Hurried…

“He who scattered Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd a flock.”

Have you seemed to have lost focus on what this season on Advent is all about.  It is only 2 days before Christmas, and all of the plans are in full swing.  Gifts have been bought and wrapped, food lists are being put together and last minute preparations are being made.  We are so caught up in the details of the days ahead, we might have forgotten just exactly why we are doing all of this preparation in the first place.

What is this season about? Advent is the season of hope and expectation where we await the coming of our savior in the manger. The season we wait for Emmanuel, God who steps down off the high heavenly throne to be with us, to be exactly like us. He comes here to love us and show us how to love one another.  But in the hurried hectic days before the celebration we can easily lose sight of what we are celebrating and not show forth that love to our families or those around us. We get caught up in our own worlds, we forget that God was not caught up in the heavenly realm, and stepped out of heaven to be with us!

He will gather us all back together and shepherd His flock. Emmanuel, the baby born in the manger is the reason for the season, and the reason we celebrate!

Gracious lord, help us to remember the reason we celebrate this season, and why we are hurried now in the final days before your arrival.  Help us to not forget that this celebration is all about you! Amen.

You Fool!

You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly exhibited as crucified! The only thing I want to learn from you is this: Did you receive the Spirit by doing the works of the law or by believing what you heard?

The Galatians are relying on works of the law.  They have fallen back on keeping a code and doing a set of rules to make it to eternal life. Paul goes straight at the problem here, and calls them fools!  They were taught that it is by faith, and faith comes through hearing, not doing.  (Now yes faith without works is dead, but works don’t save us, faith does.)

Just as Abraham heard the promise that he would be the father of many nations and he believed! And that was reckoned to him as righteousness.  He was given faith and made righteous for what he believed not what he did! Grace comes to us in the Old Testament!

But how many of us want to say that this has to be done, or we can’t do that that way, because that’s not right.  That is setting up a code, a law by which we must be saved.  If we say anything has to be done a certain way then we are creating a code and not living by faith. God will not be put in a box to be controlled by us.

You fool! Who bewitched you? Did you receive the Spirit by doing works of the law or by believing what you’ve heard?

Remember that our faith comes through hearing and believing the promise to be true.  We can not earn our salvation, as it is a gift of Grace through Jesus Christ!

Wonderful brother who came and died so that I might have a relationship with our father, you alone give me grace, and the faith through which I join you and daddy in this loving relationship. Help me to remember that gift and to allow it to work in and through me so others will see it also. Amen.

Speak no evil

Treat everyone with courtesy and respect, speak evil of no one to avoid quarreling.

Do not gossip, or fight with anyone, because this is not what Christ has called us to do. Because all of us do this naturally. It is self preservation, and we try to build ourselves up and to do this we have to tear someone else down.  But you see in Christ, He has emptied Himself and taken on our form and become obedient unto death, even death on a cross, so that we may have life abundantly!

Christ came and saved us, not because of anything that we have done, but inspite of everything we had done, was doing and will do. Jesus gave us grace, inspite of our inclination to be self preserving, and not look out for the last, lost, little, or least.  The Holy Spirit was poured into our lives because Christ was willing to come here and die for you.  You did not deserve the rich and wonderful gift that God has given you in claiming you as His child through the rebirth in water and the Holy Spirit, yet Christ still did it for you.  So that we might know the saving grace of God the Father and thus treat people as He treated us.  Loving them, not because they deserve our love. But loving them because they were created just like us by God, and are therefore loved by God and deserve our respect and love.

Fight your inner urge to judge others, but love and allow God to judge.  We will all stand before the throne and answer for our own sins and failings.  We will answer for what we have done and not done.  Love your neighbors and speak evil of no one, and thus show forth the grace that God has given to you to others.

Gracious lord, help me to not speak evil of others and to love them as you loved me.  Give me your grace and pour the Holy Spirit in my life so it may be a beacon of hope shining your light so people are drawn to you. Amen.

Here am I…

Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.

We are all familiar with this story. Gabriel comes to Mary and tells her that she is going to have a child, and the child will be the Son of God.  Her response is “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.”  Now if Gabriel would come to me and say I would have a child (beyond that being a HUGE miracle!) I do not believe I would react the same way.  If Gabriel came and told me anything I think my reaction would be to run and hide. Not to calmly say Here am I…

But that is what is interesting… Mary said here am I.  She did not say here I am.  She was not telling Gabriel where she was, or giving her location.  She was giving herself, as an offering to the most high God, who has chosen to work out His plan of salvation for the entire world through a virgin named Mary.  It is the difference between saying I’m here, and stepping into an offering plate, Here am I, an offering to the Lord. Use me as you see fit Jesus…

Isn’t that what God wants each of us to say? Isn’t that how God wants each of us to come to Him? In fear and trembling we approach the throne of God and say “Here am I, use me as you see fit. Use me as you created me to be used.”

