Rest – Exodus 16:27-35

“The Lord said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and instructions? See! The Lord has given you the sabbath, therefore on the sixth day he gives you food for two days; each of you stay where you are; do not leave your place on the seventh day.”

This makes me laugh!

“How long!” declares the Lord, then as if to make his point even clearer… the Lord says See!… its like just look at them. I give them a rule for their own good, for peace, happiness, and balance, and they go and goof even that up!

We don’t get it. Puppies get it, like Freyja there… the Man Child home from College on Spring Break seems to get it.  But many of us don’t.  We’d work until we dropped. Many people work because they fear if they don’t there won’t be enough. That fear drives us to do nearly everything too much, except trust.

The lesson from Genesis on and again today in our reading from Exodus is that rest is important.  In fact, the only way to truly have enough is to rest, to Sabbath in God’s grace.

Self-Discipline 2 Timothy 1:3-7

My sermon notes. Like the doodle up at the top? This is how I usually prepare for my sermons. In a file I call “sermon fodder” I put several different commentaries on the passage, maybe a sermon or two by other pastors, some illustrative material I have gathered, I read it over, let it stew for a bit and then Presto! Sermonino! Ok, not exactly.

It is a little less magical than that, but the spirit often leads me down some pretty cool paths by the time I am done. My biggest issuefacebook-church-meme-committee-7f514b often in writing a sermon is working ahead enough to feel comfortable with my message, followed closely by wanting to say and do too much!

From preparation to focus, it takes a fair bit of self-discipline, together with ample help from the Holy Spirit to put together a cogent sermon. When I wrote that it reminded me of the meme you see here.

I know how that guy feels. Not only is it a struggle sometime to prepare, but then I have myself to deal with on top of everything else.

I know me.

I know my shortcomings, I know my sins, I know my doubts, I know where I fall short, far short of the glory of God. Then I climb into the pulpit to preach?! Me? Oh…

In our reading for today, the last line is a beauty! ” for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.” What a combination! It is that very spirit that I believe drives us to witness to the grace of God which is bigger than our shortcomings. God’s mercy is a powerful thing, and it frees us to do things that we would feel too self-conscious to do on our own. When we spread the Gospel, live out the good news of God it isn’t because we are overly holy, but God is. It’s not that we are eloquent, but God gives us the words to say, it’s not that we are bold, but God gives us the spirit of power to live out and proclaim his love!

 

HEIR – GENESIS 15:1-18

So, here is a story.  At one point in time, I thought being a Social Studies teacher might not be a bad idea.  I did my student teaching and everything, and the one thing I knew at the end was I never wanted to teach Junior High.  Fast forward a bit, the teaching thing doesn’t pan out, but it seems God had a different calling in mind for me.  So now I teach confirmation students who are Junior High aged and I love it. Missing a bunch, they were out staffing the kettles and ringing the bells for the Salvation Army.

There are a few missing in these pictures. They were out staffing the kettles and ringing the bells for the Salvation Army.  But tonight was a service/fellowship time, and It was great to see and feel their energy as Christmas approaches.  Now these kids are not perfect, there are attitudes, some of them “have to be there, ” and others deal with stuff I can only imagine at home or in school.  But on Wednesday nights, they are all part of a blessed family.

In our lesson from Genesis, Abram is struggling with the promise, o God forges a pretty one-sided covenant with him that he will have an heir and it won’t be old Eliezer of Damascus. We know how that story plays out… imperfectly on Abrams side, but the promise is still good because of God.

Today we are heirs to that same promise in Christ.

This covenant too is pretty God sided.  For that gift and these other children of God, these heirs I get to help raise in the grace and love of God, I give thanks.

 

WILDERNESS – ISAIAH 41:14-20

Ok, so I definitely didn’t take this picture today. Its been one of those days… busy, and quite frankly when I quickly looked at my devotional for the word for the day, I looked at the wrong day. So you get this photo which I included in the devotional.  (You can find that here.)

I took this picture in Sedona Arizona near the Chapel of the Cross in an area that is undeniably wilderness, akin to the wilderness spoken of in our reading today from Isaiah.

You can almost get chapped lips reading this passage, so dry!  But that is not the end, the thirst will be quenched and more than that new life will flow, and the wilderness will bloom and grow!

How many times have I been in dry places in my life, where injustice, hate, doubt and fear dry me up.  There have been moments when I thought I would spiritually if not physically die of thirst, that my soul would never bloom and grow again.

