Forces of Spiritual Wickedness

Ephesians 6:10-13 KJV; The forces of spiritual wickedness are not only active in government; but, in the church as well.

Worship Together

Psalm  95:1-7a KJV; Worship the Lord alongside other brothers and sisters in Christ.

Pastors Are Not The Head Of The Church; Christ Is

1 Corinthians 3:1-9; 1 Corinthians 12:7-14; KJV; 6th Sunday after Epiphany; All parts of the Body are equal. They may all have different gifts; but, all gifts and members are necessary. 

No Room For Others?

Luke 2:6-7 KJV; Imagine spending Christmas or any day homeless. The governments apparently have no fix; too many other things to spend taxpayer's money on. Jesus told Peter and us if you love me; feed my sheep.

The Church and the church

Reading from Ephesians 3:9-21 KJV - the Church of Jesus Christ is eternal. It will never end.

Give; Share the Good News Of Jesus

Gifts To Edify

Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church. (1 Cor 14:12 KJV)

Our call is to edify the church not to destroy it. The church is the Body of Christ and according to St. Paul's letter to the church we are to help the church to grow. We are to help improve the visible church here on earth.

When we shine the spotlight on someone's particular gifts and ignore the gifts of all of God's children we are endangering the fellowship of the saints in the Body of Christ. Our mission is not to glorify ourselves or anyone else within the church because of particular gifts that we might have been given. Each and everyone of us has been given gifts by God; not for our own glorification; but, so that God is glorified through every member of the church.

God help us to excel in the edifying of the church! God help us to glorify him in all that we say and think and do!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Departed Brothers: Fr. Basil; Fr. Nicholas

Monastery at Jacob's Falls, Eagle Harbor, MI

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. 

                      (John 13:34-35 KJV)

I met Fr. Basil in 1997. I was the Vicar for a church without walls in the Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan. I had up to five services all over the Keweenaw during any given week and by weeks end I needed to be refreshed. I needed to hear the word and not just preach it so I began attending Saturday evening Vespers on the shore of Lake Superior at the Holy Transfiguration Skete, Eagle Harbor, MI; a Catholic Monastery of the Byzantine Rite. When I first began attending worship with the monks, services were held in their living room. It has since grown greatly!

  

I always left worship with the brothers rejuvenated and ready for the coming week. For those of you who have not attended one of their services, they are completely chanted, including the readings. There are no musical instruments to accompany the chanting; just voices. The words are not drowned out by the organ. I can focus more fully on the word when I can hear it. And... they didn't even mind my chanting. After I had moved away and continued to worship occasionally with them, Fr. Nicholas had commented that he always smiled when he heard me chanting behind him because he knew that I had made the trip to be with them once again. Yes, when I attempt to sing or chant people often smile. I am a preacher not a singer! But, I love doing both. Worship at the monastery is also done  mostly standing. The only time that there is any sitting down is during the readings; unless you are disabled. Whenever I hear people complaining about  standing  too much during worship; I think of Jesus being tortured and hanging on the cross for so many hours for our sakes. 

Fr. Nicholas passed away in 2017. As I was surfing the internet this morning I stumbled across Fr. Basil's obituary. He died on November 30th of this past year. It was a bit of a shock as he always seemed so healthy. 

Despite doctrinal differences, these co-founders of the Holy Transfiguration Skete were truly brothers in Christ. I do miss them. They not only  spiritually supported me and my ministry in the Keweenaw and elsewhere, they were  supporters of many people in need whether the needs were spiritual or physical even as the brothers left behind still are there praying for and helping those in need. What I have witnessed is genuine love for others through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Time has been passing here on earth rather quickly it seems. I will not be seeing brothers Basil or Nicholas again here on earth again. But, that is okay as we look to living in the Kingdom prepared for all who believe, in the presence of God, for all eternity.

May God continue to bless the brothers of St. John's Society with love and with his peace.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

One Body In Christ

Serving Together.
Worship in Laskela, Karelia, Russia (2002)
Russian Interpreter, myself preaching, Rev. Antti Lepisto as Finnish Interpreter
Two interpreters makes for a very long sermon; yet, by serving together all heard the message 
in their own language.

I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,

With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;

Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. 

                                                                            (Eph 4:1 KJV)

Only one!  There is only one Body in Christ! There is only one Body in Christ who worships and serves the one Father by the power of the one Spirit of God.

