This blog began as documentation of my journey into formal ministry. Now that I have received a call it will continue to function as a place for me to address concerns, celebrations and anything else that might catch my fancy. Please remember to "Be A Blessing To Someone Today"! God Bless, Roy
A wonderful tribute to the memory of the Reverend Billy Graham. May God's comforting arm surround the Graham family in their time of mourning.
Praise be to God for the blessing of Billy Graham to this wanting world. And God bless President Trump for his wonderful words in memorial of Reverend Graham.
Below please find the video of this past Sunday's (February 25th) sermon over the verses found in Romans 4:13-25. It is a sermon about faith and in the promise that God has made to us. Our faith in God isn't about everything being all 'peachy' and 'keen' here on Earth but rather that Christ has defeated death and that through Him all of us will be reunited with our Creator once our earthly bodies give out for one reason or another. Have faith in our God, His promise is true... Be a blessing to someone today! In His Grace & Glory, Roy
Romans 4:13-25 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) God’s Promise Realized through Faith 13 For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation. 16 For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, 17 as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”)—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. 18 Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become “the father of many nations,” according to what was said, “So numerous shall your descendants be.” 19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already[a] as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. 20 No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 22 Therefore his faith[b] “was reckoned to him as righteousness.” 23 Now the words, “it was reckoned to him,” were written not for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25 who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification. Footnotes: a) Romans 4:19 Other ancient authorities lack already b) Romans 4:22 Gk Therefore it 2 Psalm 119:30 = I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I have set my heart on your laws. Matthew 5:18 = For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Ephesians 3: 14-17 = For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. Mark 11:24 = Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Hebrews 11:1 = Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2nd Corinthians 5:7 = For we live by faith, not by sight. Romans 15:13 = May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. James 1:6 = But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. Hebrews 11:6 = And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. 1st Peter 1:8-9 = Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. John 11:40 = Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” James 1:2-4 = My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing. John 11:25-26 = Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 1st Timothy 6:11 = But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. 1st John 5:4 = For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Mark 9:23 = “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” John 6:35 = Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” Mark 10:52 = “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road. Romans 10:10 = For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. Hebrews 11:11 = And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. John 3:16 = For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Galatians 3:26-27 = So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. Romans 1:17 = For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” 1st Corinthians 13:2 = If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. The Ten Commandments: 1. You shall have no other gods before Me. 2. You shall not make idols. 3. You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain. 4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 5. Honor your father and your mother. 6. You shall not murder. 7. You shall not commit adultery. 8. You shall not steal. 9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
Pastor's Ponderings Wow, MARCH... I have always loved March, it's a time of hope and rebirth. We know that the long winter is almost behind us (March 20th is the first day of spring), though there can certainly be some bad weather and treacherous roads, they can't last as warmer temperatures are just ahead. There's a great metaphor for life here, we know that in this time on Earth there are going to be storms, there are going to be icy patches, there are going to be more than a few metaphorically speaking crumpled fenders, bruised bums, and slips on the highways and sidewalks of life. But, we as Christians know that there is 'Hope' just around the bend. And just in case we tend to forget, this is the time of year when we are busy preparing for Easter and the message of our Resurrected Savior. Praise God, for the message of grace, love, forgiveness, and hope that the cross of Christ holds out for us... let's also remember to not keep His message under a bushel basket, but rather to show His light to the world. Why not invite a friend (or two or three) to come join us here at Woodlawn for worship or for some other Church activity. There's never going to be a better time than today to ask your friends and family to come and experience the love of our God. We have had a busy month here in February and it looks like we're going to just keep being busy. Thank you to all who helped out with the February Soup Supper, it was a great success and we can't wait for the March Soup Supper! The Men had a great turnout for their 'Baked Potato Bar' and we're going to have to do that one again! It was a great meal! Our Ash Wednesday service was very well attended with at least 40 people coming out and taking part in the service conducted in the Chapel. The new TV was a tremendous asset to the worship experience, and we can't wait to use it more in the upcoming Thursday night worship services (which are slated to kickoff on April 5th).
