Praise The Lord All Ye Children Of The Lord

Psalm 149 KJV; Praise the Lord for all He has done and will do!

What Was Herod Thinking!

For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.

And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee;

And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee.

And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom.

And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist.

And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist.

And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her.

And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison,

And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother.
                                                                                                 (Mark 6:20-28 KJV)

This enquiring mind would like to know exactly how much did King Herod have to drink when he promised that he would give Herodias anything she wanted for her daughter to dance for him even up to half of his kingdom?  Or, maybe he was just a pedophile?  Or both?

John the Baptist for sure had exposed his sin of marrying his brother's wife; but, Herod still heard John gladly. He respected John as a holy man. So, when he was asked to behead John the Baptist it grieved him greatly. But, he had promised that he would give anything and had done so publicly. In order to save face he had to do it.

We must be careful of the oaths we make to others. It is much better to promise to try than to promise to do. One never knows what actually lies in the hearts and minds of others; if they are laying a trap to turn us away from the Lord and his will.

Let us always be wary of falling into the pit that comes with making promises to others that go against the will of God. Rather, seek the Lord and to do his will  that we may do good to others and cause them no harm for God is the God and Father of all.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Dance On Slippery Slopes

Hinds' Feet In High Places

Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.

The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.

                                                                                (Habakkuk 3:18-19 KJV)

Life can really get a person down and keep us down. That is if we do not rely on the Lord to pick us back up. The Lord is the strength that will pick us. He will help us to not only walk; but, to run and dance on treacherously slippery slopes where once we could barely stand.

Rejoice in the Lord for he is our strength and salvation!  

Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. (Isa 12:2)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Praise God!

Psalm 150 KJV

Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.

Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.

Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.

Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.

Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.

Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.

+++

We have so many things to be thankful for. We have so many reasons to praise the Lord. From the beginning of the dawn of the ages he has given us life. Then in his time; when the time was fulfilled, he gave us Jesus to give us new life and the promise of life in his kingdom now and forevermore. 

Just imagine how wonderful life would be if everyone set aside their negative attitudes and expelled the spirits of victimhood. Imagine how wonderful life would be if we took the time to count our blessings and to smell the proverbial roses and gave thanks and praise to God for the good in our lives. Not everything is always as bad as we might think. 

Let us celebrate and praise God for every breath that we take and for giving us second and third and endless chances to turn to him and live life in his presence.

We have so many reason to praise God. Let us praise him with every breath that we take.

God's Peace - Pr. J. 

Grief

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

                                                                                 (Eccl 3:1-2,4 KJV)

As much as I sometimes regret retiring from parish ministry, this week I was once again reminded of one of the reasons to retire. I spent many years serving one particular congregation and got very close to them. They were and are still like family. I had the good pleasure of being there at births, at graduations, of baptizing them, marrying them, of being there to celebrate for a lot of very special occasions. There was much laughing and singing and dancing over the years.

But, I was also there to witness much grief. I was there for sickness, for losses of employment, and for divorces as well as many other rough times. I buried hundreds, many who were very close to me, witnessing and grieving with their loved ones. The closer I got to any of them during their lives the harder is was for me to preside at their funerals. I no longer could refrain from weeping during the sermons as I looked into the eyes of the family sitting in front of me. I did not weep for the deceased. I had hope in the promise that all who people have eternal life. I wept for the families. I wept to see such pain. 

During most of this time I was also the home health care and hospice chaplain for the local hospital. One would think that I would have grown used to death. Death is inevitable. For the faithful death is not the end. We have hope. Yet, when someone is ripped from our lives grief is also inevitable. As we hear from the preacher in Ecclesiastes there is a time to weep and a time to mourn. 

This past week, a young friend died; a father of young children died. His parents were neighbors and also friends. It saddens me greatly to even think about the grief his family is enduring. It grieves me to think of his young children growing up without their father. 

Over a year ago, after I had retired, I had been asked to preside at the funeral of another man much younger than myself. He was survived by a teenage son whom I had known since birth.  The boys mother, who had been a friend, had died some time before. To see such a beloved child of God in so much grief and pain I could not refrain from weeping as I proclaimed the Gospel. It was a very tough sermon to get through. It was the last funeral I presided at. 

It was a reminder of how close I had gotten to the community (not just the congregation) that I had served in and that I no longer was able to control my own emotions as I witnessed the grief experienced by others. 

I have reminded myself over the years as I wept with those who grieved that even Jesus wept when he met Lazarus' sisters after Lazarus' death and saw them in so much pain. Pastors grieve too. Pastors are allowed to shed tears. But, today I find that grief overwhelms me too often as I witness the grief of others and that is one of the reasons it was best that I retire from parish ministry. That doesn't mean I quit serving God. It will just be in other ways. 

May God grant all who grieve peace of heart and mind in the assurance of everlasting life for all who believe.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Share The Story Of Jesus-Lord Of The Dance

"Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice." (Phil 4:10 KJV)

I love to hear and tell the story of Jesus; of what he has done for us! The hearing of the good news lifts my spirit. Is that not what the good news is supposed to do but to lift our spirits and cause us to rejoice?

I often think of Sylvia, who due mostly to her age, was a shut-in. I so enjoyed visiting her because she always wanted our visit to be about Jesus. I would greet her. We would receive the Sacrament of Communion of our Lord together and then she would say with her Finnish accent: "OK. Now what we should talk about Jesus?"

