Belief -vs- Trust, Romans 10:1-21, Sermon given March 10, 2019

Last Sunday's sermon began with a caution against placing one's self in opposition to God's chosen people the Israelites.  Far too often verses in Paul's letter to the Romans are used to justify anti-semitic beliefs and teachings, in reality, Romans firmly affirms that the Hebrew people hold a special place in the scheme of salvation, "all Israel will be saved" (Romans 11:26).

The main thrust of the sermon had to do with the contrast of 'believing' versus 'trusting'.  We can hold a casual belief in something and yet not fully and unequivocally trust in that thing or individual.  I tell a story in the sermon as an illustration of this dynamic of belief -vs- trust that I feel nearly fully reveals the chasm that exists between saying we believe something and the reality of trust.  Once again, this wasn't a long sermon so please take a few moments and listen.

Thank you for coming through this tiny corner of the web.

Be a blessing to someone today!

Trusting In Him,
Roy

Romans 10:1-21    New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
1 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. 2 I can testify that they have a zeal for God, but it is not enlightened. 3 For, being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they have not submitted to God’s righteousness. 4 For Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.
Salvation Is for All
5 Moses writes concerning the righteousness that comes from the law, that “the person who does these things will live by them.” 6 But the righteousness that comes from faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say?
“The word is near you,
    on your lips and in your heart”
(that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. 11 The scripture says, “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. 13 For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
14 But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? 15 And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” 16 But not all have obeyed the good news; for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” 17 So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.
18 But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have; for
“Their voice has gone out to all the earth,
    and their words to the ends of the world.”
19 Again I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says,
“I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation;
    with a foolish nation I will make you angry.”
20 Then Isaiah is so bold as to say,
“I have been found by those who did not seek me;
    I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.”
21 But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”

Isaiah 28:16 New International Version (NIV)
16 So this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone,
    a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation;
the one who relies on it
    will never be stricken with panic.

Romans 3:31 New International Version (NIV)
31 Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.
Romans 7:12 New International Version (NIV)
12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good.

Romans 3:3  New International Version (NIV)
3 What if some were unfaithful? Will their unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness?

Romans 11:1  New International Version (NIV)
11 I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin.

Romans 11:25-27  NIV
25 I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, 26 and in this way  all Israel will be saved. As it is written:
“The deliverer will come from Zion;
    he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.
27 And this is  my covenant with them
    when I take away their sins.”

Funeral Manuscript for Tammy Green-Magner, March 6, 2019

I have attached below the manuscript from the Funeral that I performed for Tammy Green-Magner.  God's strength, courage, and love to her family and loved ones.

In Christ,
Roy

Order of Service – Tammy Green-Magner, March 6, 2019

Welcome:
A loved one is a treasure of the heart and losing a loved one is like losing a piece of yourself, but the love that Tammy brought each of you did not leave, for the essence of her soul still lingers.  It cannot escape your hearts, for it has been there forever. Cling to the memories and let them find their way to heal you. The love and laughter, the joy in the togetherness you shared, will make you strong. You will come to realize that your time together, no matter how long, was meant to be and you were blessed to have the precious gift of her love in your lives. Keep your hearts beating with the loving memories and trust in your faith to guide you through. Know that though life moves on... the beauty of love stays behind to embrace you. Your loved one... Tammy, has left you that love... her love, to hold in your hearts forever. 

Today, we have come together within the strengthening fellowship of friends and family, to praise God for the life of Tammy Jane Green-Magner ;
to share our grief with God and with one another;
to reaffirm our faith in God's unfailing goodness;
to hear again God's promise of resurrection;
and to commend Tammy to God's everlasting care.


Opening Prayer:
Let us Pray:
Gracious God, your love endures forever.  Your faithfulness is unfailing and all your promises are true.  The movement of your Spirit is evident even in our darkest moments.  Attend to us now in our grief as we trust you will.  Speak words of comfort to our hearts.  Open us up to receive your hope. O God of grace and glory, we remember before you this day our sister Tammy. We thank you for giving her to us, her family and friends, to know and to love as a companion on our earthly pilgrimage. In your boundless compassion, console us who mourn. Give us faith to see death as the gateway to eternal life, so that in quiet confidence we may continue our course on earth, until by your call, we are reunited with those who have gone before; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Let us hear now a reading from the Old Testament:  
Psalm 23  King James Version (KJV)
23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.


