January 16, 2018 Tuesday

“The boy Samuel ministered before the LORD under Eli. In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions. One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was. Then the LORD called Samuel. Samuel answered, "Here I am." And he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." But Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down." So he went and lay down. Again the LORD called, "Samuel!" And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." "My son," Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down." Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD: The word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him. The LORD called Samuel a third time, and Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." Then Eli realised that the LORD was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel, "Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.’" So Samuel went and lay down in his place. The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening."” (1Samuel 3:1-10 NIV)

            The hymn Here I Am Lord always makes me think of this story of the Bible.  Do I listen to hear Gods call in my life?  When I hear God’s call does it change me or the way I live?

            In this story is one of the saddest verses in the Bible “In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions.”  It is so sad that in a nation who was supposed to be the people of God few people even seemed to care!  So few even listened for God and heard what God wanted to say.

            But in my over 30 years as a pastor it always amazed me how few people in my congregations had actually read through the Bible!  I was astounded to discover people who had been Christians for decades had never read the Bible through!

            Can you imagine a doctor who never read medical texts?  What about a teacher who never studied their subject?  Would you like to go to court with a lawyer who had not read the law?  We would think this would be foolish!

            But we in the Church are even more foolish because we are treating eternal matters with less seriousness than the world does with temporary things.  Parents who do not want their children to spend time in worship or Bible study because it might impact their grades! Adults who don’t want to take time from their careers to go to worship, pray or study the Bible!

            Do not miss the amazing wonder of getting to know the eternal God and spending time with Him because of things that will rust and pass away!  As you open the Bible pray God will reveal himself to you!  Maybe that is why the last book of the Bible is Revelation?

January 15, 2018 Monday

“When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, "Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false." "How do you know me?" Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, "I saw you while you were still under the fig-tree before Philip called you." Then Nathanael declared, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel." Jesus said, "You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig-tree. You shall see greater things than that." He then added, "I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."” (John 1:47-51 NIV)

            This is a by-pass verse in the Bible.  What I mean is that if you by-pass this verse you will miss a great lesson.  The Bible is full of mines that if you do not listen to will blow up in your face but if you do listen to them you will safely travel through life.

            There are so many ways Jesus could have welcomed Nathanael but He chose a rather unique way.  Jesus defines Nathanael as a “true Israelite”.  Then it really gets amazing as in response to Nathanael Jesus replies “I saw you”! 

            I saw what you were doing earlier today gives us a moment of awe and fear and causes us to look around.  Are we being stalked by a celestial being who wants to keep track of all we do so he can judge us? 

            Or maybe our Father in Heaven is watching over His children to either keep us from trouble or to be able to redeem us from it?  Maybe Jesus was telling Nathanael that long before this moment of meeting that Jesus was already watching over him?

            To me this is affirmed as Jesus tells Nathanael more wonderful than His watching over him is that through Jesus Nathanael will come to be with Jesus and the Father in Heaven! 

            Do not by-pass the many blessings God has for you and miss the love God has for you! May your soul rejoice that God has not by-passed you!  Share that joyous hope with those you see around you so they will not by-pass God’s love for them!

January 14, 2018 Sunday

“The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, "Follow me." Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked. "Come and see," said Philip.” (John 1:43-46 NIV)

            We are a people who like to define others in a negative way.  Just about every people have a word like gentile that means they aren’t us!  Usually that term means they are less than us. 

            We also find ways to see differences within ourselves to show we see them as different and therefore less than us.  In America we currently have the Coastals who see themselves as better because they have a more progressive culture and more cultural events than the Fly-Overs.  The Fly-Overs see themselves as better because they have (in more circumstances) closer families and communities.

            Nathanael falls into this as he expresses his prejudice "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" 

            Paul shows us the change that came with the redemption of Jesus as he declares “In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.” (Colossians 3:11 NLT)

            When we either put down others because we see them as less or try to lift ourselves up by putting others down we are degrading people whom our God loves and gave His life for.  We also are not following scripture which declares that we are all created of “one blood”.

            Try to see others as God would have you see them.  See others as the people He loves and wants to come to Him.  Maybe that is why the Bible commands us to pray for our enemies and why Jesus did that, even on the cross!

January 13, 2018 Saturday

“Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment for you; rather it is an old one you have had from the very beginning. This old commandment — to love one another — is the same message you heard before. Yet it is also new. Jesus lived the truth of this commandment, and you also are living it. For the darkness is disappearing, and the true light is already shining. If anyone claims, “I am living in the light,” but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is still living in darkness. Anyone who loves another brother or sister is living in the light and does not cause others to stumble. But anyone who hates another brother or sister is still living and walking in darkness. Such a person does not know the way to go, having been blinded by the darkness.” (1John 2:7-11 NLT)

            Some will say that the Bible contradicts itself many times but maybe the truth is that God is bigger than us and thinks at a level above us.  In our arrogance we think we know more than God and know better.  Some even believe there is no God in their attempt to walk in darkness and turning away from the Light.

            So how do we know if someone is following the Light or walking in darkness?  We are told not to judge for that is God’s job but here we can see that we will know by their fruit.  So we can be fruit inspectors and see if they love other Christians.  Do you love and pray for (not at) even those who disagree with you?  Through God can you understand their brokenness and be patient just as God has been patient with you.

