Where were you?

Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind: “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up your loins like a man, I will question you, and you shall declare to me. “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone when the morning stars sang together and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy? “Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb?—when I made the clouds its garment, and thick darkness its swaddling band, and prescribed bounds for it, and set bars and doors, and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stopped’? “Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place, so that it might take hold of the skirts of the earth, and the wicked be shaken out of it? It is changed like clay under the seal, and it is dyed like a garment. Light is withheld from the wicked, and their uplifted arm is broken. “Have you entered into the springs of the sea, or walked in the recesses of the deep? Have the gates of death been revealed to you, or have you seen the gates of deep darkness? Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth? Declare, if you know all this. (Job 38:1-18, NRSV)

I love this verse, and the song that it reminds me of that was written from it.

We think we know so much that we can question God.

Now don’t get me wrong, God is big enough to take our questions. But if He were to respond like any parent wants to when a kid keeps asking why, I imagine it would be much like this…

Where were you when I created this place?

Where were you when I set the stars in the sky?

Where were you when I taught the lion to roar?

Where were you when I made that baby look just like her mom with her daddy’s eyes?

Where were you?

When we get to big for our britches that is what God would say…

Where were you?

The myth of traditional Lutheran worship

Great read!

Victoria's avatarLUTHERAN MOXIE

Melanchthon Lutheran Church I hope you all enjoy these beautiful rendered MS Paint pictures. I made them just for you.

This church sign could be in your town. At least, it could be if we named churches after famous Lutherans, which we don’t, but if we did, Melanchthon would definitely be near the top of that list. Somewhere below “Luther Lutheran Church” but way above “John Mellencamp Lutheran Church.”

But the rest of the sign, advertising two different styles of Sunday services, that’s probably pretty accurate, right? And for such general terms, these two words, “traditional” and “contemporary,” evoke very specific images:

Traditional: white robes (albs), candles and acolytes, hymnals and organs, repetitive prayers, choirs, pews, pulpit, altar, stained glass.

Contemporary: praise bands, jeans, projection screens, praise bands, comfortable seating, stages, a total embargo on “thee”s and “thou”s, and praise bands.

Maybe your local Lutheran church even offers a…

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The wonders of His work

He stretches out Zaphon over the void,
and hangs the earth upon nothing.
He binds up the waters in his thick clouds,
and the cloud is not torn open by them.
He covers the face of the full moon,
and spreads over it his cloud.
He has described a circle on the face of the waters,
at the boundary between light and darkness.
The pillars of heaven tremble,
and are astounded at his rebuke.
By his power he stilled the Sea;
by his understanding he struck down Rahab.
By his wind the heavens were made fair;
his hand pierced the fleeing serpent.
These are indeed but the outskirts of his ways;
and how small a whisper do we hear of him!
But the thunder of his power who can understand?” (Job 26:7-14, NRSV)

Who can really understand the power of God?

We see all of the wonders He has done in creation and we take them all for granted…

He set the heavens in place and created the planet on which we stand.

He set all of the systems here and far away into motion and holds them all in the power of His hand.

He whispers and we hear Him, and His power could thunder and take all of us down in an instance…

So who can truly fathom the power of Him?

Who can really understand?

No one can, but we can all know that He who has done all of these things, loves us beyond all imagination and will move heaven and earth to show us that!

In His Hands!

“But ask the animals, and they will teach you;
the birds of the air, and they will tell you;
ask the plants of the earth, and they will teach you;
and the fish of the sea will declare to you.
Who among all these does not know
that the hand of the LORD has done this?
In his hand is the life of every living thing
and the breath of every human being. (Job 12:7-10, NRSV)

All of creation will shout from the highest place on earth how great God is.

Every thing in creation knows the wonders that the hand of the Lord has done.

All of creation sings His praises and loves His ways.

In His hand is all of life.

This is reason to rejoice, for He has it all in His hands!

And there is no better place to be.