Let us hear now a reading from the New Testament:
2 Corinthians 4:16 - 5:9  New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
16 So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. 17 For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, 18 because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.
5 For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this tent we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling— 3 if indeed, when we have taken it off we will not be found naked. 4 For while we are still in this tent, we groan under our burden, because we wish not to be unclothed but to be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.
6 So we are always confident; even though we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord— 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 Yes, we do have confidence, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.

Pastoral Prayer:
Let us please pray: God our Father, Your power brings us to birth, Your providence guides our lives, and by Your command we return to dust.  Lord, those who die still live in Your presence, their lives change but do not end. I pray in hope for this family, relatives and friends, and for all the dead known to You alone.  In company with Christ, Who died and Who now lives, may they rejoice in Your kingdom, where all our tears are wiped away. Unite us together again in one family, to sing Your praise forever and ever.  Amen.

Message:  Pastor Roy Karlen – Woodlawn Christian Church

Tammy Jane Green-Magner, age 51, died Friday, March 1, 2019 at Stewart Memorial Community Hospital in Lake City.  Tammy was born on May 17, 1967, in Lake City, Iowa, to Gary and Lavon Green.  She graduated from Lake City High School and on December 21, 1995 Tammy married Robert Magner.

Tammy is survived by her husband Robert, daughter Janie, step-children Bobbie, and Brian, by 6 grandchildren and 1 great-grandchild.  She is also survived by her mother Lavon, her brothers Gary Jr, and Terry, her sister Tina and by many nieces and nephews.  She was preceded in death by her father Gary.  Passing from this world at the all too young age of 51, Tammy had been suffering from failing health ever since 2003 and recently had taken a turn for the worse.

When I asked the family to provide me with some thoughts about Tammy they told me that she was a 'People-Pleaser', that she even when she wasn't feeling well always tried to keep everyone happy.  They mentioned her love for cooking, her love for flowers of all types but her special fondness for roses.  She loved birds and would spend hours watching them, she knew when the different species would be coming and she was ready for them.  Her favorite birds were the hummingbirds and Janie talked about the hummingbirds coming and sitting on their shoulders and arms. Tammy loved to be outside at the Lake and loved to be out in the sun just soaking up the sunshine.  

They told me how she enjoyed going to Red Lobster for the lobster and crab but her mother mentioned that Tammy usually ended up ordering the shrimp.  Tammy also enjoyed going to the casinos in Council Bluffs when she was able.  The family mentioned that she enjoyed driving and seeing the scenery and they told of taking her out to Wyoming and the Black Hills back in 2010 which was after her health had already started to decline.

In this world, we are saddled with imperfect bodies, bodies that age, become ill, and all too soon deteriorate and begin to fail us.  None of us escapes this decline but for some of us these bodies wear out so much sooner than for others.  Our bodies just like everything in this world of ours are temporary, our time in them and our time here in this world is limited and fleeting.  In his letters to the Church in Corinth the Apostle Paul talks about these bodies, and compares them to the resurrected bodies that we are promised through the teachings of Christ.

1 Corinthians 15: 35-44
35 But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?” 36 How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.37 When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38 But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. 39 Not all flesh is the same: People have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. 40 There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. 41 The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.

42 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.
If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

Today we know that Tammy no longer suffers from illness nor infirmity, she is no longer in an earthly body but now resides in a spiritual body... a perfect, immortal body.  Together we celebrate this new life and we lift up the life that Tammy lived here and all that she meant to her family and friends. Praise God for the promises of Christ and the gifts God gives us through our lives with our family and friends. Though today we celebrate Tammy's life, and all that she meant to each of you, we must also be honest and acknowledge that we do indeed mourn and mourn deeply her passing from our lives.

When you lose someone you love, your life becomes strange, the ground beneath you becomes fragile.  Your heart has grown heavy with loss; and though this loss has wounded others too... no one knows what has been taken from you when the silence of absence deepens.

Flickers of guilt kindle regret for all that was left unsaid or undone.  There will be days when you wake up happy once again and inside feel the fullness of life... until that moment breaks and you will be thrown back into the black waves of loss.  Days when you will have your heart back, and you are able to function well... when suddenly with no warning, you become ambushed by grief.  It becomes hard to trust yourself, and all you can depend on is that sorrow will remain faithful to itself.  More than you, it knows its way and will find the right time to pull back the curtain of grief.  And when the work of grief is done, the wound of loss will heal and you will have learned to wean your mind from that gap in your heart and be able to enter that deep place in your soul where your loved one has awaited your return all along.

