For me, a key point ...

Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol;

Death shall be their shepherd;

straight to the grave they descend,

and their form shall waste away;

Sheol shall be their home.

But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol,

for he will receive me.

Psalm 49:14-15

This psalm is a call to us, to me, when we are facing troubling times. The psalmist is daring enough to ask, "Why should I fear in times of trouble?" For him, the trouble does seem to at least be in part a financial one. Here are the reasons I see this in this psalm ...

• he talks to both the poor and rich;
• he states that those who trust in their wealth are trusting in the wrong thing;
• he admits that even the wealthiest people die and leave their wealth behind to others; and,
• he stresses that God will ransom his soul and receive him.

For me, one key point of this psalm is financial wealth can be good but never as good as one's relationship with God, neighbor, enemy and self because the financial wealth has an end while love relationships with others has an everlasting side to it.

I invite you to read all of Psalm 49 with this in mind.

Reflections on the resurrection of Jesus ...

Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the LORD, because you know that in the LORD your labor is not in vain!
(1 Corinthians 15:58)

These words conclude the chapter in which Paul writes what I call reflections upon the impact of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ on our daily lives. Such words seeks to give me hope when all seems hopeless. Because as I have often said, but not every moment listen to, "If God raised Jesus, His everlasting Son, from the dead there is no limit on the good can do for us but us!"

Well, maybe I will listen to my own words today.

And I invite you to listen to them as well.

steadfast love ...

But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God.

I trust in the steadfast love of God for ever and ever.

I will thank you for ever, because of what you have done.

In the presence of the faithful I will proclaim your name, for it is good.

Psalm 52:8-9

To be honest, I wonder if the writer of this psalm had observed an olive tree had unexpectedly taken root in a house of God in Israel, or was it placed near a synagogue on purpose. Irregardless, these words spoke to me this morning.

Olive trees are those trees that can last for centuries. It is estimated that some of them in Israel were alive at the time of Jesus Christ 2000 years ago!

That word "steadfast" is placed with the love of God constantly in Scripture -- the love that never ends ... never gives up. So thanksgiving is quite natural for such a love.

And, of course, the reflection on nature (the olive trees), and the steadfast love of God moves the writer to tell of that sure love of God: "I will proclaim your name for it is good".

May you, too, sense the steadfast ... unending ... love of God today.

a word of praise

Happy are those who consider the poor; the Lord delivers them in the day of trouble. The Lord protects them and keeps them alive; they are called happy in the land. You do not give them up to the will of their enemies. The Lord sustains them on their sickbed; in their illness you heal all their infirmities.
Psalm 41:1-3

I praise God that more and more Arlington UMC are those who "consider the poor". Added most recently has been a Sunday morning breakfast (8:30 AM) that is free to our guest.

Taking our spiritual pulse

Judges 1-3 was of my readings this morning. In them there is this recurrent pattern:

1. God leads his people;
2. They follow God for a while;
3. And then they don't live up to their trust in God by worshiping idols of their own work;
4. Therefore, 'the anger of the LORD is kindled';
5. National tragedy occurs;
6. Israel repents turning to God;
7. He sends them a human deliverer;
8. They praise God;
9. God leads his people ...

And then again they follow God for a while.

For me the central consistency to this pattern is ...

• God allows Israel and all human beings freedom to love him or turn away from him;
• God loves Israel like a good parent who disciplines his child in a healthy way;
• God just sticks with us in spite of us.

This causes me to say to God, "Thank you for sticking with me! Just may I always be following you!"

May you and I both keep taking our spiritual pulse -- how well we are relating to God!

Promises of God

Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan and made his offspring many. I gave him Isaac ...

Joshua 24:3

Joshua 24 is a brief summary of the first six books of the Hebrew Bible ... the Old Testament. This summary speaks of Israel, Abraham's family. It begins by mentioning Abraham who lived 2000 BC and God promised him a gift of land for his family. As always God kept, and still keeps, his promise. But the fulfillment of his promise to Abraham was not fulfilled until around 1300 BC when his descendants entered the "promised land". Although waiting 700 years for a promise to be kept in the human family is 'forever' I suppose when you have an everlasting life like God 700 years is like taking a deep breath.