Currently, it looks like we'll have at least a couple of baptisms on Easter morning. Praise God! Jodi is working on preparing the children to sing a song or two for us on Palm Sunday, it's always fun to have the children involved in worship. Thank you, Jodi, for all you do for the kids! Don't forget that there will be a Maundy Thursday service in the Chapel on March 29th at 7:00 pm. Also, make sure to attend the 'Good Friday Cross Raising' at 3:00 pm. We'll be doing our 24 hours of prayer again so keep your eyes open for the sign-up sheet when it's prepared. If you haven't sent a Thank-You to Larry & Shirley Ellis for the donation of the 'Baby Grand Piano' in memory of Lloyd Ellis. The Address is: 2370 Fletcher Ave, Lytton, IA 50561-7545. Thank you, Larry & Shirley! We all need to thank Clyde for all the snow-blowing and sidewalk clearing he's had to do these last few storms. Clyde puts in a tremendous amount of time for Woodlawn and we all owe him a great deal of appreciation. Thank you, Clyde! Last Sunday I preached about the issue of 'violence' in our schools and society. In researching this issue I discovered that the primary root cause of school violence stems from bullying. Today Bill Hungate and I sat down with Randy Martin and discussed some possible ways we as a Church could help him and the rest of the school system tackle the problem of bullying in our schools. We will continue to fact find, brainstorm, and converse about this much-needed action. If you have any suggestions, please talk to me! We'll be coming up with a plan of action as soon as we possibly can. Please stay tuned and of course PRAY for guidance for us all. I will suggest that we all also talk to our children and grandchildren about bullying and try to comfort and equip our offspring in how to cope with this growing problem. I need to wrap this up so that Brittanie can finish the Newsletter, so I'll just leave you all with my typical refrain. Be a blessing to someone today! Pastor Roy
Genesis 4:1-16 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) Cain Murders Abel 4 Now the man knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have produced a man with the help of the Lord.” 2 Next she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a tiller of the ground. 3 In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, 4 and Abel for his part brought of the firstlings of his flock, their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. 6 The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is lurking at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it.” 8 Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let us go out to the field.” And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and killed him. 9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” 10 And the Lord said, “What have you done? Listen; your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground! 11 And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you till the ground, it will no longer yield to you its strength; you will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.” 13 Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear! 14 Today you have driven me away from the soil, and I shall be hidden from your face; I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and anyone who meets me may kill me.” 15 Then the Lord said to him, “Not so! Whoever kills Cain will suffer a sevenfold vengeance.” And the Lord put a mark on Cain, so that no one who came upon him would kill him. 16 Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord, and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
Like many, I have been listening to the news lately of another horrible act of violence in one of our schools. Many are calling this and other attacks "gun violence" and screaming for more restrictions on gun purchases and some even for an outright gun ban and confiscation akin to what occurred in Austrailia. There are claims that guns are too easy to purchase, that there is more access to guns today, that high capacity magazines somehow are to blame. Most, if not all making these claims have never purchased a gun, many have never owned a gun, nor ever been trained or taught gun safety and handling. First of all, guns are not easy to purchase today. In order to purchase a gun, you do have to have a background check; to purchase a handgun you have to have a permit in most states, and that means going to the local sheriff and having them issue you this permit after of course, they check your records. As far as access, whereas there are more guns in private ownership today the actual access is far less. Fewer people own guns today, it's just that those that own them tend to own more than in the past. There is a 'meme' going around about how in years past, guns were in the back window of every pickup truck in the High School parking lot. As a person born in 1959, I can confirm that most of the pickups in the High School parking lot, did indeed have at least one rifle or shotgun in the back window, or stashed behind the seat, or even in a pouch in the front of the seat cover. My older brother had one of those types of seat covers in his pickup and it always contained a Ruger Mini-14 semi-automatic rifle. There were far, far more guns within a nearby proximity of the school building than there is today, yet not once did one of those rifles or shotguns harm anyone... as it has been said over and over... something has changed... but it's not the gun. Guns that function essentially like the commercially available AR, AK, Mini-14 and many others have been around for decades and decades... for the last 100 years to be honest. Semi-automatics are not new and the basic function has not changed since their introduction into the market. What has changed in their design is cosmetic and nothing more; more recreational shooters today favor the AR platform but in all truthfulness it's function is the same as the old rifles. I personally am not a fan of either the AR or AK rifles but that has nothing to do with their function, I own a Mini-14 which though it looks more like a 'conventional' rifle functions in the same basic manner and has equal magazine capacity. I'm an artist and I just believe it to be a better-looking gun aesthetically, functionality wise though it's the same. BUT... here's the problem... we're all wrapped up in discussing the "weapon" and this very act drains energy from combating the real cause(s). The real causes aren't as easy to tackle, we can't go and picket, and protest and then go home thinking how 'morally superior' we are, how 'involved', how we are so much more 'insightful' than those who just want to 'cling' to their guns... The sad truth is that all these misguided protests and all these ill-conceived 'laws' accomplish is to divide us and to drain the focus and energy from what we all need to come together and confront. The problem in this country is the behavior(s) of far too many children and far too many adults as well. A bit of study revealed to me that the primary correlation in all of these acts of school violence