Fear

During the rule of King Herod of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah. His wife Elizabeth was a descendant of Aaron. They were both righteous before God, blameless in their observance of all the Lord’s commandments and regulations. They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to become pregnant and they both were very old. One day Zechariah was serving as a priest before God because his priestly division was on duty. Following the customs of priestly service, he was chosen by lottery to go into the Lord’s sanctuary and burn incense. All the people who gathered to worship were praying outside during this hour of incense offering. An angel from the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw the angel, he was startled and overcome with fear. The angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah. Your prayers have been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will give birth to your son and you must name him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many people will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the Lord’s eyes. He must not drink wine and liquor. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before his birth. He will bring many Israelites back to the Lord their God. He will go forth before the Lord, equipped with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will turn the hearts of fathers back to their children, and he will turn the disobedient to righteous patterns of thinking. He will make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” (Luke 1:5-17, CEB)

When he saw the angel he was startled and over come with fear…

What makes us fear?

Not having a kid when we had hoped we would?

Having a kid when we maybe didn’t want that to happen?

Not being who God created us to be?

Not fitting into the box society wants us to fit so we can not get called out?

Being the perfect person and getting everything right?

God created each of us different so if you are trying to be exactly like someone else or follow the rules for someone else it won’t work. God wants us to love as God does that is why none of us are the same.

Love people as they are, see the beauty of God’s creation, and have no fear being yourself. You are truly the best at it!

Loving People. Loving God.

Who?

The apostles and the brothers and sisters throughout Judea heard that even the Gentiles had welcomed God’s word. When Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him. They accused him, “You went into the home of the uncircumcised and ate with them!” Step-by-step, Peter explained what had happened. “I was in the city of Joppa praying when I had a visionary experience. In my vision, I saw something like a large linen sheet being lowered from heaven by its four corners. It came all the way down to me. As I stared at it, wondering what it was, I saw four-legged animals—including wild beasts—as well as reptiles and wild birds. I heard a voice say, ‘Get up, Peter! Kill and eat!’ I responded, ‘Absolutely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ The voice from heaven spoke a second time, ‘Never consider unclean what God has made pure.’ This happened three times, then everything was pulled back into heaven. At that moment three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea arrived at the house where we were staying. The Spirit told me to go with them even though they were Gentiles. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered that man’s house. He reported to us how he had seen an angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and summon Simon, who is known as Peter. He will tell you how you and your entire household can be saved.’ When I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them, just as the Spirit fell on us in the beginning. I remembered the Lord’s words: ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ If God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, then who am I? Could I stand in God’s way?” Once the apostles and other believers heard this, they calmed down. They praised God and concluded, “So then God has enabled Gentiles to change their hearts and lives so that they might have new life.” (Acts 11:1-18, CEB)

Who is welcome?

Who sets the rules for who is welcome?

Well, that really depends on the group. There are some groups that have guidelines for who can be a member, there are fraternities, which are usually groups of males, and sororities, which are usually females. There are some fraternities that include both male and female, so sometimes the rules change.

But this is about who is welcome in God’s kingdom and who sets the rules. And in some churches, gatherings of God’s people, they say everyone is welcome but not every action. Which usually means if you are a part of the LGBTQIA2S+ community you really aren’t welcome.

In the above vision we see Peter get the lesson of anything God has made we can not say is unclean. We do not get to decide who is in and who is out, it is not up to our guidelines or rules. It is about God.

And when it comes to who is welcome I like to default to this statement by Drew Tucker. “I use “everyone is welcome but not everything” and then delineate clearly that racism, homophobia, xenophobia and the like aren’t welcome. If you’re not willing to try and give those up, come back when you are.”

Hate isn’t welcome. God created and it is not our place to judge another because they don’t fit our box.

Loving People. Loving God.

devoted…

When the crowd heard this, they were deeply troubled. They said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” Peter replied, “Change your hearts and lives. Each of you must be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is for you, your children, and for all who are far away—as many as the Lord our God invites.” With many other words he testified to them and encouraged them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” Those who accepted Peter’s message were baptized. God brought about three thousand people into the community on that day. The believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the community, to their shared meals, and to their prayers. (Acts 2:37-42, CEB)

What are you devoted to?

What is it that makes you get out of bed every day?

Here people heard the good news of Jesus and asked what they had to do, and it says those you believed devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the community, to eating together, and to praying.

You need to be devoted to learning more about your faith, being a part of a community of believers, eating and sharing table fellowship with them, and praying.

Easy!

So be devoted to those things and watch what God does.

Loving People. Loving God.

