Denominations and division…

It is these worldly people, devoid of the Spirit, who are causing divisions. (Jude 19)

Do we have division in the body of Christ? Yes that is why there are so many denominations in the Christian church. Here is an article from Wikipedia that defines this division. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Christian_denominations) So what is that causes this division, this separation?  We would say differences in theology.  Our dogma is different. We have a different understanding of the Bible.

However this verse from Jude says it is people who are devoid of the Spirit who are causing division.  Does that mean there are people devoid of the spirit in our gatherings of the body of Christ?  Does that mean I could be one devoid of the Spirit if I am causing separation and division?

The unnerving answers to these questions are, yes there are people in the gathering of the body of Christ that are devoid of the Spirit, and yes at times we are the one that is devoid of the Spirit.  This is the understanding of Martin Luther’s statement simul justus et peccator.  We are simultaneous justified and sinner.  We are both saint and sinner. We are filled and following Jesus and we are at the same time someone who is not filled and falling away from Jesus.

So is there division in the body, yes! Is there something we can do about it, yes! Follow Jesus and act like him, and look out for the needs of others and not our own needs.

Gracious savior fill me with your Spirit and help me to not look out for my own needs, but for the needs of the other. Help me to not be the one who causes division, but the one who helps us as your body to be united in you. Amen.

Who can stand before the Lord?

The psalmist asks, “If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand?”  And isn’t that the truth? Who amongst us can stand, because the Lord does mark our iniquities. He remembers the sins of the generations for many to come it says several times in the Bible.  So who amongst us can stand?  We are all in trouble if this is what the message of the gospel is.

Yet we know that is not the full message. And to be honest that is not where the psalmist stops either.  The next verse is “But there is forgiveness with you, so that you may be revered.”  The Lord gives us forgiveness, so we may revere Him. The Lord knows and marks all of our iniquities, and has counted all of our sins, but yet forgives them all. He forgives us our trespasses and allows us to be in a relationship with him.

The psalmist continues, “I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning.” I hope in His word and wait for Him, because I know that this darkness will not last forever, and the blackness that surrounds me as the night will soon break away to the light of the new day and there, my God will be to forgive me and cleanse me and make me His own. Not holding me up to what I deserve, but holding me up in the light of His love.

The psalmist reminds us that we are not worthy, yet God still calls us and makes us His own. So do not let the darkness of your world win, or overcome you, live in the light of the coming day, when God will remember your iniquities no more and will wipe away every tear.  Know that He has promised to redeem us from our iniquities.

Saving Lord, help us to remember that without you we can not stand, and because of your love and sending our savior we can be with you forever. Amen.

 

Without spot or blemish…

As we wait we are to be found without spot or blemish.

How are we to be found without spot or blemish?  That means we are to be perfect in everything we do, not succumbing to sin, or allowing ourselves to do things for personal gain, and always looking out for the other and loving like Jesus.  Try as I might, that is not going to happen, because I am flawed and I can not do that all the time.

I do things for my own gain, and think about myself more than others sometimes. I do not look out for others and at times find it hard to show the love of Jesus.  But Peter tells us, as he wrote here, “while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish;”  Strive to live up to the scriptures and live out the love they show forth in your life.  And be careful doing this.  Peter urges, as also Paul wrote, that we strive to understand the scriptures and not twist them to our own understanding. “There are some things in them hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other scriptures.”

The things that are hard to understand are not to be passed over, or worked out in our own minds. God will help us, if we can but turn to him. “You therefore, beloved, since you are forewarned, beware that you are not carried away with the error of the lawless and lose your own stability. 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.”  Do not be conformed into thinking you know what the Bible says and go off on your own, or after others simply because it sounds biblical. Discover for yourselves what God is saying in the Bible and pray that He guide you to the truth He has for you.

We on our own can not be without spot and blemish but with Him all things are possible.

Wonderful Savior, guide us in your love to seek your wisdom and strength in all that we do. And be with us this Advent and form us into your likeness. Amen.

Waiting?

How long do we like to wait?

Today we do not know what it means to be patient anymore.  I mean we have easy mac and cheese.  Really?  How hard is it to put some water in a pan, and put it on the stove and boil the water to add the macaroni and then cook it and drain it, and add the cheese flavored powder and butter and milk?  And what about easy hotdogs, already on a bun, just heat and serve? Again another feat of culinary design!

