pancakes and power

Good afternoon friends,

First, a reminder that tonight from 6-7:30 Laurelton is going to get ready for Lent with a Fat Tuesday Pancake supper. We'll serve pancakes, sausage, decaf coffee and juice, so bring your appetite and enjoy a chance to visit with neighbors. The event is free, but you're certainly welcome to make a free will offering.

Our reading for today continues the letter to the church at Ephesus. The passage reminds us that God put all God's power to work in Christ. That sounds basic on the surface, but it's pretty amazing when we remember that Christ died for us. That's a reminder that God thinks about power differently than we do. Now the power of Christ is working through the church, through each of us. So how can we follow our calling and live for God's glory today?

God bless,
Sam

Ephesians 1:11-23

¹¹In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, ¹²so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory. ¹³In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; ¹⁴this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s own people, to the praise of his glory.

¹⁵I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason ¹⁶I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. ¹⁷I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, ¹⁸so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints,¹⁹and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. 

²⁰God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, ²¹far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. ²²And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, ²³which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

a battle and a thousand years

Good afternoon brothers and sisters,

In the evangelical tradition there is a debate about whether the thousand years John talks about comes before or after Christ's return. The whole concept is kind of odd. I wonder why Satan is locked up for a thousand years and then released, but that's how John sees it. It's interesting too because once again we see the forces of political power join Satan against God, but God is victorious in the end. No matter what happens or what the future looks like, God is with us and love will win.

God bless,
Sam

Revelation 20:1-6

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. ²He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, ³and threw him into the pit, and locked and sealed it over him, so that he would deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be let out for a little while. 

⁴Then I saw thrones, and those seated on them were given authority to judge. I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony to Jesus and for the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. ⁵(The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. ⁶Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. Over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him a thousand years. 

choir robes

Good evening friends,

We've been reading together about Satan's forces including the power of empire and the false prophets that support it. Tonight we see what forces God uses to oppose evil. As we might expect, it is not a mighty, well armed military force, but a diverse group of faithful believers. How can we be ready to struggle against evil with all our non-violent force?

God bless,

Sam

Revelation 14:1-7

Then I looked, and there was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion! And with him were one hundred forty-four thousand who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. ²And I heard a voice from heaven like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder; the voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, ³and they sing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the one hundred forty-four thousand who have been redeemed from the earth. ⁴It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins; these follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They have been redeemed from humankind as first fruits for God and the Lamb, ⁵and in their mouth no lie was found; they are blameless.

⁶Then I saw another angel flying in midheaven, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation and tribe and language and people. ⁷He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, for the hour of his judgment has come; and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”

The four horsemen

Good afternoon sisters and brothers,

When we read Revelation it is important to remember that it is a vision. The language is symbolic and sometimes, like in today's reading, the symbolism isn't quite clear. I don't exactly see what the individual riders and horses symbolize, but the effect of the "four horsemen of the apocalypse," is that many of the earth's inhabitants die as history moves towards the end. That's a disturbing thing to think about, and at the same time we know that people die every day due to human and natural disaster. The interesting thing is that Jesus, the Lamb, opens the seals, revealing (as in Revelation) the events of the end. Somehow, through all the trouble in the world and at the world's end, God's love will shine through.

God bless,

Sam

Revelation 6: 1-8

Then I saw the Lamb open one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures call out, as with a voice of thunder, “Come!” ²I looked, and there was a white horse! Its rider had a bow; a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering and to conquer.

³When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature call out, “Come!” ⁴And out came another horse, bright red; its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people would slaughter one another; and he was given a great sword. ⁵When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature call out, “Come!” I looked, and there was a black horse! Its rider held a pair of scales in his hand, ⁶and I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a day’s pay, and three quarts of barley for a day’s pay, but do not damage the olive oil and the wine!” 

