chose who…

John 15:9-17 continues the gospel lesson from last week, the final discourse from John where Jesus teaches the disciples about the vines and branches. How we are all interconnected…

We are all branches and leaves interconnected to the vine. We get cut off and thrown away, or pruned back so we produce more fruit. And because we are connected to Jesus, the vine, we are suppose to love others.

But the point I caught today is something we all know is true and know for a fact. We as Lutherans like to point it out all the time, we can do nothing to obtain the grace we have been given. Jesus chose us, we did not choose Him. He chose us to be a part of the branches and attached to the vine.

We have no choice on when we get in, or if. Jesus chose us and called us to be His children, His friend, and He wants us. And He chose us. And while we are a part of the vine, an important branch that produces fruit for the kingdom, we have no choice of the branches or leaves next to us. Jesus chooses who He wants, and we have no say in that. We are called to love everyone…

Reminded me of a story I have heard many times:

I was shocked, confused, bewildered
As I entered Heaven’s door,
Not by the beauty of it all,
Nor the lights or its decor.

But it was the folks in Heaven
Who made me sputter and gasp–
The thieves, the liars, the sinners,
The alcoholics and the trash.

There stood the kid from seventh grade
Who swiped my lunch money! Twice.
Next to him was my old neighbor
Who never said anything nice.

Jerry, who I always thought
Was rotting away in hell,
Was sitting pretty on cloud nine,
Looking incredibly well.

I nudged Jesus, ‘What’s the deal?
I would love to hear Your take.
How’d all these sinners get up here?
God must’ve made a mistake!

‘And why’s everyone so quiet,
So somber? – Please give me a clue.’
‘Hush, child,’ He said, ‘it’s because
they’re all in shock.
No one thought they’d be seeing you.’

So love as Jesus loved you and chose you to be a part of the fruit producing kingdom even when you did not deserve it, and don’t judge who Jesus chooses because they are probably ready to judge you!

to serve or to be served?

Why do you go to church?

Ok that was a trick question, we can not go to church, we are the church.  We are the body of Christ in the world. We are charged with showing forth the love Christ has given to all of us.

But why are you a part of a community that worships God? Is it for recognition? Do you go so your ideas are front and center? Do you plan events that show case your giving and time you put into something? Is it about you being seen and having people tell you what a great job you are doing?

These are the wrong reasons to be involved. Jesus calls us to serve others, and not for recognition or to be lifted up, but because that is what He came for. Mark 10:45 says For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.  Jesus came not to Lord over us the fact that He is God and will judge us all on the last day, but He came to serve us, as shown in the Last Supper of John the washing of the feet. In this act the master washed the feet of the disciples, all of the disciples, including Judas who would hand Him over to the authorities so that He could give His life as a ransom for many…

So as you get ready to go to worship, examine your heart and know that we are called as Jesus was to serve and not be served. To do things without thought of getting anything in return…

to serve or to be served, is to serve!

A new song…

Psalm 98 starts “O sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvellous things.” Sing to the Lord a new song. New is a scary word for us in the church… Most of us like the tried and true methods of doing things, and the songs from our youth. It is comfortable, like that old pair of jeans that is broken in just right, and fits us in all the right places. New jeans don’t snug with us, or fit quite right yet, they have not been broken in yet, and so they rub us wrong sometimes. Like a new pair of shoes that has the possibility of giving you a blister…

So why does the psalmist say sing a new song, when there is probably a song that would work just as well that is well known to us? Because God is not stale and stuck in the past. He remembers the past, and the promises He has made to His people, but He is not stuck there like we sometimes get. He wants us to stretch out and do things differently. Because sometimes the old comfortable stuff to us just doesn’t connect with those who are looking, and we can not expect them to become like us before they come, because God does not expect us to change before we come to Him, He excepts us as we are…

I can hear some of you saying though what about tradition. And tradition is good, if it is tradition and not traditional… explanation – tradition is that on which and in which we are grounded. It is the basis for our understanding. Traditional is doing something because that is the way we have always done it. If you ever hear, “we haven’t done it that way before…” maybe it is time to think about tradition vs. traditional. Be grounded in the past and remember it, but be like God and looking for the new way to sing and praise and help people understand how much God loves them.

