Wow, where has the summer gone?? It is September already and it seems to me that just last week we celebrated Memorial Day! I guess that makes the old adage “time flies when you are having fun” really fit! I remember back when our high school graduating class was getting ready to celebrate our 20-year anniversary. A good friend of mine was on the planning committee for our reunion. One morning he was talking with his mom and he said to her, “Mom, does time slow down the older you get?” Her response was, “Son, I turned 50 and 60 all in the same year!!”
Think about this just for a minute—we are not guaranteed tomorrow, just today and we are not even guaranteed all of today. Life is short and life is fragile. Just look at what has happened in Texas as a result of Hurricane Harvey. A police officer drowned in his car on his way to work. I can guarantee you that when he left for work that day, he had no idea that his life was about to come to an end. Please don’t take this as a “dooms-day” message, that is not my intent at all. My point is that life is fragile and precious. Enjoy each day and always look for the positive, even in the middle of storms. Time flies, life is short, live every day to its fullest. As Christians we know that even when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we do not walk alone. God is with us always, so trust in God and don’t worry about tomorrow—just do your best to serve God and love your neighbor today, right here, right now! Amen. Our scripture reading for this week (Matthew 16:13-20) is an interesting passage. In this passage we read that Jesus asks his disciples a simple question: “Who do people say that I am?” Have you ever asked someone that question? Think back to middle school and high school. How many times did you hear people asking questions about themselves? Maybe they would ask “Do you think people really like me?” Or maybe they would ask, “Do you think Joe likes me?” Let’s face it, deep down inside each one of us there is the need to be liked or wanted, maybe even the need to be loved!
The disciples answer to Jesus’ query reads like they are not sure but they feel they have to say something! Well, some say you are John the Dunker, others say Elijah, some even say you are Jeremiah or one of the other prophets. Then Jesus makes it more personal when we are told he says, “But who do YOU say I am?” Now, they are faced with giving Jesus their own view as to who he really is. For once in his life, Peter gets it right when he says, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!” (v. 16) Jesus is pleased and he makes sure that peter knows where this knowledge came from—it came from God! Today, it is not different. How would you respond to that simple question, “Who do YOU say that Jesus is?” Think about that and maybe even take the time to write down your answer! I guess we could say that summer is “officially” over – school is back in session! The beginning of a new school year is a most unusual thing. There are lots of kids who are so excited to be back in school or who are beginning school for the first time ever! Then there are those who are not the least bit happy about having to get out of bed much earlier and then study in the afternoon instead of playing video games!
I think that many times we forget how important school really is. School prepares us for life in the world of jobs! School teaches us academic things certainly (at least that is the intent!) but it also teaches life lessons as well. School teaches lessons like being accountable for being on time and being accountable for homework and tests! School also teaches us how to get along with others. There has been a short message going around Facebook about bullying. The message points out that bullying is never acceptable and it should always be reported. Bullying comes in so many forms and sometimes it is done in very subtle ways. That does not make it any less wrong and in fact, even makes it harder to actually define, but it is there none the less. So then, as school begins again this year, please keep our school-aged children in your prayers as well as teachers, administrators, paras, janitors and certainly bus drivers. Pray for safety to and from school as well as safety while at school. Pray for our children to learn all the lessons they need to prepare them for life in general! Pray that they will grow up to be just a little bit smarter, stronger, and better prepared than their parents! That is what my dad wished for me—that I would be just a little better than he was. I am not sure that I accomplished that! Many times I believe we make Christianity too complicated! We have the misconception that we must DO something before we can be in a “right relationship” with Jesus/God. In our scripture reading for this week (Romans 10:5-15) we read how simple it is for one to become a Christian. In this passage, Paul writes that Moses described righteousness and adhering to the Law and he writes that “The man who does these things will live by them.” The Law required one to observe every single one of the 613 Laws! To fail to do so meant one could not be in that right relationship! So why then would God give the Law knowing full well that no one could live up to its rigid requirements?
According to Paul, one compelling reason was to show the people how guilty they really were. (Galatians 3:19) The Law was a shadow of Christ. The sacrificial system educated the people so that when the true sacrifice came in Christ Jesus, the people would be able to understand it. However, most of the Jewish people missed the coming of the Messiah because they were looking for the wrong thing! Now, has anyone ever asked you how to become a Christian? If so, how did you answer them? Romans 10:9-10 gives a very brief and yet succinct answer as to just how easy and simple it is to become a Christian. “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” The reason that I have chosen not to capitalize “lord,” is simple. We are not to confess that Jesus is God or a deity (which, By the way he most certainly is) -- Satan believes that Jesus and God are one along with the Holy Spirit. We confess that Jesus is “lord of our life,” and we take on the role of a slave to him or a servant for him. When we can truly make Jesus “lord of our lives,” allowing him to be in charge, so to speak, we will find that becoming a Christian is one of the easiest things we will ever do! Amen. The Lectionary give us four readings for each Sunday: One from the Old Testament, One from the New Testament, One Psalm and one Epistle. This week, the Gospel reading (Matthew 14:13-21) is the story of the feeding of the 5,000 as recounted by the author of Matthew. This is the only “miracle” story that is recounted in all four Gospels. What makes this miracle story different and so important? Why is it the only one written about in all four Gospels?
I believe there are a couple of reasons why this story is so important. First, it takes place just after Jesus learns about the death of his cousin, John the Baptist. As one would expect, Jesus seeks solitude and the author of Matthew writes that he chose to withdraw all alone in a boat. This tells us that when we are grieving, it is OK to seek comfort in solitude as long as we don’t allow that being alone to last too long. From the beginning of time, God knew that it was not good for us to be alone! Second, we learn from this story that even in the middle of our despair, we still need to help others who are in need. That may sound a little harsh, but, none the less, that is just what we are expected to do. When the disciples come to Jesus telling him to send the crowds away, Jesus refuses and in fact, turns the table on the disciples. “You give them something to eat!” Jesus says! The disciples know that this is impossible because all they have is five loaves and two fish (according to Matthew!). They know how difficult it is going to be, really how impossible it is going to be to feed so many people with just five loaves and two fish! But, none the less they are willing to give what they do have to Jesus in hopes that Jesus can take what little they have and somehow make it work. The key to this passage is the willingness to give. When we are willing to give what we have to God, not keeping any for ourselves, God multiplies what we freely give so that all are cared for and there is left-overs! What we see here in this story is that God’s provisions are not just adequate, they are overflowing—even in the middle of the desert, even in the middle of the pain of mourning! God is good…all the time! Amen. |
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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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