Galatians 4:18 It is good to be made much of for a good purpose at all times, and not only when I am present with you.
You may remember how I wrote about Paul and his letters yesterday - all the attitude and feeling of a parent. This passage is from Galatians, a letter marked mostly by parental admonishment. The Galatians were into some dangerous things (from Paul's perspective) and he wanted to make sure he warned them off. Above he says it is good to be made much of for a good purpose at all times, and not only when I am present with you.
Let me attempt to translate: it would be nice if you listened to me even when I wasn't there and not only when you know I'm watching. He thinks that the Galatians are using all the right words and all the right behavior while he's there, and then turning just as quickly away when he leaves town. We've all done it - probably on both sides. What Paul is reminding the Galatians (and us) of is this: the right behavior is the right behavior, no matter who is watching. Not a bad parental lesson.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This message is part of the ministry of All Saints Lutheran Church. See our website for more information and calendar. If you wish to no longer receive these messages, please reply and ask to be removed. Remember to join us for worship this weekend: Saturday at 5 pm or Sunday at 9 am. Who knows? Maybe if you come to worship at All Saints, you'll see the C/cup?
Friday, June 28, 2013
Thursday, June 27, 2013
ASLC Devotions - Thursday
2 Corinthians 13:9 For we rejoice when we are weak and you are strong. This is what we pray for, that you may become perfect.
Paul writes to his former congregations as their mentor and teacher. When I read his words, I often hear echoes of the way that a parent talks to (or at least thinks) their own children. There is pride in faithfulness and keeping true. There are reminders and admonishments to keep on the path. And sometimes there are strong words when dangerous things are happening - Be careful! You'll shoot your eye out!
This verse above is the epitome of this attitude, I think. Paul's prayer is that the Corinthians would be strong - he doesn't care if it makes him look weak. He wants them to become perfect. His concern is all about them, not himself. He wants to build them up even if it means he takes a back seat. It's a beautiful vision of the way God works - God puts people in our lives to build us up. And we roll it on, building up the next person and the next. It's a vision of the kingdom.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This message is part of the ministry of All Saints Lutheran Church. See our website for more information and calendar. If you wish to no longer receive these messages, please reply and ask to be removed. Remember to join us for worship this weekend: Saturday at 5 pm or Sunday at 9 am. If we were to say that Jonathan Toews would be here, would that make a difference?
Paul writes to his former congregations as their mentor and teacher. When I read his words, I often hear echoes of the way that a parent talks to (or at least thinks) their own children. There is pride in faithfulness and keeping true. There are reminders and admonishments to keep on the path. And sometimes there are strong words when dangerous things are happening - Be careful! You'll shoot your eye out!
This verse above is the epitome of this attitude, I think. Paul's prayer is that the Corinthians would be strong - he doesn't care if it makes him look weak. He wants them to become perfect. His concern is all about them, not himself. He wants to build them up even if it means he takes a back seat. It's a beautiful vision of the way God works - God puts people in our lives to build us up. And we roll it on, building up the next person and the next. It's a vision of the kingdom.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This message is part of the ministry of All Saints Lutheran Church. See our website for more information and calendar. If you wish to no longer receive these messages, please reply and ask to be removed. Remember to join us for worship this weekend: Saturday at 5 pm or Sunday at 9 am. If we were to say that Jonathan Toews would be here, would that make a difference?
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
ASLC Devotions - Wednesday
Luke 9:43 And all were astounded at the greatness of God.
This is the end, the cap-line of a healing story. Jesus healed a boy who was possessed by a demon. A crowd saw it happened, and they were astounded at the greatness of God. I wonder - are you? Are you astounded at the greatness of God? I looked up the meaning of the word astounded and this is what I found: to be overwhelmed with amazement and wonder.
Do you have a memory of being overwhelmed with amazement and wonder because of the greatness of God? Have you experienced the greatness of God to such a degree that you have found yourself astounded? Do you have that story? I pray that you do. I pray that you are astounded. And I pray that you tell the story of being overwhelmed by the greatness of God.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This message is part of the ministry of All Saints Lutheran Church. See our website for more information and calendar. If you wish to no longer receive these messages, please reply and ask to be removed. Remember to join us for worship this weekend: Saturday at 5 pm or Sunday at 9 am. Who knows? Maybe if you come to worship at All Saints, you'll see the C/cup?
