Genesis 7:5 And Noah did all that the Lord had commanded him.
The story of Noah and the ark is one we all know pretty well. Whether it's the children's movie version or the mural painted on our church nursery wall or the new movie and some it's controversy. We know about Noah and his pair of all animals (or is it a pair of some and seven pair of others - depends on which verse you read). We know he went on the boat, survived the flood, and came out afterward and saw a rainbow.
But in all those details I think we sometimes lose the most important thing. We can lose the forest for the trees. And this is the forest: Noah did all that the Lord had commanded him. That's what we should remember from this story and the inspiration we should take from Noah. He did everything that was commanded of him.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This devotional message is a ministry of All Saints Lutheran Church. Join us for worship this weekend. Beginning this weekend, we change to our summer worship schedule. Saturday night worship at 5 pm and Sunday morning at 9 am. Both with Holy Communion. This week only, "Blessing of Bicycles" Saturday night! Visit http://www.allsaintspalatine.org for full calendar and information and respond to this email message to request to be removed from our distribution list or to be added.
Friday, May 23, 2014
Thursday, May 22, 2014
ASLC Devotions - Thursday
Psalm 66:16 Come and hear, all you who fear God,
and I will tell what he has done for me.
Testimony is a very important category of religious practice. It's a way of expressing your faith in God. Sharing your testimony about what God has done in your life: what you've seen, what you've experienced. Testimony is important for lots of reasons. It can inspire faith in someone else, it can help someone else think about their own life and learn to recognize God's work in their life.
But most importantly, testimony is about you. Telling what God has done for you reinforced it in you. It drives it home for yourself. Telling someone what God has done reminds you that it was God that did it, and not some coincidence. So share your testimony. Tell someone that God loves you. And that God loves them.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This devotional message is a ministry of All Saints Lutheran Church. Join us for worship this weekend. Beginning this weekend, we change to our summer worship schedule. Saturday night worship at 5 pm and Sunday morning at 9 am. Both with Holy Communion. This week only, "Blessing of Bicycles" Saturday night! Visit http://www.allsaintspalatine.org for full calendar and information and respond to this email message to request to be removed from our distribution list or to be added.
and I will tell what he has done for me.
Testimony is a very important category of religious practice. It's a way of expressing your faith in God. Sharing your testimony about what God has done in your life: what you've seen, what you've experienced. Testimony is important for lots of reasons. It can inspire faith in someone else, it can help someone else think about their own life and learn to recognize God's work in their life.
But most importantly, testimony is about you. Telling what God has done for you reinforced it in you. It drives it home for yourself. Telling someone what God has done reminds you that it was God that did it, and not some coincidence. So share your testimony. Tell someone that God loves you. And that God loves them.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This devotional message is a ministry of All Saints Lutheran Church. Join us for worship this weekend. Beginning this weekend, we change to our summer worship schedule. Saturday night worship at 5 pm and Sunday morning at 9 am. Both with Holy Communion. This week only, "Blessing of Bicycles" Saturday night! Visit http://www.allsaintspalatine.org for full calendar and information and respond to this email message to request to be removed from our distribution list or to be added.
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
ASLC Devotions - Wednesday
John 8:36 So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.
Lots of things promise to help you, to make your life better. Lose weight. Focus on your work. Improve your relationships. Feel better about yourself. Our entire society (or economy at least) seems to be based on promises to make your life better. It could be said, these are all promises to make you free. Free from disease and unhealth. Free from discomfort or bad relationships. Free from fear.
And we all learn that those are all empty promises. Some things do make life better. I enjoy my iPad. But nothing sets us free like the Son. Nothing really sets us free except Jesus. And Jesus truly sets you free. Free from sin and guilt and death. Free.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This devotional message is a ministry of All Saints Lutheran Church. Join us for worship this weekend. Beginning this weekend, we change to our summer worship schedule. Saturday night worship at 5 pm and Sunday morning at 9 am. Both with Holy Communion. This week only, "Blessing of Bicycles" Saturday night! Visit http://www.allsaintspalatine.org for full calendar and information and respond to this email message to request to be removed from our distribution list or to be added.
Lots of things promise to help you, to make your life better. Lose weight. Focus on your work. Improve your relationships. Feel better about yourself. Our entire society (or economy at least) seems to be based on promises to make your life better. It could be said, these are all promises to make you free. Free from disease and unhealth. Free from discomfort or bad relationships. Free from fear.
