Monthly Archives: June 2013
People from Every Nation Find Unity… in Jesus.
English: Icon of Jesus Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Devotional/Discussion thought of the day…
9 After this I looked, and there was an enormous crowd—no one could count all the people! They were from every race, tribe, nation, and language, and they stood in front of the throne and of the Lamb, dressed in white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. 10 They called out in a loud voice: “Salvation comes from our God, who sits on the throne, and from the Lamb!” Revelation 7:9-10 (TEV)
You were amazed that I should approve of the lack of uniformity in the apostolate in which you work. And I said to you: Unity and variety. You have to be different from one another, as the saints in Heaven are different, each having his own personal and very special characteristics. But also, you have to be as identical as the saints, who would not be saints if each of them had not identified himself with Christ. (1)
Imagine the great diversity in heaven, people gathered, from everywhere, from everytime, from every language, their hearts crying out with “a” loud voice.
It’s one of the things I love about our combined services each year, as three congregations worship and hear God’s word in two languages – in English and Mandarin. Some things we do separately, with one language following the other, somethings we have found that we can do together, simultaneously, our voices blending into something that is phenomenal – incredible and glorious.
It’s more than our combined voices – it’s more than the physics and the soundwaves and all of that. It is the hearts that cry out as one, that just…. makes sense. It is a foretaste of heaven, not just because of the diversity, but because of the Lord that brings us together. That is our key, to our unity, to our salvation. The Lord who gathers us, who brings us together, who wondrous love for all of His people causes us to sing out… with one voice… His praises.
May we – as we minister in many languages, with many gifts, do so as one Body, for in that Body we find ourselves, each different and yet one…..
For as we cry out tomorrow in our combined service,
Κύριε ελέησον!
求主怜悯！
Lord, Have Mercy!
Signore, abbi pietà!
Tuhan kasihanilah!
Senyor, tingueu pietat!
Panginoon maawa!
Herr, erbarme dich!
שאלוהים רחם!
주님 자비를 베푸소서!
Chúa có lòng thương xót!
Senhor, tem piedade!
Seigneur, aie pitié!
We shall know, together, He has…
AMEN!
(1)Escriva, Josemaria (2010-11-02). The Way (Kindle Locations 2196-2199). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
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- Why I Love the Old Testament (justifiedandsinner.com)
- Do you want a “comfortable” life or ministry? (justifiedandsinner.com)
- Will we trust what God has revealed? Or must we explain (and know) more than that? (justifiedandsinner.com)
- You must be a Theophilus (Loved/r of God before being a Theologian (justifiedandsinner.com)
Do you want a “comfortable” life or ministry?
Discussion/Devotional Thought of the Day:
19 A teacher of the Law came to him. “Teacher,” he said, “I am ready to go with you wherever you go.” 20 Jesus answered him, “Foxes have holes, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lie down and rest.” 21 Another man, who was a disciple, said, “Sir, first let me go back and bury my father.” 22 “Follow me,” Jesus answered, “and let the dead bury their own dead.” Matthew 8:19-22 (TEV)
Copy me, my brothers, as I copy Christ himself. 1 Corinthians 11:1 (Phillips NT) 1
148 Why stoop to drink from the puddles of worldly consolations if you can satisfy your thirst with waters that spring up into life everlasting? (1)
I am still in awe that the Lord Jesus Christ, through Whom was created everything that has been created, journeyed around thinking nothing of His own comfort. Jesus should have been afforded every comfort, and took none, sleeping on the ground with a rock ( which He created) as His pillow, the ground as His bed. His service (we like to call it a nicer word ministry) to us was His focus, and discomfort was taken on gladly. Because of His love for the Father, because of His love…for us.
We are not so willing to follow Him, to make His life our pattern. We want to have the positions that are comfortable, the ministries that are peaceful and growing, and without conflict or pain. I myself have wondered recently, what would happen if I got a call that was to a church that was a distance off, far from our families and friends. ( If it was in upstate New Hampshire or near Boston – that’s cool – but… that’s me looking after my comfort zone again!) Would I be willing to endure that? Or what about another conflicted parish? What about going back to being bi-vocational?