is 'bullying'. Almost 100% of these boys have been bullied and some were apparently bullied relentlessly. Of course, bullying isn't new either, it's been around forever, what has changed is the school's ability to confront these kids. Today, not only are the students bullied but so are the teachers. There is simply no way to address the discipline issues with any real effectiveness. Too many parents are no longer co-educators with the teachers and school administration, the school is basically left in the wind with no support from far too many parents and with outright hostility and confrontation again from far too many. How will the kids respect the teacher and administration when the parents won't? I see this lack of respect for and obedience of authority weekly in our Youth Group children, and it worries me greatly. But back to bullying... today kids aren't just bullied at school and then they can retreat back home to some level of safety, no... today they are bullied even worse online. The level of cyber-bullying in today's society is shocking, and the behavior of the youth online is repulsive. I see this on my travels around the web, the vulgarity and disregard for other human life is shocking. We have children live-streaming their own suicides and folks cheering them on. We have Youtube videos of children fighting in bloody fist fights that are broadcast for our 'entertainment'... we have devolved as a society. Instead of arguing about the 2nd Amendment, we ministers and lay people should be ministering and advocating for the family. We need to enter into an honest debate, not about guns, but about family values, morals, empathy, the decay of the nuclear family, and somehow this needs to be done without becoming entrenched in political dogma. We need to realize that when you condone abortion, that you're telling that child in sex education class that children are expendable if inconvenient, that they have zero value to society... we need to consider how that child from a broken marriage who is already used as a pawn by each parent against the other feels... they're already feeling inconvenient and now you tell them that human life is of no more value than to be torn apart or scrapped from a uterus... you're telling these children that no human life is of value, so then why are you surprised they have no regard for other's lives and suffering...
Broken homes are the norm today, we've allowed divorce and children out of wedlock to become the norm for families. Bullying, domestic abuse, and absentee fathers pretty much cover all the risk factors for acts of school violence. We need to recognize that those ministers of old who we often hold in high regard are/were part of the problem. They are the ones who failed to do an adequate job of pre-marital counseling. Sadly, as I've discussed before on my blog, I divorced my first wife (we had no children, even as the heathen I was then, I would never have divorced her if children were involved) and ultimately I blame that on a lack of maturity on my part, my inability to communicate my hopes and dreams, and also on a complete lack of pre-marital counseling. If Carolin and I had gone through the type of counseling I require of young couples I firmly believe we would have either remained married or perhaps more likely never gotten married at all. For the record, the minister that performed my second marriage never required counseling either and he was a man highly regarded as a minister, if that was his normal procedure, for young couples, I'm sorry to say he failed in what I believe to be one of the most important functions of ministry. The fact that my second wife and I remain happily married has had everything to do with our being better matches in our life goals and interests. It is my opinion for whatever it's worth, that pre-marital counseling is vital and should be extensive in its scope. I personally put all couples through at least four or five sessions of counseling ranging from one to two hours each meeting. I believe this kind of counseling and discussion can help immensely in preventing divorce and single parenthood. We need to address our stances as a church on marriage and divorce, we need to provide more counseling to struggling couples, rather than passing stricter gun laws we need to pass stricter laws concerning divorce, especially if there are children involved. We as a whole need to advocate harder for those who are being bullied in society, we need to come together and do a lot of things........ BUT, not one of those things is to become fixated upon the tool used in the violence that ultimately should be expected as a result of all our other failings. The story of Cain and Abel does not mention the weapon, there's a reason for that... it's not about the weapon... it's about the heart... and the violence. Let all of us, ministers and lay people alike focus on the people and not the inanimate object in the story. Each of us needs to work in our little corner of the world, here I and our Church Council Vice Chair met yesterday with the High School Principal to discuss how we as a local church can better assist them. I have been in conversation with people locally and online trying to find solutions to these failings, solutions that we can implement here in our little town in Iowa. We are considering a number of ideas and will be in discussion as a church about how and where we should be involved. Ultimately, we will do something to focus on the issue(s), we are not so naive as to think we can help everyone but we can help someone and that is what we shall do. Bottom-line is that what is needed is building relationships, to actually come alongside these children, adults, and families... that's not easy to do... it's not easy to even figure out how to do... but, if you're in this 'gig' of being a Christian because it's easy, I've got some really bad news for you... Be a blessing to someone today! In Christ, Roy
I welcome helpful dialogue about these issues, BUT, be forewarned if your comment is an attack upon the 'weapon', it will be deleted and it will never make the comments section. Likewise, if you're going to blame 'gay marriage' or homosexuality, your comment will disappear into the ether of the internet. If you so much as make an inference that President Trump is the problem 'poof' you're gone... this issue has been brewing under the surface for decades and neither Trump nor Obama for that matter are the issue... blame either and your comment is gone. Honestly, if that's all you've got you're a large part of the problem and not a part of the solution. We need to stop making excuses, we need to stop blaming 'things', we are the problem partially because of what we've done and also for what we've allowed... we've allowed ourselves to be divided, and it's only together that we can fix these problems. If we allow politicians and the media to continue to divide us... use us and our emotions to remain in power, to promote their agenda, or boost viewership... well, then we will continue together down this dark path. May God's guidance be upon us all.
