watch out

Good morning friends,

In today's reading Peter encourages other believers. He recognizes that many of them face persecution, so he writes to remind them that they are not alone. The power of evil in the world is strong, but it will not have the last word.

God bless,
Sam

1 Peter 5:6-11

⁶Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. ⁷Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.  ⁸Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. ⁹Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering. ¹⁰And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. ¹¹To him be the power forever and ever. Amen.

Good evening friends,

As you pray today, please keep all our veterans in your prayers. I'm grateful for their courage and service, and it's our job to make sure those who need help when they get home receive what they need. Our reading for today is a great meditation on the temptation we face to do well. The psalmist says his feet had almost slipped because he envied the wicked. He saw people do the wrong thing consistently, but still being successful. We'll see how this prayer continues.

God bless,

Sam

Psalm 73:1-9

¹Truly God is good to the upright, to those who are pure in heart.

²But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; my steps had nearly slipped.

³For I was envious of the arrogant; I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

⁴For they have no pain; their bodies are sound and sleek.

⁵They are not in trouble as others are; they are not plagued like other people.

⁶Therefore pride is their necklace; violence covers them like a garment.

⁷Their eyes swell out with fatness; their hearts overflow with follies.

⁸They scoff and speak with malice; loftily they threaten oppression.

⁹They set their mouths against heaven, and their tongues range over the earth.

the armor of God

Good morning brothers and sisters,
Today's reading is a favorite image for many Christians, and quite unfamiliar for others. Paul talks about prayer and the Christian life more generally in terms of putting on the armor of God. The idea is that our life of faith can be a struggle. We're always surrounded by temptation to do what is easy instead of what is faithful. Sin, selfishness and the devil himself try to knock us off our path. In all our challenges we reach out to God for help, and we strengthen ourselves with God's word and with spiritual preparation. Notice how much attention Paul gives to prayer and how he asks the church to support him in prayer so he can speak boldly. We are all in it together.

God bless,
Sam

Ephesians 6:10-20

¹⁰Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. ¹¹Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ¹²For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. ¹³Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 

¹⁴Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. ¹⁵As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. ¹⁶With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

¹⁸Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. ¹⁹Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.

true religion

Good morning and Happy Thanksgiving!
I'm grateful this morning for you. Laurelton is a congregation with many gifts, especially kindness and openness to the new things God is doing. I hope today is a day of reflection, gratitude and joy for you with friends or family. James reminds his readers that all good gifts come from God, so it's always right to give thanks.



He also reminds us that faith is about not only knowing the right thing, but also doing it. The true mark of religion is whether we live our beliefs, especially whether we take care of those who are vulnerable. When we act on our faith, we grow into the people God calls us to be.

God bless,
Sam

James 1:13-27

¹³No one, when tempted, should say, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself tempts no one. ¹⁴But one is tempted by one’s own desire, being lured and enticed by it; ¹⁵then, when that desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and that sin, when it is fully grown, gives birth to death. ¹⁶Do not be deceived, my beloved. ¹⁷Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. ¹⁸In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

¹⁹You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; ²⁰for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness. ²¹Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls. ²²But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. ²³For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; ²⁴for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like.

²⁵But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing. ²⁶If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. ²⁷Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

Solomon's wisdom

Good afternoon friends,
Today we read probably the most familiar story from King Solomon's reign. He asked God for wisdom, and God provided. We also read just briefly that Solomon led Israel to great prosperity. In itself, that's wonderful, but we also hear that Solomon himself was very rich. If we remember back to Deuteronomy when Moses told the people God's law for the king, God warns the people that the king shouldn't exalt himself over the rest of his people. It also said the king shouldn't acquire many horses. So, even though the text isn't explicit about it, we can take this passage as a warning that Solomon is treading on dangerous ground.

May we be wise in our living as well,
Sam

1 Kings 3:16-28, 4:25-28

¹⁶Later, two women who were prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. ¹⁷The one woman said, “Please, my lord, this woman and I live in the same house; and I gave birth while she was in the house. ¹⁸Then on the third day after I gave birth, this woman also gave birth. We were together; there was no one else with us in the house, only the two of us were in the house. ¹⁹Then this woman’s son died in the night, because she lay on him. ²⁰She got up in the middle of the night and took my son from beside me while your servant slept. She laid him at her breast, and laid her dead son at my breast. ²¹When I rose in the morning to nurse my son, I saw that he was dead; but when I looked at him closely in the morning, clearly it was not the son I had borne.”  

