Genesis 18:13-14 The Lord said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh, and say, “Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?” Is anything too wonderful for the Lord? At the set time I will return to you, in due season, and Sarah shall have a son.’
Have you ever laughed at the Lord? I mean, have you ever heard or felt what God has in store for your life and acted more like Sarah (laughing) than Mary (who said "Here I am Lord. Let it be with me according to your will.")? I know I've often felt more like Sarah than Mary. I've often laughed at the ridiculousness of God's plans rather than submitting peacefully and gently to God's will.
Laughter is a common (and rational) response when God says something like "Love your enemy," "Do good to those who hurt you." Laughter is really the only rational response to some of the ridiculous things that God says. And it's OK. God doesn't mind. Go ahead and laugh, God tells Sarah. But when I come back, what I've said will be true. And then God has the last laugh!
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
Join us in worship Saturday at 5 pm and Sunday at 9 am
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Friday, July 27, 2012
ASLC Devotions -- Friday, July 27
Psalm 145:14
14 The Lord upholds all who are falling,
and raises up all who are bowed down.
This summer has been an exercise in both patience and futility for home gardeners (and in much more serious ways for farmers around the country). I have seen my plants droop day after day, desperate for water. Most recently I returned home with no time to water in the evening, and cast a pathetic glance at my flower bed of hostas, black-eyed susans, and coleus. Their leaves were sagging, and had no shine to them.
It rained that night, though, and the next morning I witnessed that the plants had been upheld and those that had been bowed down the night before were now raised up. It might seem silly to rejoice over plants that are simply decorative, but I imagine that this image is not unlike what happens to the people whom the Lord upholds and raises up. Indeed, we have been given the life-giving water that sustains us, upholds us and raises us up. Let us rejoice!
Peace,
Pastor Jenn
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
ASLC Devotions -- Wednesday, July 25
Colossians 1:9-10
9 For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God.
When we celebrate the sacrament of Holy Baptism, the people gathered make promises to pray for the individual baptized. I love that part of the service, hearing the voices of everyone gathered respond to the question, “We will!” I love it because I love baptism, but I also love it because those voices represent folks who have been part of the congregation for years, and people who just happen to be in worship that morning visiting.
When people tell me they’re praying for me, it’s deeply moving and it gives me strength in the middle of difficult situations to know that I’m not alone. These words in the letter to the Colossians remind the people that people are praying for them. What a comfort, what a gift that message must have been. Please hear that message today: I am praying for you, and I have not ceased praying for you.
Peace,
Pastor Jenn
Friday, July 20, 2012
ASLC Devotions - Friday
Acts 17:28 For “In him we live and move and have our being”; as even some of your own poets have said,
“For we too are his offspring.”
This is one line excerpted from a sermon that Paul gave in Athens. He was speaking to the very educated and high-society people of Athens to introduce to them the good news of God's redemption through Jesus. It's a very nice sermon - you should read it. But this line sticks with me in powerful ways. I love the sentence "In him we live and move and have our being."
In God we live... we live because God has given us life. In God we move... God gives us freedom to move and wiggle around and find our comfortable place. In God we have our being... everything we and everything we ever will be is because of God. In God we live and move and have our being. I try to remember this simple proclamation of faith when I'm intimidated, when I'm scared, when I don't know what's coming next. It's all going to be OK, because in him we live and move and have our being.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
Visit http://www.allsaintspalatine.org for updated information and calendar. Worship with us this Saturday at 5 and Sunday at 9. Remember to be praying for our 35 Youth Gathering participants this week!
“For we too are his offspring.”
This is one line excerpted from a sermon that Paul gave in Athens. He was speaking to the very educated and high-society people of Athens to introduce to them the good news of God's redemption through Jesus. It's a very nice sermon - you should read it. But this line sticks with me in powerful ways. I love the sentence "In him we live and move and have our being."
In God we live... we live because God has given us life. In God we move... God gives us freedom to move and wiggle around and find our comfortable place. In God we have our being... everything we and everything we ever will be is because of God. In God we live and move and have our being. I try to remember this simple proclamation of faith when I'm intimidated, when I'm scared, when I don't know what's coming next. It's all going to be OK, because in him we live and move and have our being.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
Visit http://www.allsaintspalatine.org for updated information and calendar. Worship with us this Saturday at 5 and Sunday at 9. Remember to be praying for our 35 Youth Gathering participants this week!
Thursday, July 19, 2012
ASLC Devotions - Thursday
Colossians 1:15 Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
God is invisible: we cannot see God, we cannot know God directly. God is more mystery and impression than cold, hard, scientific fact. This has always been a problem for God's marketing department. How can people know and worship a God they cannot see and cannot speak with?
