Our Father Is Active In Life

The First Article.

Of Creation.

Sunset Silver Mountain, MI

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.

What does this mean?--Answer.
I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my limbs, my reason, and all my senses, and still preserves them; in addition thereto, clothing and shoes, meat and drink, house and homestead, wife and children, fields, cattle, and all my goods; that He provides me richly and daily with all that I need to support this body and life, protects me from all danger, and guards me and preserves me from all evil; and all this out of pure, fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me; for all which I owe it to Him to thank, praise, serve, and obey Him. This is most certainly true.

(http://bookofconcord.org/smallcatechism.php)



 

God, our Father and Creator, cares for His whole creation. He loves and cares for us. He has provided us with all that we have.

 

Do you believe this? If we truly believed this then we would, at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to our Father in heaven. If we believed that all that we have, even our ourselves and our family and friends, are gifts from God, then we would take care of them as though they were precious treasures; for indeed they are.

 

God is not just a God of beginnings. He did not just create and then us alone to our devices. He is an active Father providing not just the material things of life; but, spiritual gifts as well.

 

May our Father's love for us, inspire us to love and cherish Him for all that He has done for us. May God help us to love and care for His whole creation.

 

God's Peace - Pr. J 

Romans 8:18-30 Praying In and With Creation

Romans 8:18-30 NIV


Wolf Point, Keweenaw Peninsula, MI

Years ago, I took a three month sabbatical on Lake Superior. I paddled about 1/3 of the southern shoreline, sleeping in a tent on sometimes some pretty rocky and isolated shorelines. It was very cold and rainy that summer. The ice did not leave the lake until a week or so before I left. There were times when I did not leave the tent much due to the weather. The theme for this sabbatical was "Praying with Creation" from these verses in Romans 8. During the evenings (and when it was storming), I read and studied the life of Bishop Frederic Baraga, an early Roman Catholic missionary to the region. While out on the water, alone, I spent a whole lot of time praying within the context of God's beautiful creation. I prayed the Small Catechism - many times! I prayed for the people who lived in the homes I paddled by. I prayed for the members of my congregations; as well as my family and other friends. I prayed for God's creation; that as stewards of the God's creation, we might begin to do a better job of caring for it. The Spirit groaned within me when I knew not what or how to pray. And, it was indeed in those moments that I was reminded that God is still in charge and He has a plan - a plan that is for the good of all who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.

A very strange dream woke me the other morning. The sky was dark. It was filled with falling satellites. Satellites used to provide us with television, telephones, internet, radar, gps, etc., etc., literally blackened the sky and they were falling; crashing to the earth, endangering everything on the planet, including humankind. It is not only the earth and all that is in and on it that humankind is using up for our own pleasure and convenience; but, even the skies...

I am well aware that many theologians would have us know that the creation in Romans 8 refers to fallen man, ourselves. There are those who refuse to see that the living things around us actually live. However, that said, I cannot read Romans without also being reminded that the whole creation that surrounds us is indeed groaning under the stress we have put it. It grieves me to know that we so unjudiciously use fossil fuels to the detriment of the land, sea, and skies. I wonder how wise it is to be filling our skies with satellites for our convenience? Our waste pollutes the whole creation.

I do not find it so unbelievable that the whole of creation is groaning for our redemption. Why would it not, in light of the fact that until fallen man is redeemed we can not fully comprehend what we have done and continue to do to God's whole creation? We will most probably continue to abuse and destroy it.

May God help us to be better stewards of His whole creation; not just for the sake of the creation around us, but for the sake of humankind.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Luke 12:22-34 God Provides

Luke 12:22-34
It has been a long winter, but I believe it's finally over for a few months. The birds have returned and they are busy living life. The geese and ducks are busy saying good morning outside my back door. Quite a bit of music they make in the mornings. Robins had returned before the snow had even left the ground this year. I would have thought they might have starved to death with no ground to eat from. Yet, they survived. God somehow managed to provide for them.

Jesus told his disciples that they are not to worry about their lives. They are to trust their Father to provide for their earthly needs. They are to seek his kingdom and the things they need will be provided. He said, "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (vs 32-34)

Where is your heart today? Is it focused on things of this world or the Kingdom of God that has been promised to you by the shedding of our Saviour's blood? Our Father has blessed us abundantly in this world; what more could we want than to live in His presence; singing his praises with even the geese and the ducks?

God's Peace - Pr. J

P.S. This is a link to the songs of joy I heard last night :) A pleasure to hear! Creation sings for joy. Summer is finally here! (You will have to view in full screen if you want to see as well as hear.)
 

