Focus

Nobody should deceive you with stupid ideas. God’s anger comes down on those who are disobedient because of this kind of thing. So you shouldn’t have anything to do with them. You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord, so live your life as children of light. Light produces fruit that consists of every sort of goodness, justice, and truth. Therefore, test everything to see what’s pleasing to the Lord, and don’t participate in the unfruitful actions of darkness. Instead, you should reveal the truth about them. It’s embarrassing to even talk about what certain persons do in secret. But everything exposed to the light is revealed by the light. Everything that is revealed by the light is light. Therefore, it says, Wake up, sleeper! Get up from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. So be careful to live your life wisely, not foolishly. Take advantage of every opportunity because these are evil times. Because of this, don’t be ignorant, but understand the Lord’s will. Don’t get drunk on wine, which produces depravity. Instead, be filled with the Spirit in the following ways: speak to each other with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; sing and make music to the Lord in your hearts; always give thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; (Ephesians 5:6-20, CEB)

Where is your focus?

The author of Ephesians says nobody should deceive you with stupid ideas, and you do what is pleasing to the Lord, and do not practice unfruitful actions of darkness.

What is an unfruitful action of darkness?

I believe this is when we focus on our self and making sure our needs are met over being love and light in the world. When we do not focus on Jesus and what he has called us to do and be.

Don’t be ignorant understand what Jesus has called you to and focus on Jesus.

Loving People. Loving God.

claims light

Dear friends, I’m not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the message you heard. On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light already shines. The one who claims to be in the light while hating a brother or sister is in the darkness even now. The person loving a brother and sister stays in the light, and there is nothing in the light that causes a person to stumble. But the person who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and lives in the darkness, and doesn’t know where to go because the darkness blinds the eyes. (1 John 2:7-11, CEB)

If you hate anyone, you are not following Jesus. “The one who claims to be in the light while hating a brother or sister is in the darkness even now.”

So, what is hate? M-W.com says:
as a Noun:
1 a: intense hostility and aversion usually deriving from fear, anger, or sense of injury
b: extreme dislike or disgust : antipathy, loathing
c: a systematic and especially politically exploited expression of hatred
2: an object of hatred
as a Transitive Verb:
1: to feel extreme enmity toward : to regard with active hostility
2: to have a strong aversion to : find very distasteful
as an Intransitive Verb:
: to express or feel extreme enmity or active hostility

When you dislike a person’s lifestyle, that is hate. But wait a minute, I am just showing them the love I was shown in the Bible by telling them that their lifestyle is leading them to damnation and separation from God. Seriously? You are using a book that leads us to love all of creation for hate, which 1 John tells us is what takes us out of the light?

Do not hate. Lift others up as God does.

Walk in the light and show love to all of God’s children.

Loving People. Loving God.

whose way?

As the time approached when Jesus was to be taken up into heaven, he determined to go to Jerusalem. He sent messengers on ahead of him. Along the way, they entered a Samaritan village to prepare for his arrival, but the Samaritan villagers refused to welcome him because he was determined to go to Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to consume them?” But Jesus turned and spoke sternly to them, and they went on to another village. As Jesus and his disciples traveled along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and the birds in the sky have nests, but the Human One has no place to lay his head.” Then Jesus said to someone else, “Follow me.” He replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead. But you go and spread the news of God’s kingdom.” Someone else said to Jesus, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say good-bye to those in my house.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts a hand on the plow and looks back is fit for God’s kingdom.” (Luke 9:51-62, CEB)

When we decide to do what Jesus told us to do, who determines what happens next? Us or God?

James and John wanted to rain down fire from heaven because people were not welcoming to Jesus, and those who were to follow wanted to do other things before fully committing.

Unlike a lot of things in our Lutheran understanding, this really isn’t a gray area. We are either in and doing what Jesus told us to do, or we are not doing what Jesus told us to do. Jesus chooses what happens, not us.

We need to love all people, not call for fire from heaven on those who think or act differently from us. We do not get to hate people because they sin differently than we do.

Following Jesus means we love unconditionally.