This is the end, the cap-line of a healing story. Jesus healed a boy who was possessed by a demon. A crowd saw it happened, and they were astounded at the greatness of God. I wonder - are you? Are you astounded at the greatness of God? I looked up the meaning of the word astounded and this is what I found: to be overwhelmed with amazement and wonder.
Do you have a memory of being overwhelmed with amazement and wonder because of the greatness of God? Have you experienced the greatness of God to such a degree that you have found yourself astounded? Do you have that story? I pray that you do. I pray that you are astounded. And I pray that you tell the story of being overwhelmed by the greatness of God.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This message is part of the ministry of All Saints Lutheran Church. See our website for more information and calendar. If you wish to no longer receive these messages, please reply and ask to be removed. Remember to join us for worship this weekend: Saturday at 5 pm or Sunday at 9 am. Who knows? Maybe if you come to worship at All Saints, you'll see the C/cup?
Monday, June 24, 2013
ASLC Devotions - Monday
Job 18:20-21 They of the west are appalled at their fate,
and horror seizes those of the east.
Surely such are the dwellings of the ungodly,
such is the place of those who do not know God.
Someone asked me once to summarize the Bible in one sentence. Here's what I came up with: "Spoiler alert: God wins." God wins over brokenness and pain. God wins over evil and destruction. In the end, what the Jesus story means - what the central feature of the Jesus story (the story we remember each Holy Week and Easter) means is that God wins over death. God wins. God wins. The quote above is from the book of Job. This gets complicated for a short little devotional message like this, but here goes: bad things happened to Job and he asked why. The above is a quote from his friend Bildad. Bildad basically said that bad things happened to Job - bad things happen to bad people as punishment from God. Therefore Job must have been bad.
What we don't get when we pull a little snippet out of context like this is that a few chapters later God shows up... in person. God shows up and tells Bildad (and two others friends who had equally stupid answers) that they are wrong. They are wrong and the best thing they can do is shut up and sit in silence. Because God wins. And God doesn't win by destroying our lives. It defeats the purpose of God winning. Because what God wins is life for God's beloved children: Job and you and I.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This message is part of the ministry of All Saints Lutheran Church. See our website for more information and calendar. If you wish to no longer receive these messages, please reply and ask to be removed. Remember to join us for worship this weekend: Saturday at 5 pm or Sunday at 9 am.
and horror seizes those of the east.
Surely such are the dwellings of the ungodly,
such is the place of those who do not know God.
Someone asked me once to summarize the Bible in one sentence. Here's what I came up with: "Spoiler alert: God wins." God wins over brokenness and pain. God wins over evil and destruction. In the end, what the Jesus story means - what the central feature of the Jesus story (the story we remember each Holy Week and Easter) means is that God wins over death. God wins. God wins. The quote above is from the book of Job. This gets complicated for a short little devotional message like this, but here goes: bad things happened to Job and he asked why. The above is a quote from his friend Bildad. Bildad basically said that bad things happened to Job - bad things happen to bad people as punishment from God. Therefore Job must have been bad.
What we don't get when we pull a little snippet out of context like this is that a few chapters later God shows up... in person. God shows up and tells Bildad (and two others friends who had equally stupid answers) that they are wrong. They are wrong and the best thing they can do is shut up and sit in silence. Because God wins. And God doesn't win by destroying our lives. It defeats the purpose of God winning. Because what God wins is life for God's beloved children: Job and you and I.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This message is part of the ministry of All Saints Lutheran Church. See our website for more information and calendar. If you wish to no longer receive these messages, please reply and ask to be removed. Remember to join us for worship this weekend: Saturday at 5 pm or Sunday at 9 am.
Friday, June 21, 2013
ASLC Devotions - Friday
Galatians 3:17 My point is this: the law, which came four hundred and thirty years later, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise.
I know you probably do not spend a lot of time in your life worrying about Jewish-Christian relations and how we as Christians think about the relationship of the Jews with God. But if you ever do, this passage from Galatians is very helpful. I think it's also helpful for us who are Christians. Simply put, it says this - God promised something to Abraham - that Abraham's descendants (the Jews) would be God's people forever. And nothing can break that promise - not even God's law, which came to Moses 430 years after the promise to Abraham. So the promises God made to the Jews over the years are still good.
