Don’t tell them…

imageAnd as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean. And they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” And he said to them, “Elijah does come first to restore all things. And how is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.”  (Mark 9:9-13, ESV)

Tell no one!

But Jesus I thought we were suppose to tell everyone about you.

But actually did Jesus tell them not to share? No.

Jesus said to wait until the Son of Man rose from the dead. Because He knew that the people weren’t ready to hear about this. Until He had rose and they saw this and realized all of what He had said and the Hebrew Scriptures were true. Now they can get it…

You see the prophets came and that is the same with John the Baptist who was beheaded because the words he spoke from God were not accepted.

Jesus wants those we share the truths He gives us to be ready. We can’t over load those around us with the truth…

Time and growth helps us be disciples and live into the life He has for us!

Give it up!

By faith Moses was hidden by his parents for three months after his birth, because they saw that the child was beautiful; and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called a son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to share ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered abuse suffered for the Christ to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to the reward. By faith he left Egypt, unafraid of the king’s anger; for he persevered as though he saw him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel. (Hebrews 11:23-28, NRSV)

What have you given up for service and faith of God?

Moses gave up the riches of an easy life as the son of Pharaoh! He could have lived in riches and wealth, having servants and every thing handed to him.

But even before Moses made this decision his family gave him up to save his life. They were giving him up to the river and hoping in his survival.

You see we all have a choice to make. We can chose to cling to our securities and our life, or we can give it up and follow God where He is leading us.

Following God is not easy, but it is the best life you could ever have.

Take is from the baby in the basket, who wandered in the wilderness, and got to sit on the mountain with God…

Give it up! and follow God!

Pastor David L. Hansen: Palm Sunday or Passion Sunday

Good thoughts on doing Palm or Passion Sunday on the first Sunday of Holy Week.

Personally I like to do just Palm Sunday, but David gives us an understanding that could lead us to rethink…

Pastor David L. Hansen: Palm Sunday or Passion Sunday.

God laughs…

Why do the nations conspire, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and his anointed, saying, ‘Let us burst their bonds asunder, and cast their cords from us.’ He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord has them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, ‘I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill.’ I will tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to me, ‘You are my son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron, and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, with trembling kiss his feet, or he will be angry, and you will perish in the way; for his wrath is quickly kindled. Happy are all who take refuge in him. (Psalm 2, NRSV)

A really good movie is My Sisters Keeper. It starts out with the quote, “If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans.”

The psalmist tells us that He who sits in the heavens laughs. He is doing this because we are so funny in our lives and our undertakings. We think we have it all together and everything will be so good and cool.

When in reality on our own we can do nothing. He is laughing because we are taking refuge in ourselves. And to be happy and without the need for our own planning we need to take refuge in Him…

If you take refuge in Him, He will be laughing with you instead of at you!

Ministry on the New Frontier; a Review of Clint Shnekloth’s: Mediating Faith

Great thoughts on a wonderful resource!

geoff sinibaldo's avatarsinibaldo.wordpress.com

I’m sitting in my office on a Monday morning. Last night before bed I posted in the ELCA Clergy Facebook Group* the struggles I have with the upcoming Sunday’s assigned readings for worship, and have a couple dozen responses to my post, many of which are helpful. Yesterday’s sermon is posted on YouTube.  As I post the YouTube link on my blog, I am amazed by the number of hits I got on a year old post after my head injury simply by reposting it on Facebook.  I just read a Twitter message from a college student in Pennsylvania, who took a beautiful picture of campus and shared it with me. Pandora is playing Arcade Fire in the background. A few years ago I would not have done any of these things. I joined Facebook in 2007. Like many I am not a native to social media but learned it…

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eye of a needle

A certain ruler asked him, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: “You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honor your father and mother.” ’ He replied, ‘I have kept all these since my youth.’ When Jesus heard this, he said to him, ‘There is still one thing lacking. Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ But when he heard this, he became sad; for he was very rich. Jesus looked at him and said, ‘How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.’ Those who heard it said, ‘Then who can be saved?’ He replied, ‘What is impossible for mortals is possible for God.’ Then Peter said, ‘Look, we have left our homes and followed you.’ And he said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not get back very much more in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.’ (Luke 18:18-30, NRSV)

We get hung up on this…

I mean it is not hard to see why, can a camel really go through the eye of a needle?

And if a camel can’t then it is truly impossible for a rich person to get into the kingdom. And the news flash for all of us in the 1st world countries, we are rich whether we think we are or not!

So we will not make it.

So in order to get around this we all have to give up all of our belongings and follow Jesus right?

This reading does not say that! Jesus told this ruler to follow the commandments, and when he claimed to have done that, Jesus told him, and only him, to go and sell everything and come back to follow Him. You see for this man, his wealth was his god.