That is what Mary did in her response to Gabriel.  She noticed that God wanted to use her and she knew that He would not let her down, and that He would be her shade and her shelter, and protect her in the storm.  God will not let us down.  We just need to hand Him our lives and let Him be in control.

Daddy God, help me to say Here am I, and give you control over the life you created. Guide us to give our lives over to you and to rest in your shelter, strength and sustenance. Amen. 

Tradition…

They profess to know God, but they deny him by their actions. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.

Here Paul is talking to Titus about the Jewish people who are saying that Christians must be circumcised before they can be Christians. That old ways and things once thought to be important need to be upheld and brought to the for front.  This isn’t happening today anymore…

We all know that is not true.  All of us, me included get stuck in the way things use to be and want things to be that way always and forever.  But here are some things we need to think about…

The organ was once the instrument of the devil and now a lot of people would say that if you don’t have an organ you are not worshiping.

Many of the hymns Martin Luther wrote were set to tunes of songs sung in taverns. (they were tunes the people knew).

What we know as traditional worship was once the radical new thing that should not be replacing what is tried and true.

Paul tells Titus “To the pure all things are pure, but to the corrupt and unbelieving nothing is pure. Their very minds and consciences are corrupted.”  Everything is pure to those who believe and have faith in their lives and live in that faith which God has given them, but to those who cling to traditions and ways of old, they are hoping in those things to save them and not faith in God.

Allow God to be who He is and use all things created for the glorifying of His name.  Do not cling to past traditions for salvation, but base your life on past traditions to build a glorious way of life in Jesus.

Gracious creator, help me to know that everything you created is good and can and will be used by you.  Help me to not be stuck in tradition but to use tradition as a foundation for a life based in your faith and grace given to me. Amen.

 

Where are you?

the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?”

Has God ever asked you “Where are you?”  I’ve heard that before.  When we think we can hide from God, just as Adam and Eve thought they could hide from God in the Garden of Eden.

First we have to ask ourselves why we would want to hide from God.  Well much like the case in Adam and Eve, we have done something we know that God does not like.  We have all been there.  We have all done that thing that we can’t fathom doing, but we know we did it.  And do you know what is even worse, then us knowing we have sinned against God?  The fact that God already knows about it, and He was with us the whole time we were doing it.

That’s right. God did not have to ask Adam and Eve where they were, and He never has to ask us that either, but He does because He wants us to remember His promise to always be with us. He knew they ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, He wanted to see if they would admit to what had happened.  Honesty is the best and only policy in all circumstances.  God was there when you sinned.  God is with you when you think you are running from Him. He knows everything you do, every moment of every day.

While this is unnerving, it is also very comforting.  Every circumstance you find yourself in and you think you are alone, God is with you. He will give you the strength to see through what is ahead.  He will help you, if you only remember He is there and ask Him to help and shelter you.

Gracious and loving creator, help us to remember that you go with us every where and see everything we do.  Guide us to remain in you and allow your strength and peace to be our guide in our lives so that we might not run from you, but rest in you.  Amen. 

The Least of These…

I was hungry then, did you give me food to eat. When I was cold and tired did you give me a warm place to sleep? When life had knocked me down did you help me to my feet? What you’ve done for the least of these, you’ve done for me…

This is the chorus to a song I played bass on, written by my former pastor in North Carolina called the Least of These based on Matthew 25:31-46.  It is the thing that first comes to mind when I hear this passage.

The last, the lost, the least the little are those that can not look out for themselves, and we are called to be there for them and to lend them a hand and to help them.  Jesus says to those at the final judgment as he will say to each and everyone of us, what did you do for me, and everyone of your brothers and sisters was me…

We get so caught up in our own lives trying to get our next trophy that we lose sight of those all around us that need us to be Jesus for them.  We are so blinded by making ourselves higher and better that we forget that Christ called us to love and to give what he has given us.  We are to look out for the other.

Don’t be so caught up in your own life that you miss Jesus looking for you to be him to the world in need around you.  Then you will hear, “You were faithful servants each and every day, you never turned your back on any one in need. It was when you were serving them that you served me.”

Gracious God, help us to focus on who you are and who you have called us to be.  Help us to see you in the faces of the last, lost, least and little.  Help us to serve you and thus serve and love our neighbors, helping them to see you and to come to know you.  Amen.

I was afraid…

Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.

I was afraid so I said nothing, and you thought I agreed with you…

I was afraid so I did not step in and stop what was happening so everybody thought I agreed with what they wanted…

How many times have you done something because you were afraid of how people would react to you stepping up, or saying you disagree?  How many times have you gone along with the crowd because it was easier than speaking up for those who needed your help?  How many times have you set aside your convictions because the group wanted to do something you know is wrong?

Your mother always said, “if they jumped off a bridge would you jump off one too?”  Of course you wouldn’t, but not saying what you know is right, or living your own convictions is also a way that you jump off the bridge.  You are killing yourself by not being who God created you to be.