What this means for us is even simpler: God's promises are always good. Even when God sent Jesus into the world and everything changed, the promises of God did not change. The promises that God makes - the promises of baptism and the promise of the presence of the Spirit made at Pentecost - those promises never get old. Those promises do not have an expiration date. God is still with you. Every day.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This message is part of the ministry of All Saints Lutheran Church. See our website for more information and calendar. If you wish to no longer receive these messages, please reply and ask to be removed. Remember to join us for worship this weekend: Saturday at 5 pm or Sunday at 9 am. Due to the repair work, our parking lot is closed until Saturday. It will be available for next weekend's worship.
I know you probably do not spend a lot of time in your life worrying about Jewish-Christian relations and how we as Christians think about the relationship of the Jews with God. But if you ever do, this passage from Galatians is very helpful. I think it's also helpful for us who are Christians. Simply put, it says this - God promised something to Abraham - that Abraham's descendants (the Jews) would be God's people forever. And nothing can break that promise - not even God's law, which came to Moses 430 years after the promise to Abraham. So the promises God made to the Jews over the years are still good.
What this means for us is even simpler: God's promises are always good. Even when God sent Jesus into the world and everything changed, the promises of God did not change. The promises that God makes - the promises of baptism and the promise of the presence of the Spirit made at Pentecost - those promises never get old. Those promises do not have an expiration date. God is still with you. Every day.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This message is part of the ministry of All Saints Lutheran Church. See our website for more information and calendar. If you wish to no longer receive these messages, please reply and ask to be removed. Remember to join us for worship this weekend: Saturday at 5 pm or Sunday at 9 am. Due to the repair work, our parking lot is closed until Saturday. It will be available for next weekend's worship.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
ASLC Devotions - Thursday
Romans 2:29 Rather, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly, and real circumcision is a matter of the heart—it is spiritual and not literal. Such a person receives praise not from others but from God.
I think that as we read this passage it's safe to not necessarily be thinking about Jews as a religious group, our friends and neighbors who worship in synagogues. Instead, I think that what Paul is talking about is that he's using the word "Jew" as a substitute for those who please God, those who are part of the covenant, for God's children. God's children are those who are God's children inwardly, and real faithfulness is a matter of the heart - it is spiritual and not literal. Such a person receives praise not from others but from God.
Forget what the old adage says - it's actually pretty easy to judge a book by its cover. It's pretty easy to look at someone and judge their life or their faithfulness. Do we see them in worship every Sunday morning? If not, then it's pretty easy to know they're not a very faithful person, that faith isn't a high priority in their life. So it's easy to judge a book by its cover. It's just hard to do it correctly. It's hard to know it truly. It's hard to know about faithfulness and relationship to God and judge it rightly. So let's let God praise and judge others and worry about ourselves and our own faithfulness more.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This message is part of the ministry of All Saints Lutheran Church. See our website for more information and calendar. If you wish to no longer receive these messages, please reply and ask to be removed. Remember to join us for worship this weekend: Saturday at 5 pm or Sunday at 9 am. Due to the repair work, our parking lot is closed until Saturday. It will be available for next weekend's worship.
I think that as we read this passage it's safe to not necessarily be thinking about Jews as a religious group, our friends and neighbors who worship in synagogues. Instead, I think that what Paul is talking about is that he's using the word "Jew" as a substitute for those who please God, those who are part of the covenant, for God's children. God's children are those who are God's children inwardly, and real faithfulness is a matter of the heart - it is spiritual and not literal. Such a person receives praise not from others but from God.
