2 Timothy 2:23 Have nothing to do with stupid and senseless controversies; you know that they breed quarrels.
Usually I use this space to try to provide a little hope and good news for your morning. Today instead we're going to provide a little bit of advice. Ancient advice. But simple advice. The book of the Bible 2 Timothy was written to Timothy who was learning to be a pastor by some older and more experienced mentor. Lots of it is advice about how to be a leader and an example of Christian faith. This verse is no exception: "Have nothing to do with stupid and senseless controversies; you know that they breed quarrels."
So stupid and senseless controversies must have been a part of church life 2000 years ago. And they must have been a part of business life, and civic life, and political life, and family life. Hmmmm... Not much has changed in 2000 years has it? Stupid and senseless controversies are all around.
I'd like to invite you today to join me in having nothing to do with them. Walk away. Choose a higher road. Focus your mind and your heart on things that matter. You never know! God might have something better in store for you.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
Join us tomorrow morning for Men's Breakfast at 8 am as Bob Crawford shares conversation with us about the political season (speaking of stupid and senseless controversies). Worship Sunday morning at 8:30 and 11.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Thursday, October 14, 2010
ASLC Devotions - Thursday
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 tiny excerpt of a sermon that Paul gave to a group of Athenians. It's a great sermon. Lots of good stuff. But I pulled this one line out just because of the thing that Paul quotes actually: "In him we live and move and have our being." That's a reminder that I need this morning.
It is in God that I live. It is in God that I move. It is in God that I have my being. And if that's true, then nothing can take any of that away. Nothing can take away my living and being, because God is protecting it all. And nothing can take away my moving - my freedom of movement - my joyful movement - my dancing, because all of it rests in God.
In God you live and move and have your being.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
Join us Saturday morning at 8 for Men's Breakfast with our speaker Bob Crawford. And Sunday morning for worship at 8:30 and 11. More details at http://www.allsaintspalatine.org
“For we too are his offspring.”
This is one tiny excerpt of a sermon that Paul gave to a group of Athenians. It's a great sermon. Lots of good stuff. But I pulled this one line out just because of the thing that Paul quotes actually: "In him we live and move and have our being." That's a reminder that I need this morning.
It is in God that I live. It is in God that I move. It is in God that I have my being. And if that's true, then nothing can take any of that away. Nothing can take away my living and being, because God is protecting it all. And nothing can take away my moving - my freedom of movement - my joyful movement - my dancing, because all of it rests in God.
In God you live and move and have your being.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
Join us Saturday morning at 8 for Men's Breakfast with our speaker Bob Crawford. And Sunday morning for worship at 8:30 and 11. More details at http://www.allsaintspalatine.org
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
ASLC Devotions - Wednesday
Psalm 61:4
Let me abide in your tent for ever,
find refuge under the shelter of your wings.
Some days I just want to pull the covers back up over my head and stay in bed. Maybe it's the gray and dreary weather outside the window. Maybe it's the gray and dreary tasks on my to-do list. Maybe it's just sheer human laziness. But sometimes I just want to stay put and not have to face the world.
"Let me abide in your tent forever." It would be wonderful to be able to stay in God's tent and not have to face the world and all its real-life problems and real-life situations. It would be nice to stay sheltered and comfy and cozy. But of course we can't stay there. We all need to face the day. We need to face what the day brings.
It's sure a good thing that God's tent is bigger than my bed, bigger than my home. God's tent follows me and shelters me wherever I go.
May you know God's presence and shelter today, wherever you roam.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
Join together tonight for prayer and fellowship. Holden Evening Prayer at 7 pm followed by fellowship in the Gathering Space. Bring a dish or bottle to pass.
Let me abide in your tent for ever,
find refuge under the shelter of your wings.
Some days I just want to pull the covers back up over my head and stay in bed. Maybe it's the gray and dreary weather outside the window. Maybe it's the gray and dreary tasks on my to-do list. Maybe it's just sheer human laziness. But sometimes I just want to stay put and not have to face the world.
