August 25 VICTORIOUS and prayers of belief

Revelation 22: 16-21

“The one who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’   Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!”

Ahhh…the beginning of school.  Time for blessing of the Back Packs and School Supplies. 

No, really.

Patricia Scott (Leader of Children’s Ministries) guided the congregation through a great children’s sermon.  She compared how when you (the student) write your name on your back pack and school supplies, you are naming them for yourself.  She went on to explain that God does the same thing. GOD names each of us, and in so doing, names each one of us a Child of God.  And in that way, we are all cared for, loved by and protected by GOD.  Each child then received a back pack Carabiner hook in the shape of the Cross.  Just a little reminder to feel God watching over you!

There were words of encouragement for parents too, as they attempt to get back into the routine of school and leave behind the summer fun. 

There was a prayer for the school children and a prayer for the teachers and administrators of our schools.

The sermon for the adults delved into various types of prayers, with “Come Lord Jesus!” the one of the final prayers of the Bible.  Rev. Jason talked about the belief of Christians that there will be a second coming of Jesus and pointed to the recent times of fear and worry over Y2K, the 12.12.12 date and various visions of extreme Christian believers to ones that actually make a little sense.  While none of these events has taken place, people paid attention. 

Rev. Jason pointed out that it is because as Christians, we already believe in Jesus and His coming.  How so?

Over Communion, we repeat “Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again”. 

The Lord’s Prayer “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven…”

And the prayer “Come Lord Jesus” in Revelation, the last book of the Bible.

God has already won our hearts and our minds.

Rev. Jason challenged us at the end of the sermon: Are you living your life with expectancy?  Can you see how to live your life faithfully? 

Let this expectancy transform your life.

Music for Acoustical Sunday:

“Soon United” Brooke Ligertword ©2009 Hillsong Publishing

“All My Fountains” Tomlin/Nockels/Carson/Nockels   ©2011 Sixsteps Publishing

“Cornerstone” Mote/Liljero/Myrin/Morgan/Batchelder-Bradbury ©2011 Hillsong Publishing

“Come Lord Jesus” Michael Rafferty/Mike DiStefano ©2011.

I am a Renewed Christian

AUGUST 18 VICTORIOUS and prayer that heals

Acts 3:1-10   “⁶But Peter said, ‘I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.’ “

As a kid, I was fascinated by the Healing Hours on television.  I’m pretty sure that I didn’t understand the seriousness of the people who went to see Evangelists in order to be cured. I was interested in the intensity, and seeing the faces of the people lined up for healing.

As a high school student, I went with my Belgian family to Lourdes in France.  The daily activities of the town were just that.  But Lourdes came alive at night with a Candlelight Procession and hymns being sung.  I can still picture walking with a candle and singing in English while European languages were being sung or spoken around me.  There were believers there, though I don’t remember seeing anyone healed or cured.  One of the girls from this Belgian family had asthma, and we went hoping for some relief for her.

 

While I don’t have any personal and identifiable moments where prayer healed, I am certain that communication with God is restorative.  My personal communication with Him gives me peace and solace.  My best prayers are between God and myself- for some reason, I cannot craft or say a prayer in front of others. 

Do you have a favorite prayer?

On my list are The Lord’s Prayer, the Serenity Prayer and a prayer I said as a child “Now I lay me down to sleep…”.  The one I try to say nightly is giving God thanks for my day and asking Him to watch over family and friends in His keeping.

What do you pray and what do you tell God?

I am a Renewed Christian 

AUGUST 11 VICTORIOUS and injustice

Acts 16: 20-40

^“37But Paul replied, ‘They have beaten us in public, uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and now are they going to discharge us in secret? Certainly not! Let them come and take us out themselves.’ “

Conflict resolution is a learned task for most people.  We start young, by teaching children to admit when they did something wrong, and accept the consequences. By the time we are adults, most people have learned to navigate situations from “the little white lie” to outright illegal activity.  Certainly, our legal and prison systems are in place to deter adults for serious unlawful activity.

But how do we deal with injustice?

As Christians, are we willing to come to the aid of people who are in need?  Would we stand up for the obvious disregard of the rights of individuals? 

Look at the mass demonstrations in Egypt and the reaction of that Government.  Wisdom seems to be in short supply, along with compassion and understanding.

The text from the Bible talks about Paul and Silas who have gone to Thyatira, to preach and stay with Lydia who has been baptized.  Paul and Silas are dragged before the Roman magistrate to explain how they have managed to remove a woman of her ability to “divine” the future, and therefore deprive her owners of substantial earnings.  

Nothing short of an earthquake and prisoners who stay put even though the doors of the prison are wide open, lead to the dismissal of charges against Paul and Silas.  The magistrates want the two to leave quietly.  Paul and Silas are having none of this.  The injustice of all that has preceded this decision prompts Paul to say, “I’m not going until they apologize”.  The magistrates comply. 

Simple enough.  An earthquake.  Prison doors open and no one leaves.  Guards and magistrates being convinced that Paul and Silas need to leave town.  An apology and public acknowledgement.  God again has to show His power in a physical act that could very well have destroyed lives and property.  And Paul and Silas move on to the next town. 

These are men of God certainly, because lesser men would have carried on about injustice and stayed to incite people to stand with them.  Indeed, force their point of view with riots and mobs.'

Sometimes, injustice is solved in simple ways.  Rev. Jason told the story of how Jackie Robinson dealt with the constant injustice.  One riveting example.  Jackie Robinson was denied access to a hotel swimming pool because of his race.  His point?  He arrives in the hotel lobby, strips off his shirt, dives into the pool and swims to the other side.  Gets out and quietly goes to his assigned room.  And this man, Jackie Robinson, didn’t even know how to swim.

I am, a renewed Christian

AUGUST 3 PERSPECTIVE and believing

JOHN 11:17-44

⁴¹So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upwards and said, ‘Father, I thank you for having heard me. ⁴²I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.’ 

Listening to this text from the Bible, I was struck by the amount of emotion that Jesus exhibited.  Not being well versed in the Bible, it surprised me that Jesus weeps. The friends and family of Lazarus take almost a negative tone, and it could be interpreted as admonishment- a rebuke.  For though Jesus weeps, they believe Jesus should have prevented Lazarus’ death.  What is Jesus feeling here? Grief for Lazarus?  Exasperation for not believing that Jesus is the Son of God?

And then Jesus has an exchange with Martha, in front of these distraught family members. ⁴⁰Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?’

And then Jesus appeals to God, simultaneously reminding the group that Jesus is the Son of God.

Jesus doesn’t say, “Look I am going to do something that will tell you who I am.  I am going to bring back Lazarus.”  Jesus tells the group that God will show His Glory- but he doesn’t say how.

And then Lazarus rises from the dead.

Not what I would be expecting.

 

Funny how as humans, we don’t “get it”. Clearly, there are paths for people, and guidance, and wisdom, and solace in God and in Jesus.  And this is why we humans search for meaning. 

Are we too close to our own personal situations that we forget to see how God is victorious? 

Can we look out beyond ourselves, to see and believe? 

Something to think about when I get bogged down in the daily grind.

I am, a Renewed Christian