The slave here stood up to his master, and did not make him any more money in a society where in order for one to get more money someone else had to lose money.  The slave did not harm society by doing what he knew was wrong.

Never do something out of fear! God gives us a spirit of power and love to boldly be his light in the world.

Daddy, help me to not be afraid to stand and be who you created me to be. A one of a kind creation to shine forth your light. Help me to always remember I am your child, and you give me strength. Amen.

Be Prepared!

I remember this from the days I was a Boy Scout. Be prepared is the Boy Scout motto.

The Scout Motto is: BE PREPARED which means you are always in a state of readiness in mind and body to do your DUTY.

  • Be Prepared in Mind by having disciplined yourself to be obedient to every order, and also by having thought out beforehand any accident or situation that might occur, so that you know the right thing to do at the right moment, and are willing to do it.
  • Be Prepared in Body by making yourself strong and active and able to do the right thing at the right moment, and do it. (taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scout_Motto)

This is exactly how we are to be as followers of Christ, prepared! At any moment to do anything necessary for the King.  We have to be ready for all situations and know what could happen and have worked out ahead of time what we might do.

The only difference here is that in the moment when we are in need, the Holy Spirit will be with us as always, and the spirit will intercede to God the Father for us, and bring the aid we need. He will give us the words to speak. So our preparation and working out of every situation is knowing Christ and Him crucified and what that means for us.  A relationship into which we live daily, and work into and through. Spending time reading our Bibles and praying, to be better connected with God, and therefore always prepared!

Daddy God, help me to be immersed in you so that when trouble arises I will not need to worry about how I will react, but will be given by You the thing to do or say. So move into and through my life that others are drawn to you. Amen.

Letter from Jesus about Christmas —

It has come to my attention that many of you are upset that folks are taking
My name out of the season.

How I personally feel about this celebration can probably be most easily
understood by those of you who have been blessed with children of your own.
I don’t care what you call the day. If you want to celebrate My birth, just
GET ALONG AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

Now, having said that let Me go on. If it bothers you that the town in which
you live doesn’t allow a scene depicting My birth, then just get rid of a
couple of Santas and snowmen and put in a small Nativity scene on your own
front lawn. If all My followers did that there wouldn’t be any need for such
a scene on the town square because there would be many of them all around
town.

Stop worrying about the fact that people are calling the tree a holiday
tree, instead of a Christmas tree. It was I who made all  the trees. You can
remember Me anytime you see any tree. Decorate a grape vine if you wish: I
actually spoke of that one in a teaching, explaining who I am in relation to
you and what each of our tasks were. If you have forgotten that one, look up
John 15: 1 – 8.

If you want to give Me a present in remembrance of My birth, here is my wish
list. Choose something from it:
1. Instead of writing protest letters objecting to the way My birthday is
being celebrated, write letters of love and hope to soldiers away from home.
They are terribly afraid and lonely this time of year. I know, they tell Me
all the time.

2. Visit someone in a nursing home. You don’t have to know them personally.
They just need to know that someone cares about them.

3. Instead of writing the President complaining about the wording on the
cards his staff sent out this year, why don’t you write and tell him that
you’ll be praying for him and his family this year. Then follow up… It
will be nice hearing from you again.

4. Instead of giving your children a lot of gifts you can’t afford and they
don’t need, spend time with them. Tell them the story of My birth, and why I
came to live with you down here. Hold them in your arms and remind them that
I love them.

5 Pick someone that has hurt you in the past and forgive him or her.

6. Did you know that someone in your town will attempt to take their own
life this Christmas Season because they feel so alone and hopeless?  Since
you don’t know who that person is, try giving everyone you meet a warm
smile; it could make the difference.

7. Instead of nit picking about what the retailer in your town calls the
holiday, be patient with the people who work there. Give them a warm smile
and a kind word. Even if they aren’t allowed to wish you a “Merry Christmas”
that doesn’t keep you from wishing them one. Then stop shopping there on
Sunday. If the store didn’t make so much money on that day they’d close and
let their employees spend the day at home with their families

8. If you really want to make a difference, support a missionary–
especially one who takes My love and Good News to those who have never heard
My name.

9. Here’s a good one. There are individuals and whole families in your town
who not only will have no “Christmas” Spirit, but neither will they have any
presents to give or receive. If you don’t know them, buy some food and a few
gifts and give them to the Salvation Army or some other charities which
believes in Me and they will make the delivery for you.

10. Finally, if you want to make a statement about your belief in and
loyalty to Me, then Behave like a Christian. Don’t do things in secret that
you wouldn’t do in My presence. Let people know by your actions that you are
one of mine.

Don’t forget; I am God and can take care of Myself. Just love Me and do what
I have told you to do. I’ll take care of all the rest. Check out the list
above and get to work; time is short. I’ll help you, but the ball is now in
your court. And do have a Most Blessed Christmas with all those whom you
love, care for  and remember.

I LOVE YOU,
JESUS