repentance

Good evening friends,
I'm sorry I didn't send this out earlier today, but since it's so late and since today and tomorrow's reading go together, I thought I would combine them into a single reading. Our reading is Psalm 51, which tradition says is King David's prayer of repentance after he had his officer Uriah killed to steal his wife, Bathsheba. The psalm is a beautiful reflection on God's forgiveness and our need. Many phrases in Psalm 51 are familiar and it is worth reading often when we feel lost of far from God. God already knows our shortcomings and loves us anyway. Don't let your sense of sin separate you from God; God is ready to hear you and heal you. 

God bless,
Sam

Psalm 51:1-19

¹Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; 

according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.

²Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

³For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.

⁴Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment.

⁵Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me.

⁶You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.

⁷Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

⁸Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.

⁹Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.

 ¹⁰Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.

¹¹Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me.

¹²Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.

¹³Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.

¹⁴Deliver me from bloodshed, O God, O God of my salvation,

and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance.

¹⁵O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.

¹⁶For you have no delight in sacrifice;

if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased.

¹⁷The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit;

a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

¹⁸Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem,

¹⁹then you will delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;

then bulls will be offered on your altar.

fasting and repentance

Good morning friends and welcome to the beginning of Lent,
Tonight we'll begin our Lenten season together with an Ash Wednesday service at 6:30 in the sanctuary. Lent is a time to reflect on our lives and our relationship with God. We all drift away in our discipleship sometimes and Lent is a great time to come back to God. Our worship tonight will be quiet and reflective; I hope you'll be there. Lent is a great chance to recommit to daily personal scripture reading and prayer. Please let me know what I can do to help you seek a closer walk with God in this season.

Today's reading is from the prophet Joel. Joel urges the people to fast and repent because God's judgment is coming. The themes he proclaims are like many of the other prophets; his setting is unique. The army Joel refers to in this letter isn't the army of one of Judah's neighbors; instead it is a swarm of locusts that devastated Jerusalem. The historical setting is unknown but based on the writing scholars suspect it could be from the 400-500 BC (after the exile). Joel sees the locusts as agents of God's judgment and sees Israel's repentance in the light of God's promise for restoration. Joel's call to repent, fast and "rend our hearts and not our garments" is a good call for us to hear as we turn back to God in Lent.

Blessings for a holy day and holy Lent,
Sam

Joel 2:1-2, 12-17

1 Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
for the day of the LORD is coming, it is near —
2 a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness!
Like blackness spread upon the mountains their like has never been from of old,
nor will be again after them in ages to come.

12 Yet even now, says the LORD, return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
13 rend your hearts and not your clothing.
Return to the LORD, your God, for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing.
14 Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him,
a grain offering and a drink offering for the LORD, your God?

15 Blow the trumpet in Zion; sanctify a fast;
call a solemn assembly; 16 gather the people.
Sanctify the congregation; assemble the aged;
gather the children, even infants at the breast.
Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her canopy.

17 Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests,
the ministers of the LORD, weep.
Let them say, “Spare your people, O LORD,
and do not make your heritage a mockery, a byword among the nations.
Why should it be said among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’”

lament for judgment

Good morning all,
This morning Amos switches gears poetically, while his message stays pretty consistent. He calls his words for today a lament, a song/poem of mourning for Israel's fate. In addition to lamenting the coming defeat of Israel Amos calls on Israel to repent and turn back to God. In almost the same breath he warns them that they shouldn't turn to God through some of the traditional places of worship like Gilgal and Bethel because these shrines are going to be destroyed.

Amos returns to the idea that Israel will be judged for their injustice against the poor. He lists a set of offenses like abusing the poor and taking bribes against the righteous. Then he proclaims that those who built houses of stone (in other words, the wealthy) won't live in those houses because they will be conquered by others. Amos doesn't hold out much hope for Israel in the coming years, but he looks for mercy after judgement for the "remnant of Joseph".

Amos is challenging because his proclamation is so harsh. At the same time we know that the one who judges Israel and the rest of the world is the same one who sent his son to take that judgment for us. Even on the darkest days we can count on God's love, as we seek the strength to turn back to God when we go off course.

Blessings on your day,
Sam

Amos 5:1-15

Hear this word that I take up over you in lamentation, O house of Israel: 2Fallen, no more to rise, is maiden Israel; forsaken on her land, with no one to raise her up. 3For thus says the Lord God: The city that marched out a thousand shall have a hundred left, and that which marched out a hundred shall have ten left. 4For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel: Seek me and live; 5but do not seek Bethel, and do not enter into Gilgal or cross over to Beer-sheba; for Gilgal shall surely go into exile, and Bethel shall come to nothing. 6Seek the Lord and live, or he will break out against the house of Joseph like fire, and it will devour Bethel, with no one to quench it. 7Ah, you that turn justice to wormwood, and bring righteousness to the ground! 8The one who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns deep darkness into the morning, and darkens the day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out on the surface of the earth, the Lord is his name, 9who makes destruction flash out against the strong, so that destruction comes upon the fortress.

