God Has Kept Us Together

1 Corinthians 13:4-8a; Celebrating 52 years of marriage and thanking God for keeping us together in a life of commitment and love.

Looking Down On Others

Luke 14:7-14 KJV Not a good idea to think more highly of yourself than others.

Be Prepared Let Your Light Shine

Readings from Luke 12:35-40; John 18:12 with brief meditation. Be prepared; keep your light burning for you never know when your last hour will come.

Love Never Fails

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." 

                            (1 Cor 13:4-8a NIV)

One of the most often requested scripture readings for wedding is from 1 Corinthians, chapter thirteen. It is is very good advice for two people who are about to commit their whole earthly lives to one another. Love does not fail; however, due to our sinful natures we often fail to love. Marriages fall apart because we love ourselves or someone or something else more than the one we have committed to spend the rest of our lives with. Relationships whether it is in a marriage or with other family members or friends will fail because of a lack of love.

God has given us many gifts. Faith, hope, and love being among them. The greatest of these, says St. Paul, is love. (1 Cor 13:13) God has given us love in His Son, Jesus Christ. There is no greater love than a love that is willing to give their very lives for others, even as Jesus gave his life for us. We respond to His love by sharing that love with others.

The love from God does not fail. It can move mountains and crush molehills. His love inspires us to be patient and kind; not disrespecting others, nor being self-seeking, nor angered. Rather, that love inspires us to love God above all things and to love others even as he loves us.

As a friend of mine often says: "Share the love!"

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Marriage Feast

And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there:

And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.

And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.

Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.

His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.

And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece.

Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.

And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.

When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom,

And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.

                                                                        (John 2:1-10 KJV)

Jesus' first miracle was at a wedding celebration. When they ran out of celebratory wine he turned water into very good wine for the people. The man in charge of the feast tasted it and said: "Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now." 

Jesus provided the best wine to celebrate with. That is how a relationship with Jesus goes as well. When we receive the bridegroom, Jesus, into our lives we are receiving the best! 

Jesus began his ministry by turning water into wine for the wedding feast. On the night in which he was betrayed he took the cup of wine and said:  "this cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me." (1 Cor 11:25)

Taste and see that the Lord is good as you look to the day when we will celebrate at the marriage feast of the lamb! (Rev 19:6-9)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Joined As One

For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband. 

                                                       (Eph 5:31-33 KJV)

This year will mark my husband's and my 50th wedding anniversary. To tell you the truth it sometimes amazes me that we have made it together for that long. It doesn't seem real that either of us could be that old! But, then again, we are not really old for we have eternal life!

Yesterday, we were cleaning boxes of files and photos and other memorabilia from our years together as we prepared for a rummage sale. Although, we have had some pretty rough times in our lives together there were many more really good times. The memorabilia reminded me of how we supported each other through individual trials and in that support of one another; although, we became united as one by God when we were first married, that oneness has become even more apparent after all of this time together. Oh, yes, there are days for both of us when we need a bit of distance from each other; but, with faith in God who has joined us together any distances or disturbances in the household cannot tear us apart.

I past years, when teaching confirmation youth, I reminded them that when God joins two people together they will always be a part of each other. Even if they end up separated, they will still be connected. They may be physically separated; but, spiritually and emotionally, for good or for bad, they will always be connected to each other. If they remarry they will bring a part of that first person along with them into that marriage. So be very careful to make sure that you want to be connected to that person for the rest of your days because you will be. This also applies to those pre-marital and live-in relationships that exist without the benefit of any kind of real commitment.

Just as God joins a man and woman together in a bond that cannot be broken; he has joined all who believe in Jesus with him. We are one in the Body of Christ (1 Cor 12:12-13) and nothing in this world can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom 8:38-39)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

P.S.  BTW - love and reverence for one another does happen when both husband and wife are united together in Christ for the indwelling Spirit of Christ is one of love as well as self-sacrifice as he gave himself for us because of his love for us.

Love Him; Worship Him

Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. (Deut 6:4-5 NRSV)

What brings you to worship and serve the Lord? Is it tradition; the fear of death; or love for the Lord? 

There are many reasons to show up at a worship service. Sometimes, it is just because that is the way you were brought up. It is what you must do. But; once you get there, your ears and heart and mind are closed to the love that God has for you. Or, maybe it is the fear of death and you figure that just in case their really is a heaven and hell you're going to be buying a guarantee by making your presence known? Neither of those things will save you. Only, faith in Jesus, the one who lived and died and lives for you, saves you. That faith in him, itself, is a gift from God. 