Forget what the old adage says - it's actually pretty easy to judge a book by its cover. It's pretty easy to look at someone and judge their life or their faithfulness. Do we see them in worship every Sunday morning? If not, then it's pretty easy to know they're not a very faithful person, that faith isn't a high priority in their life. So it's easy to judge a book by its cover. It's just hard to do it correctly. It's hard to know it truly. It's hard to know about faithfulness and relationship to God and judge it rightly. So let's let God praise and judge others and worry about ourselves and our own faithfulness more.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This message is part of the ministry of All Saints Lutheran Church. See our website for more information and calendar. If you wish to no longer receive these messages, please reply and ask to be removed. Remember to join us for worship this weekend: Saturday at 5 pm or Sunday at 9 am. Due to the repair work, our parking lot is closed until Saturday. It will be available for next weekend's worship.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
ASLC Devotions - Wednesday
Mark 2:3-5 Then some people came, bringing to him a paralysed man, carried by four of them. And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’
This is an old favorite Bible story from Sunday School days. I remember building a diorama of the scene with a cut-out in the roof. I love this story of one so desperate for healing that home demolition becomes involved. And Jesus heals so simply and so powerfully.
But it's only recently I've noticed something that has begun to shake my world. Notice what it says after the man's friends lowered his mat down: Jesus saw THEIR faith... not Jesus saw HIS faith. Jesus noticed the faith of the group. Jesus often provided healing with the words "your faith had made you well." Here the faith of the entire group comes into the question. What does this mean? I'm still living through it, but I think it means that WE matters more than ME. The group matters. The community matters. How the community responds to the needs of the most vulnerable in their midst matters. We wrap one another in care and love, and Jesus is there. Thank you for being my community.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This message is part of the ministry of All Saints Lutheran Church. See our website for more information and calendar. If you wish to no longer receive these messages, please reply and ask to be removed. Remember to join us for worship this weekend: Saturday at 5 pm or Sunday at 9 am. Due to the repair work, our parking lot is closed until Saturday. It will be available for next weekend's worship.
This is an old favorite Bible story from Sunday School days. I remember building a diorama of the scene with a cut-out in the roof. I love this story of one so desperate for healing that home demolition becomes involved. And Jesus heals so simply and so powerfully.
But it's only recently I've noticed something that has begun to shake my world. Notice what it says after the man's friends lowered his mat down: Jesus saw THEIR faith... not Jesus saw HIS faith. Jesus noticed the faith of the group. Jesus often provided healing with the words "your faith had made you well." Here the faith of the entire group comes into the question. What does this mean? I'm still living through it, but I think it means that WE matters more than ME. The group matters. The community matters. How the community responds to the needs of the most vulnerable in their midst matters. We wrap one another in care and love, and Jesus is there. Thank you for being my community.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This message is part of the ministry of All Saints Lutheran Church. See our website for more information and calendar. If you wish to no longer receive these messages, please reply and ask to be removed. Remember to join us for worship this weekend: Saturday at 5 pm or Sunday at 9 am. Due to the repair work, our parking lot is closed until Saturday. It will be available for next weekend's worship.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
ASLC Devotions - Tuesday
2 Chronicles 30:9 For as you return to the Lord, your kindred and your children will find compassion with their captors, and return to this land. For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if you return to him.
The phrase repeats itself so many times in the Bible it rings in our ears like a mantra: The Lord your God is gracious and merciful. It's almost as if it's God's nickname: Gracious and Merciful. So why do you think biblical writers and speakers repeated it so often?
I think it's because biblical readers and audiences were not so different from us: they were forgetful. They were overloaded with guilt. They thought God was angry with them, or indifferent to their plight, or distant and irrelevant. No no no: The Lord your God is gracious and merciful. Repeat it until it's in your bones and you really believe it: The Lord your God is gracious and merciful. The Lord your God is gracious and merciful. The Lord your God is gracious and merciful.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This message is part of the ministry of All Saints Lutheran Church. See our website for more information and calendar. If you wish to no longer receive these messages, please reply and ask to be removed. Remember to join us for worship this weekend: Saturday at 5 pm or Sunday at 9 am. Due to the parking lot repair work, our parking lot is closed until Saturday. It will be available for next weekend's worship.
The phrase repeats itself so many times in the Bible it rings in our ears like a mantra: The Lord your God is gracious and merciful. It's almost as if it's God's nickname: Gracious and Merciful. So why do you think biblical writers and speakers repeated it so often?