In the waters of baptism, God comes to us as the prophet Isaiah came to God’s people long ago and offered a word of hope, no, more than that a word wet with promise. Things will not stay parched, in fact, there will be new life, and things that you never imagined could happen will happen, like a cedar growing in a wasteland.

STEADFAST – PSALM 21

Steadfast is one of those words that has become a favorite of mine.  The reason I chose this photo for today is how I feel about the word steadfast.  Look at those roots, they do not run deep, they can’t but boy do they run… all over the place. There is no nook or cranny near the shore that doesn’t have roots running all over it.   For these cedars to live and grow, they have to have roots to keep them steadfast.  The winds from Lake Michigan can blow pretty hard and while a deep root might provide some stability there is nothing like a broad base for stability in the face of a storm.

I love this line from our Psalm today:

For the king trusts in the Lord, and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved.

The steadfast love of the Most High… now there are some roots.  Through this love, God enables us to not only survive the storms of life but to grow through them as well.  You will note the trees are not perfect, they are bent, they have limbs sticking out in odd places, not perfect, but boy do they have character!  That character bears witness to the storms each tree has endured and the steadfast nature of God’s love for us.

 

PRAYER – ACTS 1:12-17

For our theme word today of “Prayer,” it was a toss up between this picture which I included in the devotional, or one of my pillow… this one is by far more interesting!

I could have used my pillow very easily for “Prayer” because that is where I do most of my focused prayer… well it starts as focused anyway.  But I used this one because I pass this place at least 4 times a day on average. I have been honored to be a part of many burials here, and so when I drive by, my mind and spirit are jogged and prayers flow.

It’s not morbid nor do I offer prayers only prayers for the families and loved ones of the the dead. But this place serves as a trigger to remind me to pray. In fact, I almost missed this picture as I was in prayer on my way to work one morning this fall and I saw this scene unfold before me as I rounded the corner.  I quickly grabbed my phone and frantically snapped a few shots as there was no traffic around me at that time.

Likely if I know you in real life, I have had a reason to pray for you, and it likely has happened here… between the cemeteries on Dewey Ave. If not here… well then I have prayed for you here… but that is likely a reflection for another day.

Finally in our reading today, the disciples prayed, they did so in places that triggered that behavior.  Did you notice it, they were at the Mt. of Olives… Jesus had prayed there… so they did too… they returned to the upper room… yes that upper room and they prayed more because that is what Jesus did there as well.

Where do you pray and do you have any prayer triggers?  Do you pray in ways  or in places that you think are pretty unique to you?  I’d love to you hear your thoughts… include them in the comments below if you so choose!

 

 

ESCAPE – PSALM 124

So here is the finished product.  Tada!  But here is the deal, it is more than a bench, there is a reason other than showing off that I have posted this picture for today’s Advent theme word.

But first a minor detour.

Here you will see stages along the way…

So here is the thing.  It is a nice looking bench, and I think it is all my wife and I thought it would be when we started it.  They key here is started.  That first picture on top, yeah, that was in April I believe, maybe May… seven months ago.

This project was not at all that difficult, nor time consuming.  We started this project once opposite side parking was done, and now we had to finish it before it kicks back in tomorrow!  All summer we let it slide, and every time I went into the garage, there it sat a reminder of its incompleteness. It got to the point where this simple and good project became a snare for my soul.  I felt dread as I walked past it for months on end.  Finally, my wife and I talked about it, and together we finished this project up.

Unless your life is quite different from mine, we don’t often have to worry about an onslaught of enemies attacking us, threatening to overwhelm us like a flood. But there are times… oh there are times when we feel overwhelmed, attacked and caught in a trap.  Maybe it is as simple as an unfinished project in the garage, or maybe it is much more complicated like an incomplete and broken relationship with a family member, friend or colleague.

Again unless your life is quite different from mine, you too know the feeling of being under attack, of being overwhelmed, of being prey clutched in the teeth of a predator.  The Psalm for today reminds us that we are not alone in these times.  God is with us, more than that God frees us from snares of fear and hatred, God pulls us from the flood of criticism and self-doubt and sets us free.

Fear not! “Our help is in the name of the Lord,  who made heaven and earth.” – Psalm 124

Adopted

It is all done but the counting.  The results are not in yet. But I am going to bed soon it has been a long day.  I will wake in the morning and likely find out then who has won.  Then I will let the puppies out to do their morning thing… after all three of them have finished I will sit with a cup of coffee and read the stories.