I take my comfort in my electronics – I am presently struggling because my smartphone is in the shop, and I was given an ancient model (circa 2007) to replace it while it is there. Oh the indignity! Oh the suffering of dealing with a 2 inch screen (my 6 year old thinks its so cool and retro -cute!)
How much do we look for our comfort, for our lives and not look to where Paul looked, because he copied (as best as he could) Jesus.
How can we find our comfort, our consolation (look it up in the dictionary – cool word) in the things of this world – the homes, the cars, the safe community, when something more is there…..
Something more fulfilling, more enduring, more incredible.
Something that will leave us in awe…
Can we look to Jesus, the author, finisher, model of our faith… and take up our cross… and for His sake, for His service, for His mission… follow Him? Can we go where He wants us to go – not giving thought to the cost… knowing the cost of the sins of people – that they need to know has been paid?
Lord, Have mercy on us, help our perspective, help our will and desires to be copied from You, and give us your strength and power to see that happen.
Amen.
Jesus and Saint Peter, Gospel of Matthew 4.18-20 Français : Jésus et Saint Pierre, Évangile selon Matthieu 4.18-20 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
(1) Escriva, Josemaria (2010-11-02). The Way (Kindle Locations 481-482). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
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Who should lead our churches? Evangelical Catholic Review #12
Crucifixion of Jesus -2011 (Photo credit: Striking Photography by Bo Insogna)
19 If the Lord Jesus is willing, I hope to send Timothy to you soon for a visit. Then he can cheer me up by telling me how you are getting along. 20 I have no one else like Timothy, who genuinely cares about your welfare. 21 All the others care only for themselves and not for what matters to Jesus Christ. 22 But you know how Timothy has proved himself. Like a son with his father, he has served with me in preaching the Good News. Philippians 2:19-22 (NLT)
Now may I who am myself an elder say a word to you my fellow-elders? I speak as one who actually saw Christ suffer, and as one who will share with you the glories that are to be unfolded to us. I urge you then to see that your “flock of God” is properly fed and cared for. Accept the responsibility of looking after them willingly and not because you feel you can’t get out of it, doing your work not for what you can make, but because you are really concerned for their well-being. You should aim not at being “little tin gods” but as examples of Christian living in the eyes of the flock committed to your charge. And then, when the chief shepherd reveals himself, you will receive that crown of glory which cannot fade. 1 Peter 5:1 (Phillips NT)
1. In his manner of life and his priestly ministry, does this man manifest a deep personal conversion to friendship with Jesus Christ? Has he made a deliberate, conscious, and irrevocable choice to follow Christ? Has he responded to Jesus’s question to the disciples, who were shocked by his command to eat of him, the Bread of Life—“ Do you also wish to go away?”— with Peter’s answer: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God” [John 6.67– 69]?
2. Does this priest take preaching and teaching as among his primary responsibilities? Does he preach clearly, biblically, and with conviction? Can he make the Church’s evangelical proposal to unbelievers? Can he, with charity and understanding, teach, and if necessary correct, Catholics who have embraced notions contrary to Scripture and apostolic tradition? How many converts has this man made? How many Christians of other communities has he brought into full communion with the Catholic Church? How many baptized pagans has he brought back into a fuller communion with the Church? (1)
I have been primarily dealing so far this month with the issue of leadership in the church.
We just elected those who will work beside me as the leaders of this congregation, for the next two years.
- I am in prayer about, and met with other district delegates last saturday, the national convention of our Synod next month
- I just finished a two day seminar, the third of four, of a program in pastoral leadership
- Above you see the passages for the two Bible Studies last night. The first one is our midweek Bible Study, the second for the Bible Study of my elders.
So, it is little surprise when I took up Wiegel’s book this morning, that the topic was his understanding of the new standards for the leaders (bishops) of his church, the Roman Catholic Church.
