Wisdom; Preaching Of The Cross

"For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.

Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:

But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;

But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men."

                                                                                       (1 Cor 1:18-25 KJV)

To many I am a foolish old woman because I pray an awful lot and I trust that God will answer my prayers. I thank God for the faith He has given me in Jesus the Christ who is my Lord and Savior. 

Had I followed in the ways of the world as completely as the worldly thinks is wise I would be totally lost. I have made it through many storms in life not by following in the ways of the world but by trusting that God is with me and would see me through by the power of the Holy Spirit. I trust that He has a good plan for me and for all who believe no matter how foolish we look to the unbelievers.

It is most prudent and wise to follow in the way that He has shown us through Jesus Christ our Lord. Following the wisdom of the world will always be our downfall. What appears to many to be the foolishness of God is so much greater than the wisdom of the world! Listen to Him!

It is by God's grace alone received by the sacrifice that Christ alone was able to make for me that I am here today. It is by His grace alone that I live and I live in Christ.

God grant all people everywhere to receive the wisdom of God; the wisdom of the cross of Christ.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Foolishness Or Wisdom?

For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.

Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:

But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;

But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

                                                                              (1 Cor 1:18-25 KJV)

So frustrating! I wish that everyone would receive our Saviour, Jesus the Christ. But, no matter how much I try it seems to be impossible for me to get some people to understand that the message of the cross is the power of God. It is not just a nice story of a man dying because he loved humanity so much. It is not just a piece of historical fact that we read about and set aside. It is not foolishness as the world would have us believe. Rather, it is foolishness not to believe. The message of the cross holds within it the power to save.

In the end, I always have to go back to a very simple fact. I cannot save anyone. I cannot even convince anyone. I can only proclaim the message and trust that the power of God within the message (the Word who is Jesus the Christ) saves. Usually, when people tell me that my sermon was great or they thank me for saying something that helped them; I remind them that it is not me; but, Christ in me (Gal 2:20). Sometimes, I will tell them that from my lips to your ears the Holy Spirit is working so that you hear (and receive) what God wants you to hear and have; not what I want.

The world can scoff at the faith of those who trust in the cross of Christ for their life and salvation. They can deny it. But it does not change the truth. Christ is and always will be Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God! Whom will you trust: the world, yourself, or God who created all things and has recreated us in Jesus Christ, our Lord?

God's Peace - Pr. J

Rejoicing and Weeping

Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. (Rom 12:15 KJV)

When I accepted my first call to pastoral ministry my husband asked me how I was ever going to be able to officiate at funerals. You see... I tend to get emotional. I cry a lot. I cry for joy at weddings. I weep to see such grief at funerals. 

Growing up, as some of you were taught, I was taught that tears show weakness. That is a fallacy. Among other things, they show empathy. St. Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans that we are to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. At the death of Lazarus "Jesus wept." He did not weep for Lazarus. Jesus knew that in short order he would be commanding Lazarus to rise and come forth from the grave. Jesus wept to see such sorrow and grief among those who loved Lazarus. (John 11:1-44)

We usually associate grief with the loss of a loved one. But, any sort of loss can bring us grief. 

There is another kind of loss that burdens the heart and brings the strongest of men and women to their knees in tears. That loss occurs when we recognize that we or those whom we love may have turned their backs on God to worship other gods. The loss of faith and or faithfulness when recognized hopefully turns to contrition and that humble contrition will bring us to tears of repentance and ultimately rejoicing with tears of joy in the forgiveness that we receive through the sacrifice of Jesus our Savior and Lord.

Weeping with and for others is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of empathy. It is witness of love. Do not be ashamed of your tears. Rejoice that you are able to feel or bear the pain with others. There are way too many in this world who are not able to feel the strength of love that walks beside not only those who rejoice; but, those who grieve, as well. It is a strength, it is a gift from God to be able to love and to walk alongside others in their griefs and in their joys. Be not ashamed of Christ who abides and loves so greatly through you.

"Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; 

Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ."

                                                                                               (2 Cor 1:3-5)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Free To Serve

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.
                             (Gal 5:1, 13 NIV)

When we are children we can barely wait to be free from our parents' watchful eyes and their control. Family can be a burden and so often divorces happen because one or both partners blame the other for the lack of personal freedom that they have. If we find ourselves working in a position that we really do not enjoy; we cannot wait to find another one and be free from the burdens and restrictions of the present one. There are so many things in this world that we would like to be free from. 

Sadly, many times the reason we want to be free from parents or other responsibilities is because we want to indulge our own personal desires; so-called pleasures of the world, and we simply cannot fully indulge them when we have commitments to others.

St. Paul reminds us that we have indeed been set free in Christ. We have been set free to be a child of God. As a child of God, we would truly desire to serve God, our Father, even as Jesus did. We will not use our freedom to indulge our weaknesses; our self-serving desires. We will use our freedom to freely serve one another humbly in love. 

May God help us to use our freedom to more fully love Him and one another.

God's Peace - Pr. Judy

Take Up Your Cross

Christ Lutheran Church, Bunnell, FL

   But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”
   Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.                                                   (Matt 16:23-25  NIV)

Years ago, I was serving as a missionary to remote areas of Upper Michigan where there was no or very little church presence.  I led Bible studies at 3 different sites and led Worship at up to 6 sites any given week.  The worship sites included a state park, house church, an historic Lutheran church, an historic Episcopal church, a community center, a youth correctional facility, and sometimes my home.  The area I covered was about 45 miles north and south and 20 miles east and west.  Yes, it was what would be considered in today's world - wilderness.  I carted everything needed for worship between sites.  Packing and unpacking - setting up and tearing down - the same stuff over and over again. We had one of those big gold crosses for the altar, which was included in the stuff I needed to carry with me from worship site to worship site.  On one Ash Wednesday afternoon as I was rushing between Worship sites about 25 miles apart when I panicked thinking that I had left the altar cross at the last site.  So driving down the road while reaching in the back seat to see if I could feel it back there someplace, I heard myself say:  "I am so sick and tired of having to carry that cross with me all the time."  Fortunately, I said it out loud so that the impact of what I had said hit me full on.  What about the cross that Jesus bore for me?  And... this little cross was a bother to me?  If I couldn't carry this little altar cross, what kind of cross was I really willing to carry?  As a reminder to myself of my own hard heartedness and of what Jesus was willing to do for me, throughout that Lent I carried that cross on the seat next to me; not just between worship sites, but every day, every where I went.  While driving from place to place, that cross would remind me of my weakness, of my sin, and I would take hold of it, confessing my sins and thanking God for the cross he bore for me.  For I know full well that the cross I have been called to carry is nothing compared to the one he bore for me.  And I cannot even carry the little one without the help of God.  

Taking up our crosses and following Jesus is not easy. It will mean that our own will may have to be crucified in order for our Father's will to be done through us. May God help each of us to take up our cross to follow him wherever he would lead us.

God's Peace - Pr. Judy