Good evening friends,
Sorry
this is getting out so late today. Since Advent is about waiting and
preparing for Jesus, and especially since Sunday's sermon is about
making time to wait when the world seems like it's moving too fast, I
thought some Psalm's about waiting would be appropriate. Today's Psalm
is about trusting God to take care of us. The closing stanza is a word
of hope for many people in tough or confusing times. God says to us, "Be
still and know that I am God."
It's
hard to be still when everything is in motion. It's hard to know that
God is God when everything seems uncertain. But when we just trust God
to be God, it takes an enormous weight off our shoulders. When we trust
God, we realize that a lot of our worry comes from trying to take God's
place in different areas of our lives. God is God, and we are in God's
hands. Don't you feel more relaxed just remembering that?
God bless,
Sam
Psalm 46:1-11
1God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
3though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult.
4There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. 5God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved; God will help it when the morning dawns.
6The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts.
7The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.
8Come, behold the works of the Lord; see what desolations he has brought on the earth. 9He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.
10“Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.” 11The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.
Showing posts with label trusting God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label trusting God. Show all posts
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Monday, November 21, 2011
confidence
Good morning brothers and sisters,
Paul rejoices in the faith of the Ephesian Christians and prays that their faith will keep growing. He tells them he hopes God will give them wisdom to see the power and glory Christ will have when he returns. Being confident of God's love and power helps us to stand firm in our faith when life and ministry are difficult. So I join my prayer with Paul's that we would all be full of God's wisdom and confident in God's power.
Blessings on your week,
Sam
Paul rejoices in the faith of the Ephesian Christians and prays that their faith will keep growing. He tells them he hopes God will give them wisdom to see the power and glory Christ will have when he returns. Being confident of God's love and power helps us to stand firm in our faith when life and ministry are difficult. So I join my prayer with Paul's that we would all be full of God's wisdom and confident in God's power.
Blessings on your week,
Sam
Ephesians 1:15-23
15I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason 16I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. 17I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, 18so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, 19and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. 20God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. 22And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, 23which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Stephen's faithfulness in trouble
Good morning friends,
Here Stephen concludes his defense with the critique that has been building throughout his speech. The leaders, like their ancestors, have not followed God's calling. Instead they rejected the prophets sent to correct them. They rejected the prophets who foretold Jesus and now have rejected Jesus himself. After delivering this message, to no one's surprise, Stephen is executed. Notice the parallels with Christ's death.
Our Psalm is a prayer of trust in God in hard times. If you're having a tough day or week, this is a good place to turn to remember that others have walked in trouble before and God will be with you.
Blessings on your Sunday,
Sam
Acts 7:51-60
51”You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you are forever opposing the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do. 52Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, and now you have become his betrayers and murderers. 53You are the ones that received the law as ordained by angels, and yet you have not kept it.”
54When they heard these things, they became enraged and ground their teeth at Stephen.
55But filled with the Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56“Look,” he said, “I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” 57But they covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him. 58Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him; and the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60Then he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he died.
*Sunday
Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16
1 In you, O LORD, I seek refuge;
do not let me ever be put to shame;
in your righteousness deliver me.
2 Incline your ear to me;
rescue me speedily.
Be a rock of refuge for me,
a strong fortress to save me.
3 You are indeed my rock and my fortress;
for your name’s sake lead me and guide me,
4 take me out of the net that is hidden for me,
for you are my refuge.
5 Into your hand I commit my spirit;
you have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God
15 My times are in your hand;
deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors.
16 Let your face shine upon your servant;
save me in your steadfast love.
Here Stephen concludes his defense with the critique that has been building throughout his speech. The leaders, like their ancestors, have not followed God's calling. Instead they rejected the prophets sent to correct them. They rejected the prophets who foretold Jesus and now have rejected Jesus himself. After delivering this message, to no one's surprise, Stephen is executed. Notice the parallels with Christ's death.
Our Psalm is a prayer of trust in God in hard times. If you're having a tough day or week, this is a good place to turn to remember that others have walked in trouble before and God will be with you.
Blessings on your Sunday,
Sam
Acts 7:51-60
51”You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you are forever opposing the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do. 52Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, and now you have become his betrayers and murderers. 53You are the ones that received the law as ordained by angels, and yet you have not kept it.”
54When they heard these things, they became enraged and ground their teeth at Stephen.
55But filled with the Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56“Look,” he said, “I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” 57But they covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him. 58Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him; and the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60Then he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he died.
*Sunday
Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16
1 In you, O LORD, I seek refuge;
do not let me ever be put to shame;
in your righteousness deliver me.
2 Incline your ear to me;
rescue me speedily.
Be a rock of refuge for me,
a strong fortress to save me.
3 You are indeed my rock and my fortress;
for your name’s sake lead me and guide me,
4 take me out of the net that is hidden for me,
for you are my refuge.
5 Into your hand I commit my spirit;
you have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God
15 My times are in your hand;
deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors.
16 Let your face shine upon your servant;
save me in your steadfast love.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
threats and trust
Good morning all,
First a reminder that tonight from 6:00 to 8:00 and tomorrow evening from 6:30 to 8:00 we'll be sharing our living nativity scene with the community at Laurelton. In addition to sharing the story of Christ's birth with our neighbors, we will also share refreshments and fellowship with folks in the narthex. Sunday we will also have evening worship at 7. This is a great weekend to get involved.