So sing to the Lord a new song!

no partiality

Our reading for today is from Acts 10:1-34 – please take a moment to read it…

It is the story of Peter going to Cornelius’ house… it includes the sheet being lowered from Heaven with the unclean/non kosher animals on it and Peter being told to eat from it. Peter says he has never eaten anything that is profane or unclean. And God responds “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.”

There is a lot more to this story, but this is where I want to focus… It is interesting that the sheet is lowered from Heaven and the contents are described as “all kinds of four-footed creatures and reptiles and birds of the air.” All kinds of four footed creatures does not mean that they are unclean, and birds of the air are not unclean, all of them… The only thing that tells us they are unclean is Peter’s pronouncement of the items in the sheet being unclean. Now I agree that Peter does hold some weight because of his stature and his place with Jesus, but why do we take his word that the items are unclean? And where did the kosher laws come from?  We say we believe something because it is written in the Bible in black and white (or maybe red). But where did the Bible come from. Yes it was inspired by God, but what does that mean? What is important is the statement form the voice, and the lesson Peter learns. The voice says to eat.  Because the voice knows we need fuel. When Peter balks, the voice says, “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.” Everything that God has made is good. Isn’t that what he said in Genesis? It is good and God has made it clean and we can not then call it profane! We have no right to say something is removed from God only God has that power. God shows no partiality, and that is what Peter learned. God alone can say something is profane! We do not have that right.

Live in the love God has given you and give that love you have been given with no partiality, because that is how God does it…

Orphaned

Have you ever lost your parents? Been walking in a store and looking at your favorite toy and turn around and they are not there…

You are alone. No one around. Now this is not the same as being orphaned. But for that moment you do not know what to do or where to go. You are alone, surrounded by people. People that might want to do you harm, people you do not know and can not trust…

Jesus promised us in John 14:16 that he would not leave us alone. He would not leave us orphaned. He goes on in John to tell us He is leaving us, we will not see Him. Unlike losing our parents, we have been warned. Jesus tells us He is going to be here, and then we will not see Him, He will be gone. In the blink of an eye it will seem that our world has ended, and everything has changed. And it has. nut He has not orphaned us! He will come back and get us. John 14 starts with one of the verses I hear/preach on at funerals. “In My Father’s house are many mansions, and I will come and take you to myself, so where I am you maybe also.” (my paraphrase). Jesus tells us there is a place for us, for all of us. He is not going to leave us, for long. He is coming back for us.

So in your darkest hour when it seems like God has left the building and is no where to be found, have heart and trust in the promise that He will not leave you orphaned!

Restore us…

I was taking my girls to school this morning and Stronger by Mandisa came on KSBJ.

Here is the first verse:

Hey, heard you were up all night
Thinking about how your world ain’t right
And you wonder if things will ever get better
And you’re asking why is it always raining on you
When all you want is just a little good news
Instead of standing there stuck out in the weather

As I heard these words on the radio driving down the road, I began to cry. You see I have been waiting for a phone call about a call to a new congregation, and it did not come but an email did. Saying that the congregation was moving forward. I saw this email at just before 4:00 am my time and I could not go back to sleep after reading it. I thought this congregation was the one, and I had stayed up almost all night last Thursday into Friday waiting for that call because the committee met last Thursday. I wanted this to be the one, yet not my will but Yours be done oh Lord. (that is much easier to say or type than it is to live!)

So today I sat down and read the readings for the day. James 3:17-18, Isaiah 32:9-20 and Psalm 80. All I can think about is what is happening in my life and these first 2 verses are not speaking to me. But there is the repeated verse in Psalm 80 “Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.”

And I thought about the song Stronger:

Oh, don’t hang your head
It’s gonna end
God’s right there
Even if it’s hard to see Him
I promise you that He still cares

When the waves are taking you under
Hold on just a little bit longer
He knows that this is gonna make you stronger, stronger
The pain ain’t gonna last forever
And things can only get better
Believe me
This is gonna make you stronger
Gonna make you stronger, stronger, stronger
Believe me, this is gonna make you …

God is the one who is in control of everything, and He has the master schedule. It is not about us. Psalm 80 says “But let your hand be upon the one at your right hand, the one whom you made strong for yourself.” God allow your hand be upon Jesus the one at your right hand, and through Him we will all be blessed. And everything you are going through can be used by God to make you stronger and pull you closer to Him.

It is all about God’s timing and not ours and our ways are not His ways, and He has the best plan for us. So even in the disappointments, know that God will always have the last word, and that He is always with us and watching us, Walking with us through the dark night of the soul. He is your presence and peace. Allow Him to be your shelter and rest.

Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.

Live by the Spirit

Paul tells the Galatians to live by the Spirit. To not live by the flesh because the Spirit and the flesh are opposed to each other and we are to live in the Spirit to keep us from doing what we want to do…

Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law. Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, competing against one another, envying one another.

So Paul says if we are led by the Spirit we are not under the law. Because the Spirit is connected to God and therefore does what God wants us to do and is not subject to the flesh. And the works of the flesh are obvious! Obvious? How is it then that we are all saying that our neighbors are the ones living in the flesh, and not doing what God wants them to do? We are always good at pointing out where others fail. I am the first to say that I live plenty of time in the flesh, but we need to look closer and see what we miss.

So what are these obvious works of the flesh? Fornication which is adultery so this means that any sex outside of marriage is out. Licentiousness is close to fornication but goes further to include non sexual items, but is really focused on sex. Impurity is anything that makes something else impure. Now this could be something that goes against the Levitical Law, which means anything pork is out, and if you are married you need to sleep in a different room from your wife when she is menstruating, and you can not eat shrimp or cheese burgers – unless you use goat cheese. You can not wear clothing made from mixed fibers. So I question how obvious impurity is. Idolatry is something that all of us fall short on. We all have something that takes the place of God. Idolatry is not just making a golden calf, it is putting something before God, so whenever we put something before God, i.e. our wants desires, our money, our families, our houses, our possessions, our congregations these are our idols. Only God can take that seat of worship in our lives. We all have idols and think we are ok on this, but here is a spot we all live in the flesh. Sorcery is interesting because how many of us live as sorcerers? But when we say that certain things can only be done by certain people is this not in some ways saying these people have special powers that others don’t, and couldn’t this be similar to sorcery? Enmities is when you harbor a grudge or wish ill will towards others. This could be taken to the point of saying that if you say that some people are not going to obtain the kingdom of heaven because of how they live, you are holding a grudge. By constantly putting this in the person face and reminding them of their short comings, is not the love Jesus told us to show. Strife is bitter sometimes violent conflict or dissension or a jockeying for power position, so when you put yourself over anyone else fro any reason you are living in the flesh. Jealousy is something that we all have under control. We are not jealous of anyone… well. Anger is something that we all struggle with. But I would question this one as an emotion created by God, and are we not created in the image of God, and does not God get angry? So if God gets angry does God live in the flesh? (ok other than when Jesus was here…) Is anger an obvious sign of living in the flesh when anger is something that God displays? Quarrels, dissensions, and factions are things that keep us from living in unity which is what God calls us to, so anything we do that causes believers to be separated is living in the flesh, this is when we say our interpretation is correct, or not listening to the view of a brother or sister, saying that when someone else believes differently than us they are wrong. These things are putting ourselves before others and is living in the flesh and not allowing the Spirit to work through us. Do you see what I see and hear what I hear? That obvious is the works of the flesh, and obvious we are all very guilty of living in the flesh.

But Paul tells us to live by the Spirit, and the fruit of the Spirit is LOVE! And love is joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Live in Love and allow the Spirit to fill you and guide you in every aspect of your life.

And always remember that God wants spiritual fruits not religious nuts!

pruned…

John tells us the I am statements of Jesus. These are important because I am is the name that God gave to Moses at the burning bush. I am is the name of God. And in John Jesus expands on this understanding through  the I am statements. This Sunday’s I am is the vine.

We all have heard this story from John 15:1-8 before. Jesus says, “I am the vine you are the branches. All who do not bear fruit are removed. If you remain in me you will bear much fruit but if not you will be thrown into the fire.” All branches that do not bear fruit are removed by God, the master gardener and thrown away. So you better make sure you are good and follow after God, because you will be removed if you do not do what is right and in the path of God…

Well that is not what it said. Hopefully you caught that I did not quote John 15 correctly. Now would be a good time to stop and read John 15:1-8. Here is a link to the NRSV of this text.

