Psalm 140
4 Guard me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
protect me from the violent
who have planned my downfall.
5 The arrogant have hidden a trap for me,
and with cords they have spread a net;*
along the road they have set snares for me.
It wouldn't be a far stretch to think that the psalmist is occasionally a little bit paranoid. Taken out of context, we could make ourselves believe that nothing really threatened the psalmist and that no one planned ill will. And yet, the struggles of the day were real, and the cries and prayers for help are real.
There are times when we all need to realize that no one is out to get us, no one is plotting to trip us. But when we have our fears, turning to the Lord is a good way to deal with our concerns.
Peace,
Pastor Jenn
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
ASLC Devotions-- Tuesday
Acts 12:1-11
7Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He tapped Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his wrists. 8The angel said to him, “Fasten your belt and put on your sandals.” He did so. Then he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.”
I wish an angel of the Lord would appear suddenly before me and tell me what to do. Yesterday's extended reading from Genesis also featured the assurance of an angel of the Lord to smooth the way for Abraham's servant. Angels of the Lord sure seem to make things easier for these folks, and appear at just the right time.
Before you get discouraged that the Lord has left you off the "In Need of an Angel Visit" list, I invite you today to think of the angels all around you. Maybe they aren't adorned in white with wings and cherubic faces. Perhaps they don't arrive with a light shining around them. Most likely they're wearing everyday clothing and have names like Joe or Linda or Jack or Betty.
Peace,
Pastor Jenn
7Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He tapped Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his wrists. 8The angel said to him, “Fasten your belt and put on your sandals.” He did so. Then he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.”
I wish an angel of the Lord would appear suddenly before me and tell me what to do. Yesterday's extended reading from Genesis also featured the assurance of an angel of the Lord to smooth the way for Abraham's servant. Angels of the Lord sure seem to make things easier for these folks, and appear at just the right time.
Before you get discouraged that the Lord has left you off the "In Need of an Angel Visit" list, I invite you today to think of the angels all around you. Maybe they aren't adorned in white with wings and cherubic faces. Perhaps they don't arrive with a light shining around them. Most likely they're wearing everyday clothing and have names like Joe or Linda or Jack or Betty.
Peace,
Pastor Jenn
Monday, June 28, 2010
ASLC Devotions -- Monday
Genesis 24:37-39
37My master made me swear, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live; 38but you shall go to my father’s house, to my kindred, and get a wife for my son.’ 39I said to my master, ‘Perhaps the woman will not follow me.’
The man speaking is the servant of Abraham and he is explaining why he has come to be among these people -- to retrieve a wife for Isaac. There are a couple of pieces about this story that interest me. First, the assertion that perhaps the woman would not go with him. Later, the question of actually going is posed to Rebekah and she is given the option between leaving at the moment or waiting a few days as her family proposes. She indicates she will go, but I marvel that she was presented with a choice.
Too often we paint with broad brushstrokes the stories that we know so well without reading them closely, or discovering new insights. What stories do you need to re-read with new eyes this week? What stories do you think you know so well that you don't bother reading them again?
Peace,
Pastor Jenn
37My master made me swear, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live; 38but you shall go to my father’s house, to my kindred, and get a wife for my son.’ 39I said to my master, ‘Perhaps the woman will not follow me.’
The man speaking is the servant of Abraham and he is explaining why he has come to be among these people -- to retrieve a wife for Isaac. There are a couple of pieces about this story that interest me. First, the assertion that perhaps the woman would not go with him. Later, the question of actually going is posed to Rebekah and she is given the option between leaving at the moment or waiting a few days as her family proposes. She indicates she will go, but I marvel that she was presented with a choice.
Too often we paint with broad brushstrokes the stories that we know so well without reading them closely, or discovering new insights. What stories do you need to re-read with new eyes this week? What stories do you think you know so well that you don't bother reading them again?
Peace,
Pastor Jenn
Friday, June 25, 2010
ASLC Devotions -- Friday
Galatians 4:9 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?
Paul writes to the congregation of Christians at Galatia to correct some things he's heard about them. The details of that are not what I want to write about today. I'm just struck by the way Paul writes... "Now, however, that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God..."
The phrase "I have come to know God" is familiar to us in our Christian culture. We talk about when we came to know God. Paul does the same thing.... but then corrects himself grammatically. He corrects himself and makes God the subject of the sentence, where God belongs.
