hold on…

Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ and brother of James. To those who are called, loved by God the Father and kept safe by Jesus Christ. May you have more and more mercy, peace, and love. Dear friends, I wanted very much to write to you concerning the salvation we share. Instead, I must write to urge you to fight for the faith delivered once and for all to God’s holy people. Godless people have slipped in among you. They turn the grace of our God into unrestrained immorality and deny our only master and Lord, Jesus Christ. Judgment was passed against them a long time ago. I want to remind you of something you already know very well. The Lord, who once saved a people out of Egypt, later destroyed those who didn’t maintain their faith. I remind you too of the angels who didn’t keep their position of authority but deserted their own home. The Lord has kept them in eternal chains in the underworld until the judgment of the great day. In the same way, Sodom and Gomorrah and neighboring towns practiced immoral sexual relations and pursued other sexual urges. By undergoing the punishment of eternal fire, they serve as a warning. Yet, even knowing this, these dreamers in the same way pollute themselves, reject authority, and slander the angels. The archangel Michael, when he argued with the devil about Moses’ body, did not dare charge him with slander. Instead, he said, “The Lord rebuke you!” But these people slander whatever they don’t understand. They are destroyed by what they know instinctively, as though they were irrational animals. They are damned, for they follow in the footsteps of Cain. For profit they give themselves over to Balaam’s error. They are destroyed in the uprising of Korah. These people are like jagged rocks just below the surface of the water waiting to snag you when they join your love feasts. They feast with you without reverence. They care only for themselves. They are waterless clouds carried along by the winds; fruitless autumn trees, twice dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom the darkness of the underworld is reserved forever. Enoch, who lived seven generations after Adam, prophesied about these people when he said, “See, the Lord comes with his countless holy ones, to execute judgment on everyone and to convict everyone about every ungodly deed they have committed in their ungodliness as well as all the harsh things that sinful ungodly people have said against him.” These are faultfinding grumblers, living according to their own desires. They speak arrogant words and they show partiality to people when they want a favor in return. But you, dear friends, remember the words spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you, “In the end time scoffers will come living according to their own ungodly desires.” These people create divisions. Since they don’t have the Spirit, they are worldly. But you, dear friends: build each other up on the foundation of your most holy faith, pray in the Holy Spirit, keep each other in the love of God, wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will give you eternal life. Have mercy on those who doubt. Save some by snatching them from the fire. Fearing God, have mercy on some, hating even the clothing contaminated by their sinful urges. To the one who is able to protect you from falling, and to present you blameless and rejoicing before his glorious presence, to the only God our savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, belong glory, majesty, power, and authority, before all time, now and forever. Amen. (Jude, CEB)

This is a book written by a person who says they are a servant of Christ, named Jude. Now, some say this is the brother of James, which would be the brother of Jesus. But all of this is speculation and we really are not sure who wrote this book.

As I read this, I see a person who is using authority to demean those who step outside the lines of what is accepted as truth, and to be a dutiful person and not rock the boat.

Sodom and Gomorrah were not destroyed for sexual immorality. The sin of Sodom as stated by the prophet Ezekiel, is: “This is the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were proud, had plenty to eat, and enjoyed peace and prosperity; but she didn’t help the poor and the needy. They became haughty and did detestable things in front of me, and I turned away from them as soon as I saw it.” (Ezekiel 16:49–50, CEB)

In the end, scoffers will come living in their own desires, or wanting to keep power as they have always had. Jesus was not killed because it was the plan; Jesus was killed because he would have ended the power of the leaders who were currently in place. God’s desire throughout the scripture is that all people are equal and the same. Nothing can keep us from God: “There is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither slave nor free; nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28, CEB)

Love like Jesus, let go of power and live God’s grace, mercy, and love out loud.


associate…

I wrote to you in my earlier letter not to associate with sexually immoral people. But I wasn’t talking about the sexually immoral people in the outside world by any means—or the greedy, or the swindlers, or people who worship false gods—otherwise, you would have to leave the world entirely! But now I’m writing to you not to associate with anyone who calls themselves “brother” or “sister” who is sexually immoral, greedy, someone who worships false gods, an abusive person, a drunk, or a swindler. Don’t even eat with anyone like this. What do I care about judging outsiders? Isn’t it your job to judge insiders? God will judge outsiders. Expel the evil one from among you! (1 Corinthians 5:9-13, CEB)

In my earlier letter, well, Paul, this is the first letter we have from you to Corinth, unless of course we believe biblical scholars who say that the letters to the gathering in Corinth comprise many letters that were fragments that got put together.

