Pray For Peace

Psalm 122 KJV; Let us enter the house of the Lord and pray for peace.

Rejoice! He Will Come Again!

Psalm 96 KJV

O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord, all the earth.

Sing unto the Lord, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day.

Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people.

For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods.

For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the Lord made the heavens.

Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength.

Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts.

O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.

Say among the heathen that the Lord reigneth: the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: he shall judge the people righteously.

Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof.

Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice

Before the Lord: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.

+++

Rejoice; for the Lord has come and he will come again. Do not worry about justice for he will judge the whole world; every single person, with righteousness and truth. 

Rejoice; for the Lord has come and he will come again! Thanks be to God!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Take Up Your Cross And Follow

"And they answered, John the Baptist; but some say, Elias; and others, One of the prophets.

And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ.

And he charged them that they should tell no man of him.

And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him.

But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.

And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.

For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"

                                                                            (Mark 8:28-36 KJV)

No... no... no... We cannot and should not have to endure death. We should have to endure trials. We should not have to struggle! 

Yet, we do. We do and we will. God's will for Jesus was not to have a life of ease. He was destined for death; to die so that we might live. Life is a struggle and if you think that it should not or will not be one then you probably are following a false god down a very wrong path. 

These false gods would have us strive to gain the worldly things and in the process we may, as Jesus said, lose our souls.

Life is not easy so you may as well take up your cross and follow Jesus and when you do know that the Christ is with you on the journey. That road, although it may feel like death is drawing near leads to life everlasting. That is the will of God for you. 

As St. Paul drew closely to his own earthly death he wrote these words to his fellow missionary and evangelist Timothy:

"I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;

Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.

I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:"

                                                                                        (2 Tim 1-7)

St. Paul took up his cross and followed Jesus. He endured afflictions even as he continued the work of an evangelist. He finished his course when he was executed for his faith in Christ. 

He was willing to give up a life of luxury in this world and reside as a prisoner of the government so that he could proclaim the Gospel according to the will of God. He was willing to give up his body. But, he was not willing to give up his soul as he entrusted it to the love of God in Christ Jesus.

God help us to endure all afflictions and fight the good fight of truth found in Jesus the Christ.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

On This Mountain

On This Mountain

And in this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined.

And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations.

He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath spoken it. And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation. 

                                                                                             (Isa 25:6-9 KJV)

No more tears... No more crying... We look to the day when the covering that is cast over all of us is completely removed. We look to the day when all people will rejoice in their salvation in the very presence of God; in the very peaceful presence of God.

We can look for the way to peace for most of our lives; but, until we know Jesus the one who lived and died and lives again for us we will not truly know it. We will be doomed to chase after whatever it is that we think we're searching for until the day we abide with and in Christ in his Kingdom.

No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. (1 John 4:12-15)

Our Savior has come. His kingdom has come through his death and resurrection. Thanks be to God that we can live in that kingdom in peace!

Lord, God, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." (Matt 6:10)

Abide in Christ! Abide in his Kingdom! Live in peace!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Come Down From the Heavens!

Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down,
   that the mountains would tremble before you!
As when fire sets twigs ablaze
   and causes water to boil,
come down to make your name known to your enemies
   and cause the nations to quake before you!
For when you did awesome things that we did not expect,
   you came down, and the mountains trembled before you.
Since ancient times no one has heard,
   no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besides you,
   who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.
You come to the help of those who gladly do right,
   who remember your ways.
But when we continued to sin against them,
   you were angry.
   How then can we be saved?
All of us have become like one who is unclean,
   and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,
   and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
                                                               (Isa 64:1-6 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 times: "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 from time to time. When life has gotten really rough; when you've felt persecuted or all alone, haven't you ever thought or prayed: "This is enough. Please, make your presence known to all people so they'd straighten out and we could 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 filthy rags. It’s not just everyone else. We are all guilty and our sins, just as the wind, sweep us away from God’s presence.

But, we are 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.

Thanks be to God that our sins have been swept away by the blood of Jesus.

God's Peace – Pr. J

Arise and Shine!

"Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you."

Isaiah 60:1

There are some days when the day is over and I feel as though nothing was accomplished; like an entire day has been wasted. I may be up and about; but, I feel like I may as well have been sleeping the day away. This not doing much is a bad habit to get in to. Before we know it our days on earth will have come to an end and we will have spent them as though we were asleep.

Get up! Live life! Let the light of Christ shine on, in, and through you. Live the fleeting moments that God has given us here on earth. He gave them for a purpose and living in the darkness was not it.

Have a blessed day!

God's Peace - Pr. J

God Turns Things Around and Upside Down.

The Way Of The Cross: In order to live one must die.

(Billboard from years past in Baraga County, MI)

"It will not be as it was: The lowly will be exalted and the exalted will be brought low." (Ezekiel 20:26 NIV)

God has a way of turning everything around. Those who think too highly of themselves will be brought down. The humble will be lifted up. That is not the way it works in this world; but, that is God's way. 

The LORD promises, through Ezekiel, that the one to whom the crown rightly belongs will ultimately wear it. The one who wears the crown was raised up in humility and reigns in glory at God's right hand. Jesus, who came to serve humankind, was willing to lay his life down, to wear the crown of thorns, and to be lifted up on the cross for our sakes. In this act of sacrifice, he was lifted to the heavenly realms, to ultimately sit at the right hand of God, our Father. The lowly has been exalted...