In this I am assured that in God's timeline God continues to eventually keep his promises.

a question ...

Today's economy is definitely a time of testing. It can add tension to life. The confidence I receive in a time of testing is along this line ...

"No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it" (1 Corinthians 10:13).

So I continue to ask this question during this time of economic testing,

"In this time, what is God calling me to accomplish?"

For me such a question helps keep my focus on Jesus, my friends, family, community, and untimately the world.

Taking a deep breath

Am I not free? Am I not an apostle?

Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?

If I am not an apostle to others, at least I am to you;

for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

1 Corinthians 9:1-2

This pushed me to personally ask one question. It is this:

If the believing communities I have served are the seal of my apostleship,

do they confirm that I am really of the apostolic ministry?

Let's just say, this question just makes me take a deep breath.

Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.

Anyone who claims to know something does not yet have the necessary knowledge;

but anyone who loves God is known by him.

(1 Corinthians 8:1b-3)

All animals can learn in one way or another. I saw this in how the good behavior of the inside dog of my son and his family. Our daughter in law told us that in the "dog world" the leader goes first. We heard this statement when as we were walking inside their house, my wife was trying to coerce the dog to enter first. The dog refused to do so. He had been trained to follow. In the dog world, leaders lead and followers follow so their dog has been lovingly taught to follow.

I suppose virtually all animals can learn but reasoning is the exceptional part of the human race. United Methodist recognize that in what we call the "quadrilateral" which is made up of Scripture, Tradition, Experience and Reason. We believe this:

• Scripture is the primary way that God teaches us, but in order to do so he also uses,
• tradition (what we have learned from God over the centuries as the human family);
• experience (of God in the midst of the daily life of both an individual and a community); and,
• reason (how our thoughts and actions are to be shaped in order to improve our following of God).

And, like Paul, we recognize that what we are taught is less knowledge than it is on how to have a higher quality love for God, neighbor, enemy, and self.

But each has a particular gift from God,

one having one kind and another a different kind.

(1 Corinthians 7:7b),

Wife, for all you know, you might save your husband.

Husband, for all you know, you might save your wife.

(1 Corinthians 7:16)

However that may be,

let each of you lead the life that the Lord has assigned,

to which God called you.

(1 Corinthians 7:17a)

Or do you not know that your body is a temple* of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

To Praise ...

But I am lowly and in pain; let your salvation, O God, protect me.

I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving. This will please the Lord more than an ox or a bull with horns and hoofs. Let the oppressed see it and be glad; you who seek God, let your hearts revive. For the Lord hears the needy, and does not despise his own that are in bonds.

(Psalm 69:29-33)

What a mix! The psalmist moves from "I am lowly and in pain" to "I will praise God with thanksgiving"! Such is life that moves ...

• from a funeral to a wedding;
• from a visitation with those who are dying to going to be with parents of a healthy newborn child;
• from a person who lost a job to a person who has just found one; and,
• from a family who is financially behind to a family who has just paid off their home.

Today, because the 69th Psalm is filled with the positive and negatives of life I found today that it has spoken to me. So I am moving from lowly to praise.

Just a small discovery ...

I have often wondered biblical reasons for our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters referring to their priest as "Father ...". And then this morning I read verses that I have read a number of times before and the word "father" stuck out to me. I have italicized the words in the verses below that came out to me.

I am not writing this to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For though you might have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers.

Indeed, in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.

I appeal to you, then, be imitators of me.

(1 Corinthians 4:14-16).

From my perspective priest are spiritual mentors to those to whom they are "father". They are those who assist the ones they are mentoring walk closer with God. Such we are called to be as well.

What a scene!

Then Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab, at the Lord’s command. He was buried in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor, but no one knows his burial place to this day. Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died; his sight was unimpaired and his vigour had not abated. The Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab for thirty days; then the period of mourning for Moses was ended.

(Deuteronomy 34:5-8)

I do love the scenes where God gets his hands dirty and, for me, this is one of those scenes. Although the text does not directly say it, the implication is that God buries Moses because in his moment of death Moses is alone with God! The scene of burial I picture are those that I saw years ago when the preparation and filling of the burial plot was done by hand. Can you picture the scene I do with the loving God shoveling the stone and dirt as he buries one who has striven to follow God each day! (Another scene that pictures God as one who works with his hands is when God kneels and molds humans from dirt in Genesis 2:7.)

