Something Good out of Nazareth?!?!

Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” John 1:46

Today is the day the Church has set aside to honor St. Bartholomew (also known as Nathanael in the book of John). Bartholomew’s road to becoming a disciple of Jesus first included some doubts. Bartholomew was one among many who seems to have expected that the Messiah would come from somewhere a little more highly regarded than Nazareth. “Can anything good come out of Nazarth?” Bartholomew asked Philip. Bartholomew would soon find out that indeed the very Son of God would come out of Nazareth!

We too, may have doubts about the ways of God from time to time. We often times think in the ways of the world, which are completely opposite from God’s ways. True glory is not found in wealth, riches, status, or hometown. True glory is found in humility and service – which is exactly what Jesus came to do. In humility Christ came to serve as the once and for all perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world.

God’s ways are not our ways and sometimes this causes us to lose heart. But may the Holy Spirit continue to strengthen and nurture our faith that we can boldly confess of Jesus along with Bartholomew, “You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel.”

Can You Hear Me Now?

“The sheep hear His voice, and He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out.  When He has brought out all His own, He goes before them, and they follow Him, for they know His voice.”  John 10:3-4

Most of us remember the old Verizon Wireless commercial.  The one where the guy walks around to various places where a phone normally wouldn’t work – where the voice message would be unclear or dropped all together such as in stores, in valleys, and way out in the middle of nowhere.  As he goes further and further away from the main connection, he asks, “Can you hear me now?”  And getting the affirmation that he has been heard loud and clear, he responds, “good!”

God’s Word gives us a renewed clarity – clearer than any Verizon cell phone – we serve a risen Shepherd!  He is alive and He is still speaking to us as the Christ.  And when He speaks it is clear and precise.  He is our shepherd, and by the grace flowing from His work on the cross and the empty tomb, we are His sheep!

As sheep of the Good Shepherd we listen to His voice in His promises found in Scripture.  We rely on the promises made in our Baptism that made us sheep of the Good Shepherd.  This equips and enables us to hear our Good Shepherd’s voice through anything that life throws our way.

When the storms of life are raging, the Shepherd says, “Can you hear Me now?”  When we’re down to our last dime, the Shepherd says, “Can you hear Me now?”  When the doctors have given up and said there is nothing left to do, the Shepherd says, “Can you hear Me now?”  When we come to a crossroads in life, the Shepherd says, “Can you hear Me now?”  And the Shepherd says to us once again today: “My sheep listen to My voice; I know them and they follow Me.  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of My hand.”

Thanks be to God – for we are sheep of the Good Shepherd.  Because of the words and actions of our Shepherd, we are His sheep.  And by those same words and deeds, may we be strengthened to listen and follow Him now and for all eternity!

A Lightbulb Moment

Have you ever had a moment where an idea or an answer just came to you out of nowhere?   A moment, where if you were in a cartoon – a little light bulb would turn on over your head?  We call a moment like that an epiphany.

This Friday is Epiphany in the church year.  In much the same way as we speak of today, “the light bulb went on” for the wise men.  Instead of a cartoon light bulb flashing on over their heads, their inspiration came from a special star that arose in the sky.  Through that sign, these men were now made aware of the greatest gift that mankind was ever given – the gift of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  The wise men were no longer in the dark about the coming of the Savior, but instead it was revealed to them where the Savior was born – the Savior who is the King of the Jews.

As Christians, we have all had this epiphany – this knowledge of the Savior born for us, through the working of the Holy Spirit.  Unfortunately though, there are still many in the world today who are left in the dark.  Therefore, it is our mission as the Lord’s church to share the Light – Jesus Christ – with those who don’t yet know Him.  It is a great privilege and joy that we have to share the Good News of Jesus in every opportunity we have.  We can do this joyfully and confidently, knowing that the Holy Spirit will work through our sharing of the Word to provide an “epiphany” to those who have yet to see the light of Christ in their lives.

May the Holy Spirit strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ, the Light of the world, and work through us to bring this light into our workplace, our school, our homes, our activities, and everywhere we go in Jesus name!

God at Work

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,

for those who are called according to His purpose.

Romans 8:28

A third grade Sunday School teacher was making the point with her class that God was omnipotent – that He was able to do anything.  She asked the class, “Is there anything that you can think of that God cannot do?”  There was silence.  Then one little boy held up his hand.  Somewhat frustrated that the point had been lost on this little boy, she asked, “Well, just what is it that God can’t do?”  “Well,” replied the boy, “He can’t please everybody!”

As sinful human beings, its easy for us to blame God when we’re not happy or when things aren’t going the way we think they should.  When we’ve prayed for something and haven’t gotten the answer we’ve been looking for, it’s tempting to be displeased with God.

In the midst of difficult times when we become displeased with God, we need to be directed back to God’s Word.  In His Word, God gives us His sure and certain promises that we can hold onto no matter what we face in life.  One of these promises is found in Romans 8:28, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.”  Even in the most difficult of times, God is at work for our very best!

Not only is God at work for our very best, He’s also given us His very best.  God has given us the tremendous gift of His one and only Son, Jesus Christ.  Through His life, death, and resurrection we have the forgiveness of our sins and the promise of eternal life.  Later on in Romans 8 we are told that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus! 

