21
Oct '20
A Due or Cheerful Response?
21
Oct '20
Matthew 17:22-27
Jesus Again Foretells His Death and Resurrection
22 As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into human hands, 23 and they will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised.” And they were greatly distressed.
Jesus and the Temple Tax
24 When they reached Capernaum, the collectors of the temple tax came to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the temple tax?” 25 He said, “Yes, he does.” And when he came home, Jesus spoke of it first, asking, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tribute? From their children or from others?” 26 When Peter said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the children are free. 27 However, so that we do not give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook; take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find a coin; take that and give it to them for you and me.”
I found this article on the internet. Let me first say that some of these statements are assumptions and not based on anything more than that. The type of coin, the type of fish, etc.
YOU CAN still order St. Peter’s Fish at restaurants in Tiberias, a town on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, and you will be served Tilapia.
20
Oct '20
Let All Creation Praise the Lord
20
Oct '20
Psalm 98
Praise the Judge of the World
A Psalm.
1 O sing to the Lord a new song,
for he has done marvelous things.
His right hand and his holy arm
have gotten him victory.
2 The Lord has made known his victory;
he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations.
3 He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness
to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the victory of our God.
4 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
break forth into joyous song and sing praises.
5 Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,
with the lyre and the sound of melody.
6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn
make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord.
7 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
the world and those who live in it.
8 Let the floods clap their hands;
let the hills sing together for joy
9 at the presence of the Lord, for he is coming
to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with equity.
This past weekend, my wife and I traveled for the first time since February. We took a plane to Boston for our niece’s wedding. The outdoor setting proved to be ideal for the mid-October wedding. The park where the wedding took place has a pond with a fountain, a gazebo on the shore, and beautiful trees all around. The colors of the trees and the bright sunshine made for a lovely backdrop for a lovely wedding. The bride and groom, nervous and happy, and the families gathered filled with joy for these two. A small group of us gathered, due to, well, you know… But we were able to be present for a special day.
19
Oct '20
Making Time for Mosey Monday
19
Oct '20
Psalm 63
Comfort and Assurance in God’s Presence
A Psalm of David, when he was in the Wilderness of Judah.
1 O God, you are my God, I seek you,
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.
3 Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
4 So I will bless you as long as I live;
I will lift up my hands and call on your name.
5 My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast,
and my mouth praises you with joyful lips
6 when I think of you on my bed,
and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
7 for you have been my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.
8 My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.
Several years ago, the congregation I served participated annually in a program called the Appalachia Service Project (ASP). This organization was first established by the United Methodist Church and later expanded to other faith communities. ASP works in the counties that make up Appalachia in Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia and Virginia. The staff would work with local agencies to find where the greatest needs were that could be addressed by volunteers to make homes drier, safer and warmer.
18
Oct '20
The Faithfulness of God
18
Oct '20
Matthew 22:15-22
15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap [Jesus] in what he said. 16 So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” 18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20 Then he said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title?” 21 They answered, “The emperor’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 22 When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.
About six years ago, I led a group of 14 on a trip to the Holy Land, and in that group were my wife and my mother-in-law. Any time we talk about going on a trip, people will ask, “Is it safe?” On the one hand, we had the news reports of the unrest. On the other hand, we had the people who lived there and the travel company saying all was safe, including the contact we made with the pastor who served the Lutheran church in Jerusalem. I had a group that trusted me to make a wise decision about the trip. And while I was confident we were going to be safe, I was also aware of those who placed their trust in me. Some people decided not to go on the trip, because they were concerned about the unrest.
Where do you turn? Who can we trust?
17
Oct '20
The Wonder of God’s Creation
17
Oct '20
Psalm 8
Divine Majesty and Human Dignity
To the leader: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of David.
1 O Lord, our Sovereign,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
2 Out of the mouths of babes and infants
you have founded a bulwark because of your foes,
to silence the enemy and the avenger.