But what find admirable, and indeed would love to see in my own denomination, is these first two standards Weigel sets, as our own concerns. (replacing of course – Catholic Church, with LC-MS)
What would happen if the leaders of our churches were first men whose lives were formed by a deep friendship with Christ. Whose character displayed such Christ-likeness and the servants heart we see in both Paul’s description of Timothy, and in Peter’s encouragement to the elders. This is the nature of the men we should have leading us. Men whose devotion and adoration of God, their treasuring of the first commandment, is the hallmark of their life. If they were less guided by their own intelligence, their own wisdom, their own inner compass, than by the very kind of love that showed they experienced and reveled in the love of Christ?
What would happen, if the second dominant characteristic was that they could communicate this love of God that they were so sure of, this friendship with God that so defined them, to others with great compassion, great skill, and could do it equally well with those in the Body of Christ, (both those that depended on God and those who rebelled against God) What would happen if he had a track record of bringing all into a deeper communion with God and God’s people – no matter whether they were mature, sacrificial believers, new believers, those who tried to “cafeteria plan” their faith, or those who were apathetic or antagonistic towards God. What if they were truly apostolic/missional in this way?
What if we had such men to pastor our church body, what if we had such a man to imitate, even as they stripped themselves of all perks and privileges of being “the leaders”.
What if our priorities were discipling leaders like this, with these two characteristics being more a priority than academics, or linguistic expertise, or knowledge or political savvy?
Lord Have mercy! Help us to be leaders like Timothy, like Peter… like Paul… as they cared like Christ cared… AMEN
(1)Weigel, George (2013-02-05). Evangelical Catholicism (p. 122). Basic Books. Kindle Edition.
The Battle against Sin and Immorality – how it is to be waged…
Devotional?Discussion Thought of the Day:
13 And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one. Matthew 6:13 (NLT)
” 138 Infelix ego homo!, quis me liberabit de corpore mortis huius?—“Unhappy man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death?” Thus cried Saint Paul. Courage! He too had to fight.
139 At the time of temptation think of the love that awaits you in Heaven: foster the virtue of hope—it’s not a lack of generosity.(1)
As a pastor, I have to deal with sin quite a bit. First of all there is my own, then there is that of my people I pastor – whether members of the congregation I pastor, or those who I interact with regularly. It is a bit ironic that those who aren’t “officially” mine – are more willing ot read this and deal with sin, but that’ s another story.
I love Paul’s self-disclosure in Romans 7, His dealing with his own battles with sin – and the despair that comes from unsuccessfully. It gives me some assurance that we can, bluntly and faithfully, address the presence of sin in our lives.
We don’t need to hide from the grief sin causes, we don’t need to grieve without addresses it.
The answer of it is far simpler – far easier, and laid out in scripture.
Go to God when you are tempted, go to God with your sin. Fight it – but not with weapons of our own making – fight sin and temptation by taking it to God. Think about His love, recognize His presence – plead with Him to help you… and when you fail – turn to our Lord and know His answer to your plea for mercy is always “yes”.
Trust (that is have faith/believe) that God will see you through the temptation, through the failure, that His very love will bring you to hear that He has forgiven you. That His love will always, always, overcome evil.
Rom, Sankt Paul vor den Mauern, San Paolo fuori le mura Italiano: Statua di San Paolo di fronte alla facciata della Basilica di San Paolo fuori le Mura a Roma. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
And Rejoice – for the Lord is with You.
(1)Escriva, Josemaria (2010-11-02). The Way (Kindle Locations 457-458). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
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Are you sure you want the Holy Spirit to come?
Icon of the Pentecost (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
7 But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. 9 The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me. 10 Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more. 11 Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged. John 16:6-11 (NLT)
In some Christian ministry, we assess how mature a believer is based on how much he knows. But the New Testament assesses the maturity of a believer based on how much he obeys (e.g. John 14:15; James 1:22-25) Think about every sermon, Bible study and Bible passage you have heard or read (knowledge). Estimate what percentage of that you consistently obey. It can be a bit embarrassing. You may say, “I consistently obey about 30% of all I know.” In a knowledge-based assessment of maturity, can we be comfortable with disobeying 70% of all we know. Is that really biblical maturity? If one has been a believer a long time he may have lots of knowledge, but may also have a low obedience factor. Despite his knowledge-based “maturity,” his disobedience factor is high! (1)
I know a lot of people who talk about the blessing of the Holy Spirit’s coming on Pentecost, and others who long for a restoration of spirituality in the church in America.