It doesn't matter that much whether you know God. It doesn't matter that much ultimately what you know about God. What is of much more importance is what God knows about you. What matters is that God knows you are God's beloved child. You are God's redeemed. And God knows it.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
Visit http://aslcdevotions.blogspot for conversation and http://www.allsaintspalatine.org for more details on all our ministries. Worship with us this weekend at 5 pm Saturday and 9 am Sunday.
Paul writes to the congregation of Christians at Galatia to correct some things he's heard about them. The details of that are not what I want to write about today. I'm just struck by the way Paul writes... "Now, however, that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God..."
The phrase "I have come to know God" is familiar to us in our Christian culture. We talk about when we came to know God. Paul does the same thing.... but then corrects himself grammatically. He corrects himself and makes God the subject of the sentence, where God belongs.
It doesn't matter that much whether you know God. It doesn't matter that much ultimately what you know about God. What is of much more importance is what God knows about you. What matters is that God knows you are God's beloved child. You are God's redeemed. And God knows it.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
Visit http://aslcdevotions.blogspot for conversation and http://www.allsaintspalatine.org for more details on all our ministries. Worship with us this weekend at 5 pm Saturday and 9 am Sunday.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
ASLC Devotions -- Thursday
Malachi 3:4 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?
For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap;
Sometimes contact with God, the holy one of Israel, is a scary affair. When the prophet Isaiah encountered God in the temple, his tongue was burned with charcoal. When Moses met God on the mountain, his face and appearance were changed for life. God is different than we are. All of our attempts to talk about what God might look like, what it might be like to meet God face to face.... all of it is metaphor. We cannot describe, we cannot know what that encounter would be like.
But the image of fire is common. Malachi reminds us that fire does not only destroy. Fire makes things stronger. Fire changes and purifies metal. God changes and purifies us. It may be not be comfortable. It may not feel like what we were hoping for. But we will be changed by an encounter with the living God. And we will be stronger.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
Visit http://aslcdevotions.blogspot for conversation and http://www.allsaintspalatine.org for more details on all our ministries. Worship with us this weekend at 5 pm Saturday and 9 am Sunday.
For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap;
Sometimes contact with God, the holy one of Israel, is a scary affair. When the prophet Isaiah encountered God in the temple, his tongue was burned with charcoal. When Moses met God on the mountain, his face and appearance were changed for life. God is different than we are. All of our attempts to talk about what God might look like, what it might be like to meet God face to face.... all of it is metaphor. We cannot describe, we cannot know what that encounter would be like.
But the image of fire is common. Malachi reminds us that fire does not only destroy. Fire makes things stronger. Fire changes and purifies metal. God changes and purifies us. It may be not be comfortable. It may not feel like what we were hoping for. But we will be changed by an encounter with the living God. And we will be stronger.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
Visit http://aslcdevotions.blogspot for conversation and http://www.allsaintspalatine.org for more details on all our ministries. Worship with us this weekend at 5 pm Saturday and 9 am Sunday.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
ASLC Devotions -- Wednesday
Luke 9:42 While he was coming, the demon dashed him to the ground in convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.
We are made for one another. We are made for relationships. In this vignette, Jesus heals a young boy of a demon at the request of the boy's father. After healing him, Luke tells us that Jesus "gave him back to his father." It's not like the son belongs to the father, in the sense of a possession. But the son belongs to the father in the sense of relationship and ties. Demons and illness and revenge and hatred tear those relationships and ties apart. Demons and illness and revenge and hatred tear us apart from one another; they make us less than we were made to be.
Jesus restores us to wholeness. As individuals, we are restored to wholeness with healing and hope. As families and as communities, we are restored to wholeness when relationships are restored. We like to focus on the "miracles" of demons cast out or the dead brought back to life. Personally, I think restored relationships are much more of a miracle. Praise God for restored relationships.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
Visit http://aslcdevotions.blogspot for conversation and http://www.allsaintspalatine.org for more details on all our ministries. Worship with us this weekend at 5 pm Saturday and 9 am Sunday.
We are made for one another. We are made for relationships. In this vignette, Jesus heals a young boy of a demon at the request of the boy's father. After healing him, Luke tells us that Jesus "gave him back to his father." It's not like the son belongs to the father, in the sense of a possession. But the son belongs to the father in the sense of relationship and ties. Demons and illness and revenge and hatred tear those relationships and ties apart. Demons and illness and revenge and hatred tear us apart from one another; they make us less than we were made to be.
