We kind of have a usual format for these devotional messages. A verse of the Bible and then a couple short paragraphs of comment or interpretation. Well, I want to change that here - Paul writes so clearly in the book of Ephesians that I have no comment except to say. Isn't God's love amazing in it's graciousness and depth?
Ephesians 2:4-7 4But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us 5even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This devotional message is a ministry of All Saints Lutheran Church. Join us for worship this weekend. Saturday night worship at 5 pm and Sunday morning at 9 am. Both with Holy Communion. 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 30, 2014
Thursday, May 29, 2014
ASLC Devotions - Thursday
Today is the festival of Jesus' Ascension. Today is the day we mark the end of Jesus' second run on earth, the time he spent with his disciples teaching them after his resurrection. Here is how the story is recorded in Acts:
6 So when they had come together, they asked him, ‘Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?’ 7He replied, ‘It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’ 9When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.10While he was going and they were gazing up towards heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. 11They said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up towards heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.’
"Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up towards heaven?" Stop staring off into space now. Turn your eyes downward. The life to which you've been called is not in the clouds. It's all around you. It's in your messy kitchen and your disgruntled board room and your smelly locker at school. That's your life. Live it in love.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This devotional message is a ministry of All Saints Lutheran Church. Join us for worship this weekend. Saturday night worship at 5 pm and Sunday morning at 9 am. Both with Holy Communion. 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.
6 So when they had come together, they asked him, ‘Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?’ 7He replied, ‘It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’ 9When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.10While he was going and they were gazing up towards heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. 11They said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up towards heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.’
"Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up towards heaven?" Stop staring off into space now. Turn your eyes downward. The life to which you've been called is not in the clouds. It's all around you. It's in your messy kitchen and your disgruntled board room and your smelly locker at school. That's your life. Live it in love.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This devotional message is a ministry of All Saints Lutheran Church. Join us for worship this weekend. Saturday night worship at 5 pm and Sunday morning at 9 am. Both with Holy Communion. 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 28, 2014
ASLC Devotions - Wednesday
John 16:22 So you have pain now; but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.
Trends in the Christian church go on pendulum swings throughout history. Right now, and for the lifetimes of most of us, we are on a pendulum swing pretty far toward the church and faith being about right now - changing the world and making your life better - and less about the promise of eternal life. And that's a good thing. Faith is about right now. Jesus came to give you abundant life now, not just a promise about after you die.
But let's not forget the other side of the pendulum. There is a promise. And it is for something so awesome, so unbelievable, so majestic, that human words cannot possibly express it. It's not just ho-hum eternal life, you get to live forever on a cloud. No... it's joy that will never be taken from you. That is huge. And it's promised to you. It's signed, sealed, and not-quite delivered. But it will be. Thanks be to God!
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This devotional message is a ministry of All Saints Lutheran Church. Join us for worship this weekend. Saturday night worship at 5 pm and Sunday morning at 9 am. Both with Holy Communion. 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.
Trends in the Christian church go on pendulum swings throughout history. Right now, and for the lifetimes of most of us, we are on a pendulum swing pretty far toward the church and faith being about right now - changing the world and making your life better - and less about the promise of eternal life. And that's a good thing. Faith is about right now. Jesus came to give you abundant life now, not just a promise about after you die.
But let's not forget the other side of the pendulum. There is a promise. And it is for something so awesome, so unbelievable, so majestic, that human words cannot possibly express it. It's not just ho-hum eternal life, you get to live forever on a cloud. No... it's joy that will never be taken from you. That is huge. And it's promised to you. It's signed, sealed, and not-quite delivered. But it will be. Thanks be to God!
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This devotional message is a ministry of All Saints Lutheran Church. Join us for worship this weekend. Saturday night worship at 5 pm and Sunday morning at 9 am. Both with Holy Communion. 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 27, 2014
ASLC Devotions - Tuesday
1 Peter 3:9 Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse; but, on the contrary, repay with a blessing. It is for this that you were called—that you might inherit a blessing.
