God watched over

“Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him into slavery in Egypt. God was with him, however, and rescued him from all his troubles. The grace and wisdom he gave Joseph were recognized by Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler over Egypt and over his whole palace. A famine came upon all Egypt and Canaan, and great hardship came with it. Our ancestors had nothing to eat. When Jacob heard there was grain in Egypt, he sent our ancestors there for the first time. During their second visit, Joseph told his brothers who he was, and Pharaoh learned about Joseph’s family. Joseph sent for his father Jacob and all his relatives—seventy-five in all—and invited them to live with him. So Jacob went down to Egypt, where he and our ancestors died. Their bodies were brought back to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had purchased for a certain sum of money from Hamor’s children, who lived in Shechem. (Acts 7:9-16, CEB)

We are told that when we follow God that life will be easy and a walk in the park. Yes, it will be a walk in the park, Jurassic Park. And hard times will still come and be a part of what we endure.

When we follow Christ, God says they will never leave us or forsake us. So they walk with us through the hard times. They joined Joseph in Egypt and made a way for Jacob to be there and to be cared for.

Life is not a rose garden and easy. Life sometimes is hard, but God is always there.

Loving People. Loving God.

dead faith

My brothers and sisters, what good is it if people say they have faith but do nothing to show it? Claiming to have faith can’t save anyone, can it? Imagine a brother or sister who is naked and never has enough food to eat. What if one of you said, “Go in peace! Stay warm! Have a nice meal!”? What good is it if you don’t actually give them what their body needs? In the same way, faith is dead when it doesn’t result in faithful activity. Someone might claim, “You have faith and I have action.” But how can I see your faith apart from your actions? Instead, I’ll show you my faith by putting it into practice in faithful action. It’s good that you believe that God is one. Ha! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble with fear. Are you so slow? Do you need to be shown that faith without actions has no value at all? What about Abraham, our father? Wasn’t he shown to be righteous through his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? See, his faith was at work along with his actions. In fact, his faith was made complete by his faithful actions. So the scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed God, and God regarded him as righteous. What is more, Abraham was called God’s friend. So you see that a person is shown to be righteous through faithful actions and not through faith alone. In the same way, wasn’t Rahab the prostitute shown to be righteous when she received the messengers as her guests and then sent them on by another road? As the lifeless body is dead, so faith without actions is dead. (James 2:14-26, CEB)

Martin Luther had issues with the book of James because it plainly says faith without works is dead. However, Luther told us that we are not saved by works, we are saved by faith. Works do not get us into God’s good graces, but works are needed to prove our faith is not dead.

If we say we follow Christ but tell a homeless person to stay warm and sleep well, do we really follow Christ?

Words mean nothing without action.

Faith without works is dead. And while grace saves us, God saves us for good works to show the world God’s love.

Loving People. Loving God.

rejects

“How terrible it will be for you, Chorazin. How terrible it will be for you, Bethsaida. If the miracles done among you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have changed their hearts and lives long ago. They would have sat around in funeral clothes and ashes. But Tyre and Sidon will be better off at the judgment than you. And you, Capernaum, will you be honored by being raised up to heaven? No, you will be cast down to the place of the dead. Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. Whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.” (Luke 10:13-16, CEB)

Who are we rejecting by not listening?

Who says something we disagree with, and we just ignore them, rather than listen and possibly learn? We might be listening to God.

Watch who you reject, they may just be an angel.

Loving People. Loving God.

mob mentallity

Once they heard this, they were beside themselves with anger and began to shout, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” The city was thrown into turmoil. They rushed as one into the theater. They seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from the province of Macedonia. Paul wanted to appear before the assembly, but the disciples wouldn’t allow him. Even some officials of the province of Asia, who were Paul’s friends, sent word to him, urging him not to risk going into the theater. Meanwhile, the assembly was in a state of confusion. Some shouted one thing, others shouted something else, and most of the crowd didn’t know why they had gathered. The Jews sent Alexander to the front, and some of the crowd directed their words toward him. He gestured that he wanted to offer a defense before the assembly, but when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” This continued for about two hours. The city manager brought order to the crowd and said, “People of Ephesus, doesn’t everyone know that the city of Ephesus is guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven? Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you must calm down. Don’t be reckless. The men you brought here have neither robbed the temple nor slandered our goddess. Therefore, if Demetrius and the craftspeople with him have a charge against anyone, the courts are in session and governors are available. They can press charges against each other there. Additional disputes can be resolved in a legal assembly. As for us, we are in danger of being charged with rioting today, since we can’t justify this unruly gathering.” After he said this, he dismissed the assembly. (Acts 19:28-41, CEB)

People will follow on a whim. If you convince them that something is awry, and it does not have to be convincing by truth.