And we all learn that those are all empty promises. Some things do make life better. I enjoy my iPad. But nothing sets us free like the Son. Nothing really sets us free except Jesus. And Jesus truly sets you free. Free from sin and guilt and death. Free.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This devotional message is a ministry of All Saints Lutheran Church. Join us for worship this weekend. Beginning this weekend, we change to our summer worship schedule. Saturday night worship at 5 pm and Sunday morning at 9 am. Both with Holy Communion. This week only, "Blessing of Bicycles" Saturday night! Visit http://www.allsaintspalatine.org for full calendar and information and respond to this email message to request to be removed from our distribution list or to be added.
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
ASLC Devotions - Tuesday
Proverbs 3:9 Honour the Lord with your substance
and with the first fruits of all your produce;
The call from the Bible for the life of people of faith has always been to offer the first fruits of our produce to God. Of course, this call is based in an agrarian culture. The idea was that after the harvest (of wheat, sheep, corn, whatever) the first things you harvested would be set aside for God's work. They would be given to the temple for the support of the priests directly or for sale and the proceeds to benefit the temple.
Not many farmers read these devotions. Some do, but not many. So what are the rest of us to do with our direct deposit paychecks? Here's how I think "first fruits thinking" applies in our time. The idea is to offer your best and to make offering to God a priority. This isn't supposed to be what's left over at the end of the week. It isn't supposed to be - I forgot to write a check and I have a sawbuck in my pocket. It should be the first thing we ponder in our budgets. Ponder it.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This devotional message is a ministry of All Saints Lutheran Church. Join us for worship this weekend. Beginning this weekend, we change to our summer worship schedule. Saturday night worship at 5 pm and Sunday morning at 9 am. Both with Holy Communion. This week only, "Blessing of Bicycles" Saturday night! Visit http://www.allsaintspalatine.org for full calendar and information and respond to this email message to request to be removed from our distribution list or to be added.
and with the first fruits of all your produce;
The call from the Bible for the life of people of faith has always been to offer the first fruits of our produce to God. Of course, this call is based in an agrarian culture. The idea was that after the harvest (of wheat, sheep, corn, whatever) the first things you harvested would be set aside for God's work. They would be given to the temple for the support of the priests directly or for sale and the proceeds to benefit the temple.
Not many farmers read these devotions. Some do, but not many. So what are the rest of us to do with our direct deposit paychecks? Here's how I think "first fruits thinking" applies in our time. The idea is to offer your best and to make offering to God a priority. This isn't supposed to be what's left over at the end of the week. It isn't supposed to be - I forgot to write a check and I have a sawbuck in my pocket. It should be the first thing we ponder in our budgets. Ponder it.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This devotional message is a ministry of All Saints Lutheran Church. Join us for worship this weekend. Beginning this weekend, we change to our summer worship schedule. Saturday night worship at 5 pm and Sunday morning at 9 am. Both with Holy Communion. This week only, "Blessing of Bicycles" Saturday night! Visit http://www.allsaintspalatine.org for full calendar and information and respond to this email message to request to be removed from our distribution list or to be added.
Monday, May 19, 2014
ASLC Devotions - Monday
Exodus 13:17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was nearer; for God thought, ‘If the people face war, they may change their minds and return to Egypt.’
You've probably all heard the commentary: God doesn't give you more than you can handle. I've never been comfortable with that thought, for a variety of reasons. The first is, God doesn't give us everything we have. Cancer isn't from God. Hatred and warfare are not from God. Sometimes we give ourselves problems. Sometimes other people give us problems. And sometimes bad stuff happens. God doesn't give it to us. And the other reason is, there are times, whether they have ever happened in your life or not, when you get WAY MORE than you can handle. That's just the reality.
The Israelites had lots of problems, and they didn't come from God. They came from Pharaoh. They came from the Philistines and their armies. And they came from the Israelites themselves, in the form of fear. So God led the people to Israel in a roundabout way to keep their fear at bay. To keep them safe. To make sure they felt safe. No - the phrase I like a lot better is not "God doesn't give you more than you can handle." I think it's much more true to say "God handles whatever problems you get."
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This devotional message is a ministry of All Saints Lutheran Church. Join us for worship this weekend. Beginning this weekend, we change to our summer worship schedule. Saturday night worship at 5 pm and Sunday morning at 9 am. Both with Holy Communion. This week only, "Blessing of Bicycles" Saturday night! Visit http://www.allsaintspalatine.org for full calendar and information and respond to this email message to request to be removed from our distribution list or to be added.
