Matthew 12:40 For just as Jonah was for three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so for three days and three nights the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth.
God is into patterns. Or at least, the Bible is into patterns. The Bible has been collected by faithful people throughout generations looking for ways that God is active in their lives. And so patterns begin to emerge as to how God works in the world. Here we see a pattern - just like Jonah was DOWN in the belly of a sea monster for 3 days and nights, Jesus also was DOWN in the tomb for 3 days and nights.
But beyond the significance of the number, there's a deeper pattern. Here's how God chooses to interact with the world and with God's people. The end result is life. It may be a wait. It be a long wait. It may be three days and nights or even more. But God is about bringing us UP to life.
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.
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
ASLC Devotions - Tuesday
1 Corinthians 15:26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
Jesus is in the process of destroying all enemies. Sin and darkness are gone. Guilt and hopelessness are on the way out. And the last one to be completely destroyed is going to be death. Obviously people still die. It happens. It happens every day. So what does Paul mean by saying that the last enemy to be destroyed is death?
I think of it in those famous Lutheran "already but not yet" terms. Death has been defeated. That first Easter morning, Jesus destroyed death. It's over. Death has been defeated. But the victory has not been brought to full fruition. People still die. But let's stick with the promise right now - the victory WILL be brought to full fruition. Trust the promise.
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.
Jesus is in the process of destroying all enemies. Sin and darkness are gone. Guilt and hopelessness are on the way out. And the last one to be completely destroyed is going to be death. Obviously people still die. It happens. It happens every day. So what does Paul mean by saying that the last enemy to be destroyed is death?
I think of it in those famous Lutheran "already but not yet" terms. Death has been defeated. That first Easter morning, Jesus destroyed death. It's over. Death has been defeated. But the victory has not been brought to full fruition. People still die. But let's stick with the promise right now - the victory WILL be brought to full fruition. Trust the promise.
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.
Monday, April 28, 2014
ASLC Devotions - Monday
1 Corinthians 15:20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died.
Paul is here helping people to understand what really matters about Easter. Yes, it means that Jesus was raised from the dead. But one could say "Big whoop! Why does that matter to me?" Paul is making it extremely clear to us all that this isn't just about Jesus. This isn't just about one person who lived 2000 years ago. This isn't just about his life and the fact that he got to walk around for a few more weeks with his disciples.
It extends to us. His life becomes our life. The resurrection of Jesus is the first fruits of all those who have died. Jesus' resurrection becomes our resurrection. It's not just about Jesus. It's about you and I. It's about your father and mother, your husband and wife. It's about life. For all.
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.
Paul is here helping people to understand what really matters about Easter. Yes, it means that Jesus was raised from the dead. But one could say "Big whoop! Why does that matter to me?" Paul is making it extremely clear to us all that this isn't just about Jesus. This isn't just about one person who lived 2000 years ago. This isn't just about his life and the fact that he got to walk around for a few more weeks with his disciples.
It extends to us. His life becomes our life. The resurrection of Jesus is the first fruits of all those who have died. Jesus' resurrection becomes our resurrection. It's not just about Jesus. It's about you and I. It's about your father and mother, your husband and wife. It's about life. For all.
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.
Friday, April 25, 2014
ASLC Devotions - Friday
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures,4and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures,
Paul writes here to remind the Corinthians that the gospel he has proclaimed was not original to him. He didn't make it up. He wasn't the first one to say that Jesus has risen. He was just passing on what he received. He had received a wonderful gift in the gospel (good news) and he was passing it along.
Sometimes we engage a bit in a cult of newness and originality. Something is only valuable if it's never been done before, an idea is only worth listening to if it's new. But the most important truths of life are ancient truths. Do unto others as you'd have them do to you. Honor the past and leave a legacy for the future. And Jesus rose from the dead. These are important messages. You've heard them. Pass them along.
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.
Paul writes here to remind the Corinthians that the gospel he has proclaimed was not original to him. He didn't make it up. He wasn't the first one to say that Jesus has risen. He was just passing on what he received. He had received a wonderful gift in the gospel (good news) and he was passing it along.