We see this in the triumphal entry, the handing over of Jesus for crucifixion, and here.

Here, though, a voice of reason disperses the crowd.

Who is the voice of reason today?

Who stands in the gap to help us see the truth?

Can you stand in the gap and proclaim the truth of God?

Loving People. Loving God.

What is a god?

Once these things had come to an end, Paul, guided by the Spirit, decided to return to Jerusalem, taking a route that would carry him through the provinces of Macedonia and Achaia. He said, “After I have been there, I must visit Rome as well.” He sent two of his assistants, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he remained awhile in the province of Asia. At that time a great disturbance erupted about the Way. There was a silversmith named Demetrius. He made silver models of Artemis’ temple, and his business generated a lot of profit for the craftspeople. He called a meeting with these craftspeople and others working in related trades and said, “Friends, you know that we make an easy living from this business. And you can see and hear that this Paul has convinced and misled a lot of people, not only in Ephesus but also throughout most of the province of Asia. He says that gods made by human hands aren’t really gods. This poses a danger not only by discrediting our trade but also by completely dishonoring the great goddess Artemis. The whole province of Asia—indeed, the entire civilized world—worships her, but her splendor will soon be extinguished.” (Acts 19:21-27, CEB)

This passage hits on a point that I think we do not really think about. What is a god?

Notice I said god, and not God. There is a difference. God is the creator of everything that has been made, and god is anything in our lives that gets in the way of God.

Silver statues, boats, homes, comfort for us and not others, power. All of these are gods and people make money off of them and use them to keep others in place.

I have preached for stewardship campaigns before: “Show me your checkbook and I’ll show you your god.”

We all have god(s) that keep us from following God. We need to identify them and ask for help to lay them aside.

Lay aside your gods and follow God, loving all of God’s creation.

Loving People. Loving God.

listens

After these things, the Lord commissioned seventy-two others and sent them on ahead in pairs to every city and place he was about to go. He said to them, “The harvest is bigger than you can imagine, but there are few workers. Therefore, plead with the Lord of the harvest to send out workers for his harvest. Go! Be warned, though, that I’m sending you out as lambs among wolves. Carry no wallet, no bag, and no sandals. Don’t even greet anyone along the way. Whenever you enter a house, first say, ‘May peace be on this house.’ If anyone there shares God’s peace, then your peace will rest on that person. If not, your blessing will return to you. Remain in this house, eating and drinking whatever they set before you, for workers deserve their pay. Don’t move from house to house. Whenever you enter a city and its people welcome you, eat what they set before you. Heal the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘God’s kingdom has come upon you.’ Whenever you enter a city and the people don’t welcome you, go out into the streets and say, ‘As a complaint against you, we brush off the dust of your city that has collected on our feet. But know this: God’s kingdom has come to you.’ Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. Whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.” The seventy-two returned joyously, saying, “Lord, even the demons submit themselves to us in your name.” Jesus replied, “I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning. Look, I have given you authority to crush snakes and scorpions underfoot. I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy. Nothing will harm you. Nevertheless, don’t rejoice because the spirits submit to you. Rejoice instead that your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:1-11, 16-20, CEB)

Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. Whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.

Take nothing on your journey and depend upon the gratitude of others. If they do not welcome or listen, shake the dust off your feet and leave.

We need to entertain all sojourners, for they may be angels, and come to give us a message from God.

Welcome all and know you may be entertaining God.

Loving People. Loving God.

Take nothing

Jesus called the Twelve together and he gave them power and authority over all demons and to heal sicknesses. He sent them out to proclaim God’s kingdom and to heal the sick. He told them, “Take nothing for the journey—no walking stick, no bag, no bread, no money, not even an extra shirt. Whatever house you enter, remain there until you leave that place. Wherever they don’t welcome you, as you leave that city, shake the dust off your feet as a witness against them.” They departed and went through the villages proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere. (Luke 9:1-6, CEB)

Go into the world and teach them about God’s love and grace.

