From the Pew to the Pulpit

Stuff happens.... go out and help those around you

2009-11-17T09:00:00.006-08:00

1st Reading Daniel 12:1-3

"At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of

your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has

been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your

people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found

written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the

earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and

everlasting contempt. And those who are wise shall shine like the

brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to

righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.

2nd Lesson Hebrews 10:11-25

And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the

same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had

offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right

hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made

a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all

time those who are being sanctified.

The Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,

"This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days,

declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on

their minds,"

then he adds,

"I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more."

Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering

for sin. Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the

holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he

opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since

we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a

true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean

from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let

us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who

promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to

love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit

of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see

the Day drawing near.

Gospel Lesson Mark 13:1-13

As Jesus came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him,

"Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!"

And Jesus said to him, "Do you see these great buildings? There will

not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down."

And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter

and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, "Tell us, when

will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things

are about to be accomplished?" And Jesus began to say to them,

"See that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name,

saying, 'I am he!' and they will lead many astray. And when you hear of

wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place,

but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom

against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there

will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.

"But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and

you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors

and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them. And the gospel

must first be proclaimed to all nations. And when they bring you to trial

and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to

say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who

speak, but the Holy Spirit. And brother will deliver brother over to

death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents

and have them put to death. And you will be hated by all for my

name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

Words of Assurance: We have gathered together today as individuals,
individuals that are part of the Body of Christ. Let us continue on in our lives,
bound together in Christ's Love and God's forgiveness, knowing our hearts are
sprinkled clean from evil thoughts and actions and that God in His love and
mercy remembers our sins and lawless deeds no more. Amen.

QUOTE FROM MARTIN LUTHER:
I have held many things in my
hands, and I have lost them all; but
whatever I have placed in God's
hands, that I still possess.

Readings for November 22:
Isaiah 51:4-6;
Jude 20-25;
Mark 13:24-37

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2009-11-02T09:42:00.002-08:00

Prayer of the Day
Dear Father in Heaven, in all the universe there is none like
You. In Your love and grace, You have lifted us, Your children, from sinner to
saint through the shed blood of Your Son Jesus Christ. Fill us, your humble
children, with the Holy Spirit and guide our actions so we may live up to the
position of saint in this world and in the world to come. In Jesus name. Amen.

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1st Reading Revelations 7:9-17
After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could
number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages,
standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white
robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud
voice, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to
the Lamb!" And all the angels were standing around the throne and
around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their
faces before the throne and worshipped God, saying, "Amen! Blessing
and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and
might be to our God forever and ever! Amen." Then one of the elders
addressed me, saying, "Who are these, clothed in white robes, and
from where have they come?" I said to him, "Sir, you know." And he
said to me, "These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation.
They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of
the Lamb.
"Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day
and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them
with his presence.
They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not
strike them, nor any scorching heat.
For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and
he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away
every tear from their eyes."

2nd Lesson 1st John 3:1-3
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be
called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does
not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's
children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know
that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him
as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is
pure.

Gospel Lesson Matthew 5:1-12
Seeing the crowds, Jesus went up on the mountain, and when he
sat down, his disciples came to him.
And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: "Blessed are the
poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they
shall be satisfied.
"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
"Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and
utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and
be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the
prophets who were before you.

Message
Grace to you and Peace from God our Father and from our Lord
and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

Let us pray. Dear Lord God, may the words of my mouth and the
meditations of our hearts, be acceptable to you. I pray this in the
strength and the name of our Redeemer Jesus Christ. Amen.

There is nothing like taking a stand different than everyone around
you, to distinguish yourself within a crowd. Like trying walk up a
crowded downward headed escalator. Today is one of those days for
the Lutheran Church. On the day where many of the “Old time
churches” formally recognize today as “All Saints Sunday” we include
ourselves as part of this group yet we standout on the escalator
because, as Lutherans we define saints differently than the other
churches. Lutherans stand out from the crowd when it comes to
saints.

Lutherans gather throughout the world today to observe through
remembrance all the saints both the living and those who have
passed on. And this is where the difference is, the living part. Today
is a day to praise and worship Jesus Christ who through His life here
on earth has made the saints holy through baptism and faith.
And the differentiators or that two things that make the Lutheran
position different is the “living part” and the “saints are made holy
through baptism and faith.”

In reality it is God that deems those who are “saints”, no amount of
money, no amount of work of or petitioning the earthly leaders can
make a saint. People can be acknowledged for their life worthy of
being called a Christian, but it is God alone to defines Saints in
Heaven.

Many of our Christian brothers and sisters, do not agree with us on
this belief. Most Christians who acknowledge saints do not believe
that saints can be saints if they are still living. They also believe that a
saint must have led an exemplary life serving Jesus, they must have
been “super Christians” and miracles must have been attributed to
them, and even better if they died a martyrs death for Jesus.
But for Lutherans, being a saint isn't about what I have done or have
not done or what miracle God has been performed through me or the
fact that I died serving Jesus. It is about who I am in relationship with
God. A saint is someone who recognizes who he or she is with
respect to who God is. It is about how that person has acted or not
acted with respect to how God expects us to act. It is about faith, faith
in God and His Son Jesus. It is about be born anew in baptism, it is
about being born again as a child of God. It is about knowing the
relationship you and I have with God the Father.

For example probably the most known saint is the Apostle Peter.
Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome is named after Him. He gave his life
for Jesus, the man who was killed for his faith. The man who brought
over 5000 people to the foot of the Cross of Jesus within the first few
months after Pentecost. The man who would eventually be crucified
for his faith and following Jesus.

