Have you seen?

Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you—unless you have come to believe in vain.  For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them—though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you have come to believe. (1 Corinthians 15:1-11, NRSV)

Here Paul reports to the Corinthians how Jesus has appeared to the disciples.

First to Cephas and then the 12, but the 12 would have included Cephas and Judas, so not sure where Paul gets his numbers from.

But then, after this, Jesus appears to 500 brothers and sisters, then to James, then the apostles.

And lastly to one untimely born, Paul.

But has Jesus appeared to you?

Have you seen Jesus?

Look around you, all of creation was made by Jesus, and we are all created in the image of God, so Jesus is with, and in all of us. So in your brothers and sisters is Jesus.

So have you seen Jesus?

Where is the hope?

Then I saw in the right hand of the one seated on the throne a scroll written on the inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals; and I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it. And I began to weep bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” Then I saw between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders a Lamb standing as if it had been slaughtered, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. He went and took the scroll from the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne. When he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell before the Lamb, each holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. They sing a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slaughtered and by your blood you ransomed for God saints from every tribe and language and people and nation; you have made them to be a kingdom and priests serving our God, and they will reign on earth.” Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and the living creatures and the elders; they numbered myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, singing with full voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing, “To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the elders fell down and worshiped. (Revelation 5:1-14, NRSV)

I began to weep.

Because when I look at the world, there seems to be no hope.

We have seem to lost our way.

Everyone is looking out for themselves, and forgetting everyone else.

If there is any thought of the trinity, it is the unholy trinity of me, myself and I.

But even when there seems to be no hope, there is always hope!

The lamb was slaughtered and in that we have hope.

Jesus came and died for all of us.

The promises are true, so even when it looks bleak we have hope in Jesus.

mourning into dancing

I will extol you, O LORD, for you have drawn me up, and did not let my foes rejoice over me. O LORD my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me. O LORD, you brought up my soul from Sheol, restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit. Sing praises to the LORD, O you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning. As for me, I said in my prosperity, “I shall never be moved.” By your favor, O LORD, you had established me as a strong mountain; you hid your face; I was dismayed. To you, O LORD, I cried, and to the LORD I made supplication: “What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the Pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness? Hear, O LORD, and be gracious to me! O LORD, be my helper!” You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, so that my soul may praise you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever. (Psalm 30, NRSV)

I struggle with this thought today.That our mourning will turn to dancing. Ok maybe not the thought, because at some point all mourning will turn to dancing.

That our mourning will turn to dancing.Ok maybe not the thought, because at some point all mourning will turn to dancing.

Ok maybe not the thought, because at some point all mourning will turn to dancing.

But our timing is off. We have become an instant gratification society, and when I read our mourning will turn to dancing, it should happen as the psalm says, in the morning, with the rising of the sun. All my problems should go away with the rising of the sun. But we all know that doesn’t happen.

I agonize over a family who will never get over the loss of a child. Parents who will never again this side of the return of Jesus see their daughter run or laugh or cry.

I agonize over a family who had a cure for a young daughter, but then discover that it wasn’t a cure and the young woman must again go through a rough medical procedure.

Where is the dancing? How do we live with this?

The answer is with God. You see our mourning will be dancing, that is the promise. It might some with the rising sun, and it might take a lot longer, but it will happen. And we as believers have something to lean on, the mighty arm of our savior. He will always walk with us.

Love

Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world. God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God. So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. We love because he first loved us. Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also. (1 John 4:7-21, NRSV)

God is love, and whoever loves knows God, but whoever does not love does not know God.

But here is the thing on this, this is love all, not some or those deserving. Becuase everyone is able to do that. They love those who love them and those whom they want something from, but we are supposed to love everyone. And not harbor hate, or evil. We are called to show that God lives in us through the love we show the world. To those who hate us and revile us. God is shown through love. And we love, because God loved us.

So love. And do not fear.

Fishers of people!

Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him. (Luke 5:1-11, NRSV)

Peter is an interesting person.

He has seen the Lord heal his mother-in-law, yet when Jesus causes the fish to fill his nets, he tells Jesus to go away because he is a sinful man.

But it seems though through these miracles Peter saw the Messiah! His heart was opened to following Jesus, for when they got to shore, Peter, James and John went with Jesus and left everything to follow Him.

Have you left everything to follow Him?

Do you love me?

After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered him, “No.” He said to them, “Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off. When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.” (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, “Follow me.” (John 21:1-19, NRSV)

The disciples had seen Jesus. He had shown Himself to them in the locked room in chapter 20. Yet here in our reading, they are returning to what they had done before Jesus called them to follow Him.

