an impossible possibility ...

I attended a seminar on reconciliation in the local church. Honestly, my 33 year experience as a pastor is the church is a mixture of both good and evil. Any human organization is such, and because the church is a human community with a divine call to love God, neighbor, enemy and self our task without God is impossible. I was reminded of that impossible possibility this morning as I read Isaiah 57:14 which is ...

It shall be said,

"Build up, build up, prepare the way,

remove every obstruction from my people's way."

What an impossible possibility it is to remove every obstruction! It is impossible for humans alone, but possible only with God's help.

Just some words ...

Seek the Lord while he may be found,

call upon him while he is near;

let the wicked forsake their way,

and the unrighteous their thoughts;

let them return to the Lord,

that he may have mercy on them,

and to our God,

for he will abundantly pardon.

Just some words from Isaiah 55.

in God's house ...

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).

Spoke to me this morning so I just imagined what it is like to be literally in God's house. Take time and imagine.

Just Reflections ...

Just brief reflections on the human church with a divine calling while attending a summit on leadership through conflict ...

‘If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax-collector. Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.’

Matthew 18:15-20

Persistence and wisdom is needed for this to work.

Beginning and End

As the years pass, I can see even more how the New Testament, post-Jesus, part of Scripture is dependant upon familiarity with the Old Testament, pre-Jesus, Scripture. What I picked up on this morning was how Revelation 1:8,

"'I am the Alpha (first letter of the Greek alphabet)

and the Omega (last Greek letter)',

says the LORD God,

who is and was and who is to come, the Almighty"

picks up on these words of Isaiah 43:6 ...

Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel
and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:
I am the first and I am the last;
besides me there is no god.

May God be the beginning and end of my day today. And may it be so for you as well.

Water

Water is a necessary resource for without it all of the living creation on earth dies. I drink water to replenish my body. Such was so true yesterday as I drank eight cups of water during breaks from cutting our lawn as I always do with a push-mower. I also use water to bathe, wash cars, swim, cool off, and water our tomatoes so I use water in countless ways. All the ways that water is used helps me to identify the meaning of baptism which is the use of water in sprinkling, pouring or immersion as one unites for the first time with the Church. That is, through baptism God cleans our soul, nourishes us, enlivens us, provides for us, replenishes us. Peter reflected on my, and our, baptism when he wrote:

And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you—not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him.

(1 Peter 3:21-22).

See you this morning. Worship hour is at 10:00 AM.

enough said...

He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.

For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.

1 Peter 2:24-25

See you tomorrow.

vows ...

Make vows to the LORD your God ...

(Psalm 76:11a)

The LORD keeps his vows

Trust in the LORD'S instruction.

May something like this ...

All I could think of this morning is may something like this be said of me ...

"Hezekiah did this throughout all Judah; he did what was good and right and faithful before the Lord his God. And every work that he undertook in the service of the house of God, and in accordance with the law and the commandments, to seek his God, he did with all his heart; and he prospered." (2 Chronicles 31:20-21)

Taking a down day ...

Yesterday, I had a down day. Such is crucial and healthy. We had a brunch, took care of some tasks at home, and today I feel full of energy once again.

Such is necessary for wrestling with life.

Dreaming of heaven ...

A highway shall be there,

and it shall be called the Holy Way;

the unclean shall not travel on it,

but it shall be for God’s people;

no traveller, not even fools, shall go astray.

No lion shall be there,

nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it;

they shall not be found there,

but the redeemed shall walk there.

And the ransomed of the Lord shall return,

and come to Zion with singing;

everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;

they shall obtain joy and gladness,

and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Isaiah 35:8-10

A word of praise

Scripture: For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength ... The Egyptians are human, and not God ... Turn back to him whom you have deeply betrayed, O people of Israel. (Isaiah 30:15; 31:3a, 6).

Observation: The historical setting for this is that Israel is being invaded by the Babylonian army. Now they should be trusting God's deliverance but they are turning to the Egyptian army for help in their defense.

Application: Remember that it is indeed God who saves. Yes, he may use other humans, but it is God.

Prayer: LORD Jesus who has saved us all: Praise to Your Name. Now please pleasantly remind me on whom I depend -- on you. Thanks again, John.

Yield: Allow Jesus to lead you today.