Yet he is also someone who failed the test of faith when Jesus
called him out to walk on water. He is also someone who Jesus had
to rebuke with the words, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance
to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on
the things of man.” (Matt 16: 23b) Or how can we forget his denial of
Jesus three times when Jesus stood alone before the Jewish
Authorities or his head to head confrontation with the Apostle Paul on
having to follow Jewish tradition.

Being a saint isn't about what you have done, but about who you
are. The definition “It is about who I am in relationship with God” can
just as easily be used for the word sinner, as well. Peter was both
sinner and saint, the same way all of us are both sinner and saint.
For Lutherans, a saint is a forgiven sinner. A saint is someone who
accepted who they are with relationship with God. Someone who
acknowledges who Jesus is and what He as done for us on the cross.
Our forgiveness comes through that cross, our forgiveness comes
when we acknowledge our sins and accept Jesus as our Lord and
Saviour, when we acknowledge and change our ways to his ways.
Does this mean we will no longer sin – no it does not. It means with
all our earthly might we try to do what is right and we rely on the Holy
Spirit living within us to help us; and when we fail, and allow Satan to
tempt us away from the path of light; we come back to God and say I
am sorry, I blew it. It means that we again acknowledge who we are
with relationship to God.

For me the best example of this is Saul of Tarsus, or more
commonly known as the Apostle Paul or Saint Paul. Here is a man
who stood by and approved of the stoning of an Apostle. Here is a
man who, when he had both physically and spiritually seen the light
changed his relationship with God, yet still admitted, “For I do not
understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the
very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law,
that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells
within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my
flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to
carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want
is what I keep on doing.” (Romans 7:15-19) Paul's faith was so
strong. His belief in forgiveness and conviction in his baptism,so
strong, he publicly acknowledged that he was still tempted by Satan,
and that he could not at times resist the temptations. Paul wrote
these words for all to read and draw strength from with respect to his
battle with sin.

“So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing
greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a
messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming
conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it
should leave me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for
my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the
more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest
upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses,
insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak,
then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)

For when I am weak, I am strong. Strong in the Grace of God,
strong as a saint knowing that God loves him enough to forgive him.
On those days when I find Satan throwing thorns in my side, I find
incredible strength in knowing that if Paul struggled with His life, and
was willing to admit it, then for me too, there is hope, actually there is
more than hope, there is assurance that my forgiveness is
guaranteed, that my sainthood is real and that your sainthood is real
too. As Luther said, "The saints are sinners, too, but they are forgiven
and absolved." We are forgiven and absolved. Both sinner and saint.
But we also gather today to also remember those fellow believers
who have been lifted from this world, and now reside in best of best
places, with Jesus in His father's mansion. We remember those
brothers and sisters in Christ who have served God and us as well.
People like Binky, Phyllis, Peg, and Doris, Dave, Denny, Bernice and
Agnes, Marge, Joan, Ray and Anne, to mention a few.
We remember them and others who were sinners and saints. They
knew who they were in relationship with God. They know who they are
now. Saved, redeemed and loved.

I want to close with a quote I read this week from a Lutheran
magazine, “It's easy to rely on ourselves, with forgiveness as an
insurance policy in case we mess up. But this wise pastor reminded
me that even on my best days, what matters most is not what I do or
decide but that Jesus died for me. When I look at myself in the mirror,
I always see the reflection of a sinner. But when God looks at me, he
sees me through Jesus. My sin is covered with Christ's own
righteousness. Thanks be to God! “ Amen.

Let us pray. Dear Heavenly Father, we sit here humbly drawn to You, knowing that our
thoughts words and deeds have made us sinners, but through the
shed blood of Your Son Jesus we are cleansed and made whole. We
are both sinner and saint and we thank you for Your love that has built
the bridge between the two. Thank you in Jesus name. Amen.

Now, may the peace of God and the Love of Christ, which passes
all human understanding, keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Amen
An article worth reading this week: http://www.thelutheran.org/article/article.cfm?article_id=4210

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The fewer the words, the better the prayer.
[quote from Martin Luther]

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Readings for November 8, 2009
1 King 17:8-16;
Hebrews 9:24-28 ;
Mark 12:38-44

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2009-10-26T11:55:00.002-07:00

1st Reading Revelations 14:6-7

Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal

gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and

tribe and language and people. And he said with a loud voice, "Fear

God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come,

and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs

of water."

2nd Lesson Romans 3:19-28

Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are

under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole

world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no

human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes

knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God has been

manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets

bear witness to it-- the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus

Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have

sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace

as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God

put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This

was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance

he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at

the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one

who has faith in Jesus. Then what becomes of our boasting? It is

excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law

of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of

the law.

Gospel Lesson John 8:31-36

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you abide in

my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and

the truth will set you free." They answered him, "We are offspring of

Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you

say, 'You will become free'?" Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say

to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not

remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son

sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Message

Grace to you and Peace from God our Father and from our Lord

and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

Let us pray. Dear Lord God, may the words of my mouth and the

meditations of our hearts, be acceptable to you. I pray this in the

strength and the name of our Redeemer Jesus Christ. Amen.

I find it amazing how often the Word of God is taken and used in

contexts to which it was never intended to be used. Snipets of God's

Word is taken out of the context to which they spoken and recorded;

and injected into different areas. For example, “You shall know the

truth and the truth shall set you free.” One single sentence from

Jesus. Yet very often taken out of context.

