September 5, 2010 - A Second Chance

Text – John 11:17-27, 38-44
¹⁷On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. ¹⁸Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, ¹⁹and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. ²⁰When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.

 ²¹"Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. ²²But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask."

 ²³Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."

 ²⁴Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."

 ²⁵Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; ²⁶and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

 ²⁷"Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world."

³⁸Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. ³⁹"Take away the stone," he said.
      "But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days."

 ⁴⁰Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"

 ⁴¹So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. ⁴²I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me."

 ⁴³When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" ⁴⁴The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
      Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go."

“We have new opportunities each day to show and share the love of Jesus Christ with others!”

August 29, 2010 - Traditions

August 22, 2010 - A Two Mountain Tour

Text - Hebrews 12:18-24
¹⁸You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; ¹⁹to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, ²⁰because they could not bear what was commanded: "If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned." ²¹The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, "I am trembling with fear." ²²But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, ²³to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, ²⁴to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

"Mount Sinai (the giving of the Ten Commandments) and Mount Zion (heaven) give us two perspectives on God's work with His people."

 August 15 - Running the Race

Hebrews 11:17-31; 12:1-3 - ¹⁷ Abraham had faith. So he offered Isaac as a sacrifice. That happened when God put him to the test. Abraham had received the promises. But he was about to offer his one and only son. ¹⁸ God had said to him, "Your family line will continue through Isaac."—(Genesis 21:12) Even so, Abraham was going to offer him up. ¹⁹ Abraham believed that God could raise the dead. In a way, he did receive Isaac back from death.

 ²⁰ Isaac had faith. So he blessed Jacob and Esau. He told them what was ahead for them.

 ²¹ Jacob had faith. So he blessed each of Joseph's sons. He blessed them when he was dying. Because of his faith he worshiped God as he leaned on the top of his wooden staff.

 ²² Joseph had faith. So he spoke to the people of Israel about their leaving Egypt. He gave directions about his bones. He did that toward the end of his life.

 ²³ Moses' parents had faith. So they hid him for three months after he was born. They saw he was a special child. They were not afraid of the king's command.

 ²⁴ Moses had faith. So he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. That happened after he had grown up. ²⁵ He chose to be treated badly together with the people of God. He chose that instead of enjoying sin's pleasures for a short time. ²⁶ He suffered shame because of Christ. He thought it had great value. He considered it better than the riches of Egypt. He was looking ahead to God's reward.

 ²⁷ Because of his faith he left Egypt. It wasn't because he was afraid of the king's anger. He didn't let anything stop him. He saw the One who can't be seen.

 ²⁸ Because of his faith he was the first to keep the Passover Feast. He commanded the people of Israel to sprinkle blood on their doorways. He did it so that the destroying angel would not touch their oldest sons.

 ²⁹ The people had faith. So they passed through the Red Sea. They went through it as if it were dry land. The Egyptians tried to do it also. But they drowned.

 ³⁰ The people had faith. So the walls of Jericho fell down. It happened after they had marched around the city for seven days.

 ³¹ Rahab, the prostitute, had faith. So she welcomed the spies. That's why she wasn't killed with those who didn't obey God.

 ¹ A huge cloud of witnesses is all around us. So let us throw off everything that stands in our way. Let us throw off any sin that holds on to us so tightly. Let us keep on running the race marked out for us.

 ² Let us keep looking to Jesus. He is the author of faith. He also makes it perfect. He paid no attention to the shame of the cross. He suffered there because of the joy he was looking forward to. Then he sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

 ³ He put up with attacks from sinners. So think about him. Then you won't get tired. You won't lose hope.

Living in the world today is very difficult with all of the distractions and discouragements we encounter.  That is why Paul encourages us to look beyond the distractions and look to Christ because it is from Him that we draw our strength and encouragement to continue running the race of a faithful life.

August 8, 2010 - Heaven Is In My Heart

July 25, 2010 - What A God!"     