Beginning

The beginning of the good news about Jesus Christ, God’s Son, happened just as it was written about in the prophecy of Isaiah:

Look, I am sending my messenger before you.
He will prepare your way,
a voice shouting in the wilderness:
        “Prepare the way for the Lord;
        make his paths straight.”

John the Baptist was in the wilderness calling for people to be baptized to show that they were changing their hearts and lives and wanted God to forgive their sins. Everyone in Judea and all the people of Jerusalem went out to the Jordan River and were being baptized by John as they confessed their sins. John wore clothes made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He ate locusts and wild honey. He announced, “One stronger than I am is coming after me. I’m not even worthy to bend over and loosen the strap of his sandals. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” (Mark 1:1-8, CEB)

Mark is an interesting gospel. Everything is and immediately, and it ends with the women leaving the tomb and saying nothing to nobody. Yes there are verses after that but most scholars agree they were added later because people didn’t like the story ending with the women leaving the tomb and saying nothing to nobody.

But it’s not an ending.

Mark and the passage above begins, “The beginning of the good news about Jesus Christ” and the end of the book is the end of the beginning.

We are still writing the good news of Jesus Christ in the world.

So share love and continue the good news!

Loving People. Loving God.

Integrity

Jesus and his disciples entered Jerusalem again. As Jesus was walking around the temple, the chief priests, legal experts, and elders came to him. They asked, “What kind of authority do you have for doing these things? Who gave you this authority to do them?” Jesus said to them, “I have a question for you. Give me an answer, then I’ll tell you what kind of authority I have to do these things. Was John’s baptism of heavenly or of human origin? Answer me.” They argued among themselves, “If we say, ‘It’s of heavenly origin,’ he’ll say, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ But we can’t say, ‘It’s of earthly origin.’” They said this because they were afraid of the crowd, because they all thought John was a prophet. They answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” Jesus replied, “Neither will I tell you what kind of authority I have to do these things.” (Mark 11:27-33, CEB)

What is lacking here is integrity.

The leaders would not need to worry about what others would say if they lived a life of integrity. One who lives with integrity knows the answers and doesn’t care what others will think when the answer is given. If you are constantly worried about how others will react to your answer and change your answer based on how those receiving the answer will react then you are living for the approval of others. The only one we need the approval of is God, and there is nothing you can do to gain or loss that approval.

So live with integrity.

Loving People. Loving God.

labeled

Now those who were scattered as a result of the trouble that occurred because of Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch. They proclaimed the word only to Jews. Among them were some people from Cyprus and Cyrene. They entered Antioch and began to proclaim the good news about the Lord Jesus also to Gentiles. The Lord’s power was with them, and a large number came to believe and turned to the Lord. When the church in Jerusalem heard about this, they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw evidence of God’s grace, he was overjoyed and encouraged everyone to remain fully committed to the Lord. Barnabas responded in this way because he was a good man, whom the Holy Spirit had endowed with exceptional faith. A considerable number of people were added to the Lord. Barnabas went to Tarsus in search of Saul. When he found him, he brought him to Antioch. They were there for a whole year, meeting with the church and teaching large numbers of people. It was in Antioch where the disciples were first labeled “Christians.” (Acts 11:19-26, CEB)

Wouldn’t it be nice if we didn’t have to label people?

If we all just loved and cared for everyone regardless of anything other than the fact it is a fellow human being?

If we all encouraged others to continue doing good and spreading love in the world?

One day. This will happen.

Until then friends be the love the world needs.

Loving People. Loving God.

thank you

We always thank God for all of you when we mention you constantly in our prayers. This is because we remember your work that comes from faith, your effort that comes from love, and your perseverance that comes from hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father. Brothers and sisters, you are loved by God, and we know that he has chosen you. We know this because our good news didn’t come to you just in speech but also with power and the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know as well as we do what kind of people we were when we were with you, which was for your sake. You became imitators of us and of the Lord when you accepted the message that came from the Holy Spirit with joy in spite of great suffering. As a result you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. The message about the Lord rang out from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia but in every place. The news about your faithfulness to God has spread so that we don’t even need to mention it. People tell us about what sort of welcome we had from you and how you turned to God from idols. As a result, you are serving the living and true God, and you are waiting for his Son from heaven. His Son is Jesus, who is the one he raised from the dead and who is the one who will rescue us from the coming wrath. (1 Thessalonians 1:2-10, CEB)

I always thank God for you mentioning you constantly in my prayers.

You are a beacon of hope and a light to the nations. You show the love of God to the world.

You help remind me why I do what I do.

Remember whose you are and how you are loved. Never lose your light!

Loving People. Loving God.