²²But the other woman said, “No, the living son is mine, and the dead son is yours.” The first said, “No, the dead son is yours, and the living son is mine.” So they argued before the king. ²³Then the king said, “The one says, ‘This is my son that is alive, and your son is dead’; while the other says, ‘Not so! Your son is dead, and my son is the living one.’” ²⁴So the king said, “Bring me a sword,” and they brought a sword before the king. ²⁵The king said, “Divide the living boy in two; then give half to the one, and half to the other.” ²⁶But the woman whose son was alive said to the king—because compassion for her son burned within her—“Please, my lord, give her the living boy; certainly do not kill him!” The other said, “It shall be neither mine nor yours; divide it.” ²⁷Then the king responded: “Give the first woman the living boy; do not kill him. She is his mother.” ²⁸All Israel heard of the judgment that the king had rendered; and they stood in awe of the king, because they perceived that the wisdom of God was in him, to execute justice.

^4:25During Solomon’s lifetime Judah and Israel lived in safety, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, all of them under their vines and fig trees. ²⁶Solomon also had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. ²⁷Those officials supplied provisions for King Solomon and for all who came to King Solomon’s table, each one in his month; they let nothing be lacking. ²⁸They also brought to the required place barley and straw for the horses and swift steeds, each according to his charge.

God's promise to David

Good morning brothers and sisters,
We read this passage on Sunday. Once David had become firmly established as King of Israel, God promises to continue his dynasty through many generations. David responds with humility and praise. He realizes in this moment that God is giving him a gift; he didn't earn this power. As we know, the future for David will include temptation, and sometimes he will be corrupted by his power. David is far from perfect, but he strives to follow God. When he messes up, he repents and seeks God again with prayer.

God uses all of us for ministry in the world. We are not kings or queens, but we all have power we can use for good or for evil. We all face temptation and choices, so let's follow David's example of seeking the way forward with prayer.

God bless,
Sam

2 Samuel 7:1-20

Now when the king was settled in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, ²the king said to the prophet Nathan, “See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent.” ³Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that you have in mind; for the Lord is with you.”

⁴But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan: ⁵Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the Lord: Are you the one to build me a house to live in? ⁶I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle. ⁷Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?” ⁸Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel; ⁹and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. ¹⁰And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly, ¹¹from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies.

Moreover the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. ¹²When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹³He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. ¹⁴I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. When he commits iniquity, I will punish him with a rod such as mortals use, with blows inflicted by human beings. ¹⁵But I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. ¹⁶Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever. ¹⁷In accordance with all these words and with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.

¹⁸Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? ¹⁹And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord God; you have spoken also of your servant’s house for a great while to come. May this be instruction for the people, O Lord God! ²⁰And what more can David say to you? For you know your servant, O Lord God!

trouble in the garden

Good evening brothers and sisters,
Today's story is the story of Adam and Eve and the serpent. This story is also often called the story of the fall. Notice that the woman hadn't yet been created when God told Adam not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Also, as Susan Dennis pointed out, the woman wouldn't know that there was such a thing as lying, making her very vulnerable to the serpent's temptation.
Blessings on your day,
Sam

Genesis 3:1-8

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?” ²The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; ³but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.’“ ⁴But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die; ⁵for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

⁶So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. ⁷Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves. ⁸They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

⁹But the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” ¹⁰He said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.” ¹¹He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” ¹²The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate.” ¹³Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent tricked me, and I ate.”

¹⁴The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you among all animals and among all wild creatures; upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. ¹⁵I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.” ¹⁶To the woman he said, “I will greatly increase your pangs in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children, yet your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.”

¹⁷And to the man he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life; ¹⁸thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. ¹⁹By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

exile

Good morning friends,
Today's reading is the follow up to Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit in the Garden. God sends them out of the Garden to make their own way in the world since they have chosen independence rather than continuing intimacy with God. The result is that we no longer stroll in the Garden with God and we have to work hard to make our living. We are dust, taken from the earth and returning to the earth at the end of our lives. Not only are we separated from God, we are also separated from each other: God talks about the man ruling over woman as he struggles for food. Authority, power, struggle with nature and more are the marks of our separation from God. Fortunately, God hates being separated from us, so God sent Jesus to bring us back home.