Such a God-story speaks of God who so loves us that he handles a shovel. That, by itself, is a demonstration of God's unceasing love to me.

LORD God, praise you for such hand-working love!

How do you see the working hands of God in your own life?

S.O.A.P.Y.

Scripture: Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to perish. But we speak God’s wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. (1 Corinthians 2:6-8)

Observation: In Paul's letters of the New Testament, God's wisdom may even be equivalent to human foolishness. Here are a few examples. God creates the universe out of nothing. God's light shines even when all is darkness. God gives life to his Son who has died. God gives life through the death of his Son.

Application: To consider what foolishness God has for us to accomplish.

Prayer: LORD Jesus, wisdom of God in the flesh: Praise to you for enduring Incarnation and Death. Honor to the God the Father and Spirit in your Resurrection. When your wisdom asks death of me, may Your Spirit give me what it takes for my will to die each day into your will. Life is your Gift. Indeed, Life is your Name. Amen.

Yield: LORD, how may my will die for you today?

Waiting for the Lord ...

I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry.

Psalm 40:1

When I read all of the fortieth psalm I sensed a writer who had experienced God in all parts of life, good and bad, full and empty, joyous and depressing. Here are some examples of the psalmist God-experience.

• God has 'set his/her feet upon a rock, making steps secure',
• There are advantages of trusting God when times are tough and when times are grand,
• The realization that the deepest sacrifices to God are not large gifts of things but the gift of a life lived to love God, neighbor, enemy and self ... self always last so that one may love one's self.

As the writer records, "I delight to do your will, O my God, your law is within my heart" (v. 8). There are times when doing the will of God to love are tough. But much more often loving can be an easy choice.

So LORD God, thanks for those easy choices to love. Such encourages me to make the tougher loving choices.

May God give you the grace, or mercy, to make the tougher loving choices as well.

The secret things ...

Scripture: The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the revealed things belong to us and to our children for ever, to observe all the words of this law. (Deuteronomy 29:29).

Observation: Chapter 28 is full of blessings and curses dependant on the trust and obedience of the people of God. Chapter 29 recalls how God has provided for his people and such includes a call to worship God.

Application: to rest assured of God's good work.

Prayer: Lord God, use your providence to care for all.

Yield: Seek to discern how God is caring for you today.

I waited patiently ...

I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry.

(Psalm 40:1)

God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

(1 Corinthians 1:9)

It is enough to say this morning, O LORD, that even in those moments that I have had to wait on you, you have been faithful. Praise to you!

You are invited to

Arlington United Methodist Church

1360 Murfreesboro Road

Nashville, Tennessee 37217

http://www.arlington.org/

Set me free ...

Slaves who have escaped to you from their owners shall not be given back to them. They shall reside with you, in your midst, in any place they choose in any one of your towns, wherever they please; you shall not oppress them. (Deuteronomy 23:15-16)

Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to beings that by nature are not gods. Now, however, that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and beggarly elemental spirits? How can you want to be enslaved to them again? (Galatians 4:8-9)

This morning these two readings stuck out to me. The first one was written after God had delivered Israel from their enslavement to Egypt. This is known as the Exodus story, and after the Exodus Israel is always to remember that God has set them free. Even today when such is remembered it is we (us right now) who were slaves in Egypt and God has set us free!

Now Paul was Jewish leader. And when he wrote Galatians talking of the event of Jesus' death and resurrection his conversation is definitely shaped by his memory of God setting Israel free. So he refers to people before they come to Jesus as 'enslaved', and after they come to Jesus as free.

Lord Jesus, set me free from whatever chains me today. Amen.

Good as a gift ...

Just as Abraham ‘believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness’ ...

Galatians 3:6

In the world today we are those who, overall, believe that we must work and earn all the good(s) we receive. For me, a higher quality sermon must be worked at, a quality time together must be focused upon for as always a personal quality product is the goal. Yes, such is true. Such should be worked toward. Yet, God is One who does not do all through human works even of the highest good. Even my best works do not compare with one good deed done by God.