Take care…

“Take care that your hearts aren’t dulled by drinking parties, drunkenness, and the anxieties of day-to-day life. Don’t let that day fall upon you unexpectedly, like a trap. It will come upon everyone who lives on the face of the whole earth. Stay alert at all times, praying that you are strong enough to escape everything that is about to happen and to stand before the Human One.” Every day Jesus was teaching in the temple, but he spent each night on the Mount of Olives. All the people rose early in the morning to hear him in the temple area. (Luke 21:34-38, CEB)

The season of my life right now is one of anxiousness and uncertainty. And I read here Jesus says to not let our hearts be dulled by the anxieties of day-to-day life.

Easier said than done there Jesus.

But what I read here is that we have something much greater than what is happening to us now. We have something more precious than anything that can and does weigh us down. We have a God who is intimately involved in our lives and knows the things we are facing and knows the things we are going through and cares for us.

So take care that you remember that, more than the things around you that weigh you down.

And love as you are loved.

Loving People. Loving God.

glorified whom?

After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was filled with light because of his glory. He called out with a loud voice, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a home for demons and a lair for every unclean spirit. She is a lair for every unclean bird, and a lair for every unclean and disgusting beast because all the nations have fallen due to the wine of her lustful passion. The kings of the earth committed sexual immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth became rich from the power of her loose and extravagant ways.” Then I heard another voice from heaven say, “Come out of her, my people, so that you don’t take part in her sins and don’t receive any of her plagues. Her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God remembered her unjust acts. Give her what she has given to others. Give her back twice as much for what she has done. In the cup that she has poured, pour her twice as much. To the extent that she glorified herself and indulged her loose and extravagant ways, give her pain and grief. In her heart she says, ‘I sit like a queen! I’m not a widow. I’ll never see grief.’ This is why her plagues will come in a single day—deadly disease, grief, and hunger. She will be consumed by fire because the Lord God who judges her is powerful. “The kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality with her and shared her loose and extravagant ways, will weep and mourn over her when they see the smoke from her burning. They will stand a long way off because they are afraid of the pain she suffers, and they will say, ‘Oh, the horror! Babylon, you great city, you powerful city! In a single hour your judgment has come.’ (Revelation 18:1-10, CEB)

Who do you glorify with your life?

Do the things you do give you credit and show how good you are?

DO you try to get people to see you and to notice what you are doing?

Is your life about recognition?

As I type this I am thinking of the song Only Jesus by Casting Crowns:

Make it count, leave a mark, build a name for yourself
Dream your dreams, chase your heart, above all else
Make a name the world remembers
But all an empty world can sell is empty dreams
I got lost in the light but it was up to me
To make a name the world remembers
But Jesus is the only name to remember

And I, I don’t want to leave a legacy
I don’t care if they remember me
Only Jesus
And I, I’ve only got one life to live
I’ll let every second point to Him
Only Jesus

All the kingdoms built, all the trophies won
Will crumble into dust when it’s said and done
‘Cause all that really matters
Did I live the truth to the ones I love
Was my life the proof that there is only One
Whose name will last forever

Jesus is the only name
Jesus is the only name
Jesus is the only name to remember
Jesus is the only name
Jesus is the only name
Jesus is the only name to remember

I don’t want to leave a legacy
I don’t care if they remember me
Only Jesus

Only Jesus

Is your life bringing you glory or Jesus?

Loving People. Loving God.

Just and true

Then I saw another great and awe-inspiring sign in heaven. There were seven angels with seven plagues—and these are the last, for with them God’s anger is brought to an end. Then I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mixed with fire. Those who gained victory over the beast, its image, and the number of its name were standing by the glass sea, holding harps from God. They sing the song of Moses, God’s servant, and the song of the Lamb, saying,

“Great and awe-inspiring are your works,
        Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways,
        king of the nations.
Who won’t fear you, Lord, and glorify your name?
        You alone are holy.
All nations will come and fall down in worship before you,
        for your acts of justice have been revealed.”

After this I looked, and the temple in heaven—that is, the tent of witness—was opened. The seven angels, who have the seven plagues, came out of the temple. They were clothed in pure bright linen and had gold sashes around their waists. Then one of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven gold bowls full of the anger of the God who lives forever and always. The temple was filled with smoke from God’s glory and power, and no one could go into the temple until the seven plagues of the seven last angels were brought to an end. (Revelation 15:1-8, CEB)

God’s ways are just and true. Sometimes they are beyond our comprehension. We see what God does and do not understand because it does not fit our definition of just and true. But here is the thing. We are not God. We did not create the worlds. We did not but life in motion.

What we see as just and true is what is best for us and that is neither just nor true.

We need to understand that our understanding is flawed and only God’s ways are just and true and give up what we want for what God is doing.

Love always and know God’s ways are better than yours.

Loving People. Loving God.