2nd Sunday of Lent - February 21, 2016

This past Sunday (Feb 21st) I chose to use the passages from Genesis as dictated by the Lectionary.  (I plan to use the Lectionary throughout the Lenten season)  The sermon focused on Abram's faith (it isn't as rock solid as Paul would like us to believe), the covenant, and the theophany (manifestation of God) that we see in this bit of scripture.

I thought it was a pretty fair sermon and it's not terribly long so give it a listen.  The very beginning of the sermon was missed but it was just a bit of history about Genesis and scholarly thinking about the text.  The ending prayer is separate as my videographer stopped the recording when I ended the sermon and had to restart when I started the prayer.

I pray this brief post finds you all well and blessed!

In His Grace & Love,

Roy

Genesis 15  New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

God’s Covenant with Abram

15 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” 2 But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”[a] 3 And Abram said, “You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir.” 4 But the word of the Lord came to him, “This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir.” 5 He brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” 6 And he believed the Lord; and the Lord[b] reckoned it to him as righteousness.

7 Then he said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess.” 8 But he said, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?” 9 He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 He brought him all these and cut them in two, laying each half over against the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. 11 And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

12 As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a deep and terrifying darkness descended upon him. 13 Then the Lord[c] said to Abram, “Know this for certain, that your offspring shall be aliens in a land that is not theirs, and shall be slaves there, and they shall be oppressed for four hundred years; 14 but I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 As for yourself, you shall go to your ancestors in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. 16 And they shall come back here in the fourth generation; for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”

17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, 19 the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”

The First Sunday of Lent - February 14, 2016

This past Sunday was the First Sunday of Lent for 2016.  Unfortunately, the video didn't turn out well at all so I've decided to not upload the video to YouTube, nor use it on the blog.  So instead, I'll just touch a bit on what I felt were the highlights of the sermon.

First, here is the scripture that we explored on Sunday.

Luke 4:1-13 New Revised Standard Version
The Temptation of Jesus
4:1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” 4 Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’”

5 Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And the devil said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 Jesus answered him, “It is written,

‘Worship the Lord your God,
    and serve only him.’”
9 Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written,

‘He will command his angels concerning you,
    to protect you,’
11 and

‘On their hands they will bear you up,
    so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’”
12 Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 13 When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.

The first temptation that Christ is subjected to in the story from Luke is to turn stone to bread in order to feed his bodily needs.  The irony here is of course that Christ is so very, very well known for his feeding miracles and table fellowship; why now is he so reluctant to perform a miracle to feed himself?

In the Gospel of Matthew in the Fourth Chapter we find Christ elaborating upon his statement about bread.  In Luke he states only that 'man does not live by bread alone', but in Matthew he adds 'but on every word that comes from the mouth of God'.  Christ is not in the wilderness to perform some physical cleansing, rather he is in the wilderness for spiritual reasons.  His focus during this time is not on feeding himself physically with bread, but rather to grow from a closer relationship with his God enhanced by the focus that is acquired through the discipline of fasting.

The thing we need to bear in mind is that none of these three temptations are actually out of line.  The first is a feeding issue, again Christ is very well known (and we need to emulate him as best we can) for his feeding miracles and table fellowship; it's a simple fact that it's nearly impossible to talk to someone about spiritual needs until you've addressed their physical needs and often emotional needs as well.  The temptation of turning the stones to bread is that he is in the process of fasting to prepare himself for his upcoming ministry. To turn the stones to bread would be an entirely self serving act and he is preparing to set off on an entirely selfless ministry for God. Now is not the time for feeding miracles, now is the time for self reflection, prayer, fasting and spiritual growth.  That is why in Matthew's Gospel Christ goes on to state 'but on every word that comes from the mouth of God', alone in the wilderness he has bigger things afoot than his simply earthly needs, this is simply not the time nor the place for feeding miracles.

The second temptation is the gifting of all creation to Christ if he bows down and worships Satan.  The irony here is that Satan cannot offer Christ what is not already to be his once he has descended from the cross.  Here again, we see an element of timing.  In all good time God will hand to Christ His Kingdom here on earth, a Kingdom that I personally believe is here and now and not something to come on some later date.  But, here Satan tries to offer a shortcut, an easy way out, Jesus is having nothing to do with it, he knows that all good comes in God's time and in God's timing.  We simply cannot rush God's time schedule, no matter how impatient or selfish we may be.