I have heard these words used in business settings, in self help

settings and others settings as well. Words used to express some

sort of epiphany. A sort of a, “Follow my advice and the answers to

your problems will magically appear.” Settings that have absolutely

nothing to do with Jesus Christ, himself. It almost seems of as if,

people assume that in using this phrase, for their own purposes, or in

their context which has nothing to do which it was originally used, they

increase or magnify their credibility or God will fulfill the prophecy

being promoted. People take and use the words of God, for their own

gains, assuming the credibility and power automatically go along with

them. In reality, this is not the case.

It amazes me how often we see and hear of people using the Words

of God for their own means, but refuse to recognize,the source of the

Words, God Himself.

When Jesus said, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set

you free" He was speaking of the truth about Him. And the key word

in this statement is not truth or free, but “know”. Jesus was saying

that when you know me, or when you have a relationship with me, the

burdens you carry, the guilt that this life piles upon us. The guilt each

of us carries with us daily will be lifted and you will live in a freedom

that human words can not describe. This guilt comes from those

things we know that should not have done, guilt that comes from

things we have not done. The continuous reminder that we have done

wrong, we have hurt someone, we have failed to do something. It

weighs heavy on our hearts. Those sins accumulate and we carry

them around with us continually, like a 50 lb sand bag. Like this bag

of sand (see my video). The guilt of our mistakes, lies upon us like

carrying this bag of sand where ever we go. Day in and day out,

carrying this bag of sand to drags us down, we are forever grumpy,

having to carry this bag around where ever we go. Both physically

and spiritually, we become exhausted, unable to do anything more

than that absolute minimum required for us to be alive.

Yet through knowing Jesus, truly knowing Him, having a relationship

with Him, in having faith in Him, we can lose this bag of sand. The

burdens are lifted and that is the freedom that Jesus is speaking

about. Jesus came to this world to lift that bag of sin from our lives.

And that is where our freedom comes from; not having to carry around

that heavy bag of sin, where ever we go. And the result of not having

to carry that bag of sin, is a peace that can not be explained, a peace

that passses all human understanding.

In order to have that bag removed we need to truly know, we need

to have faith in our Friend Jesus Christ.

Faith is about trusting in, it is about taking a chance on something

that we have not seen physically or touched with our hands. Faith in

Jesus Christ is about knowing in our hearts He is real, it is about

spiritually seeing His pierced hand reaching out to us and passing our

bag of sin to him and then grasping ahold of the pierced hand that is

right there, in front of us and allowing the owner of that hand, Jesus

Christ to lead us in our lives.

Faith is also about accepting God's promise and Word. It is about

knowing, and here is the word know again; knowing that God always

fulfills His promises.

As Paul wrote, faith only comes by hearing the Word of God.

Everyone must hear the Word of God, before they can have faith in

Jesus and in God. How can anyone have a relationship with someone

when we have not been introduced to and communicated with? It can

not be done. When we hear about someone, yet do not communicate

with that some one, there is no relationship, knowing about, is not the

same as knowing. It is fair to say that in this country and in this city,

most people if not all have heard something about Jesus. However

not every one who knows about Jesus, has a relationship with Jesus.

A relationship is bi-directional. It means there is communcation in

both directions.

And like any relationship; the more time you spend together the

stronger that relationship becomes; and the opposite is also true. The

less time we spend with someone, the further we drift apart and the

further we drift apart, the weaker the relationship becomes.

And I am not just talking about a relationship with God. I am talking

about all relationships. This is why it is so important for me to talk with

my wife three or four times a day. Although we are separated by

distance, I have a longing to be with her. We have been fortunate

that with computers and the Internet we have been able to not only

speak with each other but also see each other, daily. We keep our

relationship, our faith in each other strong by means of regularly

speaking and seeing each other. Our love for each other is

strengthened daily by our communicating with each other. Many times

we do not say alot, just hearing the other say a few simple words,

seeing each other. Seeing each other smile, seeing the “I love You” in

our eyes strengthens our love and faith in each other.

The same is true when it comes to our relationship with Jesus. We

need to be in regular communications. Multiple times a day, in fact

through out the day we need to be communicating with Jesus. And

communicating does not just mean speaking, it also means listening.

We need to be listening for and to Him and what He has to say to us.

And we can do that through many ways, but two of the best ways to

hear is, to be in the Word, read our Bibles daily, and second of all to

spend time quietly each day, allowing the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit

to speak to us.

I know for myself, it does not take long for me to be out of sorts

when I do not do this. When I allow other things in this world to

distract me from spending time with my Lord and Saviour, I find my

self at odds, with myself and with others. I seem to lose the peace of

knowing I am free in Christ. I find that bag of sin, that burden of life,

start to fill backup.

And when that happens, when I start to fill that bag fill back up, I

know I have to reach out and grasp ahold of His hand. I need to

reach out to Jesus' hand and give him that bag of sin and allow him to

empty it. Then we need to grasp ahold of His hand and rebuild our

relationship and we must never let go: Because knowing means

having faith and faith means accepting God's Word as truth and in that

truth we shall find our freedom.

Amen.

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Words of Assurance -- Our Loving Father recognizes that all of us have fallen
short. To those who believe in and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, He
forgives, renews and strengthens until life everlasting. Go now refreshed,
renewed and strengthened in the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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Quote from Martin Luther --- "Faith is a living, daring confidence in God's
grace, so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times."