A call ..

Trust in the Lord for ever,
for in the Lord God
you have an everlasting rock.
My soul yearns for you in the night,
my spirit within me earnestly seeks you.

Isaiah 26:4, 9a

Hanging in there ...

Scripture: Consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinners, such hostility from sinners against himself from sinners, so that you may not grow weary or lose heart. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. (Hebrews 12:3-4)

Observation: Evidently, at the time of the writing of Hebrews some were toughing it out with Christ while others were walking away from Christ in order to avoid persecution.

Application: Hang in there with Jesus all the time so that when tough times come, you will already be in the habit of doing so.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, praise your name for hanging in there. Now may I hang in there with you as well.

Yield: ... to Jesus

How did you do that?

When I ask someone the question, "How did you do that?" I expect to hear about planning, study, training, procedure, tools, time, etc.

But the Bible is one of those curious books. In Hebrews, chapter 11, the writer is actually writing our a very brief history of God's people. For example, he summarizes the first five books of the Bible in the opening twenty-two verses! And, as he begins the story of the good works of the star characters he says: "By faith ..."

That would be like me saying ...

• By faith I got up;
• By faith I cleaned up;
• By faith I ate breakfast;
• By faith I added to my facebook;
• By faith I blogged;
• By faith ...

Scripture wants to impress on us that there is absolutely nothing good we can do without trusting God for faith is simply trusting God so much that it spills over into good works for God, neighbor, enemy and self.

When times get tough ...

But recall those earlier days when, after you had been enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to abuse and persecution, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion for those who were in prison, and you cheerfully accepted the plundering of your possessions, knowing that you yourselves possessed something better and more lasting. Do not, therefore, abandon that confidence of yours; it brings a great reward. For you need endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. (Hebrews 10:32-36)

Just waiting ...

Waiting ... just waiting ...

Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him (Hebrews 9:28).

Just wondering ...

John Wesley was, of course, the founder of the Methodist way ... a method of people meeting together to do spiritual checkups on each other. So I thought of his last words which were "God is with us" today because I read them in Isaiah 8. Was the victory of God as follows on his mind in his dying moments?

Band together, you peoples, and be dismayed;
listen, all you far countries;
gird yourselves and be dismayed;
gird yourselves and be dismayed!
Take counsel together, but it shall be brought to naught;
speak a word, but it will not stand,
for God is with us.

Isaiah 8:9-10

God's victory can be ours if only we trust that in the end all will be good because of Jesus Christ.

Worth the Reading ...

Over the years I have read quite a few leadership works. The one I have not yet finished I am already recommending. For those in the business world, the authors of the book I am reading recognize the well-researched leadership qualities highlighted by Jim Collins in his books Good to Great and Built to Last.

The authors of the book I presently reading are Harold Myra and Marshall Shelley. They write about a CEO named Billy Graham. The title of the book I am reading is The Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham. And, as is true in many of the works of the Graham association, there are "Leadership lessons" at the end of each chapter.

It is worth the reading for both method and motivation.

I have had a ball putting together tomorrow's sermon. It will be from the final chapter of Genesis in which Joseph's response to his brother's will help to answer the question:

How can our faltering economy be a means of grace,

a way God gets his grace to us?

See you then.

In preparation, I invite you to pause and listen to the sermon text:

Realizing that their father was dead, Joseph’s brothers said, ‘What if Joseph still bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong that we did to him?’

So they approached Joseph, saying, ‘Your father gave this instruction before he died, “Say to Joseph: I beg you, forgive the crime of your brothers and the wrong they did in harming you.” Now therefore please forgive the crime of the servants of the God of your father.’ Joseph wept when they spoke to him.

Then his brothers also wept, fell down before him, and said, ‘We are here as your slaves.’

But Joseph said to them, ‘Do not be afraid! Am I in the place of God? Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today. So have no fear; I myself will provide for you and your little ones.’ In this way he reassured them, speaking kindly to them.

Genesis 50:15-21

An invitation

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.

Worship the Lord with gladness;

come into his presence with singing.

Know that the Lord is God.

It is he that made us, and we are his;

we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,

and his courts with praise.

Give thanks to him, bless his name.

For the Lord is good;

his steadfast love endures for ever,

and his faithfulness to all generations.