Interesting here, Paul tells the Corinthians to not allow people who say they are believers who still obviously worship false gods, are abusive, drunks, swindlers, greedy, immoral people to be a part of the gathering. Expel the evil one from among you.

In the past week, I have commented on people’s comments on my social media posts for them to unfriend me if they support the current occupant of the White House. It is no longer about politics. It is about humanity.

Paul here tells us to not allow evil to be a part of the gathering we are in, to expel evil, and to judge those who are a part of the gathering. We can not allow people to say they are followers of Christ when they are not doing what Christ called us to do.

We are called to love and accept all people as they are. We are not to change anyone, but love them, and allow God to do the rest.

Love like Jesus. Expel evil from your midst.

All Saints Sunday

Jesus raised his eyes to his disciples and said:
“Happy are you who are poor,
    because God’s kingdom is yours.
Happy are you who hunger now,
    because you will be satisfied.
Happy are you who weep now,
    because you will laugh.
Happy are you when people hate you, reject you, insult you, and condemn your name as evil because of the Human One. Rejoice when that happens! Leap for joy because you have a great reward in heaven. Their ancestors did the same things to the prophets.
But how terrible for you who are rich,
    because you have already received your comfort.
How terrible for you who have plenty now,
    because you will be hungry.
How terrible for you who laugh now,
    because you will mourn and weep.
How terrible for you when all speak well of you.
    Their ancestors did the same things to the false prophets.
“But I say to you who are willing to hear: Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on the cheek, offer the other one as well. If someone takes your coat, don’t withhold your shirt either. Give to everyone who asks and don’t demand your things back from those who take them. Treat people in the same way that you want them to treat you. (Luke 6:20-31, CEB)

I write this as the current administration in the USA is preparing to cut off SNAP benefits for many in the country. They are going to set people in a state of hunger by denying them basic human needs of food.

So happy are those who have their SNAP benefits taken away, for you will be satisfied.

How terrible for you who deny those SNAP benefits to those in need, for you will be hungry.

How do we, as the people of God, support an administration that willfully hates and causes suffering and blames it on someone else? I do not blame one party or even those in office. We claim to follow Christ, and yet allow this to happen. All are guilty of not being who God has called us to be. And if this is the case in our country, then how do we as the body of Christ step up and care for the hungry, the poor, the weeping?

Treat people how we want to be treated?

How do you want to be treated?

All Saints Day

We have also received an inheritance in Christ. We were destined by the plan of God, who accomplishes everything according to his design. We are called to be an honor to God’s glory because we were the first to hope in Christ. You too heard the word of truth in Christ, which is the good news of your salvation. You were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit because you believed in Christ. The Holy Spirit is the down payment on our inheritance, which is applied toward our redemption as God’s own people, resulting in the honor of God’s glory. Since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, this is the reason that I don’t stop giving thanks to God for you when I remember you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, will give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation that makes God known to you. I pray that the eyes of your heart will have enough light to see what is the hope of God’s call, what is the richness of God’s glorious inheritance among believers, and what is the overwhelming greatness of God’s power that is working among us believers. This power is conferred by the energy of God’s powerful strength. God’s power was at work in Christ when God raised him from the dead and sat him at God’s right side in the heavens, far above every ruler and authority and power and angelic power, any power that might be named not only now but in the future. God put everything under Christ’s feet and made him head of everything in the church, which is his body. His body, the church, is the fullness of Christ, who fills everything in every way. (Ephesians 1:11-23, CEB)

The body of Christ is the fullness of Christ and God’s hands and feet in this world.

We have heard the truth and are the ones to be grace, mercy, and love to the world. We are God’s children and made saints through Their grace.

Saints are not super followers, but all of us. We are all made saints and sent to give grace, mercy, and love to the world.

