Sow Peace

What of the wisdom from above? First, it is pure, and then peaceful, gentle, obedient, filled with mercy and good actions, fair, and genuine. Those who make peace sow the seeds of justice by their peaceful acts. (James 3:17-18, CEB)

What does your life bring?

Does it bring peace? As I type that I think of all the trouble in the world and think sometimes peace is not what we need, but then I read the last line of the text again, “Those who make peace sow the seeds of justice by their peaceful acts.”

When we sow seeds of justice, looking out for the down trodden and the forgotten, and those who people want to legislate out of existence in a peaceful way, we are living peacefully.

Work for justice always. And do it peacefully…

Loving People. Loving God.

Think of others…

I say be guided by the Spirit and you won’t carry out your selfish desires. A person’s selfish desires are set against the Spirit, and the Spirit is set against one’s selfish desires. They are opposed to each other, so you shouldn’t do whatever you want to do. But if you are being led by the Spirit, you aren’t under the Law. The actions that are produced by selfish motives are obvious, since they include sexual immorality, moral corruption, doing whatever feels good, idolatry, drug use and casting spells, hate, fighting, obsession, losing your temper, competitive opposition, conflict, selfishness, group rivalry, jealousy, drunkenness, partying, and other things like that. I warn you as I have already warned you, that those who do these kinds of things won’t inherit God’s kingdom. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against things like this. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the self with its passions and its desires. If we live by the Spirit, let’s follow the Spirit. Let’s not become arrogant, make each other angry, or be jealous of each other. (Galatians 5:16-26, CEB)

The idea of living in the Spirit will produce good fruit.

And that fruit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

I have heard some say that the fruit of the Spirit is love. And the rest describe what love is. When you love, there is joy, and peace. You are patient with everyone, you are kind, and goodness freely flows. You are faithful to God, and gentle with everyone and you are in control of what you are doing.

That is what we are all called to do and be. Love and loving.

All of us are one in Christ (Galatians 3:28), and we should love each other like God loves us.

Love like Jesus.

Loving People. Loving God.

Connected

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vineyard keeper. He removes any of my branches that don’t produce fruit, and he trims any branch that produces fruit so that it will produce even more fruit. You are already trimmed because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. A branch can’t produce fruit by itself, but must remain in the vine. Likewise, you can’t produce fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, then you will produce much fruit. Without me, you can’t do anything. If you don’t remain in me, you will be like a branch that is thrown out and dries up. Those branches are gathered up, thrown into a fire, and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified when you produce much fruit and in this way prove that you are my disciples. (John 15:1-8, CEB)

You can not have faith and produce fruit unless you are connected.

We are all connected. Here Jesus says he is the vine and we are the branches off the vine. We need the connection to the vine and the vine keeper to produce fruit.

We aren’t able to do it without him.

We are all interconnected and need each other to be the vineyard of God.

Welcome all and know that they are as valuable as you are.

Loving People. Loving God.

Smallest?

He continued, “What’s a good image for God’s kingdom? What parable can I use to explain it? Consider a mustard seed. When scattered on the ground, it’s the smallest of all the seeds on the earth; but when it’s planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all vegetable plants. It produces such large branches that the birds in the sky are able to nest in its shade.” (Mark 4:30-32, CEB)

If you know anything about seeds you know the mustard seed is small. However, it is not the smallest seed, and while it might have been in Jesus’ time, I am not even sure that is true.

The point of the parable though is still good, and true. A very small seed becomes something massive.

And what is now a very small thing will one day engulf all of creation.

Know that while now we only get glimpses of God’s Kingdom, one day it will be every where.

Loving People. Loving God.

Use what you got…

Before Philip’s arrival, a certain man named Simon had practiced sorcery in that city and baffled the people of Samaria. He claimed to be a great person. Everyone, from the least to the greatest, gave him their undivided attention and referred to him as “the power of God called Great.” He had their attention because he had baffled them with sorcery for a long time. After they came to believe Philip, who preached the good news about God’s kingdom and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. Even Simon himself came to believe and was baptized. Afterward, he became one of Philip’s supporters. As he saw firsthand the signs and great miracles that were happening, he was astonished. When word reached the apostles in Jerusalem that Samaria had accepted God’s word, they commissioned Peter and John to go to Samaria. Peter and John went down to Samaria where they prayed that the new believers would receive the Holy Spirit. (This was because the Holy Spirit had not yet fallen on any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) So Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. When Simon perceived that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money. He said, “Give me this authority too so that anyone on whom I lay my hands will receive the Holy Spirit.” Peter responded, “May your money be condemned to hell along with you because you believed you could buy God’s gift with money! You can have no part or share in God’s word because your heart isn’t right with God. Therefore, change your heart and life! Turn from your wickedness! Plead with the Lord in the hope that your wicked intent can be forgiven, for I see that your bitterness has poisoned you and evil has you in chains.” Simon replied, “All of you, please, plead to the Lord for me so that nothing of what you have said will happen to me!” After the apostles had testified and proclaimed the Lord’s word, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the good news to many Samaritan villages along the way. (Acts 8:9-25, CEB)

We can not earn a gift from God, nor can we buy a gift from God.