So what is your god that you need to give up and lay at Jesus’ feet so you can truly follow Him?

You see we are not able to do many things on our own, but with God all things are possible!

So figure out what your god is and give it up, and watch that eye on the needle blow up!

competition

The Lord is my portion; I promise to keep your words. I implore your favor with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise. When I think of your ways, I turn my feet to your decrees; I hurry and do not delay to keep your commandments. Though the cords of the wicked ensnare me, I do not forget your law. At midnight I rise to praise you, because of your righteous ordinances. I am a companion of all who fear you, of those who keep your precepts. The earth, O Lord, is full of your steadfast love; teach me your statutes. (Psalm 119:57-64, NRSV)

What holds us from achieving our goals?

We get put down by people around us every day, but is their opinion of us what should matter to us?

How many of turn to the Lord and follow where He is leading us? If we follow where God is leading us then we have nothing to fear.

The only thing we really have to fear is the man/woman in the mirror. They are truly the only one that can keep us from following God.

God has promised us that He will walk with us through this world. Not that life will be easy, or being His disciple is going to be a walk in the park, but He will be with us to see us through.

So truly the only one who can keep you from following God, is you!

heap what?

Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ No, ‘if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:9-21, NRSV)

We are not to repay evil for evil, but we are to love our enemies.

We are to pray for those who revile us.

We are to bless those who curse us.

We are to live in harmony with one another.

For by doing this we leave space for God to work in the lives of those who seem to be against us.

And in so doing this we heap burning coal on their heads!

Now that would just down right hurt! Burning coals on your head would not be a pleasant experience and in the whole grand scheme of things is truly worse than any revenge I believe any of us could come up with. Plus think of it in this way. Most people expect you to retaliate, in fact that is probably why some of them lash out in the first place. And if you do not retaliate, they will be confused and annoyed. By not doing what they expect, but loving them in-spite of their hate, we are doing what God has done for us!

God confuses us by loving us in-spite of our doing what we shouldn’t.

So confuse them and heap burning coals on their heads!

are you kidding!

‘You have heard that it was said, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you. ‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax-collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:38-48, NRSV)

Are you for real Jesus?

Really I’m suppose to not seek retaliation, but turn the other cheek to become a punching bag and to let people walk all over me by giving them everything I got!

If we take the words at face value then yes that is what it says, but we have to understand the context.

You see it was said an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth so that there would be justice and not retaliation. It is suppose to keep it equitable. Yet it turns the bullied into the bully. It makes the one taking the eye, just as bad as the person who took the eye to cause the taking of the second eye…

And as Jesus usually does He ratchets up what society expects…

But we still have to understand what He is saying…

But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also;

This sounds like Jesus wants us to be a punching bag, but actually it is leveling the playing field. You see someone of a higher status would strike a person on the right cheek with the back of their right hand. But in order to strike a person on the left cheek they would have to use the palm of their right hand and in Jesus’ day this signified that those people were equals. One did not strike a lower statues person with their palm… It is leveling and saying we are equal in the eyes of God!

and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile.

Again Jesus is asking to go above and beyond. But we have to understand that the understanding in the Roman Empire was that any person should and could be asked (forced) to care a Roman’s soldier’s pack for a mile. Jesus is saying take the expectation and do it happily and then go an extra mile! We as disciples are called to go the extra mile. We can not do the bare minimum with those we love. Everyone does that so how does the world see the love of God, by us as disciples living like Jesus and loving those who nail us to the cross, you and me!

So know Jesus is not asking you to be a doormat. He is asking you to share His love with the world!

 

do not judge…

‘Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgement you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck in your neighbors eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, “Let me take the speck out of your eye”, while the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbors eye. (Matthew 7:1-5, NRSV)

Do not try to remove the speck from your brothers eye when you have a plank in yours! We take this as a statement to not judge others, because that is what we do not do. But Jesus says “do not judge, so that you may not be judged.”

We could say from this statement that God will judge us if we judge others. Well I know it is too late for me on this, and if you are honest with yourself probably you too. If only we hadn’t judged we might have not been judged! So this means that we can’t judge others because then we ourselves will be judged on the same level we judge.

The picture above I think shows it all! They say a picture is worth a thousand words and I agree here.

You see the 2 men are pointing at each other, we assume judging one another. But look closely at the top hand…

Yes he has one finger pointing at the other man, in an accusing way, but where are his other three fingers pointing?

Those other three fingers are pointing back at him! He is in a way accusing himself more vehemently than the one in front of him. He is pointing three fingers at himself!

Remember that every time you wag your finger at someone, you are wagging more at yourself, and the very speck (sin) you see in them is probably the plank (sin) you yourself are trying to keep from the light in yourself…

Confess for yourself and make your relationship right, rather than playing God in the world.