That is the gift of who Jesus is for us and for the sake of the world. Not only did God send Jesus to save us through the cross and empty tomb. As if that weren't enough! God also sent Jesus to be the "image of the invisible God." You want to know the character of God? Look at Jesus. Jesus walked and lived and spoke and taught on this Earth. His friends wrote it down. We can read about it. We know that God is love, because Jesus spoke of and lived love. We know that God is interested in healing, because Jesus healed. We know God because we know Jesus.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
Visit http://www.allsaintspalatine.org for updated information and calendar. Worship with us this Saturday at 5 and Sunday at 9. Remember to be praying for our 35 Youth Gathering participants this week!
God is invisible: we cannot see God, we cannot know God directly. God is more mystery and impression than cold, hard, scientific fact. This has always been a problem for God's marketing department. How can people know and worship a God they cannot see and cannot speak with?
That is the gift of who Jesus is for us and for the sake of the world. Not only did God send Jesus to save us through the cross and empty tomb. As if that weren't enough! God also sent Jesus to be the "image of the invisible God." You want to know the character of God? Look at Jesus. Jesus walked and lived and spoke and taught on this Earth. His friends wrote it down. We can read about it. We know that God is love, because Jesus spoke of and lived love. We know that God is interested in healing, because Jesus healed. We know God because we know Jesus.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
Visit http://www.allsaintspalatine.org for updated information and calendar. Worship with us this Saturday at 5 and Sunday at 9. Remember to be praying for our 35 Youth Gathering participants this week!
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
ASLC Devotions - Wednesday
Luke 7:33-35 Jesus said, 'For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, “He has a demon”; the Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, “Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax-collectors and sinners!” Nevertheless, wisdom is vindicated by all her children.’
Jesus knew that sometimes you just can't win. You can't please all the people all the time. Wait, I think that was Abraham Lincoln who said that, but I think Jesus knew it anyway. He knew that people would criticize him no matter what he did. They criticized John the Baptist because he abstained from eating and drinking. And then they criticized Jesus because he ate and drank. No way to win. People who want to criticize you and tear you down will do it.
Nevertheless, wisdom is vindicated by all her children. In other words, you'll know wisdom when you see its fruits: its children. You'll know whether someone was wise (like Jesus) not by things on the outside like what they eat and drink, but by what kind of person he is - what kind of wisdom he lives and shares. Do not worry whether you are criticized or mocked. If you are on God's path, wisdom will be vindicated. Hold fast. Have faith. Be strong.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
Visit http://www.allsaintspalatine.org for updated information and calendar. Worship with us this Saturday at 5 and Sunday at 9. Remember to be praying for our 35 Youth Gathering participants this week!
Jesus knew that sometimes you just can't win. You can't please all the people all the time. Wait, I think that was Abraham Lincoln who said that, but I think Jesus knew it anyway. He knew that people would criticize him no matter what he did. They criticized John the Baptist because he abstained from eating and drinking. And then they criticized Jesus because he ate and drank. No way to win. People who want to criticize you and tear you down will do it.
Nevertheless, wisdom is vindicated by all her children. In other words, you'll know wisdom when you see its fruits: its children. You'll know whether someone was wise (like Jesus) not by things on the outside like what they eat and drink, but by what kind of person he is - what kind of wisdom he lives and shares. Do not worry whether you are criticized or mocked. If you are on God's path, wisdom will be vindicated. Hold fast. Have faith. Be strong.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
Visit http://www.allsaintspalatine.org for updated information and calendar. Worship with us this Saturday at 5 and Sunday at 9. Remember to be praying for our 35 Youth Gathering participants this week!
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
ASLC Devotions - Tuesday
Amos 9:2 Though they dig into Sheol,
from there shall my hand take them;
though they climb up to heaven,
from there I will bring them down.
God is in all places - good and basic Sunday School learning that's still useful and faith-building no matter how long it's been since you've seen the inside of a Sunday School classroom. God is in all places. There is no place you can go, no place you can even imagine, that God cannot be there with you.
Amos reminds the people that not only is God in all places - it's more than that. God is in all places SEEKING you. God is looking for you, reaching out for you. Even if you dug your own way into Sheol (the Hebrew place of the dead - think of Hades in your High School Greek mythology classes), God would be there to take you by the hand. No matter where you go, God is reaching out for you. There is no place you will go today that God isn't already there waiting for you. There, now that meeting with your boss doesn't sound so bad, does it?
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
Visit http://www.allsaintspalatine.org for updated information and calendar. Worship with us this Saturday at 5 and Sunday at 9. Remember to be praying for our 35 Youth Gathering participants this week!
from there shall my hand take them;
though they climb up to heaven,
from there I will bring them down.
God is in all places - good and basic Sunday School learning that's still useful and faith-building no matter how long it's been since you've seen the inside of a Sunday School classroom. God is in all places. There is no place you can go, no place you can even imagine, that God cannot be there with you.
Amos reminds the people that not only is God in all places - it's more than that. God is in all places SEEKING you. God is looking for you, reaching out for you. Even if you dug your own way into Sheol (the Hebrew place of the dead - think of Hades in your High School Greek mythology classes), God would be there to take you by the hand. No matter where you go, God is reaching out for you. There is no place you will go today that God isn't already there waiting for you. There, now that meeting with your boss doesn't sound so bad, does it?
