correct worship

Good afternoon friends,

Jesus and the Samaritan woman talk about worship, and Jesus tells her that he is the Messiah. He hasn't been that staightforward with anyone else before this point. It's remarkable that Jesus choses someone out Israel for this revelation. God is full of surprises, and the human categories that divide us don't mean anything to God. The passage is also a good reminder that worship is not about how or what we do, but about our spiritual connection with God.

Blessings,
Sam

John 4:19-27

¹⁹The woman said to him, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet. ²⁰Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.”   ²¹Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 

²²You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. ²³But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. ²⁴God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 

²⁵The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.” ²⁶Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who is speaking to you.” ²⁷Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you want?” or, “Why are you speaking with her?” 

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.

bear witness

Good afternoon brothers and sisters,

Today's reading follows up on John's prologue and shows us John the Baptizer's ministry of bearing witness to Jesus. John is really clear that he is not the main idea; his role is preparing the way for the Messiah.

God bless,
Sam

John 1:15-27

¹⁵(John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’”) ¹⁶From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. ¹⁷The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.

¹⁹This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” ²⁰He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, “I am not the Messiah.” ²¹And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the prophet?” He answered, “No.” ²²Then they said to him, “Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” ²³He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’” as the prophet Isaiah said.

²⁴Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. ²⁵They asked him, “Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?” ²⁶John answered them, “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, ²⁷the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.”

another teacher

Good morning sisters and brothers,
Today's reading introduces an important, but less covered figure in the story of the early church. Paul mentions Apollos several times in his letters, so we know that his ministry was effective and widespread. It also gives us a hint how important Priscilla and Aquila were.

God bless,
Sam

 Acts 18:24-28

24 Now there came to Ephesus a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria. He was an eloquent man, well-versed in the scriptures. ²⁵He had been instructed in the Way of the Lord; and he spoke with burning enthusiasm and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John.

²⁶He began to speak boldly in the synagogue; but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained the Way of God to him more accurately. ²⁷And when he wished to cross over to Achaia, the believers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. On his arrival he greatly helped those who through grace had become believers, ²⁸for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the scriptures that the Messiah is Jesus.

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.

into Jerusalem

Good morning brothers and sisters,
Today's passage portrays Jesus' entrance to Jerusalem, which we celebrate on Palm Sunday. John connects the recent sign (or miracle) of raising Lazarus from the dead with the crowds welcoming Jesus as their king. It seems Jesus is self-consciously fulfilling Zechariah's prophecy about the promised king by riding a colt into the city. As expected, the religious leaders, who have been worried about Jesus for some time now, are not happy with this open display of support for him as Israel's Messiah.

As usual, the disciples don't totally understand what's going on, but they will after Christ's death and resurrection. How can we get ready to welcome Jesus as our king?

God bless,
Sam

John 12:12-19

¹²The next day the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. ¹³So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord— the King of Israel!” ¹⁴Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it; as it is written: ¹⁵“Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion. Look, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!”

¹⁶His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written of him and had been done to him. ¹⁷So the crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to testify. ¹⁸It was also because they heard that he had performed this sign that the crowd went to meet him. ¹⁹The Pharisees then said to one another, “You see, you can do nothing. Look, the world has gone after him!”

Elijah?

Good afternoon friends,
I'd like to start with a reminder about Ash Wednesday tomorrow. Ash Wednesday begins the reflective season of Lent. We'll begin the season with a short and simple worship service in the sanctuary at noon. We'll have a very similar service at 6:40 (between Supper and Scripture and Choir rehearsal) as well, also in the sanctuary. Our noon service will also be the beginning of a 24 hour prayer vigil in the sanctuary continuing until noon on Thursday. You can sign up for any hour of that that you would like. Come, pray, enjoy the silence and reflect on how you can prepare your heart for Christ's journey to the cross. I'll be at the church the whole time, so you won't be alone.

