a house of prayer for all peoples

Good evening friends,

Today's reading is a great reassurance for anyone who has ever felt like an outsider or outcast (probably all of us). God's plan in restoring the temple and bringing home the exiles of Israel and Judah goes wider than a chosen people. All people are chosen. Whoever wants to follow God and be part of God's family is welcome. There is a place for everyone.

God bless,
Sam

Isaiah 56:1-8

Thus says the Lord: Maintain justice, and do what is right, for soon my salvation will come, and my deliverance be revealed. ²Happy is the mortal who does this, the one who holds it fast, who keeps the sabbath, not profaning it, and refrains from doing any evil.

³Do not let the foreigner joined to the Lord say, “The Lord will surely separate me from his people”; and do not let the eunuch say, “I am just a dry tree.” ⁴For thus says the Lord: To the eunuchs who keep my sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant, ⁵I will give, in my house and within my walls, a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off. 

⁶And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord, and to be his servants, all who keep the sabbath, and do not profane it, and hold fast my covenant— ⁷these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples. ⁸Thus says the Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, I will gather others to them besides those already gathered.

wisdom

Good evening friends,

First, a couple of announcements. One, on Saturday after the cafe we'll have a group singing Christmas carols in the neighborhood. It should be a lot of fun and is open to everyone. Come for breakfast, bring a friend and share the joy of song at 11 on Saturday. Two, next Saturday and Sunday (12/21 and 22) from 6:30-8:30 pm we'll host the living nativity. We need all kinds of characters, so come on in and see the Christmas story from a whole new angle.

Our reading for today is a collection of sayings about wisdom and foolishness. While not accurate in every case, it is pretty insightful.

Blessings,
Sam

Proverbs 13:1-16

A wise child loves discipline,
but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.
²From the fruit of their words good persons eat good things,
but the desire of the treacherous is for wrongdoing.
³Those who guard their mouths preserve their lives;
those who open wide their lips come to ruin.
⁴The appetite of the lazy craves, and gets nothing,
while the appetite of the diligent is richly supplied.
⁵The righteous hate falsehood,
but the wicked act shamefully and disgracefully.
⁶Righteousness guards one whose way is upright,
but sin overthrows the wicked.
⁷Some pretend to be rich, yet have nothing;
others pretend to be poor, yet have great wealth.
⁸Wealth is a ransom for a person’s life,
but the poor get no threats.
⁹The light of the righteous rejoices,
but the lamp of the wicked goes out.
¹⁰By insolence the heedless make strife,
but wisdom is with those who take advice.
¹¹Wealth hastily gotten will dwindle,
but those who gather little by little will increase it.
¹²Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.
¹³Those who despise the word bring destruction on themselves,
but those who respect the commandment will be rewarded.
¹⁴The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,
so that one may avoid the snares of death.
¹⁵Good sense wins favor,
but the way of the faithless is their ruin.
¹⁶The clever do all things intelligently,
but the fool displays folly.

risen indeed

Good afternoon friends,
Sorry it's been so long since I sent out a reading. Today's reading picks up after the two disciples met the risen Jesus on the road to Emmaus. They didn't recognize him until he broke bread with them. Right away they came back to Jerusalem to share what had happened with the other disciples. Amazingly, the other disciples were already talking about Christ's resurrection because he had also appeared to Peter. Then, in our passage today, Jesus appears to all the disciples and promises to send the Holy Spirit to equip them for ministry. We'll be hearing more about the promise of the Spirit in a couple of weeks, for now, let's consider the transforming presence of Christ in our lives.

God bless,
Sam

Luke 24:36-50

³⁶While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” ³⁷They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. ³⁸He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? ³⁹Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” ⁴⁰And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. ⁴¹While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” ⁴²They gave him a piece of broiled fish, ⁴³and he took it and ate in their presence. 

⁴⁴Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” ⁴⁵Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, ⁴⁶and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, ⁴⁷and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. ⁴⁸You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

⁵⁰Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. ⁵¹While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. ⁵²And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; ⁵³and they were continually in the temple blessing God.

reflecting on our limits

Good morning brothers and sisters,
The next two days we're reading from Ecclesiastes to help us reflect on the passing of one year and the beginning of another. Ecclesiastes is a book full of reflections on life. It sometimes feels pessimistic, but on balance it is realistic about the hardships and frustrations of life. At the same time, the conclusion the writer eventually comes to is that, while humans are limited in what we can do, and life is often frustrating, we can still find joy in following our calling and worshiping God. So for the morning reading, follow the Teacher's reflection, but take it with a grain of salt and more than a hint of joy.

God bless,
Sam

Ecclesiastes 1:1-9

The words of the Teacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. ²Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. ³What do people gain from all the toil at which they toil under the sun?

⁴A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. ⁵The sun rises and the sun goes down, and hurries to the place where it rises. ⁶The wind blows to the south, and goes around to the north; round and round goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns. ⁷All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the streams flow, there they continue to flow. ⁸All things are wearisome; more than one can express; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, or the ear filled with hearing.

⁹What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun.