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Readings for Nov 1 :

Revelation 7:9-17 ;

1 John 3:1-3 ;

Matthew 5: 1-12

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2009-10-18T09:40:00.005-07:00

Our faith is far too much like the toss of a coin. We are called to serve you, and we are often drawn away from you by the demands of the world. We sometimes flip a coin to decide what we shall do, rather than placing our whole trust in you to guide us. We collect the coins of the world, each coin bearing an image, a reminder of its owner. But you would have us understand that we are made in Your image. Our lives are the currency of your kingdom. We are cherished by you, called by you, sent by you. Forgive us when we worship our coins and turn our backs on serving you. Help us to remember whose people we are. AMEN.

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1st Reading Ecclesiastes 5:10-20
He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who
loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity. When goods
increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their
owner but to see them with his eyes? Sweet is the sleep of a laborer,
whether he eats little or much, but the full stomach of the rich will not
let him sleep. There is a grievous evil that I have seen under the sun:
riches were kept by their owner to his hurt, and those riches were lost
in a bad venture. And he is father of a son, but he has nothing in his
hand. As he came from his mother's womb he shall go again, naked
as he came, and shall take nothing for his toil that he may carry away
in his hand.

This also is a grievous evil: just as he came, so shall he go, and
what gain is there to him who toils for the wind? Moreover, all his days
he eats in darkness in much vexation and sickness and anger.
Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink
and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the
few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot. Everyone
also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to
enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil--this is the gift
of God. For he will not much remember the days of his life because
God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart.

2nd Lesson Hebrews 4:1-16
Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us
fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. For good
news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not
benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who
listened. For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said,
"As I swore in my wrath, 'They shall not enter my rest,'"
although his works were finished from the foundation of the world.
For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: "And
God rested on the seventh day from all his works." And again in this
passage he said, "They shall not enter my rest."

Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who
formerly received the good news failed to enter because of
disobedience, again he appoints a certain day, "Today," saying
through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted,
"Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts."

For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of
another day later on. So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the
people of God, for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested
from his works as God did from his.

Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by
the same sort of disobedience. For 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. And no creature is hidden from his sight,
but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must
give account.

Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the
heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For
we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our
weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we
are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the
throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in
time of need.

Gospel Lesson Mark 10:23-31
And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How difficult it
will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!" And
the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again,
"Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for
a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to
enter the kingdom of God." And they were exceedingly astonished,
and said to him, "Then who can be saved?"

Jesus looked at them and said, "With man it is impossible, but not
with God. For all things are possible with God."
Peter began to say to him, "See, we have left everything and
followed you."

Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house
or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my
sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this
time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and
lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. But many
who are first will be last, and the last first."

Message

Grace to you and Peace from God our Father and from our Lord
and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

Let us pray. Dear Lord God, may the words of my mouth and the
meditations of our hearts, be acceptable to you. I pray this in the
strength and the name of our Redeemer Jesus Christ. Amen.
In trying to prepare for today's message I found myself being
continually bombarded with distractions. Things that have drawn me
away from focusing on God, and I have to admit, Satan has had some
success this week in distracting me.

This past week has been one where the demands of the world have
had me tossing to and fro like the toss of a coin.

Yet amidst the turmoil of this week, there is one phrase out of the
readings that has remained with me this week, “For 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.”

A statement that puts a magnifying glass on my week and on my
life. In that statement, God's word, for me means only one thing,
Jesus Christ. He is alive and active. Jesus is not someone from the
past, whom we read about in history books. He is not like Moses and
David or the Apostle Paul, men who lived and died, someone whom
we read about, about their exploits and their actions, their lives. No,
Jesus is alive and active even to this day, almost two thousand years
after this statement was recorded. Jesus is alive and active in my life
and in yours too. And His words are as strong today as they were the
day He spoke them. They are sharper than any two edged sword.
In our Gospel Lesson today, we hear Jesus explain to his disciples,
his answer to a young rich man's question, “What must I do to inherit
eternal life?”

We all know the story, a young rich man bows before Jesus and
asks the question,“What must I do to inherit eternal life?” and Jesus
replies, follow the commandments of Moses. The young man
confirms he has done this since he was a young boy and then this is
where we see the sharp sword of Jesus, And Jesus, looking at him,
loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you
have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and
come, follow me.”

Jesus, pierces to the heart of the young rich man, separating, his
desire for eternal life and his desire for worldly wealth and worldly
comforts; making the young man decide between the two. And the
key here is that Jesus allows the young rich man to decide, Jesus
does not force the young man to pick eternal life, Jesus allows the
young man to decide.

We also all know how the young man choose; the young rich man
walks away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. The young man
could not, would not, allow his spiritual desire for eternal life guide him
in his earthly life.

In today's Gospel Lesson Jesus wields that sword again, but this
time with the disciples. Separating their desires here on earth and
their desires of eternal life. Jesus brings to light that mankind cannot
come to eternal life on our own. The draw of the worldly desires is too
strong for any of us to resist.

Alone, we are too weak to fight off the temptations of Satan and the
ways of the world. Solomon when he wrote, “He who loves money
with not be satisfied with money” knew this. Almost a thousand years
before Jesus was born, the people of Israel, knew that seeking worldly
wealth and pleasures was not the answer. Yet they still struggled, for
some, for many, their physical earthly desires overpowered their
spiritual desires. And things have not changed much since that time.
For they knew as we know. That when we pass on from this world,
all that we have accumulated in this world, remains in this world. We
take nothing with us. As one theologian wrote, we came into this
world naked and we shall go out of this world naked.

