Healing On The Sabbath

Luke 14:1-6 KJV Jesus healed on the Sabbath. So should we.

Feed His Sheep With The Good News

Give Thanks!

Psalm 136

O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever.

O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever.

To him who alone doeth great wonders: for his mercy endureth for ever.

To him that by wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy endureth for ever.

To him that stretched out the earth above the waters: for his mercy endureth for ever.

To him that made great lights: for his mercy endureth for ever:

The sun to rule by day: for his mercy endureth for ever:

The moon and stars to rule by night: for his mercy endureth for ever.

To him that smote Egypt in their firstborn: for his mercy endureth for ever:

And brought out Israel from among them: for his mercy endureth for ever:

With a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm: for his mercy endureth for ever.

To him which divided the Red sea into parts: for his mercy endureth for ever:

And made Israel to pass through the midst of it: for his mercy endureth for ever:

But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red sea: for his mercy endureth for ever.

To him which led his people through the wilderness: for his mercy endureth for ever.

To him which smote great kings: for his mercy endureth for ever:

And slew famous kings: for his mercy endureth for ever:

Sihon king of the Amorites: for his mercy endureth for ever:

And Og the king of Bashan: for his mercy endureth for ever:

And gave their land for an heritage: for his mercy endureth for ever:

Even an heritage unto Israel his servant: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Who remembered us in our low estate: for his mercy endureth for ever:

And hath redeemed us from our enemies: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Who giveth food to all flesh: for his mercy endureth for ever.

O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever.

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Today we have just a short list from the psalmist of things that the people of God were or at least should have been thankful for. There is all of that and so much more.  

Around the holidays and especially thanksgiving we are reminded to be thankful for the gifts that God has given us. What are we thankful for?  Are we thankful for friends and family? How about the food that we eat even it may seem meager at times.  In the wilderness God provided the Israelites with  manna that fell from the sky when they were without enough food. At first they were thankful; but, then they complained because they were tired of the same old thing. Are you bored with the provisions that you have been given so that you are no longer thankful for the food you eat? Maybe you just don't like the kind of food that you are being served? House not big enough or fancy enough?  Let us be thankful for whatever shelter we have been provided with.

God has given us much to be thankful for. But, most of all He has given us His Son to live and die and live again for us and with us and through us. 

Let us be thankful that although we have sinned against Him and deserve nothing, He loves us enough to reconcile us to Himself and to one another through the blood of Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord.

Give thanks to the Lord for He is good and his mercy endures forever!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Freed From Bondage To Love And Serve Others

"And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat?

We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick:

But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes."

                                        (Num 11:4-6 KJV)

God's chosen ones whining! He has just delivered them from bondage and they are complaining because all they have to eat in the desert is manna. They seem to prefer the fish and vegetables they were able to eat as  slaves rather than their freedom from slavery.

Freedom does have its costs. To break free from bondage often requires some sort of sacrifice. In the case of God's chosen in order to receive their own land from God they will travel through the wilderness depending totally on God to protect them and feed them. But, they don't like the food that he feeds them with. They prefer what slavery had to over them.

In any huge change to our lifestyles we need to be prepared to experience more changes than just the change that we want. The Israelites apparently weren't expecting the hardships they endured to get to the promised land.

If you seek the promised land, the Kingdom of God; if you seek to be freed from the bondage you have to a materialistic and self-centered world, you must be prepared to have your lives changed. You must be prepared to do without those things that have kept you in bondage.  Life will not be the same. You will need to trust God completely to lead you through the wilderness. You will need to have faith that He will provide for your daily needs. It was not easy for the Israelites and it will not be easy for anyone today.

In Christ we have been made free. But, our freedom is not so that we might indulge ourselves. We have been freed by the blood of Christ to love and serve  God and to love and serve our neighbor.   

"For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."  (Gal 5:13-14)

Even as God chose the Israelites to be His chosen ones, He has called us to be His children as well. He has freed us from the bondage to sin by the blood of his only begotten Son, Jesus, so that we might go forth loving and caring for one another. Jesus loved us enough to die for us. Likewise let us love our neighbors even as he loves you and them.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Desire Spiritual Food

Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,

As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:

If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. 

                                                                                      (1 Peter 2:1-3 KJV)

Babies can be pretty focused on their needs and what they want. When they are hungry they cry until they get the milk that they desire and which will nourish them; helping them to grow. There is very little that can stop their yearning. We might rock them and they might quiet down for a bit. But, it won't be long before they once again let us know that they are hungry. 

Christians should be so focused in our desire for spiritual milk; the milk which will help us grow in the Body of Christ. Give yourself a break and desire that which is good for your soul setting set aside malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, slander, which will lead you to waste away.