Photo by Christian Begeman, Faith United Lutheran Church
I'm very behind on posting to the blog this week but it's been a hectic week, to say the least. Monday I did a service at Shady Oaks, Tuesday was the Church Council Meeting and Baptism Class, Wednesday was the Ash Wednesday Service, and yesterday was the Soup Supper. That along with all the other things that came up filled my week to the brim so much that today and tomorrow I'm still working on things that I haven't been able to get to. I haven't had time to upload and edit the video of the sermon so I'll have to add that later, but for now you'll find the transcript below. It was a very short sermon, as we had the Men's groups fundraiser (a Baked Potato Bar) immediately after service and I knew we were going to go over if I didn't truncate the sermon as much as I could. BTW, the Baked Potato Bar was not only extremely delicious, it was a hugely successful fundraiser! Thank you to all who helped with that Fundraiser and also those that helped with last night's Soup Supper, which was also tremendously successful! You are all a blessing! Be a blessing to someone today!! In His Love, Roy
Sermon - Transfiguration Sunday, 2018 The verses that we are looking at this morning come on the heels of the questioning of the Apostles by Jesus as to who do they think he is. Peter answers that he is the Messiah and Jesus rebukes him, telling the Disciples to not tell anyone that he is the Messiah. Next, Jesus foretells of his death and Peter pulls Jesus aside and to show that turnaround is fair-play, he rebukes Jesus... to which Jesus rebukes Peter in return telling him “get behind me satan”. A whole lot of rebuking going on here, and it's important to realize that Jesus isn't calling Peter what we understand to be the “Devil” but rather he is proclaiming that Peter is in this moment his adversary. Satan means adversary or opposition, Peter is opposing the mission of Christ. So, remember to not freak out when you read verse 33 in the 8th Chapter of Mark. So, Jesus has a mission, a date with destiny if you will... but it's not yet time to talk about it... well, not openly anyway. Today is 'Transfiguration Sunday', it's the Sunday prior to Ash Wednesday which is, of course, the beginning of the season of Lent. Lent, the 'Holiest' of all seasons on the Christian Calendar; we're closing in on the final countdown as they say. As it is 'Transfiguration Sunday' we are of course in one of the Synoptic Gospels and this year the Lectionary has us looking at the version of the Transfiguration as it is found in Mark's Gospel, so if you'll all turn to the 9th Chapter of Mark we'll be looking at verses 2 through 10. Mark 9:2-10 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) 2 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. 4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 5 Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6 He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7 Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” 8 Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus. 9 As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead could mean. I have seen these verses compared to the story of Christ's baptism in the Gospel of Mark. Obviously, there are parallels as in both passages Jesus is identified as God's beloved son. It has been stated that whereas in the baptism the revelation is apparently given only to Jesus himself, here the revelation is to the entire world. That really isn't fair, as the revelation here is only made to the inner-circle of the Disciples, James, John, and Peter, and these three are sternly warned not to discuss it until Jesus has risen again. The Greek word in verse 9 translated simply as 'ordered' is diastelló (dee-as-tel'-lom-ahee) and it implies a very stern air to this instruction. It has within it's meaning a command, a commission, an admonishment, and a prohibition. Strong's Greek Concordance states it as giving an “explicit command that is unambiguously clear”; it's not just a casual request, it bears much more weight than that. But none-the-less, the circle of those who are in the 'know' as to Jesus being the beloved son of God is widening. Other commentators focus on the transfiguration as proof of Christ's deity. The only problem with this is that in Luke's telling of the story both Moses and Elijah are also shown in 'Glory'. If we think that the transfiguration itself reveals Christ as deity we then also elevate both Moses and Elijah to equality with God the Father, let us, therefore, realize that it is God's proclamation of “this is my beloved Son” that truly signals the preeminence of Jesus as the Christ.