Did you get that. Jesus identifies himself and the father first. Then he talks about branches. Who are the branches? He has not defined that yet. It is not until later when He says that branches can not bear fruit by themselves it is only when they stay in contact with the vine that they can produce fruit. But he identifies himself and the father, then says branches that do not produce are removed. This is not what worries me. It is the next part, that all branches that do produce fruit are pruned so they will produce more fruit. So if you are connected to God and are producing fruit He is going to prune you, cut you back, and remove the parts that are in the way so you can produce more. So we will be cut and trimmed by God to produce more and better fruit. He will take each of us and trim us and mold us to bear more and better fruit. But remember He is the master gardener. He will work with us and mold us to be the best we can and apart from him we can not produce.

Jesus tells us we are the branches and we will produce fruit if we stay connected to him. So take the pruning, the waiting, the uncertainty, the questioning, the things that make no sense to us now, because God is using these things to work in and through us to help us to produce more and better fruit. Allow the master gardener to prune you and know that He is always working in and through you…

Mustard…

Mark 4:30-32 ESV

And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it?  It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth,  yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”

Mustard is something not everyone likes. It is a weed according to kosher standards. So why is this what Jesus uses to compare the kingdom of God to?

It is something so small. In Jesus’ day it was the smallest of seeds known to man, this is no longer the case. But once this seed hit the soil it would become the largest of bushes and the birds would nest and rest in its branches. The mustard plant would take over and become something of stature. And the reason this is used to describe the kingdom of God is because that is what our faith is. Something small and insignificant but when he allow that master gardener to work with it grows into something mighty that can give others love and shelter and a place of rest from the worries of life. Our faith can show forth God’s live for us and for all of creation.

Jesus elsewhere talks about faith the size of a mustard seed and if you had this small of a faith you could move mountains. We take this as our faith is not enough, but that is not what Jesus said. He said if you had faith the size of a mustard seed you could say to this mountain move and it would. Maybe your faith is enough because why do you need to move a mountain? The faith you have been given is your gift and if you allow the one who gave it to you to work in and through it, it will only be a blessing in your life.

Allow the master gardener to work in you to produce a harvest that will have a bountiful effect on others around you.

What can we give?

Acts 8:9-25 tell us of Simon the magician and how he went from being a somebody great to being a nobody when he was baptized and started believing and being with Philip. He was enamored with the power of God. He once proclaimed himself to be someone great and now he realizes that he is nothing without God.

Then Peter and John came to Samaria to bring the Holy Spirit. Because the believers had been baptized but had not yet received the Holy Spirit. Now I wonder how it is that they knew they had not received the Holy Spirit, and why is it that the apostles from Jerusalem had to send someone to lay  hands on them so they might receive the Holy Spirit. This is one issue I have with the Lutheran service of baptism where we say that the baptized “has been sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever.” I don’t argue the Holy Spirit indwelling, it happens. I wonder about the whole timing thing. Does the Holy Spirit wait until one is baptized before entering? If this is true how did the thief on the cross come to an understanding of who Jesus was and ask for the right to be with Him? How do we then explain Martin Luther’s explanation of the 3rd article of the Apostle’s Creed, which says (my paraphrase) I can not by my own understanding come to believe in God/Jesus Christ except through the power of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that moves us to understand Grace and move towards it, so when does the Holy Spirit come, at baptism, or when ever she feels like it? This however is a topic for another discussion, but does help us in this discussion…

the subtitle for this blog is How Much Does it Cost?  You see Simon asked Peter and John when he saw what they were doing, laying on of hands and giving of the Holy Spirit, if he could have this power and he offered them money for this power. Now who of us that are involved in organized public ministry (meaning the church) have heard of someone using their money to get what they want? Never happens right? Wrong. We all know that people give their money and expect it to be used the way they want it to. And this my friends is what happens at a country club. If you want to be able to have say in how your money is used, then give it to a club where that money buys you membership. Do not give it to God for use in ministry and then think you can have complete control over what happens with it. Or do not give your money to God thinking it will get you something, like a better seat, or greater powers. The Holy Spirit gives gifts and to each as is apportioned by God. Your money does not effect this. God does not look on your financial situation, but He does know about it because He is the one that allowed you to be in the place you are. Money can not buy you powers from God or a better seat at the banquet.

Peter said to Simon, “Repent therefore of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and the chains of wickedness.” I pray that wickedness will be removed from all of us, and we are forgiven. I pray that the Holy Spirit indwell in all of us and fill us with the power of God to show forth His mercy and grace to all.

What can we give? Or how much does it cost? It cost the life of Jesus and there is nothing you can give to obtain the mercy of God. But once you have the Holy Spirit dwelling in you, you will be moved to give everything freely…