|
|
 |
 |
| |
No one in the Bible seems to have children without drama. Isaac and Rebekah are no exceptions. This is the account of the family line of Abraham's son Isaac. Abraham became the father of Isaac, and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram and sister of Laban the Aramean. This is actually a lot less dramatic than Abraham and Sarah (and Hagar), of course. But I digress.
Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. The LORD answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant.
So, I remember the afternoon when Danny called and said, "We are expecting" ...
The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, "Why is this happening to me?"
... and I remember even more clearly the afternoon, probably a month later, when he called and said, "... expecting twins" ...
... which reminded me of phone calls I, myself, had made, a lot of years previously - always for one baby at a time, but there were three sets of calls.
That was the first time that I realized how different my life might be from what what I'd expected - plans accelerated, plans placed on hold, plans replaced by other plans...
... plans from God, but I didn't know that, at the time.
So she went to inquire of the LORD.
The LORD said to her, "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger." So, Rebekah goes to God and asked something like "what the HECK is going on in my life?"
It turned out that God had a plan, but there was a time in Rebekah's life when God has a plan, Rebekah had no idea what the plan was, and life did not look good.
Danny's wife Sarah spent five weeks in the hospital on bed rest. That's an expensive hobby, and it's very isolating - after the first couple of weeks, anyone would hear voices.
But God has a plan. And not just for twins.
This week, please pray with me for
- Shirley's brother Jimmy and Denise, in town for Denise's mother's funeral, - the family of Shirley's cousin Barbara Jean, who passed away last week, - my friends who are learning to deal with anger in a way that is pleasing to God, - a large and unruly group of youth and adults headed to Mexico on Sunday for a mission trip, and - many summer travelers, in many directions. Have a blessed week! Life is good, and Christ lives in you. Spencer the wonder hamster
|
| |
| |
You could probably stop reading this passage at the end of the first sentence, and have enough material for a pretty lively discussion with, well, just about anybody. In fact, I don't understand why I act the way I do. I don't do what I know is right. I do the things I hate. Although I don't do what I know is right, I agree that the Law is good. So I am not the one doing these evil things. The sin that lives in me is what does them. I know that my selfish desires won't let me do anything that is good. Even when I want to do right, I cannot. Instead of doing what I know is right, I do wrong. And so, if I don't do what I know is right, I am no longer the one doing these evil things. The sin that lives in me is what does them. The Law has shown me that something in me keeps me from doing what I know is right. With my whole heart I agree with the Law of God. But in every part of me I discover something fighting against my mind, and it makes me a prisoner of sin that controls everything I do. What a miserable person I am. Who will rescue me from this body that is doomed to die? Thank God! Jesus Christ will rescue me. So with my mind I serve the Law of God, although my selfish desires make me serve the law of sin. I have a lot of really good days, in my life. I have enough good days that it startles people when I ask for prayers because I am unable to keep my temper, and I keep lashing out at people who love me. Jesus Christ will rescue me. I saw a really entertaining quote last week, that I'd like to share with you... "Of the Seven Deadly Sins, anger is possibly the most fun. To lick your wounds, to smack your lips over grievances long past, to roll over your tongue the prospect of bitter confrontations still to come, to savor the last toothsome morsel both the pain you are given and the pain you are giving back - in many ways it is a feast fit for a king. The chief drawback is that what you are wolfing down is yourself. The skeleton at the feast is you. Recognize your anger - and what it creates." (This, from Frederick Buechner) This week, please pray with me for - Katie, with tests this week for surgery next week, and for her faithful yet nervous parents, - Cara, as she learns to type lying down while recovering from surgery on both feet, - my family - my father Georgie passed away on June 20th (two Fridays ago). it's been the best that a death in the family could be, but still stressful on all of us, and - Rick and Margo in Honduras, - summer campers, vacationers, family reunioners, and everyone else on the interstates. Have a great week, and don't enjoy the feast too much until you make sure what you're chewing on. Christ lives in you. Spencer the wonder hamster
|
| |
| |
I've attended a men's prayer group on Saturday mornings forever - I'm not sure anyone can remember when we started! - and one of the John 15 questions we talked about yesterday was about "being Christ". Do you really BECOME Christ when you love and serve others, or is it just that Christ is present while you serve? We each share our own understanding of scripture, and do not end with a vote on what the right answer is, but we listen (to scripture and to each other), and it makes us think. So it happens that this morning, I'm thinking about our discussion as I read this passage from Matthew: Jesus went to every town and village. He taught in their meeting places and preached the good news about God's kingdom. Jesus also healed every kind of disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he felt sorry for them. They were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, "A large crop is in the fields, but there are only a few workers. Ask the Lord in charge of the harvest to send out workers to bring it in."