3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars that you have established;
4 what are human beings that you are mindful of them,
mortals that you care for them?
5 Yet you have made them a little lower than God,
and crowned them with glory and honor.
6 You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under their feet,
7 all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
9 O Lord, our Sovereign,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
This is another detour from the selected texts for today.
Here’s part of a list of camping tips from a man named Bruce Cochran which was published in the September 1996 issue of Backpacker magazine. The list is too long to read in its entirety, so I’m only going to mention a few:
16
Oct '20
Taking Time is a Gift
16
Oct '20
1 Peter 5:1-5
Tending the Flock of God
Now as an elder myself and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as one who shares in the glory to be revealed, I exhort the elders among you 2 to tend the flock of God that is in your charge, exercising the oversight, not under compulsion but willingly, as God would have you do it—not for sordid gain but eagerly. 3 Do not lord it over those in your charge, but be examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief shepherd appears, you will win the crown of glory that never fades away. 5 In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you must clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for
“God opposes the proud,
but gives grace to the humble.”
A leader who has no one following him is just a guy out for a walk, yes?
In my faith journey, and I imagine this is the case for many of you as well, the leaders that have been the most influential in my life have been those who have walked with me. As stated in our reading, it is those who do not lord it over those in their charge, but are examples to the flock.
Before I entered seminary, a mentor of mine shared with me that his approach to ministry had been to offer a ministry of presence. He not only talked about it, but he lived it in his pastoral office. He made sure he was there for surgeries and crises, as well as joys and celebrations. It’s a ministry of presence.
15
Oct '20
The Mirror Always Tells the Truth
15
Oct '20
James 1:17-27
17 Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18 In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures.
19 You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness. 21 Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls.
22 But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. 23 For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; 24 for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. 25 But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing.
26 If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
Again, I’m going off-script, if you will, and using a different text than one of those assigned for today.
One of my son’s favorite cartoons is the one called Fox Trot. It is about a family with three children who pick on each other, as children do. The youngest boy, Jason, the brain of the family, teases his big sister, Paige, as often as possible.
14
Oct '20
God Never Runs Out
14
Oct '20
John 6:25-35
25 When the crowd found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” 26 Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.” 28 Then they said to him, “What must we do to perform the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” 30 So they said to him, “What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32 Then Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”
35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
Today’s devotion is from a sermon by Dr. Luke Bouman,
former Pastor at Valparaiso University. Read more…
13
Oct '20
Look to the Cross
13
Oct '20
Philippians 3:13-4:1
13 Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us then who are mature be of the same mind; and if you think differently about anything, this too God will reveal to you. 16 Only let us hold fast to what we have attained.
17 Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. 18 For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. 19 Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. 21 He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself.
4 1 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.
The letter to the Philippians is a good one! Paul is definitely focused on the end goal. He has a lot of accomplishments he could list from the past, but his focus is forward, centered on Christ.
What I love about our worship spaces at Epiphany is that the cross is prominent. It is our focus. It centers us. It reminds us who we are and whose we are. Our focus is on the cross, and the One who bore the cross for you and for me, Jesus the Christ.
12
Oct '20
What Verse Will Help You Face Today?
12
Oct '20
Psalm 34
Praise for Deliverance from Trouble
Of David, when he feigned madness before Abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away.
1 I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
let the humble hear and be glad.
3 O magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me,
and delivered me from all my fears.
5 Look to him, and be radiant;
so your faces shall never be ashamed.
6 This poor soul cried, and was heard by the Lord,
and was saved from every trouble.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
8 O taste and see that the Lord is good;
happy are those who take refuge in him.
9 O fear the Lord, you his holy ones,
for those who fear him have no want.
10 The young lions suffer want and hunger,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
11 Come, O children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 Which of you desires life,
and covets many days to enjoy good?
13 Keep your tongue from evil,
and your lips from speaking deceit.
14 Depart from evil, and do good;
seek peace, and pursue it.