We have to have it and have it now. We can not wait for anything it seems…

But Peter reminds us, “But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day.” A day is like a thousand years!  The blink of an eye is like a thousand years… Time does not have the same effect on God as it does on us, and He is patient, knowing what needs to happen and not wanting to rush it, like a good soup takes time to simmer, so God is patient. “The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance.”

So this season of expectation is a time for us to live in the time of expectation, that all will come to the realization that Christ is King, and the coming baby in the manger is the Messiah, the savior of the world.  So wait for him, with joyful expectation!

Wonderful Savior, guide us in our waiting to focus on you, the one coming to us in the manger. To not rush your arrival, but to simmer in the plans and processes that bring you to us. Fill us with your joy and love so that we might shine your presence to all of this world that needs to see your love for them. Amen.

A house of thieves…

What is God’s house to you?

The gathering of the body is something we are told to do, and in doing that we say we go to church…

Well I try hard with my wife to tell our daughters we are going to worship, because we are the church. “I am the church, you are the church, we are the church together. The church is not a building the church is the people.”  We can not go to church, for we are the church. But we can go to our Father’s house… But where is that? And a better question yet is what is that?

Why do you gather on Sunday with the body of believers? Is it to get your fill for the week? This is the one hour you get your tank filled so you can face the rest of the week?  Is it to be seen by others doing your weekly duty of gathering, and participating in the Holy Supper? IS it so others can see you place your offering in the plate? Is it to bring praise and adoration to God? Is it to worship your creator and give him the adoration he deserves from us?

The Father’s house as a den of thieves is not something that only happens in Jesus’ day, it is happening still today when we gather for self centered reasons. When we look for our own needs, rather than gather to worship God and give Him praise and adoration.

So gather with the body of believers you are a part of, not for your gain, but for others, and to bring God praise and glory. And through this you will be blessed.

Gracious savior, help us to not make worship or your house about us.  Help us to worship you alone and to give you praise and adoration through all of our lives.  Guide us to not look out for ourselves, but to focus on you. Amen.

What do you need?

What do you need?

Today’s gospel lesson might seem a little on the odd side to be reading during Advent.  It is the gospel lesson most of us associate with Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter – the beginning of Holy week.

I however find this to be a most appropriate lesson for us to ponder during the season of Hope and Light as we await on the long expectant Messiah to come to us.

You see our society is so caught up in the have to have and keepin up with the Jones… We are so focused on what we want, we lose sight of what we need. How many of you have already been shopping for Christmas?  How many of you braved the sales on Black Friday?  Most years I would have been right there with you, but this year, I did not go out shopping at 4:00 or 5:00 am. I did go to the mall as my little girl wanted her ears pierced and so we went… But it was not to be a part of the madness… We consume and consume until we can not possibly get anything else and then consume some more, I wonder sometimes when is enough enough. And I say that to myself, to curb that want inside of me as well…

We see in our gospel lesson the only thing in all of the Bible that Jesus, the savior of the world ever needs… “When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, just say this, ‘The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately.””

The only thing Jesus needs is a donkey and her colt! So what is it that we need?

Gracious God help us to focus on the coming Messiah this advent and not on our own wants and desires. Help us to be filled with expectant hope in the baby coming to us, and to make him all we need. Amen.

Season of Hope…

Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long.

Advent is the season of Hope and expectation.  This is the time we wait for the coming birth of our Messiah, where we ponder the world around us and how might God make things right.  It is a time for us to meditate on His word and to allow His light to fill us as we clear out the space for the coming Lord. Advent is about preparation for the coming of Christ.  We are to be expectant of His coming, not already worked out what presents we have to buy or when the Christmas decorations are going up, or even gotten out our Christmas albums and started listening. (Yes I have started listening to Christmas music, but I also have Advent selections…)

We all have hearts trained in selfishness.  We focus on ourselves and what we need.  In this season of Advent we need to stop and focus on Jesus.  How many of us have thought about a present for Jesus?  We are so concerned with getting the right present for our mother, our father, our sisters and brothers, our spouse, do we really think about what the season is about?  Is it about the right gift for the right person?  Or is the thought really in just getting the gift?  And should we have a gift for Jesus under our trees?