We have all been given what we need to do what God needs us to do in the world.

Use the gifts you have been given to share God’s love and do not look to get something else.

Loving People. Loving God.

Past…

Saul was in full agreement with Stephen’s murder. At that time, the church in Jerusalem began to be subjected to vicious harassment. Everyone except the apostles was scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria. Some pious men buried Stephen and deeply grieved over him. Saul began to wreak havoc against the church. Entering one house after another, he would drag off both men and women and throw them into prison. Those who had been scattered moved on, preaching the good news along the way. Philip went down to a city in Samaria and began to preach Christ to them. The crowds were united by what they heard Philip say and the signs they saw him perform, and they gave him their undivided attention. With loud shrieks, unclean spirits came out of many people, and many who were paralyzed or crippled were healed. There was great rejoicing in that city. (Acts 8:1-8, CEB)

Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future. Penned by Oscar Wilde is very true. If it was meant in the connotation it is now taken or not is to be debated. But in the above passage, we see the person most of us look to as the one who started the majority of congregations in the bible approving of the killing of Stephen the first martyr. Saul, who is Paul, was there when Stephen was stoned to death, and while the text says he held the cloaks of those doing the stoning and did not participate, the above text says he did approve of the stoning and Stephen dying.

So Saul has a past that is not favorable. Just like most of the towers of our faith.

Do not let your past, or anyone’s past get in the way of God’s love.

Love like Jesus.

Loving People. Loving God.

Denying Peter…

After singing songs of praise, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Jesus said to them, “You will all falter in your faithfulness to me. It is written, I will hit the shepherd, and the sheep will go off in all directions. But after I’m raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” Peter said to him, “Even if everyone else stumbles, I won’t.” But Jesus said to him, “I assure you that on this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” But Peter insisted, “If I must die alongside you, I won’t deny you.” And they all said the same thing. (Mark 14:26-31, CEB)

Jesus told Peter what was going to happen and Peter still says, “If I must die alongside you, I won’t deny you.” Which for those of us who know they story is laughable.

It reminds me of the beginning of the movie, My Sister’s Keeper. There is a quote that reads, “If you want to make God laugh, tell God your plans…”

Peter’s plan was to die with Jesus, but when push came to shove, his self-preservation kicked in and Peter denied knowing Jesus, which Jesus said would happen.

So remember the rock of the original disciples didn’t hold it together and fell short. So don’t be hard on yourself when you fall away or look to self-preservation rather than following Christ.

Love like Jesus. Which means loving and forgiving yourself.

Loving People. Loving God.

Who are these people…

Then one of the elders said to me, “Who are these people wearing white robes, and where did they come from?” I said to him, “Sir, you know.” Then he said to me, “These people have come out of great hardship. They have washed their robes and made them white in the Lamb’s blood. This is the reason they are before God’s throne. They worship him day and night in his temple, and the one seated on the throne will shelter them. They won’t hunger or thirst anymore. No sun or scorching heat will beat down on them, because the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them. He will lead them to the springs of life-giving water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (Revelation 7:13-17, CEB)

Won’t this really be all of us in the coming kingdom?

Who are all these people? More as a hey I know those people and they are not the people I thought I would see here.

But remember when you see someone in the coming kingdom you don’t expect, there is someone there that doesn’t expect to see you either.

Focus on God and follow what God is calling us to do.

Love.

Loving People. Loving God.

clothe

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. (1 Peter 5:1-5, CEB)

Do not be proud.

But humble yourselves towards each other.

Seek to love as God loves and be in communion with all.

Love like Jesus.

Loving People. Loving God.

Hired hand?

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. When the hired hand sees the wolf coming, he leaves the sheep and runs away. That’s because he isn’t the shepherd; the sheep aren’t really his. So the wolf attacks the sheep and scatters them. He’s only a hired hand and the sheep don’t matter to him. “I am the good shepherd. I know my own sheep and they know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. I give up my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that don’t belong to this sheep pen. I must lead them too. They will listen to my voice and there will be one flock, with one shepherd. “This is why the Father loves me: I give up my life so that I can take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I give it up because I want to. I have the right to give it up, and I have the right to take it up again. I received this commandment from my Father.” (John 10:11-18, CEB)

I always wondered at this passage as a pastor. I feel like as a pastor I am the hired hand. One who is not the shepherd but is in place to care for the sheep while the shepherd is away.

I think we are all at times the hired hand.

What do we do to inflict harm on others?

How do we keep sheep from being a part of the fold?

How do we let the wolves have the sheep?

What can you do to be a better care giver to the sheep while the shepherd is away?

Love like Jesus.

Loving People. Loving God.