In Luke 12:13-21 we read a story of a man who apparently had everything. He had just completed a record harvest and was bragging about what he had accomplished. He said that he would tear down his barns and build bigger barns. He then made a fatal mistake – he assumed that for him tomorrow would still come just like the day before – but he soon would find out that tomorrow would not come! He actually says to his soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” And God said, “You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” (Luke 12:19-20 NRSV)
Each one of us will face that same fact one day—none of us will get out of this world alive! That is a simple fact of life (and death!). The bigger question here is simply this: what will happen to all your “stuff?” More and more we seem to be living in a material world when we are judged (by the world) by what we have instead of who we really are. I saw a bumper sticker which read, “He who dies with the most stuff wins!” But then I saw another bumper sticker that read, “He who dies with the most stuff is still dead!” Truth is that no matter how much “stuff” we amass, it does not matter. What does matter is our relationship with Jesus Christ! That is something we can take to the grave with us – in fact, it is the only thing we can take to the grave with us! There is nothing in this world that is as important as your relationship with Jesus Christ, absolutely nothing! I would encourage you to do just one thing – make sure you have that close and personal relationship with Jesus. The amount of money you have in a bank account does not matter, the number of barns you have or the type of car you drive does not matter. In the end, only one thing matters and that is whether you have the right kind of relationship with Jesus Christ or not. Find out for sure about your relationship with Him before it is too late! Amen. In Colossians 2 we read very encouraging words written to a church in Colossae, Asia Minor. This church had not yet been visited by Paul and they were having issues with the culture in which they lived. Some of the “teachers” were teaching about the importance of angels which were connected to astral powers or powers related to astrology and the study of the stars. Today I think we may find something similar in horoscopes!
Paul writes to them to encourage them and to teach them that they don’t need such things in their lives. Paul warns them against false teaching and encourages them to keep their eyes fixed firmly on Christ Jesus. Paul implores them (and you and me today) to remain firm in their faith and to remember that Christ has already paid for their sins—that those very sins were nailed to the cross right along with Jesus! Paul goes on to tell the people there in Colossae not to allow others to judge them by what they eat or drink, or about how they celebrate religious festivals or even a Sabbath Day. When it is all said and done, when we stand all alone, judgement is reserved for God and God alone. No one here has the right or the privilege to judge us. Sometime else is very important here that we must not miss and that is the simple fact that you will never be held accountable (or judged) for the actions of another person! You will only be responsible for YOURSELF! And, if you have been made a part of God’s great and wonderful family through your faith in and acceptance of Jesus as your “personal lord and Savior” your sins have already been forgiven. Paul assures us of this when he writes, “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh (spiritually speaking here – my thoughts!), God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins…” (Colossians 2:13 NRSV). Praise be to God. Amen. The story of Mary and Martha has always intrigued me. I hope you are familiar with the story (Luke 10:38-42). Jesus comes to visit the two sisters and one, Mary, sits at his feet in the front room with the men listening intently to what Jesus is saying while the other sister, Martha is busy preparing a meal for Jesus.
In the Judaism of Jesus’ day, Martha was doing what was demanded on women—taking care of providing for the physical needs of the men of the household, especially visitors. Providing hospitality for travelers was required and, since the women ran the household, that duty fell squarely on them. But in this story, we see Mary shirking her duty as she sits and listens to Jesus and Martha is not a happy camper! Martha finally goes to Jesus and complains that she is doing all the work while Mary is not doing anything. Jesus’ response is a little surprising as he says, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”(v41-42) Is Jesus saying that all we need to do is to listen to him? No, he is not saying that at all. What is saying is that there are many things which can and will distract us—things that will keep us from being in that right relationship with Him. Those are the things we need to avoid at all cost! Jesus encourages Martha (and you and I) to “choose the better part!” In other words, don’t let anything distract you from your up-close and personal relationship with Jesus. Choose wisely! Amen. The sermon text for today is the familiar story of the Good Samaritan (at least I hope is that it is familiar to you!). There are some things that I don’t want you to miss in this story. Samaritans were hated so much by all the Jewish people; it certainly is no wonder that Jesus chose a Samaritan to be the hero of the story instead of some stand up Pharisee!
This all comes as a surprise to the Samaritan. As he began his journey from Jerusalem down to Jericho, I am sure he had no idea what was going to confront him. How many times today do we run across people in need and we are either too busy or too fearful to stop and offer a helping hand? This encounter with a stranger who has been beaten almost to death brings the unexpected. And yet this hated Samaritan did what was expected of him. He cared for the man’s immediate need, he brought him to a safe place and he even went so far as to offer continued help as the man recovered. We, as Christians are called to be prepared for the unexpected. My hope is that we are not only prepared but we are also willing to lend that helping hand. Who knows, maybe one day you may very well be the one needing help! |
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This blog consists of reflections written by the minister each week for the Sunday bulletin. We hope that you enjoy the musings! Archives
January 2020
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