June 27, 2021
June 27, 2021
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I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope… - Psalm 130:5
Reading the messages to the seven churches in the book of Revelation, we should recognize that each of these churches are in a time of transition. It could be said that all churches, and all people, from the time of the resurrection are living in a time of transition. We are living in the transition of the time that is already and yet to come. We are living in the reality of the kingdom of heaven that is around us, but it not yet made perfect.
Transitional times are hard, and they call us, as the psalmists says, to wait and hope. The churches of revelation as with the church today we need to wait with patient hope, and hang on the words that come from our Lord. God can and does speak to each day, unfortunately, many refuse to listen, or aren’t attune to hear what God is saying. We get distracted by the many things in our current world that can lead us to be preoccupied here, and then we allow our selective hearing to only hear the things that align with our own desires.
When Jesus was on earth with his disciples, they were told about the time of transition, and to be ready, however, they did not understand his meaning. They refused to believe, or were scared of his words, until they saw it all happen. After Jesus transition from living prophet to resurrected Lord, the disciples became open to the work of the Holy Spirit in them and through them, from there the disciples began preparing the church, sharing the gospel, and sharing the love that Christ had shown them.
Today, we still wait with patient endurance, and great hope for the Lord to make everything right and good, but in our waiting, we must continue to listen, to grow, to experience the love of Jesus, and offer it to those whom we share this life, as we await the life eternal that is still to come. The same Spirit that was working with Jesus and the disciples is now working with us, to lead us towards God’s perfect grace, mercy, and love.
Grace & Peace,
Sam
June 23, 2021
June 23, 2021
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, those he redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south… they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out from their distress; he made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad because they had quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven. Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, from his wonderful works to humankind. – Psalm 107:2-3; 28-31
This week marks the completion of 2 years of ministry as the pastor of St. Mark. Reflecting back sometimes it seems as though I have been among you much longer, and at other times I feel like I still have just arrived. We might all agree that the past two years have been quite the challenge, especially as we have navigated through a global pandemic. Through all we have encountered I’m reminded of the gathering hymn written by Charles Wesley, often sung at times of Christian conferencing; “And Are We Yet Alive.”
Wesley writes of how in the midst of all of life’s ebbs and flows we yet remain to see one another again, we know that there are some whom we have lost along the way, but by the wonderful grace of God, we are here on the other side, despite all previous trouble, trial, tribulation, to assemble for God’s glory here.
We know the hardships this church has faced in recent years as well as years long gone by, at the same time we know that wonderful things that have occurred in this place, and among our people to bring glory to God in both the hard times as well as the good. In all things, we can be reminded that God is working to gather us together, that we might give thanks for the steadfast love that leads us on. God’s wonderful works keep us remembering that there is more wonder and beauty that is still to come as we work together to see His kingdom come.
I’m grateful for the love and support you have all given me over these past two years, and I’m looking forward to starting a third year knowing God will see even greater things happen among the people of St. Mark.
Grace & Peace,
Sam
June 20, 2021
June 20, 2021
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And I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty
- 2 Corinthians 6:18
As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him. – Psalm 103:13
Happy Father’s Day to all out there who have had the joy and challenge of raising someone up in life and faith. We all can acknowledge that we are less than perfect in our up brining, and less than perfect as we impart knowledge and wisdom to the next generation. It is truly by the grace of God that each comes to know the life everlasting that we have found in our Lord Jesus as he is the only perfect love and gift from God our Father.
The idea of God being a Father to us all is challenging for those who didn’t know the love of an earthly father, and so many I have known through the years have struggled with this understanding. Even when we turn to the scriptures of God having compassion, we read words like “for those who fear him,” and wonder what kind of love requires fear. In actuality there are two words in the Hebrew language that often get translated as “fear” the first is pahad which is generally used when someone sees something that causes fright, and to which the Angel of the Lord often responds “fear not.”
The other word that is used is yir’at which also means to have reverence or awe. It is this word that we should understand within the context of a compassionate God who John would write in his first epistle, “God is love.” The God who is love is compassionate and kind, forgiving sins, and removing transgressions, we are in awe of him, because we do no deserve such love, yet God see fit to love us just as we are.