Blessings,
Sam

Genesis 3:14-24

¹⁴The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you among all animals and among all wild creatures; upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. ¹⁵I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”

¹⁶To the woman he said, “I will greatly increase your pangs in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children, yet your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” ¹⁷And to the man he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life; ¹⁸thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. ¹⁹By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

²⁰The man named his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all living. ²¹And the Lord God made garments of skins for the man and for his wife, and clothed them. ²²Then the Lord God said, “See, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— ²³therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken. ²⁴He drove out the man; and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim, and a sword flaming and turning to guard the way to the tree of life.

temptation

Good morning friends,
Sorry for the break in daily readings; I'm finding it challenging to put all the readings together in our new reading schedule. Once I get the hang of something new it will be easier. Today's reading is the known as "The Fall," the story of Adam and Eve turning away from God's one command in the Garden of Eden. Before this moment Adam and Eve didn't feel any distance between themselves and God. It's hard to even imagine what that would be like. It's interesting too that it only takes a few minutes of their new knowledge to learn to blame others for their mistakes. The feeling of separation from God is simply a part of our reality now. We can't give back the knowledge of good and evil, but we can seek unity with God and accept God's grace to bring us home.

God bless,
Sam

Genesis 3:1-13

1Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?” ²The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; ³but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.’“ ⁴But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die; ⁵for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

⁶So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. ⁷Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves. ⁸They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

⁹But the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” ¹⁰He said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.” ¹¹He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” ¹²The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate.” ¹³Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent tricked me, and I ate.”

praying in the garden

Good morning brothers and sisters,
Since we're following the theme of prayer this week, you'll notice we're skipping around a lot. We move way ahead in the story of Jesus to the night of his last supper with the disciples and his arrest. Jesus spent time in prayer before his arrest. He prayed that his path might not go through the suffering and death he was preparing for. His prayer also helped him prepare for that path by allowing him to talk to his father and claim the choice that led to the cross. That way, when the soldiers came to arrest him he felt like he was following a choice rather than being forced into suffering.
May your prayer today strengthen you for the path ahead,
Sam

Luke 22:39-46

³⁹He came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples followed him. ⁴⁰When he reached the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not come into the time of trial.” ⁴¹Then he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and prayed, ⁴²“Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet, not my will but yours be done.” ⁴³Then an angel from heaven appeared to him and gave him strength. ⁴⁴In his anguish he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground. ⁴⁵When he got up from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping because of grief, ⁴⁶and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not come into the time of trial.”

temptation

Good morning brothers and sisters,
God warns Moses about the people who live in the Promised Land now. God commands Israel to drive them out completely because otherwise they will be seduced by their worship and go astray from God. As things happen, foreign gods are a snare for Israel, but more in the temptation King Solomon faces because of his many marriages. The lesson here is not about warfare, but more about the risk of conforming to the culture around us. Christians are in danger today of following the gods of our culture (greed, security, success) instead of following the true God. That's a danger we always need to be aware of so we can stay on the right path.

God bless,
Sam

Exodus 34:10-17

10He said: I hereby make a covenant. Before all your people I will perform marvels, such as have not been performed in all the earth or in any nation; and all the people among whom you live shall see the work of the Lord; for it is an awesome thing that I will do with you.



11Observe what I command you today. See, I will drive out before you the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 12Take care not to make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land to which you are going, or it will become a snare among you. 13You shall tear down their altars, break their pillars, and cut down their sacred poles 14(for you shall worship no other god, because the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God).


15You shall not make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, for when they prostitute themselves to their gods and sacrifice to their gods, someone among them will invite you, and you will eat of the sacrifice. 16And you will take wives from among their daughters for your sons, and their daughters who prostitute themselves to their gods will make your sons also prostitute themselves to their gods. 17You shall not make cast idols.

predictions

Good night sisters and brothers,
Paul continues this 12th chapter with practical advice for living out the Christian faith. It is still good advice for us today. Right after Peter proclaimed that Jesus was the Messiah, Jesus called him the rock on which Christ would build the church. Even then, when Jesus starts talking about the cross, Peter becomes very uncomfortable. God’s rule doesn’t always look like we expect it to. How can we seek what God is doing now, seeking divine things instead of the human desires that surround us?

God bless,
Sam


Romans 12:9-21
9Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; 10love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. 11Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. 13Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.

14Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. 17Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. 18If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord”; 20No, if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads. 21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Matthew 16:21-28
21From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.” 23But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

24Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. 26For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?
27“For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. 28Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

law and sin

Good morning (or evening) sisters and brothers,
Paul has been talking about how the law used to bind us but now we are free in Christ. Today he anticipates a question: "Is the Law sin?" He firmly says it is not. In fact he recognizes God's law as holy and good. At the same time he also recognizes that the power of sin uses the law (like it uses most good things) to tempt us and capture us. The example he uses is coveting. He says he wouldn't even know what coveting was if it wasn't against the law. Once the law tells him that, sin leads him to desire all kinds of things that belong to others. Maybe you've had the same experience with kids: you tell them not to do something and it makes them want to do it so much more. The problem isn't that your rule is bad, but part of us wants to do things just because they are off limits. Of course the freedom we have in Christ can tempt us too, but that's a discussion for another day.
God bless,
Sam

Romans 7:7-14

7What then should we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet, if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” 8But sin, seizing an opportunity in the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. Apart from the law sin lies dead. 9I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived 10and I died, and the very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. 11For sin, seizing an opportunity in the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. 12So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and just and good. 13Did what is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, working death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure.

14For we know that the law is spiritual; but I am of the flesh, sold into slavery under sin.

crafty snake

Good morning brothers and sisters,
Today's story is familiar to most of us and also quite strange. As often as I have read it there are parts of the story that don't make sense to me. I don't understand why God didn't want the man and woman to eat from the tree, for instance. The serpent uses the fact that the man and woman are unsuspecting, as Susan D. pointed out, they wouldn't even know there was such a thing as deception. He makes them feel like God is holding something good back from them. With that angle he tries to pry the people away from their natural trust in God. The saddest part of the passage to me is that God strolls in the garden in the evening. Where the man and woman perhaps used to run out to greet their maker; now they hide from God. We still feel that distance, sometimes even that fear of God. But in Christ, God welcomes all of us back home with open arms.

God bless,
Sam

Genesis 3:1-8

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; 3but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.’“ 4But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die; 5for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”



6So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. 7Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves. 8They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

witnesses

Good morning sisters and brothers,
Today's reading takes us to the chief priests home where Jesus is condemned and abused. After many attempts to present false witnesses the leaders can't get two to agree and without two witnesses there could be no condemnation. Finally Caiaphas, the Chief Priest gets what he needs from Jesus. Here we also see Peter come to the test. He claimed in the Garden that he would rather die than deny Jesus. How do we stay faithful to God when we're tempted to deny our faith?

Blessings on your day,
Sam

Matthew 26:57-75

57Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas the high priest, in whose house the scribes and the elders had gathered. 58But Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest; and going inside, he sat with the guards in order to see how this would end. 59Now the chief priests and the whole council were looking for false testimony against Jesus so that they might put him to death, 60but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward 61and said, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.’” 62The high priest stood up and said, “Have you no answer? What is it that they testify against you?” 63But Jesus was silent.


Then the high priest said to him, “I put you under oath before the living God, tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.” 64Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, From now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 65Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has blasphemed! Why do we still need witnesses? You have now heard his blasphemy. 66What is your verdict?” They answered, “He deserves death.” 67Then they spat in his face and struck him; and some slapped him, 68saying, “Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Who is it that struck you?”


69Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant-girl came to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” 70But he denied it before all of them, saying, “I do not know what you are talking about.” 71When he went out to the porch, another servant-girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” 72Again he denied it with an oath, “I do not know the man.” 73After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you are also one of them, for your accent betrays you.” 74Then he began to curse, and he swore an oath, “I do not know the man!” At that moment the cock crowed. 75Then Peter remembered that Jesus had said: “Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.

flee from idols

Good morning sisters and brothers,
Today's reading continues Paul's thoughts on how all of Israel was part of God's people and God's calling, but not all of them kept the faith. Today he gives some specific examples of how our ancestors in the faith broke faith with God in the wilderness. The point is to warn us not to be complacent about our membership in the church of Christ, but instead to live our faith with commitment. There is joy in Christ's service; let us keep the faith.