It is for this reason that you were called. You want to know why you were called to a be a Christian? You want to know why Christians exist? So that you can replay evil with a blessing. That's it. That's the whole reason for the church. Vengeance has no place for the Christian. Getting even. Proving you're right and they're wrong.
I just read a great book about Hutterites during World War I in the United States. Hutterites are a church where one of their core founding principles is pacifism. During World War I, the right to conscientious objection didn't exist and/or was not observed in the United States. This book was about three Hutterite men in particular who spent the war at Alcatraz and Leavenworth for refusing to take up a weapon. Two of them died in prison. And none of their relatives fought back. To me, it is one of the most profound statements of Christian faith I've ever seen. They stayed committed to their principles even to death, bearing witness the whole way. Their witness paved the way for legal protections for conscientious objectors. They brought a blessing. You can too.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This devotional message is a ministry of All Saints Lutheran Church. Join us for worship this weekend. Saturday night worship at 5 pm and Sunday morning at 9 am. Both with Holy Communion. 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.
It is for this reason that you were called. You want to know why you were called to a be a Christian? You want to know why Christians exist? So that you can replay evil with a blessing. That's it. That's the whole reason for the church. Vengeance has no place for the Christian. Getting even. Proving you're right and they're wrong.
I just read a great book about Hutterites during World War I in the United States. Hutterites are a church where one of their core founding principles is pacifism. During World War I, the right to conscientious objection didn't exist and/or was not observed in the United States. This book was about three Hutterite men in particular who spent the war at Alcatraz and Leavenworth for refusing to take up a weapon. Two of them died in prison. And none of their relatives fought back. To me, it is one of the most profound statements of Christian faith I've ever seen. They stayed committed to their principles even to death, bearing witness the whole way. Their witness paved the way for legal protections for conscientious objectors. They brought a blessing. You can too.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This devotional message is a ministry of All Saints Lutheran Church. Join us for worship this weekend. Saturday night worship at 5 pm and Sunday morning at 9 am. Both with Holy Communion. 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 26, 2014
ASLC Devotions - Monday
Genesis 9:16 When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.
In the culmination of the story of Noah and the ark we get the promise of God never to destroy the whole earth with a flood ever again. And the reminder of that promise - the rainbow. When we teach this story to children (or ourselves) I think we often get it backwards - we think of the rainbow as a reminder to us, in an Aesop's fable kind of way, of God's faithfulness. But that's not how the story goes in the Bible. The rainbow isn't a reminder for us - it's a reminder for God.
It's like God put a note in the Eternal Smartphone with an alarm. The phone buzzes and the message pops up: "Don't forget. You promised not to destroy the earth with a flood again." That's what a rainbow is. And I love this image. As someone who love to make lists and put reminders in smartphones, I do it because those things are important to me. Things that are important go on the list. We are important to God. So we go on God's list. We get a rainbow - because we matter.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This devotional message is a ministry of All Saints Lutheran Church. Join us for worship this weekend. Saturday night worship at 5 pm and Sunday morning at 9 am. Both with Holy Communion. 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.
In the culmination of the story of Noah and the ark we get the promise of God never to destroy the whole earth with a flood ever again. And the reminder of that promise - the rainbow. When we teach this story to children (or ourselves) I think we often get it backwards - we think of the rainbow as a reminder to us, in an Aesop's fable kind of way, of God's faithfulness. But that's not how the story goes in the Bible. The rainbow isn't a reminder for us - it's a reminder for God.
It's like God put a note in the Eternal Smartphone with an alarm. The phone buzzes and the message pops up: "Don't forget. You promised not to destroy the earth with a flood again." That's what a rainbow is. And I love this image. As someone who love to make lists and put reminders in smartphones, I do it because those things are important to me. Things that are important go on the list. We are important to God. So we go on God's list. We get a rainbow - because we matter.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This devotional message is a ministry of All Saints Lutheran Church. Join us for worship this weekend. Saturday night worship at 5 pm and Sunday morning at 9 am. Both with Holy Communion. 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
ASLC Devotions - Friday
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.
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.
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.
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