The third temptation is offered by Satan in the form of a quote from the 91st Psalm, to which Jesus quickly points out this misuse of scripture.  To throw himself from the Temple in the hope that Angels would attend to him would be a public display of his Messiah-ship ahead of the God determined time schedule.  Once again, we have a element of timing.  Jesus understands the temptation to strike out on our own and to try and short cut the things that need to be accomplished, to try and avoid the lessons that need to be learned along the way.  All things, in God's time and not our own.  Soon enough, the world will recognize Jesus as the Christ, but not here at this juncture in the wilderness.

One of the things that springs to mind upon reflection upon Jesus and his time alone in the wilderness is why does he the son of God need to spend time in spiritual preparation, prayer and fasting?  Shouldn't he be ready and rearing to go?  Well, the answer to this is that we need to remember that Jesus was fully human.  In order to be fully human, he had to be in the position of needing to learn.  He simply couldn't be in a state of 'all knowing' or he wouldn't be human, and we know that he wasn't in this state of 'all knowing', when he remarks that 'only the Father knows' when asked about the timing of the end times.  Another place where we see Christ's need for learning and spiritual growth is found in the book of Hebrews.  

Here we read:  Hebrews 4:14-16 New International Version (NIV)

14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

He can empathize with all our weaknesses because he has experienced them in a fully human capacity.  Christ understands what we endure because he has learned what it is like to be human. A being that is 'all powerful' cannot understand what it is like to be a weak and pitiful human being without having walked in that being's sandals so to say.

Thankfully, we worship a God who saw fit to come to earth and experience first hand what it was like to be imperfect and flawed just as we are.  A God whose grace extends to all because He knows intimately just how much we need (though undeservingly) His grace and mercy (not to mention love).

One final thought, whereas Jesus wrestled with Satan in the wilderness, we need to bear in mind that all too often the Satan we combat is our own selfish and impatient human nature.  We can learn much that we can apply to our own lives if we look at the Satan in this Gospel story as being our selfish human condition.  Certainly, this aspect of our nature fills this role of Satan very, very well.  I am often fond of reminding others that if we want to see Satan, all we need to do is look in the mirror... if you're honest you'll see him lurking there. I'm thoroughly convinced that it's this 'adversary' in the mirror that we need to be the most concerned about on a day by day basis.  Never, ever give into the temptation that the vision in the mirror holds forth... all good comes from God and in God's perfect timing.

Remember to be a blessing to someone today!

In His Mercy & Grace!
Roy

Woodlawn Christian Church, Lake City, Iowa

Ash Wednesday Service at Woodlawn Christian Church Feb 10, 2016

Well, Wednesday night we had our 'Ash Wednesday' service like so many others all across the globe.  This was I believe the third year that Woodlawn Christian has had an Ash Wednesday service.  With the last two conducted by Interim Ministers, and this one being the first time that a settled Pastor had conducted the service.  Like many other protestant churches, it hasn't long been a part of our history here in Lake City.  I was asked if we were going to have a service and I gave it a great deal of consideration and ultimately, felt guided to have this service.  In hindsight I am very grateful for the direction towards conducting the service.  I felt that it was very meaningful to all that attended and honestly, we had a better turn out than I expected.

I've included the entire script of the service below.  My goal was to script a 30 minute service and we ended up at almost 30 minutes on the nose, running only seconds past the half hour mark.  It marked (a small pun) the first time I've conducted an Ash Wednesday service and I was very well pleased with what I was able to craft.  Hopefully, next year we'll come up with a program that is equally well received.

Be a blessing to someone today!

In His constant and unending Grace & Love,
Roy

Ash Wednesday Service February 10, 2016 at Woodlawn Christian Church

Welcome and announcements:

Call to Worship:
Even now, the Holy One says, return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
rend your hearts and not your clothing.
Return to the Lord, your God, who is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love,
and relents from punishing.