Today's reading continues yesterday's story of the transfiguration. Jesus and his disciples reflect on the traditional belief that the Prophet Elijah would return to prepare the way for the Messiah. The question is timely since they have just seen a vision of Elijah talking with Jesus. Jesus also helps them see that John the Baptist fulfills the role of Elijah, but the leaders didn't want to hear his message either. May our ears be open this season and always.
God bless,
Sam

Mark 9:9-13

⁹As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. ¹⁰So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead could mean. ¹¹Then they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” ¹²He said to them, “Elijah is indeed coming first to restore all things. How then is it written about the Son of Man, that he is to go through many sufferings and be treated with contempt? ¹³But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written about him.”

transfiguration

Good morning sisters and brothers,
First, I'd like to thank Jan Bruns for sending out the daily readings while I've been on vacation. I had a wonderful and refreshing vacation, and knowing people like Jan and your wonderful elders were taking care of business back home helped me relax. Now I'm excited to get back to work.

Today's reading is a strange story, though it's one we read in the church each year. Jesus is transfigured in front of three of his disciples on a mountaintop and visits with Moses and Elijah. The story reinforces that Jesus is going to his glory in Jerusalem, so we usually read it the last Sunday before Lent begins. It also reveals Jesus' glory in a striking way to his disciples to help them see he is more than a king of prophet. Maybe this story can do the same for us. Maybe we need to be reminded that Jesus isn't just another person to admire, but is the Lord of our life. So let's listen to the heavenly voice and seek Jesus today.

God bless,
Sam

Mark 9:2-8

²Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, ³and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. ⁴And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. ⁵Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” ⁶He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. ⁷Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” ⁸Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus.

prophets and ritual

Happy New Year,
Our first reading reminds us of God's loving care and the second reading tells the story of Jesus being presented as an infant at the temple. I love reading about the two old saints recognizing Jesus as God's salvation come to earth. I'm excited to begin a new year with you following God's calling together.

New Year's blessings,
Sam

Isaiah 61:10-62:3

 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,
     my whole being shall exult in my God;
   for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation,
     he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
   as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland,
     and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
¹¹ For as the earth brings forth its shoots,
     and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,
   so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise
     to spring up before all the nations.

^62:1 For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
     and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest,
   until her vindication shines out like the dawn,
     and her salvation like a burning torch.
²  The nations shall see your vindication,
     and all the kings your glory;
   and you shall be called by a new name
     that the mouth of the Lord will give.
³  You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord,
     and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.

*Sunday

Luke 2:21-40

²¹After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. ²²When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord ²³(as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord”), ²⁴and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

²⁵Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. ²⁶It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. ²⁷Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, ²⁸Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, ²⁹“Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; ³⁰for my eyes have seen your salvation, ³¹which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, ³²a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.”

³³And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. ³⁴Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed ³⁵so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

³⁶There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, ³⁷then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day. ³⁸At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. ³⁹When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. ⁴⁰The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.

Prince of Peace

Good morning sisters and brothers,
Today's reading looks forward to the coming Messiah who will rescue Israel from trouble and despair. The Messiah won't save with military power and violence; instead God's chosen leader will put an end to war. We look forward to the child born in Bethlehem, the anointed one who is the Prince of Peace. As we look forward to Christmas, we also pray for Christ's return and the fulfillment of God's promise. Come, Lord Jesus.
God bless,
Sam

Isaiah 9:2-7

²  The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;    those who lived in a land of deep darkness — on them light has shined.
³  You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; 

they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder.
⁴  For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders,

the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian.
⁵  For all the boots of the tramping warriors and all the garments rolled in blood 

shall be burned as fuel for the fire.

⁶  For a child has been born for us, a son given to us;

authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
⁷  His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace 

for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore.    The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

an obvious return

Good afternoon friends,
Jesus continues his preview of the judgment day in this morning's reading. The last two days his comments have focused on how the son of man (Jesus) will return suddenly. Today he shifts focus to warn that before his return many people will make false claims about the Messiah. People will claim to be the Messiah or to see him before Jesus really returns. The other thing Jesus talks about today is that his coming will be obvious. He uses the analogy of lightning, you can miss it no matter where you are. He also talks about obvious signs like the sun not shining. Jesus was somewhat subtle in his first appearance; he lets us know that when he returns everyone will know it.