Psalm 100

When I think of "heart" ...

In the Scripture lessons read on Tuesday one has stuck with me. It is as follows:

My flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever.
Indeed, those who are far from you will perish;

you put an end to those who are false to you.

But for me it is good to be near God;

I have made the Lord God my refuge,

to tell of all your works.

Psalm 73:26-28

When I think of "heart" I think of ...

• what is central such as "the heart of the matter";
• love as in "I love you with all my heart";
• hurting such as a 'broken heart';
• rhythm as in the beating of one's heart;
• a constant flow of not only the blood through the heart but of life in our experience;
• a consistent movement from tension to rest; and,
• a promise such as "I cross my heart".

So for me to say, God is the strength of my heart acknowledges that it takes the power of God to be or do or say anything from the heart. Indeed, for me it takes the power of God just for the heart to beat.

Challenge and support

Take care, brothers and sisters, that none of you may have an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today’, so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partners of Christ, if only we hold our first confidence firm to the end.
Hebrews 3:11b-14

The place where I see this come to the most in effect is in a covenant group I meet with every Thursday morning at 7:00 AM. We meet at a Shoney's. The day begins with sharing how God has been good to us in the past week, read aloud the coming sermon text, answer aloud questions to its application to our daily life, and make a covenant that we plan to keep by the next week's group meeting. We are those who seek to 'exhort one another every day ... we have become partners of Christ ..."

Such adds a lot to my life in both challenge and support.

Find a place where you, too, may meet with other Christians for both challenge and support in following Jesus Christ.

Thanks be to God ...

"Because he (Jesus) himself was tested by what he suffered,

he is able to help those who are being tested"

(Hebrews 2:18).

The writer of Hebrews is once again demonstrating that the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is to be the center of the Christian life. What this reminds me of is a church history professor that would always conclude his lectures by drawing a cross at the center of the blackboard saying once again, 'In spite of all of this, Christ is to be our center!'

In Hebrews 2 we see Christ-centeredness in words like these:

• Therefore we must pay greater attention to what we have heard (2:1a, referring to chapter one that speaks of the identity of Jesus);
• the message of the kingdom of God "was declared at first through the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard him..." (v. 3);
• we do see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honour because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone (v. 9);
• he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death (v. 14b-15).

What's the point of this? That, somehow or another, the life, death, and resurrection has prepared us for what we are to face each day ... even today.

And even more, that Jesus Christ is our reliable source of help. Turn to him, give him thanks, and walk with confidence.

Thanks be to God.

Good to hear ...

And, ‘In the beginning, Lord, you founded the earth,

and the heavens are the work of your hands;

they will perish, but you remain;

they will all wear out like clothing; like a cloak you will roll them up,

and like clothing they will be changed.

But you are the same, and your years will never end.’

(Hebrews 1:11-12)

Good to hear this morning.

For either those who lost your dad or had an abusive father

My dad died when I was twelve and he had just turned forty-six. So the story begins. At that age I did not yet know how to handle it. I remember that I did not cry. It just felt numb. Dad was a good father who took healthy time with his children. As examples: he took time for conversation; answered questions; gave good advice; helped us understand; listened as we practiced the piano; participated with us in church; and safely taught us how to do different practical things such as cut the grass.

In the last couple of years I have slowly come to realize that I needed to walk through the loss of my father again so I began in being counseled to read a book on the subject. The book I chose was by Beth M. Erickson entitled Longing for Dad: Father Loss and Its Impact. Dr. Erickson writes from her experience for her father died at the age of fifty when she was just nine. She admits that she first responded by "submerging her own needs and feelings" for such was encouraged in her family setting. Next, she tells of how she dealt with her loss in a more healthy way (8f). She uses her experiential pattern to write the rest of her book by noting negative responses to the death or abuse of a father followed by noting a number of different healthy ways of walking through such. She even touches on spiritual issues in the loss of a father. Just as a note, she became a family psychologist and divorce mediator.

This reading and reflection has been of help to me and I confess that I am now aching as if my father's death has just occurred. In one sense, the healing process continues. In another, it has just begun.

Titus 3:4-8a

But when the goodness and loving-kindness of God our Saviour appeared, 5he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. This Spirit he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Saviour, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. The saying is sure.

Enough said ...