10They hate the one who reproves in the gate, and they abhor the one who speaks the truth. 11Therefore because you trample on the poor and take from them levies of grain, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not live in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine. 12For I know how many are your transgressions, and how great are your sins— you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and push aside the needy in the gate. 13Therefore the prudent will keep silent in such a time; for it is an evil time. 14Seek good and not evil, that you may live; and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, just as you have said. 15Hate evil and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

tax collectors and sinners

Good morning all,
People have probably always complained about paying taxes, but in Jesus' time taxes were a particularly hot topic. Palestine was ruled by Rome, which meant the Jewish population was resentful because they didn't have the independence they wanted. That was both a political and a religious issues since the land was a gift from God, so foreign occupation was perhaps harder for them than for many of the other groups that made up the Roman Empire. On top of that, Rome's rule was extended geographically and challenged militarily. As a result taxes were high and economic opportunity not always in step with them. The Romans hired Jews to collect taxes for them in Palestine. In general, tax collectors made their living by collecting a bit more than they had to. So for the Jewish population at large Roman rule was oppressive, taxes an almost unmanageable burden, and the people who collected them not only corrupt but even traitors to their religion and people.

So here comes Jesus calling a tax collector to be his disciple and accepting an invitation to eat at his house with a house-full of other tax collectors and "sinners." Maybe we can understand the Pharisees' indignation. Jesus doesn't deny that these folks are morally challenged. Instead he responds that his special calling is to heal the spiritually ill, to call sinners to repentance. Jesus still especially seeks out the outsiders: the morally questionable, the oppressed, the oppressors. It's not for us to look down at the strange collection of people Jesus calls. Instead we're called to be grateful that Christ has called us and to look to the margins for our ministry.

God bless,
Sam

Luke 5:27-32

27After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, “Follow me.” 28And he got up, left everything, and followed him. 29Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house; and there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others sitting at the table with them. 30The Pharisees and their scribes were complaining to his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31Jesus answered, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; 32I have come to call not the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

Crucified

Good morning sisters and brothers,
This Good Friday morning brings us right to the cross. Jesus has been tried and found guilty; now he is led out to be crucified. As the women of Jerusalem meet him weeping, Jesus replies that they should weep for themselves and their children. His prediction of worse things to come is haunting and indeed for Jerusalem will come true. About thirty years later a Jewish revolt will lead to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple.

When we actually come to the cross we see Jesus nailed to it with a prayer of forgiveness for others on his lips. The religious leaders savor their victory by mocking him while the soldiers enjoy the sport as well. In a great illustration that we choose what kind of people we will be right up to the end of our lives one thief mocks Jesus and the other one seeks mercy. It's never too late to seek Christ's kingdom.

As you know, today we'll be walking with Christians from all over the city from 9-11 to remember the victims of violence and to witness to the hope that persistently sprouts up when we look to God. The walk starts and ends at Covenant United Methodist (1124 Culver Rd.) At noon we'll gather at Laurelton to worship at the foot of the cross.

May today's darkness bring you blessings and build your trust in the Lord,
Sam

Luke 23:26-43

26As they led him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming from the country, and they laid the cross on him, and made him carry it behind Jesus. 27A great number of the people followed him, and among them were women who were beating their breasts and wailing for him. 28But Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29For the days are surely coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’ 30Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us’; and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ 31For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

32Two others also, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. 33When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots to divide his clothing. 35And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!” 36The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, 37and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” 38There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.”

39One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” 40But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

Stephen's trial, part 3

Good morning all,
Happy Lord's Day to you; I pray it finds you well. Our reading this morning from Acts takes Stephen's story on a turn for the worse because now he's moving from God's calling to our resistance. He relates how Israel resisted Moses and worshiped the golden calf and how idolatry eventually led God to send Israel into exile. Notice that Stephen also sets the stage for Jesus by remembering that Moses told the people that God would raise up a prophet like him in the future.

Our second reading, especially for folks who won't be able to worship with us today is a beautiful passage of promise and hope from Isaiah. God calls everyone to the waters of new life and to the abundant feast of life with God. And Isaiah reminds his readers that God always calls us to repentance and always promises to forgive us abundantly. The call is from futility to fruitfulness, from the dry desert of having it our way to the rich, green fields where God shepherds us.
Come and follow; Lord pour out your grace,
Sam


Acts 7:35-43

35“It was this Moses whom they rejected when they said, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’ and whom God now sent as both ruler and liberator through the angel who appeared to him in the bush. 36He led them out, having performed wonders and signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in the wilderness for forty years. 37This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, ‘God will raise up a prophet for you from your own people as he raised me up.’ 38He is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors; and he received living oracles to give to us.

39Our ancestors were unwilling to obey him; instead, they pushed him aside, and in their hearts they turned back to Egypt, 40saying to Aaron, ‘Make gods for us who will lead the way for us; as for this Moses who led us out from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.’ 41At that time they made a calf, offered a sacrifice to the idol, and reveled in the works of their hands.

42But God turned away from them and handed them over to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: ‘Did you offer to me slain victims and sacrifices forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? 43No; you took along the tent of Moloch, and the star of your god Rephan, the images that you made to worship; so I will remove you beyond Babylon.’

*Sunday Isaiah 55:1-9

Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. 3Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live. I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David. 4See, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples. 5See, you shall call nations that you do not know, and nations that do not know you shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you.

6Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; 7let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 8For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. 9For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.