We, all who believe that Jesus who is the only begotten Son of God, born of a virgin, lived and died on the cross for them and yet lives again in and through us all, are members of his Body.

Yet, there are many divisions within the visible church on earth. Not only individuals; but, whole congregations and even denominations, over the centuries, have turned to themselves to micromanage faith; to micromanage mission; to micromanage evangelism! Way too often we do not reach out because we who are in the church consider our own particular ways of being the church more important than being the Body of Christ.

Christ's ministry was to reach out to others. He proclaimed the Good News of the Kingdom of God. He healed the sick. He fed the hungry. He did all this with hand's on! He came to this earth as a true man for our sakes; to serve us. After teaching us many things, his ultimate act was to usher in the Kingdom of God for us by dying on the cross so that we might be forgiven our sins and live life as citizens of the Kingdom. But, before he ascended to that Kingdom he gave us a command. He told us to go and make more disciples by teaching about everything he had said and done and baptizing others.  There is only one Body in Christ. We are that Body. Christ continues to work in and through and above us all to continue serving others. 

But, if anyone thinks that we should stand aside though while false teachers and prophets proclaim a Gospel that Jesus did not proclaim, think again! Jesus did call out the false teachers and prophets. He did call out sinners. But, he loved them all. He loves us all enough to suffer and die a cruel death that we might live. We too love are to love all people. We ought to love them enough to call them out if they are teaching another gospel.

The faithful will work together to continue the mission of the Body of Christ reaching out to all people. We cannot isolate ourselves from the whole Body of Christ. There is only one Body and every member is needed for the Body to be fruitful. There is not one member more important than another that the other should be cast aside.

The Body of Christ serves others in unity by the power of the Spirit of God.  It is not we who do the work of our Father; but, God himself who is above all, and through all, and in us all. 

May God help us to drop the egos and the isolation so that we may love and serve one another as members of the Body of Christ.

God's Peace be with you all.  Pr. J.

Worship In Every Place And TIme

Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.

Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.

Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.

But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 

                                                                       (John 4:20-23 KJV)

Yes, of course, we gather with our brothers and sisters in Christ at least once a week to worship our Father, the creator and redeemer of the world. However, worship of our God should never end when we leave the church building. We continue to worship him daily and hourly. Living life reconciled to God and loving him is a way of life. It is not something we routinely do just out of tradition. It is something we do because we love the one who loves us enough to live, to die, and to live again for us. 

We love him, because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19)

Worship takes place in more places than the sanctuary of a building because he is in every place that we are. We ought to live life like he actually matters to us. Let everything that we say and do in every time and place be acts of praise and worship glorifying our God who loves us.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Thy Maker Is Thine Husband

Rev 2:4

Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.

For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.

For the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God. 

                                                                            (Isa 54:4-5 KJV)

Our Creator, our Father, our Husband; our God has many relationships with us. He is intimately close to all of His Children. 

His bride is the church. Like a husband should; the Lord is always there to support his bride whether it is the church as a whole or the individual. It can give the desolate comfort in knowing that although they have been betrayed or deserted by their spouse; our Maker who is our husband will never leave us. He loves us more than is humanly possibly. He is and should always be our first love. Anything less is idolatry. It is adultery to love anything more than Him.

Rejoice! For there is no more wonderous a relationship that we could possibly have than the one that we have with our Creator, our Father, our husband who is the God of all the earth.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Buildings Fall While The Word Endures

And as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!

And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. 

                                                                              (Mark 13:1-2 KJV)

One of the biggest mistakes that I've witnessed in house or mission churches is the rush to have a "real" church building.  Too often it costs the mission too much. As the congregation struggles to pay for the building and all of the regular costs and upkeep the mission of the church suffers.  

The mission of the church is as Jesus told the disciples:

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 

Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.                                                                            (Matt 28:19-20)

Buildings are temporary. The building that you worship in one day will be gone. 

But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you. (1 Pet 1:25)

God's Peace - Pr. J

Love The Lord

Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the Lord your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it:

That thou mightest fear the Lord thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged.

Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey.

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:

And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:

And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.

And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates. 

                                                                                            (Deut 6:1-9 KJV)

Loving and serving the Lord is not just for the hour you might sit in a church building one day a week. We are called to love him with our whole hearts, our entire souls, and with all of our might all of the time. Do the people around you know that you love and serve him? 