Loving People. Loving God.

ashamed…

Jesus gave them strict orders not to tell this to anyone. He said, “The Human One must suffer many things and be rejected—by the elders, chief priests, and the legal experts—and be killed and be raised on the third day.” Jesus said to everyone, “All who want to come after me must say no to themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow me. All who want to save their lives will lose them. But all who lose their lives because of me will save them. What advantage do people have if they gain the whole world for themselves yet perish or lose their lives? Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Human One will be ashamed of that person when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. I assure you that some standing here won’t die before they see God’s kingdom.” (Luke 9:21-27, CEB)

Jesus said, “Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Human One will be ashamed of that person when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”

What does it mean to be ashamed? M-W.com says:
1 a: feeling shame, guilt, or disgrace
b: feeling inferior or unworthy
2: reluctant or unwilling to do something because of shame or embarrassment

The second definition, I think, plays in nicely here. Anyone who is reluctant or unwilling to do what I have told you to do, I will be ashamed of when they come before the father. When you are unwilling to be who Jesus calls you to be because you will be embarrassed or shamed around your people, or have to admit you were wrong, Jesus will be ashamed.

Why not just admit you were wrong and learn and move forward and love and do what Jesus calls us to do?

Love like Jesus.

Loving People. Loving God.

known by God

At the time, when you didn’t know God, you were enslaved by things that aren’t gods by nature. But now, after knowing God (or rather, being known by God), how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless world system? Do you want to be slaves to it again? You observe religious days and months and seasons and years. I’m afraid for you! Perhaps my hard work for you has been for nothing. I beg you to be like me, brothers and sisters, because I have become like you! You haven’t wronged me. You know that I first preached the gospel to you because of an illness. Though my poor health burdened you, you didn’t look down on me or reject me, but you welcomed me as if I were an angel from God, or as if I were Christ Jesus! Where then is the great attitude that you had? I swear that, if possible, you would have dug out your eyes and given them to me. So then, have I become your enemy by telling you the truth? They are so concerned about you, though not with good intentions. Rather, they want to shut you out so that you would run after them. However, it’s always good to have people concerned about you with good intentions, and not just when I’m there with you. My little children, I’m going through labor pains again until Christ is formed in you. But I wish I could be with you now and change how I sound, because I’m at a loss about you. (Galatians 4:8-20, CEB)

Paul tells the Galatians now that they know God, or more to the point, are known by God, how can they go back to what they knew before?

We are all known by God better than we know ourselves. How can we be who we were, now that we know we are known and loved by the creator of the universe?

How?

Loving People. Loving God.

truth

Examine yourselves to see if you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Don’t you understand that Jesus Christ is in you? Unless, of course, you fail the test. But I hope that you will realize that we don’t fail the test. We pray to God that you don’t do anything wrong, not because we want to appear to pass the test but so that you might do the right thing, even if we appear to fail. We can’t do anything against the truth but only to help the truth. We are happy when we are weak but you are strong. We pray for this: that you will be made complete. This is why I’m writing these things while I’m away. I’m writing so that I won’t need to act harshly when I’m with you by using the authority that the Lord gave me. He gave it to me so that I could build you up, not tear you down. (2 Corinthians 13:5-10, CEB)

We can not do anything against the truth. For the truth will always come through.

We do not do what is right to pass the test, but to help the truth.

I speak love to help the truth.

Do you help the truth?

Loving People. Loving God.

overwhelmed

The next day, when Jesus, Peter, John, and James had come down from the mountain, a large crowd met Jesus. A man from the crowd shouted, “Teacher, I beg you to take a look at my son, my only child. Look, a spirit seizes him and, without any warning, he screams. It shakes him and causes him to foam at the mouth. It tortures him and rarely leaves him alone. I begged your disciples to throw it out, but they couldn’t.” Jesus answered, “You faithless and crooked generation, how long will I be with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.” While he was coming, the demon threw him down and shook him violently. Jesus spoke harshly to the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father. Everyone was overwhelmed by God’s greatness. (Luke 9:37-43a, CEB)

Why do you follow Jesus?

Is it to get healed from your demons?

Is it because you have seen great things and want some of that too?

When we follow to get something, we will not get that.

Why couldn’t the disciples cast out the demon? The reading doesn’t say. So we can conjecture. Maybe their faith wasn’t strong enough, maybe they didn’t think they could do it as well as Jesus, and the demon could sense that and didn’t listen.

How many times do we fail because we think we will fail?

If we could see what God sees, we would not lose faith.

