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

Sin

Not everyone wants to hear the truth. They will rally against Christian truth-tellers. They will accuse them of being unchristianlike. No one likes to hear that they what they do is a sin. Well, Jesus was a truth-teller. He did not condone sin as some would have us believe. He was not a pushover as some would have us think.

Remember the money changer's tables in the temple that he turned over and then drove those making a profit in God's house out of the temple with a whip? (Matt 21:12; Mark 11:15; John 2:14-15) How meek and mild does that sound?

If you think your pastor or teacher are acting in a manner not befitting a Christian because they call a sin a sin; think again, please. When was the last time one of them actually told you to "get behind me Satan" because you rejected the word and will of God? (Matt 16:21-23; Mark 8:31-38) I can just imagine the reaction if I said that to someone. I confess. I am a wimp. I have thought it. I have even implied it. But, never actually had the courage to use those words (except with a person or two very close to me).

And... please, don't bother using the story of the woman who had been brought before him accused of adultery. No, he did not condemn her. But, he not only confronted her with her sins when he told her to go and sin no more; he confronted the sins of the Scribes and Pharisees when he told them that the one who was without sin should cast the first stone. No one cast that first stone. (John 8:1-11) We are all sinners. That doesn't make sin something to be ignored. Jesus did not ignore it. We ought not ignore it in ourselves or anyone else.

Jesus did not ignore sin. He was tough on sin. In fact, he was so tough on sin that he was willing to hang on that cross for us so that sin would have no power over us. (1 Cor 15:56, 57) Bearing the sins of the world; now, that takes courage! (Rom 5:7-9) Jesus was and is no pushover and he does not call his followers to be, either. He spoke the truth. He lived the truth. He is the truth.

Jesus died for our sins; that is true. St. Paul wrote to the church: "What then are we to say? Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it?  Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? (Rom 6:1-3) 

May God grant that we should acknowledge our sins and live so that we might glorify his holy name.

God's Peace - Pr. J

P.S. Before one accuses another Christian of being unchristianlike in order to justify our own sins; it would behoove us to read your Bibles thoroughly so that we get to know who Jesus really was and is and not just the verses we think might justify our own actions. Justification comes only through Jesus' death on the cross for you.

Never Stop Praying

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thess 5:16-18 NRSV

There is so much to be thankful for. The reasons to rejoice never end because "we know that all things work together for good for those who love God." (Rom 8:28) Yet, we know that there among those whom we love who do not love God and so we pray without ceasing. We pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that they may be strengthened in their inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in their hearts through faith, as they are being rooted and grounded in love. We pray that they may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that they may be filled with all the fullness of God." (Eph 3:16-19)

Because we love even those who do not love or know God, we will never stop praying for them. We will joyfully give thanks for we know that God hears our prayers and answers, according to His good will.

God's Peace - Pr. J

In The Beginning...

"

By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible." Hebrews 11:3 NRSV

Science has provided us with some amazing things: vaccines for diseases that may have long ago destroyed humankind; conveniences to make our lives more pleasant (even if some of them are destructive to the earth); instant communication with people around the world; the list goes on. But, science is not all-knowing. It is ever evolving. There is always something knew to learn.

When it comes to faith, science does not have the last word. God does. He has and is the last word just as He had and was the first word.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people." John 1:1-3

May God grant us all faith to live by faith in His Word, who is Jesus the Christ.

God's Peace - Pr. J

War or Peace?

A very strange dream woke me up a bit early this morning. I dreamed that I had been standing at the window looking out over the river and suddenly black military looking went screaming by. There was not just one or two of them; but, a crowd of them; a fleet that seemed to have no end. Very strange, I thought and woke up. Of course, I had to try to figure out why I would have a dream like that. I could not discern if the dream was about war or peace. Was I dreaming it because I sense impending danger or because of a feeling of security? I do not know. Every day brings something new. The world can be a dangerous place. The news is rarely good; but, yet, there is always hope.

Military boats and ships certainly have something to do with danger; especially, to the enemy. But, they are also there to bring security to the people they are commissioned to protect. Ultimately, they are to be used to bring about security and a sense of peace.

We can never really count on the state of the world's affairs to provide us with security and peace. But, there is one whom we can trust.

Answer me when I call, O God of my right!
    You gave me room when I was in distress.
    Be gracious to me, and hear my prayer.

There are many who say, “O that we might see some good!
    Let the light of your face shine on us, O Lord!”
You have put gladness in my heart
    more than when their grain and wine abound.

I will both lie down and sleep in peace;
    for you alone, O Lord, make me lie down in safety.

                                                      Psalm 4:1, 6-8 NRSV

God's Peace - Pr. J

Symbol of Hope

"When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” Gen 9:16

I haven't seen a rainbow in a few months. I am human. I get tired and weary at times. Every once in awhile, I would like to see a rainbow to remind me that God is with me; to remind me of His glory.  In Ezekiel's visions of God he saw the glory of God. "Like the bow in a cloud on a rainy day, such was the appearance of the splendor all around. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord."  Ezekiel 1:28

We have many dreary days; days when we just can't see the glory of God; days when there are no rainbows. There many be no rainbows today; but, we will always have the cross. In the cross there is always hope.

May God grant you eternal hope in the victory won for you on the cross, by Jesus Christ our Lord.

God's Peace - Pr. J
 

Beware of the Pretentious

"Then He said to them in His teaching, “Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces,  the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts,  who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.” Mark 12:38-40

Beware of the scribes; beware of anyone who would place themselves before and above others. They are not there to help others; but, to help themselves under the pretense of helping others.

Beware of the pretentious. Those long prayers and speeches of the pretentious are there to sway you to their way of thinking and not necessarily God's way or will. Beware, that their smooth words are not swaying you to follow in a way that you should not be going in.

We are inundated with political speeches. We are inundated with biased media. What a circus it can become! Listen carefully and beware of those who place themselves before others; who think more highly of themselves than they ought. With their smooth tongues they can make what is good look like sin and what is sin look like it is a good thing. Beware of those who claim to want to help the poor and needy and; yet, get richer while the poor get poorer.

Beware of the false prophets. We have a God who will guide us in all things. Listen to Him!

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