Jesus restores us to wholeness. As individuals, we are restored to wholeness with healing and hope. As families and as communities, we are restored to wholeness when relationships are restored. We like to focus on the "miracles" of demons cast out or the dead brought back to life. Personally, I think restored relationships are much more of a miracle. Praise God for restored relationships.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
Visit http://aslcdevotions.blogspot for conversation and http://www.allsaintspalatine.org for more details on all our ministries. Worship with us this weekend at 5 pm Saturday and 9 am Sunday.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
ASLC Devotions -- Tuesday
Job 19:7 Even when I cry out, “Violence!” I am not answered;
I call aloud, but there is no justice.
Job now speaks for himself in the context of losing everything and his "friends" telling him that he must have done something to deserve it. Job cries out. Job cries out in pain and agony. And Job is answered by silence.
At least in the short term.
At the end of the book, God shows up. God shows up and speaks with Job. God will show up and speak with you too. I don't know when. It might be today, and it might be a long time from now. But if you are crying out for justice. If you are crying out for release, God will answer.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
Visit http://aslcdevotions.blogspot for conversation and http://www.allsaintspalatine.org for more details on all our ministries. Worship with us this weekend at 5 pm Saturday and 9 am Sunday.
I call aloud, but there is no justice.
Job now speaks for himself in the context of losing everything and his "friends" telling him that he must have done something to deserve it. Job cries out. Job cries out in pain and agony. And Job is answered by silence.
At least in the short term.
At the end of the book, God shows up. God shows up and speaks with Job. God will show up and speak with you too. I don't know when. It might be today, and it might be a long time from now. But if you are crying out for justice. If you are crying out for release, God will answer.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
Visit http://aslcdevotions.blogspot for conversation and http://www.allsaintspalatine.org for more details on all our ministries. Worship with us this weekend at 5 pm Saturday and 9 am Sunday.
Monday, June 21, 2010
ASLC Devotions -- Monday
Job 18:5 Surely the light of the wicked is put out,
and the flame of their fire does not shine.
If you've never read the book of Job, do it. It's great. Here's the basic outline: Job loses everything... his house, his family, his kids, his money, his cattle. He's the prototypical country music singer. And the question of the book of Job is "Why?" Why do these bad things happen? After all these bad things happen, three of Job's friends show up. And they provide possible answers to the why question.
The above quote is from the answer of Job's friend Bildad. Bildad says "Surely the light of the wicked is put out." Essentially he says... all these bad things are happening to you. You must deserve it. You must have done something bad. Bildad believes that bad things are a sign that God is punishing you.
Trust me for now, but read the book later... at the end of the book God shows up. And God tells Bildad to shut his mouth. We're left with some level of question about why exactly bad things happen, but God is perfectly clear that the answer is not Bildad's. So today when your coworker tells you about her aunt who has been hospitalized, please don't say "What did you do to deserve that?" Whatever the answer is to suffering, that ain't it.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
Visit http://aslcdevotions.blogspot for conversation and http://www.allsaintspalatine.org for more details on all our ministries. Worship with us this weekend at 5 pm Saturday and 9 am Sunday.
and the flame of their fire does not shine.
If you've never read the book of Job, do it. It's great. Here's the basic outline: Job loses everything... his house, his family, his kids, his money, his cattle. He's the prototypical country music singer. And the question of the book of Job is "Why?" Why do these bad things happen? After all these bad things happen, three of Job's friends show up. And they provide possible answers to the why question.
The above quote is from the answer of Job's friend Bildad. Bildad says "Surely the light of the wicked is put out." Essentially he says... all these bad things are happening to you. You must deserve it. You must have done something bad. Bildad believes that bad things are a sign that God is punishing you.
Trust me for now, but read the book later... at the end of the book God shows up. And God tells Bildad to shut his mouth. We're left with some level of question about why exactly bad things happen, but God is perfectly clear that the answer is not Bildad's. So today when your coworker tells you about her aunt who has been hospitalized, please don't say "What did you do to deserve that?" Whatever the answer is to suffering, that ain't it.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
Visit http://aslcdevotions.blogspot for conversation and http://www.allsaintspalatine.org for more details on all our ministries. Worship with us this weekend at 5 pm Saturday and 9 am Sunday.