Ezekiel 1 - Ezekiel's Vision

Ezekiel's vision.... Just wow!

"This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell face down,  and I heard the voice of one speaking." (Ezekiel 1 NIV)

Ezekiel's vision... Just wow! (I sure hope you read today's chapter). Even if I were to see a vision like the one Ezekiel saw, I'm not sure if I would actually see it. I am afraid that I would not only fall face down, but I would probably have my eyes shut as well. As much as I think and say that I long to see the glory of the LORD, I am not sure if I would be fully prepared.

Are we prepared to see His awesomeness? So often God, the Father, is portrayed as a friendly old grandfatherly figure; Jesus Christ is portrayed as a friendly brotherly or neighborly person who loves little children and His sheep; the Holy Spirit is a gentle wind touching us softly as it blows over us. These images cannot begin to capture the awesomeness of God. Ezekiel's captures a whole different perspective. It is enough to make anyone and everyone fall prostrate, with their eyes to the ground or shut.

God is so much more than a father or grandfather figure. He is even more than a brother or friend. He is more than the gentle, blowing wind found in creation. He is more than any human can imagine and when we truly realize His presence; when we finally see His face, every knee will bow. (Rom 14:10-11) We will all bow with our faces to the ground when we encounter Him face to face on our judgment day.

May His peace be with you on that day! May God, the Creator, grant that you are reconciled to Him; through Jesus Christ, the Redeemer; by the power of the Holy Spirit, who is the Sanctifier, on that day.

God's Peace - Pr. J

 

Isaiah 64 - Potter and Clay

"Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before you!" (Isa 64:1 NIV)
     I know this prayer from Isaiah. No, I haven't memorized it. But, I know it. I've prayed it at least a few time: "O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence!" And, I have a feeling that I'm probably not alone in having prayed a prayer similar to that one from time to time - when things get tough - when you feel persecuted or all alone. Haven't you ever thought or prayed: "This is enough. Please, make your presence known o all people so they'd straighten out and we cold live in peace already!"?
     Yet, Isaiah reminds us, that it’s not everyone else, but me, too. Isaiah reminds us that we have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth. It’s not just everyone else. We are all guilty and our iniquities – our sins – just as the wind - have taken us away – out of God’s presence. 
     But, we’re not out of God’s presence. He is with us. In spite of the fact that we often do not hear nor do we see the answer, the prayer has been answered. For God did indeed come down to us. The great God Almighty came down to earth to meet humankind right where we are. As we drifted further and further away from God’s good will for us, He, Himself, broke open the heavens and came down, as a little child, to be one of us. 
     The one who formed us with his own hands, who breathed His breath of life into us, took on the form of man in order that he might live with us and that we might have whole and abundant life in Him.
     This potter, (potter and clay; vs. 8) who as the water receded to form dry land, took the wet sticky clay from beside the sea and formed humankind with His hands continues to mold us. The one who formed us out of clay and breathed His life into us, came among us when His clay vessels were cracked and broken. He came to repair what we had damaged. The great sculptor came down to earth so that he could continue the work of his hand - molding all His people into what he intended us to be.
     There may be and probably will be days when we will think: "Oh, Lord God, break down the heavens already and come down - show us your majesty - show your greatness - make the mountains quake - so that all the nations will tremble and fall down to honor you." Then may God help you to remember that He, the Potter, the Great Creator, in fact has already broken through and come down to earth. He assumed the nature of His created humankind and came down, not to destroy His or our enemies, but to save, to renew His work - His creation. As Jesus the Christ, He picked up all the broken potsherds and continues His marvelous work of creating in you and throughout the world.

 

God's Peace - Pr. J

P.S. Not getting why I can't fix background colors.... I appear to lack the gifts of a good sculptor as I cannot even sculpt a simple blog post in the way I would like it to look :) 

Isaiah 45 - A Grandfather Creates Woe

"I form the light and create darkness,
    I bring prosperity and create disaster;
    I, the Lord, do all these things." (Isa 45:7 NIV)

"I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things." (Isa 45:7 KJV)

"I form light and create darkness,
I make weal and create woe, I am the Lord, who do all these things." (Isa 45:7 RSV)

I'm pulling out one lonely verse from this chapter of many verses this morning. I do it because it reminds me of a ecumenical Bible Study I attended in 1996. This verse was topic of a very heated discussion. Among us were Methodists, Roman Catholics, Baptists, and Lutherans of the LCMS, ELCA, and the Apostolic brands and all using various English translations of the Holy Bible. There were some who thought that someone, somewhere, some how in the transcribing of scripture years ago a mistake had been made. God could not, would not. create disaster, evil or woe! After all, God is good all the time!  But, then again... what is good? Do we decide what is good or do we let God decide that?