Today, the greatest gift any of us could receive is to understand and feel that we are loved for who we are, as we are. We need not to change to be worthy of love. If we are to change, it must be to become more like our Father in taking on the image of love that we know through his son, our Lord, Jesus the Christ.
May we all know God’s love more deeply today, and every day.
Grace & Peace,
Sam
June 16, 2021
June 16, 2021
Devotion by: David Petty
Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years ... When the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from prison and will come out to deceive the nations at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, in order to gather them for battle. —Revelation 20:1-2,7
Pastor Sam has begun a sermon series recently on Revelation. When I think of this book I am reminded, as I’m sure others are, of the abuse of Revelation. You know what I’m talking about — the people who use passages of the book to make arcane calculations to predict the date of the end of the world.
Like many folks, I’ve ridiculed and reviled those individuals. Recently, though, I’ve come to see them somewhat differently. Although I’m sure some were scam artists whose motives were personal wealth, power, etc., I think most were simply seeking to know God. That’s something we all are seeking, consciously or not, and most of us would not consider it a bad thing.
We are aware that to truly know God, we will have to work as hard as those false prophets, only using a different approach. The basics are well known — one straightforward way to start is a list by John Wesley: prayer, scripture reading, communion, fasting, and small group meetings (“Christian conferencing”). Wesley did not call these ways of knowing God; he called them “means of grace” (and it’s more complicated than that, since he listed another category of means as well). But since he considered grace to be free, these were not means of obtaining grace, rather they were means of opening up to (knowing) it.
It’s good to be back together again after the closures. May we all grow in grace and the knowledge of God.
Gracefully submitted,
David Petty
June 13, 2021
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Then my soul shall rejoice in the Lord, exulting in his deliverance. – Psalm 35:9
One of the most popular and profound hymns of the last one hundred years would have to be How Great Thou Art. It has been performed by small church choirs to popular recording artists for decades. The truth of this hymn is to see how amazing God is in the mist of everything.
The story is told that this hymn originated in Sweden when a priest by the name of Carl Boberg and some friends were returning home to Mönsterås from Kronobäck, where they had participated in an afternoon service. Presently a thundercloud appeared on the horizon, and soon lightning flashed across the sky. Strong winds swept over the meadows and billowing fields of grain. The thunder pealed in loud claps. Then rain came in cool fresh showers. In a little while the storm was over, and a rainbow appeared. When Boberg arrived home, he opened the window and saw the bay of Mönsterås like a mirror before him. From the woods on the other side of the bay, he heard the song of a thrush. the church bells were tolling in the quiet evening. It was this series of sights, sounds, and experiences that inspired the writing of the song.
The original poem was written in 1885, published as “O Store Gud” in 1886, However, it wasn’t until 1949 when British Methodist missionary, Stuart K. Hine heard the German translation and created the English paraphrase “How Great Thou Art.” that this hymn rose to popularity among English speakers. It was Hine who gave us our third verse to the hymn, and his work with evangelist Charles Spurgeon that made this a popular hymn among the British and American churches. This popularity grew as the hymn became a “signature song” of the Billy Graham crusades in the 1950’s and 60’s.
Even to this day the familiar music and great refrain remind us of a truth known long ago, “then my soul shall rejoice…” or then sings my soul, my savior God to thee. How great thou art, How great thou Art!
May we rejoice in the Lord today, and always.
Grace & Peace,
Sam
June 9, 2021
June 9, 2021
But I trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. – Psalm 13:5
Have you ever danced in the rain? It seems a silly thing to do as an adult, but sometimes when the drought has been long, and the need for rain great, it’s nice to see a raining day. And maybe we rejoice enough to dance in the rain.
The journey towards salvation is paved in faith. It is our faith in God’s mercy, grace, and love that helps us through difficult times, and allows us to see a way that is beyond ourselves. Yet, we would all be remise if we didn’t acknowledge that sometimes there is doubt. Days of doubt may seem like rainy days in our faith, but maybe we need to dance in the rain.
