rejoice

Then the LORD became jealous for his land, and had pity on his people. In response to his people the LORD said: I am sending you grain, wine, and oil, and you will be satisfied; and I will no more make you a mockery among the nations. I will remove the northern army far from you, and drive it into a parched and desolate land, its front into the eastern sea, and its rear into the western sea; its stench and foul smell will rise up. Surely he has done great things! Do not fear, O soil; be glad and rejoice, for the LORD has done great things! Do not fear, you animals of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness are green; the tree bears its fruit, the fig tree and vine give their full yield. O children of Zion, be glad and rejoice in the LORD your God; for he has given the early rain for your vindication, he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the later rain, as before. The threshing floors shall be full of grain, the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. I will repay you for the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent against you. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame. You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I, the LORD, am your God and there is no other. And my people shall never again be put to shame. Then afterward I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female slaves, in those days, I will pour out my spirit. (Joel 2:18-29, NRSV)

The Lord will remove all of the dangers that surround us and give us all the good things we need!

No longer will we live in fear of what might happen, but we will live in the shelter and the protection of the Lord our God. He will see us through everything that is to come.

He will bring us to our vindication and cover us with the needed rain to make sure our lives are green and growing in Him.

He is our God and He alone will be our protector. And for that we can rejoice!

tongues of fire

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.” But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day. Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ (Acts 2:1-21, NRSV)

As I read this text and thought about the tongues of fire on the heads of all those who received the Holy Spirit I was brought back to the above scene from Finding Nemo.

The ring of fire was an initiation rite for Nemo to go through in order to be a part of the group.

Tongues of fire are not something we need to fear as something we must endure or go through. They are a blessing to the understanding we have been accepted by God and given the power through the Holy Spirit. We have been filled with power from on High and are able to do all the things He leads us to.

The disciples were made able to witness to everyone around them through the actions they normally took. The gifts they had were empowered by the Spirit and they told everyone the story and all heard it plan as day.

So go and do not fear, for the Lord, our God, is with you!

apple of your eye

Hear a just cause, O LORD; attend to my cry; give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit. From you let my vindication come; let your eyes see the right. If you try my heart, if you visit me by night, if you test me, you will find no wickedness in me; my mouth does not transgress. As for what others do, by the word of your lips I have avoided the ways of the violent. My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped. I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me, hear my words. Wondrously show your steadfast love, O savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand. Guard me as the apple of the eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings, from the wicked who despoil me, my deadly enemies who surround me. (Psalm 17:1-9, NRSV)

The apple of my eye…

The ‘apple of your eye’ is the iris or center of the eye.

If someone were to touch the apple of your eye it would be very painful and so it is protected by the eyelid.

The biblical imagery is that we are the apple of his eye and God is the eyelid who protects us.

Shakespeare also used the term with this meaning in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ to again show something as most precious –

Flower of this purple dye,
Hit with Cupid’s archery,
Sink in apple of his eye

Modern usage of this idiom usually refers to something that is especially beloved. (Taken from wiki.answers.com)

God is our protector and in Him we can find shelter. We are the image that is reflected back in the apple of His eye, as He is watching over us. This does not mean that bad things will not happen, but He is there to protect us and walk with us through them.

rooted…

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:14-21, NRSV)

Did you hear that?

The writer of Ephesians just prayed that the Ephesians, and you, would be granted strength through the power of the Holy Spirit, and that Christ would dwell within your heart through faith as you are being rooted and grounded in love.

Rooted and grounded in love. Is an interesting concept. But also notice that it did not say”as you are rooted and grounded in love.” The writer prayed that Christ would dwell in your heart through faith as He is rooting you and grounding you in love…

It is like planting. When you put a plant in the ground it doesn’t do it on it’s own. You have to dig a hole and place the plant in and then move the dirt back around it to make sure it is planted, and the roots are in the ground and it is covered with the soil around it. You also need to make sure the soil is good for the plant you are planting…

So through our faith, trust and hope in Jesus, the one who faithfully took our place, He is making us good soil to root and ground us in His love. So we might share that love with all the world!

harmony

Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse; but, on the contrary, repay with a blessing. It is for this that you were called—that you might inherit a blessing. For “Those who desire life and desire to see good days, let them keep their tongues from evil and their lips from speaking deceit; let them turn away from evil and do good; let them seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” (1 Peter 3:8-12, NRSV)

We need to live in harmony.