I think it's because biblical readers and audiences were not so different from us: they were forgetful. They were overloaded with guilt. They thought God was angry with them, or indifferent to their plight, or distant and irrelevant. No no no: The Lord your God is gracious and merciful. Repeat it until it's in your bones and you really believe it: The Lord your God is gracious and merciful. The Lord your God is gracious and merciful. The Lord your God is gracious and merciful.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This message is part of the ministry of All Saints Lutheran Church. See our website for more information and calendar. If you wish to no longer receive these messages, please reply and ask to be removed. Remember to join us for worship this weekend: Saturday at 5 pm or Sunday at 9 am. Due to the parking lot repair work, our parking lot is closed until Saturday. It will be available for next weekend's worship.
Monday, June 17, 2013
ASLC Devotions - Monday
2 Chronicles 29:3 In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them.
Hezekiah became king and he was the first good and godly king in a long time. He set about restoring the temple, which had fallen into disrepair, and cleaning up the worship, which had fallen into all kinds of bad practices. I'm not sure if he did anything about the parking lot or not - it's not clear from the Bible and we don't have copies of the contracts anymore.
The point is that buildings and property matter. Yes we could worship God in the fields. We could worship God in a storefront church and simply pay rent and not worry about the rest. That would be fine. But sometimes buildings can be tools for ministry. They can be expensive and it can be a pain in the rear to deal with, but if they help us do the ministry to which we're called, it can be worth it. Hezekiah thought it was worth it to repair the temple. Buildings and places can bear witness to God and be tools by which we proclaim God's love and grace. What building or place inspires you with God's love?
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This message is part of the ministry of All Saints Lutheran Church. See our website for more information and calendar. If you wish to no longer receive these messages, please reply and ask to be removed. Remember to join us for worship this weekend: Saturday at 5 pm or Sunday at 9 am. Due to the work of Hezekiah, our parking lot is closed until Saturday. It will be available for next weekend's worship.
Hezekiah became king and he was the first good and godly king in a long time. He set about restoring the temple, which had fallen into disrepair, and cleaning up the worship, which had fallen into all kinds of bad practices. I'm not sure if he did anything about the parking lot or not - it's not clear from the Bible and we don't have copies of the contracts anymore.
The point is that buildings and property matter. Yes we could worship God in the fields. We could worship God in a storefront church and simply pay rent and not worry about the rest. That would be fine. But sometimes buildings can be tools for ministry. They can be expensive and it can be a pain in the rear to deal with, but if they help us do the ministry to which we're called, it can be worth it. Hezekiah thought it was worth it to repair the temple. Buildings and places can bear witness to God and be tools by which we proclaim God's love and grace. What building or place inspires you with God's love?
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This message is part of the ministry of All Saints Lutheran Church. See our website for more information and calendar. If you wish to no longer receive these messages, please reply and ask to be removed. Remember to join us for worship this weekend: Saturday at 5 pm or Sunday at 9 am. Due to the work of Hezekiah, our parking lot is closed until Saturday. It will be available for next weekend's worship.
Friday, June 14, 2013
ASLC Devotions - Friday
Romans 11:5 So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace.
You are a remnant of all people, chosen by grace to be God's people.
Lots of times people have tried to figure out how large that remnant is. People read the Bible and look for clues or take passages (frankly out of context) literally and think there are 7,000 people (or 144,000 or some other number) saved throughout all the world.
I don't care much for that kind of attempt at exactness. It's God's business and I'll leave it to God. What I know is that I am part of the remnant of people, chosen by God's grace and not by any merit of my own, washed in baptismal waters. And so are you. We have been chosen to worship, to give thanks, and to show the world what chosen people look like. Thanks be to God!
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This message is part of the ministry of All Saints Lutheran Church. See our website for more information and calendar. If you wish to no longer receive these messages, please reply and ask to be removed. Remember to join us for worship this weekend: Saturday at 5 pm or Sunday at 9 am.
You are a remnant of all people, chosen by grace to be God's people.
Lots of times people have tried to figure out how large that remnant is. People read the Bible and look for clues or take passages (frankly out of context) literally and think there are 7,000 people (or 144,000 or some other number) saved throughout all the world.
I don't care much for that kind of attempt at exactness. It's God's business and I'll leave it to God. What I know is that I am part of the remnant of people, chosen by God's grace and not by any merit of my own, washed in baptismal waters. And so are you. We have been chosen to worship, to give thanks, and to show the world what chosen people look like. Thanks be to God!