Doubt is often seen as the opposite of faith, or at odds with faith. We usually want to overcome our doubts, or try to ignore their existence. Why should we have doubt when we have seen how good the Lord has been to us, or how much we have been blessed? However, doubt is a very important part of our journey. Doubts allow us to ask questions we are afraid to ask. Doubt leads us to study and discern, and in many ways I think doubt can lead us to trust in things we cannot fully explain, and thus allowing our faith to increase because we find that trust resides directly between our doubt and our faith.
Our faith is the assurance of all that we hope for (Hebrews 11:1), yet when doubts arise, there is a need for us to trust in God’s leading, and love for us. In the psalms, like the one above, there are a number of times when the psalms attributed to King David show that there is doubt that Israel, or even David personally, will overcome the enemies advances around them. We see these psalm prayers as a lament for what is happening in the life of God’s people. There are times when life is difficult, and we doubt there will be a victory, or we doubt we will make it through. However, as we come to the conclusion of these prayers what we find is that trust in the midst of doubt leads us back to the faith that our salvation is secure.
Even in the midst of doubts, we are reminded that we have reason to rejoice, because we trust God’s steadfast love. That trust helps us to dance even in the rain, so let us rejoice in all things that God is with us now and forever.
Grace & Peace,
Sam
June 6, 2021
June 6, 2021
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The one who lives under the protection of the Most High dwells in the shadow of the Almighty.
- Psalm 91:1
God the Almighty, the Most High, the Beginning and End. There are so many names for our Almighty God, yet within each of these names there is respect, honor, and praise given for we understand God supremacy over us. God is supreme, and God reigns supreme. The God who created could just as easily destroy, and for much of our lives we live in a respectful fear of God. After all it is God whom we will face for judgement right?
However, the greatest revelation we can come across in reading the Bible or being a part of a community of faith is that this same God who could easily be done with us, chooses to be in community with us. This God who is Almighty chooses to care for us a children, and even sent his one and only Son to be our salvation.
God makes a way for us to be one with Him forever. The almighty, through jealous for our love, is full of love, grace, and mercy. Gives us every good gift, and is constantly drawing us closer to the divine-self.
The psalmist, in the language of his day, proclaims God as the Almighty, who gives us protection. It doesn’t mean no harm may come our way, but when it does God will be there with us. Verse 4 calls his faithfulness a “protective shield. And verse 10 responds that if we make the Lord our refuge; “no harm will come to you; no plague will come near your tent.”
All of this for the psalmist is proof of a loving God, who truly is for us, and who knows our name. This is God, the Father, whom we know through Jesus the Son, and who dwells with us in the Holy Spirit, for he is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Let us no live, then in fear, but in honor and praise of the Most High now and forever.
Grace & Peace,
Sam
June 2, 2021
June 2, 2021
Sharing from the congregation: David Petty
Thus says the Lord: Do not let the wise boast in their wisdom, do not let the mighty boast in their might, do not let the wealthy boast in their wealth; but let those who boast, boast in this, that they understand and know me that I am the Lord, I act with steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth, for in these things I delight, says the Lord. —Jeremiah 9:23-24
Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord. —Second Corinthians 10:27
Most of us would consider boasting a sin, though we would admit that it’s a useful talent in certain fields such advertising and politics. Isaiah, other prophets, and psalms speak positively of a certain kind of boasting, and so does the New Testament, especially in Second Corinthians. I find Isaiah’s discussion particularly meaningful.
Isaiah lists three of the things we tend to boast about — if we aren’t richer or more powerful than others, at least we can claim we’re smarter. In contrast to this “triad,” he presents the golden triad of the Old Testament: hesed, mispat, and tzedaqa (unchanging love, justice, and righteousness.) It’s O.K. to boast as long as we boast about the right things.
It helps, of course, if reality backs up your boast. On October 1, 1932, Babe Ruth stepped up to the plate and pointed with his bat in the direction of midfield. After two strikes, he hit a home run in exactly the direction he had indicated. There is still debate about what he meant by pointing — he never said —but the story (known as “the called shot”) is photographically documented and is part of baseball lore, and when it is told it usually is not interpreted as bragging. Instead it’s considered an example of his athletic prowess.