The difference is we do not have to go out of this world alone. We
can leave this world with Jesus right beside us. We can live in and
leave this world, filled with the Spirit of God.

The sword that Jesus wields is one that separates our earthly nature
from our spiritual nature, and in doing so shows us that those two
distinct entities are alive and are continually fighting for control. The
question is which one will win the battle. Will the desires of the
physical world, the desires for wealth, recognition and pleasures of
this world win out and control our spiritual side. Or will with the help of
the Spirit of God will our spiritual, eternal side win out and control our
physical desires?

It is a battle, no actually it is a war that rages within us. I use the
term war because in a war, battles are won and lost and that is how it
is with us. Sometimes our earthly side fuelled by our earthly desires,
fuelled by Satan, win a battle over our spiritual side. And without
Jesus by our side, without being filled by the Spirit of God, our spiritual
eternal nature can not and will not win any of those battles.

And there is one thing we have that can help us tremendously in
these internal battles and that is prayer. Prayer is trumpet sound
calling for re-enforcements. Prayer is the one thing Satan can not
fight against, a prayer for help brings Jesus wielding that sword.
Prayer is the key that unlocks God's armoury. The key is to use it, and
to use it as often as necessary. You can not wear out prayer, you can
not be like the little boy who cried wolf once too often, being ignored
when his cries for help were real.

God will not be upset with you for praying too much. God always
hears prayer and he always answers the prayer to win the battle.
Yet there are times when we lose a battle with Satan and at times it
seems we lose more than we win.. It does happen here on Earth, we
allow our physical nature, to over power our spiritual nature and we
lose a battle. Notice I said allow. Here let me give you an example.
This past week during our Bible study our discussions led us down
a path where we talked about the pros and cons of multi-generational
families living together. Each time a con was discussed, it was
introduced by the word “I”. I couldn't get along, I couldn't do that, I
want my space. The I word is of the physical world. We allow the
physical world to over power the spiritual world.

We all choose whom we want to get along with, we all choose what
we want to do and what we do not want to do. We allow “I” to
overpower prayer. We ask for God's help and then sometimes we
ignore it, we turn our back on it.

In my physical world, when someone asks for my help and ignores
it, it drives me crazy. The thought that runs through my mind is, why
waste my time if you are going to ignore it. Fortunately I am not God.
God's mercy and love for us is so great that when we mess up,
when we ignore Him, and then realize it. When we come seeking
forgiveness, He gives it. He picks us up, dusts off the dirt from the
battle field, and helps us start all over again, time after time after time.
For like God, we know who wins the war, we each have read the
ending, we know who wins and who loses and the ending is not good
for Satan and for those who allow their earthly nature control their
spiritual nature.

The task for each of us is learn to recognize those battles we can
not win alone and to call upon Jesus to wield His mighty sword in our
defence. The Apostle Paul put it this way, “No temptation has
overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will
not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he
will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”
(1 Corinthians 10:13) I encourage you to seek God in prayer, seek
those paths of escape in those battles you cannot win. Amen.

Let us pray. Dear Heavenly Father, we are torn beings, pulled
between earthly desires and our spiritual nature. Fill us anew with the
Holy Spirit and strengthen us for the battles in our lives.
We pray this in Jesus name. Amen.

Now, may the peace of God and the Love of Christ, which passes
all human understanding, keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Amen
________________________________________________________________________

Readings for October 25:
Revelations 14:6-7;
Romans 3:19-28;
John 8:31-36

________________________________________________________________________

God of infinite patience and wisdom, we come to you with so many things that claim our time, our energy, our resources, our very lives. We are easily drawn away from serving you by the enticements of the world for wealth, ease, and comfort. Just like the young man in the scriptures, we are owned by our possessions, held captive by our treasures. You continue to offer to us healing and hope. You seek to transform our lives from captivity to freedom in witness and service. Help us to place our lives and our trust in you, knowing that with your help, many wonderful things can be accomplished which will provide hope and peace for others and ourselves. Give us courage and strength to truly be your disciples. For we ask this in Jesus’ Name. AMEN.

♥

2009-10-11T21:14:00.005-07:00

1st Reading Joel 2:21-27
"Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice, for the LORD has done great
things! Fear not, you beasts of the field, for the pastures of the
wilderness are green; the tree bears its fruit; the fig tree and vine give
their full yield.
"Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God, for
he has given the early rain for your vindication; he has poured down
for you abundant rain, the early and the latter rain, as before.
"The threshing floors shall be full of grain; the vats shall overflow
with wine and oil. I will restore to you the years that the swarming
locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great
army, which I sent among you.
"You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the
LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people
shall never again be put to shame. You shall know that I am in the
midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God and there is none
else. And my people shall never again be put to shame.

2nd Lesson 1 s t Timothy 2:1-7
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions,
and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in
high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and
dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of
God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the
knowledge of the truth.
For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and
men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all,
which is the testimony given at the proper time. For this I was
appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not
lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

Gospel Lesson Matthew 6: 25-33
"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will
eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is
not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the
birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and
yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than
they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his
span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the
lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you,
even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if
God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and
tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you,
O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we
eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the
Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows
that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his
righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Message
Grace to you and Peace from God our Father and from our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

Let us pray. Dear Lord God, may the words of my mouth and the
meditations of our hearts, be acceptable to you. I pray this in the
strength and the name of our Redeemer Jesus Christ. Amen.