⁷When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature call out, “Come!” ⁸I looked and there was a pale green horse! Its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed with him; they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, famine, and pestilence, and by the wild animals of the earth.

judging to allow life

Good evening sisters and brothers,

I want to start by extending a special invitation to worship on Sunday. We'll supplement our wonderful choir with an additional lovely voice and with two solo offerings by guest soloist, Madeline Cain. Madeline is in the final semester of her opera performance masters program at the University of Maryland.  She serves as a soloist and section-leader at Emmanuel Church in Alexandria, VA throughout the school year. From the little bit I heard of Madeline's voice at rehearsal on Wednesday, you're in for a treat. 

Our reading today is the "judgy" part of our passage. Jesus says that God has given the power and responsibility to judge all people (like the creed says, the living and the dead). We often think of judgment as bad or scary. This passage, and the healing story we read the last two days as its context, remind us that Jesus judges in order to bring life. Human pride, selfishness and rules (in this case, rigid religious rules) often get in the way of the just, peaceful life God intends. God's judgment stops human evil to allow true flourishing.

God bless,
Sam

John 5:19-29

¹⁹Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise.²⁰The Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing; and he will show him greater works than these, so that you will be astonished.²¹Indeed, just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whomever he wishes. 

²²The Father judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son, ²³so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. ²⁴Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under judgment, but has passed from death to life. 

²⁵“Very truly, I tell you, the hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. ²⁶For just as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself; ²⁷and he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man.²⁸Do not be astonished at this; for the hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice ²⁹and will come out—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. 

shepherds keeping watch

Good evening friends,

I hope your Christmas was wonderful, as mine was. Today's reading tells the first announcement of the birth of Jesus. I love that God chose to announce this wonderful event first to shepherds, folks just working for a living, not anyone society considered important. May Christ break into your life in some unexpected way today too.

God bless,
Sam

Luke 2:8-20

⁸In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.¹⁰But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: ¹¹to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹²This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” ¹³And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, ¹⁴“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!” 

¹⁵When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. ¹⁷When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; ¹⁸and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. ¹⁹But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

welcome for all

Good evening friends,

Today's reading comes from Isaiah, written either during Judah's exile or on their return home to a devastated land. Isaiah prophesies a time when the nations will come to Jerusalem to worship God. We hope for a day of unity and peace when Christ returns. We also know that in Jesus, this hope is fulfilled because in Christ all are welcome. May we always be ready to welcome others with God's love.

God bless,

Sam

Isaiah 60:1-8

Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. ²For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. ³Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. ⁴Lift up your eyes and look around; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from far away, and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms.

⁵Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice, because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. ⁶A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord. ⁷All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered to you, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you; they shall be acceptable on my altar, and I will glorify my glorious house. ⁸Who are these that fly like a cloud, and like doves to their windows?

a mind like Christ

Good morning friends,

This passage from Philippians is one of my favorite passages in the whole Bible. It describes God's ultimate response to human suffering: sending Jesus to be one of us and to share in all our trials. I also love that the passage encourages us to rethink power, since Jesus approaches power in such a different way than we usually do. Sally will be preaching largely on this passage Sunday, so don't miss that opportunity.

God bless,
Sam

Philippians 2:1-11

If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, ²make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. ³Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. ⁴Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.

⁵Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, ⁶who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, ⁷but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, ⁸he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross. ⁹Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Grace and equality

Good evening friends,
This week our daily readings turn to one of the key concerns of the Bible: justice. To set the stage today, we get a great passage from Galatians. In this passage Paul is making the point that belonging to God through Jesus Christ isn't about who our parents are or any other human characteristic. Everyone in Christ belongs to God, which makes us equal. There's no room for any kind of discrimination in the church because we are all one in Christ. Many scholars believe that Paul is quoting from words that were already a part of the first baptismal liturgy in this passage.