"Let me abide in your tent forever." It would be wonderful to be able to stay in God's tent and not have to face the world and all its real-life problems and real-life situations. It would be nice to stay sheltered and comfy and cozy. But of course we can't stay there. We all need to face the day. We need to face what the day brings.
It's sure a good thing that God's tent is bigger than my bed, bigger than my home. God's tent follows me and shelters me wherever I go.
May you know God's presence and shelter today, wherever you roam.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
Join together tonight for prayer and fellowship. Holden Evening Prayer at 7 pm followed by fellowship in the Gathering Space. Bring a dish or bottle to pass.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
ASLC Devotions -- Tuesday
Psalm 41:3 The Lord sustains them on their sickbed;
in their illness you heal all their infirmities.
In some ways I really believe that I have the greatest job in the world. I am privileged to be able to walk with people through all kinds of joys and sorrows in life, and to learn from them all along the way.
I walked into Joyce's room expecting sadness and tears. Anybody would have expected sadness and tears after Joyce's diagnosis. She didn't have much longer to live and what she had would be painful and hard. That was sure. I was prepared to try to offer comfort and to try to assure her that God would be with her even through all of this. That's my job.
Except that she assured me. She assured me that God is good, and that God had given her so many blessings throughout her life. She wanted only to talk about thankfulness. She wanted to talk about passing on her faith to her children and gratitude. I don't know about her children and grandchildren, but I know she passed on her faithfulness to me. The faithfulness that says, "Even here on my sickbed, I know that God sustains me and that God is a good and gracious God" is a faithfulness I can continue to learn and to carry.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
Visit http://www.allsaintspalatine.org for more information. Join us for prayer, singing, and fellowship Wednesday evening. Holden Evening Prayer is at 7 pm and join us for fellowship in the Gathering Space afterward. Bring a dish to share and join in the fun!
in their illness you heal all their infirmities.
In some ways I really believe that I have the greatest job in the world. I am privileged to be able to walk with people through all kinds of joys and sorrows in life, and to learn from them all along the way.
I walked into Joyce's room expecting sadness and tears. Anybody would have expected sadness and tears after Joyce's diagnosis. She didn't have much longer to live and what she had would be painful and hard. That was sure. I was prepared to try to offer comfort and to try to assure her that God would be with her even through all of this. That's my job.
Except that she assured me. She assured me that God is good, and that God had given her so many blessings throughout her life. She wanted only to talk about thankfulness. She wanted to talk about passing on her faith to her children and gratitude. I don't know about her children and grandchildren, but I know she passed on her faithfulness to me. The faithfulness that says, "Even here on my sickbed, I know that God sustains me and that God is a good and gracious God" is a faithfulness I can continue to learn and to carry.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
Visit http://www.allsaintspalatine.org for more information. Join us for prayer, singing, and fellowship Wednesday evening. Holden Evening Prayer is at 7 pm and join us for fellowship in the Gathering Space afterward. Bring a dish to share and join in the fun!
Monday, October 11, 2010
ASLC Devotions -- Monday
2 Kings 5:15 Then he returned to the man of God, he and all his company; he came and stood before him and said, ‘Now I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel.'
Naaman is the "he" referred to here. He was a great general of a foreign army who had his leprosy healed by a prophet of the God of Israel. He was impressed to say the least. You have your skin disease disappear out of nowhere and your skin completely cleaned, you'll put some stock in whatever God or belief-system accomplished it. You'd believe too, I'd venture to say. Anybody would.
I've never seen a skin disease cured. I don't have that as a basis of faith.
But I've seen a woman reconciled with her mother after 35 years of not speaking. I've seen people fed who otherwise would have starved to death. I've seen it. I've seen this and so much more. I've seen it and it feeds my faith. It nourishes my faith. It reinforces my faith. It causes me to take Naaman's confession and change it up slightly. Naaman said "I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel." I say "I know that the God of Israel is alive and well in all the earth."
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
For more information, visit http://www.allsaintspalatine.org Join us Wednesday evening for Holden Evening Prayer and fellowship at 7 pm. Bring a dish to pass for the fellowship time.