We may not usually have photographic evidence of God’s love, justice, and righteousness, but I think we do have enough to make us confident in its truth. If we (not just pastors, but all of us) are going to be spokespersons for the gospel, boasting can be a useful talent for us too.
Gracefully submitted,
David Petty
May 30, 2021
May 30, 2021
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16 So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. – 1 John 4:16
I have some good news for you this morning, and it is that you are loved by God. You are accepted through the grace of risen Lord, who has the authority to forgive wrongdoings, and who can make something new out of who you are. You are offered the gift of the Holy Spirit to give you strength for today, and hope for tomorrow, and you can rest assure, that even if you fail, God is faithful to forgive.
I feel like we need to hear these words of encouragement this day. This life gets difficult at times, and it seems as though all we hear is bad news, troubling news, and often news that makes us just want to be done with this wretched world. But the beauty of the gospel is that we have a hope for a better world, one called the kingdom of God, and it is not only found after this life, but it is found here and now. And this is how we know.
Today, in the church calendar year is the day called Trinity Sunday, where we acknowledge the mystery of the Holy Trinity, the divine understanding of God as three parts, yet one. In the theology of the Holy Trinity we understand that Father is fully God, that the Son (Jesus) is fully God, and that the Holy Spirit is fully God. This great mystery of communion invites us to live in communion with one another, in love and sharing: certain that wherever love is found, there we find God, or where we see God, there will be expressions of love.
Within each one of these expressions of God is the fullness of God, and here is the good news that was shared after the day of Pentecost, when you receive the Holy Spirit, you receive the fullness of God into yourself; you receive that which Jesus describes in John 4, God is Spirit, and those who worship, worship in Spirit and Truth. Or that John defines in his first epistle, the verse above, God is love.
You have the fullness of love in you, surrounding you, and pouring into you as you open yourself up to receive it. Yet, at the same time we are called to give it away as we commune with one another and love one another as Christ first loved us. The greater beauty of God’s love is that as we give it away, we find we are still being filled, no matter how much we pour out, God is pouring into us. This is the divine gift that we know we are loved by loving others, and the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are continually blessing us along our life’s journey.
May you be abundantly blessed today and always.
Grace & Peace,
Sam
May 26, 2021
May 26, 2021
Sharing from the congregation – David Petty
Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one. So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air; but I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be disqualified.
—1 Corinthians 9:25-27
We don’t know, of course, but it’s possible that the apostle Paul was a big sports fan. Certainly there are many sports metaphors in his letters. He spent a year and a half during his second missionary journey in the city of Corinth, which was the site of the Istmean games, at that time second in importance only to the Olympics. Living in Corinth and having no interest in the games would have been as difficult as living in Knoxville and being uninterested in U. T. football.
So while Paul never used the following illustration, I believe he would agree with it. Serious athletes usually don’t just take it easy during the “off season;” they continue at least some level exercise throughout. Those who fail to that — either because of injury or some other legitimate reason, or because of laziness — find that they are in trouble when competition starts again. But If they really want to be back in the game, they make that difficult effort to get back in shape. Those who really want to play say that it is worth the pain.
This is where we are, I think, as a congregation. Mostly through no fault of our own, St Mark finds itself out of practice. Now, in order to do the things we want to do, we have to face the prospect of getting back in shape as a congregation. It isn’t going to be easy. Presumably, though, it’s worth the pain.
How to we find the strength to get going again? The scriptural answer, of course, is that our strength comes from the Lord. “The Lord is the strength of his people,” says Psalm 28:8. Paul says in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” “Whoever serves,” says Peter in his first epistle, “must do so with the strength that the Lord supplies” (4:11). As always, prayer helps to get in touch with that strength.
Gracefully submitted,
David Petty
May 23, 2021
May 23, 2021
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For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.
– Romans 8:2
A most blessed Pentecost Sunday, my friends! Today, we celebrate when God poured out his Holy Spirit on humanity, when starting with the disciples in the upper room the true life that is everlasting began to reside within those who believed in the resurrection, and now knew the indwelling of the presence of God.
