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July 6 Worship

6/30/2014

In this Sunday's Gospel (Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30) Jesus mentions how we have been entrusted with the "secrets" pertaining to the kingdom. I like how this is phrased as Jesus spoke to the crowds and prayed,
"I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants..." (verse 25)

Yes, there is wisdom that has been imparted to us as we have received the gospel and also the life-giving words of Jesus. We read toward the end of the lesson, "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (verses 28-30)

Think of this rest that comes from Jesus. It is meant to free us from relying on our own merits and accomplishments for our worth before God. Also, weariness might come from trying to set our own standards for being right with God. Or we might get caught up in being a perfectionist. Then, too, It might be in our own busyness that we have failed to get adequate rest to ponder the goodness of God. All of this can bring on fatigue and can weigh us down. The yoke of Jesus is easy because our relationship with God is tied in with his righteousness - not ours. There is a breath of fresh air that can come from looking to Jesus!

I would ask you to reflect on these words of Scripture in your preparation for Sunday's worship. I hope that you can find this rest for your soul.

Discipleship Questions for Reflection

Is there anything that might be weighing heavily on you as a burden at the present time?

How do you find the time to simply rest and ponder the greatness of God?

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June 29 Worship

6/23/2014

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This coming Sunday is a festival day in the church, which is Peter and Paul, Apostles. We come to honor these two followers of Jesus and reflect on their faith and contribution. It's interesting that they are paired together; they differed in educational level and also in temperament. They do teach us about the diversity of people whom God uses!

Our First Reading from Acts 12 deals with Peter in prison. The text reads: "While Peer was kept in prison, the church prayed fervently to God for him." Then an angel of the Lord appeared to free Peter from his chains. He then leaves the prison believing that he must be seeing a vision. Note here that the church prayed for him. We can never discount the power of the church praying for someone who is in need.

The Second Reading is from 2 Timothy where Paul mentions to Timothy that he is coming to the end his life: "As for me I am already being poured out as a libation and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." Would you be able to have this same confidence at the end of your life?

Yes, these two servants of the Lord did meet up on several occasions. At one time their was a major disagreement over eating in the presence of Gentiles.

Needless to say, both of them had their trying times in doing the Lord's work. Yet, they endured until the end and to receive their reward of eternal life.

Discipleship Questions for Reflection

Do you find it hard sometimes "keeping the faith" in your own life?

What kind of resume would you want to see from someone wanting to be in the Lord's service?

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June 22 Worship

6/15/2014

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Talking about our faith can be a real challenge. When we bring up the topic of the church or even dare mention God or Jesus, we don't know how we will be received. What is holding us back is mainly our fear! This concern about our fear comes out in our Gospel reading for this Sunday, which is Matthew 10:24-39.

Yet, consider what Jesus says in our Gospel for this Sunday as we read his words to his disciples, "What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops." Matthew 10:27 Here we get the clear directive that we are not to withdraw and hide; rather, we are to enter the public square with our message! There might have been some reticence on the part of the disciples because of fear of rejection or even for their lives.

Jesus says further, "Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell." Matthew 10:28 Our fear needs to be less about what other people think and more about what God thinks!

Now, we do get comfort in our witnessing, when Jesus says "Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my father in heaven; but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven." We are those who have God standing behind us. It's all about who or what do we fear the most? Jesus gives us every reason to move forward and not be afraid to witness.

Please reflect on these words of Scripture and what might be your own "fear" regarding witnessing. Then, pray that you will be guided by the Holy Spirit to testify about your Lord.

Discipleship Questions for Reflection

Are there any fears that you have in your life that actually are greater than your fear of God?

Think of someone you know who is unchurched and how you might approach that person to talk about your church or your own faith.

Jesus talks about proclaiming his message from the housetops. What issues in the world might you be willing to address to others in the context of your faith?

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June 15 Worship

6/9/2014

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How do you end your letters? For a business letter, it might be "sincerely" or for a personal letter it might be "love." The apostle Paul ended his letter (2 Corinthians) with the words, "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you." These words will be the basis of my message on Sunday.

Paul had recognized that there was dissension within the church and also that there had been disagreement between himself and members of the church. Do you notice the impact that this kind of ending might make? It appeals to the favorable attributes of God that one needs to recognize and ought to influence our own way of living with one another in the church.

How powerful these very attributes are: grace, love, and communion.

1. We have received grace through Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, to reconcile us to God.
2. We have the love of God, which is the very nature of God, ever overflowing into our lives.
3. We have the abiding presence (communion) of the Holy Spirit within us as believers to help us follow Jesus' way of life.

Knowing that we have this kind of a God, we ought to be moved to live in peace with one another. Paul wrote just prior to his ending: "Put things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace..." 2 Cor. 13: 11.

Spend some time reflecting on these passages, and may your worship this coming Sunday be a blessing for you.

Discipleship Thoughts for Reflection

Think about all three persons in the Trinity - Father, Son, Holy Spirit, or Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer, and how they have all worked together for your salvation.

Can you think of a circumstance in the church today where this kind of "ending" might be influential and make an impact?

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June 8 Worship

6/2/2014

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Every once in a while I hear on the news regarding our economy that there is a shortage of skilled workers. Businesses are searching for people who have the skills in order to be creative and enable a business to prosper in today's competitive business climate. I wonder if we have the same mindset in the church today? Could there really be a shortage of skilled workers for the kingdom of God?

On this Pentecost Sunday, we would do well to remember that God has equipped the church with everything that is necessary for it to function - even in today's world. The church has become a powerful community through various gifts - given to each believer - in order to have the church function in bringing the kingdom to others.

The words of our reading for this Sunday are:

"Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit, and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord, and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses." 1 Corinthians 12: 4-11 NRSV

The kinds of gifts given certainly go beyond just this list. What is important is that you recognize your giftedness! You have a role to play in God's great story involving the church. It's one thing to recognize your gift and another thing to actually be fully engaged in using it. Don't worry about what someone else has. You are a unique person created by God, and God has given to you what you can handle and have the potential for in the kingdom of God!

I hope that for this Sunday, you will meditate on these words of Scripture and can identify your giftedness. I look forward to this festival day in church and hope you will as well.

Discipleship Questions for Reflection

Do you know what your giftedness is by the Holy Spirit for the kingdom of God?

How much are you using that giftedness for the church and the world?

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July 6 Worship

June 29 Worship

June 22 Worship

June 15 Worship

June 8 Worship

I invite you to reflect on these words of Scripture in preparing for worship.

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