I am not sure they are as ready as they think they are!
Look at the promise above from John 16. Are you ready to have the Holy Spirit convict you of your sin? Are you ready to be purged of your sin? Are you ready to face how often you are disobedient you are to God? How often you betray Him and His plan for your life?
Do you welcome God working in your life? Many of us say we do, yet when push comes to shove, we struggle to confess our sins, choosing instead to hide it, justify it, say our sin isn’t as bad as those other people, ignore it, or even… run from God. I think we do far too often…
We rejoice in our salvation – but are we ready to let go of that which Christ saves us from?
We talk of His righteousness – the righteousness that comes from heaven, do you see it as something so much more valuable than any of the sins that we cling to?
May we be found, may we find ourselves, hidden in Christ Jesus, His righteousness ours, His cleansing us of sin, so that He can bring us home to the Father…
And may we strive for not just obeying His word, but treasuring it, for it is our life… in Him
(1) Smith, Steve; Kai, with Ying (2011-09-21). T4T: A Discipleship Re-Revolution (Kindle Locations 1186-1192). WIGTake Resources, LLC. Kindle Edition.
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Can we take sin seriously, that we may rejoice in being forgiven of it?
Devotional?Discussion Thought of the Day:
1 That is why we must hold on all the more firmly to the truths we have heard, so that we will not be carried away. 2 The message given to our ancestors by the angels was shown to be true, and those who did not follow it or obey it received the punishment they deserved. 3 How, then, shall we escape if we pay no attention to such a great salvation? The Lord himself first announced this salvation, and those who heard him proved to us that it is true. 4 At the same time God added his witness to theirs by performing all kinds of miracles and wonders and by distributing the gifts of the Holy Spirit according to his will. Hebrews 2:1-4 (TEV)
Domine!—“Lord!” Si vis, potes me mundare.—“If you will, you can make me clean.” What a beautiful prayer for you to say often, with the faith of the poor leper, when there happens to you what God and you and I know may happen. You won’t have to wait long to hear the Master’s reply: Volo, mundare!—“I will! Be made clean!” (1)
In Sunday’s sermon and in Sunday School where we took the passage a bit deeper – we heard Solomon’s words about prayer – and the primary use of the temple. It was that God would hear the words of believers (and unbelievers – but a different answer there) and when He hears them….
Forgive.
We talked of how powerful that forgiveness was – that as Christians we need the assurance that God will not abandon our souls in sin, that He will forgive, that He will call us back, that His desire is to be with us.
Yet it is amazing, how like little kids, we can’t take that forgiveness seriously, we don’t rejoice in absolution like we should. We ( and I mean the church – Lutheran, Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox ) don’t take advantage of private confession anymore – something Luther saw coming and dreaded!
The reason is, I believe, that we don’t take sin seriously anymore. We make take this sin or that seriously (watch the explosion over the recent election of a practicing homosexual in the ELCA as a BIshop) but will we take our own sins, the ones we commit, seriously. Or will we like act like little children and say,
1. “I didn’t know!” Somehow thinking that if we claim ignorance, we will be justified. Or
2. “It’s not fair/right” Somehow we think of God as some great kill-joy, a God who takes pleasure in making sure we don’t enjoy life, or get what “we need” from it.
3. “It’s their fault” How often do we try to find someone else to blame, some other sin that is worse, some other thing that would distract God from our sin, so that we could continue to enjoy it.
Why not just go – yeah – I sinned – and God please – please forgive me….
And hear His love pour out through the words, “Yes my child….”
Can’t we just cry out as St. Josemaria encourages us to pray, “Lord, make me clean!” and trust in His answer… “I will – be made clean!”
What joy there would be, if we took sin seriously – that we might hear that we are forgiven!
So my friends – no matter what the sin, (see the list below (2) let us rush to our Father, asking Him to revive and restore us in faith! If you struggle – even if you don’t – run to your pastor, your priest – and cofness your sins… and find yourselves healed. And then rejoice – like there is a tomorrow – walking always with God!
