April 21, 2009

Psalms 39

Oh the sheer anguish of this psalmist cry. Did you sense the agony and pain that he was expressing?

Sometimes the pain cuts so deep that all we can do is to cry out to God. Whether the pain is caused by our sins or other sufferings, it still hurts. As I reflect on this psalm, I too am reminded how short life really is. As the psalmist wrote in verse 5 & 12, "How short you have made my life...I am only your guest for a little while." (Today's English Version)

I celebrate that God is indeed the maker of creation and the giver of life. I know if there is any hope at all, it is in the Lord God that we love and serve. So, as short as this life really is, it behoves us to make this journey with joy. Joy that comes from a loving God who does not immune us from suffering but walks with us in those difficult times.

Embrace your journey sisters and brothers and live life to the fullest.

igniting,
Pastor Dawn

April 20, 2009

Luke 24:28-35
Sitting at table really is a revealing experience. In my family, it's at table where we discuss politics, church, school, and many other issues of the 'day.' It's at table as the fork meets the plate to gather another scrumptious bite, our voices elevate and speak what is on our mind.

When Jesus revealed himself to the two people it was at table. As he broke the bread and gave it to them, then they knew it was Jesus. Of course, it was. They could not wait to go tell about their experience.

When was the last time you had a revealing experience with Jesus? I hope you shared it with someone.

igniting,
Pastor Dawn

April 19, 2009

Luke 24:13-27

What a wonderful passage to read. It comes on the heels on the resurrection of Jesus. We commonly refer to it as the walk to Emmaus. I have read this story many times. I have heard this story referenced in sermons many times. The intriguing thing for is to place myself in this narrative and ask myself these questions. Would I have known that it was Jesus accompanying my companion and me? Would I have sensed his awesome presence particularly after being an eyewitness to the miracles that he had performed? I think to myself, surely so. Yeah, right. I’m no different than the two people on the road to Emmaus.

Jesus in all of his splendor and glory reveals himself to me time and time again. I just need to open the eyes of my heart and be thankful.

Here's to the start of a great week.

igniting,
Pastor Dawn

Luke 22: 1-71

Today I want us to focus on Peter and his actions in this passage. As is so often the case when I look at Peter and what he does I see myself in him. In this account he is so confident that he would never abandon Jesus, that his faith would never fail. So much so that he declares, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death” (v.31-33). But, Jesus knows otherwise. Jesus informs Peter that before the rooster crows he will deny him three times….and he does.

I am grateful that Scripture informs us of folk like Peter who enable us to put ourselves in the story, because they are so easy to relate to. In this occasion I see myself in Peter in that there have been times when I thought it impossible of me ever doing something and then I do it. Thankfully as we learn later on in the story Jesus indeed forgives Peter through his grace. Friends, we will at times make mistakes that surprise us, but God’s grace is there to forgive and to empower us to not make the same mistake again. If we were sinless and perfect then the events of this “Good Friday” would have been unnecessary. So as you come to the cross tonight join with Peter in telling Jesus how grateful you are!

God’s Peace,
Pastor Brad

Luke 21: 1-38

Today is Maunday Thursday. Tonight we begin the Holy Triduum, the final three days of the season of Lent. It is a time for us to deeply consider all that Jesus Christ went through for us. We join with the disciples around the table as Jesus serves them in ways unimaginable, teaches and announces the new covenant. We discover that Jesus withholds nothing from them or from us. He is fully divine and has all authority yet stoops to wash the disciples feet. Friends this is the one we worship. He is the one who deserves our praise and the fullest measure of our gifts.

May we give in the same way that this poor widow gave. May we, like this woman, give out of our poverty. Friends Jesus gave us all he had to give, he held nothing back. This Holy Triduum let us consider how we can give of ourselves in ways that honor him.

God’s Peace,
Pastor Brad

Luke 20: 27-47

It’s amazing all that happened to Jesus that last week that He walked this earth. Around every corner he had people challenging him and his teaching. We learn that Jesus was fully human so it’s hard to imagine the patience needed to deal with all that was thrown at him. Here we have the Sadducees in their arrogance challenging Jesus’ belief in the resurrection and the teachers of the law attempting to butter Jesus up. Jesus yet again responds in the most appropriate way filled with patience and the right amount of confrontation.

Friends, this Holy Week lets take the needed time to examine how Jesus interacts with those who confront him. Lets take time to pray asking for the wisdom on how we might reflect His actions in our own points of conflict. My hope is that we might receive the needed discernment to respond in ways that honor Jesus.