So go, you saint of God and love like Jesus.

Reformation

Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, in order to shut every mouth and make it so the whole world has to answer to God. It follows that no human being will be treated as righteous in his presence by doing what the Law says, because the knowledge of sin comes through the Law. But now God’s righteousness has been revealed apart from the Law, which is confirmed by the Law and the Prophets. God’s righteousness comes through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ for all who have faith in him. There’s no distinction. All have sinned and fall short of God’s glory, but all are treated as righteous freely by his grace because of a ransom that was paid by Christ Jesus. Through his faithfulness, God displayed Jesus as the place of sacrifice where mercy is found by means of his blood. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness in passing over sins that happened before, during the time of God’s patient tolerance. He also did this to demonstrate that he is righteous in the present time, and to treat the one who has faith in Jesus as righteous. What happens to our bragging? It’s thrown out. With which law? With what we have accomplished under the Law? No, not at all, but through the law of faith. We consider that a person is treated as righteous by faith, apart from what is accomplished under the Law. (Romans 3:19-28, CEB)

Martin Luther posted 95 Theses against indulgences on the Wittenberg Church door on the night before All Saints Day in 1517. Now, some historians say that Martin actually sent them in a letter and did not post them, but there is a handwritten note by Luther’s secretary, Georg Rörer, which was found later, that states that Luther “nailed theses about letters of indulgence to the doors of the Wittenberg churches on the evening before All Saints’ Day in 1517”. He may not have nailed them to the door but he posted them all the same.

Luther had been reading and discovered the bible said we did not achieve heaven through our works, or by paying the church to build a beautiful building. It was based upon the grace that came through the faithfulness of Christ. This is what saved us, and not completing works of the law.

We are made righteous by God and not by anything we do.

This does not mean we should do nothing. We must love as we are loved, for that is what God’s love leads us to.

Do not have faith in the law, but live in grace and love as you are loved.

comfort

From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, and Timothy our brother. To God’s church that is in Corinth, along with all of God’s people throughout Achaia. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ. May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ be blessed! He is the compassionate Father and God of all comfort. He’s the one who comforts us in all our trouble so that we can comfort other people who are in every kind of trouble. We offer the same comfort that we ourselves received from God. That is because we receive so much comfort through Christ in the same way that we share so many of Christ’s sufferings. So if we have trouble, it is to bring you comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is to bring you comfort from the experience of endurance while you go through the same sufferings that we also suffer. Our hope for you is certain, because we know that as you are partners in suffering, so also you are partners in comfort. Brothers and sisters, we don’t want you to be unaware of the troubles that we went through in Asia. We were weighed down with a load of suffering that was so far beyond our strength that we were afraid we might not survive. It certainly seemed to us as if we had gotten the death penalty. This was so that we would have confidence in God, who raises the dead, instead of ourselves. God rescued us from a terrible death, and he will rescue us. We have set our hope on him that he will rescue us again, since you are helping with your prayer for us. Then many people can thank God on our behalf for the gift that was given to us through the prayers of many people. (2 Corinthians 1:1-11, CEB)

God, who has comforted us in our troubles, wants us to be comfort for others in their troubles.

We can be a comfort to others by loving them. By not trying to fix their issues, but walking with them, and letting them know they are not alone. By loving them as they are and not judging them for bad choices or decisions, because we have all made bad choices or decisions.

We need to love as we are loved and comfort as we have been comforted.

Comfort all, as you have been comforted.

which one?

“What do you think? A man had two sons. Now he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ “‘No, I don’t want to,’ he replied. But later he changed his mind and went. “The father said the same thing to the other son, who replied, ‘Yes, sir.’ But he didn’t go. “Which one of these two did his father’s will?” They said, “The first one.” Jesus said to them, “I assure you that tax collectors and prostitutes are entering God’s kingdom ahead of you. For John came to you on the righteous road, and you didn’t believe him. But tax collectors and prostitutes believed him. Yet even after you saw this, you didn’t change your hearts and lives and you didn’t believe him. (Matthew 21:28-32, CEB)

“Which one of these two did his father’s will?”

Well, I guess technically the first one did because he did go and work in the vineyard, but I actually say he did not do it, because he told the father no. He did not do what the father wanted him to when the father asked.