After getting my wife out the door to work, I will shower, and get into the office where I am sure there will be some conversation, but there is confirmation to prepare to teach, and devotions to finish writing and a wedding to prepare for as well.  There will be much to do tomorrow.

You see no matter who wins; life will go on.  There will be love to be shared, injustices to be rectified, hope to be given, and reconciliation to be nurtured. Through it all, good and bad, God’s grace flows.

Fear paralyzes, it prevents, it enslaves us.  As Christians we have been freed, adopted into God’s family where we can call upon God as “daddy” trusting to be heard, trusting that God’s kingdom comes and we ask that it come amoung us in all we say and do no matter who is presidentAAd.

Peace be with you.

 

Not one second more…

So as I have had to pull myself away from social media for a moment, (my head and heart are in pain! I couldn’t take one second more.), I felt the need to write.  This day before the election it is getting thick with angst out there.  Good, thoughtful, faithful people are freaking out, fear and worry are all over the place, and so you get our verse today.  If a passage from Philippians isn’t enough, Jesus had a word about this as well.

If a passage from Philippians isn’t enough, Jesus had a word about this as well.

Who among you by worrying can add a single moment to your life? Matthew 6:27

I might also add who among you by worrying can change the outcome of a presidential election?

Fear has driven so much bad behavior this election. No, not of the candidates so much as their supporters.

Every rumor, every possible slight and exaggerated position from Hilter to Satan has ben used to label these candidates.  To you who consider yourselves to be Christian if you have invoked any of this fear and hate based nonsense on social media or in conversation with anyone… Shame on you!  I am dead serious.

I don’t say that lightly and don’t give me its proven crud… I am fresh out of tinfoil hats.

I take some solace in all of this, for God has long had to struggle with his sinful children in this regard.  I can only imagine the divine eye roll we are getting right now.  God has in no uncertain terms told us to knock this crap off.  It is one of the ten commandments for Pete’s sake.

Don’t know which one?  Well, it is in Exodus 20:16 (2016 nifty little coincidence don’t you think?) It goes this way:

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

FYI Both Hillary and Donald are your neighbors, and there is nowhere you can move that will change that.

Come Tuesday go and vote if you haven’t. Vote for whomever you believe will be the best President and leave the rest to God.

By that evening we will likely have a new President-Elect. I will pray for both the sitting President and the President-Elect. I will pray for their wellbeing; I will pray that they are kept safe and lead well. I have prayed this way for Democrats and Republican Presidents. Not only that I will pray for people who feel like they were not heard, and people who are rejoicing. That is the way prayer is supposed to work I believe, and I invite you to do the same.

Dear brothers and sisters, take this to heart, no matter who wins, grace and peace are yours in Christ Jesus and, may the peace of God which surpasses all understanding be with you now and forever.

Amen.

 

 

 

Peace, be still!

Right now the fear on social media is palpable. From both the Trump and Clinton camps and their supporters, I see a steady stream of irrational fear.

It is not bad enough that each candidate has “issues” but those issues put trough the lens of fear produce nothing but toxic by-products.  Now if you are reading this, you might be one of these folks.  I love you I really do, and if I follow you on social media we have some form of relationship, and I am asking you to pull it all back a notch or two (dozen).

The name calling, the disrespect, the innuendo and manufactured falsehoods that fit your agenda and support your arguments are all driven out of fear.

Stop it. Vote your conscience, discuss issues rationally, love one another. You may call this naive, that’s fine I can deal with that.

Now I am quite sure if you have partaken in this war of words, you might call these fears rational ones.  But that is the case when you are whipped into a frenzy by the storms that often surround us.

I know I have been there. I have made mountains out of molehills all for the sake of the “truth” or being “right.”  It is not hard to do, and when you are doing it, it feels like its the right thing to do in the midst of the storms of life and election year politics.

On Wednesday we will likely have a new President Elect. I will pray for that person no matter who they are.  I will support them where I can, and where their ideas conflict with mine, I will pray, and do what I can to help find an alternate plan. Once this election is done, we will go back to being coworkers, neighbors and quite frankly children of God which despite our behavior we have been all along.

Into the midst of all this fear, I believe that Jesus has a word for us. Peace, be still. No matter who wins the election God is in control, God is sovereign, and you no matter how powerful or well intended, are not. Do the good that you can do, leave the evil and the hate by the curb and walk into the calm of God’s grace for all.

May God bless America, not because it is America, but because we are part of God’s good creation, may we be blessed so that we, in turn, may be a blessing to others, even if they don’t vote the way we did.