Naaman is the "he" referred to here. He was a great general of a foreign army who had his leprosy healed by a prophet of the God of Israel. He was impressed to say the least. You have your skin disease disappear out of nowhere and your skin completely cleaned, you'll put some stock in whatever God or belief-system accomplished it. You'd believe too, I'd venture to say. Anybody would.
I've never seen a skin disease cured. I don't have that as a basis of faith.
But I've seen a woman reconciled with her mother after 35 years of not speaking. I've seen people fed who otherwise would have starved to death. I've seen it. I've seen this and so much more. I've seen it and it feeds my faith. It nourishes my faith. It reinforces my faith. It causes me to take Naaman's confession and change it up slightly. Naaman said "I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel." I say "I know that the God of Israel is alive and well in all the earth."
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
For more information, visit http://www.allsaintspalatine.org Join us Wednesday evening for Holden Evening Prayer and fellowship at 7 pm. Bring a dish to pass for the fellowship time.
Friday, October 8, 2010
ASLC Devotions -- Friday
2 Timothy 2:1-2
You then, my child, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus; 2and what you have heard from me through many witnesses entrust to faithful people who will be able to teach others as well.
This is the heart of any graduation speech, congratulations card or send-off: be strong, and share what you have learned with others. To boil it down like that might seem like I'm not taking it very seriously, but I'd argue just the opposite. There are so many things that we learn throughout our lives -- and it is important to share them with others. Why should our knowledge about the Gospel and grace of Jesus Christ be any different?
I love, though, that all of that comes after the encouragement to be strong in the grace. Take encouragement to be strong. Take comfort to be strong. And then share what you have heard and what you know.
Peace,
Pastor Jenn
You then, my child, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus; 2and what you have heard from me through many witnesses entrust to faithful people who will be able to teach others as well.
This is the heart of any graduation speech, congratulations card or send-off: be strong, and share what you have learned with others. To boil it down like that might seem like I'm not taking it very seriously, but I'd argue just the opposite. There are so many things that we learn throughout our lives -- and it is important to share them with others. Why should our knowledge about the Gospel and grace of Jesus Christ be any different?
I love, though, that all of that comes after the encouragement to be strong in the grace. Take encouragement to be strong. Take comfort to be strong. And then share what you have heard and what you know.
Peace,
Pastor Jenn
Thursday, October 7, 2010
ASLC Devotions -- Thursday
2 Timothy 1:13-14
13Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14Guard the good treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us.
The letters that we read in scripture are full of many things -- some admonish, some encourage, some teach, some preach. These few lines remind the reader to uphold and guard the treasure, the Gospel message -- the Good News of Jesus Christ. Today we still hear about this teaching and treasure that we read about in the second letter to Timothy -- we still have received sound teaching and the Gospel message.
And, we don't have to do it alone -- the Holy Spirit lives in us. However, if that Holy Spirit feels a little quiet, take note that there are others in your life (and mine!) who help us to do these things. We have mentors and guides and wisdom folks who embody the role of guard and teacher, helping us to remember what we have learned and the value of this amazing treasure that we have received. Give thanks today for those Spirit-folks in your life.
Peace,
Pastor Jenn
13Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14Guard the good treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us.
The letters that we read in scripture are full of many things -- some admonish, some encourage, some teach, some preach. These few lines remind the reader to uphold and guard the treasure, the Gospel message -- the Good News of Jesus Christ. Today we still hear about this teaching and treasure that we read about in the second letter to Timothy -- we still have received sound teaching and the Gospel message.
And, we don't have to do it alone -- the Holy Spirit lives in us. However, if that Holy Spirit feels a little quiet, take note that there are others in your life (and mine!) who help us to do these things. We have mentors and guides and wisdom folks who embody the role of guard and teacher, helping us to remember what we have learned and the value of this amazing treasure that we have received. Give thanks today for those Spirit-folks in your life.
Peace,
Pastor Jenn
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