Recalling the Called

Our sermon today was based on John 21:15-25. Just when you think John has finished his Gospel at the end of chapter 20, he wants to tell us a little more. This is a beautiful passage about redemption and Jesus' great love for his disciples and us. Stalwart, steadfast Simon Peter stumbled and fell flat on his face after denying his Lord not once, but three times. 

In today's passage, Jesus reverts back to calling him just Simon and recalls his repentant follower. He asks Simon if he loves him not once, but three times. Simon Peter is fully restored. The story is a beautiful reminder of how when we fail and disappoint God, He calls us and recalls us as many times as it takes. 

Come and Have Breakfast

Just as the disciples did in this week's sermon text (John 21:1-14), we came together as the body of Christ in the 21st century and joined in fish-fry breakfast not at the Sea of Tiberias, but in our own upper, fellowship-hall, room. 

The Holy Spirit renewed the 'blest tie that binds us' as we recognized the truths of this passage in John that recollects the third time Jesus appeared to this disciples after His resurrection:

• we as the Church are the net to bring others to Christ
• this net is inviolable -- no thing or person can prevail against it
• our directions come plainly and simply from Jesus
• each of us counts immensely in God's plan: the number was exact: 153
• God's blessings come in our obedience.

We sure could use your help hauling some nets!

Peace Be With You

Our sermon this Sunday considered John 20: 19-22: "On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, 'Peace be with you.' When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, 'Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.' And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit [...]'" (ESV). 

So many of us need a word of peace these days. 

Jesus reiterated the peace that only He can bring here and also gave us the Spirit to make that peace a reality. Jesus was no longer limited by his physical body, but was now offering His eternal presence with us. 

We also sang Edwin Hatch's hymn: "Breathe on me, Breath of God, fill me with life anew, that I may love the way you love, and do what you would do. Breathe on me, Breath of God, until my heart is pure, until my will is one with yours, to do and to endure. Breathe on me, Breath of God, so shall I never die, but live with you the perfect life for all eternity." 

Recognizing the Messiah

The miracle at Emmaus emphasizes Easter as a beginning and not an end!

In Luke 10:24, Jesus reminded the disciples how privileged they were to have him bodily in their midst: "Fortunate the eyes that see what you’re seeing! There are plenty of prophets and kings who would have given their right arm to see what you are seeing but never got so much as a glimpse, to hear what you are hearing but never got so much as a whisper"  (The Message). Then at Emmaus the disciples got to witness even the Risen Christ.

Will we be like they, like Simeon and Anna, and recognize the Messiah? May our witness "be as bold, our love as deep, and our faith as true" (Revised Common Lectionary Prayers, Augsburg Fortress). 

The miracle came when Jesus broke the bread before them. Jesus was simultaneously their host receiving and providing for them, their bread of heaven, and also the hostia or sacrifice. 

How is this Easter going to be a beginning for you?

Christus resurrexit! Христос воскрес! Alleluia! Christ is risen!

Before our Easter worship, we enjoyed an Easter Egg hunt and time of fellowship. The disciples had the bodily evidence of the Risen Christ in their midst, but we are, of course, among the blessed group that believes without seeing. We, as the body of Christ, are now that physical evidence of our resurrected Savior to the world. 

Jesus said, “God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:19-20, The Message).

"You ask, 'But how do we return?'"

In Sunday School we studied Malachi 3, which looks to when the next "messenger," namely John the Baptist, would prepare the way for God's Messiah. Our ears rang with Handel's glorious music: 

Move your cursor to 14:48 to reach the Haggai/Malachi prophecy.

In Worship, we waved our palms and brought them to the foot of the cross as we joined with the crowds of Jerusalem at the beginning of the most eventful week of Jesus' earthly life. Hosanna, Loud Hosanna! Lord, save us!

A Study in Contrasts

In Sunday School we considered some hard, direct words from Malachi, God's messenger, about how Israel was falling short and disappointing God in their marriage covenants. Too many were being faithless to those who were meant to be life-long partners and just as many were marrying outside the faith. The Life With God Bible Commentary reminds us: "The quality of our relationship with God will be no better than the quality of our relationships with others." Are we committed to our covenants? Are we being faithful?

On this Sunday before the commemoration of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, we stopped with Jesus in Bethany. Was there ever two people more different that Judas Iscariot and Mary with her extravagant gift of perfume? His false piety and her genuine heart, his ignorance of who Jesus is and her unself-conscious adoration of the Lord of her life. We join with Mary and St. Ambrose of Milan (whose prayer was our Call to Worship): "give me a heart of flesh, a heart to love and adore Thee, a heart to delight in Thee, to follow and enjoy Thee, for Christ's sake, Amen." 

How has Jesus changed you?