As we gather this Thanksgiving Day, as we gather to give thanks to
God our creator, I have a confession, I have had a tough time living
last week's message of “Growing down and have faith like a little
child”. God put me to the test and I failed. Last Sunday afternoon, I
came back here to do a little work and found about 7 or 8 individuals
huddled behind some bushes in the church's front yard. As I walked
by, I saw some drug paraphernalia being passed around and I really
did not want to deal with them and I didn't. I walked inside and called
the RCMP and let them deal with them. And my actions or lack there
of, troubled me this week. Instead of meeting those people and
bringing Jesus to them, I left them to themselves. I left them to Satan.

And again yesterday, God gave me and this time the MAP group a
chance to reach out. As we were getting ready to have our time
together and share a simple breakfast, one of the local street people,
James, came into the coffee room wondering if he could join us for
breakfast and warm up. This time I, we faired a little better, we invited
him to join us and as we sat down we began to bless our meal with
the singing of the Doxology and ended with a simple blessing over our
time and food. James continued with singing Amazing Grace, we
joined in on the first verse and left James to sing the second verse.
And as we finished up, I brought out a Bible a read from it and from
“Our Daily Bread” Devotions, yesterday's devotion on speaking the
truth in the face of opposition and we began to discuss it. And James
participated for a couple of minutes, then he got and left.

And as our discussion ended, we talked about the primary
responsibility Jesus gave us: to bring the Word of God to the people.
And how if next Saturday James shows up, there is going to be a
condition to the meal and warming up. And that is to stay for the
entire time to hear the Word of God and the discussion.

And you may be wondering what do these events have to do with
today, Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is all about second chances and
third chances and fourth chances and more.

We gather today with an emphasis or theme today of thanksgiving,
of thanking God for all he has done for us this year. There are many
things we are to be thankful for, and although this has been a difficult
year for many of us, we still have much to be thankful for. And I could
list of many things and many individuals who are thankful, but the
primary thing we really need to be thankful for is second chances, the
second chances God give us; that second chance, third chance and
fourth chance, comes to us through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.

God loves each one of us so much that He provides us second
chances to make up for the mistakes we have made. He forgives us
for the opportunities we have turned our backs upon and allows us
another chance. And so we come together today, to worship and
praise our Lord Jesus Christ and His Father in Heaven. We also
gather to say “Thank You God for second chances, thank you for
loving for us. We come together to give thanks. To express our
gratitude to our Creator and to Jesus who gave Himself up for us and
paid the price for each of us to have that second chance.

And in thinking of gratitude and giving thanks, I am reminded of
Martin Luther's comment about gratitude, “Gratitude consists of more
than the expression, I thank you, Lord.1”

It is more than just telling God we are thankful, giving thanks is
about showing we are thankful for second chances. What good is a
second chance if we do not take it? What good is asking for a second
chance, thanking God for a second chance and then turn our backs on
it as well?

Briefly during last Sunday's Before Service Study the discussion
turned to what is our primary goal as a Christian. And that is to make
disciples of Jesus Christ. Not to make believers, because only God
can do that, we are called to make disciples, to make students of
Jesus. We are called to bring the Word of God to those who have not
heard it. We are called to introduce people to Jesus. That is our
primary goal, but first it has to begin with ourselves.

In following through with making disciples, are we introducing
people to an acquaintance to someone we know in passing.
Someone we acknowledge as we walk down the street. Or are we
introducing our best friend to them? To our best friend who not only
cares for us but laid His life down for us. Are we introducing people to
that best friend, who has desire and longing to know everyone as He
knows us?

Because it is one thing to introduce one acquaintance to another,
but it is another thing entirely to introduce your best friend to someone
in need. In introducing acquaintances to each others, we can have an
almost, “Oh well if it doesn't it happen – nothing lost” attitude. But
when it comes to our best friend, do we have that same opinion - “Oh
well, it didn't happen nothing lost – maybe next time.” Sometimes we
do, and sometimes we don't. Last Sunday, for me that is how I felt.
And that is where second chances come in. We are given second
chances to change our opinion from “Oh well, it didn't happen –
nothing lost” to “This is important and we, I have to do it.” And that
change will only come about, if Jesus becoming our best friend is a
priority in our lives.

This past week, Melody and I were talking through the Internet as
we do, three or four times a day. And in one of our discussions, we
talked about priorities. We spoke about her priorities and my priorities.
Of how very high on our priority list is for us to be together
and for her to get healthy again. But we also discussed how those are
not our number one priorities. Our number one priority is Jesus
Christ. And how we are thankful He is our number one priority.
This is not a new discussion for us, it is one that we have had in the
past and how we are thankful that He is our number one priority.
Because there are many times in our lives that if He was not our
number one priority, we are not sure where we would be. It is also a
discussion we will continue to have in the future to help us remind
each other of the commitment we have made to Him, the commitment
of making Him the number one priority in our lives.

We are also very thankful that when our focus in our lives moves
away from Him and that does happen to each of us, He is standing
there in the wings of our lives, just waiting to give us another chance.
God is there willing to give us that second chance to make Him and
His Son number one in our lives and to use our lives to express our
gratitude for all that he has done of each of us.

And He has done an enormous amount for us. He has cared for us
when we can't care for ourselves. As Melody and I have placed God
as our number one priority in our lives, he has cared for us and our
needs. He has fulfilled and continues to fulfil His promise to us. The
promise Jesus made in the Gospel Lesson today, “But seek first the
kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be
added to you.”