Though all of you gathered today shall miss Tammy, you should all rest assured that this is only a temporary parting and that you'll each get to see Tammy's smile once again when you are reunited in Heaven.  Praise be to God.  Today Tammy is reunited with all of her friends and family that have gone on before her, and today she is in the very presence of our almighty and all loving God... Praise be to God indeed...

Music:  Willie Nelson – Bring Me Sunshine

Closing Prayer:
The family invites you to spend time together in fellowship and remembrance by joining with them after the ceremony at the graveside for a luncheon in the Fellowship Hall at Woodlawn Christian Church.  For those that do not wish to travel to the Cottonwood Cemetery for the interment you may go directly to the Church and wait for us there.  Please however wait for the family to arrive at the Church before you begin the luncheon, we will have say 'Grace' before the meal once the family has all arrived at Woodlawn.

Let us pray:
God of life, and light, and hope... with Your whole Church in heaven... and on earth... we bring to You our thanks, we offer to You our praise... for all that You have done for humankind through Jesus who is the Christ.   You sent Him, Your Son... to live and die for us. You showed Your plan for the world and proved that Your love has no limit, and on that first Easter when You raised Jesus from the dead You promised that all humankind might share His resurrection life. For the hope of our faith, for the good news of Your Kingdom, and for all those whom You have welcomed into Your loving presence, we thank You, gracious God... But especially now, we thank You for the life of Tammy whom we loved. 

We thank You for all the ways in which Tammy became special and precious to each of us who knew her; for the values and standards she set by her example and her life; for her sense of what was good and right and decent; for her warmth and humor and sense of family; for every life that she enriched and all that she invested of herself in our lives; for the faith by which she lived and in which she died. 

We thank you for the glorious treasury of memories that are ours to keep, to hold on to and to enjoy – the moments that were deep, special and personal, the times that rang with laughter and fun, and for the ordinary days when affection and love, trust and respect, grew and were deepened. We thank you for the courage shown, and for a life fulfilled, and for all that Tammy reflected of Your goodness and love. And now though we mourn... we also are glad... for we celebrate today that Tammy has found peace and will neither suffer nor mourn again... she has laid her burden down before You and is with You... safe, happy, whole, and welcomed by those for whom she once mourned. Help us to hold on to what we should... and to let go of what we must. Help us not to cling to the past constantly brooding for what might have been, but rather to take forward what she gave us for the rest of our lifes’ journey. Help us to trust and to know that Tammy will never be far from us till that day when we all stand together in Your presence. 

O God, our Strength and our Redeemer, Giver of life, and Conqueror of death, we open our hearts to You just as we are.  We celebrate Your gift of life freely given, but are grieved by a sense of loss in the face of death.  The love which binds us to one another leaves us aching as ties are broken.  Accept our tears as emblems of devotion, and transform them into waters of life to nourish us in the days ahead.

We trust You.  We love You.  We know in Christ that Your love is everlasting.  Nothing can separate any of us from Your abiding care.  With You is eternal life.

With confidence we now entrust Tammy to Your unfailing love and overflowing goodness.  Through the power that raised Christ from the dead to live eternally with You, lift her up to life fulfilled beyond our imagining.  We give You but Your own, enfold her in Your everlasting arms, hold her for she is Your child.

Now strengthen us, through the gift of Your Spirit, to face into the future with confidence that You stand with us.  Grant that the changes of life may leave us stronger as we journey through life.

Reassured of Your abiding presence, help us to knit more firmly the ties that bind us one to another.  

Renewed by Your love, help us to love in ever larger circles so as to embrace Your people everywhere till at last we are all united eternally through Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.

Benediction:

Music:  Dancing In The Sky – Danni & Lizzy


Committal Service
Selfishly, we as mortals wish to hold on to Tammy. It brings great pain to let her go. Living in the resurrection hope of our Lord Jesus Christ, in the trust of a loving God and in the promise of eternal life, we now commit her body to its place of rest. We will continue to mourn Tammy, but now her smile and laughter will warm the kingdom of God. We will continue to love Tammy, but God will now take care of her. We will continue to carry Tammy in our thoughts, but she will be kept safe in God's hands. Receive her in the arms of your mercy, O God, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of all your saints.