Thanksgiving

Good morning sisters and brothers,
Today's reading is also about being grateful for our gifts. In Jesus' time Samaritans were strongly looked down on, so it's shocking when Luke makes the Samaritan the hero of this story. Saying "Thank you" is a powerful action. May gratitude guide and strengthen you today.

God bless,
Sam

 Luke 17:11-19

¹¹On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. ¹²As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, ¹³they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” ¹⁴When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean. ¹⁵Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. ¹⁶He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. ¹⁷Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? ¹⁸Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” ¹⁹Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.”

Thanksgiving Psalm

Good morning sisters and brothers,
Last night's ecumenical service was lots of fun. There were people from at least six different churches and lovely music. One of the pieces we sang that was particularly fun was a responsive setting of the Psalm we're reading today. We sang a congregational response: "The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest," while a cantor sung verses between the refrains. It was a nice way to hear the psalm and to celebrate God's amazing gift of harvest.

Today we are not having supper and scripture because of Thanksgiving tomorrow. There will be a Thanksgiving feast at Laurelton on Thursday at 4pm hosted by Gary and Susan Dennis along with the Outreach ministry team. Wherever you are for the holiday I pray it will be a time of joy and gratitude for you.
Blessings,
Sam

Psalm 65

¹   Praise is due to you,
          O God, in Zion;
     and to you shall vows be performed,
²        O you who answer prayer!
     To you all flesh shall come.
³   When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us,
          you forgive our transgressions.
⁴   Happy are those whom you choose and bring near
          to live in your courts.
     We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,
          your holy temple.

⁵   By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance,
          O God of our salvation;
     you are the hope of all the ends of the earth
          and of the farthest seas.
⁶   By your strength you established the mountains;
          you are girded with might.
⁷   You silence the roaring of the seas,
          the roaring of their waves,
          the tumult of the peoples.
⁸   Those who live at earth’s farthest bounds are awed by your signs;
     you make the gateways of the morning and the evening shout for joy.

⁹   You visit the earth and water it,
          you greatly enrich it;
     the river of God is full of water;
          you provide the people with grain,
          for so you have prepared it.
¹⁰  You water its furrows abundantly,
          settling its ridges,
     softening it with showers,
          and blessing its growth.
¹¹  You crown the year with your bounty;
          your wagon tracks overflow with richness.
¹²  The pastures of the wilderness overflow,
          the hills gird themselves with joy,
¹³  the meadows clothe themselves with flocks,
          the valleys deck themselves with grain,
          they shout and sing together for joy.

joyful faith

Good morning friends,
Today's readings both talk about joyful faith. Our passage from Philippians is mostly closing thoughts commending the efforts of some of Paul's coworkers and urging the community to stand firm in faith. Our passage from Matthew is a parable we will explore in worship today. Jesus compares God's kingdom to a royal wedding feast. We are invited to that feast and called to invite others. What's holding you back?

God bless,
Sam

Philippians 4:1-9

1Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.

2I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. 3Yes, and I ask you also, my loyal companion, help these women, for they have struggled beside me in the work of the gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life.



4Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.



8Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.



*Sunday

Matthew 22:1-14

1Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying: 2“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. 3He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. 4Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.’



5But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, 6while the rest seized his slaves, maltreated them, and killed them. 7The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. 8Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’ 10Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.



11“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, 12and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And he was speechless. 13Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14For many are called, but few are chosen.”

shining brightly

Good morning sisters and brothers,
I just love Paul's letter to the Philippians. We read the most familiar part of it in worship yesterday, the "Christ hymn," which talks about Christ not regarding equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself. The letter overall has a tone of such love and encouragement that it always inspires me. It is one of the letters Paul wrote from prison, and though he knew his death might be imminent, he was unafraid. Today he encourages the Philippians to live in community without arguing. He reminds them that the world is hard and often twisted, but for that reason if they are blameless, their example will shine brightly. He reminds them also that their faith is what he will boast about when Christ comes again and that even if he is "poured out" (killed) he will still rejoice as that will be an offering to God. All I can say is praise Jesus and amen. May we find such joy and courage in Christ as well.

Blessings on your week,
Sam

Philippians 2:14-19

14Do all things without murmuring and arguing, 15so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the world. 16It is by your holding fast to the word of life that I can boast on the day of Christ that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. 17But even if I am being poured out as a libation over the sacrifice and the offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you— 18and in the same way you also must be glad and rejoice with me. 19I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I may be cheered by news of you.

trouble to joy

Good morning friends,
Today's reading continues Jesus' last words to his disciples. They don't understand what Jesus is talking about when he talks about his death and resurrection. Since we know the story, we do know what to expect, but we can sympathize with the disciples just the same. Jesus explains that the disciples will find themselves at odds with the world, in many things, as it turns out. At many points it will seem like the world is right and the disciples will be troubled. In the end though, the disciples' pain is going somewhere; there hardship is giving birth to something new. Hopefully, the troubles we face in our lives will be productive of something new as well.

Blessings on your new week,
Sam

John 16:16-22

16”A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me.” 17Then some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying to us, ‘A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’; and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” 18They said, “What does he mean by this ‘a little while’? We do not know what he is talking about.”


19Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Are you discussing among yourselves what I meant when I said, ‘A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’? 20Very truly, I tell you, you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice; you will have pain, but your pain will turn into joy. 21When a woman is in labor, she has pain, because her hour has come. But when her child is born, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy of having brought a human being into the world. 22So you have pain now; but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.

Palms to betrayal

Good morning sisters and brothers,
With Palm Sunday we begin Holy Week, the most intensive period of Lent and the heart of the Christian year. It is a week of highs and lows as our two readings for today show. We start with a huge crowd welcoming Jesus into Jerusalem as a king. Before long, though, Judas agrees to betray Jesus to the religious leaders, and the leaders arrest Jesus to have him executed by Pilate. Jesus is crucified, buried and rises again in triumph. All that happens in a week. The great thing about Holy Week is that we have worship opportunities throughout it that help us get into the story. I usually need concrete reminders to help my spiritual focus, and Holy week gives us just that. Much of the week is dark as we have to confront betrayal, abandonment, suffering and death. But that darkness helps us realize the depth of Jesus' love for us and makes the story real. The darkness also helps us see the true glory of Easter.

I urge you to take advantage of this week of preparation to deepen your faith, to get into the story of our Lord's last week. Our worship schedule is on the website and will be in our bulletin. Here's the short version:
Monday: Ecumenical Tenebrae service (focusing on Jesus' passion) at St. Ambrose, 7:30 pm
Thursday: Maundy Thursday (remembering the Last Supper and Jesus' arrest) Potluck supper at 6:15, worship at 7
Friday: Ecumenical stations of the Cross tour starting and ending at West Ave. United Methodist (Chili and West) 9:30-11:30, worship at LUPC, 12:30pm
Sunday: Easter Sunrise service at the eastern edge of parking area B of Durand Eastman Park, 6 am; Laurelton Easter worship 10 am here with flowers for the cross.

Blessings on your Holy Week,
Sam

Matthew 21:1-11

1When 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.”





*Sunday

Matthew 26:14-35

Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15and said, “What will you give me if I betray him to you?” They paid him thirty pieces of silver. 16And from that moment he began to look for an opportunity to betray him.

17On the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where do you want us to make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?” 18He said, “Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is near; I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’” 19So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover meal.

20When it was evening, he took his place with the twelve; 21and while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.” 22And they became greatly distressed and began to say to him one after another, “Surely not I, Lord?” 23He answered, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. 24The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born.” 25Judas, who betrayed him, said, “Surely not I, Rabbi?” He replied, “You have said so.”

26While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; 28for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29I tell you, I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

30When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

31Then Jesus said to them, “You will all become deserters because of me this night;
for it is written,
‘I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep of the flock will be scattered’
32But after I am raised up, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.” 33Peter said to him, “Though all become deserters because of you, I will never desert you.” 34Jesus said to him, “Truly I tell you, this very night, before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.” 35Peter said to him, “Even though I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And so said all the disciples.

work and enjoyment

Good morning sisters and brothers,
Today's reading continues yesterday's passage from Ecclesiastes. The author has seen that everything has its season and has seen the busyness God has given everyone to be busy with. Furthermore, he has seen that for people there is nothing better to eat and drink and enjoy life. Ecclesiastes wrestles with life's impermanence and the fact that often it feels pointless. A lot of the time we don't feel like we're getting anywhere. The reality is that in life, nothing is perfect. Even in the parts of life where things should be most righteous, there is still wickedness. As hard as we try, we will never be perfect and neither will any one else.

That doesn't mean we should give up, but it means we should take life with a grain of salt. God will judge and set everything right in the end. In the meantime we are called to seek God's will, to work hard and enjoy our labor, and to enjoy the blessings of life God has given us.

Happy New Year, be safe, and God bless,
Sam

Ecclesiastes 3:12-17

12I know that there is nothing better for them than to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live; 13moreover, it is God’s gift that all should eat and drink and take pleasure in all their toil. 14I know that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it; God has done this, so that all should stand in awe before him. 15That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already is; and God seeks out what has gone by.


16Moreover I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, wickedness was there, and in the place of righteousness, wickedness was there as well. 17I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for he has appointed a time for every matter, and for every work.

winter praises

Good morning sisters and brothers,
Our reading for today is a Psalm of praise. The psalmist calls on humanity and all of creation to praise God for God's might and creativity. This Psalm lifts up Israel as God's special people, but it also affirms that God is Lord of all people. The joy of this praise is a good fit for the joy of Christmas, as we remember God's salvation through Jesus Christ. It's also a good reminder that even the winter weather is part of God's creation. May your day be filled with joy and praise.
God bless,
Sam

Psalm 148:1-14

1Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights!
2Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his host!
3Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars!
4Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!
5Let them praise the name of the Lord, for he commanded and they were created.
6He established them forever and ever; he fixed their bounds,
which cannot be passed.
7Praise the Lord from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps,
8fire and hail, snow and frost, stormy wind fulfilling his command!
9Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars!
10Wild animals and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds!
11Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth!
12Young men and women alike, old and young together!
13Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted;
his glory is above earth and heaven.
14He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his faithful,
for the people of Israel who are close to him.
Praise the Lord!