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Heb 12:1-2)

God's Peace - Pr. J

I Cannot Come

Come to the banquet!

“The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come." (Matt 22:2-3 NIV)

Oh, yes, a goodly number of us want to go this banquet after we are dead and buried; but, how about today? Are we willing to sit at that table today? Maybe, there's a more enticing table set someplace for you than at the Lord's Table? Not everyone that's been invited will be at the table eating and drinking; receiving the "foretaste of the feast to come." Some will decline for a "better" offer.

While serving at Zion Lutheran in Skanee, MI, on the occasions that this parable was our Sunday reading, the choir usually sang "I Cannot Come To The Banquet." (I could not find the author's name - possibly The Medical Mission Sisters, 1966?) It is quite the lively song; but, cuts right to the heart of things.

I cannot come.
I cannot come to the banquet, don't trouble me now.
I have married a wife.
I have bought me a cow.
I have fields and commitments
That cost a pretty sum.
Pray, hold me excused,
I cannot come.

A certain man held a feast on his fine estate in town.
He laid a festive table and wore a wedding gown.
He sent invitations to his neighbors far and wide
But when the meal was ready, each of them replied:

I cannot come.
I cannot come to the banquet, don't trouble me now.
I have married a wife.
I have bought me a cow.
I have fields and commitments
That cost a pretty sum.
Pray, hold me excused,
I cannot come.

The master rose up in anger, called his servants by name,
"Go into the town, fetch the blind and the lame,
Fetch the peasant and the pauper for this I have willed,
My banquet must be crowded, and my table must be filled."

I cannot come.
I cannot come to the banquet, don't trouble me now.
I have married a wife.
I have bought me a cow.
I have fields and commitments
That cost a pretty sum.
Pray, hold me excused,
I cannot come.

When all the poor had assembled,
There was still room to spare,
So the master demanded: "Go search ev'rywhere,
To the highways and the byways
And force them to come in.
My table must be filled before the banquet can begin.

I cannot come.
I cannot come to the banquet, don't trouble me now.
I have married a wife.
I have bought me a cow.
I have fields and commitments
That cost a pretty sum.
Pray, hold me excused,
I cannot come.

Yes, no? What will it be? All are invited! Will you come to the banquet?

God's Peace - Pr. J

P.S. Hope to see you at the Lord's Table.

Thy Kingdom Come

The Lord's Prayer

The Second Petition.

Thy kingdom come.

What does this mean?--Answer.

The kingdom of God comes indeed without our prayer, of itself; but we pray in this petition that it may come unto us also.

How is this done?--Answer.
When our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and lead a godly life here in time and yonder in eternity.

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

By faith alone!

The kingdom of God has come and we, by faith, in our Lord, Jesus the Christ, are residents of that kingdom, even now.

Yes, we live in this world; but, all who believe also live in the kingdom and under the gracious rule of God our Father and the Lord Jesus the Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is such a grievous thing when God's own beloved children focus so much on the world and the support of the world that they cannot recognize that God is with them, even now. It is such a sad state that His own children refuse to recognize that we might live in the Kingdom of God, even now.

We pray that His Kingdom would come quite often. But, is the Kingdom or the world our heart's true desire? By many a Christian's words and actions the true state of our hearts is often seen by the world. Do we truly desire to have the Kingdom come into our lives or are we clinging ever so tightly to the world and it's ways?

The heavenly kingdom is not just for a time after physical death. When that temple curtain was ripped in half at the time of Jesus' death; the doors to the kingdom were flung wide open. The kingdom comes by the work of our Lord. May God help us to live in His kingdom; to live in His presence; beginning today and for all time.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Let The Children Come

People were also bringing babies to Jesus for him to place his hands on them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." Luke 18:15-16 NIV

I vaguely remember a Marine Corps Toys for Tots campaign whose ads include something to the effect of "No one stands taller than one who stoops to give a child a present." It pictured a Marine in his dress blues kneeling to give a little child a gift.

I work a lot. Sometimes, I forget to take time out to have fun. But, a few minutes with a child is usually fun. Hours with them can be more fun even if by the end of the hours I may feel exhausted. Very few things are better than being around a smiling, bubbly, bouncing, child. There is no way (unless they are totally undisciplined) that I can keep from smiling, myself, when I am around children. One never knows what they might do or say. They keep life interesting for us older folks.

The disciples tried to keep the children from being close to Jesus. But, Jesus warned them not to put anything in their way that might keep them from him. "Let the little children come," he said.

Let the little children come to you and share the stories of Jesus so that they will have a greater knowledge and an even closer relationship with Jesus.

Let the little children come into your life and may the light of Christ shine upon you through them.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Christ Bids You Come And Die

Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me." Mark 8:34

What else is there to say; except to ask ourselves are we willing to take up our cross to follow Jesus and what does that mean for us. Does it mean giving up an hour each Sunday to thank God for the gift of His Son's life for us? And... then grumble if the service goes ten minutes longer than an hour. 

No, when Jesus calls you; he asks that you commit your life totally to following him; every minute of every day. He calls you to give up your desires so that the will of our Father in heaven is done. Even as Christ was willing to take up his cross for us; he bids us to take up our cross even in the face of death.

"Here is a trustworthy saying:

If we died with him,
    we will also live with him;
if we endure,
    we will also reign with him.
If we disown him,
    he will also disown us." 2 Timothy 2:11-12

May God grant us the courage to take up our cross and follow him wherever he would lead us.

God's Peace - Pr. J.