Our love is evidenced by what we say and do. 

Praise the Lord in all things; in what you say and do and at all times that others might in turn come to love Him as well.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Welcome The Children

Jesus welcomes the children so should we.

And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them.

But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.

Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.

And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.                                                                                          (Mark 10:13-16 KJV)

How blessed are the multi-generational congregations!  How blessed are they who welcome children into worship services with them instead of relegating them to the cry room! How blessed are they who invite the little children to not only attend worship; but, also assist with the worship services in whatever ways they are capable of assisting.

Over the years, I have invited children to receive the offerings and to place them on the altar. Our children have been readers and musicians. They have led the prayers of the church and have at times even presented monologues and dialogues as sermons.  They have even sponsored lunches after worship and special dinners to include Seder meals. During the years that the children were invited to participate more fully in the whole life of the congregations, the congregations grew and not just in numbers. They grew closer to one another and to Jesus.

Welcome the children into the whole life of the family of God. They may be young but they are your brothers and sisters in Christ and love Jesus as much as anyone. Blessed are they who bless the children by receiving them with open arms.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Help My Unbelief!

And... that is a gift from God
Eph 2:8-9

And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming.

And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child.

And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.

Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. 

                                                                                  (Mark 9:20-24 KJV)

A father cries out:  "I believe; help thou mine unbelief."  This father has begged Jesus to heal his son even as he asks Jesus to heal him of his lack of faith. He knows that he cannot come to faith except by the grace of God. Faith is a gift from God. Paul wrote to the Ephesians:

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Eph 2:8-9)

We cannot come to faith; we cannot be saved by anything that we do. Our faith is not our own work. It is a gift from God. Our salvation is not by our own works. If we could save ourselves then Christ's death would have been in vain. Salvation is a gift from God. 

As Lutherans we affirm that faith is a gift from God in the third article of the Apostle's Creed and what it means to us as can be found in the Small Catechism in the Book of Concord:

"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."

Let us pray even as the father who brought his son to Jesus to have the evil spirit removed:  "I believe; help my unbelief!"

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Joined As One

For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband. 

                                                       (Eph 5:31-33 KJV)

This year will mark my husband's and my 50th wedding anniversary. To tell you the truth it sometimes amazes me that we have made it together for that long. It doesn't seem real that either of us could be that old! But, then again, we are not really old for we have eternal life!

Yesterday, we were cleaning boxes of files and photos and other memorabilia from our years together as we prepared for a rummage sale. Although, we have had some pretty rough times in our lives together there were many more really good times. The memorabilia reminded me of how we supported each other through individual trials and in that support of one another; although, we became united as one by God when we were first married, that oneness has become even more apparent after all of this time together. Oh, yes, there are days for both of us when we need a bit of distance from each other; but, with faith in God who has joined us together any distances or disturbances in the household cannot tear us apart.

I past years, when teaching confirmation youth, I reminded them that when God joins two people together they will always be a part of each other. Even if they end up separated, they will still be connected. They may be physically separated; but, spiritually and emotionally, for good or for bad, they will always be connected to each other. If they remarry they will bring a part of that first person along with them into that marriage. So be very careful to make sure that you want to be connected to that person for the rest of your days because you will be. This also applies to those pre-marital and live-in relationships that exist without the benefit of any kind of real commitment.

Just as God joins a man and woman together in a bond that cannot be broken; he has joined all who believe in Jesus with him. We are one in the Body of Christ (1 Cor 12:12-13) and nothing in this world can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom 8:38-39)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

P.S.  BTW - love and reverence for one another does happen when both husband and wife are united together in Christ for the indwelling Spirit of Christ is one of love as well as self-sacrifice as he gave himself for us because of his love for us.

Get Out Of Your Safe Space; Seek Other Seas

And straightway he constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people.

And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray.

And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land.

And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them.

But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out:

For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid.

And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered.

                                                                                                           (Mark 6:45-51 KJV)

"If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat" is a book written by John Ortman. I've never read it; but, I do like the title.

That doesn't mean that you should step out of your boat and try to walk on water as Jesus did. That would be a bad idea especially if you cannot swim. But, if we want to follow Jesus we need to get out of our small boats; our safe spaces, that isolate us from the rest of the world and as the lyrics of one of my favorite hymns tells us with Jesus we will seek other seas.