Such is a significant part of what Paul's thinking when he wrote Galatians so with that thought in mind today I will focus outside myself asking: What good work of God will I see today?

I encourage you to begin your day with that question as well.

It is for you, O Lord that I wait ...

But it is for you, O Lord, that I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer. Psalm 38:15

There have been many times in life when I just do not want to wait. In confession, as a preacher I feel interior pressure when a "rough draft" of the sermon has not come together relatively early in the week. First choice for me is to have a rough draft completed by mid-day on Tuesday!

But there are some weeks when the sermon never really is written out or even outlined well. The prayers have been said, the reading has been done, the toying with words has been played, but seemingly no finished result! Yet it has been in these weeks that I have found that the sermon has surprising effective results. The Spirit of God certainly can work through the my reading, research, reflection, writing, but there are moments when the Spirit of God has to work around them.

Such, for me, is another reminder by God that it is God, not me, who completes the work. Still, it is for you, O LORD, that I wait.

You belong to God ... you are precious to him.

For you are a people holy to the Lord your God; it is you the Lord has chosen out of all the peoples on earth to be his people, his treasured possession.

Deuteronomy 14:2

This week I am joining with the Board of Ministry playing a part with the decisions of whether or not persons are ready for ordination. We are exploring areas such as their call, gifts, and theology.

Please keep us in your prayers that our decisions as to whether or not persons are ready for the next or final step in ordination will be as God desires.

May it be the same for you

It is Monday again and if you are like me, your week was planned out yesterday or it will be planned out this morning. Details are important in the planning process at least for me.

So it has always been with the people of God. I was reminded of this as I read from Deuteronomy this morning.

"Take care that you do not offer your burnt-offerings at any place you happen to see. But only at the place that the Lord will choose in one of your tribes—there you shall offer your burnt-offerings and there you shall do everything I command you."
Deuteronomy 12:13-14

Details were important for the place of offerings because back then high places such as hills were also used as the place to sacrifice to idols. Therefore if a believer in God was on the wrong hill offering a sacrifice to God they might be seen as the worshiper of idols. So for me on Sunday afternoon or Monday morning it is important for me to see that this week I will be in the right places at the right times. Such is keeping focus on where God wants me.

May it be the same for you this week.

Deuternonmy 8:11-20

Take care that you do not forget the Lord your God, by failing to keep his commandments, his ordinances, and his statutes, which I am commanding you today. When you have eaten your fill and have built fine houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks have multiplied, and your silver and gold is multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied, then do not exalt yourself, forgetting the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, an arid waste-land with poisonous snakes and scorpions. He made water flow for you from flint rock, and fed you in the wilderness with manna that your ancestors did not know, to humble you and to test you, and in the end to do you good. Do not say to yourself, ‘My power and the might of my own hand have gained me this wealth.’ But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, so that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your ancestors, as he is doing today. If you do forget the Lord your God and follow other gods to serve and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish. Like the nations that the Lord is destroying before you, so shall you perish, because you would not obey the voice of the Lord your God.

Face to face ...

"The LORD spoke with you face to face at the mountain, out of the fire"

Deuteronomy 5:4

Moses had a particular privilege of being with God. He would go to places like a mountain or a tabernacle tent-dwelling of God in order to talk with God face to face. Outside of Jesus, the Son of God, Moses was one of the few human beings that was able to have such a close relationship with God.

For me experiences of "having conversation with God" occurs in various ways. One experience occurred this past Sunday. We served a free breakfast in church and one family came as our guest. For me, conversations with them as well as other experiences in life could have well been "conversations with God". For me, there are also moments when God speaks through the silence of my reflection on events. And, of course, God also speaks through and around Scripture.

For me, a "face to face" with God moments are when the ways I think, believe, act, plan ... are challenged to change. Such is the work of God that always strives to encourage me to love more fully than I ever have before.

To seek a "face to face" moment with God, I invite you to ...