Genesis 18:20-33
²⁰ Then the LORD said, "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous ²¹ that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know."

 ²² The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD. ²³ Then Abraham approached him and said: "Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? ²⁴ What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? ²⁵ Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?"

 ²⁶ The LORD said, "If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake."

 ²⁷ Then Abraham spoke up again: "Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, ²⁸ what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city because of five people?"
      "If I find forty-five there," he said, "I will not destroy it."

 ²⁹ Once again he spoke to him, "What if only forty are found there?"
      He said, "For the sake of forty, I will not do it."

 ³⁰ Then he said, "May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?"
      He answered, "I will not do it if I find thirty there."

 ³¹ Abraham said, "Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?"
      He said, "For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it."

 ³² Then he said, "May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?"
      He answered, "For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it."

 ³³ When the LORD had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home.

"We have a just, loving God who has dealt with us in mercy and love through His Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!"

August 1, 2010 – A New You!

Colossians 3:5-11 -  ⁵Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. ⁶Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. ⁷You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. ⁸But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. ⁹Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices ¹⁰and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. ¹¹Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

The Mystery Revealed - July 18, 2010

Colossians 1:28,29 -  ²⁸We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. ²⁹To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.

July 11, 2010 - Rescued

July 4, 2010 -  "Handling Freedom Responsibly"

Galatians 2:17-21 -  ¹⁷"If, while we seek to be justified in Christ, it becomes evident that we ourselves are sinners, does that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! ¹⁸If I rebuild what I destroyed, I prove that I am a lawbreaker. ¹⁹For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. ²⁰I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. ²¹I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"

We have been set free to proclaim Christ's love in word and deed and to live out justice and peace in this world.

June 27, 2010 - What Are You Going To Do About It?

1 Kings 19:9b-18 - And the word of the LORD came to him: "What are you doing here, Elijah?"10 He replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too." 11 The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" 14 He replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too." 15 The LORD said to him, "Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu.18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel--all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him."

"The love of Jesus Christ enables us to take our eyes off of ourselves and see opportunities to build caring relationships through Christ."

June 20, 2010 - "Father, We Need You!"

Isaiah 63:16b-17, 64:1-8
You, LORD, are our father, our redeemer you are named forever. Why do you let us wander, O LORD, from your ways, and harden our hearts so that we fear you not? Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your heritage.
Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down,
that the mountains might quake at your presence—
 as when fire kindles brushwood
   and the fire causes water to boil—
 to make your name known to your adversaries,
   and that the nations might tremble at your presence!
 When you did awesome things that we did not look for,
   you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence.
From of old no one has heard
   or perceived by the ear,
no eye has seen a God besides you,
   who acts for those who wait for him.
You meet him who joyfully works righteousness,
   those who remember you in your ways.
Behold, you were angry, and we sinned;
   in our sins we have been a long time, and shall we be saved?
We have all become like one who is unclean,
   and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.
We all fade like a leaf,
   and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
There is no one who calls upon your name,
   who rouses himself to take hold of you;
for you have hidden your face from us,
   and have made us melt in the hand of our iniquities.
But now, O LORD, you are our Father;
 we are the clay, and you are our potte
 we are all the work of your hand.

"We need our heavenly Father.  We daily need His love and grace shown in Jesus Christ!"

June 13, 2010 - Faith in Christ Alone

Galatians 2:16 & 20 .  - "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me."

 June 6, 2010 - The Touch of New Life

1 Kings 17:17-24 - ¹⁷ Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing. ¹⁸ She said to Elijah, "What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?"

 ¹⁹ "Give me your son," Elijah replied. He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed. ²⁰ Then he cried out to the LORD, "O LORD my God, have you brought tragedy also upon this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?" ²¹ Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried to the LORD, "O LORD my God, let this boy's life return to him!"

 ²² The LORD heard Elijah's cry, and the boy's life returned to him, and he lived. ²³ Elijah picked up the child and carried him down from the room into the house. He gave him to his mother and said, "Look, your son is alive!"