The Holy Spirit has been a part of God’s story throughout the Scriptures and at various times we can read how the Holy Spirit was upon a saint of God, or led someone to do God’s will. Yet, as Jesus has promised before ascending into heaven, the counselor, the Holy Spirit, the very gift of God, which is the Holy presence of God, is now made a part of us and as Paul, would later write, has set us free.
The freedom the Holy Spirit gives is freedom from the power of sin; emancipation from a life of the flesh, and liberty to live in the newness of the resurrected life in Christ. Because we have believed in the death and resurrection power of Christ Jesus our Lord, we have been set free because now we are In Christ. We have been identified as the recipients of grace, and now can live a new life that is Christ’s resurrected life.
The choice is to retain control and allow our own desires and will to lead us, or relinquish control to the power of the Holy Spirit, and allow God to lead us by its indwelling. If we choose the Holy Spirit, the ‘Spirit of life’ regenerates our human spirit; places us in the body of Christ; gives us the life of Christ and then works in the new-life within. As we walk in the spirit, and understand the truth we find our freedom is in that we are no longer condemned by God, nor do we worry about the condemnation of humanity. We are free to be who we are IN Christ.
We are free to live a life of abundance that is eternal and starts right now. We live a life fully aware of the divine presence that is with us now and always, and is continually leading us home, and leading us to share this wonderful gift with others along our journey.
May the freedom we have in Christ, and in the Holy Spirit lead us deeper in our relationship with God through Christ and the Holy Spirit, and broader in our reach to share this wonderful news with others.
Grace & Peace,
Sam
May 19, 2021
Offering the Invitation
…For many are invited, but few are chosen.” – Matthew 22:14
In Matthew 22, we find a parable that is unique to Matthew. Some parable can be seen in various versions across the gospels, but this particular one is unique and honestly quite complex. The parable is that of a King who is troughing a wedding banquet. The beginnings of this parable are quite like some others, for the kingdom of heaven is often compared to a wedding banquet. It is the place where we become one with God through the bridegroom Christ, as we (the church) are often called the bride of Christ.
Yet, it’s the guests who are invited to this banquet and the king’s response that makes this parable so complex. Though many were invited, none of the original invitees could come. The king, then, sends his servants to the street corners to invite to the banquet anyone they could find (v.22:9). Yet, when the king comes in and sees all these now invited guests filling his hall, he picks out the man who was not wearing any wedding clothes and throws him out (v.22:11-13).
It's curious to read that the king says to his servants, that anyone and everyone should be invited, but chooses to throw out the one who is not dressed appropriately. How can we know whom the king wants invited?
In most churches, today, we strive to do all that we can to be welcoming to those who join our community. The rational is that when someone does come, they will feel like they already belong, we will introduce ourselves, offer kind words, show them a seat, do everything in our nature to be hospitable. The hope is that any who come would feel so welcomed they choose to come back, but I wonder did we do the last step of offering the invitation? There is a vast difference between being welcoming and being invitational.
Being invitational means that we want someone to be a part, we want them to choose, and we’ve made that apparent by offering our invitation. In doing so, we become the servants of the king, sent out to every street corner, to invite any who would come until the banquet hall is filled. But, we might ask, what about the one who isn’t dressed appropriately? Of course we need to look beyond outward dress, and many of us over the past year of being home more have decided to become a little more casual (and I’m all for it). But the dress is not the outward appearance, for God does not look there, but at the heart (1 Sam 16:7).
We don’t always see there, but God does, and as the servants in the parable our work it to do the inviting. The king, the True King who looks into the heart, will then offer salvation, eternal life, abundant freedom, and will do, because he has done everything to invite all to trade their rags for wedding garments. Church, though we are already part of the wedding banquet, we continue to do the inviting, and God continues to do the saving. It is God who will decide who remains, and our job to make sure everyone has hear the invitation. Who might you invite?
Grace & Peace,
Sam
May 16, 2021
May 16, 2021
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51 While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; 53 and they were continually in the temple blessing God. – Luke 24:51-53
The closing lines to Luke’s gospel give a simplified version of the ascension. Jesus is simply blessing his disciples, and departs from them carried to heaven. The writer, Luke, would go on to write the Acts of the Apostle’s and share in more detail these events, but the purpose of the gospel leaves us with a bit of mystery.