Harmony is not something we find after we have all become exactly like each other and believe the same things, and all think and act alike.

Harmony is how we live with those we do not agree with. Showing them love even when we can not stand the way they act, or handle situations.

Harmony is a state of mind and being. A way we show love to those we do not want to give love.

Harmony is repaying evil with blessing and showing the love that you received when God loved you…

maintain…

I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:1-6, NRSV)

The writer of Ephesians tells us that he is a prisoner in the Lord. Paul was held in prison and still maintained his relationships with the congregations he helped to start.

He maintained contact with those who he helped to understand the love of Christ and the life they could have in Jesus.

He called those who he knew to a higher place in the relationships they were in . Even when they disagreed, they still were united in the Spirit, in the one body of Christ.

We need to live our life worthy of being called brothers and sisters with Christ, living to a higher standard, and bearing one another in love.

Do not let the world have any hold or anything against us for not being like Christ, but maintain the unity of the Spirit…

I AM

Again he said to them, “I am going away, and you will search for me, but you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.” Then the Jews said, “Is he going to kill himself? Is that what he means by saying, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” He said to them, “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins, for you will die in your sins unless you believe that I am he.” They said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Why do I speak to you at all? I have much to say about you and much to condemn; but the one who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.” They did not understand that he was speaking to them about the Father. So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own, but I speak these things as the Father instructed me. And the one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what is pleasing to him.” As he was saying these things, many believed in him. (John 8:21-30, NRSV)

“for you will die in your sins unless you believe that I am he.” This is an interesting statement which we read and understand one way thanks to the translators…

And the response is equally interesting, “Who are you?” Now why would the Jews ask this question when Jesus said, “for you will die in your sins unless you believe that I am he?”

They were asking “Who are you?” Because Jesus said “for you will die in your sins unless you believe that I am.” You see in the Greek there is nothing that says he after Jesus says ἐγώ εἰμι (I am). And ἐγώ εἰμι is what God says to Moses when Moses asks Him what he should tell people when they ask who sent him. ἐγώ εἰμι is I am and that is the name of God.

Jesus said “You will die in your sins if you do not believe I am God!”

So do you?

And if you do what are you doing about it?

Eternal life…

The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. The one who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, yet no one accepts his testimony. Whoever has accepted his testimony has certified this, that God is true. He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in his hands.Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but must endure God’s wrath. (John 3:31-36, NRSV)

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life…

But whoever disobeys the Son will not see life…

I read these statements as being contradictory…

You see I believe in the Son. So according to the first part of the statement, I have eternal life. However I have disobeyed the Son. So according tot he second hafl of the statement I will not see life…

So which is it?

Then I did a search on eternal life and I found this picture…

In my understanding I see a man who is looking towards the cross and therefore going after Jesus. He is leaving the world behind to go to God. But the bible and Jesus never said to remove yourself from the world. We are to be in the world but not of the world. We are to know that Son and the truth that He gives us and use what He has given us in the world.

We are His witnesses to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the entire world! We are not called to turn away from the world, but to live in and show forth the light of Christ that shines in us.

So maybe us thinking we need to remove ourselves from the world is not doing what God has put us here to do and is removing us from life…

We need to boldly go into the world and hear His words and hold tight to His promises and show the world how much God loves them!

Grow as you go

Gather ~ Grow ~ Go
Now is the time to GROW!
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. (2 Peter 3:18)
According to Charis’ teacher it is past time to be planting here, “if this was a usual May.” We all know this was not a usual May…
So maybe we are behind doing what we need to be doing…
But my thoughts are to warmer days ahead and a wonderful time of vacation from school and a summer full of fun and time in the sun!
This is not a bad thing to have on the radar screen as we head into the months ahead. But it could be bad if we forget what we are about, people of St. John’s…
You see I have our mission statement at the top of this, Gather ~ Grow ~ Go. This summer we might miss some gathering, and that is ok. We all need time away and I will be away some times during our gatherings. That is life and we need that time with our families.
We will be going this summer to many places, and hopefully being true witnesses to the love we have received.
But in the midst of all this going, we can still be growing! Now is the time to set our sights upon God and to discover how we will stay connected as we work towards being disconnected!
We need to always be seeking how we will be growing in the grace and knowledge of God. If you need some help see me before you go this summer! But I pray you will be connected to God as you disconnect to recharge in these months ahead!