            Without God we may wonder why John tells us this is not a new commandment and then say yet it is new?  That we are to love each other is an old Testament Command but in the New Testament Jesus revealed to us through His teachings and actions what it truly means to love one another.

            Jesus expressed the written Word of God as the Living Word of God!  We can know the power of love to redeem and change a person not only in our own lives but in others.  We can pray for even our enemies to experience God’s salvation and redemption and know that if they are willing to receive it then God can and will do it.

            May you allow God’s Light to open your eyes and cast out the darkness and bring you hope!

           

                Still a terrible day.  If you look at the dates on the study and the dates entered you will see that many days I am not able to complete a blog entry.  Today is a terrible day and I have spent it in bed.  But my family is such a blessing and God is my help.  At times I feel like the pain keeps my mind from working and I lose track of days and even weeks.  During my last years in the pastoral ministry I taught about the first CPR when God breathed His life into us.  From that I learned that I need God for each breath and not just from day to day.  Each breath is an opportunity to breathe in God’s Spirit to be renewed and by my prayer breathe out God’s Spirit to renew His Creation!

January 12, 2018 Friday

“At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptised by John in the Jordan. As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."” (Mark 1:9-11 NIV)

            Before I was a Christian I tried to read the Bible but I really didn’t understand it and stories like this one seemed strange to me.  Without God in our lives not only can’t we understand the Bible we do not see the miracles all around us.

            We think miracles of Jesus turning water into wine and making a few loaves and fishes feed thousand is a miracle God does every day.  Every day God gives rain for the vines to grow so the grapes will grow and then we can make the wine which is a gift from God.  Every day fish beget fish and we can catch them for food.  The seeds from the wheat produces more wheat from which we can make bread to feed not just thousands but billions.

            All around us is the miracle of the sun, moon and stars which follow God’s path and thus make our life possible.  And when on a gloomy day the clouds part and the sun shines through our hearts and souls are renewed with joy as we too experience God’s love and pleasure.

            In a world that looks for signs and miracles we miss the miracles God reveals Himself through every day and in every way.  We ask where God is and God does not remark on our ignorance and fear that clouds our eyes so we cannot see the Light of the Son who has brought God’s pleasure and love so we can become His sons and daughters.

                Started out as a good day but at the end turned VERY bad.  Pain grew and grew and I returned to my bed.  I enjoy the good days and trust in God to endure and even enjoy the bad ones.

January 11, 2018 Thursday

“And so John came, baptising in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptised by him in the Jordan River. John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt round his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And this was his message: "After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptise you with water, but he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit."” (Mark 1:4-8 NIV)

            It is so tempting to see Bible stories as old stories that are of dubious reality and meaning.  Many recent Biblical “scholars” teach that Bible stories are just moral teachings passed on.  This is accepted because in truth many who call themselves Christians have not experienced more of the Bible than the Bible stories they heard as children.

            But this story I believed not only happened but is a revelation of how God continues to work in our lives as well as His Creation 

God brings us from the desert of our existence

We understand that baptism is more than water

Baptism is repentance and forgiveness

Confession must precede baptism

Baptism changes the way we live

Jesus gives the Holy Spirit to us

            What seems to us a sort of weird but nice(?) story about the precursor of Jesus is also fleshed out and is real in our lives and God’s Church today.

            Celebrate that the 2,000 and more years old stories are not just reality long ago but are a sign of how God continues to work in our world today bring us from death and mere existence to Life in Jesus.

            Have had a good day and have been able to do some things and have walked in the warmer weather and sat outside.  I praise God for His blessing of good days and also for the blessing of Bad days.  For in the bad days I experience His presence even more.

           

January 10, 2018 Wednesday

“Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him again and again, saying, "Hail, king of the Jews!" And they struck him in the face. Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews, "Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him." When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, "Here is the man!" As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, "Crucify! Crucify!" But Pilate answered, "You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him." The Jews insisted, "We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God."” (John 19:1-7 NIV)

            When I think of the hymn Crown Him with many Crowns this is the crown I think of the most.  I know many see a large golden crown ornate and very kingly and that is a crown Jesus deserves but to me the most meaningful crown is the crown of thorns. 

            Kings are supposed to wear, well kingly crowns that the greater the king the greater the crown adorning them.  But the simple and horrifying crown of thorns is a reminder to me of the love and patience of Jesus who came not to condemn but to redeem!

            Having to leave the pastoral ministry because of the pain I have every day except the days that are filled with weariness I look at the crown of thorns and rejoice that my King Jesus has borne my suffering and brings hope from HIS OWN SUFFERING AND DEATH! 

            All of the pain, suffering, horror, grief and destruction in the world we destroyed by our sin can have meaning and bring us hope as we behold the One who wears the crown of thorns to offer all of Himself for all of us!

            Come and receive the God gave Him best to heal us from our worst.  For the word savior weans one who heals and makes whole!  So maybe Jesus not only makes us holy but also wholly!

           This is Bonnie and my anniversary!  We were married at Pennington Gap, Virginia by her father and grandfather.  over the years we had Sarah, Jonathan and Rebecca.  Now we have another son Levi who married Sarah.  We have served God in many places as pastoral ministers in the United Methodist Church.  God has been and continues to be such a blessing.