Today's passage is a bit confusing. There are four major political figures in the scene; the year is about 735 BCE. At this point the nation of Israel is divided into the northern kingdom, Israel and the southern kingdom, Judah. The capital of Israel is Samaria and Pekah, the son of Remaliah, is the king of Israel. Ephraim is a tribe of Israel and is sometimes used in the Bible as another title for the kingdom. The capital of Judah is Jerusalem with Ahaz, son of Jotham and descendant of David as its king. To Israel's north is Aram or Syria. Syria's king is Resin and its capital is Damascus. These are all pretty small kingdoms, but Israel and especially Judah are the center of the biblical story of this period. To the east of these kingdoms is the large empire of Assyria. Rezin and Pekah (Syria/Aram and Israel) allied with some of the other local kingdoms to defend themselves against Assyrian power. They tried to persuade Judah to be part of this alliance, but without success. This invasion seems to have been part of that persuasion. I tried without much success to find a decent map to attach to make this clearer. Your Bible may have one that helps you see this situation clearly.
Isaiah comes to King Ahaz in Jerusalem to encourage him to stand firm and trust in God. It seems that Ahaz wanted to ally with Assyria, but Isaiah advises him to simply trust in God and steer clear of political alliances. Isaiah tells Ahaz that both Syria/Aram and Israel will be conquered, and indeed, in 722 Israel is defeated by Assyria and the people are take captive. The threats we face always change, but holding on to God in the midst of trouble is always our calling.
God bless,
Sam
Isaiah 7:1-9
In the days of Ahaz son of Jotham son of Uzziah, king of Judah, King Rezin of Aram and King Pekah son of Remaliah of Israel went up to attack Jerusalem, but could not mount an attack against it. 2When the house of David heard that Aram had allied itself with Ephraim, the heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind.
3Then the Lord said to Isaiah, Go out to meet Ahaz, you and your son Shear-jashub, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Fuller’s Field, 4and say to him, Take heed, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint because of these two smoldering stumps of firebrands, because of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and the son of Remaliah. 5Because Aram—with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah—has plotted evil against you, saying, 6Let us go up against Judah and cut off Jerusalem and conquer it for ourselves and make the son of Tabeel king in it; 7therefore thus says the Lord God: It shall not stand, and it shall not come to pass. 8For the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. (Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be shattered, no longer a people.) 9The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you do not stand firm in faith, you shall not stand at all.
First a reminder that tonight from 6:00 to 8:00 and tomorrow evening from 6:30 to 8:00 we'll be sharing our living nativity scene with the community at Laurelton. In addition to sharing the story of Christ's birth with our neighbors, we will also share refreshments and fellowship with folks in the narthex. Sunday we will also have evening worship at 7. This is a great weekend to get involved.
Today's passage is a bit confusing. There are four major political figures in the scene; the year is about 735 BCE. At this point the nation of Israel is divided into the northern kingdom, Israel and the southern kingdom, Judah. The capital of Israel is Samaria and Pekah, the son of Remaliah, is the king of Israel. Ephraim is a tribe of Israel and is sometimes used in the Bible as another title for the kingdom. The capital of Judah is Jerusalem with Ahaz, son of Jotham and descendant of David as its king. To Israel's north is Aram or Syria. Syria's king is Resin and its capital is Damascus. These are all pretty small kingdoms, but Israel and especially Judah are the center of the biblical story of this period. To the east of these kingdoms is the large empire of Assyria. Rezin and Pekah (Syria/Aram and Israel) allied with some of the other local kingdoms to defend themselves against Assyrian power. They tried to persuade Judah to be part of this alliance, but without success. This invasion seems to have been part of that persuasion. I tried without much success to find a decent map to attach to make this clearer. Your Bible may have one that helps you see this situation clearly.
Isaiah comes to King Ahaz in Jerusalem to encourage him to stand firm and trust in God. It seems that Ahaz wanted to ally with Assyria, but Isaiah advises him to simply trust in God and steer clear of political alliances. Isaiah tells Ahaz that both Syria/Aram and Israel will be conquered, and indeed, in 722 Israel is defeated by Assyria and the people are take captive. The threats we face always change, but holding on to God in the midst of trouble is always our calling.
God bless,
Sam
Isaiah 7:1-9
In the days of Ahaz son of Jotham son of Uzziah, king of Judah, King Rezin of Aram and King Pekah son of Remaliah of Israel went up to attack Jerusalem, but could not mount an attack against it. 2When the house of David heard that Aram had allied itself with Ephraim, the heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind.
3Then the Lord said to Isaiah, Go out to meet Ahaz, you and your son Shear-jashub, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Fuller’s Field, 4and say to him, Take heed, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint because of these two smoldering stumps of firebrands, because of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and the son of Remaliah. 5Because Aram—with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah—has plotted evil against you, saying, 6Let us go up against Judah and cut off Jerusalem and conquer it for ourselves and make the son of Tabeel king in it; 7therefore thus says the Lord God: It shall not stand, and it shall not come to pass. 8For the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. (Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be shattered, no longer a people.) 9The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you do not stand firm in faith, you shall not stand at all.
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