In fact, there is mystery surrounding Christ from the time of the transfiguration to the ascension in Luke’s gospel. Perhaps it is because we haven’t quite understood yet, all that Jesus has done. The late Oswald Chambers, writer and Christian teachers, shares a great thought on this mystery in “My Utmost, for His Highest.” Allow me to share his writings.
We have no experiences in our lives that correspond to the events in our Lord’s life after the transfiguration. From that moment forward His life was altogether substitutionary. Up to the time of the transfiguration, He had exhibited the normal, perfect life of a man. But from the transfiguration forward— Gethsemane, the Cross, the resurrection— everything is unfamiliar to us. His Cross is the door by which every member of the human race can enter into the life of God; by His resurrection He has the right to give eternal life to anyone, and by His ascension our Lord entered heaven, keeping the door open for humanity.
The transfiguration was completed on the Mount of Ascension. If Jesus had gone to heaven directly from the Mount of Transfiguration, He would have gone alone. He would have been nothing more to us than a glorious Figure. But He turned His back on the glory, and came down from the mountain to identify Himself with fallen humanity.
The ascension is the complete fulfillment of the transfiguration. Our Lord returned to His original glory, but not simply as the Son of God— He returned to His father as the Son of Man as well. There is now freedom of access for anyone straight to the very throne of God because of the ascension of the Son of Man. As the Son of Man, Jesus Christ deliberately limited His omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience. But now they are His in absolute, full power. As the Son of Man, Jesus Christ now has all the power at the throne of God. From His ascension forward He is the King of kings and Lord of lords.
The door is open wide, and we are invited to follow Christ in carrying our cross, yes, but also to ascend with him into heaven, and into the Glory of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Grace & Peace,
Sam
May 12, 2021
May 12, 2021
And now, O Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in you. – Psalm 39:7
What are we waiting for? We are all waiting for something, and most of us can name it. This past year has named many items for which we have waited. We waited to see how bad things could get, and then if they would get better. We waited to see church reopen, we waited to see church moved indoors, we waited for a vaccine, we waited to feel safe, we waited, and waited, and waited. And some of us are still waiting.
When I reflect back, I can assuredly say I have always been waiting for something, even before COVID was a thing, we were, as a society waiting. Deep in our souls there is a waiting still, as there is always this underlying anticipation that something must be coming that is better than this current world.
This deep yearning, is very much a part of our Christian experience, and I would venture to say even those who haven’t become fully aware of Christ calling in their life, still feel this yearning from time to time. This yearning, anticipation, and the waiting is all part of our soul’s realizing the coming kingdom of God.
Psalm 39 is title a “prayer for wisdom and forgiveness.” Within the words of this prayer, the psalmists confesses to the attempt to guard the tongue, and keep peace, though it seems as though they were not successful in that attempt, and now need forgiveness. It seems, to me, very much our current human condition. We attempt to keep at peace, or keep our tongues in check, but then someone says something, or does something, and the tongue is off, like a dog off its leash chasing some creature up a tree. In those moments we forget our waiting, and take to present action, and afterwards, we probably find that we are in need of forgiveness, we spoke our mind, but at the same time did not elicit words or thoughts of the kingdom of heaven.
I know I’m guilt of such reckless speech, but when I come to my senses, I do sit and wait, and hope for the better days ahead. Patience in the waiting is the virtue we all must strive for, knowing that as we wait, we do have a hope the moves beyond this world. A hope that God is coming to us, that God is recreating us in his grace and in his image. May we wait with great hope that we would become more of a reflection of God’s love to others in our waiting.
Grace & Peace,
Sam
May 9, 2021
May 9, 2021
We love because God first loved us… - 1 John 4:19
Whose love did we first know? Even before even knowing God, our mother’s loved paved the way to illustrate the type of love that we would one day know from above. A mother’s love is typically the first we know, especially of a selfless type of love. The love that can look at a handful of dead flowers picked lovingly by a child, and appreciate it as much as a live and beautiful bouquet.
