goodbye, part 2

Good morning sisters and brothers,
Today's reading is the conclusion of Paul's goodbye with the leaders of the Christian community in Ephesus. It's hard to imagine him facing his death and saying what he knows is a final goodbye. Notice how he warns them of the challenges they will face in the future. Our relationships are always precious, and we never know what will happen next. That's a calling to say what we need to say when we can and to treat each other with the love we have.

God bless,
Sam

Acts 20:25-38

25 ‘And now I know that none of you, among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom, will ever see my face again. ²⁶Therefore I declare to you this day that I am not responsible for the blood of any of you, ²⁷for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God. ²⁸Keep watch over yourselves and over all the flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God that he obtained with the blood of his own Son.

²⁹I know that after I have gone, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. ³⁰Some even from your own group will come distorting the truth in order to entice the disciples to follow them. ³¹Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to warn everyone with tears. ³²And now I commend you to God and to the message of his grace, a message that is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all who are sanctified. ³³I coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothing. ³⁴You know for yourselves that I worked with my own hands to support myself and my companions. ³⁵In all this I have given you an example that by such work we must support the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, for he himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” ’

36 When he had finished speaking, he knelt down with them all and prayed. ³⁷There was much weeping among them all; they embraced Paul and kissed him, ³⁸grieving especially because of what he had said, that they would not see him again. Then they brought him to the ship.

goodbye, part 2

Good morning sisters and brothers,
Today's reading is the conclusion of Paul's goodbye with the leaders of the Christian community in Ephesus. It's hard to imagine him facing his death and saying what he knows is a final goodbye. Notice how he warns them of the challenges they will face in the future. Our relationships are always precious, and we never know what will happen next. That's a calling to say what we need to say when we can and to treat each other with the love we have.

God bless,
Sam

Acts 20:25-38

25 ‘And now I know that none of you, among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom, will ever see my face again. ²⁶Therefore I declare to you this day that I am not responsible for the blood of any of you, ²⁷for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God. ²⁸Keep watch over yourselves and over all the flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God that he obtained with the blood of his own Son.

²⁹I know that after I have gone, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. ³⁰Some even from your own group will come distorting the truth in order to entice the disciples to follow them. ³¹Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to warn everyone with tears. ³²And now I commend you to God and to the message of his grace, a message that is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all who are sanctified. ³³I coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothing. ³⁴You know for yourselves that I worked with my own hands to support myself and my companions. ³⁵In all this I have given you an example that by such work we must support the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, for he himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” ’

36 When he had finished speaking, he knelt down with them all and prayed. ³⁷There was much weeping among them all; they embraced Paul and kissed him, ³⁸grieving especially because of what he had said, that they would not see him again. Then they brought him to the ship.

preparing for persecution

Good morning brothers and sisters,
Jesus warns his disciples that the mission he is giving them will not be easy. Persecution will come with sharing and living the good news of God's love. In the midst of persecution they will be able to lean on the Holy Spirit, who will guide them. Following Jesus is not about having our way, but about following the way of Jesus, no matter what.
Blessings as you seek God's way today,
Sam

Matthew 10:16-23

16“See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; 18and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles. 19When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; 20for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.



21Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; 22and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 23When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly I tell you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

Balm in Gilead

Good morning brothers and sisters,
Jeremiah is sometimes known as the weeping prophet, and this passage gives us a good example of why. Jeremiah and other prophets were often accused of wishing harm on Israel, of disrespecting the king or the temple. We see similar accusations when citizens protest government policies and are accused of being unpatriotic. The truth is, Jeremiah loved his people; he loved the temple. But he also saw the disaster the people were bringing on themselves, so he had to warn them. Here we see how deeply he feels his people's pain. We see that delivering messages of doom is painful for him, even though he knows it is his responsibility.

We also see Jeremiah's famous question: "Is there no balm in Gilead?" During slavery African American Christians who knew that God had not abandoned them answered that question with the song most of us know well. Even in that dark time those Christians knew God would send hope and healing. There is a balm in Gilead; even after disaster God brings new life.

