God’s presence/God’s glory

Yesterday after preaching my sermon, where I mentioned coming to worship and anticipating or expecting the presence of the living God to be there, I was sitting during the Sacrament of Communion thinking about this.  God really spoke to me during that time.  I try to come into worship and deliver my sermon with the belief that God is there.  I am not just delivering a sermon, but I am allowing God to speak through me in proclaiming God’s Word.  As I sat during communion it struck me that I also need to make sure that I do my sermon preparation work with the anticipation of God’s presence.  When I read the Scriptures early in the week; when I read commentaries on the Scriptures; when I dialogue with others about the Scriptures:  in all of these times I need to do so with the conviction that the living God is right there guiding my work.  It is not just in the delivery of the sermon, but in the preparation also that our awesome God is guiding me.

I pray that we all would live out our lives with that conviction, that wherever we are and whatever we are doing God is there working in our lives.

Lectionary Readings:
Exodus 34: 29 – 35
Psalm 99
Luke 9: 28 – 36
“Astounding Glory”

This Sunday is the final one in the season of Epiphany.  Epiphany is a manifestation and began with Jesus being revealed to the three magi.  Now we conclude with a wonderful revealing on the mountain top when Jesus appearance is transfigured before three of his disciples.  The passages will speak to us of God’s glory.

• Reading these passages how do you think God’s glory impacted those who saw it?
• In what ways can you see or sense God’s glory in your daily lives?
• In what ways might we see God’s glory in our worship services at church?

Into the Deep

Lectionary Readings:
Isaiah 6: 1 – 8
Psalm 138
Luke 5: 1 – 11
“Into the Deep”

In our passages today there is a strong sense of God’s calling.  The Isaiah passage is the call of Isaiah.  In this we have Isaiah’s reply, “Here I Am.  Send me.”  From this we get the popular hymn “Here I am, Lord”.  The Gospel lesson has Jesus telling Simon, a fisherman, to take the boat out to deep waters and cast the nets.  This seems an unlikely command – they had been fishing all night and caught nothing.  But Simon obeys and catches so many fish the nets are about to break.  Jesus tells him that for now on he will be catching people.

• What does it mean for us to “catch people”?
• What is the lesson we can learn from Simon in obeying what seemed a ridiculous command?
• What does the calling of Isaiah say to us as a church?

Prophetic Voices

Thank you for your generous donations for Haiti Relief.  Today we sent in the mail a check for $2,740.93 to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance for their relief efforts.  If you still wish to give to disaster relief you can go to their website on the button for relief to Haiti, or you may bring a check to the church for us to forward on to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance.

Pastoral Ponderings:

Lectionary Readings
Jeremiah 1: 4 – 10
Psalm 71: 1 – 16
I Corinthians 13: 1 – 13
Luke 4: 21 – 30

“Prophetic Voices”

The Jeremiah passage is the call of Jeremiah to be a prophet.  He resists, saying he is only a boy.  But God persists.  The Gospel passage Jesus speaks of a prophet not being received in his home town.  I Corinthians 13 is often known as the love chapter.  The Psalmist seeks to take refuge in God.

In the Season of the Spirit material it says, “Prophetic voices born of love call us to trust and practice God’s ways, even when those ways conflict with our own….What God wants for our lives and all creation does not always coincide with our wants.  Faith is not always an easy way to live, and always must be a way engaged with love.

• What have been some hard things for you to learn about God or following Jesus?
• What has made it possible for you to hear or follow them?
• In what ways do we discern for ourselves and with others these “hard” ways of God – and then practice them with love?

Good News to the World

Haiti Relief:  On Sunday we received $1,133 in donations to be sent to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance for relief to Haiti in the aftermath of the earthquake.  We will be receiving donations through January 24.  You may mail or bring your donation to the church.  Please make checks payable to First Presbyterian Church and write on the memo line: “Haiti relief”.

Please keep the people of Haiti and all relief worker’s in your prayers.