What does that mean? Not all professed Christians are followers of Jesus. They are merely church goers. Many consider that one or two hours a week is enough to qualify as Christians. Some think that may be too much and make it for Christmas and or Easter Worship. Some do not even do that. It is, of course, important to regularly attend worship to hear the word of God and to receive the Sacrament. By these means of grace God strengthens our faith. But, we are not saved by attending church. We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Rituals are fine when they help to restore us and build up our faith. However, Jesus does call us to follow him and he does send us to share the Good News that we have heard with others. In order to do that when we leave the church building; when we leave our small boats, we are to seek others sees. We are to seek the lost.

Do not be afraid to share this Good News. Even though there will be many who reject the Good News and probably you, Jesus is with you even as he was with the disciples on the stormy sea. And... what happened when Jesus got into the boat with the disciples? The wind and tumultuous seas were calmed.

Do not be afraid to get out of your small boat to share the Good News in other seas. Christ is with you no matter how troubled the waters might get.

The hymn I referred to in this blog is "Lord, You Have Come to the Lakeshore" written by Monseñor Cesáreo Gabaráin. For those who have never heard it and for those who love it the first verse and refrain are as follows:

You have come down to the lakeshore
Seeking neither the wise nor the wealthy,
But only asking for me to follow.

Sweet Lord, you have looked into my eyes,
Kindly smiling, you've called out my name.
On the sand I've abandoned my small boat;
Now with you, I will seak other seas.

God grant us all the courage to step out of our small boats and to follow Jesus.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Shepherds Need Rest

And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught.

And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.

And they departed into a desert place by ship privately.

And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto him.

And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things. 

                                                                               (Mark 6:30-34 KJV)

The disciples are grieving the beheading of John the Baptist and had just returned from being sent out two by two on a mission journey. The journey and the death would have left them exhausted as it would most of us. Jesus instructed them to go with him to a quiet place so that they could rest. They went by ship; but, people followed them anyway.

It is often this way for shepherds of the flock. Sometimes, there is little time to rest. Sometimes, it is just a matter of completing one thing and jumping immediately into the next.

I will never forget the 4th of July week that I had ten funerals to officiate at. Ten funerals in seven days is a lot. But, during times of epidemics others have had many more. Most of the people I did not know; although, they were all family members of members of the congregation who had moved away and were to be buried from the church they grew up in. I was fried. I did not have time to grieve which was sorely needed as one of the women was also a dear friend. The church ladies were fried as well as they prepared luncheons for all of the families. It took not a little time to be rested and get over the pace of that week. Each morning as I had woke up there was something I needed to get done immediately for the flock.

Jesus' recognized the need for his disciples to have a time of rest. But, when it came to ministering to the flock that took priority.

God give us the wisdom and strength to shepherd your people; to care for them in their times of need.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Ashamed of the Gospel?

 

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. (Rom 1:16 KJV)

I am not ashamed to say that I believe that I have been reconciled to God by the Good News of the Kingdom through Jesus my Savior and Lord. I do not always display that reality for which I am most sorry for. There are times that I slip. There are times that we all slip and don't represent Jesus as we could.

In one of my small recovery groups that I led for teen-age boys who had been convicted of felonies, one of the young men, who professed to be a Christian, shared a story about how he ended up fighting with someone following a worship service at his home church. He had worn the colors of his gang to the church service. In other words, he represented someone other than Jesus when he entered that building and it irritated (to put it mildly) a rival gang member who was also there.

It is one thing to profess that we are Christians. It is much more difficult to be representatives of Christ. False gods abound and the majority of us can be led astray; deceived, by them to some extent. 

God help us to recognize these false gods. Help us to be of good courage so that we might share the Good News of the one died on the cross for the salvation of all who would believe in him.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Ask And Receive The Holy Spirit

Luke 11:9-10 KJV

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? (Luke 11:13 KJV)

What a great gift we receive when we receive the Holy Spirit!  The Holy Spirit comes to us as a free gift from God. According to Luther's Small Catechism the third article of the Apostle's Creed affirms that even our faith is dependent upon the Holy Spirit. 

3rd 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.

Ask and you shall receive the Holy Spirit! Thanks be to God!

God's Peace - Pr. J.