God’s Peace,
Pastor Brad

Luke 20: 1-26

In today’s narrative we read of occasions where the chief priests, the elders and teachers of the law attempt to trap and challenge Jesus. They aim to fool Jesus into making a mistake so that they might arrest and even kill him. In each case they fail. They question where his authority comes from and if he submits to the “laws” of the land. Jesus responds by asking them a question, by telling them a parable, and by answering in such an astonishing way that they are left speechless.

These men have already made up their mind about how they view Jesus. They see him as a threat and as someone who will destroy their way of life. Through their clouded agenda they are unable to see the life changing power of the Son of God. My hope is that we are not guilty of making the same mistake by allowing a clouded agenda to prevent us from seeing what God has for us.

On Palm Sunday we began the most significant of weeks in the Christian year. Don’t allow any thing to distract you from what God might reveal to you this Holy week. Realize that in Jesus all authority resides and that in Jesus alone will we find our way.

God’s Peace,
Pastor Brad

Luke 19: 41-48

This passage of Jesus driving out those selling in the temple has always appealed to me as a believer. In fact it is one of those passages that highlight the humanity of Jesus. In this section we observe the “righteous anger” the “passionate zeal” of Jesus when he encounters the defilement of the temple of God. In John’s gospel we read that he made a whip out of chords to drive them out, scattered their coins and overturned the tables (John 2: 12-17).

We observe in this section that Jesus, just like us, is disgusted when faced with things that are not the way they should be. He will not allow the unholy to profane the holy. This image of Jesus challenges the false understanding that Jesus is only and always meek and mild, instead inserting a fuller understanding that he will defend the holiness of God with passionate zeal.

Friends when and how do you, do we defend the holiness of God? Do we too frequently sit on the sidelines when orphans, widows, the homeless and the alien are oppressed? What do you think?

God’s Peace,
Pastor Brad

Saturday, April 4

Luke 19:28-44

Jesus is nearing the end of His earthly ministry. He is still teaching, still engaging with His disciples, still sharing His truth with all who will hear. When He enters Jerusalem, the people rejoice! They shout His praises and blessings, reveling in the miracles they have seen.

But after all this, Jesus weeps over the city of Jerusalem, because He knows the true hearts of the people.

Here we are at the end of our Lenten season, preparing to enter into Holy Week, and this weekend in worship we will be the ones shouting praises and blessings, reveling in the miracles we have seen and heard of.

But I wonder...will Jesus be weeping over us because He knows our rue hearts? What do our true hearts tell us? Do we recognize that God has come to us?

I hope you will ponder, and pray, and know that God HAS come to us...and for us.

peace,
Pastor Judi Hunt

Thursday, 4/2

Luke 17:1-2
Jesus said to his disciples: "Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. So watch yourselves.

It's tough to realize as a Christian that on the one hand w'ell never be perfect, and on the other hand, people are watching us, expecting us to behave in a way that reflects what we say we believe.

I can think of times when someone I thought pretty highly of did something that caused me to drop that esteem a notch. In fact not too long ago during a trip out of town, I was put into a position of potential temptation. A group was heading out for the evening, and the invitation was made (by a professing Christian) to go along...to a "watering hole", where I would be encouraged to dance on the bar. (Okay, you can stop laughing now.)

I demurred politely, and was further encouraged by the 'what happens in this place stays in this place' logic. Perhaps that invitation to sin was bound to come; I'm glad I said no. But does Jesus mean that woe will come to the person who encouraged me?

Now turn that lens around. There have certainly been times when I've behaved in a way that belied my Christian faith. A rude response...a selfish desire...a disobedience...a deliberate lie. What message do I send when I cut somebody off on Independence Boulevard, and then they see the 'clergy' sticker on my back window? When Jesus says, 'watch yourselves,' I realize that others are watching also.

I don't want to let Jesus down. I don't want to be the one who causes another to sin against God. I'm going to watch a little more closely. I want nothing more than for people to see Jesus through my life. Tall order? Not with Him!

peace,
Pastor Judi

Wednesday, 4/1...no kidding

Luke 16:14-15
The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. He said to them, You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight."

Jesus was counter-cultural then, and to follow Him now is to be counter-cultural. It's not about wealth, but it is about priority. Our culture sets up wealth and all it will bring as the gold standard. Jesus sets God as the gold standard. Here's what our current day Pharisees might be doing:

• Making sure the Mercedes payment is made before the tithe.
• Watching 'Desperate Housewives' and 'The Medium' but missing daily time with God.
• Blowing off worship on Sunday because of a late ball game on Saturday night.
• Spending more time and money on the external look than on the internal integrity.
• Thinking that throwing money at a cause is the same as giving of self to said cause.
• "Going through the motions" so it "looks good," and not connecting head and heart.
• Parents expecting a different moral code to apply to children than applies to themselves.