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
Visit http://www.allsaintspalatine.org for updated information and calendar. Worship with us this Saturday at 5 and Sunday at 9. Remember to be praying for our 35 Youth Gathering participants this week!
Monday, July 16, 2012
ASLC Devotions - Monday
Amos 5:4 For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel:
Seek me and live;
It sounds so simple, doesn't it? Frankly, it really is quite simple. Seek the Lord and live. That's it. We tend to make faith and church so complicated. We make it about good behavior and commandments and rules and regulations and procedures. We make it about memorizing Bible verses and creeds and confessions. We make it about feeling bad for all the things we don't do and the things we do do. When really, what it's about is: "seek the Lord and live."
Seek the Lord. And live your life. Seek the Lord. And live the life God intended for you. Seek the Lord. And live eternally. Seek the Lord. And live the life of the ages. That's all. Pretty simple. Seek the Lord today. And live.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
Visit http://www.allsaintspalatine.org for updated information and calendar. Worship with us this Saturday at 5 and Sunday at 9. Remember to be praying for our 35 Youth Gathering participants this week!
Seek me and live;
It sounds so simple, doesn't it? Frankly, it really is quite simple. Seek the Lord and live. That's it. We tend to make faith and church so complicated. We make it about good behavior and commandments and rules and regulations and procedures. We make it about memorizing Bible verses and creeds and confessions. We make it about feeling bad for all the things we don't do and the things we do do. When really, what it's about is: "seek the Lord and live."
Seek the Lord. And live your life. Seek the Lord. And live the life God intended for you. Seek the Lord. And live eternally. Seek the Lord. And live the life of the ages. That's all. Pretty simple. Seek the Lord today. And live.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
Visit http://www.allsaintspalatine.org for updated information and calendar. Worship with us this Saturday at 5 and Sunday at 9. Remember to be praying for our 35 Youth Gathering participants this week!
Friday, July 13, 2012
ASLC Devotions -- Friday, July 13
Colossians 4:5-6
Conduct yourselves wisely towards outsiders, making the most of the time. 6Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone.
Again today we hear from this message to the church at Colossae. These letters contained a lot of information – the writers made good use of the runner who would deliver the letter! These verses contain small nuggets of wisdom about conversation and connections that I think are timeless – conduct yourselves wisely and let your speech be gracious.
I have long said that I will put off a task that can be done later today or even tomorrow for the opportunity to spend time with friends, talking. I’d like to think that I’m making the most of the time together (when in reality I’m often just procrastinating!), but there is value in spending time together – with insiders and outsiders, new friends and old. I treasure those times as opportunities for gracious speech, and hope you do, too.
Peace,
Pastor Jenn
Thursday, July 12, 2012
ASLC Devotions -- Thursday, July 12
Colossians 2:1-5
For I want you to know how much I am struggling for you, and for those in Laodicea, and for all who have not seen me face to face. 2I want their hearts to be encouraged and united in love, so that they may have all the riches of assured understanding and have the knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ himself, 3in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4I am saying this so that no one may deceive you with plausible arguments. 5For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, and I rejoice to see your morale and the firmness of your faith in Christ.
Reading these letters to the various churches gives us a little bit of insight to how the community struggled, and what encouragement came from these messages. The writer of this letter (either Paul or a disciple of Paul, scholars are uncertain) wants the Christians living in Colossae to know that they are united with Christ, regardless of what others might be teaching them.
There were an abundance of false teachers at the time, and given how these communities were often isolated from other believers, letters with such messages were important to them. I don’t know that we’re as concerned with such things, today, but I take comfort in the words of this letter regardless. It is always helpful to hear words of solidarity in faith from someone cheering for you. Let us rejoice together!
Peace,
Pastor Jenn
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
ASLC Devotions -- Wednesday, July 11
John 7:1-9
After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He did not wish to go about in Judea because the Jews were looking for an opportunity to kill him. Now the Jewish festival of Booths was near. So his brothers said to him, "Leave here and go to Judea so that your disciples also may see the works you are doing; for no one who wants to be widely known acts in secret. If you do these things, show yourself to the world." (For not even his brothers believed in him.) Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify against it that its works are evil. Go to the festival yourselves. I am not going to this festival, for my time has not yet fully come." After saying this, he remained in Galilee.
His brothers said to him, “No one who wants to be widely known acts in secret.” But Jesus responds that his time has not yet come (be patient!). Go to the festival yourselves, he tells them. Over and over in the gospels we hear Jesus tell someone he has healed not to say a word to anyone, and it can be confusing. We, like his brothers, think that Jesus should want the world to know – after all, isn’t this good news, these healings that he’s doing?
It can be difficult to hear Jesus say “My time has not yet come” and to understand what that means. In the same line as yesterday, I’m not that patient to just sit around and wait – I want the world to know these amazing things! But of course, Jesus won’t be rushed, and he speaks to truths and wisdom far greater than anything the brothers or we can imagine.
Peace,
Pastor Jenn
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