Motherhood not only paves the way for children to know the love of God, but in a way it helps the mother to understand more of the nature of the sacrificial love of God. It may take some time to realize and appreciate those aspects of a mother’s love, because in the daily grind of the early years of motherhood, all we really want it a break. However, as we grow we look back, and we think of what mothers have done, of the children they have raised, and we give thanks for the spiritual calling to be a mother.
Motherhood is a beautiful and priceless gift, but at the same time it surprisingly takes on the sacrificial nature to die to self for the love of another.
Motherhood is more than the mandate to raise the next generation, it is an unending invitation to take on the sacrificial love of God, by laying down one’s life for another. Motherhood is a saying “no” to the cadence of selfishness, and “yes” to the quiet rhythms of love. It is laying down pride, and persisting in payer, surrendering to greed, and growing into grace.
Motherhood is pacing the floor with a crying baby in the dark of night, or holding a tearful teenager in the depths of disappointment. Motherhood is wiping bottoms and noses, cleaning floors countless times a day, and listening and laughing at the same joke over, and over, and over again.
Motherhood is a daily decision to paint the ordinary moments of our days with the extraordinary love of God, a love that sacrificed everything in sending the Son to be our salvation. Motherhood knows such sacrifice, and on days like today, we give thanks for the love that taught us how much God loves each of us. May we pour out love like God on others that they too would know the love that leads to salvation.
Happy Mother’s Day,
Sam
May 5, 2021
Sharing from the Congregation – David Petty
The time is surely coming, says the Lord, when the one who plows shall overtake the one who reaps, and the treader of grapes the one who sows the seed; the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it. —Amos 9:13
This is a rather oddly worded verse, but once you work through the poetry of it, it’s a marvelous image. A Jewish version (the Tanakh translation, 1985) is a little clearer: “A time is coming when the plowman shall meet the reaper...” It is speaking of a day when abundance is so great that crops are still being harvested when the time comes to plow again.
The Old Testament often speaks in language that reflects the agricultural and socio-political concerns of its day. We might ask whether these ancient words have any applicability in our world, where 10% of the people are hungry — and even in this country, with over 40% of the population overweight, people are hungry emotionally, spiritually, and of course socially. (I do think that for some folks, social distancing is “social starvation.”) Social distancing didn’t really begin with this pandemic; we have been distancing the elderly, the poor, and other outcasts for a long time.
Certainly the idea was not considered out of date in New Testament times: references to abundance are abundant. The one miracle reported in all four gospels is Jesus’s feeding of the five thousand. Jesus said (John 10:10), “I came that they might have life and have it abundantly,” a statement that we might consider together with Luke 12:15, “...one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.”
So I believe that the promise of not just a future, but an abundant future, is as valid as ever. I have no idea when it will happen, but I assume it will be both physical and spiritual.
Gracefully submitted,
David Petty
May 2, 2021
May 2, 2021
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27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him. 28 For dominion belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations. – Psalm 22:27-28
The opening verse of Psalm 22 is well known because Jesus spoke the first words of that verse in deep agony from the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And much of the early part of the psalm is a terrifying account of bones out of joint, tongue stuck to the roof of the mouth, hands and feet pierced, people staring and gloating, clothes divided up and owned by drawing lots. It is a graphic and horrific prophecy of the Savior’s suffering.
But midway through the psalm, the tone changes as eyes are turned to the Lord who is the deliverer, the rescuer; and God’s people are called on to praise him, to honor him, to revere him because…
“The poor will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the Lord will praise him” (v. 26)
In other words, God provides and God saves, and therefore those who seek the Lord will have many reasons to remember and honor him.
The existence of God and the goodness of God are not contingent on everything in our lives going well. In this broken world we get sick. In this broken world there are disasters. In this broken world people do evil. But God is the same God, and continues to have no other plans in our lives than good plans, even if we can’t see them.
Sometimes it is the darkness in our lives that helps us to more appreciate the light of a life in God, for our Christ is the light of the world. When we see the light of Christ in others we understand that no matter where they live or where they are from on this planet, they, like we belong to God, and we have reason to remember and praise God for these sisters and brothers.
I imagine the psalmist, in this lament, is using all the emphasis possible to say that God is to be remembered to the ends of the earth, by every family, every tribe, and every race. In other words, there is no one on this earth excused from turning to God and bowing before him.