Luther Bible, 1534 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
(1) Escriva, Josemaria (2010-11-02). The Way (Kindle Locations 463-466). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
(2) Romans 1:24-32 (NLT) 24 So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. 25 They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. 26 That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. 27 And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved. 28 Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. 29 Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. 30 They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. 31 They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. 32 They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.
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Apologetics, far more than a “defense of the faith”… It’s about giving hope
English: Icon of Jesus Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Devotional thought of the day:
14 But even if you should suffer for doing what is right, how happy you are! Do not be afraid of anyone, and do not worry. 15 But have reverence for Christ in your hearts, and honor him as Lord. Be ready at all times to answer anyone who asks you to explain the hope you have in you, 1 Peter 3:14-15 (TEV)
As I was looking through all of the resolutions our group of churches will consider this summer, there are many that concern me. One of them calls for our seminaries and our publishing house to work on training all pastors in “the defense of the faith”. One of the texts such is based on, I’ve shown above.
The resolution troubles me…. a lot.
The word “answer” in the italicized text is the word in Greek that we get apologetics from, a word many translate as “defense”. When they translate it either from a milatristic sense – we have to defend our position, or from the sense of jurisprudence – defending ourselves in court.
And for a Christian, neither is necessary, and it is not what the passage above is talking about – at all.
The word in Greek from where we get apologetics is a compound word – from “apo” the word “from” and logos – the word we get logical, and reason, and well “word” (as in John 1:1-14.
St. Peter’s words here aren’t about creating a philosophical, forensic defense of the Christian faith. It’s not about defending the church from persecution for its beliefs. It’s not about doing battle with other religions, or with atheists and agnostics. It’s not about the church at war. Apologetics isn’t about memorizing arguments and strategies for dealing with the enemies of God. ( Atheists and agnostics and those of other religions aren’t our enemies… they are those we are called to love and serve and sacrifice for, that they may know God)
It’s about the church, the people of God and explaining the hope that we have, living in Christ Jesus.
You see – the logos part of the word apologetics is used again in the sentence….the word “explain” as in explain the hope.
That they would know the hope… that they would be able to rejoice and dance as they realize God’s love, and the freedom He gives them from sin, and from evil and that they no longer have to anxious about death… for they know they will then share in God’s glory.
We go on the defensive, we plead our case… they don’t hear why we have…. hope.
We don’t need to be trained to go into battle – we need to know God’s love, we need to know why we have hope….
When it comes to giving a plea before judges and courts, hear these words of Jesus,
18 You will stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers. But this will be your opportunity to tell the rulers and other unbelievers about me. 19 When you are arrested, don’t worry about how to respond or what to say. God will give you the right words at the right time. 20 For it is not you who will be speaking—it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Matthew 10:18-20 (NLT)
One final thought – that word logos….
It’s Christ.
He is our hope, He is our reason… and He is what the world needs
My Name will Be There!
My Name will Be There!
1 Kings 8:22-24, 27-29, 41-43
In Jesus Name
May You realize the presence of God, in those places where He has placed His Holy Name, and in those places where you go, knowing He has given you His name!
What the church Is Dedicated to…
As I looked at the Old Testament reading, one of my favorites, I began to think of all the churches I’ve been at. From St. Francis in Lawrence Massachusetts, to St Joes in Salem, to the Crystal Cathedral, the church I went to when I moved to California, to churches I’ve pastored, to St Mary’s in Rome, and Mei Lin Christian Church in China, to little tiny chapels along the way, and monstrous auditoriums, there is something special about each of them.
It is how Solomon described the temple he had built at God’s direction. I love this part of the prayer Solomon spoke at the dedication:
“Nevertheless, listen to my prayer and my plea, O LORD my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is making to you today. 29 May you watch over this Temple night and day, this place where you have said, ‘My name will be there!
His Name will be here…
For all peoples – for those who know Him, and those who do not…
Solomon’s prayer shows us how God would be there, where He put His name for both groups, as they gather and pray to Him.
