The prophet Isaiah brings stinging words. "This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as holy doctrines.' In our Scripture passage from Mark 7:1-23 Jesus pulls no punches. He accuses the Pharisees of ‘play-acting’ religion and going through the motions without their hearts really being in it.
Sermon can be found here.
How can we avoid falling into the traps Jesus condemns?
1. Listen and understand.
Go beyond what people say and look to the Scriptures. We live in a day when people read a lot about the Bible without actually going to the source to understand for themselves. The most important commentary is that which comes to us through the Holy Spirit as we apply ourselves to prayerful reading of God’s Word.
2. Look around and don’t be afraid.
God is at work in our world in so many different ways and places. God remains the awesome Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer of all that is! As we engage with others in reflection and conversation it can be surprising where God shows up. Be open!
3. Let God be God
Mark 7:21-23 "For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person."
Never try and put God out of a job. God knows how messed up we can be. God knows how to fix things. The only way to change the human heart is to let God be God.
Prayer: Lord, save us from making ourselves the center of our own tiny little worlds. Teach us to read Your Word with anticipation, to recognize your love at work in those around us and to allow you the space to accomplish those things You desire in our lives. This we ask in Jesus name. Amen.
Monday, August 31, 2009
RALLY DAY APPROACHES - Prayers needed!
Rally Day will be observed here in Baldwin on Sunday September 13th when we shall celebrate the beginning of our full schedule of Sunday School for our Young folk and Adult Forum for the not so young by sharing together in a picnic after worship. Rally Day also marks the beginning of a new season in our churches life.
Three things I would ask you to pray about in particular during the coming months.
1. Kingdom Kids. Starting Tuesday 15th of September, from 4-5 p.m, we are launching an activity hour for kids (2nd thru 5th Grade). Aimed at our own church kids and hopefully their friends, we aim to provide an evening of games, songs, activities and stories to build both fellowship and faith amongst our youngest ones.
2. Youth and Adult Study. I would dearly love to start some kind of youth meeting for our older youth… both Middle School and High School. I’m currently thinking of having something on a Sunday evening… and seeing how that works. I realize so many of our youth have overflowing schedules that the last thing I want is to place more burdens on their time. Hopefully we can create a space in their week that brings the kind of spiritual growth that enables them to better use the time they have!
Also some adult folk have mentioned the possibility of a bible study group… again the major difficulty appears to be making room in our schedules. Please keep listening for announcements and praying God will guide us as to how best we can be in fellowship around His Word.
3. Stewardship. It goes without saying that in order for God’s Kingdom to grow there has to be a corresponding commitment of our time, talents and treasures. You may have noticed in your own life how God’s blessings are related to our willingness to offer our lives to God. We cannot reap the rewards of that which we are not prepared to sow. In order for there to be a great harvest there has to be an overflowing of sowing!
Thanks for your prayers, concerns and suggestions. Let us continue to trust in God to guide us and lead us.
Monday, August 24, 2009
To Whom Can We Go?
Sermon can be found here.
In our bible passage (John 6:56-69) Jesus is offering the people some difficult teaching. Many, who came flocking when free bread was on offer, are now turning away from Him. He continues to lay down the challenge, asking those closest to Him if they also were going to hit the road. Peter gives the reply: "Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that You are the Holy One of God.”
Some insights gained from this passage:
We may have to travel through days of decline before we see growth.
It seems crazy that somebody seeking followers would be acting in such a way as to drive people away from Him! Yet with hindsight we see how Jesus was sorting out the true followers from the fair weather ones. Stormy days were ahead and disciples whose faith was not genuine would be lost.
Spiritual growth has those times when we seem like we are taking more steps backward than we are forging forward. God has to weed out of our lives habits or tendencies that further down the road may cause us to lose our devotion. Times of dryness or struggle are not necessarily a sign of a lack of faith. There are times when faith only grows by being put to the test.
Knowing who and what we believe is so important
Peter’s confession reveals that he had truly grasped the significance of who Jesus was:- the Holy One of God who gave to his life an eternal dimension that he could never find anywhere else.