Sunday's sermon continued following Jesus on His way to Jerusalem. We stopped at Jericho and looked up in the tree and found Zacchaeus. After his full blown confession, he hears the wonderful news that salvation had come to his house that day. Salvation comes to those, who, like Zacchaeus, welcome Jesus.

Lent is all about God's power to save us from destruction and to transform us.  

The all-important question, then, is: How has Jesus changed you?

Transformation

In the middle of this season of ashes we considered two rather difficult passages of scripture this Sunday. 

In Sunday School we made it to the 2nd chapter of Malachi as we continued to consider worship that truly honors God.  God's message this time was a harsh rebuke to the priests who had broken their covenant and no longer honor God. How have we in turn corrupted God's covenant, made the Church contemptible to others, not kept God's ways, or shown partiality?

Our sermon concentrated on Mark 10:17-31 as we follow Jesus to His last encounters before the cross in order to see ourselves as we truly are and see Jesus as He is. The rich, young ruler was obviously sincere in his obedience to God and His laws, but after all was said and done, his was not the trust of a child and he had no love for others. 

Our final hymn, "Take Up Your Cross," noted the necessity of taking up our crosses so that we might in the end have a crown of beauty instead of ashes. Charles Everest's text reminds us not to allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by the cross' weight or shame, but to press on towards our goal. 

Ashes, Ashes We All Fall Down

We enjoyed our First Sunday Fellowship this week. Catching up with folks and hearing the latest about our planned renovations was a great way to start the new month. 

During worship, our Passing of the Peace was sharing the Lord's Supper together. We sang "Come, Ye Disconsolate:" "Come to the mercy seat [...] Here see the Bread of Life [...] Come to the feast of love, come, ever knowing Earth has no sorrow but heav'n can remove" (from Thomas Hastings' third stanza.)

Sorrows and hardships come, we live in the midst of death, but God promises us a crown of beauty instead of ashes (Is. 61:3). Henri Nouwen writes: "There is no suggestion at all that these signs of the world's darkness will ever be absent. But still, God's joy can be ours in the midst of it all. It is the joy of belonging to the household of God whose love is stronger than death and who empowers us to be in the world while already belonging to the kingdom of joy." 

Honoring God

In Malachi 1:6 God asks, "If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?". For two weeks we discussed this passage... first from the angle of what we do wrong (how we "shortchange" God in our worship, prayer, giving of money, and service towards others), and this past week from the angle of what we could do better (how we can do better at giving God His due).  

In groups, our Sunday school members came up with the following list of practical actions we plan to take:

Ways to honor God, respect God, and give Him what He is due-

• Worship --
  • set aside one hour on Sunday to turn your thoughts to God
  • choose and read a version of the Bible during the week that helps us understand more about God
  • take notes during sermon and revisit later in the day/week
• Prayer -- 
  • Make it a priority (by doing it first thing, or by setting aside times during the day to do nothing but pray)
  • read scripture daily and listen to God speaking to me through the Bible
  • spend a whole week praying only for other people rather than for self
• Giving Money --
  • review checkbook and notice priorities... choose one personal expense to give up and give that dollar amount to church
  • realize that God has provided for you throughout your life (and spend time praying about that)
  • set aside my offering/tithe FIRST at the beginning of the week before I begin the week's spending
  • make a jar for "redirecting funds towards God." Every time I might spend $5 or $10 or $50 on some treat for myself that I don't really need ( a Starbucks hot chocolate, a new yoga mat, a sweater, or a steak, or whatever), force myself to realize that I would have spent the money anyway, so I can afford to part with that dollar amount and put it into my jar. At the end of the week, redirect these funds which would have pampered myself towards God by giving them to the church or to charity

• Serving Others --
  • Step outside of my normal "territories" of home and work and same old restaurants and grocery stores, so that I am exposed to different people and their needs
  • ask my family members each morning what I can do to help and do it
  • listen better, and infer what people's needs are so you can help in ways that actually help
  • ask God for direction and discernment

"Missing the assembly of the friends of Christ"

Frigid temperatures necessitated canceling our activities again this Sunday. Very old , fixer upper church building + temps below freezing = emptied pipes and shut off water. 

We missed coming together for Bible study and worship and sweet fellowship. One of the ways Charles Spurgeon describes the Church is the "assembly of the friends of Christ," where we exhort one another and "seek to stir each other up in the faith and fear of God."

This week we mark Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. Make sure and "join in" our assembling together this Sunday! In lieu of the traditional service on Wednesday, Trinity Church will begin a “season of ashes” this Sunday, even as we continue our sermon series on Psalm 103.  This week we will join David in his gratitude for our God who “crowns us with lovingkindness and tender mercies.” 

P.S. Let's use this cold snap to quicken our commitment to raising funds for our matching challenge!  