Sometimes we engage a bit in a cult of newness and originality. Something is only valuable if it's never been done before, an idea is only worth listening to if it's new. But the most important truths of life are ancient truths. Do unto others as you'd have them do to you. Honor the past and leave a legacy for the future. And Jesus rose from the dead. These are important messages. You've heard them. Pass them along.
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, April 24, 2014
ASLC Devotions - Thursday
Colossians 4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving.
Want to know how to live an Easter life? Want to know how to live now that we know death isn't final? Here are the apostle Paul's instructions: devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving. Keep praying. Pray for yourselves, pray for others, pray for the world, pray in thanksgiving, and pray in awe at the wonder of God and God's world.
There are many types of prayers that are acceptable and good to use. But one we sometimes forget and one that seems so appropriate this week is a prayer of thanksgiving. That's what Paul is talking about. Because how do you respond to the gift of eternal life? Saying thanks is a really good place to start.
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.
Want to know how to live an Easter life? Want to know how to live now that we know death isn't final? Here are the apostle Paul's instructions: devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving. Keep praying. Pray for yourselves, pray for others, pray for the world, pray in thanksgiving, and pray in awe at the wonder of God and God's world.
There are many types of prayers that are acceptable and good to use. But one we sometimes forget and one that seems so appropriate this week is a prayer of thanksgiving. That's what Paul is talking about. Because how do you respond to the gift of eternal life? Saying thanks is a really good place to start.
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.
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
ASLC Devotions - Wednesday
Matthew 28:8 So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.
The Marys who came to the tomb got quite a surprise that Sunday morning long ago, didn't they? They didn't find the body they came to anoint. Instead they met an empty tomb and an angel who told them Jesus had risen. And their response is recorded here.
Fear and great joy. They can go together. New things are scary even if we know they might be wonderful. Change is difficult. Changing our entire way of thinking about the world is harder still. Fear and great joy. That is our response to the Easter news as well, isn't it? Because if death isn't final, what else is not the way it seems?
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.
The Marys who came to the tomb got quite a surprise that Sunday morning long ago, didn't they? They didn't find the body they came to anoint. Instead they met an empty tomb and an angel who told them Jesus had risen. And their response is recorded here.
Fear and great joy. They can go together. New things are scary even if we know they might be wonderful. Change is difficult. Changing our entire way of thinking about the world is harder still. Fear and great joy. That is our response to the Easter news as well, isn't it? Because if death isn't final, what else is not the way it seems?
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.
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
ASLC Devotions - Tuesday
Exodus 15:11
Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods?
Who is like you, majestic in holiness,
awesome in splendour, doing wonders?
This is part of the song that the Israelites sang to praise God after the exodus. If you remember from yesterday, they were singing under the leadership and inspiration of Miriam. They were singing to praise God for the mighty deeds of salvation with which God had brought them out of slavery.
This week we too sing songs of joy and thanksgiving. We honor the God who has saved us all from death and darkness, welcoming us into heaven's splendor through the death and resurrection of Jesus. We sing our "Alleluias," we sing "Jesus Christ is Ris'n Today." My prayer is that these songs continue to fill your heart long after all the Peeps have been eaten and all the eggs have been cleaned up.
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.
Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods?
Who is like you, majestic in holiness,
awesome in splendour, doing wonders?
This is part of the song that the Israelites sang to praise God after the exodus. If you remember from yesterday, they were singing under the leadership and inspiration of Miriam. They were singing to praise God for the mighty deeds of salvation with which God had brought them out of slavery.
This week we too sing songs of joy and thanksgiving. We honor the God who has saved us all from death and darkness, welcoming us into heaven's splendor through the death and resurrection of Jesus. We sing our "Alleluias," we sing "Jesus Christ is Ris'n Today." My prayer is that these songs continue to fill your heart long after all the Peeps have been eaten and all the eggs have been cleaned up.
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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