The routines of bible study and prayer are a discipline to help us deepen our relationship with God. They remind us of who God is and what we are called to do. When we let such disciplines go by the wayside, our faith suffers and we start searching for other things to be our ‘daily bread’.
Our calling is to be faithful.
In a culture where everybody has more of everything than they could ever need, being a disciple (and calling others to discipleship) is never going to be easy. Yet we must persevere. Why? We have the words of eternal life. We have the message of Jesus Christ’s love for all people. We have something to offer that people can’t find anywhere else.
A prayer “Lord, we would like our spiritual journeys to be plain sailing. Yet we are very much aware that it doesn’t work that way. You want to dig deep down into our motives and desires and we don’t always want to go there! You call us to depend on You for all things yet we go seeking other sources for our daily bread. Bring us to that place of confession where we can say with Peter “Lord, To whom else can we go? You alone have the words of eternal life. Amen”
In our bible passage (John 6:56-69) Jesus is offering the people some difficult teaching. Many, who came flocking when free bread was on offer, are now turning away from Him. He continues to lay down the challenge, asking those closest to Him if they also were going to hit the road. Peter gives the reply: "Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that You are the Holy One of God.”
Some insights gained from this passage:
We may have to travel through days of decline before we see growth.
It seems crazy that somebody seeking followers would be acting in such a way as to drive people away from Him! Yet with hindsight we see how Jesus was sorting out the true followers from the fair weather ones. Stormy days were ahead and disciples whose faith was not genuine would be lost.
Spiritual growth has those times when we seem like we are taking more steps backward than we are forging forward. God has to weed out of our lives habits or tendencies that further down the road may cause us to lose our devotion. Times of dryness or struggle are not necessarily a sign of a lack of faith. There are times when faith only grows by being put to the test.
Knowing who and what we believe is so important
Peter’s confession reveals that he had truly grasped the significance of who Jesus was:- the Holy One of God who gave to his life an eternal dimension that he could never find anywhere else.
The routines of bible study and prayer are a discipline to help us deepen our relationship with God. They remind us of who God is and what we are called to do. When we let such disciplines go by the wayside, our faith suffers and we start searching for other things to be our ‘daily bread’.
Our calling is to be faithful.
In a culture where everybody has more of everything than they could ever need, being a disciple (and calling others to discipleship) is never going to be easy. Yet we must persevere. Why? We have the words of eternal life. We have the message of Jesus Christ’s love for all people. We have something to offer that people can’t find anywhere else.
A prayer “Lord, we would like our spiritual journeys to be plain sailing. Yet we are very much aware that it doesn’t work that way. You want to dig deep down into our motives and desires and we don’t always want to go there! You call us to depend on You for all things yet we go seeking other sources for our daily bread. Bring us to that place of confession where we can say with Peter “Lord, To whom else can we go? You alone have the words of eternal life. Amen”
Monday, August 17, 2009
Forever Bread
This past week we returned to the Gospel Lectionary passages and focussed on John 6:51-58. The sermon can be found here.
The scripture deals with the proclamation of Jesus as being "the living bread that came down from heaven." We are told; "Whoever eats of this bread will live forever". Such a statement is obviously open to misinterpretation!
The passage makes a link between the bread of which Jesus speaks and the manna that the Israelites were sustained by in the wilderness during the Exodus from slavery in Egypt. Just as God sent manna down from heaven, to feed them and sustain them, God sent Jesus, to walk amongst them and to be the One through whom they could find real life.
Question to consider: ‘How does God sustain our lives? How do we find the ‘real life’ Jesus spoke of’
A re-occurring theme in John’s gospel is that the old has gone and, in Jesus, the new had come. This was not a comforting thought for the religious folk of the day, who thought they had a handle on all things God related!
Question to consider: ‘How open are we to do things in new and different way? Are there any preconceptions that we hold that could prevent God working in and through our lives?"