If you were to get Jesus a present, what would it be?  What do you think Jesus wants for Christmas?  For us all to think alike?  For us to all have the same thoughts about every issue?  What is the straight road we are suppose to be on?

So how can we over come our hearts of selfishness, be lead in His truth, and get Jesus the present He would really want for Christmas?

Gracious God, help us to focus on the coming of your Son this Advent season and not on making sure we get all the right things.  Help us not to make Christmas come too early, but allow you to work through us to break our hearts of greed, and seek first your kingdom.  Amen.

Blowing Off Black Friday – Dave Sather’s Money Matters

I received the below article from a friend of mine ans asked him if I could share them with y’all…

One of our long time clients, “Nick”, stopped by today. We meet from time to time to discuss family and politics as often as investments.

Nick served in Vietnam. He is a self made man. He is not rich, but he is comfortable.

I asked him what he was doing over the Thanksgiving holiday. He replied: “I’ll tell you what I’m not going to do—shop for crap. I’m boycotting Black Friday and the ridiculous materialism that goes with the entire holiday season.” Nick may have used some other more colorful words too.

Nick proceeded to tell me that while the idiots of the world stand in line at some big box retailer waiting for the “bargain they think they can’t live without”, he will gladly be at home asleep.

Once he does wake up, he is going to fix his family pancakes. They will have a meal together—and they will have a real conversation.

Nick’s bluntness always puts a smile on my face.

Nick has four kids and nine grandkids. Although his family will all celebrate Thanksgiving with their immediate family, they will all be there for breakfast on Friday.

Each of the kids and the grandkids will have a letter waiting in front of them. Despite being in writing, Nick will talk off the cuff.

He will tell them:

“You are my family. Although I may not say it enough—I want you to know I love you.

The TV will be off and our phones will go unanswered—and we will all live through it and be better off for it. We will have an adult conversation and we will learn something new about each other.

I don’t care what you celebrate—Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa—it doesn’t matter. Celebrations of that nature are not about material things. No matter how much you may like them—neither a big TV nor an X-Box will love you and will not provide you with happiness in life. No material toy can provide you with true happiness.

Once you have a toilet that flushes, tap water you can drink, access to health care, food on your table and a roof over your head—the rest is just details. So make sure when making decisions that you logically think through what you “need” versus what you merely “want.”

I am not going to give you a “toy” this holiday season. I will give you the same thing I have for many years—I will fund a portion of your education.

No bankruptcy court or divorce proceeding can take your education away from you. Once you have an education—whether it be as a welder or a brain surgeon—you have a fighting chance to be self supporting in this world.”

Nick then tells me that after breakfast, they will clean some dishes and then the real fun begins. They will go serve others.

I asked him what he meant. He said, “I have never wanted for food—but others have. So part of my family will volunteer at the local soup kitchen.”

“Another part of my family will do some volunteer work at their church.”

“And another part of the family will work on building a Habitat For Humanity house.” Nick made sure to add that although in his 70’s, he can still sling a hammer and it gives him a reason to get off his rear.

As we finished our coffee I remembered all over again why I admire this man so much.

In honor of Nick, this holiday season do something that really matters. Tell someone you love them. Help someone who is less fortunate than you. Know that some material item will never bring you happiness. Give your family the opportunity to get an education or a trade.

Those are the gifts that last a lifetime.

Dave Sather
Certified Financial Planner

November 2011 Front Page

I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God’s grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, so that on the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:3-11)

Thanksgiving is a time to remember our blessings!

All of us have been blessed by God with many wonderful blessings in our lives, and in our day to day lives we may forget the many blessings we have.

So take some time this month as you gather with family and friends to remember the blessings you have, and to share them with others. The blessings we have been given are a way that God shows us His love and reminds us how much He cares for us.

Paul’s words to the Philippians reminds us to be thankful for our community and to pray joyfully for all of our brothers and sisters and to share in the work of the gospel with the community we have been blessed with. And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more… That your love may overflow. Not the emotion that we think love is, but the actual love of God that is in you the action of showing others the care you have received from God. Giving to the other over yourself, and looking out for the need of the other over our self.

I am blessed to be in Victoria and a part of this community. Remember to count your blessings – not to puff yourself up, but to show you how much you have been given to share!