Football and Christianity; Participant or Observer?

Live Life! Live as an active member
of the Body of Christ. 
 

There is a great difference between a member of a team and an observer.

There are a multitude of Green Bay Packer fans in the Upper Peninsula. There are also a few Lions fans. Note the word fans. People who get to an occasional game or sit on the couch and watch them are fans. They are not Green Bay Packers. They are observers. They are not players. They do not actually participate in the game. They are not members of the team. Most would never dream of claiming that they are a Green Bay Packer or a Lion. They are fans.

However, there are a multitude of people who claim to be Christian even though they never get off the sidelines. In reality they are mere observers or fans of Jesus and not members of the team, which is the Body of Christ. Members work together as a team.

In Christ, we become one Body. But, it seems that some of the parts of the Body are missing in action. Your local congregation misses you. Jesus calls you to worship and serve the Lord as a member of the community of saints.

Members of the Body work and play as a team, with one purpose. If you would be a follower of Jesus then get off of the couch, take up your cross, and follow him, participating in a life of worship and service to God and service to one another.

God's Peace - Pr. J

I Don't Know; But, God Does

We had been planning a special service for All Saint's Day for some time. Then schedules got turned around and we couldn't do it, so I focused on something totally different than had been previously planned. At worship, yesterday, it turned out the schedules weren't as turned around as we had thought. We could have gone with our original plan; but, we didn't. I believe it went the way God intended it to go. He knows what's coming up long before we do.

Within the past week, we have had three deaths of family members from our congregation. I wrote my Sunday sermon early last Monday, focusing on the promise of eternal life in the kingdom of God with all the saints. I did not realize until I actually started preaching that what I planned was exactly what was needed as two of the deaths occurred after I wrote it. I did not realize on Monday how many would need a reminder of comfort and hope in the eternal kingdom for all who believe until I was actually preaching it and seeing the response in their faces. But, God did. He knew long before Monday.

Years ago, while I was being trained to visit shut-ins, my mentor and I were sitting in the parking lot of a bar in a very small town discussing our plan for the day. A woman, who had been using the pay phone outside, came over, introduced herself, and invited us over to visit her mother and her. Until that day, neither of us knew of her. After our scheduled visits we went over to visit them. Her mother and my mentor were busy discussing the history of the area when all of a sudden he's talking about the death of a young person in his family. I was aghast. It seemed to come out of no where. It just seemed so off the wall and we were there to bring encouragement and comfort; not to be comforted ourselves. The woman who invited us in, began to cry. She related that she was visiting her mother because her husband had just died and she was having a very difficult time with the grieving process. This pastor's story opened the way for her to be able to begin talking about it and to be reminded that all who believe; yet, even though they die, shall live with all the saints in the kingdom of God. What seemed like a very odd turn in the conversation, turned out to be exactly what was needed to bring about a bit of peace and hope for the woman. I had no clue where this pastor was going. He didn't, either. But, God knew exactly where He was leading him.

Sometimes, we just have to follow the Spirit's guidance. We don't always know for what purpose we are being called or sent. We don't always know why we feel compelled to say things that would not normally fit the circumstances. But, God does. Listen to him. Follow where He will lead you. Do not be afraid to proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God!

God's Peace - Pr. J
 

Thanks Be To God For All The Saints

Today is all Saints Sunday. At worship this morning we will be placing in the offering plates. as an offering of thanksgiving, the names of many who have gone before us and many who are still with us who have helped us on our journeys through this world. Some have fed us with food for our bodies while others have fed us spiritually.

Christ has worked through many to help us on our journey; to bring us closer to God; to help build up our faith by sharing the Word with us. They have and continue to give much for the sake of the Body of Christ. Some have given food and shelter. Some have fed us with the Word of God. Some have given even their whole lives for us. So, today we give thanks to God for those saints who so generously have given of their love.

St. Paul wrote: "You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us; for the rendering of this ministry not only supplies the needs of the saints but also overflows with many thanksgivings to God." 2 Cor 9:11-12

Indeed, let us give thanks, today and every day, for the generosity and the willingness of others to make Christ known to us.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Holy Spirit Sanctifies; Makes Us Holy

The Third Article.