Blessings as you enjoy this beautiful day,
Sam

Matthew 24:23-31

²³Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look! Here is the Messiah!’ or ‘There he is!’ —do not believe it. ²⁴For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and produce great signs and omens, to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. ²⁵Take note, I have told you beforehand. ²⁶So, if they say to you, ‘Look! He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look! He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. ²⁷For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ²⁸Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

²⁹“Immediately after the suffering of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken. ³⁰Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see ‘the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven’ with power and great glory. ³¹And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

money changers and children

Good morning brothers and sisters,
I'd like to remind you that after worship on Sunday we will be meeting to talk about possibilities for youth ministry at Laurelton. I hope you can make it since this is an important conversation for all of us.

In this passage Jesus cleanses the temple of those who sold items for worship. The "money changers" were people who exchanged the money people used every day with Caesar's picture on it for approved coins that could be contributed to the temple. The Roman money had an image of a person on it and so was not permitted to be given to the temple. The role of money in our faith is often touchy, but Jesus talks about money more than almost any other topic, so we are called to consider it carefully.

God bless,
Sam

Matthew 21:12-17

12Then Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who were selling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 13He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer’; but you are making it a den of robbers.” 14The blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he cured them. 15But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the amazing things that he did, and heard the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they became angry 16and said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read, ‘Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise for yourself’?” 17He left them, went out of the city to Bethany, and spent the night there.

a triumphal entry

Good evening/morning sisters and brothers,
This is a familiar reading for many of us from Palm Sunday, but we're reading it here because we're reading basically straight through Matthew. Matthew sees Jesus as the fulfillment of prophetic promises about the Messiah. The funny thing about this passage is that Matthew has Jesus riding two animals, which is difficult to imagine. The sad thing about this passage is that within a week the crowd's joyful welcome of Jesus will turn to abandonment, leading to the cross. Even knowing about how the story goes, we can enjoy this moment when people recognize who Jesus really is. Of course, Jesus knew the cross was ahead of him all the way to Jerusalem, and followed that path for our sake. His love for us truly is amazing.

God bless,
Sam

Matthew 21: 1-11

When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. 3If anyone says anything to you, just say this, ‘The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately.” 4This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying, 5“Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”


6The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; 7they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. 8A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” 10When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?” 11The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”

transfiguration

Good morning brothers and sisters,
The transfiguration is an odd story, partly because the story doesn't really tell us what it means that Jesus was "transfigured." At the same time, the disciples come down the mountain much more sure that Jesus is God's son than when they went up the mountain with him. Then they ask why teachers say that Elijah comes first. They are referring to a tradition that Elijah comes to earth before the Messiah to get things ready. Jesus tells them that John the Baptist was Elijah for their age, but no one recognized him. If we know Jesus is the Messiah, how does that knowledge change us?

God bless,
Sam

Matthew 17:1-13

Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. 2And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. 3Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 5While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!”



6When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. 7But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.” 8And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone. 9As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” 10And the disciples asked him, “Why, then, do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” 11He replied, “Elijah is indeed coming and will restore all things; 12but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but they did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man is about to suffer at their hands.” 13Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them about John the Baptist.

living sacrifices

Good morning sisters and brothers,
We've been following Romans for some time. Paul has made a case that God reaches out to save a sinful world as a gift through Jesus. He discussed the relationship between that grace and God's eternal covenant with Israel. Now he goes on to spell out what grace means for us in more practical terms. Today he writes it means being on God's side, not the side of worldly sin.

We also see Jesus and the disciples talking about what people think about Jesus. Peter finally puts it together and discovers that Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus promises that the church the apostles will build will never be destroyed. That's a powerful promise we can claim today as we seek to follow in the disciples' footsteps.

See you in church,
Sam


Romans 12:1-8

1I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God — what is good and acceptable and perfect.



3For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, 5so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another.



6We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; 7ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; 8the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.



Matthew 16:13-20

13Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”



15He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. 18And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

are you the one?

Good morning friends,
John the Baptist was sent by God to prepare the way for the Messiah. It makes sense that he would want to know for sure if Jesus was the one. He must have been hearing about Jesus' career so he sends his followers to ask Jesus straight out if he is the awaited Messiah. Jesus answers by pointing to his actions. The ones that stick out to me are healing and preaching good news to the poor. Those are makes of God's anointed one, and they are ministries that still define Jesus' community today.