That is why tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom sooner. Because they heard what needed to be done and did it. While we hear what needs to be done and complain about it because it doesn’t fit our scenario.

So which one will you be? A son that doesn’t listen and complains about what needs to be done, or a tax collector/prostitute that follows Jesus?

examples

Therefore, I have a request for the elders among you. (I ask this as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings, and as one who shares in the glory that is about to be revealed.) I urge the elders: Like shepherds, tend the flock of God among you. Watch over it. Don’t shepherd because you must, but do it voluntarily for God. Don’t shepherd greedily, but do it eagerly. Don’t shepherd by ruling over those entrusted to your care, but become examples to the flock. And when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive an unfading crown of glory. In the same way, I urge you who are younger: accept the authority of the elders. And everyone, clothe yourselves with humility toward each other. God stands against the proud, but he gives favor to the humble. Therefore, humble yourselves under God’s power so that he may raise you up in the last day. Throw all your anxiety onto him, because he cares about you. Be clearheaded. Keep alert. Your accuser, the devil, is on the prowl like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith. Do so in the knowledge that your fellow believers are enduring the same suffering throughout the world. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, the one who called you into his eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will himself restore, empower, strengthen, and establish you. To him be power forever and always. Amen. (1 Peter 5:1-11, CEB)

I urge the elders: Like shepherds, tend the flock among you. Watch over it and do so eagerly. You are entrusted leaders, and lead by example. Show love in all you do and do not hoard power or yield power to make people do your will, but lead them to show forth the love of God in every and all actions.

Humble yourselves and submit to God, and lead the people by showing them how God loves.

Love like Jesus. And lead with integrity, by being an example of what God is to you.

suffering

Dear friends, don’t be surprised about the fiery trials that have come among you to test you. These are not strange happenings. Instead, rejoice as you share Christ’s suffering. You share his suffering now so that you may also have overwhelming joy when his glory is revealed. If you are mocked because of Christ’s name, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory—indeed, the Spirit of God—rests on you. Now none of you should suffer as a murderer or thief or evildoer or rebel. But don’t be ashamed if you suffer as one who belongs to Christ. Rather, honor God as you bear Christ’s name. Give honor to God, because it’s time for judgment to begin with God’s own household. But if judgment starts with us, what will happen to those who refuse to believe God’s good news? If the righteous are barely rescued, what will happen to the godless and sinful? So then, those who suffer because they follow God’s will should commit their lives to a trustworthy creator by doing what is right. (1 Peter 4:12-19, CEB)

We all as Christians have thought about how we suffer for our faith. Some of us say we suffer when actually we are just having to deal with the fact that people will not ned over and give us what we want because we say we are Christians.

And saying one is Christian does not actually mean one is a follower of Jesus. Going into a sanctuary and staying for a worship service or returning weekly for worship does not make one a Christian, any more than standing in a garage makes one a car. And suffering in the sense of the reading is not because we do not get our way.

Suffering, according to the reading, is actually loving as Jesus does and welcoming all, and getting hit by the stones being thrown by those claiming to follow God.

Love like Jesus and follow the path of inclusion and be prepared to get hit by a stone.

Reformation Sunday

Jesus said to the Jews who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teaching. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They responded, “We are Abraham’s children; we’ve never been anyone’s slaves. How can you say that we will be set free?” Jesus answered, “I assure you that everyone who sins is a slave to sin. A slave isn’t a permanent member of the household, but a son is. Therefore, if the Son makes you free, you really will be free. (John 8:31-36, CEB)

We have never been anyone’s slaves…

While this is probably true for those speaking this day to Jesus, their ancestors were slaves in Egypt. We remember the things we want to remember and forget those that make us look bad. But here is the thing: God loves us and knows everything about us, even those things we forgot or want to forget.

And here is the other thing, actually, all of us are slaves to something. Money, wealth, our houses, our cars, our need for more. We are all held in bondage to something we need to release, let go of and give ourselves completely to God.

Something in our life is a hold back that keeps us from following God completely and that is our sin, our thing that enslaves us.

What enslaves you?

What do you need to release, to follow God completely?