Ouch! If we want to get real with ourselves, we might ask today, 'what in my life is allowing me to sneer at Jesus?' None of us would do this deliberately, but if we're honest we might do it thoughtlessly. So today, I'm just inviting you to think about it; then decide if you want to change anything.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

Peace,

Pastor Judi

Tuesday, 3/31, Luke 15:1-32

Have you ever lost something important to you? Do you remember how you felt when you discovered it was missing? Do you remember how you felt when you found it?

When I was young (just a few years ago...) I received a lovely ring as a gift. After spending an afternoon baking, after my bread was done and the kitchen cleaned up, I discovered that my ring was missing. I was devastated, heartbroken and panic-stricken. I turned my kitchen upside down, inside out and every which way. I sifted through the flour canister, the sugar bag and the pantry. Then I scoured the floor, stuck my hand down into the sink drain and looked through the garbage pail. Then it occurred to me that it might be baked right into the bread, so I carefully sliced all the loaves to see if the ring would turn up. When everything failed, I did it all over again! Finally I just sat down in the middle of the floor and cried.

The three parables in chapter 15 of Luke's gospel are all about that which is lost and that which is found. God feels it deeply (devastated and heart-broken?) when one of us is 'missing' from Him. Actually, God probably grieves more, because when we are 'missing' it's a matter of eternal life or eternal death.

Where are you? Is God looking for you? Remember that if you feel far from God, it is you, not Him, who is lost. He is waiting. And He will celebrate and be glad (verse 32.)

(I did eventually find the ring. It had slipped into the spine of my Pillsbury Cookbook 3-ring binder...and I did a little happy dance in exactly the spot I had cried upon.)

peace,
Pastor Judi Hunt

Monday, 3/30, Luke 14:1-35

Luke 14:12-14
"Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers, or relatives, or your rich neighors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

Yesterday I stopped in the hallway at church to chat with a young mother who was there with her year-old daughter and 3-year old son. The little boy asked her if he could have a package of chewy fruit snacks which were tucked away in their little travel bag. She said yes, and he was quite happy (well, until they ran out).

Then the Mom told me that her son had taught her a Kingdom lesson that morning. He wanted to bring chewy fruit snacks for every child in his Sunday School class! Mom's first thought was, '
"well that would be great, but then we won't have any more fruit snacks for the rest of the week..." a most natural reaction! Then she realized what was happening.

Her son was expressing what she and his Dad had taught him - to share what you have with others. He was expecting nothing in return from his friends, just wanted to give them some of what he had. Mom noted that she was glad her son had taught her that day that we can have a little bit of the Kingdom of God right here, right now when we do what Jesus asks us to do. She also noted that once it dawned on her what her little son was doing, she wanted to go out and get five more boxes to share!

This is exactly Jesus' Kingdom message in this short passage of Scripture. And this little family was definitely blessed.

Peace,
Pastor Judi

Saturday, March 28, 2009 Luke 13:18-30

Who will be saved? It's a human question which flows from the need we have to possess information. Information is power for some of us, at least over those without it. Notice that Jesus refused to give a formula or say how many would be involved. He simply reminds Israel that the time for deciding is drawing near, and those hated Gentiles might arrive in eternity before God's chosen people! It was not Good News to his listeners. It will take commitment and focus--no chance that someone could fall into salvation by accident. Unless life is just a game and the New Testament has misled us, then it is really possible to walk right past the "open door" that leads to heaven and refuse to enter. One must be looking for the door and intend to go in.

Have you given much thought to the intentionality with which we must approach eternity, or do you think we will all end up there anyway? It's a really important question, and deserves our time and reflection.

Traveling along with you,
Pastor Paul

Friday, March 27, 2009 Luke 13:1-17

A fig tree and a woman whose body has been twisted and bent double for eighteen years--what do these two seemingly unrelated incidents have to do with Jesus' ministry? I think both of them are, oddly enough, talking about the same issue: Will the people of Jerusalem hear the Good News in a different form than they are accustomed to hearing? Will they be open to realizing that their religious leaders have been focusing on the form and structure of following God's Law rather than the spirit? In either case, will they hear the truth and respond by amending their ways of approaching God and one another?

If Jesus represents the gardener tending the fig tree, will God give the people more time for Jesus' word to penetrate the hardened layers of their spiritual "soil" so that new growth can occur?

What do you think?

I am your fellow traveler,
Pastor Paul

Thursday, March 26, 2009 Luke 12:49-59

If ever there was a section of scripture NOT to read before going to sleep, this is it! It is filled with harsh words like"division," "crisis," "fire on the earth." I think as Christians, we can often become so cozy with our understanding of the Bible and the role of the Church in the world that we ignore the tough passages of scripture in favor of the warm, fuzzy ones. As I have reflected on this passage, I believe Jesus is saying that the church in every age is responsible for interpreting the events of the world through the lenses of heaven. Whenever people hear that message proclaimed honestly and without sugar-coating, it can cause divisions, even among people in the same family. This was especially true within the large, extended families of Jesus' culture. What's your take on the church to proclaim the "whole" truth of God?

