instruments of righteousness

We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For whoever has died is freed from sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore, do not let sin exercise dominion in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. No longer present your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and present your members to God as instruments of righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. (Romans 6:6-14, NRSV)

Have you ever heard a musical instrument played by a master of that instrument?

Like Yo Yo Ma playing the cello. The instrument just sings! It is a wonderful sound that anyone would listen to.

That is what I saw in this text, when we present our members as instruments of righteousness to God, He just makes them sing with the most beautiful melody and harmonies we can’t even imagine!

When we give our lives over to the master, He makes the most beautiful music!

So look after not your own passions, but hand your members to God as instruments of righteousness and let Him make beautiful music!

What You Really Told Me When You Said Retard

Another Great read

meredith0929's avatarLooking Up With Down Syndrome

Language is powerful.  What we say and how we say it has impact. I love someone with a disability.  I know how language can be respectful and uplifting and how it can degrade and demean.  I have done my research and made evidence-based arguments.  I should be able to discuss this calmly with you.  I shouldn’t be afraid to speak up.  I know I’m right.  But I also know this conversation can be a wedge.  It can make people feel embarrassed and uncomfortable – defensive even. I don’t want to make people feel ashamed and I don’t want an apology.  I know you mean well and have probably never thought about it before.  I’m not judging you, but I want you to understand how the words you choose matter to me and to Evelyn and other families like ours.

When you say, “I felt like a retard!” or “That…

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Confessions of a High Church Millennial – Is Liturgy a Fad?

A wonderful read!

The Rev. Erik Parker's avatarThe Millennial Pastor

A few days ago a news story came out that McDonald’s is slumping because of upstart restaurants like Chipotle or Freshii or Shake Shack are appealing to the desire of millennials to customize, rather than standardize their food.

The church can probably learn something from this, but if anything the message is millennials are not opting for the things the world expects.

So imagine my surprise this past week when I read two articles about the movement of evangelical millennials leaving their mega-church roots for boring old traditions and liturgy found in Catholic, Anglican and Lutheran varieties.

Actually, this is not new, but has been an underground trend for a while.

Popular writer and blogger, Rachel Held Evans is about to come out with a book on her journey from Evangelicalism to the Anglican/Episcopalian fold. Nadia Bolz-Weber embodies millennial culture and is succeeding at navigating the cultural commute from…

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dies

Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor. “Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say—‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die. (John 12:20-33, NRSV)

I always thought Jesus answer to the Greeks looking for Him was an interesting one.

What does the glory of the Son of Man have to do with Greeks seeking to see Jesus?

Everything!

You see Jesus came as the Jewish Messiah, who was to save God’s chosen people. But the Greeks, the heathens, were getting it also. They were seeking after Jesus. And because of the nations coming to Him, it was time for Him to fulfill the plan.

You see He is the grain of wheat. As if we didn’t already know that, but we need the reminder sometimes. And because He was lifted up and died, many will live. If He had not died, many would not have lived. Just as the wheat falling into the earth, that one piece of wheat becomes many!

So see His glory! And know that His death, gave you life!

gain the whole world

From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life? (Matthew 16:21-26, NRSV)

We want things the way we want them. Because we know that the way we have worked out the events of the world in our own heads is the best way for them to happen!

Have you ever had an event go the way you imagined it?

Usually things don’t work out the way we imagine them. Sometimes they are way more cooler and wonderful than we could have possibly imagined them!

But here we have Jesus, predicting His death, Peter not seeing it the way it has to be, and Jesus warning all of us.

Don’t focus on yourself or your plans for this world.

Did you create it?

Did you set the planets in motion?

Can you actually make things happen the way you imagined them?

No we can’t and we will not only lose our mind by trying to make it happen, we will lose our soul. We can’t gain the world, but if we turn from His plan, we could lose the life He has for us.

So follow after Him, even when His plan doesn’t fit your imagination, because His plan will be better than your could ever imagine!

give me what I want

They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them; they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them what was to happen to him, saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death; then they will hand him over to the Gentiles;  they will mock him, and spit upon him, and flog him, and kill him; and after three days he will rise again.” James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” And he said to them, “What is it you want me to do for you?” And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” They replied, “We are able.” Then Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. So Jesus called them and said to them, “You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:32-45, NRSV)

I am amazed at the disciples, but know that I am going to be in good company when we all finally arrive at the great banquet!

I mean James and John must be really thick skull individuals! Jesus just gets done telling them that when they get to Jerusalem, that He will be handed over and condemned to death and then He will be mocked, spat upon, flogged and killed. And then James and John pull Jesus aside and say, “Do what we want, and here it is, we want to sit with you in glory, one on your right side and one on your left side.”

Did they just miss the conversation? I mean I know I don’t always hear everything, but really!

And Jesus replies, “you don’t know what you’re asking, can you drink the cup I will drink?” Meaning, can you take the death I will. And they will, but to sit on His right and left is not Jesus’ to grant.

Plus who is sitting at Jesus’ left hand in glory? We confess it every week, that He (Jesus) ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. If Jesus is at God’s right hand, then God the Father is at Jesus’ left hand. So James or John wants to take the Father’s seat! Not what I want.

But thanks be to God, that James and John were apostles and disciples, because that gives all of us hope!