God bless,
Sam

Galatians 3:25-29

²⁵But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, ²⁶for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. ²⁷As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. ²⁸There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.

all we like sheep have gone astray

Good morning sisters and brothers,
Today's reading continues Tuesday's theme of God's suffering servant bearing the sins of the whole community. One really insightful comment that came in on Tuesday's reading through facebook wondered how it would change our sense of compassion if we thought of people who suffer in terms of the whole community's sin rather than the sin of the person who suffers. Interesting thought.

God bless,
Sam

Isaiah 53:6-12

⁶All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. ⁷He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. ⁸By a perversion of justice he was taken away. Who could have imagined his future? For he was cut off from the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people. ⁹They made his grave with the wicked and his tomb with the rich, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.

¹⁰Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him with pain. When you make his life an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring, and shall prolong his days; through him the will of the Lord shall prosper. ¹¹Out of his anguish he shall see light; he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge. The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. ¹²Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

one from two

Good evening friends,
Please join me in praying for our nation's leaders that we can move forward for the good of the country. We all need wisdom in these times, and God loves to give wisdom to those who ask. Our reading for today is about how God can take the most difficult differences and make one body out of them. No matter how different we are, in the church we belong to God through Jesus Christ, so we are one.

God bless,
Sam

Ephesians 2:11-22

¹¹So then, remember that at one time you Gentiles by birth, called “the uncircumcision” by those who are called “the circumcision” —a physical circumcision made in the flesh by human hands— ¹²remember that you were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. ¹³But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

¹⁴For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. ¹⁵He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, ¹⁶and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. ¹⁷So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; ¹⁸for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father.

¹⁹So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, ²⁰built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. ²¹In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; ²²in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.

widespread connections

Good afternoon sisters and brothers,
Today's reading is not very interesting on the surface, since it is mostly a list of names. The cool thing about it is that it emphasizes the personal networks that tie together the church. At the end of this letter, to a church Paul had never been to he sends personal greetings to particular people in the community that he does know. Even though he has never been to Rome, Paul has important connections to many Christians there through letters and travel and networks of friendship. What a powerful testimony to the fact that we are one community in Christ no matter how far apart or how different we may be.
May it be so for you and for me,
Sam

Romans 16:1-16

I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church at Cenchreae, ²so that you may welcome her in the Lord as is fitting for the saints, and help her in whatever she may require from you, for she has been a benefactor of many and of myself as well. ³Greet Prisca and Aquila, who work with me in Christ Jesus, ⁴and who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. ⁵Greet also the church in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert in Asia for Christ.

⁶Greet Mary, who has worked very hard among you. ⁷Greet Andronicus and Junia, my relatives who were in prison with me; they are prominent among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was. ⁸Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. ⁹Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ, and my beloved Stachys. ¹⁰Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the family of Aristobulus. ¹¹Greet my relative Herodion. Greet those in the Lord who belong to the family of Narcissus. ¹²Greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa.

Greet the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord. ¹³Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; and greet his mother—a mother to me also. ¹⁴Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers and sisters who are with them. ¹⁵Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. ¹⁶Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.

goodbye, part 2

Good morning sisters and brothers,
Today's reading is the conclusion of Paul's goodbye with the leaders of the Christian community in Ephesus. It's hard to imagine him facing his death and saying what he knows is a final goodbye. Notice how he warns them of the challenges they will face in the future. Our relationships are always precious, and we never know what will happen next. That's a calling to say what we need to say when we can and to treat each other with the love we have.

God bless,
Sam

Acts 20:25-38

25 ‘And now I know that none of you, among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom, will ever see my face again. ²⁶Therefore I declare to you this day that I am not responsible for the blood of any of you, ²⁷for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God. ²⁸Keep watch over yourselves and over all the flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God that he obtained with the blood of his own Son.