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This message is part of the ministry of All Saints Lutheran Church. See our website for more information and calendar. If you wish to no longer receive these messages, please reply and ask to be removed. Remember to join us for worship this weekend: Saturday at 5 pm or Sunday at 9 am.
Thursday, June 13, 2013
ASLC Devotions - Thursday
James 4:1 Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you?
It's a basic truth of Kindergarten that holds true in workplace disputes, church conflicts, international conflict, and family problems. If you have a problem with someone else and their behavior, it's probably best first to look at yourself. You may find there the source of the problem.
James goes on in his letter to talk about how we want something we don't have, so we steal or kill to get it. We start fights because we don't have something. James turns that problem another direction and says - if you want something you don't have, maybe instead of stealing it from someone else you should ask God. Ask God and God will provide all you need. Perhaps not what you want or what you think you need. But God will provide. It's happened before. Why would it not happen now?
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This message is part of the ministry of All Saints Lutheran Church. See our website for more information and calendar. If you wish to no longer receive these messages, please reply and ask to be removed. Remember to join us for worship this weekend: Saturday evening at 5 pm and Sunday morning at 9 am.
It's a basic truth of Kindergarten that holds true in workplace disputes, church conflicts, international conflict, and family problems. If you have a problem with someone else and their behavior, it's probably best first to look at yourself. You may find there the source of the problem.
James goes on in his letter to talk about how we want something we don't have, so we steal or kill to get it. We start fights because we don't have something. James turns that problem another direction and says - if you want something you don't have, maybe instead of stealing it from someone else you should ask God. Ask God and God will provide all you need. Perhaps not what you want or what you think you need. But God will provide. It's happened before. Why would it not happen now?
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This message is part of the ministry of All Saints Lutheran Church. See our website for more information and calendar. If you wish to no longer receive these messages, please reply and ask to be removed. Remember to join us for worship this weekend: Saturday evening at 5 pm and Sunday morning at 9 am.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
ASLC Devotions - Wednesday
Luke 8:55 Her spirit returned, and she got up at once. Then he directed them to give her something to eat.
There was a man, Jairus, who came to Jesus because his daughter had taken very ill. He wanted Jesus to come to his house to heal her. On the way back to the house, messengers came to tell Jairus to leave Jesus alone. It was too late. The girl had died. Jesus said - doesn't matter. Let me come. And Jesus brought the girl back. Her spirit returned, and she got up at once. Then he directed them to give her something to eat.
I love that. Bring a girl back from the dead and the first instruction is: feed her. Jesus is like Grandma: you look famished. You should eat something. But I also love it because of what it teaches us about the resurrection Jesus promises. It's not simply spiritual. He didn't bring this girl back as a ghost. No. He brought her back to full life. To life that requires eating. To life that involves loving and skinned knees and flying kites. Full life. It's what Jesus offers and brings.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This message is part of the ministry of All Saints Lutheran Church. See our website for more information and calendar. If you wish to no longer receive these messages, please reply and ask to be removed. Remember to join us for Holden Evening Prayer (as part of our summer suppers) today WEDNESDAY at 7:30 pm.
There was a man, Jairus, who came to Jesus because his daughter had taken very ill. He wanted Jesus to come to his house to heal her. On the way back to the house, messengers came to tell Jairus to leave Jesus alone. It was too late. The girl had died. Jesus said - doesn't matter. Let me come. And Jesus brought the girl back. Her spirit returned, and she got up at once. Then he directed them to give her something to eat.
I love that. Bring a girl back from the dead and the first instruction is: feed her. Jesus is like Grandma: you look famished. You should eat something. But I also love it because of what it teaches us about the resurrection Jesus promises. It's not simply spiritual. He didn't bring this girl back as a ghost. No. He brought her back to full life. To life that requires eating. To life that involves loving and skinned knees and flying kites. Full life. It's what Jesus offers and brings.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This message is part of the ministry of All Saints Lutheran Church. See our website for more information and calendar. If you wish to no longer receive these messages, please reply and ask to be removed. Remember to join us for Holden Evening Prayer (as part of our summer suppers) today WEDNESDAY at 7:30 pm.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
ASLC Devotions - Tuesday
Luke 8:44 She [a woman who had suffered for twelve years] came up behind him and touched the fringe of his clothes, and immediately her hemorrhage stopped.