Of Sanctification.

I believe in the Holy Ghost; one holy Christian Church, the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.

What does this mean?--Answer.
I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Ghost has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith; even as He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith; in which Christian Church He forgives daily and richly all sins to me and all believers, and at the last day will raise up me and all the dead, and will give to me and to all believers in Christ everlasting life. This is most certainly true.

  http://bookofconcord.org/smallcatechism.php

 

 

It is by God the Father that we are created. It is by the life giving sacrifice of God the Son that we have been saved. It is by the Holy Spirit that we are sanctified. In the past I have been warned that it might be best not to use the word sanctify as many would not understand what the word means. Sanctify mean to be made holy. The Holy Spirit makes us holy. Jesus died for our salvation. He died that we might be reconciled to God our Father. This is good news. It is by the power of the Holy Spirit that this truth is revealed and preached. It is not by our own reason or strength; but, by the power of the Holy Spirit that we are able to receive this good news as our own truth.

 

May God grant that the eyes, ears, and hearts of the world be open to hear and receive the truth, who is Jesus the Christ, that we might be made holy by the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Remember the Sabbath Day

The Third Commandment.

Thou shalt sanctify the holy-day.

What does this mean?--Answer.
We should fear and love God that we may not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred, and gladly hear and learn it.

http://bookofconcord.org/smallcatechism.php#tencommandments

 

My husband and sons were logging. Logging can be a pretty expensive business. We sometimes joked that it was just a hobby as it often felt like they were paying to work rather than earn livings since equipment breakdowns can get pretty expensive. On occasion, they would decide that they needed to work on Sunday morning rather than worship in order to make up for time lost due to the weather or equipment breakdowns. Every time they decided to do this they would have another piece of equipment break down on that Sunday morning. Do I think that God was punishing them for working on Sunday? No. I think that because they did not heed His word to rest on the seventh day that they were exhausted and when we work tired and troubled; accidents; problems occur. God does not give us the commandments so that He can punish us. The commandments are for our own good.

 

It has been many decades since I realized what this holy-day of rest meant for me. I can get pretty cranky at times. During a particularly trying period of my life I came to realize that if I did not attend worship on Sunday (or maybe Saturday evening) I was pretty difficult to live with the rest of the week. By Friday, nobody, including myself, wanted to be around me. I need to receive the means of grace, the Word and Sacrament of Holy Communion, in order for me to be a bit more graceful towards others. I need to be able to find rest in Christ in order to be refreshed for the upcoming days.

 

Thanks be to God, He has given us the gift of the holy-day to gather with the saints and hear His sacred Word.

 

God desires good for you. Receive the good gifts of His Word and the Sacrament of Holy Communion. These gifts are available freely for you every Sunday at your local place of worship. Do yourself and your family and friends a favor; go and listen to Him; receive His Word; receive the Lord in the Sacrament of Holy Communion! Join others in worship every seventh day, no matter which day that happens to fall on.

 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Colossians 1 Life In This World Is Short

Colossians 1 NIV

From my Community of Saints file (2012)... Some of our
awesome young people, for whom I am always thankful,
on a multi-generational 4-wheel trip into the mountains.

Yesterday was a very sad day. I had no sooner walked through the doors to officiate at the funeral of one friend and follower of Jesus when I heard that another had just died. I have given thanks and prayed for both of them often over the years. I will miss the fellowship and partnership in the gospel of both. I am consoled only in the knowledge that according to their individual gifts they were both vessels of Christ's love and truth. I am consoled that they were rescued from the dominion of darkness and brought into the Kingdom of the Son, through the Son. It was and is a sad day to lose such friends and fellow servants of God. But, even while I grieve, I am most thankful for having had the opportunity to share their lives in Christ; to walk with them on their journey, for a time. 