²⁹I know that after I have gone, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. ³⁰Some even from your own group will come distorting the truth in order to entice the disciples to follow them. ³¹Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to warn everyone with tears. ³²And now I commend you to God and to the message of his grace, a message that is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all who are sanctified. ³³I coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothing. ³⁴You know for yourselves that I worked with my own hands to support myself and my companions. ³⁵In all this I have given you an example that by such work we must support the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, for he himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” ’

36 When he had finished speaking, he knelt down with them all and prayed. ³⁷There was much weeping among them all; they embraced Paul and kissed him, ³⁸grieving especially because of what he had said, that they would not see him again. Then they brought him to the ship.

goodbye, part 2

Good morning sisters and brothers,
Today's reading is the conclusion of Paul's goodbye with the leaders of the Christian community in Ephesus. It's hard to imagine him facing his death and saying what he knows is a final goodbye. Notice how he warns them of the challenges they will face in the future. Our relationships are always precious, and we never know what will happen next. That's a calling to say what we need to say when we can and to treat each other with the love we have.

God bless,
Sam

Acts 20:25-38

25 ‘And now I know that none of you, among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom, will ever see my face again. ²⁶Therefore I declare to you this day that I am not responsible for the blood of any of you, ²⁷for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God. ²⁸Keep watch over yourselves and over all the flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God that he obtained with the blood of his own Son.

²⁹I know that after I have gone, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. ³⁰Some even from your own group will come distorting the truth in order to entice the disciples to follow them. ³¹Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to warn everyone with tears. ³²And now I commend you to God and to the message of his grace, a message that is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all who are sanctified. ³³I coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothing. ³⁴You know for yourselves that I worked with my own hands to support myself and my companions. ³⁵In all this I have given you an example that by such work we must support the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, for he himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” ’

36 When he had finished speaking, he knelt down with them all and prayed. ³⁷There was much weeping among them all; they embraced Paul and kissed him, ³⁸grieving especially because of what he had said, that they would not see him again. Then they brought him to the ship.

saying goodbye

Good evening friends,
Today's reading takes us a little further in Paul's farewell journey. For me, Paul's faith and courage is inspiring. I pray we would follow his example and seek to go where Christ calls us.

God bless,
Sam

Acts 20:13-24

13 We went ahead to the ship and set sail for Assos, intending to take Paul on board there; for he had made this arrangement, intending to go by land himself. ¹⁴When he met us in Assos, we took him on board and went to Mitylene. ¹⁵We sailed from there, and on the following day we arrived opposite Chios. The next day we touched at Samos, and the day after that we came to Miletus. ¹⁶For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he might not have to spend time in Asia; he was eager to be in Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost.

17 From Miletus he sent a message to Ephesus, asking the elders of the church to meet him. ¹⁸When they came to him, he said to them: ‘You yourselves know how I lived among you the entire time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, ¹⁹serving the Lord with all humility and with tears, enduring the trials that came to me through the plots of the Jews. ²⁰I did not shrink from doing anything helpful, proclaiming the message to you and teaching you publicly and from house to house, ²¹as I testified to both Jews and Greeks about repentance towards God and faith towards our Lord Jesus.

²²And now, as a captive to the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, ²³except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and persecutions are waiting for me. ²⁴But I do not count my life of any value to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news of God’s grace.

using our opportunities

Good afternoon friends,
I hope your weekend has been wonderful. Despite being a bit wet, the camping trip was lots of fun. As always, teamwork and community make for a great trip even with less than perfect weather. In our reading for today, Paul reflects on being in prison for the sake of the gospel. He says that even his imprisonment has helped spread the gospel. For one thing, being in prison has given him the opportunity to share his faith with his jailers and other prisoners. It has also allowed people to see how deeply he loves Christ, which might also draw people to salvation.

I find Paul's devotion inspiring. He doesn't get everything right, but he sees everything he does as part of his faith. That's an invitation for us as well. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, you have the opportunity to share God's love with others.

God bless,
Sam


Philippians 1:12-21
12 I want you to know, beloved, that what has happened to me has actually helped to spread the gospel, ¹³so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to everyone else that my imprisonment is for Christ; ¹⁴and most of the brothers and sisters, having been made confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, dare to speak the word with greater boldness and without fear.