Our word ‘dominion’ originates from Latin and means ‘sovereign authority.’ Politicians debate how far a government’s reach should go. What are the limits to its authority? That’s a very necessary debate about human government.
But there is no debate about God’s reach because there is no limit to his authority. Our God is the only God and he rules over every nation, every tribe, and every people. His love and goodness are unlimited. His Son did not die for only one people but all people—men and women and children from every corner of this planet.
His authority is over all and his love covers all.
We remember and remain thankful that all includes us, so let us bring our praise before him now and always.
Grace & Peace,
Sam
April 28, 2021
April 28, 2021
For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost. – Luke 19:10
I spend a good deal of time reading various thoughts on Scriptural interpretation, I listen to podcasts about the Bible, and spend far too much time reading commentary found on social media from people whose ideas about faith differ from my own, which challenges me and also irritates me. I know it’s my own fault for spending time there.
However, in all this time what I find is that people spend way too much energy trying to make more out of God, the Bible and faith than it’s intention. People want to argue about Scriptural inerrancy (which means there are no errors or contradictions in their interpretation). Some want to argue about who is included and who is excluded. People want to interpret current signs as the apocalypse, or end times, even though the word apocalypse simply means to unveil, and has nothing to do with destruction. The point is people want to believe all kinds of things about the Bible, and the God who inspired it. Yet, I find that genuine faith is found in some of the simplest of understandings.
Luke’s quoted verse above for instance, tells us that the very purpose of Jesus, “the Son of Man was to “come and seek out and save the lost.” The plain and simple truth of this, is that there is no need to read further into this statement. Jesus came to seek those who were lost, and offer salvation. The hardest part, in my opinion, is for the people that read this to understand they are the lost whom Jesus came to save.
We are all lost, and there is no greater interpretation about who Jesus wants to save, or is willing to save. There is no reason to believe that any sinner is worse or not as bad as another, there is no understanding that some people are beyond salvation, but to those who recognize they are lost, are sought out and saved by the sacrifice, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
Sometimes, I really wish all those people who spend too much time arguing about this and that would come to the conclusion, we’re all lost, and Jesus is our salvation.
In Christ alone, we find true faith, for it is not our doing, but God’s through Christ and the Holy Spirit that we have life abundant and eternal. Thanks be to God.
Grace & Peace,
Sam
April 25, 2021
April 25, 2021
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19 Open to me the gates of righteousness,
that I may enter through them
and give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord;
the righteous shall enter through it.
21 I thank you that you have answered me
and have become my salvation.
22 The stone that the builders rejected
has become the chief cornerstone.
23 This is the Lord’s doing;
it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day that the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it. - Psalm 118:19-24
In those moments of true humility, I come to realize that I haven’t really done much if anything in this life. I don’t say this as self-pity, but as an observation that everything good I have done does not come from me but from God.
I think this is the beauty of understanding the spirituality of our faith. The spirituality of our faith is the beginning of understanding that God is truly everywhere, in all things, including creation itself. Antient Church Fathers understood this fact, and modern mystic, Richard Rohr helps his readers to begin to ‘see through the veil’ as he shows them the creator by looking at the creation itself. I believe this is a rare look at what some of the ancient psalmists also knew and understood. Through they lived in the physical world, they understood God presence as something real within this world.
Scholars believe that in an ancient Jewish context this psalm would have been part of an entrance liturgy into the temple, and often used during the festival of Passover. It proclaimed God’s deliverance from Egypt, and from exile. However, that same understanding passes down to modern Christians as we enter into our spiritual temple, moving from the humility of recognizing God has done every good thing in our lives, to the exaltation that every good thing has come from God, and God has chosen us through which divine good has come into the world.
We can then take a moment to appreciate that this day is good, for God is in it, and God is good. We can appreciate the Christ the cornerstone has brought to us salvation, all that is good is God’s doing, and our eyes and hearts marvel as we enter into His sanctuary full of praise and exaltation. For God is good! And today is the day God has given our hearts reason to rejoice.
Grace & Peace,
Sam