The inclusion in this vision or scene of Moses and Elijah would have been enormously significant for any Jewish individual hearing this story. Here we have the bringer of the Law and Judaism's greatest prophet conversing with Jesus. Even before God identifies that Jesus is the beloved Son, we know he is of elevated stature as he is portrayed here as conversing with Moses and Elijah. That in and of itself is as they say “a big deal”. Last year when I preached over the 'Transfiguration', I focused upon the verses where Peter wants to construct dwellings for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. The word here translated as dwelling means 'tent' and it is the same word used in talking about the tabernacle. Peter is all caught up in the excitement of these two great figures of Jewish heritage being there with Jesus and he wants to stay right there and bask in the moment... wanting desperately to remain in this magnificent, but terrifying moment. I talked last year about how we want to build tabernacles referring to physical structures and how we as a church very much are wrapped up in the physicality of building dwellings much like Peter. Today I want to revisit that metaphor of remaining in the glory of the transfiguration but I want to come at it from a different angle. Here in this 'idyllic' story of the transformation of not only Jesus but Moses and Elijah, this story so very reminiscent of the story of Moses receiving the Ten Commandments. We have a story where Peter and the Disciples want to remain in the moment... basking in this glorious, unbelievable, idyllic, terrifying... moment.
Perhaps the only time we might be able to understand the transformation that is going on in the transfiguration is if we reflect back upon our own Baptism or perhaps the moment we first realized that we accepted Christ as our Savior. That moment that we first accepted Christ into our heart. Another moment that might serve as an illustration for those of us that are married would perhaps be that moment... if we can remember back that far... that moment when we first fell in love with our spouse. That crazy hyper-sense of mind that again idyllic state. That terrifying and joy-filled place where we wanted to stay... if we could only stay right there in that “perfect” place. But, that's not how love works... there's a grittiness to love, you go forward from those early giddy moments and into the reality of life... marriage, raising children, paying bills, etc, etc, etc. Like it or not we've got to get on with the task of a truly genuine lifetime relationship with all its ups and all its downs. And just as we can't remain in the idyllic moment of first love, we can't remain in that perfect state of being baptized... which is really actually a good thing because you can't hold your breath for longer than four minutes anyway... I have reassured both William and Stephanie who are considering being baptized this year on Easter that I wouldn't hold them under for more than five minutes... Just as Jesus, Peter, James, and John did not stay on that mountain, we have to come out of the baptistery and get to work... the work that God has given to us... “Listening to Jesus”. The story that immediately follows the transfiguration is the story of the Disciples being unable to heal the boy with seizures. In that story, we find one of my favorite exchanges of Jesus with one of those who have come to be healed. That's the conversation found between Christ and the boy's father:
Mark 9:23-24 (NRSV) 23 Jesus said to him, “If you are able!—All things can be done for the one who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out(h), “I believe; help my unbelief!” (h) with tears God has commanded us to “Listen to Christ”... it seems like such an easy thing to ask... but we struggle with it daily, hour by hour... minute by minute. We struggle to listen and to obey... Lord just as the father of the boy with seizures cried out and in some manuscripts, it says “he cried out with tears”... just as he cried out for you to help him in his unbelief... Lord, we cry out... help us to listen... when we just can't seem to do so. Let us pray...
Mark 9:2-10 - New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) The Transfiguration 2 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. 4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 5 Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6 He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7 Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” 8 Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them anymore, but only Jesus.
9 As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead could mean.
The text that I chose to preach over this past Sunday (from the offerings in the Lectionary) was '1st Corinthians 9:16-27'. These verses contain the often quoted line "I have become all things to all people". Least we think that this means to be disingenuous or even dishonest, we need to realize that (at least in my interpretation) Paul is not urging us to be disrespectful of scripture (look at the book of Galatians if you think Paul is capable of weakening the Gospel message) but... that Paul is calling us all to have empathy for others. We must meet people where they are, we cannot expect them to view the world as we do; at least not without some training and guidance and no short portion of time.
We come to others in love, and we lead them with love... we lead them towards a better relationship with God. And the truly wonderful thing is that as we are leading them towards God, we're headed in the same direction ourselves. Praise God!
Be a blessing to someone today!
In His unwavering Love & Grace,
Roy
1st Corinthians 9:16-27 (NRSV)
16 If I proclaim the gospel, this gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe to me if I do not proclaim the gospel! 17 For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward; but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with a commission. 18 What then is my reward? Just this: that in my proclamation I may make the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my rights in the gospel.
19 For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under the law. 21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law) so that I might win those outside the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.
24 Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it. 25 Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one. 26 So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air; 27 but I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be disqualified.