These are the sure and certain promises of God that we can hold onto no matter what we face in life!

Remember

My soul also is greatly troubled.  But you, O Lord, how long?  Turn, O Lord, deliver my life; save me for the sake of your steadfast love…The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord accepts my prayer.  All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled; they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment.

Psalm 6:3-4, 9-10

 

Memorial Day serves as a great time to remember and honor those currently serving in our nation’s military, those who have served, and those who have paid the ultimate price for our freedom.  We thank God for their service!

 

Memorial Day causes all of us who live in this country to stop and reflect on the blessings of freedom that God Himself has passed on to us through the generations.  It is also a day to remember the One who laid down His life for us so that those who have laid theirs down for this Nation may reclaim it for eternity through their belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  And we pray to God that no life given in the defense of this country is ever given in vain because God is working through this Nation, this freedom, and this people, to share the truth of Jesus Christ as Savior – as we work every day to be one Nation under One God and Savior.

 

There will be many stories of remembrance shared this weekend about all our nation’s historic battles from the Civil War to the wars we are currently fighting in the Middle East.  In all of those battles - under great duress - heroes stepped forward, history was made, freedom was secured, and our Nation prevailed.  We need to remember the lives of the men and women who have gone before us.  Many go unremembered and some have only been vaguely considered in these many years.  It is far too easy to forget.

 

There is one battle that we, as people of God, must never forget:  The battle on the hill called Calvary.  That battle makes a difference in all the rest of our daily battles; it makes a difference as we face the uncertainty of terrorist threats; it makes a difference in our grief and in our joy; it makes a difference in our temptation and in our tears; it makes a difference in our remembrance and in our rejoicing.

 

The sacrifice of Christ on the cross, and His victorious resurrection brought the greatest hope and freedom to the world.  Julia Ward Howe’s Battle Hymn of the Republic speaks of this in stanza four: “In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea, With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me; As He died to make men holy, let us live to make men free, While God is marching on.”  Thank God for Good Friday and Easter!  They are to be remembered, revered, and proclaimed as the greatest of all memorial days - for Christ is Risen!  He reigns on high as King of kings and Lord of lords.  One day every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord to the glory of God.  Until then, we remember and rejoice.

 

Amazing Grace

“For by grace you have been saved through faith.  And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one may boast.”  Ephesians 2:8-9

The one word that may best describe what our entire lives as Christians is all about is - GRACE.  Grace is the unmerited favor of God – God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense.  It is this grace that enables us to have the peace, joy, comfort, and everything we need!

We are reconciled – or at peace – with God because of what Jesus did for us through His perfect life, sacrificial death, and victorious resurrection.  Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”  Peace is certainly ours – and its ours by Grace!

Joy has its source in Grace!  True and lasting joy is found in the gracious gift of Jesus Christ – our Savior from sin, death, and the power of the devil.  Without the precious gift of Jesus, the joys of this life would be temporary and fleeting.  But thanks to Jesus, we have a joy that lasts into all eternity – and its all because of GRACE!

We also have the comfort that comes from forgiveness.  We have been forgiven by a God who holds no record of our many sins, but instead loves us unconditionally.  Psalm 103:11-12 says, “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” Micah 7:18-19 says, “Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance?  He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love.  He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot.  You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.”  God delights to love us and to forgive us – for we are His precious creation!

Truly, in Christ we have everything we need for this life and all eternity – so rejoice in God’s amazing gift of grace!

 

I Think I Can't!

“I will put My Spirit in you and you will live...then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.”

Ezekiel 37:14 

One of the most beloved children’s books of all time tells the story of a little train that faced obstacle after obstacle but it finally mustered up enough courage, strength and fortitude to steam up the track saying, “I think I can.  I think I can.  I think I can.”  At that point, the little train conquered its fears and inadequacies and the train powered itself to do all the things it could never do before.  That story recalls the human spirit - something deep within that drives a person to overcome failure to be a success.  Our human nature likes this story because it gives hope that the underdog can become champion.  It’s the American rags to riches story.  All WE have to do is get in touch with our inner spirit and we will succeed.

This story pumps us up with the thought we can do anything if we just set our mind to it.  But on the Day of Pentecost, which we celebrate this Sunday - God reveals a completely different story.  We confess that we CANNOT by our own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ or even come to Him. There is NOTHING within us - no inner spirit - that can break the bond of our sinful nature and come to a saving relationship with Jesus.  That’s why Jesus promised to send the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Helper, the Counselor, because apart from the Vine we can do NOTHING.

If you ask someone to define the Holy Spirit, you may hear anything from a “feeling” to a “presence” to a “ghost” to a vague “something or another.”  But through the Bible, we know exactly who the Spirit is.  The Holy Spirit is God continuing His saving work in our midst through the Third Person of the Trinity.  The Holy Spirit calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies us in the one true faith.  He lives in us, works through us, and makes us followers of Christ so that other disciples can be made.

May the grace, mercy and peace of God so fill us with His Spirit that we may know the life God has in mind for us.