Hymn:  Lord Who Throughout These Forty Days           No. 180 All

Prayer:
Almighty and everlasting God,
you hate nothing that you have made
and forgive the sins of all those who are penitent.
Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that,
lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness,
we may receive from you, the God of all mercy,
perfect forgiveness and peace;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Statement of Purpose:
Friends in Christ, we begin today a forty-day journey toward Easter.
We enter the Lenten season to prepare ourselves to welcome
the risen Christ with lives renewed by the breath of his spirit.
We assume a discipline of self-examination,
confession, and penitence.
We dedicate ourselves to meditate upon the scriptures
and to converse with God in prayer.
We seek to be more faithful disciples of Christ
whose lives are shaped by the one
whom we confess to be Lord and Savior of the world.
To this end let us worship God.

Hymn:  Gather Us In                 No. 284 All

First Scripture Reading:  Isaiah 58: 1-12
Isaiah 58:1-12  New International Version (NIV)

1 “Shout it aloud, do not hold back.
    Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Declare to my people their rebellion
    and to the descendants of Jacob their sins.
2 For day after day they seek me out;
    they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
    and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
    and seem eager for God to come near them.
3 ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say,
    ‘and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
    and you have not noticed?’
“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
    and exploit all your workers.
4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
    and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
    and expect your voice to be heard on high.
5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
    only a day for people to humble themselves?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed
    and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
    a day acceptable to the Lord?
6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
    and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
    and break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
    and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
    and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
    and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness[a] will go before you,
    and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
9 Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
    you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
    with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
    and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
    and your night will become like the noonday.
11 The Lord will guide you always;
    he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
    and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
    like a spring whose waters never fail.
12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
    and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
    Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

Second Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:20 – 6:10
2 Corinthians 5:20-6:10 New International Version (NIV)

Chapter 5:
20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin[a] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Chapter 6;
1 As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. 2 For he says,

“In the time of my favor I heard you,
    and in the day of salvation I helped you.”
I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.

3 We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. 4 Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; 5 in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; 6 in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; 7 in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; 8 through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; 9 known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; 10 sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

Sermon:  What is Ash Wednesday
What is Ash Wednesday? For most of my life,  along, with I believe most Protestant Christians in America, I didn’t give Ash Wednesday a second thought.  It was a day when you'd notice the Catholics, the Episcopalians and maybe a few other 'high church' protestants having a smudged cross upon their foreheads.  It wasn't a day that we ever went to Church.

But then, in 2004, something happened and Ash Wednesday gained attention in American Protestant consciousness. Why? Because on that day Mel Gibson released what was to become his epic blockbuster, “The Passion of the Christ”.  Suddenly, “Ash Wednesday” appeared on the radar screen of all types of Christians, not just Catholics and other “high church” Protestants, as all types of Christians awaited the release of “The Passion of the Christ”.  Since 2004, many who never wondered about Ash Wednesday have been asking: What is Ash Wednesday? How do we observe it? Why should we observe it?

Ash Wednesday is a Christian Holy Day, it is not commanded by Scripture but rather is simply a Christian Tradition.  In this regard it is just like Easter and Christmas, neither of which is commanded by Scripture either.  

Nevertheless, it has been honored by Christians for well over a thousand years, falling at the beginning of Lent, a six-week season of preparation for Easter.   Lent totals 46 days in all with 40 days dedicated to fasting as Christ did in the wilderness and 6 Sundays which are not fasting days as they are as always a symbol of the resurrection. Ash Wednesday's origins are tied to its history and the time of year during which it occurs. It follows the season of Epiphany, which culminates with Shrove Tuesday, also known as Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday. The solemn proceedings that occur on Ash Wednesday bring the focus back to the sacrifice of Christ and the mission of the Church. The observance most likely comes from the biblical Day of Atonement. In Leviticus 16, the Lord establishes an annual day of repentance for the Israelites as a lasting ordinance for all their generations. Since the blood of Jesus represents atonement, the heart of Ash Wednesday is a humbling of oneself often through fasting and prayer.  Though not many Protestants go the route of actual fasting, I have known more and more that give something up for Lent.  Generally, this is something that has perhaps taken on too important of a role in their lives, or something that they particularly enjoy such as chocolate or even coffee.  This 'sacrifice' is meant to serve to focus their attention on the sacrifice committed and the love that our Savior has for each of us.

In the earliest centuries, Christians who had been stuck in persistent sin had ashes sprinkled on their bodies as a sign of repentance, even as Job repented “in dust and ashes” (Job 42:6). Around the tenth century, believers began to signify their need for repentance by having ashes placed on their foreheads in the shape of a cross.