According to some, it is the devil who creates all evil. It is the evil one who creates disasters and woes. It was/is unimaginable to some that this friendly, loving, grandfatherly figure sitting in a rocking chair on high would ever do anything that would cause us stress. But, what if it were for our own good - for the good of all people that there is a bit of stress in our lives? Would He do it then? What do you think? What does Holy Scripture say?

Today is Father's Day in the United States. Do not earthly father's sometimes make decisions that seem to affect the lives of their children in a negative manner? Sometimes things, that may not be so comfortable for us, have to happen for our own good, for the good of all creation. In many circles it is called "tough love."

And while I'm thinking about it.... I can not begin to count the times that I have been told by someone I was sharing the Good News with, that they simply can't buy into the whole bearded grandfather figure sitting on his throne in the sky type of god. I usually smile and tell them that neither can I. God is more than that. My God creates light and darkness. He makes peace and creates woe. God is a whole lot more than a detached, old (decrepit) bearded man, sitting on a throne or in a rocking chair, as he watches from a distance cloud, the antics of His children and their children. God is active in our lives whether we want Him to be or not. He is not out there in another universe. He is with you, even now, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Psalm 150 - Praise Ye The LORD!

"Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the LORD." Psalm 150:6 NIV

 

Here ends our reading of the Psalms, at least for this blog.  Tomorrow we begin with the wisdom found in the book of Proverbs. One day at a time, one chapter at a time, God is leading us through His Word and we give thanks and praise for the opportunity to get to know Him better in this manner.

 

Without the word passed down to us through so many generations, we would not know of his acts of power, of his greatness.  We would not know all that He has done for us and for all humankind in His generous acts of creation and re-creation.

 

So here's the question for you this morning: How many of your friends and neighbors; how many of your family members do not know the stories of what God has done for them? And... if they don't know what He has done; then what is there for them to believe? Share the stories of all that He has done for you so that they, too, might believe. May God help us to continue encourage future generations to hear and read His word so that all might turn to Him and praise Him in His sanctuary; praise Him in His might heavens. (vs 1)

 

Praise ye the LORD!

 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Psalm 148 - Praise the LORD

I remember a poem I wrote when I was very young. It had to do with unity with all of God's creation. There are a few things that we have in common with all of His creation. For starters, the LORD created everything upon the earth and in the heavens above the earth. We are all God's creation. With creation, we bow down and praise the LORD!  With all of earthly creation and all the heavenly host, we praise the LORD!

God's Peace - Pr. J

P.S. Don't forget this blog is to encourage you to read your Bible daily so read Psalm 148 - it is awesome... Also, Romans 8:18-25

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 148:1 Hebrew Hallelu Yah; also in verse 14
2. Psalm 148:14 Horn here symbolizes strength.

Cross references:

1. Psalm 148:1 : Ps 33:2; 103:1
2. Psalm 148:1 : Ps 19:1; 69:34; 150:1
3. Psalm 148:2 : Ps 103:20
4. Psalm 148:2 : S 1Ki 22:19
5. Psalm 148:3 : S Ps 19:1
6. Psalm 148:4 : S Dt 10:14
7. Psalm 148:4 : S Ge 1:7
8. Psalm 148:5 : Ps 145:21
9. Psalm 148:5 : S Ps 147:15
10. Psalm 148:6 : Jer 31:35-36; 33:25
11. Psalm 148:7 : Ps 33:2
12. Psalm 148:7 : S Ge 1:21; Ps 74:13-14
13. Psalm 148:7 : S Dt 33:13
14. Psalm 148:8 : S Ex 9:18; S Jos 10:11
15. Psalm 148:8 : Job 37:11-12; S Ps 103:20; 147:15-18
16. Psalm 148:9 : Isa 44:23; 49:13; 55:12
17. Psalm 148:10 : Isa 43:20; Hos 2:18
18. Psalm 148:11 : S Ps 102:15
19. Psalm 148:13 : S Ps 113:2; 138:4
20. Psalm 148:13 : S Ps 145:5
21. Psalm 148:13 : S Ps 8:1
22. Psalm 148:14 : S 1Sa 2:1
23. Psalm 148:14 : S Ex 15:2; Ps 22:3
24. Psalm 148:14 : S Ps 145:10
25. Psalm 148:14 : S Dt 26:19

Psalm 93 - The Seas Lift their Voice

I live on a bay off of Lake Superior.  I have never lived more than an hour away from either Lake Superior or the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean.  Most of my adulthood has been spent living within fifteen or so minutes from a great body of water.  But, even an hour away, I always had at least a creek running some place near the house where I could go and sit and pray. 

