Nov. 29, , 2015 Advent 1

Luke 21:25-28  (The Message)

25-26 “It will seem like all hell has broken loose—sun, moon, stars, earth, sea, in an uproar and everyone all over the world in a panic, the wind knocked out of them by the threat of doom, the powers-that-be quaking.
27-28 “And then—then!—they’ll see the Son of Man welcomed in grand style—a glorious welcome! When all this starts to happen, up on your feet. Stand tall with your heads high. Help is on the way!”

The issue of when Jesus is coming again is mute; it is a dead end street.
What is important today is not the content of our text, but the mood set by the text.  For our mood is vital to our relationships.

And the mood of our text is a “positive, joyful hope of redemption.”
Celebration - the mood of the Gospel!

There is great heresy in correct theology without correct mood.
The power of ”Jesus Christ Super Star” and “Godspell” is the mood they set.

To celebrate life at all times and in all places.  To see the good surrounded by the bad.  To be thankful when all is going wrong.  To be hopeful when all seems lost.  This is the mood of the Gospel.  This is the mood of Jesus.  Celebration of life, for it is good.

“We communicate best
when we celebrate most.”













Prayer thought for the week:  "Lord,  help me to be hopeful no matter what.  For it is all in your loving hands, and it will end up good."

November 22 2015 Christ the King Sunday

John 18:36 (The Message)

36 “My kingdom,” said Jesus, “doesn’t consist of what you see around you. If it did, my followers would fight so that I wouldn’t be handed over to the Jews. But I’m not that kind of king, not the world’s kind of king.”

Jesus kingdom is not of this world.  It is a kingdom where things are reversed in a strange yet powerful way.  The first are last and the last first.   The great are the lowly and the masters are the servants.  The little is much and the poor are rich.  The widows mite is much and the rich peoples much is little.

A Kingdom where money is not as important as love and relationships;  where nothing can happen which is beyond becoming a blessing, redeemed by God’s love.  It is a Kingdom which cannot be destroyed and will never end.

“Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne and I (Napoleon Bonaparte) have built great empires. but upon what did they depend?  They depended on force.  But centuries ago Jesus started an empire that was built on love, and even today, millions will die for him.”






“All the armies that ever marched,
all the navies that ever sailed,
all the parliaments that ever sat,
all the kings that ever reigned,
put together have not affected
the life of man on this earth
as much as the one who was born
to be a king...of another kingdom.”
Author unknown







Prayer thought for the week:  “Lord, may your Kingdom indeed come on earth, and help me to be a part of it.”

November 15, 2015 25th Sunday After Pentecost

Mark 13:1-8 (The Message)

 “As he walked away from the Temple, one of his disciples said, “Teacher, look at that stonework! Those buildings!”
2 Jesus said, “You’re impressed by this grandiose architecture? There’s not a stone in the whole works that is not going to end up in a heap of rubble.”
3-4 Later, as he was sitting on Mount Olives in full view of the Temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew got him off by himself and asked, “Tell us, when is this going to happen? What sign will we get that things are coming to a head?”
5-8 Jesus began, “Watch out for doomsday deceivers. Many leaders are going to show up with forged identities claiming, ‘I’m the One.’ They will deceive a lot of people. When you hear of wars and rumored wars, keep your head and don’t panic. This is routine history, and no sign of the end. Nation will fight nation and ruler fight ruler, over and over. Earthquakes will occur in various places. There will be famines. But these things are nothing compared to what’s coming.”

Let me pass on to you these words from David F. Watson, New Testament professor at Union Seminary, Dayton, Ohio.

“These are complex (words), deeply rooted in Old Testament language, history and theology.  Yet, despite the difficulties that they present, they are also powerful (words) that teach us not to follow false messiahs and prophets.  The dangers of overzealous nationalism and reactionary violence are clear in this  passage.  Violence begets violence.  (Amen to that!)  Followers of Jesus are to trust in God’s providential care even if the world around them seems to be falling apart before their eyes.”

And that takes a lot of faith courage!
All that we know is that Jesus will be there at the end and no matter what, it will be good!  So watch, keep awake, stay alert, and don’t worry about it!

"Concerning that day or hour
nobody knows.”
Mark 13:32











Prayer thought for the week:  “Lord, help me to live today with love and kindness, not worrying about the end which is in your hands and will be good.”

November 8, 2015 24th Sunday After Pentecost

Mark 12:41-44 The Message

41-44 Sitting across from the offering box, he was observing how the crowd tossed money in for the collection. Many of the rich were making large contributions. One poor widow came up and put in two small coins—a measly two cents. Jesus called his disciples over and said, “The truth is that this poor widow gave more to the collection than all the others put together. All the others gave what they’ll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn’t afford—she gave her all.”

The story of the poor widow reminds us that we are called to live and give beyond our means.  We can give even out of our needs and all will be well.

Fear of not having enough makes it hard for us to hear and believe that giving is so important.  We should do it even when we can’t afford to do it.  It is the greatest joy in life, whether we have little or much.  To give much because we have been given much, we have been loved much.

She was in the hospital, dying.  She had lived a simple life; devout wife, faithful church worker, loyal friend.  She hadn’t asked for much and she was happy with what she had.
I stopped to see her and she asked me to get her purse out of the closet.  She opened it and gave me some bills.  Later I discovered that it was over $400, probably close to all she had.

Then I remembered the look of joy in her eye as she gave me the money and said,  “use it in the church.“

When she died all she had was auctioned off and added to this as a memorial to spread God’s love in our lives.  It wasn’t much but it was all she had.  And it was given with joy!






"That which is given away is not wasted."
City of Joy










Prayer thought for the week:  “Lord, make me thankful and generous.
Then my faith will indeed be ‘active in love’.”

Nov. 1, 2015 All Saints Sunday

Matthew 5:1-12

1 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.
The Beatitudes
    He said:
   3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
   for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
   for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
   for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
   for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
   for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
   for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
   for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
   for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
   11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.


Most of us do not consider ourselves to be saints.  In fact, it is almost an insult to be called a saint.  It means you are not in touch with real life.  As the agnostic Robert Ingersoll describes, you are someone who is “...not quite sick enough to die nor healthy enough to be wicked.”

This is a gross contradiction!  A saint is someone who is very human and very much alive.

 A saint is someone who wants much out of life but refuses to crush life to get it.
Who is passionate enough to not hurt others as he/she drinks deeply of life.

A saint is someone who dares to live as a human with an eye towards heaven.
Who can be “poor in spirit” because he/she doesn’t have to pretend.
Who can be “meek” because he/she doesn’t have to always be right.
Who can be” merciful” because he/she doesn’t have to judge others.
Who can “hunger and thirst after righteousness” because he/she doesn’t have to have all the answers all the time.

A saint is a very human person who can “rejoice and be glad” amidst persecution, suffering, grief or pain because he/she lives on earth with an eye on heaven; and the love of God which comes from above.





“I am not a saint,
unless you think of a saint
as a sinner who keeps on trying.”
           Nelson Mandela







Prayer thought for the week:  "Lord, help me live as a human with an eye towards heaven."