aSacredRebel

giver…

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you. “I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.” Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will reveal yourself to us, and not to the world?” Jesus answered him, “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me. “I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. (John 14:15-27, NRSV)

I do not give as the world gives…

I admit when I read this passage, this time, I thought of the term Indian giver. So then I did a little research on the term Indian giver. Merriam-Webster defines Indian giver as: “a person who gives something to another and then takes it back or expects an equivalent in return.” They also say that the term is sometimes offensive. Here are a couple other links for some reading on the term, one from NPR and one from Wikipedia.

But how else does the world give? I learned in classes in school about systems of society set up on the you give me a gift, and I then have to give you something just as nice if not nicer. When we talk about grace being a gift, what do we have to give God for that kind of gift?

But God does not give as the world does. He is not going to come back later and take the gift away, nor does He expect anything in response to the gift He has given. Be that the gift of grace, or the gift of the Holy Spirit.

So accept the gift of the Spirit living in you and leading you through life, and proclaim Jesus to the world. So that all may see His good works and give glory to our Father in Heaven!

Hairs of your head

6888219 “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight. But even the hairs of your head are all counted. Do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. “And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God; but whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God. And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. When they bring you before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities, do not worry about how you are to defend yourselves or what you are to say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that very hour what you ought to say.” (Luke 12:4-12, NRSV)

I have to say that I take great comfort in knowing that the hairs of my head are all counted and numbered! For those of you who do not know me in person, or have not seen a picture of me, the picture on the blog today is me. I have no hair, except my goatee, on my head. So again I find great comfort knowing God has counted all of the hairs on my head!

But the point of the passage is not lost, because I love the fact that I am worth so much that God takes the time to count my hairs and to know each one so that even the minute details of my life are known by Him. He loves each of us so much He knows everything about you, even things you do not know!

So shout it from the mountaintops the love your savior has for you! And make sure everyone knows how much he loves them too!

no more…

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:19-31, NRSV)

This is doubting Thomas Sunday. The Sunday of the church year where we read the passage above and hear how Thomas did not believe. Because doubt is the opposite of belief, right?

Well actually if you read the text closely, you will see that Thomas asked for no more than the rest of the disciples already got.

Jesus stood among the disciples in the locked room and said, “Peace be with you.” And then He showed them His hands and His side. And Thomas said unless he sees the wounds in His hands and places his hand in His side, he will not believe. And the reading said that the disciples didn’t rejoice at the presence of Jesus until after He had shown them His hands and His side. So they got what Thomas wanted, so why is he the one labeled a doubter?

And Jesus doesn’t actually say, “Do not doubt, but believe.” Jesus says, “Do not be unbelieving but believing.” We have to believe.

So remember that Thomas asked for no more than the others already got, and we can ask God for things, but we have to be ready to believe when He comes through, and He always will, as long as it is in line with His will for you!

Marvelous!

O sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done marvelous things.
His right hand and his holy arm
have gotten him victory.
The LORD has made known his victory;
he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations.
He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness
to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the victory of our God.
Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth;
break forth into joyous song and sing praises.
Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre,
with the lyre and the sound of melody.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD.
Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
the world and those who live in it.
Let the floods clap their hands;
let the hills sing together for joy
at the presence of the LORD, for he is coming
to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with equity.
(Psalm 98, NRSV)

Sing to the Lord for He has done marvelous things!

He has protected us and brought victory!

He is worthy to be praised!

made alive

For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water. And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you—not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him. (1 Peter 3:18-22, NRSV)

Baptism saves us, not as a washing away of dirt, or sins, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience. God claims us as His own children in the waters, and unites us to the death of Jesus. And if we are united in His death, then we will be reunited in His resurrection.

We are made alive, not by our own doing, but through the gift of God. The naming and claiming as His children. Not in the flesh but in the Spirit.

God with us, makes us alive, and gives us an abundant life.

Where are you looking?

Today marks the beginning of April, and we are well into the season of Spring. Spring when everything comes back to life, there is resurrection and new life all around us!

Just a few days ago, we gathered together and most of us probably read the story of Jesus’ resurrection from the gospel of Luke. Here we heard of the women going to the tomb to finish the preparation of Jesus’ body, and the stone is rolled away and He is not there. Amazed, two “men” say to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?” Or “Why are you looking for Him here, when He told you He wasn’t staying long?”

Jesus told the disciples and all following Him all along, He would die and would rise again. Why did they not believe it?

Why do we not believe it?

Where are we looking for Jesus, that we won’t find Him?

Or where are we looking for a savior where He will not be?

What we know about our savior and this passage helps us remember where Jesus is and what He will do for us.

All things we give up will be replaced.

Did you give up something for Lent? And it was hard at first, but then you made it through to Easter and all was good. You realized you could live with out chocolate, soda, meat, or what ever it was. God gave you the strength to persevere and make it through. What else are you holding onto in life that you could give up to God and have Him replace it for something even better? Where are you looking that could be reformed?

We can always be reborn!