 ²⁴ Then the woman said to Elijah, "Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD from your mouth is the truth."

"Jesus has touched us with new life and forgiveness by His death and resurrection.  May our lives show our thanks and praise for those blessings!"

May 30, 2010 - "More Power to You!"

Text - Acts 2:14a, 22-36

"The power and presence of the Holy Spirit is the only power we need each day.  That power is there for us every day through God's Word.  More power to you!"

May 23, 2010 - Days of Stretching 

John 14:23-29

Psalm 111:10 says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding.  To him belongs eternal praise."

May 16, 2010 - Touch Me and See 

Luke 24:36-53 - "Jesus opened up the minds of His disciples in our Gospel Lesson so that they could understand His grace, love and power!"

May 9, 2010 - City of Splendor

Revelation 21:9-14, 21-27 - "One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb." And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass. I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life."

The Apostle John describes heaven as a great and high mountain shining with the glory of God.  It's brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, CLEAR AS CRYSTAL!

May 2, 2010 - Connected By the Spirit

John 16:12-15 - "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you."

Thanks and praise be to God that we are connected to our heavenly Father, His Son our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.

April 25, 2010 - The Lord's Prayer Conclusion

 "For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever, Amen."

In the Conclusion to the Lord's Prayer we pray:" For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever."  God can give us all things because His is the kingdom, and His is the power, and His is the glory!

April 18, 2010 - Deliver Us From Evil

Matthew 6:13 - "but deliver us from evil"

 We pray in the Seventh Petition of The Lord's Prayer, that our Father in heaven would rescue us from every evil of body and soul, possessions and reputation, and finally, when our last hour comes, give us a blessed end. Amen.

Easter, April 4, 2010

March 28, 2010 - Blessed is He Who Comes in the Name of the Lord"

John 12:12-16 - The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,
   "Hosanna!"
   "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"
   "Blessed is the King of Israel!"                                                                                                                 Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written,
 "Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey's colt."

"The events of Holy Week enable us to see what is important and eternal...the love and grace of God for us in Jesus!  Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!"

March 21, 2010 -  And Lead Us Not Into Temptation  

Matthew 6:13 - "and lead us not into temptation"

God tempts no one.  We pray in this petition that God would guard and keep us so that the devil, the world, and our sinful nature may not deceive us or mislead us into false belief, despair, and other great shame and vice.  Although we are attacked by these things, we pray that we may finally overcome them and win the victory.

March 7, 2010 - Forgive Us Our Trespasses

February 28, 2010 - "Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread" 

Matthew 6:10 - Give us this day our daily bread.

"Daily bread includes everything that has to do with the support and needs of the body, such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, home, land, animals, money, goods, a devout husband or wife, devout children, devout workers, devout and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, health, self-control, good reputation, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like."

Feb. 21 - Thy Will Be Done On Earth As It Is In Heaven 

Matthew 6:10 - "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

God's will is done when He breaks and hinders every evil plan and purpose of the devil, the world, and our sinful nature, which do not want us to hallow God's name or let His kingdom come; and when He strengthens and keeps us firm in His Word and faith until we die. This is His good and gracious will.

February 7, 2010 - Hallowed Be Thy Name

Matthew 6:9 - "Hallowed be thy name."

God’s name is certainly holy in itself, but we pray in this petition that it may be kept holy among us also.  HOW IS GOD’s NAME KEPT HOLY?  God’s name is kept holy when the Word of God is taught in its truth and purity, and we, as the children of God, also lead holy lives according to it.  Help us to do this, dear Father in heaven!  But anyone who teaches or lives contrary to God’s Word profanes the name of God among us.  Protect us from this, heavenly Father!

 ¹⁴Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. ¹⁵If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. ¹⁶And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. ¹⁷If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. ¹⁹If they were all one part, where would the body be? ²⁰As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

 ²¹The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" ²²On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ²³and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, ²⁴while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, ²⁵so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. ²⁶If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

 ²⁷Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.