God bless,
Sam

Matthew 11:1-6

Now when Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and proclaim his message in their cities. ²When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples ³and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” ⁴Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: ⁵the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. ⁶And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.”

blooming in the desert

Good morning sisters and brothers,
First, I want to remind you that today after church there will be an opportunity to discuss the sermon and the scripture readings for the day. These readings are the same ones we'll hear in church, so if anything catches your attention or curiosity, feel free to ask about it in the sermon talk back session.

Our reading from Isaiah looks ahead to the redemption of the land of Israel. That redemption doesn't just mean political freedom, it also means new life in the dry places of the land. God's new life is for everyone. Our reading from Matthew skips ahead in Jesus' ministry. John the Baptist has heard about Jesus and wonders if he is really the Messiah. Jesus praises John to the crowd as even more than a prophet. He also says that there is more in store in God's kingdom, so John is less than those in that kingdom. God's promise is still blooming in our readings and in our ministry.

God bless,
Sam

Isaiah 35:1-10

1The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus 2it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the LORD, the majesty of our God. 3Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. 4Say to those who are of a fearful heart, "Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you."


5Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; 6then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; 7the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp, the grass shall become reeds and rushes.


8A highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Holy Way; the unclean shall not travel on it, but it shall be for God's people; no traveler, not even fools, shall go astray. 9No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there. 10And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

* Sunday

Matthew 11:2-11

2When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples 3and said to him, "Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?" 4Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. 6And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me."


7As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? 8What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. 9What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10This is the one about whom it is written, 'See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.' 11Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

welcome the king

Good morning friends,
We've been walking with Jesus towards Jerusalem for some time; today we finally get there. Jesus sends disciples into a nearby village to get a donkey for this procession. The crowd of people following Jesus welcome him not just as a teacher or prophet. They cry out praises to God and sing to welcome a king into Jerusalem. Not surprisingly, this makes the religious leaders uncomfortable. For one thing, they are scared of the Romans. The Romans have become pretty attached to ruling Judea, so they won't like the idea of a Jewish man claiming to be king without their blessing. On another level the Pharisees are uncomfortable because they expected a holy king from God, the Messiah to restore Israel's independence and faithfulness. They weren't expecting someone like Jesus to fill that role.

Jesus responds to their concern that if the disciples didn't welcome him with all this fanfare, the rocks would. In other words, Jesus is affirming that he is the anointed king. His redemption is so significant that even creation praises God for it, not just people. Jesus accepts this calling and is ready for the conflict and rejection that comes with it. May we hear our calling today.

God bless,
Sam

p.s. Please make sure to vote today.



Luke 19:28-40

28After he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, 30saying, “Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it.’” 32So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. 33As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34They said, “The Lord needs it.”


35Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 36As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. 37As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, 38saying, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!” 39Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, order your disciples to stop.” 40He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.”

David's son

Good morning friends,
In today's reading Peter continues his Pentecost sermon to the waiting crowd. Notice, Peter is consciously addressing Israelites here; Christianity is still very much a movement within Judaism at this point. So Peter tells the story of Jesus for a Jewish audience. In this sermon the main reference point is David, because most of Israel's hope for a Messiah was based on David's descendants. Peter argues that David spoke prophetically of his future son as the Messiah and that son is Jesus.

Peter bases his argument on the miracles Jesus did during his life as signs of God's power in him. More than that God showed that Jesus is the Messiah by raising him from the dead, "because it was impossible for him to be held in its power." Peter also puts the responsibility for Jesus death squarely on the crowd's shoulders, after all the crowd clamored for Jesus' death. One of the things that I like about Acts is that here and several other places we see early leaders of the church preach the basic message of good news. We get to watch how these Jewish men and women studied scripture to figure out what Jesus' life and ministry meant and how to explain the good news to others.

Blessings on your reading and the new week,
Sam


Acts 2:22-36

22“You that are Israelites, listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know— 23this man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law. 24But God raised him up, having freed him from death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its power.

25For David says concerning him, ‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken; 26therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; moreover my flesh will live in hope. 27For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One experience corruption. 28You have made known to me the ways of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’ 29“Fellow Israelites, I may say to you confidently of our ancestor David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30Since he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would put one of his descendants on his throne.

31Foreseeing this, David spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, saying, ‘He was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh experience corruption.’ 32This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses. 33Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you both see and hear. 34For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, 35until I make your enemies your footstool.”’ 36Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.”