Redeemed, How I Love to Proclaim It

We finished the first chapter of Malachi in Sunday School. The "messenger" uses the images of father and master in reminding Israel how they no longer respect or honor God, they no longer fear God and have even grown to despise His altar. Whatever their polluted offerings might have been, we, too, disdain God when our prayer, worship, giving, and service are neglected, resented, done in an inferior way, treated as "left-overs", or done in a manner less than for someone we respect. 

Psalm 103: "Bless the Lord, O my Soul, [...] who redeems your life from destruction [...]" The stories of God's redemption are about real people in real places in real times. One biblical usage of redemption refers to paying a ransom, but this Ps. 103 usage goes beyond mere payment and involves God's personal engagement in the rescuing. David is profoundly thankful for God's just being with him in his daily walk, for pulling him back from the brink of destruction, for saving his life. 

I Peter I encapsulates our New Testament understanding of redemption: "The price was paid in precious blood, as it were of a lamb without mark or blemish -- the blood of Christ. [...] Through him you have come to trust in God who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, and so your faith and hope are fixed on God."

Our benediction was the third stanza from Fanny J. Crosby's hymn: "I think of my blessed Redeemer, I think of Him all the day long; I sing, for I cannot be silent; His love is the theme of my song. [...] Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it! His child and forever I am."

What are your thoughts on healing?

Sunday's sermon continued our consideration of Psalm 103, especially verse 3 and blessing the Lord 'who forgives all our diseases.' The more we consider these words, the more we realize just how difficult they are to comprehend. One question often leads to another, which leads to another, which leads... Opinions differ among experts and laypeople alike: some commentators stress that what is meant here is "moral" diseases, while others stress that they are most certainly physical ones. 

We 21st-century "moderns" have more or less lost the traditional concept of the inter-relatedness of mind, soul, and body, and therefore often forget the logical conclusion that healing one aspect of our triune nature will necessarily affect the other two. Considering the healing of the paralytic in Matthew 9, we saw how Jesus healed the man in order for us to believe that he could forgive his sins. Matthew Henry writes:

Sin is the cause of all our pains and sicknesses. The way to remove the effect, is to take away the cause. Pardon of sin strikes at the root of all diseases. Christ proved his power to forgive sin, by showing his power to cure the man sick of the palsy. And his curing diseases was a figure of his pardoning sin, for sin is the disease of the soul; when it is pardoned, it is healed. When we see what Christ does in healing souls, we must own that we never saw the like. Most men think themselves whole; they feel no need of a physician, therefore despise or neglect Christ and his gospel. But the convinced, humbled sinner, who despairs of all help, excepting from the Saviour, will show his faith by applying to him without delay. 

Malachi's burden, David's sin, and God's love

We had a fascinating start to Malachi in Sunday School! After starting Psalm 103 in worship last week, serendipity had us considering again how prone we are to forget God's benefits. The people of Israel hadn't returned from exile all that long before their hearts began to harden again, and God sent Malachi, whose name means "Messenger", to remind them that He loves them. They have the audacity to question that love, but God patiently reminds them of His faithfulness. 

Our worship began with Prudentius' ancient praise poem, "Of the Father's Love Begotten," set to a moving 12th century chant. We joined centuries of saints in offering our "high thanksgiving and unwearied praises" as we deliberately enumerated God's mercies.

Our sermon considered how David's words in Psalm 103 could pertain to his own life. God's forgiveness was a life-changing reality for him, especially after an event like his adulterous episode with Bathsheba.

2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
3 Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
4 Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.                      (Ps. 103, NKJV)

David knew from experience God's healing, redeeming, crowning, satisfying, and renewing capabilities. God's love is the victor in the end, not our sin. 

Thanks be to God. Deo gratias.

Blessing God

Generally speaking, it's much easier for us to understand what it means for God to bless us, but how can we bless God, as Psalm 103 admonishes? David begins: "Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name." 

We bless God when we give Him the honor due Him.

C.S. Lewis thinks of it this way: 

“I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation. It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are; the delight is incomplete till it is expressed. It is frustrating to have discovered a new author and not to be able to tell anyone how good he is; to come suddenly, at the turn of the road, upon some mountain valley of unexpected grandeur and then to have to keep silent because the people with you care for it no more than for a tin can in the ditch; to hear a good joke and find no one to share it with. . . . The Scotch catechism says that man’s chief end is ‘to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.’ But we shall then know that these are the same thing. Fully to enjoy is to glorify. In commanding us to glorify Him, God is inviting us to enjoy Him.” 
― C.S. Lewis, 

Psalm 103 will be our sermon meditations from now until Lent. Let's all commit the psalm to memory. Here's the New King James Version, but learn whatever version speaks to you the most:

 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ps+103&version=NKJV

We need to count our blessings and deliberately think on all His benefits.