Believe and do great things than these…

Loving People. Loving God.

one group

So remember that once you were Gentiles by physical descent, who were called “uncircumcised” by Jews who are physically circumcised. At that time you were without Christ. You were aliens rather than citizens of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of God’s promise. In this world you had no hope and no God. But now, thanks to Christ Jesus, you who once were so far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. Christ is our peace. He made both Jews and Gentiles into one group. With his body, he broke down the barrier of hatred that divided us. He canceled the detailed rules of the Law so that he could create one new person out of the two groups, making peace. He reconciled them both as one body to God by the cross, which ended the hostility to God. When he came, he announced the good news of peace to you who were far away from God and to those who were near. We both have access to the Father through Christ by the one Spirit. So now you are no longer strangers and aliens. Rather, you are fellow citizens with God’s people, and you belong to God’s household. As God’s household, you are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. The whole building is joined together in him, and it grows up into a temple that is dedicated to the Lord. Christ is building you into a place where God lives through the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:11-22, CEB)

God made both Jews and Gentiles into one group.

We who will invent ways to keep us separated have been made one by God.

Jesus reconciled all people to God, and so what we work to keep separate has already been made one. We need to stop working against God and work for the love that God has for all of the world.

Love all people as God does.

Knowing we are already one.

Loving People. Loving God.

Proof!

The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are being destroyed. But it is the power of God for those of us who are being saved. It is written in scripture: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will reject the intelligence of the intelligent. Where are the wise? Where are the legal experts? Where are today’s debaters? Hasn’t God made the wisdom of the world foolish? In God’s wisdom, he determined that the world wouldn’t come to know him through its wisdom. Instead, God was pleased to save those who believe through the foolishness of preaching. Jews ask for signs, and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, which is a scandal to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles. But to those who are called—both Jews and Greeks—Christ is God’s power and God’s wisdom. This is because the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. Look at your situation when you were called, brothers and sisters! By ordinary human standards not many were wise, not many were powerful, not many were from the upper class. But God chose what the world considers foolish to shame the wise. God chose what the world considers weak to shame the strong. And God chose what the world considers low-class and low-life—what is considered to be nothing—to reduce what is considered to be something to nothing. So no human being can brag in God’s presence. It is because of God that you are in Christ Jesus. He became wisdom from God for us. This means that he made us righteous and holy, and he delivered us. This is consistent with what was written: The one who brags should brag in the Lord! (1 Corinthians 1:18-31, CEB)

I won’t believe it unless you can prove it without any doubts or questions.

Sorry, that is not how faith works. Faith is the belief in the hoped-for, the unknown. The things of faith do not make sense. They are just believed because that is the promise. There is no proof.

Faith seems like foolishness to those without it. And that is ok.

Do not give up faith.

Loving Jesus. Loving God.

Bacon?!?!

Jesus and his disciples sailed to the Gerasenes’ land, which is across the lake from Galilee. As soon as Jesus got out of the boat, a certain man met him. The man was from the city and was possessed by demons. For a long time, he had lived among the tombs, naked and homeless. When he saw Jesus, he shrieked and fell down before him. Then he shouted, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” He said this because Jesus had already commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had taken possession of him, so he would be bound with leg irons and chains and placed under guard. But he would break his restraints, and the demon would force him into the wilderness. Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “Legion,” he replied, because many demons had entered him. They pleaded with him not to order them to go back into the abyss. A large herd of pigs was feeding on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs. Jesus gave them permission, and the demons left the man and entered the pigs. The herd rushed down the cliff into the lake and drowned. When those who tended the pigs saw what happened, they ran away and told the story in the city and in the countryside. People came to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone. He was sitting at Jesus’ feet, fully dressed and completely sane. They were filled with awe. Those people who had actually seen what had happened told them how the demon-possessed man had been delivered. Then everyone gathered from the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave their area because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and returned across the lake. The man from whom the demons had gone begged to come along with Jesus as one of his disciples. Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return home and tell the story of what God has done for you.” So he went throughout the city proclaiming what Jesus had done for him. (Luke 8:26-39, CEB)

Jesus sent a demon, or a group of demons, into a herd of pigs, and they ran off a cliff and drowned themselves. Biggest waste of bacon of all time in my opinion.

But you could say, why was there a herd of pigs, remember Jesus is across the lake here, in Gentile territory so pigs were ok.

But Jesus healed the man, returned him to community.

How can we bring people to community?

How can we remove the demons that infect our lives together?

This man was removed from the community and lived among the dead, and people probably feared him and kept him at a distance. Jesus healed him by removing the demon and healed him by restoring him to community.

How do we restore people to wholeness to allow the community to be whole?

Love.

Loving People. Loving God.