The water, for me, is a huge reminder of creation and re-creation.

Of creation:
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters." (Genesis 1:1,2 NIV)

"And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so.  God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good." (Genesis 1:9,10)

And... of re-creation:
^"Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”" (John 3:3-8)

Water is a reminder of God's power.  Never underestimate the power of the Great Lakes. Never undestimate the power of the ocean.  Yet, the power of these waters can't even begin to compare with the power of God.  Remember how God delivered Israel from bondage to Egypt.  The waters of the Red Sea swallowed up Pharoah's Army, even as the waters separated so that the Israelites could walk on dry land to their freedom and to the promised land.  There is only One who can perform a feat like this.  There is only One who can subude the waters in this manner.  That One is God, the LORD God who, robed in majesty and armed with strength, established the world and reigns over it. 

Even the seas listen to God and they lift up their voice to the One who is mightier than they.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Psalm 9 - Thank the Lord and Sing His Praise

"Thank the Lord and sing his praise; tell everyone what he has done."  Remember these words?  We use to sing them all the time in worship.  The words of the psalm today remind us that we are to lift high our thanksgiving and praise for this God who has saved us from our enemy (sometimes our enemy is us!).  I think that I also remind people quite often that we have much reason to thank the LORD and sing His praise and and encourage you all to tell everyone what he had done.

God has been tremendously good to us.  Yesterday, at worship, we heard our third and final stewardship talk for this month.  The first one was on creation and recycling - a project a couple of our members at Zion have taken on.  The second stewardship "table talk" was on stewardship of Word and Sacrament, by me.  And... the third one was on tithing.  This one on stewardship of finance was actually a testimony on how God has worked in and blessed one of our member's lives. It was a few moments of thank the Lord and sing His praise. It was a time of sharing with the congregation of all that God has done for them.  He and his wife are two of the most faithful people in all areas of stewardship, that I know.  I am most grateful that he spends so very much time on stewardship of the Word, as he studies the word of God and shares the Word faithfully with others as he expresses His thankfulness for all that God has done in so many ways.

I thank the Lord and sing His praise; for He has sent us many faithful witnesses to share the good news of the kingdom with us and many around us. 

May God grant that we should at all times and in all places remember who our God is and give Him thanks and praise, extolling all that He has done for us.  (I know that you have had God work in miraculous ways in your lives - share those stories with others - that they may hear and believe!)

God's Peace - Pr. J

Psalm 1 - Blessed Is He Who Meditates on God's Word

We begin a new book this morning - the book of Psalms. Psalms is a book of poems or songs, as many congregations, including my own chant/sing a different one every Sunday morning. 

Today we begin by being reminded that those who meditate on the law of the LORD will be blessed.  As we study the Word of God to know His will for us, we will be blessed with the knowledge of His great love and mercy given to us through the precious gift of Jesus the Christ.

In this month of October, we spend time focusing on stewardship at Zion.  Last week we had a "Table Talk" concerning stewardship of creation by one of our council members.  Next Sunday, we will hear a testimony on stewardship of finances by one of our "counters." This morning, I am still going over what I will discuss in regards to stewardship of Word and Sacraments. 

Oh, you've never heard of the concept of being a steward of God's Word and Sacraments.  It is simply this.  God gives you the precious gift of life - eternal life in His presence.  We receive that gift by faith through the means of grace - namely the gifts of Word and Sacraments.  We receive life, who is Jesus Christ, when we hear His word.  We receive life, who is Jesus Christ, when we are baptized into His Body.  We receive life, who is Jesus Christ, when we receive His body and His blood into our very own bodies through the Sacrament of Holy Communion.  By the power of the Spirit of Christ, we receive Him through these means of grace.  If God gives us these precious gifts freely, why would we neglect these gifts to the detriment of our own lives? To be good stewards of the Word and Sacraments is to hear the word and the Word and to receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion often, that Christ may abide in you and you in Him. In that we are truly blessed!

Well, I hope I do better than that at the "Table Talk" this morning.  I hope you get the gist, though!

God's Peace - Pr. J