15 Some proclaim Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from goodwill. ¹⁶These proclaim Christ out of love, knowing that I have been put here for the defense of the gospel; ¹⁷the others proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but intending to increase my suffering in my imprisonment. ¹⁸What does it matter? Just this, that Christ is proclaimed in every way, whether out of false motives or true; and in that I rejoice.

Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, ¹⁹for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will result in my deliverance. ²⁰It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be put to shame in any way, but that by my speaking with all boldness, Christ will be exalted now as always in my body, whether by life or by death. ²¹For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain.

growing in grace

Good evening friends,
I hope this beautiful Sabbath day has been a good one for you full of rest and community and joy. Tonight's reading comes from Paul's letter to the Colossians. Like in Ephesians, Paul lays the foundation for our life on our salvation through Christ and presents Christ as a goal for our growth. The way Paul outlines the Christian life is a good way to think about it. Christ was the agent of the world's creation. He reconciled us to God through the cross. As we come to faith we become one with God through Jesus and continue to grow as we follow him. We grow in faith not because we are afraid or because we want to earn forgiveness. Instead, we grow in faith because we recognize God's amazing love for us and respond with gratitude. That sounds like a good plan for me.

blessings on your evening and see you tomorrow,
Sam

Colossians 1:3-20

³In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, ⁴for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, ⁵because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. You have heard of this hope before in the word of the truth, the gospel ⁶that has come to you. Just as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God. ⁷This you learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, ⁸and he has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

⁹For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, ¹⁰so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God.

¹¹May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully ¹²giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. ¹³He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, ¹⁴in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

¹⁵He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; ¹⁶for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. ¹⁷He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. ¹⁹For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, ²⁰and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.

a life worthy of our calling

Good afternoon sisters and brothers,
This passage from Ephesians will be our main reading on Sunday, so you can think about this as a warm up. Paul spent the first three chapters of the letter setting a theological foundation. Now he moves into discussing what that faith we share means in our life. He talks about our life in terms of a calling from God, a calling to discipleship, to love and to unity. Within that calling we also have opportunities to use our unique gifts to serve others and proclaim the good news. We'll talk more about that on Sunday.

God bless,
Sam

Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-16

I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, ²with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, ³making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ⁴There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, ⁵one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.

⁷But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift… ¹¹The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, ¹²to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, ¹³until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.

¹⁴We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. ¹⁵But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, ¹⁶from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.

unity and maturity

Good evening friends,
In today's reading Paul says that Christians who take great pride in their teachers are immature in the faith. We all probably have teachers we are grateful to for shaping us, and that's fine. At the same time, God is the one who does everything. Having different approaches or favorite writers or teachers, doesn't divide us. The church is one, and Christ is our foundation.

God bless,
Sam

1 Corinthians 3:1-9

And so, brothers and sisters, I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but rather as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. ²I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready, ³for you are still of the flesh. For as long as there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving according to human inclinations? ⁴For when one says, “I belong to Paul,” and another, “I belong to Apollos,” are you not merely human?

⁵What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each. ⁶I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. ⁷So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. ⁸The one who plants and the one who waters have a common purpose, and each will receive wages according to the labor of each. ⁹For we are God’s servants, working together; you are God’s field, God’s building.

meeting on the road

Good morning sisters and brothers,
Yesterday we read about how two of Jesus' followers met the risen Jesus on the road to Emmaus, but didn't recognize him. As they talk, he starts teaching them about the scriptures so they can understand who he really is. Today we see where that conversation takes them.

Blessings,
Sam

Luke 24:25-35

²⁵Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! ²⁶Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” ²⁷Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.

²⁸As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. ²⁹But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. ³⁰When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. ³¹Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. ³²They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?”

³³That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. ³⁴They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” ³⁵Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.