Let us hear now these words taken from the 14th Chapter of the Gospel of John
Hear these words from Jesus:
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house, there are many dwelling places.
If it were not so, Would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, So that where I am, there you may be also.
And you know the way to the place where I am going.
I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you.
In a little while the world will no longer see me, But you will see me;  Because I live, you also will live.
I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in my name, Will teach you everything, And remind you of all that I have said to you.
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
I do not give to you as the world gives. 
Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.”  (John 14:1–4, 18–19, 25–27)

Believing in the Resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, we now entrust Tammy to the care of Almighty God and we ask Our Father to open the doors to his mansion and lead Tammy to the room made ready just for her. As we now commit her body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust, we commend her spirit to its new home. Rest eternal grant her, and let light perpetual shine upon her.

God has blessed and enriched our lives in giving us Tammy to know and love here on this earth. Though our time together was not nearly enough, in committing her body to the earth, we give over to God the care of her spirit, and we acknowledge that we will one day reunite with her in God's Kingdom. The Lord bless her and keep her; the Lord make his face shine upon her and be gracious to her; the Lord look upon her with favor and give her peace.

Let us now pray together the prayer that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ taught us to pray... Our Father...

This concludes our graveside service.

May the Lord bless you and keep you, may His strong arms encircle you and uphold you in your hour of grief.  God's peace and strength to you all.  Amen

Luke 6:39-49, Sermon given on March 3, 2019 "We Must Learn & Teach"

In these verses in Luke's Gospel about being blind, logs in eyes, good and bad fruit, and deep or shallow footings in our foundations, we ultimately can take away a very simple message.  We are called to learn so as not to be blind and we are called to teach so that others may not be blind as well.  In order to teach well though we must be nourished by the good fruit and we must plant our foundations on firm ground and dig deeply into that firm substrate.

The sermon is only about twelve minutes long, please give it a listen.

Be a blessing to someone today!

In His Glory,
Roy

Luke 6:39-49 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
39 He also told them a parable: “Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit? 40 A disciple is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully qualified will be like the teacher. 41 Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s[a] eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? 42 Or how can you say to your neighbor,[b] ‘Friend,[c] let me take out the speck in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s[d] eye.

A Tree and Its Fruit
43 “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit; 44 for each tree is known by its own fruit. Figs are not gathered from thorns, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. 45 The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil; for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks.

The Two Foundations
46 “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I tell you? 47 I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, hears my words, and acts on them. 48 That one is like a man building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when a flood arose, the river burst against that house but could not shake it, because it had been well built.[e] 49 But the one who hears and does not act is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the river burst against it, immediately it fell, and great was the ruin of that house.”

Footnotes:
a) Luke 6:41 Gk brother’s
b) Luke 6:42 Gk brother
c) Luke 6:42 Gk brother
d) Luke 6:42 Gk brother’s

e) Luke 6:48 Other ancient authorities read founded upon the rock

"Life Ever-After" - Sermon from Thursday Night Service - February 28, 2019 "1st Corinthians 15:51-58

Here in these words in 1st Corinthians, Paul addresses the point that beyond the consideration of 'Substitutional Sacrifice', Christ's death and resurrection also addresses the Hebrew beliefs on death and what lies beyond our earthly passing.  Here, Christ has shattered any idea that there is nothing beyond our earthly life, rather He proves for us that there is life ever after.

During the sermon, I told the story of my Aunt Carol's 'Near-Death-Experience'.  Aunt Carol had a very traumatic event in her life that forever changed her and left her with no fear of death and the full knowledge that there is more for us beyond and after our time here in this world.  It also left her aching to be reunited with one so very dear to her in this world, her son David (Davey).  I, unfortunately, can relate to this portion of her story as I too long to be reunited with a son who waits for me beyond this world.  Gail and I lost a son Wyatt Christian Karlen, and I know the emptiness that my Aunt Carol carried with her for so many, many years.

Take a listen to the sermon and hear Carol's moving story... by the way this sermon was given on the same day as Carol's funeral.  I traveled back home to Reliance, South Dakota to help in the performance of Carol's funeral and then rushed back in order to preach that evening in Lake City.  It was a very quick trip home and but well worth the effort, fatigue, and discomfort.

God bless you Aunt Carol and I look forward to seeing you again someday!

Be a blessing to someone today!