You've probably all heard the commentary: God doesn't give you more than you can handle. I've never been comfortable with that thought, for a variety of reasons. The first is, God doesn't give us everything we have. Cancer isn't from God. Hatred and warfare are not from God. Sometimes we give ourselves problems. Sometimes other people give us problems. And sometimes bad stuff happens. God doesn't give it to us. And the other reason is, there are times, whether they have ever happened in your life or not, when you get WAY MORE than you can handle. That's just the reality.
The Israelites had lots of problems, and they didn't come from God. They came from Pharaoh. They came from the Philistines and their armies. And they came from the Israelites themselves, in the form of fear. So God led the people to Israel in a roundabout way to keep their fear at bay. To keep them safe. To make sure they felt safe. No - the phrase I like a lot better is not "God doesn't give you more than you can handle." I think it's much more true to say "God handles whatever problems you get."
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This devotional message is a ministry of All Saints Lutheran Church. Join us for worship this weekend. Beginning this weekend, we change to our summer worship schedule. Saturday night worship at 5 pm and Sunday morning at 9 am. Both with Holy Communion. This week only, "Blessing of Bicycles" Saturday night! Visit http://www.allsaintspalatine.org for full calendar and information and respond to this email message to request to be removed from our distribution list or to be added.
Friday, May 2, 2014
ASLC Devotions - Friday
1 Peter 1:13 Therefore prepare your minds for action; discipline yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed.
Peter here is continuing to talk about that belief that we read about yesterday. We believe in Christ even though we haven't seen him. We celebrate the joy of the resurrection even though we have not seen him and put our hands in his wounds.
He continues to say that this belief must have consequences in our lives. Discipline yourselves with hope. Don't let your life be strayed off track by bad news and gloomy outlooks. Discipline yourself with hope. It matters.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This devotional message is a ministry of All Saints Lutheran Church. Join us for worship Sunday morning at 8:30 and 11 and Education Hour at 9:45. Visit http://www.allsaintspalatine.org for full calendar and information and respond to this email message to request to be removed from our distribution list or to be added.
Peter here is continuing to talk about that belief that we read about yesterday. We believe in Christ even though we haven't seen him. We celebrate the joy of the resurrection even though we have not seen him and put our hands in his wounds.
He continues to say that this belief must have consequences in our lives. Discipline yourselves with hope. Don't let your life be strayed off track by bad news and gloomy outlooks. Discipline yourself with hope. It matters.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This devotional message is a ministry of All Saints Lutheran Church. Join us for worship Sunday morning at 8:30 and 11 and Education Hour at 9:45. Visit http://www.allsaintspalatine.org for full calendar and information and respond to this email message to request to be removed from our distribution list or to be added.
Thursday, May 1, 2014
ASLC Devotions - Thursday
1 Peter 1:8 Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy
This is a description of our life as Christians today. Frankly, it's been true of Christians for something close to 2000 years now. We haven't seen Jesus. We didn't walk with him. We didn't put our hands in his wounds after Easter to "prove" that it was really Jesus who had been crucified and was living again. We haven't seen him, but we love him anyway. We don't see him, but we believe in him and we receive the Easter news with joy.
That's what faith is about. Believing in something you don't see. Believing in life even when we see death. Believing in hope when the news is grim. Celebrating with joy even if the news isn't all good. Hold on to faith. Hold on to joy. Hold on to Alleluia! It's what you can't see that is often most profoundly true.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This devotional message is a ministry of All Saints Lutheran Church. Join us for worship Sunday morning at 8:30 and 11 and Education Hour at 9:45. Visit http://www.allsaintspalatine.org for full calendar and information and respond to this email message to request to be removed from our distribution list or to be added.
This is a description of our life as Christians today. Frankly, it's been true of Christians for something close to 2000 years now. We haven't seen Jesus. We didn't walk with him. We didn't put our hands in his wounds after Easter to "prove" that it was really Jesus who had been crucified and was living again. We haven't seen him, but we love him anyway. We don't see him, but we believe in him and we receive the Easter news with joy.
That's what faith is about. Believing in something you don't see. Believing in life even when we see death. Believing in hope when the news is grim. Celebrating with joy even if the news isn't all good. Hold on to faith. Hold on to joy. Hold on to Alleluia! It's what you can't see that is often most profoundly true.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This devotional message is a ministry of All Saints Lutheran Church. Join us for worship Sunday morning at 8:30 and 11 and Education Hour at 9:45. Visit http://www.allsaintspalatine.org for full calendar and information and respond to this email message to request to be removed from our distribution list or to be added.
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