Drink the spiritual milk that the Lord has provided and see that the Lord is good. "O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him." (Psalm 34:8)

God's Peace - Pr. J

Who Shall Feed Us?

He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread: but he that followeth after vain persons shall have poverty enough. (Prov 28:19 KJV)

Last night as I was considering how so many people seem to be complaining these days about having to work in order to eat; in order to have shelter; in order to do just about anything; I wondered what it might be like if no one worked. What if every farmer decided to stop farming? Who would grow food? Would those who do not want to or like to work actually grow there own food? Or, would putting a shovel or hoe to the ground be too much work? What if every truck driver quit delivering our goods to the store or to our door? What if every grocer decided running a store was way to much work and quit? 

St. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians: "For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat." (2 Thess 3:10) This is not to say that those who can work should not help provide for those who really can't work. According to St. James: "If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone." (James 2:15-17)

Someone has to work in order for each of us to be provided for. Those someone's are everyone who is able to work.

"And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ." (Col 3:23-24)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Never Satisfied Sermon Sept 27 2020

Long For Food That Satisfies

Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, and all guile, insincerity, envy, and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. (1 Peter 2:1-3 NRSV)

Babies can be pretty focused on getting what they want. When they are hungry they cry until they get the milk that they desire and which will nourish them. There is very little that can stop their yearning. We might rock them and they might quiet down for a bit; but, it won't be long before they once again let us know that they are hungry.

Christians should be so focused in our desire for spiritual milk. Give yourself a break and desire that which is good for your soul setting set aside malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, slander, which will lead you to waste away.

Drink the spiritual milk that the Lord has provided and see that the Lord is good.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Ultimate Concern?

The young man said to him, “I have kept all these; what do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this word, he went away grieving, for he had many possessions. (Matt 19:20-22 NRSV)

These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment. Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for laborers deserve their food. (Matt 10:5-10)

I often fall asleep listening to something on YouTube and I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night listening to something horrific! Last night it was a televangelist wife saying things like:  Do good for your own self; and something to the effect of, you don't got to church to worship for God's sake, you do it for yourself.  She is right in part. God does not actually "need" us to worship Him.  He desires and even expects our devotion; but, He does not actually "need" anything from us. And, yes, because of our sinful nature we probably do go to church for our own sakes. We are selfish, self-centered people and a whole lot of what we do, if not all that we do, is truly for our own sakes. But; just because we are self-centered, that does not mean make it right. 

As I rolled this late night sermon  around in my head for awhile and considered with great discomfort all those very rich pastors, I decided I should get out of bed and see what kind of budgets their congregations actually have. What I found was pretty interesting and pretty disconcerting. I decided to compare the estimated budgets of Joel Osteen's Lakewood Congregation with the budget for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). I chose the ELCA because it is one of the largest denominations in the country. I found what I wanted. The ELCA has about 4,000,000 members. Lakewood Church has about 50,000 members. The ELCA's estimated budget for 2018 was around $90,000,000.. Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church budget was also estimated at about $90,000,000.. Amazing! How does it happen that one congregation; albeit a very large one, has a budget comparable to an entire denomination? I have only served small congregation so maybe I simply just don't understand budgets for humongous congregations.

It is the fall and the fall tends to be the time when many of us begin looking at stewardship of finances and our budgets. Unfortunately, budgets and numbers in the pews are all that some pastors, councils, and congregations worry about. They have not yet figured out that the church is not about surviving and surviving happily, happily, happily. We are supposed to be about sharing the Good News of the Kingdom of God given to us freely through the sacrifice, the bloody sacrifice of our Lord and Savior. 

Please, don't get pulled into the happy, happy, happy and wealthy, wealthy, wealthy theologies that false preachers present to you. It is not all about you. It is not all about me. It is not all about being happy and wealthy in this world. It is about Jesus willingly giving his life so that all who believe in him might receive eternal life in his presence in the Kingdom of God. It is about Jesus who died for you.

Although; we do have to deal with them, budgets are not our ultimate concern. Proclaiming the Good News through Jesus the Christ is or at least it should be.

May the whole church on earth focus on our ultimate concern, who is Jesus Christ our Lord and our Savior.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Stay Awake

Do not love sleep or you will grow poor;

      stay awake and you will have food to              spare.

                                    (Prov 20:13 NIV)

I slept for about ten hours last night. But, that does not mean I slept in. I was still at my desk before 7 a.m.. I am one of those people who tend to live to work rather than work to live so it is easy to get up; get a cup of coffee and begin the work day. Pull me away from work and I end up feeling very lost. That is probably not the best thing; but, that is who I am. 