I love to hear and tell the story of Jesus. Most often I hear it in worship; but, not always. As a retired Lutheran pastor, I have been church shopping and for now I am settled down at Westside Baptist Church in Bunnell. They do not presently have a pastor; but, the guest preachers have been very faithful in proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Everything that occurs in a worship service should point to Jesus and remind us of what he has done. Worship is not about you or me. I start getting real uncomfortable when the preaching ends up being stories about the pastor or sports figures or other known or unknown individuals. I am very uncomfortable when individuals are lifted up during the sermon and I kind of freeze up when the sermons are filled with unrelated bad jokes. Not that telling a joke or a brief story are always bad things. They sometimes are very helpful. But, don't make the sermon about them. I want to hear about Jesus!

I also want to sing songs and hymns about Jesus. I am a horrible singer; but, I love to sing anyway. The video above was made during worship a few years ago on the third Sunday of Advent; the Sunday of Joy. It is the Gospel in song. It may be familiar to most of you. I sang it on the Sunday of Joy because not only is a joyful rendition of the story of Jesus; but, when I sing, it brings smiles to many faces, mostly because the hearers are usually to polite to laugh out loud. So listen and smile!

"We are fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised." (1 Cor 4:10)

The Gospel should bring us joy and we should not be afraid to open our mouths and share the great news of the kingdom for you through the sacrifice of our savior, Jesus the Christ.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

A Time To Embrace

Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 KJV

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?

I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.

He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

As a young person, I often suffered from periods of deep depression. It was in those times that I often turned to the author of Ecclesiastes to commiserate with. "Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity." (Eccl 1:2) I could not have agreed with him more that everything was vanity and probably a really big waste of time; even life. Somehow the reality of everything being vanity got me through to a point where I realized that whatever I do amounts to not much more than survival. In order to really live, I had to trust in God and to live my life in Christ. 

We can never really figure out God's whole plan for us. We might think we know it and then whoosh... something happens and the plan changes just like that! What we thought was His plan for us is not. 

Today, I will lead the service at the funeral of a friend. He leaves behind a teen-age son. His wife, the son's mother, died years ago. It is a very sad time. It is a time to weep. As I consider the words of the preacher, I know that with the bad times; times of sadness; times of depression; God will also provide times of relief; but, in His time. God provides times of peace; times of love, times to build up; and times of embracing. 

Today is a time to weep; but, it is at the same time a time to love and a time to embrace one another. 

Whatever sorrow you may be enduring today remember the love of God in Christ Jesus for you and allow him to love you through others. And, don't forget to love others as Jesus loves you.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Basking in the Light

Sharing space while basking in the light.

My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.

For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;

The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;
                                                                    (Song of Solomon 2:10-12 KJV)

Exactly what does a turtle's voice sound like? As many turtles as I've run across, I've never heard one speak. What I do know is that the season of summer is a beautiful one. The cold dark winter is past and it is time to kick off your shoes; dance in the grass with your beloved; sit back and enjoy the beauty of the land.

One of my elderly cousins once told me that we could learn a lot about how to live life by watching and listening to the creation around us. Take, for example, the turtle. They may not have voices as we have. But, if we observe we can learn from them. They appear to live pretty slow and seemingly relaxed lives. They don't have a problem getting close to each other. They take care of what they need to live; but, they do not hurry about as if the end of the world is near. They know how to bask in the light and the warmth of the sun. 

Winter is over. Summer has come. May God help us to understand how to bask in the light of His Son, Jesus the Christ.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Make A Joyful Noise

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Psalm 100 NIV

I do not like noise for the sake of noise. I never listen to music at home or when I am driving. Music during worship or at concerts or at youthful events is good for me. But; normally, I like things quiet so I can actually hear things that are going on around me like sirens coming up behind me on the highway or someone at the door. Nor do I consider shutting out the sounds of God's creation nor the possibility of hear His voice as a good or a wise thing to do.

However, there is a time and a place for joyful music. I do enjoy listening to and watching music come alive as it's presented by young people that I know. They are so full of enthusiasm when they come together as a group to make music or to dance or even to skate. Music has the ability to affect our moods; our emotions. Some music can bring us way down, which is not so good. Some music has the ability to bring us up when we are down. Joyful music presented by joyful youth is especially good for the calming of our souls.

I do not care to listen to music just for the sake of having noise to distract me or fill in the silence. But, if there is to be noise, let it be joyful sounds that will gladden the heart; let it be music that will glorify God.

Let the noises be joyful songs of praise as we live in the presence of the Lord of all the earth.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Shout For Joy!

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth,  
burst into jubilant song with music;
make music to the Lord with the harp,
    with the harp and the sound of singing,
with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn—
    shout for joy before the Lord, the King.

Psalm 98:4-6 NIV

We had a few visitors at Worship this Sunday. It was a joyful celebration which included an affirmation of her baptism by one of our beloved sisters in Christ. One of our visitors mentioned, with tongue in cheek, that we could not possibly be Lutherans. After all, Lutherans do not sway to the music nor do they tap their feet. And, yes, we were singing hymns from a Lutheran hymnal. Traditional hymns do not have to be somber all of the time. Traditional hymns can be joyfully played and sung.  After all, we do have much to celebrate!

When I think of joyful music, I usually think of David joyfully dancing through the streets as the people celebrated the return of the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem. David was definitely excited. We gather together each Sunday to worship and celebrate the awesome things that God has done for us. We who were not His people are now His beloved children.

By the blood of Christ shed on the cross for us, we have been reconciled to God our Father and our Lord, Jesus the Christ. Our sins are forgiven and we have been made whole in Christ. That's should be enough to make us want to sing joyfully and even tap our toes before the Lord!

Shout for joy before the Lord, our King!

God's Peace - Pr. J

God Has A Plan For Every Season

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
   a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 NIV

What time is it? What season are we in? Even in the darkest of times, God has a plan and it's a good plan. He will bring His people through it.

God's Peace - Pr. J