Friday, June 11, 2010
ASLC Devotions -- Friday
Acts 11:29 The disciples determined that according to their ability, each would send relief to the believers living in Judea;
A severe famine had struck the land in the time when the church was just growing. It hurt the people of Judea most. Those who had just come to hear about this Jesus all around the world heard about how the believers in Judea were suffering. And the Bible, with its typical understatement, reports a miracle.
No, it wasn't a miracle like someone who died walked again. It wasn't a miracle like the blind receiving sight.
Except that it was. People came to see a need. People came to see that they had ability to alleviate that suffering. And they did. It was a miracle. It was a miracle then just like it's a miracle each and every time it happens today.
Thank you for being a part of a miracle. It's a miracle when we send thousands of dollars to our sisters and brothers in Haiti, and in China, and in New Orleans, and in Palatine. Thank you for being part of a miracle.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
Join us for worship at 5 pm on Saturday and 9 am on Sunday. Comment on this and other messages at http://aslcdevotions.blogspot.com and find more information on all of our ministries at http://www.allsaintspalatine.org
A severe famine had struck the land in the time when the church was just growing. It hurt the people of Judea most. Those who had just come to hear about this Jesus all around the world heard about how the believers in Judea were suffering. And the Bible, with its typical understatement, reports a miracle.
No, it wasn't a miracle like someone who died walked again. It wasn't a miracle like the blind receiving sight.
Except that it was. People came to see a need. People came to see that they had ability to alleviate that suffering. And they did. It was a miracle. It was a miracle then just like it's a miracle each and every time it happens today.
Thank you for being a part of a miracle. It's a miracle when we send thousands of dollars to our sisters and brothers in Haiti, and in China, and in New Orleans, and in Palatine. Thank you for being part of a miracle.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
Join us for worship at 5 pm on Saturday and 9 am on Sunday. Comment on this and other messages at http://aslcdevotions.blogspot.com and find more information on all of our ministries at http://www.allsaintspalatine.org
Thursday, June 10, 2010
ASLC Devotions -- Thursday
James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
It sounds so simple, doesn't it? Submit yourself to God. Resist the devil. Resist evil. Sure. No problem. Check that off my list for the day.
Of course it isn't simple. It's hard work. It's constant work. It takes constant reminders. That's why we talk about the disciplines of faith, the life of faith, walking in the path of faithfulness. It isn't simple, but know today that I'm praying for you that you'd submit yourself to God. And I hope you'll pray for me too.
Let this be your prayer and motto for today: "Lead me, guide me along the way. Lead me, O Lord, lead me."
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
Join us for worship at 5 pm on Saturday and 9 am on Sunday. Comment on this and other messages at http://aslcdevotions.blogspot.com and find more information on all of our ministries at http://www.allsaintspalatine.org
It sounds so simple, doesn't it? Submit yourself to God. Resist the devil. Resist evil. Sure. No problem. Check that off my list for the day.
Of course it isn't simple. It's hard work. It's constant work. It takes constant reminders. That's why we talk about the disciplines of faith, the life of faith, walking in the path of faithfulness. It isn't simple, but know today that I'm praying for you that you'd submit yourself to God. And I hope you'll pray for me too.
Let this be your prayer and motto for today: "Lead me, guide me along the way. Lead me, O Lord, lead me."
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
Join us for worship at 5 pm on Saturday and 9 am on Sunday. Comment on this and other messages at http://aslcdevotions.blogspot.com and find more information on all of our ministries at http://www.allsaintspalatine.org
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
ASLC Devotions -- Wednesday
Psalm 68:5 Father of orphans and protector of widows
is God in his holy habitation.
Your palms are sweating. Your breath catches. You look around and all it seems that you see are cold and unfeeling eyes. Nobody seems to notice you. Nobody seems to notice the trouble you feel inside. If they do notice, you imagine you see them licking their chops, ready to chew you up and spit you out.
Maybe it's your first job interview in years. Maybe it's that meeting with the corporate vice president you is about to announce who's been downsized. Maybe you're meeting with the banker. Or facing the ACT test. Whatever the specifics, we all know what it feels like to feel like we're alone. It feels, bodily. You can feel the alone-ness and the threat throughout your body. We all know the feeling of terror and fear that comes from facing life-changing or life-ending problems by ourselves.