In the very same way He shows us, that He will be there, where He has put His name for us, whether we know we are part of His family, or not.
The We know we are forgiven and healed
As I look at Solomon’s request, as I hear him plead with God for those who are part of God’s family, it seems interesting that what Solomon wants God to communicate to them is boiled down to one incredible word,
Forgiveness.
Hear Solomon’s words again.
30 May you hear the humble and earnest requests from me and your people Israel when we pray toward this place. Yes, hear us from heaven where you live, and when you hear, forgive.
Of all the things Solomon could have said, what he did ask for, what God will agree to in chapter 9, is this idea of forgiveness. That whenever people came before God – the purpose was always about the forgiveness.
Which means, that is what they were asking for?!?
That’s how much they had come to value the relationship they had come to know with God – that which was on their mind most was… God, please let me know you still love me they cried, as we should. God please don’t abandon me, please don’t give up…please forgive me…
God puts His name there, so that we can run to Him, and know that He won’t reject us, that He will still be our God, and He will take care of the sin. That we don’t need to hide our sin, or make believe we don’t know it is sin,, or try to excuse it with excuses that didn’t work when we were kids….
But we come to our Lord, to the place where He put His name, and as He has always done, He will forgive us, and cleanse us of all unrighteousness.
That’s what we, His children, more than anyone else needs to realize. That when we come to Him, humbly and earnestly and ask Him for help – like every father in this room would run to help our kids, He will be there, more than just our knight in shining armor, our superhero,
He will be our God. He won’t turn us away, when we come….looking for grace and mercy….
We know that…we need to trust in Him for that, and give up doing those things we know we shouldn’t. We need to lean on Him to think, to say and yes to do the things that He’s told us are best for us,
And pray for forgiveness…and help when we struggle.
Knowing He’s always been faithful to this promise… is an incredible blessing.
That those outside the family – would know God is there for them as well
Solomon’s prayer just doesn’t leave off with those who are already part of God’s family, the people of Israel who are in a relationship with Him, God’s kin you might say. Hear again Solomon’s prayer for them,
41 “In the future, foreigners who do not belong to your people Israel will hear of you. They will come from distant lands because of your name, 42 for they will hear of your great name and your strong hand and your powerful arm. And when they pray toward this Temple, 43 then hear from heaven where you live, and grant what they ask of you. In this way, all the people of the earth will come to know and fear you, just as your own people Israel do. They, too, will know that this Temple I have built honors your name.
Solomon asks God to respond to those who aren’t even believers in Him! And He doesn’t change. What is even more amazing is that what they ask – Solomon prays God will act on, And here is God’s response, from the next chapter,
2 the LORD appeared to him again, as he had in Gibeon. 3 The LORD said to him, “I have heard your prayer. I consecrate this Temple which you have built as the place where I shall be worshiped forever. I will watch over it and protect it for all time. 1 Kings 9:2-3 (TEV)
Even in the days of Israel’s greatest glory, and before, this has been God’s plan – that all people on Earth would come to intimately know Him, and live reverently with Him.
That is why He had Solomon put the temple there, so that all people could gather and know Him, not just any one ethnicity, not just any one language group. A place where all would be welcome to pray to Him, to cry out to Him, and to be confident of His care, His love, and His hearing every one of our prayers.
This is why it is here…
Many people have many different reasons for building a temple or church. But God has a reason above all that. We aren’t here because we put our name in this place. We are here – whether person that has been part of God’s family, or the person who has never stepped foot in a church til this morning, who isn’t sure who God even is, because God has put His name here, it is here, like other places where He has done so, that we come to pray, believer and unbeliever alike, because He calls us here to do so… with the promise that He will listen.
If Solomon could see that in regards to this temple… how much more should we see it now… after the cross, after the splendor of Pentecost.
It is why we are here.
There is one more thing that we need to realize, that I think we forget. It is not just the building where God puts His name… it is on the people gathered in that place. Sometimes we forget that. But when someone is baptized – the Bible talks about God adopting them, about His giving them a new name, about them becoming God’s people. That’s why we make the sign of the cross – to remember we bear His name, on our minds, and on our hearts.
