judgment day

Good evening friends,
This passage is not the only thing the Bible says about the judgment day, but it is a clear and compelling reminder that how we treat our neighbors really matters to God. This passage always pulls me up short because I know there are times I care for those in need and other times I ignore them. How is God calling you to make a difference?

God bless,
Sam

Matthew 25:31-46

³¹“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. ³²All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, ³³and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left.

³⁴Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; ³⁵for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, ³⁶I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’

³⁷Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? ³⁸And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? ³⁹And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ ⁴⁰And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’

⁴¹Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; ⁴²for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’

⁴⁴Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ ⁴⁵Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ ⁴⁶And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

in life and in death

Good afternoon sisters and brothers,

In our passage for today Paul reflects on his own life and death in the light of facing persecution and the possibility of death. He knows that he can glorify Christ as he lives and as he dies. Part of him wants to die so he can be with Christ; the other part of him wants to stay to continue serving the churches in ministry. The truth is that in every moment of our life, God is with us. We are never alone and we can trust God's love.

Blessings,
Sam

Philippians 1:20-24

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. ²²If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which I prefer. ²³I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; ²⁴but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you.

not abandoned

Good evening brothers and sisters,

By the time you finish the first hymn in worship tomorrow I hope to be finishing the Ottawa Marathon. Keep Kris and Matt in your prayers also as they run the half-marathon in Buffalo. I pray blessings on your worship as you celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit.

In our reading today we focus on Peter's explanation of who Jesus is. He explains Jesus' eternal life and resurrection in terms of the Psalms. It's interesting watching the early disciples share Jesus with people in their time. They took what they experienced with him and used that to understand the Bible.

Blessings on your worship,

Sam

Acts 2:22-31

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.’

resurrection

Good evening friends,
Tonight our incredibly gracious hosts at Parkway Presbyterian Church provided a wonderful supper for us. It was great to get to meet some of the folks in this vibrant, mission-focused congregation. Our last three days of work have been good and the whole process is a great reminder that almost all the important things we do are done with others and on top of the work of those who came before.

Today's reading Paul moves from talking about Christ's resurrection to talking about our resurrection. Christ was the first to rise from the dead, but we will all be raised at the right time. One day, when Christ returns, we will rise again or be changed into immortality. Death is not a barrier to God's love. We'll be spending some time with this idea on Sunday, so if it's confusing now, hopefully things will be clearer after that. I'm always happy to talk about it with you more after that.

God bless,
Sam

1 Corinthians 15:35-50

³⁵But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” ³⁶Fool! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. ³⁷And as for what you sow, you do not sow the body that is to be, but a bare seed, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. ³⁸But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body.

³⁹Not all flesh is alike, but there is one flesh for human beings, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. ⁴⁰There are both heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one thing, and that of the earthly is another. ⁴¹There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; indeed, star differs from star in glory.

⁴²So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. ⁴³It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. ⁴⁴It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body. ⁴⁵Thus it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 

⁴⁶But it is not the spiritual that is first, but the physical, and then the spiritual. ⁴⁷The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. ⁴⁸As was the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust; and as is the man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven. ⁴⁹Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we will also bear the image of the man of heaven. ⁵⁰What I am saying, brothers and sisters, is this: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

treasure in heaven

Good morning brothers and sisters,
This morning's readings is one of the moments in the Gospels that often haunts me. A man asks Jesus how to receive eternal life. Jesus tells him to sell everything and give to the poor. Jesus doesn't say the same thing to everyone, and there were several wealthy people who served Jesus from their position of comfort. Still, it's clear that wealth and possessions can get in the way of radical devotion to God and to other people. Possessions, and the pursuit of more, tend to bring our focus inward on ourselves, our families and our needs and wants. Giving things away tends to open us to the needs of others and the joy of community. Christ's words are challenging but they are an invitation to let go of the false life the world is selling and take hold of love and true live.

God bless,
Sam

Matthew 19:16-29

16Then someone came to him and said, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 18He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; 19Honor your father and mother; also, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20The young man said to him, “I have kept all these; what do I still lack?” 21Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” 22When the young man heard this word, he went away grieving, for he had many possessions.



23Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” 25When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astounded and said, “Then who can be saved?” 26But Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but for God all things are possible.” 27Then Peter said in reply, “Look, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” 28Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man is seated on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold, and will inherit eternal life. 30But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.

sanctified

Good morning friends,
I really enjoyed working with Habitat and with other urban Christians yesterday. If you're free and have the inclination, I know there are opportunities to work with Habitat today and tomorrow. There are also opportunities this morning and Saturday morning to serve with Third Presbyterian's dining room ministry and on Saturday there's a chance to do some sprucing up at New Life Presbyterian. Of course, Saturday morning Laurelton is hosting a car wash from 9-11 am and your help would be much appreciated there.

Jesus prays knowing that his disciples will be hated. He doesn't pray that God would remove them from the world that hates them; instead he prays that God would protect them from Satan. And he prayer that God would sanctify them (make them holy) in the truth, which is God's word. God's word sets us apart for holiness, service and sometimes trouble. And God's word gives us eternal life. Where is that word calling you today?

God bless,
Sam

John 17:11-19

11And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. 12While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled. 13But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves.



14I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. 15I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. 16They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. 17Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth.

serving and living eternally

Good morning sisters and brothers,
I'll be spending today working on a house with Habitat for Humanities as part of the UPT Boots on the Street week. This is a chance to get out into the city and show that Presbyterians are serious about caring for our neighbors. There are still opportunities available to work with Habitat Friday and probably tomorrow and Saturday as well (contact John Smalt directly: jhsmalt@rochester.rr.com, or call him at: 924-8624). There are other opportunities this week as well including some home repairs for a disabled neighbor near Calvary St. Andrews this afternoon from 4:30-7 pm for those who work during the day. You can check out the possibilities here. I hope you'll join me in serving our neighbors in a visible way this week.

Our reading this morning begins Jesus' prayer to his Father. He prayer that the disciples might be protected in unity and faith. He says that eternal life is knowing God and knowing Jesus. When we know God intimately we are already living the life of God's righteous kingdom. We can take part in that powerful life now through faith, love and service. Today is as good a time as any to put fear aside and start living eternally.

God bless,
Sam

John 17:1-10

After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, 2since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. 5So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.


6”I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; 8for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. 9I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. 10All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them.

slavery and freedom

Good morning brothers and sisters,
Paul continues his discussion of leaving sin behind through our relationship with Christ. Here instead of making an analogy with death he talks about slavery and freedom. Once we were slaves to sin because we did "what sin told us to." By following sin's orders we got more and more deeply tied to sin, which leads to death. Now instead of sin we belong to God through Jesus Christ. That means as we follow Jesus we grow in faith and holiness, which leads to true life. Trading sin for God sounds like a great deal to me.
Blessings on your day,
Sam

Romans 6:13-23

13No longer present your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and present your members to God as instruments of righteousness. 14For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. 15What then? Should we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17But thanks be to God that you, having once been slaves of sin, have become obedient from the heart to the form of teaching to which you were entrusted, 18and that you, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.


19I am speaking in human terms because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to greater and greater iniquity, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness for sanctification. 20When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21So what advantage did you then get from the things of which you now are ashamed? The end of those things is death. 22But now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, the advantage you get is sanctification. The end is eternal life. 23For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.