Arlington United Methodist Church (Worship: 10:00 AM; Community breakfast; 8:30 AM)

1360 Murfreesboro Road

(between Briley Parkway and the airport runway)

Nashville, Tennessee 37217

(615) 361-4896

arlingtonum.org

Watch yourself!

"Watch yourself!" -- so was the comment that my parents used to say when my behavior was pushing the limits. Such is a common theme in daily life. Jesus himself said, 'Don't focus too much on evaluating other people because if you do, you will do a poor job of evaluating yourself'. Leadership materials all stress the self-evaluation. Such is following after the mind of God. Moses recognized this when he said, "... just as the Lord my God has charged me ,"

"... take care and watch yourselves closely,

so as neither to forget the things that your eyes have seen

nor to let them slip from your mind all the days of your life;

make them known to your children and your children’s children—

how you once stood before the Lord your God at Horeb ...

Deuteronomy 4:9-10a

The Evangelistic Love of God and Neighbor

I just finished reading a book with that title by Scott Jones. Now as his extensive bibliography shows he does explore evangelism in biblical and theological ways. Yet his title keeps it simple evangelism as loving God and neighbor.

As he defines it, evangelism is "that set of loving, intentional activities governed by the goal of initiating persons into Christian discipleship in response to the reign of God" (p. 114).

For my years as a pastor that is so true for you don't start by telling a person of the love of Jesus. Instead, you start by treating people as if they were your best friends. Listening, walking with them, helping them, having meals with them, becoming their friend. And as they are opening well to you you tell them of how the LORD Jesus has been of help to you. Such opens the door to lead them into a life of following Christ.

Forgiveness and Jesus demand ...

Jesus was a person that was both understanding as well as demanding. To the people who knew less of what loving God, neighbor, self and enemy he was understanding. To those who knew more of what love meant he was demanding.

He constantly proclaimed the forgiving love of God. Yet that forgiving love that came freely had a demand that those who love God strive to live out that love and forgiveness. I have a hunch that Jesus had this in mind when he said,

‘Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.’ (Mark 11:25). This thought also occurs in the LORD'S prayer that is constantly prayed in the church, for in it are the words: "forgive our trespasses as we forgive those who have trespassed against us".

Yes Jesus loves us just because he loves us. Yet his love has a demand that we strive to love as well.

Keep us in prayer ...

Then Jesus said to him, "What do you want me to do for you?"
The blind man said to him, "My teacher, let me see again."
Mark 10:51

Arlington United Methodist Church is presently working upon what we call the vision of our church. Our vision is what we discern our purpose is in the eyes of God. Now God is a God of reality so what we have done is research the demographics of our church and community, interview community leaders, persons who have transferred in or out of our church in the last five years, and given a congregational questionnaire. We have also studied the book of Acts which tells the story of the early church. All of this will "help us see again" Jesus' vision for AUMC.

Keep us in prayer.

I believe, help my unbelief ...

This morning in the Scripture lessons I read I identified most with the words of a father whose child needed to be healed by Jesus. He openly says to Jesus, "if you are able, heal my child". To that Jesus replies, "...if you are able?--all things can be done for one who believes!" And to that the father says,

"I believe, help my unbelief" (Mark 9:24b)

So many times I am in the same state as the father. I do believe in Jesus that he can do anything good in the eyes of God. Yet there are those moments when I wonder if I believe enough that Jesus will work though me.

The first Sunday in Lent ...

"Then he began to teach them (his followers)

that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering ..."

(Mark 8:31a)

Two brilliant Christian theologians come to mind when it comes to suffering. One is Jurgen Moltmann whose focus is on the suffering of God caused by his rebellious creation.

The other is the Christian theologian who is his wife Elisabeth Moltmann-Wendel who focuses on the friendship of God. She does so for the reason that if we focus too much on a suffering God that such may be used to justify making others (that we see as evil) suffer.

I can hear from both sides. Jurgen would say that Jesus suffered to demonstrate the love of God for all the world, but such does not justify suffering at all. And would say to those who do and do not suffer, "God is your friend".

Your friend, Jesus, suffered for you. Such is the message of the Christian season of Lent that began this past Wednesday and will last (excluding Sundays on which the resurrection of Jesus is always to be celebrated) until Easter Sunday.