Light

In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.  (Genesis 1:1-5, NRSV)

A formless void…

Ex nillio…

People say that the Bible says that God created out of nothing. I do not doubt that God could create out of nothing, I mean He made a man out of mud and His breath, and a woman from a rib… So He could create out of nothing…

But a formless void is something…

But that isn’t the point here…

The point is God created! He said Let there be light and there was!

God spoke! He created!

He made light and the light will not be overcome by the darkness!

Rejoice and live in the light!

King of Justice

Give the king your justice, O God,
and your righteousness to a king’s son.
May he judge your people with righteousness,
and your poor with justice.
May the mountains yield prosperity for the people,
and the hills, in righteousness.
May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
give deliverance to the needy,
and crush the oppressor.
(Psalm 72:1-4, NRSV)

Justice seems like a battle cry these days. From injustices in Ferguson to Staton Island…

But what is Justice?

I know what justice is when some one wrongs me. Justice is me getting back at them, right?

Justice is me gettin gmy way and everything always going the way I want it to, right?

No!

Justice is not us getting what we want all the time. It is not always what we think is right.

So work with the King of Justice and stand for the poor and oppressed.

 

myrrh man

After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body. Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews. Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there. (John 19:38-42, NRSV)

Jesus has just died and Joseph of Arimathea has requested to remove Jesus’ body from the cross. It is the day before the Sabath and they can do nothing the next day so it is imperative He be removed now.

And here is Nicodemus! A man who came to Jesus first under the cover of darkness, and then spoke openly for Him in the high council meeting, defending Him before the High Priests. And here he is bringing myrrh, one of the gifts given to Him at His birth, but a spice used for the preparation of the dead, and not just a little myrrh, but a hundred pounds of it…

Nicodemus was a follower of Jesus who grew in his live in deeper discipleship with Jesus.

He is the hope in this dark moment, that what Jesus came to do, can and will actually happen.

His love will cover the whole world and lives will be changed!

Follow the myrrh man to the one who can give you love, peace, and grace. And then tell the world about the one the myrrh man showed you!

wise

When the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, (fame due to the name of the LORD), she came to test him with hard questions. She came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, with camels bearing spices, and very much gold, and precious stones; and when she came to Solomon, she told him all that was on her mind. Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing hidden from the king that he could not explain to her. When the queen of Sheba had observed all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, the food of his table, the seating of his officials, and the attendance of his servants, their clothing, his valets, and his burnt offerings that he offered at the house of the LORD, there was no more spirit in her. So she said to the king, “The report was true that I heard in my own land of your accomplishments and of your wisdom, but I did not believe the reports until I came and my own eyes had seen it. Not even half had been told me; your wisdom and prosperity far surpass the report that I had heard. Happy are your wives! Happy are these your servants, who continually attend you and hear your wisdom! Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and set you on the throne of Israel! Because the LORD loved Israel forever, he has made you king to execute justice and righteousness.” Then she gave the king one hundred twenty talents of gold, a great quantity of spices, and precious stones; never again did spices come in such quantity as that which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.  Moreover, the fleet of Hiram, which carried gold from Ophir, brought from Ophir a great quantity of almug wood and precious stones. From the almug wood the king made supports for the house of the LORD, and for the king’s house, lyres also and harps for the singers; no such almug wood has come or been seen to this day. Meanwhile King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba every desire that she expressed, as well as what he gave her out of Solomon’s royal bounty. Then she returned to her own land, with her servants. (1 Kings 10:1-13, NRSV)

Solomon was very wise, because he asked the Lord to give him wisdom.

And because of this and the fact he could answer every question the Queen of Sheba asked him, he was given much. Yet he also gave something to her in return. And what he got he used to help with the house of the Lord.

So if God would ask you what gift you would want, what gift would you ask for?

Kings…

Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. Lift up your eyes and look around; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from far away, and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms. Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice, because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the LORD. (Isaiah 60:1-6, NRSV)

Arise and shine for the light has come into the world and the world even in its darkness can not extinguish the light!

Here are the camels and the three kings…

But the wonderful part to this reading from Isaiah is the LORD will rise! and His glory will over take us, and the light that He will bring will push the darkness away!

So live in the light of Jesus, the King of Kings and let everyone know of the love He has for you!