God bless,
Sam

1 Corinthians 10:6-14

6Now these things occurred as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil as they did. 7Do not become idolaters as some of them did; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play.” 8We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents. 10And do not complain as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 11These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come. 12So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall. 13No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it. 14Therefore, my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols.

temptation

Good morning brothers and sisters,
First, I'd like you to keep Ted Miller's family in your prayers. Ted's funeral will be held today at Laurelton at 2 pm. I'm sure the family would appreciate your support today and in the weeks to come. I'd also like you to keep our presbytery in prayer as we meet today to discuss, among other things, an amendment to the constitution that would encourage better examinations of candidates for ministry and make it easier for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people God calls to ministry to be ordained. I pray we would consider these matters with love for each other.

Our story for this morning is about Jesus' temptation by Satan. Right after he was baptized and heard God's voice declaring him the son of God, the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness. He faces some interesting temptations relating to material needs, ministry and power. Do you find yourself facing similar temptations ever? How can Jesus' response to Satan help you stay faithful in the face of temptation?

God bless,
Sam

Matthew 4: 1-11

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. 3The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4But he answered, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”


5Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” 7Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 8Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; 9and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” 11Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.

rooted in the word

Good morning sisters and brothers,
Our Psalm reveals hints of trouble today. The psalmist feels like a stranger in his home and considers princes plotting against him. Sometimes the life of faith can feel like that; sometimes we have a sense that powerful interests are opposed to our faith individually or as a church. It has always been this way from Israel's slavery in Egypt to Christ's persecution and the persecution of the early church. Sometimes our hardest opposition comes from times when the world around us is accepting of our faith, at least in words. Acceptance tends to make us complacent and lets us imagine that the social order and the gospel have more in common than they really do.

Other times our hardest opposition is within us. We want to follow God's path; we want to meditate on the word, but we let other commitments get in the way. Often our temptations are so subtle we don't notice them as opposition, so we find ourselves gently drifting away from the path God calls us to follow. We pray that God would open our eyes so we can see the wonders of God's law; we pray God would open our hearts to feel a longing for the word; we pray God would open our minds to meditate on God's commandments. Then God's decrees will be our delight and our counselors as we grow strong, rooted in the word. As we talk about meditating on the commandments, I'd like to invite you to supper and scripture at Laurelton tonight and every Wednesday. We begin at 5:30 in Christler Hall with a wonderful supper, and share about an hour of fellowship and discussion of scripture. For the next several weeks we'll be taking a look at the Ten Commandments and how they can guide us today. Dinner is free, but you are welcome to make a donation towards the cost of food. I hope you'll join us and bring a friend.

God bless,
Sam

Psalm 119:17-24

17Deal bountifully with your servant, so that I may live and observe your word.
18Open my eyes, so that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.
19I live as an alien in the land; do not hide your commandments from me.
20My soul is consumed with longing for your ordinances at all times.
21You rebuke the insolent, accursed ones, who wander from your commandments;
22take away from me their scorn and contempt, for I have kept your decrees.
23Even though princes sit plotting against me, your servant will meditate on your statutes.
24Your decrees are my delight, they are my counselors.

a warning

Good morning,
Our reading today gives us Paul interpreting the Old Testament story of Israel wandering in the desert. He interprets passing through the sea as baptism (the cloud is the presence of God who travelled ahead of Israel as cloud by day and pillar of fire by night). He also talks about drinking the same spiritual drink, which refers to God providing water from a rock. The point of this comparison is to warn the Corinthians that even though they are part of the community of faith, sharing baptism and communion, they can still fall out of God's favor if they aren't faithful.

To follow this up Paul provides examples of the people of Israel failing to be faithful at times in their journey and suffering God's punishment as a result. It's interesting that Paul focuses on sexual immorality from the golden calf story in Exodus. While his reading of the text makes sense, that "play" in this situation probably means sex, the real issue in that episode was idolatry, which Paul only mentions briefly.

Paul doesn't just warn, though; he also encourages. He reminds the people that everyone faces temptation, but that God gives us a way out of temptation and the strength to endure it. That doesn't mean it's easy, but with God's help we can stand firm when we're tempted. A community of faith is a great asset in facing trials too, since our sisters and brothers can remind us of God's love when we can't feel it.

Blessings,
Sam

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3and all ate the same spiritual food, 4and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. 5Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, and they were struck down in the wilderness.

6Now these things occurred as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil as they did. 7Do not become idolaters as some of them did; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play.” 8We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents. 10And do not complain as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer.

11These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come. 12So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall. 13No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.