"Father of orphans and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation." Those who seem alone are never alone. Thanks be to God.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
Join us for Holden Evening Prayer this evening at the home of Dutch and Carole Graesser. 7 pm at 18 Willow Bay in South Barrington.
is God in his holy habitation.
Your palms are sweating. Your breath catches. You look around and all it seems that you see are cold and unfeeling eyes. Nobody seems to notice you. Nobody seems to notice the trouble you feel inside. If they do notice, you imagine you see them licking their chops, ready to chew you up and spit you out.
Maybe it's your first job interview in years. Maybe it's that meeting with the corporate vice president you is about to announce who's been downsized. Maybe you're meeting with the banker. Or facing the ACT test. Whatever the specifics, we all know what it feels like to feel like we're alone. It feels, bodily. You can feel the alone-ness and the threat throughout your body. We all know the feeling of terror and fear that comes from facing life-changing or life-ending problems by ourselves.
"Father of orphans and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation." Those who seem alone are never alone. Thanks be to God.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
Join us for Holden Evening Prayer this evening at the home of Dutch and Carole Graesser. 7 pm at 18 Willow Bay in South Barrington.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
ASLC Devotions -- Tuesday
Psalm 104:9 You set a boundary that the waters may not pass,
so that they might not again cover the earth.
In the ancient world the natural world was seen as divine. All of nature and parts of nature. The sun was worshiped. The moon was worshiped. The rivers were worshiped. Most of these things were worshiped because they were scary and threatening. The belief was that we worship them so they won't hurt us. Offer sacrifices to the ocean god to keep the ocean from killing us. Makes sense really.
The genius of our faith heritage is that we worship one God, one God who loves us and cares for us. Our one God is so powerful that God can hold back all the other things that once were thought of as scary gods. God holds back the waters so they can't hurt us again.
Now, we don't worry so much about the water and the sun and the moon. But we worry about the oil spills and the terrorists, we worry about hunger and mortgage payments. If God can hold back the waters, then surely God can hold back your scary things as well.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
Join us for Holden Evening Prayer tomorrow evening at the home of Dutch and Carole Graesser. 7 pm at 18 Willow Bay in South Barrington.
so that they might not again cover the earth.
In the ancient world the natural world was seen as divine. All of nature and parts of nature. The sun was worshiped. The moon was worshiped. The rivers were worshiped. Most of these things were worshiped because they were scary and threatening. The belief was that we worship them so they won't hurt us. Offer sacrifices to the ocean god to keep the ocean from killing us. Makes sense really.
The genius of our faith heritage is that we worship one God, one God who loves us and cares for us. Our one God is so powerful that God can hold back all the other things that once were thought of as scary gods. God holds back the waters so they can't hurt us again.
Now, we don't worry so much about the water and the sun and the moon. But we worry about the oil spills and the terrorists, we worry about hunger and mortgage payments. If God can hold back the waters, then surely God can hold back your scary things as well.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
Join us for Holden Evening Prayer tomorrow evening at the home of Dutch and Carole Graesser. 7 pm at 18 Willow Bay in South Barrington.
Friday, June 4, 2010
ASLC Devotions -- Friday
Acts 26:9-10
9 ‘Indeed, I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things against the name of Jesus of Nazareth.* 10And that is what I did in Jerusalem; with authority received from the chief priests, I not only locked up many of the saints in prison, but I also cast my vote against them when they were being condemned to death.
Paul's confession continues as he defends himself to King Agrippa. While yesterday and today's readings aren't consecutive, the message behind Paul's discourse is consistent. Again and again he tells people that he himself pursued and condemned the people who spoke the very message that he is now preaching.
It's difficult to change our tune, so to speak, to admit that we were wrong or to adopt a new way of thinking or believing. Perhaps one of the hardest things about it is that we can't just proclaim our new faith or belief once, but we witness to everyone who knew us. When's the last time you had to admit you were wrong? We can joke about never being wrong in the first place, so never having to admit or confess our wrongs, but when we're honest, we all have times when we must admit that we're wrong, and that we've changed our ways.
Peace,
Pastor Jenn
9 ‘Indeed, I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things against the name of Jesus of Nazareth.* 10And that is what I did in Jerusalem; with authority received from the chief priests, I not only locked up many of the saints in prison, but I also cast my vote against them when they were being condemned to death.