Being a born again christian is not something we Lutherans talk a lot about. But being born anew is something that Martin Luther said happened everyday when we wash our face and remember our baptism. We remember the love that God has for us, and that death and separation from Him through sin are only a confession away. And in that we are reborn and made anew in His image. Our gracious God gives us a new beginning every day! What are we holding onto that is keeping us from the life God intended for us? Where are we looking to find hope, when it is releasing our sins and looking to Him?

What is lost can be found!

We have all wandered off like the sheep, or rolled away like the coin, or walked away from the family like the younger brother. But Jesus never gives up looking for us. He never stops looking for those who wander away. He is always searching for the lost. Even when it gets dark and lonely, God will not give up. Nothing will separate us from the loving kindness of God. He will continually look for us. Where have we wandered to look for hope? Maybe we should turn around and realize God has been searching for us.

The women go looking in the tomb. The disciples come running, to find an empty hole. We look for Jesus where we expect Him, or where our fears, stresses, guilt and shame tell us to.

Where are you looking for Jesus?

Is He there?

“Return to Sender” or “Some Churches Just Don’t Want Pastors (at Least Not the Pastors the Seminaries are Producing), and Some Pastors Just Don’t Want the Churches We’ve Produced”

This is worth the read!

Reluctant Xtian

Transparency note: my bias is toward pastors in these situations, mostly because that’s my vantage point. That being said, I do recognize that it is really difficult when someone comes in and starts changing things a community has held dear for centuries. I welcome all responses.

This last week I heard another example; it was the second time in as many weeks. I heard about another colleague who had received an anonymous note or had been the recipient of anonymous passive-aggressive behavior from someone at the church who was disgruntled about something. They were crestfallen.

Actually, I hear about these incidents a lot. An image of Sisyphus always comes to my mind when I hear about these incidents, because that’s exactly what it feels like to get feedback you can’t do anything with. Anonymity provides the critique without the accountability…

Quick aside: speaking from experience, anonymous feedback is the worst kind…

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by this

“My brothers, you descendants of Abraham’s family, and others who fear God, to us the message of this salvation has been sent. Because the residents of Jerusalem and their leaders did not recognize him or understand the words of the prophets that are read every sabbath, they fulfilled those words by condemning him. Even though they found no cause for a sentence of death, they asked Pilate to have him killed. When they had carried out everything that was written about him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead; and for many days he appeared to those who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, and they are now his witnesses to the people. And we bring you the good news that what God promised to our ancestors he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising Jesus; as also it is written in the second psalm, ‘You are my Son; today I have begotten you.’ As to his raising him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way, ‘I will give you the holy promises made to David.’ Therefore he has also said in another psalm, ‘You will not let your Holy One experience corruption.’ For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, died, was laid beside his ancestors, and experienced corruption; but he whom God raised up experienced no corruption. Let it be known to you therefore, my brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you; by this Jesus everyone who believes is set free from all those sins from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. (Acts 13:26-39, NRSV)

By this Jesus, everyone who believes is set free!

Free to love and serve all.

By Jesus coming and living as one of us, being falsely accused by the religious powers of His day, and being put to death, and rising again we are all set free.

So do not think your salvation is your own doing, but trust in Jesus and the life He gives you. And help others see that life!

Appeared

Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.” Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures. As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread. While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate in their presence. Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” (Luke 24:13-49, NRSV)

Jesus appears to 2 disciples on the road and they don’t know Him, until He breaks the bread, they then run back the miles they slowly walked with Him as He unfolded the scriptures to tell the others, and when they arrive, Jesus enters, and they all are frightened. He told us He would rise, and that this would all happen, but we are too slow of heart to believe.

We need to let go of our own thoughts and ways and allow His life to overtake us. Live in His love and His plan and allow His life to be yours.

New creation

For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating; for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and its people as a delight. I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and delight in my people; no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it, or the cry of distress. No more shall there be in it an infant that lives but a few days, or an old person who does not live out a lifetime; for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth, and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed. They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labor in vain, or bear children for calamity; for they shall be offspring blessed by the LORD—and their descendants as well. Before they call I will answer, while they are yet speaking I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox; but the serpent—its food shall be dust! They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the LORD. (Isaiah 65:17-25, NRSV)

Do a search of Isaiah 65:17-25 and look at images. When I did one on a search engine that isn’t Google one of the first images I saw was of a lion lying with a lamb, but the text does not say that. It actually doesn’t say that the lamb will lie down with any of its predators. Isaiah 65 says the lamb shall feed with the wolf. But even a Google search shows a lion with a lamb early on in the search. And this is an image we know. But I searched the NRSV for the phrase “The lion lie down with the lamb” and the one verse it found was Isaiah 11:6 “The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them.” Nowhere in the NRSV Bible does the lion lie with the lamb.

But this is the image we have and people tell sus when there is peace, in the new creation, the lion will lie with the lamb. We need not be worried about the details of how God will create peace and the new creation, having a lion with a lamb or a wolf with a lamb, but we need to trust in the promise of the new creation and all of it existing in harmony.

So talk about His promise, not our understanding of it.