ASL Devotions -- Monday

Joel 2:25 I will repay you for the years
   that the swarming locust has eaten,
the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter,
   my great army, which I sent against you.

It's dangerous to take one verse out of the whole Bible and create whole scenes of what God is like from them. We can't extrapolate whole characteristics of God from one verse. That being said, I'm going to give it a try.

That being said, this verse has always fascinated me. It's one of many promises of the prophets. The prophets spoke mostly in times when people were in very difficult circumstances. Their farms were destroyed. Their cities were destroyed. Many of them were in slavery. Everything was gone. And the prophets promised that God would restore things.

But Joel took it a step further here, at least as I read this. Joel promises not only that God would give back the farms and restore the land that has been destroyed by the locusts. But the God talked about by Joel believes in restorative justice. Not only will God give us the farms back. God will repay us for lost profits for the years that the farms were barren. God always takes things a step further than we might have expected. Take your idea of what would be fair and what would be right. Multiply it by a million. Now MAYBE you can see God's sense of things from where you're at.  Even God's restoring of fortunes is bigger than our imagination.

In Christ,
Pastor Seth

Remember that this weekend begins our summer worship schedule. Worship Saturday evening at 5 and Sunday morning at 9.

ASLC Devotions -- Friday

^{Galatians 6:9-10
9}So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. ¹⁰So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith.

If I ever had to pick a good theme for what it means to be part of a Christian community, say a church, I think verse 10 would be a good place to start. Whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all... How does what we do promote the 'good of all' within the family of faith? 

It can be a difficult question to keep in mind, just like any of the other (admittedly catchier) themes like "WWJD?" or even The Golden Rule, especially when we're wrapped up in a passionate discussion. And yet, it's in that moment especially when we need to keep the good of all in mind. Let's not get tired of doing what's right.

Peace,
Pastor Jenn

ASLC Devotions -- Thursday

Galatians 5:22-25
22 By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, ²³gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. ²⁴And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.

There are a few options if you're looking for a list of the "fruits of the Spirit." Perhaps my favorite part of this list is the final admonition -- if we live by the Spirit, let us be guided by the Spirit. I can start out the morning with full intentions to live out these fruits of the Spirit. But how does the joke go? I fail before I've even gotten out of bed...

These are not gifts or fruits that we can live into on our own. Left to ourselves, we probably resort to the contrasted "works of the flesh." However, through our baptism which unites to the death and resurrection of Jesus, we no longer have to strive for the fruitful living on our own. 

(fruitful) Peace,
Pastor Jenn

 

ASLC Devotions -- Wednesday

Psalm 29:10-12
¹⁰The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
   the Lord sits enthroned as king for ever.
¹¹May the Lord give strength to his people!
   May the Lord bless his people with peace!

There's little comfort when the waters have washed away all that you have, and all that you know -- home, belongings, job, even loved ones. Our world sees waters rise, and we respond with sandbags and flood walls. We respond with sandwiches and dry clothing for relief workers.

And our Lord? Our Lord is higher than the flood waters; our Lord cannot be washed away by raging waters. 

Peace,

Pastor Jenn

ASLC Devotions -- Tuesday

2 Chronicles 5:11-14
11 Now when the priests came out of the holy place (for all the priests who were present had sanctified themselves, without regard to their divisions), ¹²all the levitical singers, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, their sons and kindred, arrayed in fine linen, with cymbals, harps, and lyres, stood east of the altar with one hundred and twenty priests who were trumpeters, ¹³it was the duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the Lord, and when the song was raised, with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments, in praise to the Lord,
‘For he is good,
   for his steadfast love endures for ever’,
the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, ¹⁴so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.

If we all sanctify ourselves for worship, without regard to our divisions or disagreements, our praise and thanksgiving to the Lord will be heard in unison. Wow. If you had the opportunity to hear Pastor Seth preach Sunday morning, you'll remember the emphasis on what unites us -- God's promises that we receive in the waters of baptism and the grace of the meal around the Lord's Table.

There's a lot more that we can do when we're united, than when we're divided, but perhaps none is as important than our worship of the Lord. So, let's make ourselves holy, all of us, without regard to how much or little money we make, without regard to age or race or anything that divides us, and let's raise a song of praise to the Lord.

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Pastor Jenn

ASLC Devotions -- Monday

Exodus 40:16-38

 

16 Moses did everything just as the Lord had commanded him. ¹⁷In the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, the tabernacle was set up. ¹⁸Moses set up the tabernacle; he laid its bases, and set up its frames, and put in its poles, and raised up its pillars; ¹⁹and he spread the tent over the tabernacle, and put the covering of the tent over it; as the Lord had commanded Moses

If only the instructions that God commands us were as clear as the ones God gave to Moses, right? I mean, how often have you wished for a "clear sign" from God? Detailed instructions? A louder voice? It seems pretty normal to me that we'd probably all like a little more insight into a guide for our lives.

It can be particularly frustrating when we read scripture because it seems as if folks like Moses and David and Ruth were getting really clear messages from God. Do we start thinking that God isn't talking to us? Or that we aren't listening? I often say that scripture isn't a journalist's account of events, it's a faith story, and yet we tend to treat it like breaking news or end-of-day reporting. What happens when we view our life through the lens of a faith story instead of a series of breaking news events?

Peace,
Pastor Jenn

ASLC Devotions -- Friday

Acts 1:24-26 Then they prayed and said, ‘Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which one of these two you have chosen to take the place^* in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.’ And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.

You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen, Comet and Cupid, Peter and James and John and Matthew and Andrew and Thomas. But do you recall, the last apostle picked of all.

Matthias, the little known apostle, had a very shiney nose.

Well, he might have? I don't know. Anyway... we all know that one of Jesus' initial twelve disciples was not around for the birth of the church after Easter. Judas was gone. He had killed himself after betraying Jesus. The disciples knew that a lot of work was ahead, now after Easter and after the Ascension. They knew they had a lot to do to spread the life-giving message about Jesus to all the world. No hole could be left unfilled. So they filled it with Mathias.

We have a lot of work to do too. Where are there holes that need filling?

In Christ,
Pastor Seth

Join us for worship at 8:30 and 11. Visit http://allsaintspalatine.org for more information!