I am your fellow traveler,
Pastor Paul

March 25, 2009 Luke 12:1-48

As some of you may know, I like to work with my hands as a stress reliever. That means that I love life best when I'm outside digging in the yard, planting and nurturing something alive, and even once in a while, playing in the kitchen. Whenever I approach food in the kitchen, I do it with a typically male attitude, or so says my wife, Laura. That means that cooking is just simple math, rules must be followed, and the outcome should be predictable. Okay, it rarely turns out to be that simple.

Take making bread, for example. Simple math tells me how much of each ingredient to add, rules tell me in what order to add them, and the finished bread should be the predicted outcome. The problem with that formula is the yeast. Yeast is a living, growing organism that lies dried and dormant until it's activated by warm liquid and a food source (such as sugar). As it grows, it gives off carbon dioxide, which expands and pushes the dough upward and outward. In other words, the dough rises to signify that the yeast is working. In this case, seeing the dough rise on the outside means something is working secretly on the inside.

Jesus is talking about many of these same reflections in the text for today. The Pharisees were favorite targets for Jesus, who often chided them for doing what looked right on the outside, while secretly being motivated by internal greed and hunger for power. Jesus' point, in challenging their hypocrisy, is that whatever we think is hidden on the inside will eventually make itself know externally: nothing stays hidden forever.

What do these reflections say to you about your life today?

I am your fellow traveler,
Pastor Paul

Tuesday, March 24, 2009 Luke 11:37-54

In today's lengthy text, Jesus is again confronting the hypocrisy of the Pharisees: adhering to the letter of the Law, but ignoring the important human needs of those around them. For me, this has always been the struggle between Law and Mercy, Rules and Grace. As a compulsive rule-follower, I have to be very careful that I temper my need for order and living according to the rules, even moral ones, with the need for balancing grace.

Jesus, especially in verse 42, says that the Pharisees are so careful in following the rules of tithing that they even tithe small amounts of herbs. However, Jesus' point is that they should be equally observant in "tithing" their care for people. Many of us are likewise guilty of doing what is right externally, while knowing that we harbor wrong feelings and motives internally.

How is it with your soul today? How closely does your inside match your outside?

I am your fellow traveler,
Pastor Paul

Monday, March 23, 2009 Luke 11:29-36

In the midst of all the public acts Jesus was doing--miracles, healings, cleansing skin diseases--the people kept calling for signs from heaven. Some wanted to trap him into performing like a circus magician, delighting the crowd with increasingly bigger spectacles. others wanted to trap him into doing things that would further infuriate the religious leaders against him.

Jesus calls them an "evil and adulterous generation," and says that only the sign of the prophet Jonah will be given to them. You may remember that Jonah was the only Old Testament prophet sent by God from his own people out into the lands of their enemies. His message was a call to repent or face the wrath of an holy and just God. His witness was the courage to enter enemy lands with an unpopular message. Secretly, Jonah hoped they would ignore him, so that God would punish them. They repented and God spared them. The toughest part of being a "sign" to the Ninevites for Jonah was having to watch them obey God and be spared.

Jesus comes to Jerusalem and offers the same message: repent and live, or ignore the message and deal with the consequences. A message from God, brought by one of their own, to the Jews in Jerusalem. it should have been a slam-dunk for Jesus, but they rejected everything he offered. And yet, he kept pursuing them.

Is there something in your life about which God has been trying to get your attention? Is there an issue Jesus is speaking to you about, but you're ignoring him? Maybe it's time to stop and listen for a change. What do you think?

I am your fellow traveler,
Pastor Paul

March 22, 2009 Luke 11:14-28

Of all the texts I have blogged about, this one is probably the richest in imagery and substance. Demons, Beelzebul, a house divided against itself, and my personal favorite, the image in verse 24 of wandering spirits returning to the house "from which it came."

This teaching point in verses 24-26 reminds me of some TV dramas, such as CSI and Law and Order, which maintain suspense by exploring a sub-plot within the larger story line. Jesus describes what can happen when a spirit has been cast out and seeks another host. Finding none, he returns to his former home (host) and invites others to join him. The conclusion I draw is that once an unclean spirit has left its host, something must fill the void that has been created. If we don't fill it with God's Spirit and his gifts, then it becomes an inviting place for evil to find a home.

Are there people, places, or things filling your vacancies that you would like to change? Or perhaps you are already in the process of cleaning out your house and making some new places that only God can fill. What are you thinking?

Your fellow traveler,
Pastor Paul