Take nothing for the journey:
No walking stick
No bag
No bread
No money
Not even any clothing.

Stay in the same place until you move on, and if they do not welcome you, do not even take the dirt from their lands.

Heal and love, and depend on others.

We need to welcome the sojourner, for they may be an angel sent from God.

Loving People. Loving God.

work of grace

Brothers and sisters, we want to let you know about the grace of God that was given to the churches of Macedonia. While they were being tested by many problems, their extra amount of happiness and their extreme poverty resulted in a surplus of rich generosity. I assure you that they gave what they could afford and even more than they could afford, and they did it voluntarily. They urgently begged us for the privilege of sharing in this service for the saints. They even exceeded our expectations, because they gave themselves to the Lord first and to us, consistent with God’s will. As a result, we challenged Titus to finish this work of grace with you the way he had started it. Be the best in this work of grace in the same way that you are the best in everything, such as faith, speech, knowledge, total commitment, and the love we inspired in you. (2 Corinthians 8:1-7, CEB)

Be the best in this work of grace in the same you you are the best in everything else.

Can you imagine what the world would be like if we were all the best in the work of grace? If we all moved to give grace away and did everything for the best of the other, rather than looking out for ourselves?

How great would the world be?

Loving People. Loving God.

Do do…

We know that the Law is spiritual, but I’m made of flesh and blood, and I’m sold as a slave to sin. I don’t know what I’m doing, because I don’t do what I want to do. Instead, I do the thing that I hate. But if I’m doing the thing that I don’t want to do, I’m agreeing that the Law is right. But now I’m not the one doing it anymore. Instead, it’s sin that lives in me. I know that good doesn’t live in me—that is, in my body. The desire to do good is inside of me, but I can’t do it. I don’t do the good that I want to do, but I do the evil that I don’t want to do. But if I do the very thing that I don’t want to do, then I’m not the one doing it anymore. Instead, it is sin that lives in me that is doing it. So I find that, as a rule, when I want to do what is good, evil is right there with me. I gladly agree with the Law on the inside, but I see a different law at work in my body. It wages a war against the law of my mind and takes me prisoner with the law of sin that is in my body. I’m a miserable human being. Who will deliver me from this dead corpse? Thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then I’m a slave to God’s Law in my mind, but I’m a slave to sin’s law in my body. (Romans 7:14-25, CEB)

Ha, yes, the 13 year old boy in me laughs at this text because Paul says he does not do what he wants to do, he does what is does not want to do. I do do the things I do not want to do.

But are not we all really there? We do the things we wish we did not do and don’t do the things that are loving and living into God’s grace.

We need to stop listening to our sinful self and listen to God and allow God to work through us.

Then we will do what God leads us to and show Love in everything.

Loving People. Loving God.

Stand firm

“Look, I’m sending you as sheep among wolves. Therefore, be wise as snakes and innocent as doves. Watch out for people—because they will hand you over to councils and they will beat you in their synagogues. They will haul you in front of governors and even kings because of me so that you may give your testimony to them and to the Gentiles. Whenever they hand you over, don’t worry about how to speak or what you will say, because what you can say will be given to you at that moment. You aren’t doing the talking, but the Spirit of my Father is doing the talking through you. Brothers and sisters will hand each other over to be executed. A father will turn his child in. Children will defy their parents and have them executed. Everyone will hate you on account of my name. But whoever stands firm until the end will be saved. Whenever they harass you in one city, escape to the next, because I assure that you will not go through all the cities of Israel before the Human One comes. “Disciples aren’t greater than their teacher, and slaves aren’t greater than their master. It’s enough for disciples to be like their teacher and slaves like their master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, it’s certain that they will call the members of his household by even worse names. (Matthew 10:16-25, CEB)

Trials will come and those you thought were for you will turn against you. But stand firm in the Lord.

Know that no matter what happens that God is always with you and will give you the words to say, if you remain in the love given to you by God and share that consistently with the world.

It will not be easy, but you will never be alone.

Stand Firm.

Loving People. Loving God.