Wash Your Hands!

Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem.

And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault.

For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders.

And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables.

Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?

He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.

And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. 

                                                                              (Mark 7:1-9 KJV)

My hands have gotten a little wrinkled with all the washing that's been going on the past year and a half. Part of that probably has something to do with age. The Pharisees really came down hard on the disciples for not keeping the law by not washing their hands before they ate. So, what did Jesus say? He rebuked them for being so oriented toward keeping the traditions of the elders. You see those Pharisees, just as many today, would attack anyone who did not obey the laws of God as they chose to interpret it. They did not comprehend that the letter of the law can too easily destroy people. They did not comprehend that the Spirit of the law is love. Jesus said this about the greatest commandments; the greatest laws:

"Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

This is the first and great commandment.

And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

                                                                                         (Matt 22:37-40)

Yes, it is definitely a good thing to observe health codes. It can even be a loving thing. But, it is not a loving thing to judge those for whatever reason neglect or forget to. Judging others whether they follow man-made traditions regarding washing their hands or not (or wear a mask or not) hardly seems the loving thing to do. In fact, it can be a most unloving thing to do especially when it involves cursing at the person we  are busy judging.

The letter of the law and the man-made traditions that we impose can destroy people, even societies as it brings division. The Spirit of the law unites because the Spirit of the law is love.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Swearing: Using God's Name In Vain

 

Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. (Exodus 20:7 KJV)

"The Second Commandment.

Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord, thy God, in vain.

What does this mean?-

-Answer.

We should fear and love God that we may not curse, swear, use witchcraft, lie, or deceive by His name, but call upon it in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks."

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

I confess that every now and then my lips will release a word or maybe two or three that should not be spoken. I am very aware that I have sinned as soon as something slips out of my mouth that ought not to have.

It is troubling though, that so many do not even seem to recognize when they have taken God's name in vain. I know many love Him; but, for some reason they don't always recognize when they are speaking against Him. Sometimes, it needs to be brought to their attention.

Yes, sometimes I find myself asking others not to be swearing. No, I do not always ignore it when people take God's name in vain; when they blaspheme His Holy Name. I will ask them to please not take my God's name in vain; to not blaspheme against my God. I usually stress "my God" in attempts to make it clear that because of their language they have made it evident to me and others who might be around us that He is not their God; that they do not worship Him. If He were their God, they would not be using His name in such a manner and so very often.

There have been times when I've been in discussions (usually with younger people) and I've gotten responses like "OMG" or "Oh My G_ _!" (Father, forgive me for even writing it as an example.) My response to that is usually "I am not your God" and I walk away.

I find the language today atrocious. There is very little respect for one another and definitely not for God in many conversations. His name is thrown around like it was something cheap and disposable. It is even called upon when used to bully others; to persecute them.

I have also been known to use the phrase "speak with integrity" on rare occasions. Admittedly, the lies have to be pretty bad before I do that. Sometimes you have to let people know that if they want me others to understand what exactly is going on they will have to get their stories straight. Sometimes stories get so twisted, in order to justify one's own actions, that it can be difficult to glean the truth from the tale. This lack of truth-telling also blasphemes the Name of God when the one who is speaking claims to bear the name of Christ.

His Name is above all names and it is eternal. It ought not be used in rampages meant to hurt others or to justify our own sinful ways. It can and should be called upon for the healing of the nations. Use it wisely. 

May the Lord our God bless the words of our lips that we might glorify His Holy Name in all that we say and think and do.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Cussing

Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. (Eph 4:29 KJV)

A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit. (Prov 15:4)

People swear, I get that. Every now and then the most kind and gentle people utter things that they wish they hadn't uttered. But, I am not sure why some people think it is acceptable to use four letter cuss words in every sentence that comes out of their mouths or in every post that they post on social media.  

These curses can be very hurtful and destructive to others even to people we care about. 

Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. (Rom 13:10)

Words can either a curse or a blessing. What will they be? May God bless the words of our lips that they might edify and not harm others. 

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Vulgarity Does Not Glorify God

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;

Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;

Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.

                                                                                (1 Peter 2:9:12 KJV)

I was outside drinking my morning coffee in the dark yesterday morning. Children were at their stops waiting for the school bus. A dog was barking and roosters crowing in the distance. Suddenly, I heard a very loud motorcycle revving up its motor within a few blocks from the house. Shortly after this noise began, I heard swearing. A lot of very loud, screaming and very vulgar, swearing! This was not from a neighbor. We have no close neighbors. It was at least two or three blocks away; yet, I could hear every curse word that was screamed. The motorcycle continued roaring on and off for a few minutes then took off. The swearing ceased as well. 

I, unfortunately, have been known to swear a time or two or maybe more. When I do it, I cringe. Yesterday morning, I really cringed at the thought of someone being so out of control of themselves or such little lack of respect for themselves, their neighbors, and for the children waiting for buses, that they would be screaming the f.. word and a bunch of others not so nice words in the quiet of the morning so that all the world could hear. I pray for calmness and peace for that man as well as for the man who was revving his bike up in a way that seemed very intentional so early in the morning.