Yesterday was a sure reminder to me that our time on earth is not permanent. We are temporary residents of this place. We have only a short time to do what we are called to do and then we are called home. When I woke up yesterday morning, the power was off in my home. I reset the breaker switch not knowing what set it off. Following the funeral, my husband and I came home to figure out why the breaker had tripped and why the kitchen light was not working (the bulb was not burned). Close examination revealed scorched areas on paneling and ceiling. What had tripped the breaker switch had been an electrical fire within the wall and ceiling of my kitchen. Somehow the fire had gone out on its own. It burned only a small area; but, there was enough damage that one wall had to be torn out in order to replace wires that had melted. I had slept soundly through the night. It was yet another reminder that life in this world can come to an end when we least expect it and then we go home. But, while we are here we ought to be using our time wisely, doing what God has called us to do; bearing fruit in Christ so that others may know God's grace and also enter into the Kingdom of the Son.

Paul appreciates and is thankful for the work of Epaphras, his fellow servant in Christ, to the Thessalonians. God does not work through Paul alone. He does not work through any of us alone. We serve together faithfully and joyfully, giving thanks for the partnership of all the saints who would reveal the mysteries of God; proclaiming the good news of eternal life in the Kingdom of God, whose doors have been opened for us through His own Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.

I give thanks for having been partners in Christ with both Richard and Alta. Let us not neglect to give thanks always for the faithful partnership we have with others in Christ Jesus. May God grant us the time to let them know that we appreciate their walk in the way of the Lord with us.

Life is short - live it well for the sake of the gospel - live it in such a way that others may come to know Christ - live it to the glory of God

God's Peace - Pr. J

1 Corinthians 12:4-31 Gifts In The Closet?

1 Corinthians 12:4-31
Every Christian; every member of the body of Christ, has received gifts from God to use for the good of the whole body.

I have heard way too often that when a person retires they will have time to use those God given gifts to serve Him; to serve the church; to serve others. The gifts of God end up being put on a shelf and the closet door shut on them until the person who receives them has time to make using them a priority.

I don't know about you; but, as I age, my ability to use some of the gifts have waned just a bit. I am a bit slower and my ability to serve as many as I once did is not quite as proficient. However, since I have actually used some of those gifts my ability to use them has actually gotten better with practice.

My husband purchased a drone last summer so that he could fly over the forest and lake and take pictures of wildlife. His intentions were to do this with our youngest granddaughter. He had hoped that the gift he was giving her was time with him and the opportunity to learn about a new technology and art form as she likes both technology and art. He convinced her to sit still long enough to help put it together. But, they only attempted to fly it once. It sat on a shelf thereafter. It sat unused until he gave it to our son who also appreciates technology and art. (He's a photographer - John Arthur Photography) The drone is a bit difficult to maneuver; but, he is working on it. Sometimes, it takes time and practice to use a gift proficiently.

The time is now! Don't put those gifts on a shelf. God gives them to us a for a purpose. They are for the common good of the whole body. Use them or lose them! And, thank God that He has equipped you to serve Him according to the call He has called you to.

By the way, in regards to answering the call to serve. Don't bother telling Him no. You're wasting precious time in doing so. He will keep calling. How long are you going to keep telling Him no?

God's Peace - Pr. J

Romans 15:22-33 Saints at Zion

Romans 15:22-33 NIV
St. Paul was a bit of a traveler. He would like to have been everywhere and all at the same time. But, that was and is not humanly possible. There are times in our ministry when we all have to prioritize needs. There are times we may have to say no, I cannot come because I have to be elsewhere. No one person can do everything for everybody no matter how much we'd like to. When tragedy strikes I often have to leave whatever it is that I am doing or whomever I am with to minister to others who are experiencing major traumatic events in there lives. Sometimes, I just have to trust others to do some of the things I would normally do. It is called delegating. But, before delegating we are responsible to ensure that they are capable of carrying on the ministry to which they are called. We need to train others to help others in need. We need to make disciples. We really are not in this alone. We have many brothers and sisters in Christ to work with us for the glory of God.