I grew up in a family; in a community, with a very strong work ethic. No one ever questioned if one would put their everything into the work they had to do or just do enough to ensure they kept getting a paycheck and not get fired. If there was work before you; you just did it. You went to sleep early enough so that you could get up and get done what needed to get done. My parents often reminded us when my sisters and I were young that "the early bird catches the worm."

When my granddaughter was still in school, she liked to sleep in. Getting up at 9 a.m. on days off was early for her. She missed out on a lot of things that she may have enjoyed by sleeping her days away. She is now almost twenty years of age. She works an early morning shift and has to be up no later than 4:45. She has learned that if she wants to eat and do what she likes; work comes first. It pleases me that she is able to get moving so early and enjoy the work that she does. 

Jesus too had a habit of waking very early. Scripture tells us of times that he would rise early and go off to pray. The quiet early morning hours bring opportunity to be refreshed by God's word and by His presence. Wake up and spend intentional time with the Lord so that you may be strengthened to go about the day doing His will.

“Wake up, sleeper,

     rise from the dead,
     and Christ will shine on you.” 

                                           (Eph 5:14)

God's Peace - Pr. J

Works Follow Faith

   What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

   But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”

   Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

    As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

                                                                                    (James 1:14-19, 26 NIV)

 

Martin Luther had a bit of a problem with James. Given the state of the church that he belonged to, it was not unreasonable for him to worry that some might misunderstand James to say that we need faith plus works for salvation. After all, it was a time when people thought that if they gave the church enough money (a good work) they would be saved. This is definitely not the case. There are no good works that we can attempt to do that will save us. The only good work that can save us is the work that Jesus completed on the cross for us. We are saved by faith in Christ alone!

However, if we truly believe that he died for our salvation, we will love him. We will love him as he loved us. He will love us so much that his love in us will overflow as service to others.  Jesus asked Peter, "Do you love me." "Yes," Peter responded three times. Jesus said simply: “'Feed my lambs.' 'Take care of my sheep.' 'Feed my sheep.''' (John 21)

We are not saved by our works. But, we will work to care for his sheep if we truly love the one who gave himself for us.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Prosper The Work Of Our Hands

Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
    and prosper for us the work of our hands—
    O prosper the work of our hands!

Psalm 90:17

 

The word prosper is often misunderstood. It does not always mean rich in material assets all of the time. To prosper also means to be successful at whatever endeavor one might undertake. We can prosper spiritually or emotionally or intellectually. To prosper means to be fruitful. As a transitive verb it means to be strong and to thrive.

 

The work of our hands is not just for our prosperity; but, in accordance with the will of God to help others, as well. For a homeless person or someone who has lost their home to a natural or man-made disaster things such as food baskets or hand-make quilts or even a tent to give them some shelter, can make one feel like they are not alone in the world; that someone does care; and that they are loved.

 

May God bless the work of our hands that we might be fruitful in all that we do according to His will. 

 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Gifts for Service

"Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve on another with whatever gift each of you has received." 1 Peter 4:10 NRSV

We have all received gifts from God that can and are to be used to serve God and God's children. The Holy Spirit has not left anyone without at least a gift or two or many to be used for the glory of God and in the ministry of the gospel of Jesus the Christ for all people.

If you are gifted with musical talents; there is always plenty of room to join with others in ministering through music. If you are not afraid of speaking in public, we can use lectors both during worship on Sunday and at Senior Living on Wednesday. We also need people who are not afraid and are gifted in sharing the Gospel on Wednesdays. The Food Pantry that we serve at for two months a year always can use more volunteers. And, then there are also many gifts and talents that some might think have nothing to do with the ministry of the Church. But, you would be wrong. We need people who are willing to take the garbage out to across the parking lot or clean the kitchen cupboards and storage areas. Good stewardship of God's gifts includes the general upkeep and cleaning of the property that God has given to us. The Body of Christ needs people who work well with one another or really enjoy visiting our seniors. There are those of you who cannot serve in any of these manners because they are home-bound. But, you can pray. Prayer is one of the most essential needs of any congregation. We need your prayers. If you are home-bound, you might also reach out to others who may be alone and lonely by making phone calls or write letters can make phone calls. Not one person in the church on earth has been left without gifts or talents to serve one another. Let us use those gifts for the glory of God.

May God help us to joyfully serve the Lord and one another with the gifts that He has so graciously given to each of us.

God's Peace - Pr. J 

Two Things I Ask

Two things I ask of you;

    do not deny them to me before I die:

Remove far from me falsehood and lying;

    give me neither poverty nor riches;

    feed me with the food that I need,

or I shall be full, and deny you,

    and say, “Who is the Lord?”

or I shall be poor, and steal,

    and profane the name of my God.