A great hymn of William Williams (Pantecelyn), much loved by Welsh folk, , has the refrain ‘Bread of heaven, bread of heaven, feed me till I want no more, feed me till I want no more ‘. The hymn reflects that Jesus IS our forever bread and invites us to feed our lives and our spirits upon His love. Here’s the Choir at the Morriston Tabernacle, Swansea, Wales, with an inspirational rendering of this classic hymn.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Oh Absalom
This past Sunday’s Lectionary reading from 2 Samuel 18:5-9+15+31-33 gave us the account of the rebellion and death of David’s son Absalom. Weaving in and out of the story are various power struggles that have come into play because of David’s sin with Bathsheba… an event that broke trust with his family and with his colleagues, such as the army officer Joab (who witnessed the betrayal of Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah). The sermon can be found here.
Some lessons from this scripture.
1. People are imitators rather than listeners. They pay more attention to our Christian walk than our Christian talk. Critics of Christianity draw attention to our historical failings no matter how much we talk of the good that is being done in Christ’s name today.
Matthew 5:16 "Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven."
2. It’s important to find a balance in our life between our commitment to our work and a commitment to our relationships. David failed to give his family the attention he should have done. As a result things happened that could have been avoided. Relationships on the home front are seriously important!
1 Corinthians 7:3 "A husband must give to his wife what she has a right to expect, and so too a wife to her husband."
3. God loves us with the depth of a parent’s love for a child. David cannot but grieve the loss of his son. Although that son is in rebellion, David sees only his lost child. So it is with God. God looks at us with a perfect Father’s eyes.
Matthew 7:9-11 "What man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? "Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!"
A prayer: "Thank You Father for Your inestimable love! Help me to find a balance in my life between my work and the relationships I have with those who are closest to me. Help me to be a disciple of Jesus, not just by word, but by my actions. Strengthen me for Your service through Your Holy Spirit this day. Amen"
Some lessons from this scripture.
1. People are imitators rather than listeners. They pay more attention to our Christian walk than our Christian talk. Critics of Christianity draw attention to our historical failings no matter how much we talk of the good that is being done in Christ’s name today.
Matthew 5:16 "Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven."
2. It’s important to find a balance in our life between our commitment to our work and a commitment to our relationships. David failed to give his family the attention he should have done. As a result things happened that could have been avoided. Relationships on the home front are seriously important!
1 Corinthians 7:3 "A husband must give to his wife what she has a right to expect, and so too a wife to her husband."
3. God loves us with the depth of a parent’s love for a child. David cannot but grieve the loss of his son. Although that son is in rebellion, David sees only his lost child. So it is with God. God looks at us with a perfect Father’s eyes.
Matthew 7:9-11 "What man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? "Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!"
A prayer: "Thank You Father for Your inestimable love! Help me to find a balance in my life between my work and the relationships I have with those who are closest to me. Help me to be a disciple of Jesus, not just by word, but by my actions. Strengthen me for Your service through Your Holy Spirit this day. Amen"
Trinity Youth Conference
Last week Brian Achille and myself travelled to Schellsburg, PA, to participate in TYC, a Youth Conference hosted by the Synod of the Trinity. This years theme was 'Always Loved'.A typical day at TYC begins with morning watch, a devotional time for thought and prayer before breakfast. After breakfast some warm up songs are usually shared before folk head off to participate in two morning workshops. My particular responsibility was a class investigating World Religions.
A significant part of the afternoon is spent in small groups known as 'Heads Together' (or just HT) where people get a chance to know each other and discuss how the week is going. Whilst the groups follow a pre-prepared syllabus there is also a lot of flexibility so each HT takes on a life of it's own!
Afternoon free time offers a chance to participate in games, hang out or take a nap.
Each evening an all-camp activity takes place. An all-camp game, a skit night, and Talent show all featured as part of the week. Central to the evenings is also a time of worship, the preacher this year being Heather Schoenewolf, associate pastor at East Liberty Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh. Much singing, under the leadership of Max Keefer, kept things moving along!Wednesday afternoon we all head out to Shawnee Lake where swimming and volley ball are amongst the attractions to enjoy. A picnic is followed by an outdoor worship service amongst some beautiful scenery.
It was a good year. Our faith was refreshed. Old friendships were renewed and new ones made. And it's only 51 weeks till the next time!
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