As I finish today's message, I want to plant a seed in each one of
you, and over the next couple of days as we gather with our friends
and families to share a Thanksgiving meal, as we share in laughter
and in memories and maybe some tears too, I pray that God will
germinate that seed in each one of you. And that seed is this, “Giving
thanks, expressing gratitude for all that God has done for you is more
than saying, 'Thank you God.” Amen.

Let us pray. Dear Heavenly Father, You made each one of us a
priority in your Being. Help us Lord to make You a priority in our lives.
We pray this in Jesus name. Amen.

Now, may the peace of God and the Love of Christ, which passes all
human understanding, keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Amen

1Luther, Martin: Pelikan, Jaroslav Jan (Hrsg.) ; Oswald, Hilton C. (Hrsg.) ; Lehmann, Helmut T.
(Hrsg.): Luther's Works, Vol. 28 : 1 Corinthians 7, 1 Corinthians 15, Lectures on 1 Timothy. Saint Louis
: Concordia Publishing House, 1999, c1973 (Luther's Works 28), S. 28:258

Prayer of the Day ---Give us this day our daily bread,
O Father in heaven, and grant that we who are filled
with good things from Your open hand, may never close
our hearts to the hungry, the homeless, and the poor; We
ask this in Jesus name. Amen.

Readings for October 18:
Ecclesiastes 5 :10-20;
Hebrews 4:1-13;
Mark 10:23-31

2009-10-05T13:51:00.005-07:00

Old Testament Reading Genesis 2:18-25
Then the LORD God said, "It is not good that the man should be
alone; I will make him a helper fit for him." Now out of the ground the
LORD God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the
heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them.
And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name.
The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens
and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a
helper fit for him. So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon
the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its
place with flesh. And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the
man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the
man said, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she
shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man."
Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to
his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife
were both naked and were not ashamed.

Epistle Lesson Hebrews 2:1-13
Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have
heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by
angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience
received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a
great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was
attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by
signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit
distributed according to his will. Now it was not to angels that God
subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. It has been
testified somewhere, "What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the
son of man, that you care for him? You made him for a little while
lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor,
putting everything in subjection under his feet." Now in putting
everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At
present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. But we see
him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely
Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of
death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in
bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their
salvation perfect through suffering. For he who sanctifies and those
who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed
to call them brothers, saying, "I will tell of your name to my brothers; in
the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise." And again, "I will
put my trust in him." And again, "Behold, I and the children God has
given me."

Gospel Lesson Mark 10:2-16
And Pharisees came up and in order to test him asked, "Is it lawful
for a man to divorce his wife?" He answered them, "What did Moses
command you?" They said, "Moses allowed a man to write a
certificate of divorce and to send her away." And Jesus said to them,
"Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment.
But from the beginning of creation, 'God made them male and female.'
'Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his
wife, and the two shall become one flesh.' So they are no longer two
but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man
separate." And in the house the disciples asked him again about this
matter. And he said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries
another commits adultery against her, and if she divorces her husband
and marries another, she commits adultery." And they were bringing
children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked
them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, "Let
the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the
kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the
kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it." And he took them in his
arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.

Message

Grace to you and Peace from God our Father and from our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

Let us pray. Dear Lord God, may the words of my mouth and the
meditations of our hearts, be acceptable to you. I pray this in the
strength and name of our Redeemer Jesus Christ. Amen.

In today's society of Christian bodies, Lutherans have a reputation
and that reputation is associated with guilt. Not quite as much as the
Roman Catholics but close. Think about it; how did we begin our
worship service – with public confession and absolution. This
morning's service and every Sunday service begins with a prayer of
confession. Remember what we prayed, “we confess that we are in
bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves”.

As Lutherans, we believe that Gospel is not Gospel without the Law.
The Good News is not Good News unless we know the Bad News.
And the Law brings us the Bad News. The Law shows us our sin and
our guilt.

And for some of you, you may ask the question, “Why? Why is
there such a strong emphasis on guilt?” The answer is very simple.
Because the road to the Grace of God, takes us through the land of
recognition, guilt admission and repentance. And we cannot get to the
Grace of God unless we travel through all those lands. And of those four
lands, Guilt is the most long lasting and the most painful.

We start off in the Land of Recognition, we begin with needing to
recognize who God is; He is the creator of the Universe, we then need
to recognize who Jesus is, His Son with whom the Universe was
created. Next we need to recognize the fact God created the rules or
laws that hold our universe together, laws of interaction that keep
peace and order in the universe. Laws keeping the interaction
between the heavenly bodies at peace and in order and laws keeping
the interaction between us and God and laws keeping the interaction
between all of us in peace and order. We also have to recognize that
when that peace and order is broken, there are consequences.
Whether the peace and order between two heavenly bodies is broken,
or between you and I or between us and God. We have to recognize
there are consequences.

That recognition leads us to the Land of Admission, we admit we are
not in control, we admit there is a higher plane of peace and order; we
admit we have messed up. We admit that God exists and we admit
we are not gods. We admit our faults and wrong doings.
That admission leads us to the entrance to the Land of Guilt. We
begin to understand the effects of breaking the peace and order God
has laid out for us. As we travel through this land we feel a heaviness
on our spiritual hearts, for the pain and suffering we have caused.
And we come to God, the Creator of All, seeking help. We ask God to
take away this heaviness, because we cannot live with it. We need
help, His help. We admit to our wrong doing and we admit there is a
price to pay for those wrong doings. And we recognize we are
accountable for the breaking of God's peace and order and we are lost
in the Land of Guilt.