God bless,
Sam

Jeremiah 8:18-9:1
18My joy is gone, grief is upon me, my heart is sick. 19Hark, the cry of my poor people from far and wide in the land: "Is the LORD not in Zion? Is her King not in her?" ("Why have they provoked me to anger with their images, with their foreign idols?") 20"The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved." 21For the hurt of my poor people I am hurt, I mourn, and dismay has taken hold of me. 22Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of my poor people not been restored?
1 O that my head were a spring of water, and my eyes a fountain of tears, so that I might weep day and night for the slain of my poor people!

repeating himself

Good morning friends,
If you're feeling a little warn down by Jeremiah's message, you are not alone. It seems we keep hearing the same words of judgment in different ways again and again. There's a joke about a new pastor at a church. Her first Sunday in the pulpit she preached an incredibly powerful sermon that simply riveted the whole congregation. When the sermon ended the search committee congratulated each other and there were ripples of joy throughout the church. The next week, to everyone's surprise, the pastor preached the same sermon. It was still a powerful message and people remarked that they had noticed insights that they hadn't caught the first time. The third week, lo and behold, she preached the exact same sermon again. People were becoming confused and a bit doubtful. One brave member approached the pastor on the way out of the sanctuary and said, "Now pastor, we can tell you're a strong preacher and we're glad to have you here. I'm just a little bit confused about why you've preached the same sermon three weeks running." The pastor answered, "As soon as you start living the first sermon, I'll move on to another one."

Jeremiah must have felt like the pastor in the joke. He was tired of sharing the same message too. At the same time, he couldn't do anything but warn the people again and again, and his warnings fell on deaf ears. Some people did listen; Jeremiah had a few allies among the powerful and also had a faithful assistant in his work. For the most part though, the political and religious leaders went on with business as usual. The oppression of the poor continued; the search for an alliance with Egypt to protect Judah from Assyria and Babylon continued; the ceremonial worship of God continued while there was still widespread idolatry. All Jeremiah could do is share the message God gives him. The question that hangs in the background throughout this book is, "Will the people respond?" What will our answer be today?

God bless,
Sam

Jeremiah 4:22-28
21How long must I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet? 22“For my people are foolish, they do not know me; they are stupid children, they have no understanding. They are skilled in doing evil, but do not know how to do good.” 23I looked on the earth, and lo, it was waste and void; and to the heavens, and they had no light. 24I looked on the mountains, and lo, they were quaking, and all the hills moved to and fro. 25I looked, and lo, there was no one at all, and all the birds of the air had fled. 26I looked, and lo, the fruitful land was a desert, and all its cities were laid in ruins before the Lord, before his fierce anger.

27For thus says the Lord: The whole land shall be a desolation; yet I will not make a full end. 28Because of this the earth shall mourn, and the heavens above grow black; for I have spoken, I have purposed; I have not relented nor will I turn back.

warning and rejection

Good morning brothers and sisters,
Today's reading finds Jeremiah again facing opposition from the leaders in Jerusalem. Jeremiah calls out to God, pointing out that his ministry has been to protect the people of Judah but they have ignored his message and persecuted him. Jeremiah shouldn't be surprised that his message hasn't been well received; people rarely want to hear that they are living the wrong way and that their actions will bring disaster on them. We often need to hear what we don't want to hear. We need to know when we're on the wrong path so we can change direction. Most of the religious leaders weren't ready to hear that, so instead they opposed Jeremiah. I pray we would be open to hear the truth even when it hurts but that we would not give way to Jeremiah's bitterness when our words are ignored.

God bless,
Sam

Jeremiah 18:18-23
18Then they said, “Come, let us make plots against Jeremiah—for instruction shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, let us bring charges against him, and let us not heed any of his words.” 19Give heed to me, O Lord, and listen to what my adversaries say! 20Is evil a recompense for good? Yet they have dug a pit for my life. Remember how I stood before you to speak good for them, to turn away your wrath from them.

21Therefore give their children over to famine; hurl them out to the power of the sword, let their wives become childless and widowed. May their men meet death by pestilence, their youths be slain by the sword in battle. 22May a cry be heard from their houses, when you bring the marauder suddenly upon them! For they have dug a pit to catch me, and laid snares for my feet. 23Yet you, O Lord, know all their plotting to kill me. Do not forgive their iniquity, do not blot out their sin from your sight. Let them be tripped up before you; deal with them while you are angry.

warning and prayer

Good morning sisters and brothers,
Today we basically hear Jeremiah in prayer. We see both his trust in God and a glimpse of the hardship he faced. Jeremiah struggled with his identity as a prophet, called to speak the word of God. That was often not a word that was welcome and sometimes Jeremiah didn't want to do it, but he couldn't escape his calling. He also dealt with persecution from friends and from the authorities, both religious and political. His calling was a difficult one, which explains the harshness of his words in this passage.