The temple of Solomon no longer stands, but the people of God, the ones upon whom He has given His name – the church is alive, here in Cerritos, and in Yucca Valley, and in Rome and in China…all over the world God has sent those who bear His name. We are loved, and we realize that more and more, not just listening to sermons, but in talking with God, in praying to Him.
As we who trust in His love and mercy realize He hasn’t given up on us yet, he still love and forgives. As those who come here, hearing from us about God’s love – come into His presence with us, and the Holy Spirit hears their prayers, and God acts. Indeed communicates with us, those who come to know and adore Him when He tells us of His love through His word, through the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
Hearing His voice, hearing Him tell of His commitment to us, we know something extraordinary.
We know, we find that we are at peace…resting assured of His love…knowing we are not alone, we are not going to be abandoned, but we will be loved until that day, when He gathers us home to be with Him.
AMEN?
Why I Love the Old Testament
David bearing the ark of testament into Jerusalem (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Devotional Thought of the Day
4 And all these things which were written so long ago were written so that we, learning perseverance and the encouragement which the scriptures give, should have hope. Romans 15:4 (NJB)
“By reading,” you wrote me, “I build up a store of fuel. It seems a lifeless pile, but I often find that my mind spontaneously draws from it material which fills my prayer with life and inflames my thanksgiving after communion.” (1)
Tomorrow morning I find myself preaching on the Old Testament again. As is my habit, early in the week I asked a question that helps me see where people where at. One of the responses was basically, :we are in the New Coveant, why worry about all that old history?” The person was basically questioning whether the Old Testament was relevant to us.
There are a number of reasons I can think of….including those written above:
St. Paul’s comment to the church in Rome goes directly to the heart of the matter. Hope. The expectation that God will see us through the matter, that God not only will be looking after us from heaven, but that He is with us through it all. Look at the Old Testament as a love story, between God and the one (HIs people) He is working to make the Bride of Christ, God’s passion for the people He would call His own is infinitely more than any chick-flick ever endured by man…
And that devotion of God, that love, that desire – we see illustrated over and over in the Old Testament. The more time I spend in Isaiah, or Exodus, or Jeremiah… well in any book – the more that desire is revealed.
Even to the extent that God is willing to look past our sin, to clean us up (remember Hosea and Gomer) that none of us in unreachable, unredeemable. That we don’t have to hide from God – as so many did, that we don’t need to make up excuses. That we, to paraphrase Luther – sin boldly – that we might boldly go before the throne of God. We can’t do that if we hide, or if we justify our sins, or if we simply ignore God.
That is where St. Josemaria’s interaction with one of his students comes into such clarity for me. As I have ministered to the dieing, to those incarcerated, to those in crisis – whether they realize it or not, to those in bondage to sin; the Old Testament becomes a wonderful resource for revealing to people God’s faithfulness, God’s merciful love (see the word cHesed).The resources just spring to mind, the love of God is so carefully documented and chronicled. His pain over His people’s sin and immorality – yet His steadfast work to call them back, to clean them up again, so marvellous. His presence through the valley of the shadow of death, ours, our friends, our children (see King David) so incredible.
How could I not want to share this with the people I care about? How could I not desire that they know His faithfulness?
Yes, I love to preach on the Old Testament – for it testifies of Christ, and it gives me hope – even as I see His people live in the hope that was even harder to see fulfilled – but was, completely in Christ Jesus.
The Old Testament? The record of people crying out, “Lord have Mercy!” And the answer, over and over… “yes my people, I will be merciful – for I, the Lord God, love you!”
Escriva, Josemaria (2010-11-02). The Way (Kindle Locations 417-419). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
Related articles
- FB Behavior and the Theology of the Cross… (justifiedandsinner.com)
- The Eucharist: the Strength to Reveal Christ to Others… (justifiedandsinner.com)
- Is the Old Testament even worth reading now that we have the New Testament? (grayman1225.wordpress.com)
- You must be a Theophilus (Loved/r of God before being a Theologian (justifiedandsinner.com)