Paul's confession continues as he defends himself to King Agrippa. While yesterday and today's readings aren't consecutive, the message behind Paul's discourse is consistent. Again and again he tells people that he himself pursued and condemned the people who spoke the very message that he is now preaching.
It's difficult to change our tune, so to speak, to admit that we were wrong or to adopt a new way of thinking or believing. Perhaps one of the hardest things about it is that we can't just proclaim our new faith or belief once, but we witness to everyone who knew us. When's the last time you had to admit you were wrong? We can joke about never being wrong in the first place, so never having to admit or confess our wrongs, but when we're honest, we all have times when we must admit that we're wrong, and that we've changed our ways.
Peace,
Pastor Jenn
Thursday, June 3, 2010
ASLC Devotions -- Thursday
Acts 22:19-21
19And I said, “Lord, they themselves know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you. 20And while the blood of your witness Stephen was shed, I myself was standing by, approving and keeping the coats of those who killed him.” 21Then he said to me, “Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.”
When Paul was still Saul, he actively persecuted those who believed in Jesus. We say that and it sort of makes it sound pretty -- he persecuted them doesn't always convey exactly what he did. But by his own testimony he held the coats of those who stoned Stephen, which isn't very pretty at all.
Saul's conversion is a powerful story -- a story that highlights redemption for anyone who thinks that they're "too bad" to follow Jesus. Even the one who held the coats of stone-throwers and who cheered them on is hand-picked to do God's work.
Peace,
Pastor Jenn
19And I said, “Lord, they themselves know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you. 20And while the blood of your witness Stephen was shed, I myself was standing by, approving and keeping the coats of those who killed him.” 21Then he said to me, “Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.”
When Paul was still Saul, he actively persecuted those who believed in Jesus. We say that and it sort of makes it sound pretty -- he persecuted them doesn't always convey exactly what he did. But by his own testimony he held the coats of those who stoned Stephen, which isn't very pretty at all.
Saul's conversion is a powerful story -- a story that highlights redemption for anyone who thinks that they're "too bad" to follow Jesus. Even the one who held the coats of stone-throwers and who cheered them on is hand-picked to do God's work.
Peace,
Pastor Jenn
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
ASLC Devotions -- Wednesday
Psalm 124:6-8
6Blessed be the Lord,
who has not given us
as prey to their teeth.
7We have escaped like a bird
from the snare of the fowlers;
the snare is broken,
and we have escaped.
8Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
The psalms are full of examples of ways in which the psalmist turns to the Lord -- not only in times of praise and thanksgiving, but also times of lament and frustration. But over and over again the psalmist affirms that when we need help, our help is in the Lord -- the one who made heaven and earth.
I love the psalms for many reasons, one of which is the way that both danger and help are clearly spelled out. The psalmist doesn't mince words when it comes to the dangers -- real or perceived -- that are felt. There's a reason the psalmist is crying for help. And yet, the trust shown in the Lord is powerful and inspirational. How can we turn to the Lord today, we who have escaped like a bird?
Peace,
Pastor Jenn
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
ASLC Devotions-- Tuesday
Proverbs 8:6-7
Wisdom says,
6Hear, for I will speak noble things,
and from my lips will come what is right;
7for my mouth will utter truth;
wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
We spend a lot of time in our lives trying to figure out what God wants us to do -- trying to hear God speak to us. Proverbs tells us through the voice of Wisdom that the voice will be noble and utter truth. Discerning God's voice from among all the other voices of the world can be difficult, but determining first that the voice should be noble and truthful is helpful.
My prayer, always, is that our own voices are ones of nobility and truth -- not wickedness -- so that we can better listen for what God is saying.
Peace,
Pastor Jenn
Wisdom says,
6Hear, for I will speak noble things,
and from my lips will come what is right;
7for my mouth will utter truth;
wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
We spend a lot of time in our lives trying to figure out what God wants us to do -- trying to hear God speak to us. Proverbs tells us through the voice of Wisdom that the voice will be noble and utter truth. Discerning God's voice from among all the other voices of the world can be difficult, but determining first that the voice should be noble and truthful is helpful.
My prayer, always, is that our own voices are ones of nobility and truth -- not wickedness -- so that we can better listen for what God is saying.
Peace,
Pastor Jenn
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