Jesus called together his twelve disciples. He gave them the power to force out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and sickness. The first of the twelve apostles was Simon, better known as Peter. His brother Andrew was an apostle, and so were James and John, the two sons of Zebedee. Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew the tax collector, James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus were also apostles. The others were Simon, known as the Eager One, and Judas Iscariot, who later betrayed Jesus. Jesus sent out the twelve apostles with these instructions: "Stay away from the Gentiles and don't go to any Samaritan town. Go only to the people of Israel, because they are like a flock of lost sheep. As you go, announce that the kingdom of heaven will soon be here. Heal the sick, raise the dead to life, heal people who have leprosy, and force out demons. You received without paying, now give without being paid." The thing I'm noticing for the first time about this passage is that Jesus sends all twelve out. Not because of their own goodness, or because of their own gifts, but only because the crowds were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He sends out Peter - the impetuous one. He sends out James and John - the ones that Jesus called "sons of thunder", perhaps because of their tempers. He sends out Matthew the tax collector - we might say "extortionist", because that's what Jewish tax collectors working for the Roman army of occupation really were. He sends out "Simon, known as the Eager One" - your Bible might say "Zealot". Zealots are Jews who work to resist Roman force with force. He sends out Judas Iscariot, who later betrayed him. He sent them all. In a few hours, I'll be saying "until we meet again" to the youth and adults who are headed to Springfield on a weeklong mission trip, and I'll be praying for their ministry to sheep without a shepherd, confused and helpless. However it happens, Christ's power will be present as they serve ... ... and we who stay behind have opportunities to serve, just as they will be serving. This week, please pray with me for: Those on a mission - both near and far. An absolute massacre of people in my Sunday school class! I'm counting a broken leg, a broken collarbone, and a gall bladder removal, all in the past two weeks. We are now buying "get well" cards in bulk. Pastors being commissioned for the first time. Rachael, who's preaching her first sermon this afternoon. My father George, who continues to weaken. He is now staying in a nursing home. Graduated seniors, from high school and from college. My friend who is expecting. And have a great week! Christ lives in you. Spencer the wonder hamster
|
| |
| |
Starting in chapter 40, the book of Isaiah changes dramatically - from a book that warns people about an exile in the future to a book that comforts people about a captivity that's already happening, and promises people a deliverance that's just beginning. This is what's happening, nine chapters later. This is what the LORD says: I will answer your prayers because I have set a time when I will help by coming to save you. I have chosen you to take my promise of hope to other nations.
You will rebuild the country from its ruins, then people will come and settle there. You will set prisoners free from dark dungeons to see the light of day.
On their way home, they will find plenty to eat, even on barren hills. They won't go hungry or get thirsty; they won't be bothered by the scorching sun or hot desert winds. I will be merciful while leading them along to streams of water. I will level the mountains and make roads. Then my people will return from distant lands in the north and the west and from the city in the south.
Tell the heavens and the earth to celebrate and sing; command every mountain to join in the song. The LORD's people have suffered, but he has shown mercy and given them comfort.
And how else could that delivered people respond? With joy? with peace? with gratitude? The people of Zion said, "The LORD has turned away and forgotten us."
"But your deliverance is just beginning! People who have been in captivity all their lives are going home! They will rebuild the devastated country they (or their parents, or even grandparents) left behind seventy years ago. Why would you give up in despair NOW?" The LORD answered, "Could a mother forget a child who nurses at her breast? Could she fail to love an infant who came from her own body? Even if a mother could forget, I will never forget you. A picture of your city is drawn on my hand. You are always in my thoughts!
We may be ready to give up on God, but God is focused on us - and God is just gettng started. "... is drawn on my hand ..." We use the wrong technology today to understand this passage. We use pens and ink to draw. That washes off (BAD!). The Babylonians used cuniform picturegraphs. You take a stylus and carve into wet clay, and then the clay is fired as pottery. Those pictures do not wash off. The way I read this passage, we are carved on God's hand in a way that will never wash off, and God will always remember us, every time he sees that carving. This week, please keep these in your prayers: - Georgie, in rehab and doing well, - friends who have learned they will be mommies, - graduating seniors and the end of the school year, and - Laura, Linda, and Megan, (college, seminary, and college), And have a GREAT week! Christ lives in you, Spencer the wonder hamster |
|
| |
| |
My current denomination trains lay people to proclaim the Good News through worship leadership, preaching, witnessing, teaching, leadership, service, growing in personal faith, and personal lifestyle. This assumes that lay people have Good News to proclaim...
As part of the training, we ask students to describe the Good News that they hope to proclaim is. Trainers do the exercises, too, so I've thought about this a few times. I've had various answers -each time is different.
There are lots of good answers - probably as many answers as there are Christians, so I'm not saying mine is the right answer - but it's the answer I was thinking about, as I read this week's passage, about Jesus and his disciples on the night Jesus would be betrayed.
Jesus said to his disciples:
"If you love me, you will do as I command. Then I will ask the Father to send you the Holy Spirit who will help you and always be with you. The Spirit will show you what is true. The people of this world cannot accept the Spirit, because they don't see or know him. But you know the Spirit, who is with you and will keep on living in you.
"I won't leave you like orphans. I will come back to you. In a little while the people of this world won't be able to see me, but you will see me. And because I live, you will live. Then you will know that I am one with the Father. You will know that you are one with me, and I am one with you. If you love me, you will do what I have said, and my Father will love you. I will also love you and show you what I am like." My most recent answer? "You are loved, and you're not alone." You are loved - by the Father, and by Jesus. You are not alone - not orphaned. Jesus is coming back.
This week, please pray with me for
- Sophia and her parents, now at home after a multi-day stay at Children's Medical Center, - David and his family, as David recovers from back surgery, - Jan and her family, as Jan recovers from surgery, - Sara, as her broken foot heals,
- Gillian, with good medical results, - Kande, and her house church, - safe work at Amigos Days, repairing houses in Jubilee Park, - my lovely wife, who returned from Mexico on Wednesday, - Michelle Hay, married April 5 (you go, girl), - Leslie and Dominion, to be married May 3rd (you go, girl, too), - Tinka and Denis (I didn't have Denis's name until Tinka filled me in after the wedding), - Harriet and Jack (good medical report, traveling mercies, and an upcoming prison ministry weekend), - David, separated, and - the United Methodist General Conference (now underway, in Fort Worth). Have a great week! Christ lives in you,
Spencer the wonder hamster
|
|
| |
|
|