Today, celebrations of Ash Wednesday vary among churches that recognize this holiday. More and more Protestant churches hold some sort of Ash Wednesday services; such as we here at Woodlawn Christian are doing today.  Ashes are placed on the foreheads of worshipers as a reminder of our mortality and sinfulness. The person imposing the ashes often quotes what God said to Adam after he had sinned: “You are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Gen 3:19). This is the bad news of our sinfulness that prepares us to receive the good news of forgiveness in Christ.

As I stated earlier, there is no Biblical commandment that requires us to observe Ash Wednesday.  The theological core of Ash Wednesday is, however, shaped by a biblical theology of creation, sin, mortality, death, grace, and salvation. It also enacts biblical injunctions to “weep with those who weep” and to “confess your sins to one another.”

Ash Wednesday worship services are the chance for us all to openly acknowledge our frailty and sinfulness. In a world that often expects us to be perfect, Ash Wednesday gives us an opportunity to freely confess our imperfections. We can let down our pretenses and be truly honest with each other about who we are.  All here bear the mark of sin, we all stand guilty before our God. We all are mortal and will someday experience bodily death. 

The denial of death . . . it’s all around us. When people die, they are often alone, sequestered in hospitals far away from the sad eyes of friends and family. If someone happens to die at home, the corpse is quickly sent away from the grieving relatives. In polite society, one doesn’t talk much about death. Death and grieving are uncomfortable topics for us today.

Of course our own fears concerning our own demise match our cultural squeamishness about death. We don’t want to think about our own mortality, and we do many things to pretend that its not approaching. We dye our graying hair. We cover our age spots with make up. We get cosmetic surgery to preserve the image of youth. Rarely do we seriously think about our own death.

Ash Wednesday is a day to stare death in the face, to acknowledge our mortality. All of us will die. Christians who observe this holiday get ashes “imposed” on their foreheads, while a minister says, “You are dust, and to dust you shall return” In other words, “You are going to die. And here are some ashes to remind you, just in case you’ve forgotten.”

What gives us such freedom to think about death? Are we Christians morose? Do we have some peculiar fascination with dying? I don’t think so. Rather, what allows us to stare death in the face is the assurance of life, real life, eternal life. When we know our lives are safe in the hands of God, and that this physical life is just the beginning of eternity, then we’re free to be honest about what lies ahead for us. We can face death without fear or pretending, because we know the One who defeated death.

And so it is for Christians on Ash Wednesday. We can face death. We can admit our own mortality. We can talk openly about the limits of this life. Why? Because we know that through Christ we have entered into life eternal, the fullness of life that will not end when our bodies give out.

The emotional result of Ash Wednesday observance isn’t depression or gloom, but gratitude and new energy for living. When we realize how desperately we need God, and how God is faithful far beyond our desperation, we can’t help but offering our lives to him in fresh gratitude. And when we recognize that life doesn’t go on forever, then we find new passion to delight in the gifts of each and every day, and to take none of them for granted.

How grateful I am for the grace of God that allows us to stare death in the face so we can live with greater passion and delight! And how thankful I am for a day that allows me to think about death so I can cherish life even more!

The Sign of the Ashes:
From ancient times Christians have on this day
searched their hearts and sought to be cleansed from sin.
They have sought reconciliation with God and with one another.
They have received ashes marked on their foreheads
as a sign of sin's disfigurement and of their own mortality.

Prayer over the Ashes:
Almighty God, you have created us out of the dust of the earth,
may these ashes be to us a sign of our mortality and penitence,
so that we may remember that only by your gracious gift
are we given everlasting life;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen

Imposition of Ashes:  (congregation will proceed up the center aisle and exit  down the outer aisles)

Act of Penitence and Reconciliation:
In fear, but also in hope, we come together with ashes on our heads.
People turn to each other for food and strength only to be shoved away.  
Each day we sin against God, yet pretend that we are good.  Let us take forty 
days to look hard at our so called goodness and see what it covers up.  
Then, we will join together in taking up the cross of living in the world as it is, working to be Christ's hands and feet in this world.  Join me in prayer by responding to each spoken petition with the words; “Hear our Prayers, O God.”  
Let us pray:

Leader: That as Disciples of Christ we might start using our hands, feet, money, time, and energy for the good of the poor, let us pray to the God of mercy.
People: Hear our prayers, O God.
Leader: That citizens everywhere may realize that care for their neighbor consists of more than the mere giving of money, let us pray to the God of mercy.
People: Hear our prayers, O God.
Leader: For the needy, that they may not have to remain despondent and alone, let us pray to the God of mercy.
People: Hear our prayers, O God.
Leader: For all of us here that we may be honest enough to admit what we are
selfish about, and what we can do to remedy our lack of love, let us pray to the God of mercy.
People: Hear our prayers, O God.
Leader: For those who share Christ's charity towards sinners, let us pray to the God of mercy.
People: Hear our prayers, O God.
Leader: Merciful God, the ashes are our pledge to take up the cross of life.  We came from the earth and we will go back to it.  In the meantime, beginning these forty days, we will try to live here and make it a better home for everybody.  Through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.

The Declaration of God's Mercy:
Hear the good news of God's reconciling love toward all, and believe;
Through Christ God chose to reconcile the whole universe, making peace
through the shedding of Christ's blood upon the cross – to reconcile all things, whether on earth or in heaven, through Christ alone.

Passing of the Peace:

Hymn:   Amazing Grace   No. 546  All

Benediction:
May the Lord bless you and keep you;
may He let his face shine down upon you, and grant you all His peace.
Amen.

Parting Hymn: God Be With You Til We Meet Again  No. 434  v. 1

6th and Final Sermon over the Book of James, Feb 7th, 2016 Woodlawn Christian Church

This last Sunday (Feb 7th) we completed our Sermon Series over the Book of James.  I've attached the video of the sermon and apologize for it being in two parts, Ryan Daisy did the recording and accidentally stopped the video at one point.  Nothing was really missed so the sermon even in two parts is still coherent, well... as coherent as I ever am that is.

The basic message of James is one against 'double mindedness' of any sort, especially spiritually.  This is really where the faith -vs- works dialogue is going in my opinion, if you claim to have faith but do nothing to express it you are certainly double minded about your faith and therefore it is dead as James states. Jame's letter is truly one of the gems of the New Testament and with only five chapters, it's one that can easily be read in a short sitting.  I encourage you all to sit down and read the book if you haven't recently, I'm certain it will speak to you.

With that I'm going to have to run, I'm getting ready for our Ash Wednesday service tomorrow night and this week I also had our monthly service at Shady Oaks Retirement Center, so I'll have had three services this week.  A busy but enjoyable week.

God Bless you all and remember to be a blessing to someone today!

In Christ,

Roy

Part 5 - Sermon Series "A Walk Through The Book of James" - Jan 31, 2016

 This past Sunday (Jan 31st) we covered Chapter 3 in the Book of James.

James 3 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

3 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. 2 For all of us make many mistakes. Anyone who makes no mistakes in speaking is perfect, able to keep the whole body in check with a bridle. 3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we guide their whole bodies. 4 Or look at ships: though they are so large that it takes strong winds to drive them, yet they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits.

How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of nature,[b] and is itself set on fire by hell. 7 For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, 8 but no one can tame the tongue—a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters,[d] this ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and brackish water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers and sisters, yield olives, or a grapevine figs? No more can salt water yield fresh.

Two Kinds of Wisdom

13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. 15 Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. 16 For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.

The sermon wasn't quite as long as the last few and isn't too much of a time commitment so I encourage you to take a few minutes and watch the video linked below.

Highlights would include that we are not to go into a teaching position due to our egos and our desires for prestige or an exalted position, but rather, we who teach should do so out of a genuine calling to help and to educate others.  I do disagree with James on the premise that I believe all of us should consider ourselves both teachers and students.  All have something to offer to anyone and everyone.

We'll spend one more Sunday in James before moving on into the Lenten Season and focusing on all that is to transpire in Jerusalem.

One comment on a personal note is that Maddie informed me today that she has signed a lease for her first apartment.  She'll be moving at the end of the month and it just breaks her Daddy's heart to see his little girl so grown up.  She won't be far away from the house in Omaha and very close to the Gallery so we'll certainly see her often.  I reminded her that when she was 5 years old she promised (she swore up and down very dramatically actually) me that she wouldn't leave me until she was 40.  Somehow, she doesn't feel that the agreement was binding... she will always be my little girl even when she's old and gray.

One more passage of life comes to pass...

God's Blessings & Grace,

Roy