This woman had suffered for twelve years. She had seen every doctor she could find. She had been referred to specialists, fought with her insurance company for them to pay for the treatments. She had undergone experimental drug trials barely approved by the FDA. And nothing.
Then there was Jesus - the last-ditch effort. This story reminds me of something very important about Jesus, and about God. Jesus is absolutely fine with being the healer of last resort. Yes, Jesus provides healing and hope whenever we come to him. But Jesus doesn't tell this woman, "You should have come to me before those other doctors." No, Jesus just heals. It's what Jesus does. Even as a last resort. We continue to seek healing and hope. And Jesus continues to provide.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This message is part of the ministry of All Saints Lutheran Church. See our website for more information and calendar. If you wish to no longer receive these messages, please reply and ask to be removed. Remember to join us for Holden Evening Prayer (as part of our summer suppers) tomorrow WEDNESDAY at 7:30 pm.
This woman had suffered for twelve years. She had seen every doctor she could find. She had been referred to specialists, fought with her insurance company for them to pay for the treatments. She had undergone experimental drug trials barely approved by the FDA. And nothing.
Then there was Jesus - the last-ditch effort. This story reminds me of something very important about Jesus, and about God. Jesus is absolutely fine with being the healer of last resort. Yes, Jesus provides healing and hope whenever we come to him. But Jesus doesn't tell this woman, "You should have come to me before those other doctors." No, Jesus just heals. It's what Jesus does. Even as a last resort. We continue to seek healing and hope. And Jesus continues to provide.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This message is part of the ministry of All Saints Lutheran Church. See our website for more information and calendar. If you wish to no longer receive these messages, please reply and ask to be removed. Remember to join us for Holden Evening Prayer (as part of our summer suppers) tomorrow WEDNESDAY at 7:30 pm.
Monday, June 10, 2013
ASLC Devotions - Monday
Genesis 22:8 Abraham said, ‘God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt-offering, my son.’ So the two of them walked on together.
This verse comes right in the midst of one of the most disturbing stories in all the Bible. Abraham lived his long long life without any children and finally, at a very advanced age, God gave him a son, Isaac. Then God commands Abraham to bring that son to the top of a mountain and kill him - offer him as a sacrifice to God. Terrible on so many levels. So Abraham calls his son and brings him up the mountain. Isaac is a little confused as to why they brought the wood and things needed for starting a fire, but they didn't bring a lamb. Abraham says that God will provide the lamb.
What is meant by this? Is this Abraham avoiding saying the terrible thing - that you, Isaac, are going to be the lamb? Or does Abraham believe and trust that God will find a way out of this? I don't know. But that's ultimately what happens. God stops Abraham from killing Isaac and provides a lamb for the sacrifice. As a father (frankly, as a human being) that's how I choose to read this story: God never intended Isaac to die. God always intended a way out of the terrible situation. And Abraham saw that. Abraham saw that God would provide. That is amazing faith indeed.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This message is part of the ministry of All Saints Lutheran Church. See our website for more information and calendar. If you wish to no longer receive these messages, please reply and ask to be removed.
This verse comes right in the midst of one of the most disturbing stories in all the Bible. Abraham lived his long long life without any children and finally, at a very advanced age, God gave him a son, Isaac. Then God commands Abraham to bring that son to the top of a mountain and kill him - offer him as a sacrifice to God. Terrible on so many levels. So Abraham calls his son and brings him up the mountain. Isaac is a little confused as to why they brought the wood and things needed for starting a fire, but they didn't bring a lamb. Abraham says that God will provide the lamb.
What is meant by this? Is this Abraham avoiding saying the terrible thing - that you, Isaac, are going to be the lamb? Or does Abraham believe and trust that God will find a way out of this? I don't know. But that's ultimately what happens. God stops Abraham from killing Isaac and provides a lamb for the sacrifice. As a father (frankly, as a human being) that's how I choose to read this story: God never intended Isaac to die. God always intended a way out of the terrible situation. And Abraham saw that. Abraham saw that God would provide. That is amazing faith indeed.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This message is part of the ministry of All Saints Lutheran Church. See our website for more information and calendar. If you wish to no longer receive these messages, please reply and ask to be removed.
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