They have seen the signs Jesus has down, the way he has changed the world. They saw Him crucified, and rise from the dead, yet here they are going back to life pre-Jesus!

It seems they were not changed by their encounter.

And yet Jesus still forgives them. Here at the end of our reading we have Jesus forgiving Peter for the three times he denied Jesus during His trial.

Do you love me?

What would your answer be to Jesus if He were to ask you, “Do you love me?”

Glad

psalm 122I was glad when they said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the LORD!”
Our feet are standing
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
Jerusalem—built as a city
that is bound firmly together.
To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD,
as was decreed for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
For there the thrones for judgment were set up,
the thrones of the house of David.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May they prosper who love you.
Peace be within your walls,
and security within your towers.”
For the sake of my relatives and friends
I will say, “Peace be within you.”
For the sake of the house of the LORD our God,
I will seek your good.
(Psalm 122, NRSV)

Let us go to the house of the Lord!

Nothing actually makes me happier than being in worship with God’s people and growing closer to Him and His body. And this is not necessarily a house built of wood or brick, stone, or any material. It is the place where we meet to gather together in worship and praise of our God.

For the sake of the house, I will seek good. I will seek to be in worship and praise, and be glad when others are there to go into praise of you!

Let us all praise the Lord!

stripes

Who has believed what we have heard? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by others; a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity; and as one from whom others hide their faces he was despised, and we held him of no account. Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed. (Isaiah 53:1-5, NRSV)

He has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases.

He has done all of this for you!

He was wounded for our transgressions.

He was crushed for our iniquities.

He took upon himself the punishment that made us alive.

And by his stripes we are healed!

Doubts, fears and questions…

This past Sunday at worship on “Doubting Thomas” Sunday. I used the ” ” because I don’t like that name. Thomas is said to have doubted when really all he did was question which is what all of us need to do. Well, this past Sunday I had the ushers pass out a piece of card stock to each adult, and at the end of the sermon I invited people to write down a thought, a question, a doubt or a fear. Something that came up from the sermon, or they had been thinking about or wondering over for years. I honestly thought I would get a few, I received 49 in the offering plates. And as I was reading over them and being moved by them, I thought I had to share them. They are all without identifying marks, and the ones that had names will not be included here. That is for me to know to respond or know to pray for them.

I share these to let you see that we are not alone in our struggles. Many of the things written here I have struggled with, and many of us have, are or will struggle with.

I also share them here because of the honesty. That is what we need more of today. Honesty with ourselves and our relationships.

Doubts:

I doubt I am strong enough

I doubt I will be able to forgive those that have hurt me

That my family will ever get ahead (take 1 step forward then 2 back)

I doubt I could ever put God before my children as Abraham was tested to do

I doubt that I will ever find true happiness

I doubt trump will winI doubt our elected officials will do what they promise.

Nothing and everything

I often doubt myself. Despite all logic and what I see and believe, things said to me in the past still stick to my heart

I doubt if my spouse  will be attending worship service with me soon. I am not giving up God has a plan

Being good at my job. Being a good parent to my child when I am struggling myself.

Life after death

That my health will get better

I will develop the patients I know I should have

I doubt I will get into a good college

myself

I doubt I have achieved all I can

find lasting love

creation in 6 days

I doubt that the way I live my life will be acceptable to God

will my son think I am a good parent (he is 2 right now)

I have doubts about whether my family should have another child. We have 3 beautiful children now. Should we stop?

Being a good man

If our money will be enough for us to live on until we die

I doubt that I will get out of debt, but I am trying

I doubt cancer will be wiped out

I doubt war will ever be resolved

I doubt that there is enough good in the world to overcome the “evil”/radicals especially trying to raise children and want them to grow up strong and not scared/doubt their life

I doubt I will be able to lead my family in faith so they can do the same for their family someday

I doubt I will be able to live my dreams of traveling to see my ancestors homeland

I doubt I will ever be a success after college

I doubt my grandma will heal from cancer

 

Fears:

I fear I won’t be able to stay clean and sober the rest of my life

I fear frogs.

Fear of not being forgiven

Satan will win

Failure

I fear I am not as good a father/husband as I could be

 

Questions:

Will I do what is right to leave my children

Why did God pick me for Parkinsons? Why? What did I do?

I will see Social Security

Trump

Our Government

More than one step

Will our country choose the president best for us

How can God always hear all of our prayers when there are millions of people praying to Him

is God with me at all times and does He protect me

Why is there depression

Is there anything after death

Intentions of our political leaders