Love One Another

"I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-36

Some of you may remember the Beatles song "All You Need Is Love." Love, love, love... Is that all we need? No, it is not. But, when we love one another, we will strive to make sure that all of our neighbors needs for daily life will be met. We will not let them go hungry, or without shelter, or without warmth, or any of the necessities to support physical life.

Jesus had just humbly knelt to wash the feet of his beloved disciples; Judas had just left to betray the one who loved him; when Jesus gave the command to love another even as he loved them. Love, in this sense, is not just a noun. It is a verb. We are to humble ourselves and to actively love and show care and concern for the people around us; indeed, even around the whole world, even as Jesus went forth and died for the world.

This is his commandment: that we are to love one another.

God's Peace - Pr. J
 

Matthew 15 - What To Wear?

“Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, 'Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands before they eat.'”  (Matt 15:1-2 NRSV)

On occasion, I have heard a whisper or two about how someone dresses "for church" or how a child misbehaves in "in church." (I have church in quotes, because the term in church is used rather than the term "at worship.") Tradition has taught us that there are certain ways we should dress for and act in "church." These are traditions that have come down through the generations. I'm thinking Jesus probably did not change clothes to go to the temple or to preach as he was traveling from city to city. During the time Jesus ministered, here on earth, one of the big "no, no's" was to not wash before you eat. There were whole rituals set up to ensure that hands were washed - rituals that were not to be broken.

We have the religious and we have the faithful. The religious might also be faithful, but often they will remind us of the Pharisees and scribes who faithfully accused and persecuted Jesus. The man-made laws and traditions certainly set them apart from other people; but did they set them apart because of their faith in God or because of the faithfulness to man-made traditions and laws?

Not long ago, one of our members was dropped off by one of their children for Worship. I invited the daughter to join us - but - she said she couldn't come in because she had a pair of those pants on that sort of look like pajamas. Consider this, who exactly are you dressing for? Who are you afraid of offending? Man or God? Do you not pray at home, in the shower, in your pajamas, in the garden, in your running clothes, at work? Do you run to change clothes before you go before God to speak with Him, in prayer, on all of these occasions? Personally, I don't think God cares what we're wearing.

As that child of God, who felt that she was not dressed for "church" declined my invitation to join us at Worship, I thought of Adam and Eve in that garden, naked. God didn't care that they were naked. After they ate of the tree of knowledge, it was they who cared, not God. Since they were ashamed, God made them clothes to cover themselves with and then closed the garden off to them so that they might not eat of the tree of life and live forever.

I like tradition almost as much as the next person; however, let us be mindful that sometimes these traditions separate us from God rather than bring us (and others) closer to him. It is faith in the One who shed His blood for us and not what we wear that reconciles us to God, our Father, in His eternal kingdom.

"This people honors me with their lips,
    but their hearts are far from me;
in vain do they worship me,    teaching human precepts as doctrines." (Matt 15:8-9)

God's Peace - Pr. J
P.S. The winter that I was snow-mobile trail boss in southern Ontonagon County, I often went to Worship Services in my snow-mobile suit, simply because I did not have time to change and had to get back out on the trails immediately after worship. It was either not change or not Worship. Which would you choose?

Jeremiah 13 - Unbound, Hidden, and Dirty

What happens when you do not take the time to wash something? It becomes dirty, of course. I don't care if you're not using it, if you have hidden it away. Dust, bugs, something will find its way to it and it will become dirty over time and it must be washed.

This past winter, my granddaughter received a rug for her bedroom floor. It is a large throw rug with a stiff back. It has a variety of pastel colored stripes woven into it. But, even with shaking out and vacuuming, the light colors had become quite dingy looking. It is too big to throw into a washing machine, so every so often she would spray a can of that instant rug shampoo on it before she vacuumed. It wasn't working. I would tell her the only way you are going to get it clean was to take it outside and scrub it, then hang it on the line and power wash the soap out. That was a bit more work than she was willing to put out to make the rug clean. She has better things to do, you know. Chat or message on her cell phone, window shop on the computer, watch reality shows on television, go 4-wheeling or swimming... Finally, this week, I insisted. It was no longer an option. And... when she was done, she was impressed. The rug looks like new again.

Our reading from Jeremiah 13, is sandwiched in between to references of washing or being made clean. First, the LORD tells Jeremiah to “Go and buy a linen belt and put it around your waist, but do not let it touch water.” (vs 1 NIV)  Jeremiah does this. Then the LORD tells him “Take the belt you bought and are wearing around your waist, and go now to Perath and hide it there in a crevice in the rocks.” (vs 4) That's kind of what my grandchildren do with their clothes when they're done wearing them, but they hide them under the bed. The same thing happens to their clothes as happened to Jeremiah's belt. Ruined... Destroyed... from lack of care, from lack of washing.

In the same way, says the LORD, He will ruin the pride of the people. In the act of removing the belt and hiding it in the rocks, Jeremiah, reminds the people that they, by their sinful ways, have unbound themselves from the LORD and are hiding out in dark and dirty places. Those who will not be bound to the LORD, but attempt to hide themselves from Him in some crack or crevice until they become thoroughly unclean, will be bound, indeed! But, not to Him. You will be bound to something, to someone. But, it will not be to God and it will not be for your good. The LORD will topple your pride and you will be shamed. This is the message given through Jeremiah.

Woe to you, whom God has called, and have tried to hide yourself from Him! "How long will you be unclean?" (vs 27) Do not hide from the LORD, but seek His face. Go to the source of living waters, who is Jesus the Christ, and be made clean.

"Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,  not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." (Act 10:22-24)

God's Peace - Pr. J

Jeremiah 10 - Can A Dirty Dish Be Used To Serve?

Reminiscent of the Prophet Isaiah, Jeremiah compares the worthless gods we make with our own hand to God who created us. What a description, "Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them; they can do no harm nor can they do any good.” (Jer 10:5 NIV)

 

 Everyone strays, even the shepherds. "The shepherds are senseless and do not inquire of the Lord; so they do not prosper and all their flock is scattered." (Jer 10:21)

 

And, it appears that even Jeremiah realizes that he must acknowledges his sinful nature. He realizes it and asks for mercy. "Discipline me, Lord, but only in due measure—not in your anger, or you will reduce me to nothing." (Jer 10:24)

 

It is not always easy to confess our sin. But St. John warns us "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:8-9) We are reminded of this every Sunday morning during our general confession. Hopefully, we remember it every day and ask the LORD for forgiveness. We all, like sheep, go astray, "but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls." (1 Pet 2:25) Now that we have returned, let us not go back to the desolate places we've inhabited alongside our false gods.

 

When we confess our sins (daily), God who is merciful and just will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. To those who believe in Jesus Christ, He gives the power to become His children and bestows upon us the Holy Spirit. 

 

Think about confession like washing the dishes. Would you eat off of the same dish over and over again without washing it after it's been used? We, too, need to be cleansed before we can be of any use to ourselves or anyone else. We needed to be washed by the hand of God, before we can be of service to Him. It is by the blood of Christ, God's own Son, that we are washed clean.

 

Jeremiah is a prophet and (like Isaiah and other prophets) he is called and sent to warn the people that their idolatry is separating them from God and will bring dire consequences. He often begs God to have mercy on them, even as he remembers that even he needs the mercy of Almighty God to be able to live and serve. Repent, is a major theme of the early prophets. Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand is the proclamation of both St. John the Baptist and Jesus and those he sent out in the wilderness to proclaim the word of God. Acknowledge, confess your sins, turn your back on your false idols and be made whole...

 

Worship the one true God and live life!

 

God's Peace - Pr. J