We rejoice, not only when we can finally visit and pray with someone we have longed to see; but, we also rejoice in the knowledge that when we cannot be there ourselves; another saint or saints have been equipped to minister to those in need. I rejoice; because, I am never afraid to leave my congregation when I have to travel somewhere. They are in good hands. The saints (disciples) at Zion know their gifts and are fully capable of using them whether I am here or away.

Thanks be to God! That is how the Body of Christ works!

May the God of peace be with you all. Amen

Pr. J

Luke 2:41-51 Children Belong In Our Father's House

Luke 2:41-51 NIV
Mary and Joseph went home and didn't realize that they had left Jesus behind in Jerusalem. Like most parents, they were probably pretty panicked when they realized He was not with them. They rushed back to find Him in the temple. He asked, "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?" (vs 49)

Didn't you know? Didn't you know that our children belong often in our Father's house so that they can be loved and nurtured and taught by the community of saints that gathers there? I am always amazed at how many young people gather with us at Zion. For such a small community, about 1/3 of our congregation in recent months has been God's children under the age of 18. Isn't our Father's house the place all of our children should be? Should they not be there not just for required festivals, but as often as they can? Our Father's house is a place where children can learn to be accepted and loved unconditionally (at least I am hoping everyone accepts all of our children unconditionally). Our Father's house is a place where they will learn that when they become adults, they will have a place, a family, to go to when they are all alone, no matter where in the world they might find themselves. May God grant that not only will children be welcomed into every Christian congregation, but that their parents would desire to bring them and be with them.

On another note... This is Holy Week. On Thursday we will remember how Jesus celebrated the Passover with His last meal with His disciples. Three of our children will receive their first Communion at this service (after their feet have been washed, of course). Please, join us if you are in the area. Worship is at 6 p.m.. I am cooking and serving lamb stew at 5 p.m.. Everyone is welcome!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Mark 14:12-26

Mark 14:11-26 NIV
Recently, we participated in a rarity at our congregation: a Memorial Service that included the Sacrament of Holy Communion. Not that Memorial Services are rare; but, receiving the Sacrament at one is. It was such a relief for me, to see so many whom I have not seen in a very long time, receive this gift from God. My hope is that they are worshipping God with another congregation. But, I am pretty sure most are not. For some reason, gathering together with the community of Saints, today, is an option.

For Jesus it was not. He traveled (on foot and a bit on the back of a donkey) to participate in the Passover in Jerusalem. As he broke the bread and poured the wine at His last supper, he prayed a prayer of thanksgiving. When they were finished with the meal, they sang a hymn and then went out to the Mount of Olives where he would be betrayed by his friend and handed over to be crucified.

Even as He faced His own death for the sake of His friends and followers, He gathered with them to worship and give thanks to God. May God grant us hearts that would desire to gather together as a community of Saints to remember, to celebrate, and to give thanks for our God.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Psalm 42 - Thristy Souls

How many times have we heard words, like these, spoken in mockery of the Living LORD? Where is your God?   If God really loved you, He'd fix things for you.  If God was so loving people wouldn't suffer. If that's the kind of God that you serve, then I don't want anything to do with your God!  These are all just excuses for serving oneself or other false gods and because there is such a proliferation of it in this world is one of the main reasons we find ourselves suffering.  When we serve our false gods, when we serve our own ego, than we turn our back on the one God, who can truly help, who can satisfy our hunger, who can quench our thirst.

And that's the kicker, there is only one True God.  You either serve Him or you don't.  There are two options, not multitudes of options.  Either you worship the one who can can quench the thirst you have in your souls or you do not.   

I'm not sure where the writer of this Psalm is at when it is prayed or written. But, I think these words are notable:  "These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng." (vs 4)  What does he mean when he says "how I used to go." Does he not go any longer?  Is he not able to go to the house of God to worship for some reason?  Does he not go to hear the promises of God?

Where is your God?  Who is your God?  Consider this: what is it that you worship?  Do you gather with the local community of saints to be refreshed by God's word and Word and to partake of the Sacraments?

Our souls cry out for somethings more.  God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have given you more.  Put your hope in God and praise Him alone, that the thirst of your soul might be quenched.

God's Peace - Pr. J