As Christians, we are a chosen generation, a holy nation. We ought to be speaking gently and truthfully. We ought to be the examples of moderation in all that we do that our Father in heaven might be glorified.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Job's Sacrifice; Our Prayers

His sons used to hold feasts in their homes on their birthdays, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would make arrangements for them to be purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular custom. (Job 1:4-5 NIV)

Yesterday morning, as I was praying for a few generations of my family, it suddenly occurred to me that Job had done pretty much the same thing for his children. Of course, my prayers only included thanksgivings and petitions; whereas, Job's included sacrifices of burnt offerings.

It was Job's custom as is the custom of many parents and grandparents to worry about what kind of relationship their offspring have with God. Are they sinning against God? Are they cursing him in their hearts? And; if so, have they the wisdom to repent; to ask for forgiveness? Do they even recognize when they have sinned against God?

Considering that I might sound like Job praying for his offspring; it brought just a bit of fear into my heart, as for all of Job's praying his story was not a happy one. For all of his sacrificing, he lost everything that he owned. His children were all killed when a windstorm destroyed the house that they were partying in. 

We hear, in Job's story, only the outcome of his children's lives here on earth. We hear nothing about the fate of their immortal souls. Who can tell about that, other than God?

Job had worried about the relationship his children had with God. He had made sacrifices for them; just in case! The truth is that no matter how much we worry about our offspring we cannot do a thing to save them. Assuredly, we can pray  But, there is no offering; no sacrifice that we can make that will save them. The Good News is that God is concerned about the eternal fate of our children. He is so concerned that he sent his only begotten son to be the sacrifice for our sins and for the sins of our offspring.

May God bless our children and all the generations to come with the wisdom to seek him before all things so that they might live in peacefully in his presence for all of eternity.

God's Peace - Pr. J

No Cursing, Please!

"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." Eph 5:1-2

Children learn by what they see and hear. One teaching method I have noticed is adults trying to teach what not to do even while the adult teacher does it themselves. All too often, I have witnesses, adults correct children for swearing by swearing at them. Sure doesn't sound too loving to me and I'm thinking that particular teaching method  probably does not work all that well.

Some of the nicest people I know throw that f... word along with other off-colored slang randomly into their speech. I don't get it! Doesn't sound very Christ-like to me. Can you imagine Jesus using words like that? I can't.

In the past, when I taught confirmation classes, I tried to explain what curse or swear words are. There are many words that are so commonly used by the culture around us that some of the young people have had no clue that some of the words that they use daily are totally inappropriate. Many of these words actually take God's name in vain. Using vulgarity shows disrespect not only toward others; these words disrespect God and the person using them, as well.

We are sinful human beings and prone to slipping from time to time. But, life here in this would be so much more loving and peaceful if we could all be more Christ-like examples to children or to anyone around us. Maybe we could all work a little harder to erase a few of these curse words from our vocabularies and ultimately our cultures. Let us be imitators of Christ so that as our children learn from what we say and do; they too will learn to live more Christ-like.

May God help us to live in love, without using language to belittle or hurt others; rather, using language that will express our walk of faith in Jesus Christ.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Curses and Blessings

"He went up from there to Bethel; and while he was going up on the way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, saying, “Go away, baldhead! Go away, baldhead!”  When he turned around and saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two she-bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys." 2 King 2:23-24 NRSV

Listening to people curse usually causes me to get one of those little knots in my stomach. Hearing God's name used recklessly makes me a little more than anxious. I hear words come out of people's mouths and I wonder if they realize that God is listening. When we desire that someone be harmed and we think or speak it; they are not just harmless words. Every word, whether it is a blessing or a curse, is like a prayer before God.

The story of Elisha cursing the boys and the bears coming to retaliate against them for disrespecting and bullying God's prophet is fascinating. It can even make one a bit uncomfortable to think that God would answer this prayer (curse) in such a devastating fashion. It causes me to wonder if Elisha had any clue that God would respond in such a dramatic fashion or did the curse simply slip from his lips in a moment of anger or fear?

God doesn't normally send bears to protect His prophets. But, there is no doubt that He is with all who serve Him and He listens to their pleas. Be careful then of what words slip through your teeth. It is up to you whether they be the words of a bully, a curse in God's name, or if they be the words of a blessing; God hears it all. Be careful of what you pray for.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Bless Not Curse

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade." 1 Peter 1:3-4 NIV 

Before I left Zion Lutheran, Skanee, MI; the discipleship team was practicing greeting people with "God's peace be with" rather than just saying "good morning" or "hi." We were actively practicing blessing and praying for others. Since, I moved to Flagler Beach and Christ Lutheran Church in Bunnell, FL; I have heard "May God bless your day" more times than I can count. Many of those blessing my day were complete strangers out in the community and had no clue who I was; no clue, whether I was a Christian or not. I think that is just awesome! I am sure these brothers and sisters in Christ are blessing others; as well, throughout the day.

In a world that is often very negative and even depressing a lot of the time; it is quite refreshing to hear words of blessing rather than cursing. What a wonderful way to remind us in a sin-filled world that there is hope and that our hope is found in Jesus the Christ. May God help us to bless rather than curse so that all of our days will be more peaceful.

May God bless your day with grace and peace in abundance!

God's Peace - Pr. J