Prov 30:7-9

 

 

Give us this day our daily bread and help us to live with integrity glorifying your Holy Name, Lord.

 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Do Not Be Afraid!

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life."  (Matt 6:25-27 NRSV)

There have been times in my life when I have been quite confrontational when it comes to injustice. Where others were shrinking back and warning me that I should too for safety's sake, I have advanced. I did indeed consider the worst case scenarios before I advanced. What is the worst thing that could happen to me? What is there to fear? Nothing, not even death. I have eternal life.

When considering a new venture; whether it be a new job or investing in a project or a person or whatever challenge the day might bring; again, the same question: "What have I to fear?" Nothing. Life in this world is temporary. It will all pass. I have eternal life.

Jesus knowingly went forward to the cross; to his death, that we might live. He could have gone in the other direction. He could have; but, he did not. He did not shrink back from saving the world; even though much of the world would reject him. He did not pretend that everything in the world was okay. He was willing to give even his life because the world was not okay.

Do not fear. Our Father in heaven loves you. Believe this and you will have nothing to fear. You will be much more able to attempt to make radical changes within yourself and in the world around you with the knowledge that God is with you and for you. The world may abandon you. You may even lose many things in this world that you now treasure. But, there is nothing to fear. By faith, you have received eternal life.
 
May God help us to always stand in His truth; in His Way, no matter what possible dangers may lay before us. May He help us to remember that we have nothing to fear for through God's own Son, Jesus the Christ, we have eternal life.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Blessed Thanksgiving!

I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my 
    whole heart,
    and I will glorify your name forever."
                                             Psalm 86:12 NRSV

Give thanks for the thorns in our lives. That was the theme for the homily last night at our Thanksgiving Eve Worship Service. God works all things for the good of those who love Him!We often forget to give thanks to God when things are going great. But, we rarely give thanks to God when things seem to be going not so great. We should at all times and in all places give thanks to God for all that He has given us.

We give thanks in many ways. Last night we gave thanks not only with the words of our lips; but, by our thank offerings. The congregation was asked to bring to the altar, as their thank offering, an offering of non-perishable food to be donated to the Food Pantry (Resource Center) in Bunnell, Florida. Thanks be to God for the opportunity and privilege to feed His sheep. Members of Christ Lutheran will serve at the Food Panty in January and July of 2018 distributing food to those in need. This service is something that they are excited about having the opportunity to do year after year as  members of Christian Women United.  

Thanksgiving is about giving thanks to God for all that He has given us. We give thanks that Jesus was willing to give himself as a sin offering for us; that we might be forgiven our sins and be reconciled to God, our Father and to our neighbors. We give thanks for the opportunity to gather around the table with our family and friends; although, we ought to consider that it would not hurt us one bit to gather more often than Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter, with them for a meal. Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks for the opportunity to serve Him and our neighbors: to pray for and heal the sick; to feed the hungry; to shelter the poor. It is an opportunity and a privilege to serve the Lord. For that, we give thanks.

May the peace of the Lord be with you as you give thanks to God for all that He has done.

Pr. J

Irma And Decisions

Keep me safe, my God,
    for in you I take refuge.
                                   Psalm 16:1 NIV

There are a lot of decisions to make as Hurricane Irma gets closer to Florida. Shall we evacuate before we're ordered to evacuate? If we don't, there just may not be any place left to go and there also may not be any gas left to get there. What about the pets? If we don't leave now, how will my parent with alzheimer's deal with the stress of the move to a motel room two states away or a local shelter. There are a lot of things to think about. Even if you leave you still have to ensure that you have enough food, water, and other essentials when you do return because even if the storm has passed by you may not have power or water and sadly maybe not even a home.

We live in a mobile home in an area that usually gets evacuated; but, we've pretty much made the decision to stay home as long as we can. If it looks like a Cat 3 roaring by Flagler Beach and the evacuation orders come then we will most probably go stay in a shelter. We will see where the winds decide to blow and how fast they are whipping the air, land, and sea about before we make the decision. Yes, I know we're suppose to figure out what we're going to do in advance and we have stocked up on essentials. But, I just don't want to leave home. I don't want to sit in a motel room or a shelter in Georgia or South Carolina for days on end. There's stuff to be done here. Worship has not been cancelled this Sunday and I don't plan on cancelling it. If the hurricane is upon us, don't drive. Stay where you are. But, God willing, I will be there for anyone who feels the desire or need to worship and pray.

May God keep you all safe wherever Irma may travel and may Irma head out to the very deep sea very quickly.

God's Peace - Pr. J