We hear Jeremiah relaying an accusation of not preaching the word of the Lord and Jeremiah defends himself. He says he has been a shepherd in God's service but he hasn't "desired the fatal day." That's kind of a weird phrase, but I think it means that he hasn't wished harm on his people, even though he's often warned them of danger ahead. People accused Jeremiah of preaching fear: Jeremiah's response is that he doesn't want harm to come to people, but he does need to give fair warning. I pray we would not turn away from our calling either, even when that takes us where we'd rather not go.

God bless,
Sam

Jeremiah 17:12-18

12O glorious throne, exalted from the beginning, shrine of our sanctuary! 13O hope of Israel! O Lord! All who forsake you shall be put to shame; those who turn away from you shall be recorded in the underworld, for they have forsaken the fountain of living water, the Lord.



14Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved; for you are my praise. 15See how they say to me, “Where is the word of the Lord? Let it come!” 16But I have not run away from being a shepherd in your service, nor have I desired the fatal day. You know what came from my lips; it was before your face. 17Do not become a terror to me; you are my refuge in the day of disaster; 18Let my persecutors be shamed, but do not let me be shamed; let them be dismayed, but do not let me be dismayed; bring on them the day of disaster; destroy them with double destruction!

more warnings and farewell's

Good morning friends,
Today Paul and his companions continue their journey stopping to change ships and to see friends. We meet Philip again, one of the original deacons and the evangelist to the Ethiopian eunuch among others. More than once believers speaking by the Holy Spirit tell Paul that he will come to harm in Jerusalem, but he persists on his course.

It’s interesting that several times earlier in his ministry he has been warned either by God or by others to avoid and even flee from some kinds of danger. Now similar warnings don’t deter him. It seems God has told him his time has come. If we remember back to Paul’s conversion God told Ananias, “I myself will show him how much he must suffer for my name” and that Paul would bring Jesus’ name before kings and rulers. Now is the time for that prophecy to come true.

God bless,
Sam

Acts 21:1-14
21:1
When we had parted from them and set sail, we came by a straight course to Cos, and the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara. 2When we found a ship bound for Phoenicia, we went on board and set sail. 3We came in sight of Cyprus; and leaving it on our left, we sailed to Syria and landed at Tyre, because the ship was to unload its cargo there. 4We looked up the disciples and stayed there for seven days. Through the Spirit they told Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. 5When our days there were ended, we left and proceeded on our journey; and all of them, with wives and children, escorted us outside the city. There we knelt down on the beach and prayed 6and said farewell to one another. Then we went on board the ship, and they returned home. 7When we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais; and we greeted the believers and stayed with them for one day.

8The next day we left and came to Caesarea; and we went into the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the seven, and stayed with him. 9He had four unmarried daughters who had the gift of prophecy. 10While we were staying there for several days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11He came to us and took Paul’s belt, bound his own feet and hands with it, and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘This is the way the Jews in Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’” 12When we heard this, we and the people there urged him not to go up to Jerusalem. 13Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 14Since he would not be persuaded, we remained silent except to say, “The Lord’s will be done.”

The Spirit's warnings

Good evening friends,
Sorry for getting this out so late today; I just forgot to do it before I left the house this morning. This reading continues Paul’s conversation with the elders from Ephesus. Here his sense of the future comes into focus clearly. He faces uncertainty, but by the Spirit he expects to face persecution and imprisonment. He faces the situation with faith, hoping that God will keep him faithful in the trials he will face.

He uses his visit not only to remind them of his example but also to tell them that since his race is almost run it is time for them to step up in leadership. He reminds them of their commission to oversee Christ’s flock that has been committed to their care. I pray when God sends us trials we would face them with the courage and faith Paul shows here.

God bless,
Sam

Acts 20:22-28

22And now, as a captive to the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and persecutions are waiting for me. 24But I do not count my life of any value to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news of God’s grace.

25“And now I know that none of you, among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom, will ever see my face again. 26Therefore I declare to you this day that I am not responsible for the blood of any of you, 27for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God. 28Keep watch over yourselves and over all the flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God that he obtained with the blood of his own Son.