In His Grace,
Roy

1 Corinthians 15:51-58 Revised Standard Version (RSV)
51 Lo! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable nature must put on the imperishable, and this mortal nature must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
55 “O death, where is thy victory?
O death, where is thy sting?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.


58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

March Newsletter Article & More Reflections

I've attached below my Newsletter Article for the March Newsletter.  We've had a very interesting last couple of months with our weather and I'm certain we are all praying that it will just stop SNOWING... and being COLD!  As we look at the week ahead it doesn't look like we're going to have any warm weather at all and there appears to again be a chance for snow and ice by weeks end.

But just as we know that spring is right around the corner, we know that this week, this Wednesday, the Lenten season kicks off and the hope, grace, and resurrection of our Lord is right around the corner.  Praise be to God!

Be a blessing to someone today!

In His Grace,
Roy

Pastor's Ponderings

If you aren't getting tired of winter yet, well... you're definitely in the minority here in the Midwest. It has been a winter to remember thus far with far too much snow and cold for most of our liking. We've had a number of cancellations of the Thursday night service, Sunday night service, and unfortunately Sunday morning as well. As I type this it's still snowing outside and hopefully, it will stop sometime this afternoon so we can clean the walks again as far as total snowfall, this one looks to be one of our largest of the season. Plus, they're predicting more snow for the weekend... you've gotta love the Midwest in winter. I know we've thanked Clyde before for his efforts on snow removal but we sure better keep lifting him up because he's a very vital part of our ability to function here after each snow storm. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Clyde!

The Concert Committee has set the date for the Concert as July 27th starting at 5:30 pm and plans are under-work to make this our best year yet. There will be a few changes and we're bouncing around some new ideas. At this writing we have booked two acts already, the 'Headliner' will be Jill Miller who performed for us last year as our second act. This year she will bring her entire band and will put on a great show. Everyone loved her last year when she performed an acoustic set and we're excited to hear her with her full band! Our second act will be Lisa Larsen a/k/a as 'High Heel', Lisa has been performing for nearly 30 years and is mostly known in the secular scene but she's recently taken on a more Christian focused performance. She will be bringing an unknown number of band members with her as she told me she has several friends and family members in the industry that want to come with her just to do our Concert. Lisa has a great deal of energy and I think you're all going to love her, she has a great testimony about her faith and she promised to share it with us all. Lisa has a wonderful voice and in fact, I had barely gotten the video of her singing started when Kathy Holm exclaimed: “she's good, hire her!” If Kathy says she's good well that says it all in my opinion! As I type this we're still working on booking an opening act but, I don't think you'll be disappointed with the opening act either. Please start telling everyone to make plans to come to this year's “Son Celebration” on July 27th right here at Woodlawn!

As I've been working on this article, I have received notice that Roxy Crandall has fallen again and unfortunately, she has now broken both bones in her lower leg. To make matters worse, this is the opposite leg from the bone she broke earlier in the year. Scott and Roxy are as I type headed to Des Moines where Roxy will be having surgery. As you all know this will take a long time for her to heal and we need to make/keep Roxy as a regular part of our daily prayers.

Tomorrow will be our February Soup Supper and I want to thank Kim Anderson for all her hard work on this event. I also want to thank all those who've pitched in and helped with all the other aspects of this important fundraiser. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. Hopefully, the weather won't be a hindrance and we will have had a great turnout.
March 6th begins the 'Lent' season for us in 2019 and that evening we will have our Annual Ash Wednesday Service at 7 pm. We're getting a late start on the Easter Season this year but that's okay, maybe that will ensure that we'll have better weather for the Cross Raising and the Easter Egg Hunt... maybe, it will even be warm enough to have Sunrise Service out by the Cross this year! Please pray for that! Make plans to come and kick off the Lent season by attending the Ash Wednesday Service.

Lent begins, of course, the most Holy time of our Christian year and there can be no better time to implement a new practice of prayer or a daily time for Bible reading or reading a devotional. Think about adding something new to your daily faith journey!

As always... be a blessing to someone today!


In Christ, Pastor Roy

Luke 6:12-26

This past Thursday Night's Sermon was over the verses found in Luke's Gospel Chapter Six verses 12-26.  This passage covers the naming of the Twelve Apostles, the healings on the plain and the beginning of the 'Sermon on the Plain'.  It's interesting that Jesus starts off before naming the Twelve by spending time in prayer and listening to God. Something of this magnitude simply can't be tackled without discerning the guidance of God.