And that is where Jesus meets us on our journey to the Land of
Grace. He comes to us, introduces Himself to us and offers to pay the
price for our wrong doings, to lift the burden of heaviness from our
shoulders and our hearts. He calls out, “Come follow Me!” He
promises never to leave us as we continue on this journey to the
Grace of God. He leads us to Land of Repentance. And He continues
to be with us as we change our life and our understanding of how we
need to interact with each other and with Him and His Father, our
Father the creator of all. And that leads us to the Land of Grace.
Where God our Father forgives us and welcomes into His arms,
saying to us , “Welcome home lost little one.”

That path, that journey sounds nice and orderly but in reality the path is
fraught with bumps and potholes and fallen trees. The lands are well
defined but the path through each is anything but that. Each one of us
has our own path to take through each one of the Lands that lead to
the Grace of God, but we each need to travel through each land.
There is no short cut through to the Grace of God.

And we Lutherans we like our peace and order, it must be that
German heritage. We like peace and order so much we have become
ingrained with peace and order, we have taken that peace and order
into our relationships with and our faith in Jesus Christ and God our
Father. We end up structuring our relationship in peace and order,
almost as if, you do this part then I will do that part.

As Lutherans we truly take to heart Paul's instructions to the both
the people of Ephesus and Corinth of when we meet to praise and
worship our Creator and Saviour, we do so in an orderly manner and
then we put that same orderly conduct into our relationship with God.
And in doing we have lost sight that peace and order is not what is
of primary importance. What is of primary importance is our
relationship, our faith and that is what Jesus is talking about in our
Gospel Lesson this morning when He tells his disciples, “Let the
children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the
kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the
kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

Jesus is telling us to loosen up our relationship with Him and with
God our Father. Because faith in reality is about relationships not
about peace and order. It's not about, “You do this then I will do that.”
Jesus gives us the example of little children, we are to have a
relationship with Him and with God like little children.

Many of us here are grandparents and those of us who are, know
the relationship we have with our grandchildren, especially if they are
young. It is a unique bond that I wish each and everyone of us could
experience and in some ways each one of us can. The relationship
between a grandchild and a grandparent is unique, especially when
they are young. It is almost as if they idolize you, they will do anything
to please you, they will do anything to get your attention, they will do
anything you ask. Just raise your voice to a young grandchild and
then watch them as they will almost melt. It breaks your heart. Under
the burden of guilt they feel, they run and hide – sound familiar?
I remember this past summer our 7 year old grandson, Brandon
came and stayed with Melody and I for two weeks. One day, we were
in the back yard and Melody was in the house. And Brandon without
any hesitation walks, almost runs over to our slightly overgrown flower
garden and starts pulling out daffodils, roots and all. And once he had
a fistful he headed into the house,. As he is traipsing up the stairs
I ask him, “What he is doing?”
He replied with a determined voice, “I'm going to give Nana some
flowers.” Brandon wanted to do something to gain Nana's attention
and not only receive but show his love for her. To him it didn't matter
whether he was going about it in an peaceful and orderly matter or
not; or that the roots and dirt were still hanging from the stems of
the flowers.

That type of relationship between grandparent and grandchild is
what Jesus is talking about. A free flowing, I trust them implicitly and I
will do anything for them relationship. That is what Jesus is trying to
get across to his disciples and to you and me in terms of our
relationship with Him and His Father.

But somewhere along the way, our relationship has changed. Much
the same way little children change when they become older, when
they hit the teenage years. They seem to change, they no longer
have that same relationship with us. They seem to know better, the
world tells them to know better. They do not seem to have the same
desire to please as when they were little. The desire to be around us
disappears, even though we our desire to be around them has not
changed. Their priorities change, ask them to do something the
common response, “OK, in a few minutes, I am busy.” The
distractions of this world contaminate and dilute that child like love.
The same is true in our relationship with Jesus. Talk to someone
who is just entered the Land of Grace and has had the burden of guilt
lifted and they are like the little children Jesus wants us to be like,
always. But somewhere along the way we “mature” in our faith, we
become more orderly but unfortunately not always more peaceful.
Our relationship changes, we become like many of the adolescents of
this age, sometimes rebellious, sometimes, the “we know better”
attitude creeps in and we lose that desire to gain God's attention and
love like a little child. The priority in our lives changes from spiritual to
secular.

And I think we are to blame for this change. How many times do we
see a teenager acting like a little child? And how many times have we
heard these words, and probably out of our own mouths, “Grow up!
Act your age!” There is an expectation of responsibility. We do the
same things in our faith, in our relationship with Jesus. We may not
come out and say it to someone who has that child like faith, but our
body language and our actions say the same thing, “Grow up! Act
your age!” But deep down we admire those who have that kind of
faith, but we are afraid to admit it or even seek it.

So this week I encourage to, “Grow down!, Act like a little child in
your relationship with Jesus Christ!”

Because, quoting a very wise man, “whoever does not receive the
kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

Now, may the peace of God and the Love of Christ, which passes all
human understanding, keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Amen

St Andrews Lutheran Church - 04/10/09 - Pastor Steven Herbert

Sovereign God, you have created us to live in loving community with one
another. Form us for life that is faithful and steadfast, and teach us to trust
like little children, that we may reflect the image of your Son, Jesus Christ.
In the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

Lectionary Readings for October 11 2009

Amos 5:6-7,10-15; Hebrews 3:12-19 ; Mark 10:17-22