the case for those of us on the spiritual path. Think about it this way: When one would normally expect that a closer relationship with God would grant certainty and clear vision for our often dark lives, it is usually the reverse. The closer we come to God, it more often means the more we leave everything that we control (or try to control) about our lives behind. We come to depend more on God. That is a scary experience. Thus walking by faith can at times seem like walking in the dark.

Now I know that in past posts we have touched on the hidden God as it concerns the existence of evil in the world. The question being, Why does God allow bad things to happen? Certainly, the answer to such things lies with the hidden God. Why? is generally always a mystery when it concerns the will of God. However, today I want talk about things on a more personal level. I want to talk about CONTROL. In our text, Jesus encounters a rich young man who cannot give up the riches he owns in order to follow his Lord. How do we interpret this and apply it to our lives?

This issues here are faith and control. Faith means giving up control and giving it to God. But doing so is like walking in the dark. When we are in control of our lives, life is easy in the sense that there are certain decisions we don’t have to worry about. For example, I don’t think any of us would argue with the fact that TV has become in many ways too sexually inappropriate for society’s own good. Adultery, homosexuality, lewd behavior and conversation all are common place in the plots of almost any TV show. Now what do we do as Christians? We all know what the Scripture says, “Thou shall not commit adultery.” “Flee sexual immorality” (1 Cor. 6:18). So what do we do? There are many questions to answer. Do I need to change the channel from this TV show that I watch weekly which now, all of a sudden, has inappropriate sexual content? If I am faithful to my spouse, does watching such things really matter? Does innuendo matter? What if I am by myself? All of a sudden, things get complicated. I now have to decide what is faithful to God in this situation. When I’m in control of my life, this is not so much of a problem. It’s easy. I can control what’s good and bad in the situation. I can figure out a good excuse for such behavior. But when I walk by faith I must discern God’s will in the matter.

Yet, discerning God’s will, that’s very much a struggle; a struggle in the dark. God does not always spell everything out for us. He simply wants us to walk righteously before him. The difficult thing is that the path can seem shrouded in darkness. Life just gets more complicated the closer we come to God.

So what about that rich young man? Well… I think too often we judge him too harshly. We assume that since he wasn’t able to give up his stuff to follow Jesus he must not have been saved. However if that is the case, then we all have a very big problem indeed, because we are all in the same boat as that young man. Walking by faith and giving control of our lives to God was not easy then and is not easy for us now.

The Psalms say, “Thy word is a lamb unto my feet and a light unto my path.” Indeed, our Lord is the light of the world. But notice it doesn’t say “spotlight.” Faith means that more often than not we will not have the certainty that we so often desire. There won’t always be a spotlight on the clear and certain answer. When darkness seems to prevail, there won’t always be the quick miracle to rescue us. Faith takes more strength than that. Faith means trusting that God is in the darkness. Faith means we understand that we are spiritually blind and therefore must put out our hands to Jesus and let him lead the way. That is scary. But by faith we know and trust that he will never leave us nor forsake us. We can only pray that that rich young man continued to struggle with such things the rest of his life as he slowly learned to give up control of his life and draw closer to God, even when all his instincts told him to stay out of the darkness.

Thanks for exploring this paradox with me. Have a great day.

Pastor Aaron

2009-12-10T06:54:00.001-06:00

Read Matthew 18 (click here for link)

Chapter 18 deals with forgiveness and the gaining of a brother or sister for Christ. Jesus teaches, “Become like little children;” “Do not lead them astray;” “Seek out the lost sheep;” “Reconcile to your neighbor at all costs;” “Forgive without limits, even up to seventy-seven times;” “Have mercy on those who owe you debts.” These are tall orders to fill in our sleep deprived lives of high stress and go. We are more often inclined to be like that unmerciful servant in the end, seeking mercy but unwilling to give it.

Instead, Jesus calls us to change and become like little children. This is a bit ironic since children can sometimes be very selfish by nature. But then again, they are sinful just like us adults. They also learn by our example! However, children are also capable of extraordinary acts of selflessness and forgiveness. Little Children, for example, don’t hold grudges. How often have you heard a little child detailing an offense against them from years past? How often do children blow up in argument over the simplest of things, but in the very next moment are running and laughing together again?

I suppose we must all consider how far we are willing to go to heed Jesus’ words today. It won’t be easy! But, then again, it never is. We have so much baggage to let go of, I am afraid that sometimes we are too addicted to the weight of it all and no longer know how to be free.

But that is what makes Christ’s words today so refreshing. So often we think of our spiritual development as a steady progression in things done right. We ask, “Have I been good enough?” However, we learn today that spiritual progression is through forgiveness and not human activity. Are we living in forgiveness? Are we motivated by forgiveness? It is unusual that forgiveness should be so hard and yet so easy for each of us.

Jesus says be like a little child. Don’t hold on so tightly—forgive!

Pastor Aaron

2009-12-09T06:34:00.000-06:00

Read Matthew 17 (click here for link)

"But so that we may not offend them, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours."

What an unusual story. Concerning Jesus’ teaching on taxes we would normally think of his words, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” But it is here as a reminder to us that we do live in an earthly world with earthly obligations and earthly influences. While our values and our Lord’s glory may not be displayed in a way that the world accepts or even understands, our responsibility to be good citizens and to participate in society is essential. We can’t just ignore the problems and the issues of the world—abortion, immorality, hunger, poverty, nor even our taxes. However, it is not just the big problems that we are called upon to address as the people of God. Everyday matters are important too. We can't influence people to come to Christ if they don't respect our desire to be people of integrity as we reflect the character of our Savior.

Ask yourself, “Does my unbelieving neighbor rejoice that he lives next door to a Christian? Is this a source of comfort for him knowing that no matter what I will deal with him honestly and in love?"

God’s peace as you bear the light of Christ today,

Pastor Aaron