There are various reasons for people to attend worship services. They sometimes show up to have their children baptized and then we never see them until confirmation, a wedding, a funeral or maybe Christmas Eve. I've known people who attend worship services to get political votes. I've also known people who attend worship in order to promote their businesses. There are many reasons people show up to worship at churches. Hopefully, it is the love of God that stirs them. But; if not, all people are welcome; both believers and unbelievers. Faith comes by hearing the word and if we hear it enough, even if we try not to listen, the Holy Spirit will work in us all the awesome gift of faith and love for our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Whether one believes or not; the Lord is our God. Welcome all people so that they might come to know Him and love him with all their hearts, and souls, and might.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Love Does No Evil

"...and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." 

                                                                           (1 Corinth 13:2b-7 NIV)

Who can love as Paul encourages the Corinthians to love?  God can. Our Lord, Jesus, loves the world enough to die for it; to willingly be a sacrifice for us so that we might live in our loving Father's presence for all of eternity. Only God loves perfectly; but, that does not mean we should not follow the example of Jesus and try to love as He loves.

Many brides and grooms listen to these words from Paul's letter to the Corinthians at their wedding ceremonies. They are in love. Unfortunately, some are just in love with the idea of love. Their "loving" relationships do not last. One or both persons often end up neglected or used or abused in many ways. Their lives after the wedding often do not reflect the kind of self-less love that they committed to as they made their vows to one another. Way too often, one or both of them forgot that God has joined them together to be one and they go off pursuing their own good; their own pleasures, as they neglect or even abuse the one they vowed to love 'till death parts them. This is not love. Love may be blind as they say. But, love should never be blind to the hurts we cause the ones we claim to love. In a loving relationship both persons will strive to love and support the other. 

Whether it is spouse, a friend, or even just an acquaintance, we are to love one another with our whole hearts and minds. We do not put ourselves before others. We do not make them feel less them. We do not do anything that would make them to cause hope. We seek to support them because of our godly love for them.  

Genuine love is not self-seeking. Genuine love comes from God. Genuine love is love that is willing to put aside one's own selfish pursuits for the love of others. Love does not put self first. 

Oh, Lord, without love we are nothing. If only the world would only learn to love as you love. Help us to selflessly love one another.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Rejoice!

"Hallelujah!
    For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and be glad
    and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
    and his bride has made herself ready.
Fine linen, bright and clean,
    was given her to wear."
                                          Rev 19:6b-8

We have a lot to rejoice in. St. John, exiled on Patmos for his faith, did not give up hope. St. Paul did not give up hope. The many saints before us never gave up hope. They looked to the day when they would be reconciled to God our Father and our Lord Jesus the Christ in the home that Christ prepared for us.

Life can be pretty confusing and tough at times. In times like those, remember, that today will pass and tomorrow will come whether we are here in this world or in the Kingdom prepared for us. For all who believe in Jesus and his gifts of forgiveness and salvation for us, life will go on. It is eternal.

By the blood of Jesus we have been reconciled to God and one another even now. So, rejoice and be glad and give God the glory! Give God the glory in all that you say and think and do. Whatever you do, do it as if to the Lord.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Be Prepared!

“Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into.You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” (Luke 12:35-40 NIV)

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Be prepared! The LORD has called you to be His own. Will you be ready? Or... are you too busy preparing for the next party? The next sports game? The next whatever? And, you do know what I mean when I say "parties." There are parties and then there are "parties." Of course, the LORD wants you to enjoy life and to celebrate at gatherings. There are those parties where we gather together to celebrate someone's birthday or a wedding or even a community picnic. But, then there are those "parties" that include celebrating illegal or immoral behavior. The latter party in no way prepares us to meet the LORD. 

The LORD wants us to enjoy life and all that gifts He's given us. But, the question we must ask ourselves is if these pleasures the number one priorities in our lives? If given a choice, what will you choose: the Kingdom of God for all eternity or immediate pleasure and gratification? Will you choose to sleep through life or will you be prepared for the return of the Master?

"Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning."

God's Peace - Pr. J

Hallelujah! Our God Reigns!

 Then a voice came from the throne, saying:

“Praise our God,
    all you his servants,
you who fear him,
    both great and small!”

Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:

“Hallelujah!
    For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and be glad
    and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
    and his bride has made herself ready.

Revelation 19:5-7

I often (daily) pray for crabby Christians. It can be difficult to be around people who are always so negative so I pray that they might rejoice in the multitudes of gifts that God has given them. We have so much to be thankful for; so much to be positive about, that I fail to understand why there is not more rejoicing within the church on earth, except (maybe) on Sunday mornings. As Christians, we ought to be rejoicing for our King is above all kings. This King loves the world so much He was willing to give His utmost so that we might be reconciled to Him and to one another; reconciled in His peace. He has overcome sin, death, and the power of the devil for us. So what's there to be crabby about? The biggest obstacles ever have been overcome.

Let the whole multitude of God's people should "Hallelujah! Our God reigns!" 

God's Peace - Pr. J