It's interesting to contemplate the diversity of those that Christ calls.  You have represented in the largest number those 'fishermen', those common men, next we have some for whom we really don't know anything about, then we have that 'Tax Collector' that contributor/conspirator to those Romans who are oppressing the Jewish people, then the doubter who some believe may well have been a brother of Christ, another James who some small number actually believe is Jesus brother 'James the Just', then a Zealot one of those violent men who would seek to kill a collaborator (must have made for an interesting relationship with that earlier 'Tax Collector'), another that we don't know much about, and finally the one that would betray Christ to the cross... there are those who believe (and I think they're correct) that Judas Iscariot was also a Zealot.  This rag-tagged, varied, and inhomogenous group of followers... what was Jesus thinking?

Today we often work with church members who have conflicts with one another and this can be extremely upsetting and disruptive to the organization... but... how many of us are working with people in leadership that have sworn to literally kill another member of our leadership?  We just don't know how easy we have it sometimes.  Why would Jesus purposefully set out to select individuals with such built-in bias and actual hatred for one another... kind of makes our trying to work with our church members/boards look easy doesn't it?

This extreme diversity of Christ's number should make those of us who strive for homogenous flocks and denominations to stop and take stock in what we're doing.  If everyone (or even most) of those around you walk in lock-step with you are you really surrounding yourself with the Disciples that Jesus would call?  I have to think not...  I see all around me those that only want to include those that are of the same mind as they.  This is a genuine problem and one that we will need to confront sooner or later.

I'm afraid that our ever more stratified and sorted bodies aren't the model of 'church' that Christ modeled for us in the calling of the Apostles, we need to do better...  

There are more of the topics covered in these verses mentioned in the sermon, it ended up being a rather long sermon for a Thursday night, none-the-less, I hope you'll take a listen.

Be a blessing to someone today!

In Christ,
Roy

Luke 6:12-26 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
Jesus Chooses the Twelve Apostles
12 Now during those days he went out to the mountain to pray; and he spent the night in prayer to God. 13 And when day came, he called his disciples and chose twelve of them, whom he also named apostles: 14 Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, and James, and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, 15 and Matthew, and Thomas, and James son of Alphaeus, and Simon, who was called the Zealot, 16 and Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
Jesus Teaches and Heals
17 He came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. 18 They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. 19 And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them.
Blessings and Woes
20 Then he looked up at his disciples and said:
“Blessed are you who are poor,
    for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 “Blessed are you who are hungry now,
    for you will be filled.
“Blessed are you who weep now,
    for you will laugh.
22 “Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. 23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.
24 “But woe to you who are rich,
    for you have received your consolation.
25 “Woe to you who are full now,
    for you will be hungry.
“Woe to you who are laughing now,
    for you will mourn and weep.

26 “Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.

Luke 5:1-11 "Called To Be"

Photo by Christian Begeman

Last Sunday's sermon covered the verses found in Luke's Gospel at 5:1-11; these are the well known "Fishers of Men" verses.  One of the points that I considered in the sermon is that perhaps we should think of ourselves more as the 'net' than the fisherman.  We are the tools that God uses to further His Kingdom and His Creation.  Our calling is to discern and comply to His directions, we do not decide on our own where and when to 'fish', rather we are to do so by His direction and command.

During the sermon, I also contemplated the 'miraculous' catch of fish as found in John's Gospel at 21:4-19.  In John's telling, this miracle happens at the end of Jesus' earthly ministry and after the resurrection.  The emphasis in John's version seems to me to be more on the story that follows and that is the instructions to care for the followers of Christ.  It is not enough that we bring people to Christ, but that we must also tend to and care for them as well.  Our commitments to one another go far beyond just bringing another to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

God bless and as always...

Be a blessing to someone today!

In Christ,
Roy 

Luke 5:1-11 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
Jesus Calls the First Disciples
5 Once while Jesus[a] was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, 2 he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. 4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 Simon answered, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” 6 When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. 8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” 9 For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; 10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” 11 When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.

Footnotes:

a) Luke 5:1 Gk he


John 21:4-19 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
4 Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Jesus said to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered him, “No.” 6 He said to them, “Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. 7 That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. 8 But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards[a] off.

9 When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. 18 Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.” 19 (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, “Follow me.”

Footnotes:

a) John 21:8 Gk two hundred cubits

Photo by Christian Begeman