Lectionary Readings:|
Nehemiah 8: 1 – 3, 5 – 6, 8 – 10
Psalm 19
Luke 4: 14 – 21
“Good News To the World”

Church will start early in the morning this coming Sunday, and last until midday.  OK, I’m joiking! Imagine though what it was like at the time of Ezra when he read and interpreted the Scriptures from early morning until mid-day.  And the people were attentive to God’s Word.

Then in the Gospel’s Jesus goes to the synagogue and reads from the prophet Isaiah and says the Word is fulfilled in his reading.  The Word of God had an effect on people.

Jesus spoke of being anointed to bring good news to the people, recovery of sight to the blind, release to the captives, and to set the people free.

• In what ways are we able to allow the Word of God to have a positive impact on our lives?
• How can we bring the Good News to the world we live in so it has a real and living impact on the people?
• How does the Word of God set people free?

An Sign of Abundance

Lectionary Readings:
Isaiah 62: 1 – 5
John 2: 1 – 11
“An Extravagant Sign”

I would love to hear your comments this week.  The passage from John speaks of Jesus providing abundantly during a time of scarcity.  They were at a wedding party and they ran out of wine.  Jesus turned water into wine.  He provided an abundant amount, and of the highest quality.

In what ways does Jesus Christ bring abundance into your life, even when you might be feeling scarcity?

To respond to this or the rest of this article go to the  pastor’s blog and reply to the article.

The Isaiah passage speaks of God rejoicing over Israel like a bridegrrom rejoices over a bride.  The miracle at the wedding is said to be a sign and that it revealed his glory.

In what ways do God’s workings in our lives show that he delights over us; and how is God glorified in these actions?

How can the church be open to seeing God providing abundance in our ministry?

How can the church make sure that we are pointing the world to look for the glory of God in God’s workings in our midst?

We Are Precious!

Lectionary Readings:
Isaiah 43: 1 – 7
Luke 3: 15 – 17, 21 – 22
“You Are Mine”

Things that are precious to us are … well – precious!  The other day I received a phone call and it was my almost 2 years old grandson.  He, his sister and their parents are up in Boyne City at our son-in-laws parents.  When I said hello I heard this little voice say, “Hi gampa.”  I responded, “Hi, Joey”.  He then said, “I love you, grampa”  Wow, does that make a grandpa’s day.  He is truly precious (as is his sister, and their parents and the rest of our children).  He is precious.  He is MY GRANDSON!

In the gospel lesson Jesus is baptized and he hears the voice from heaven saying, ‘”You are my son, the beloved, with you I am well pleased.”  What an amazing and thrilling thing to hear.  What a fantastic affirmation of who he was.  It doesn’t end there though.  In our passage from Isaiah it says, But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.”    God calls us by name and he has redeemed us and claimed us as God’s own.  WOW!  It feels great to know we are God’s.  We are precious to him.

• What is your reaction to hearing that we belong to God?
• What does it mean to be precious?
• What are ways you can show your gratitude for God for having been redeemed and claimed as precious?
• How are we able to share that Good News with those around us?

Arise, Shine for the New Year

Lectionary Readings:
Isaiah 60: 1 – 6
Ephesians 3: 1 – 12
Matthew 2:1 – 12
John 1: 1 – 18

“Arise, Shine”

This Sunday, January 3, I will be utilizing the lectionary readings for the Day of Epiphany (January 6), plus the Gospel lesson for the 2nd Sunday after Christmas (John 1: 1 – 18).

The word epiphany means “an appearance or manifestation, especially of a deity”.  It can also mean “a sudden, intuitive  perception.”  In the Christian sense the Day of Epiphany is the manifestation of the Christ to the Wise-Men.  While we often place the wise-men or magi, with their camels in the nativity scene, it was actually some time after the birth of Jesus that they came visiting.  In our church calendar we remember this event on the twelfth day after Christmas, or on the Day of Epiphany.

The passage from the Gospel of John is the telling of the living Word, Jesus Christ, becoming flesh and dwelling among us.  So it is another way of talking about the epiphany, the revealing of the Christ.  God, in Christ, came to dwell among us – and made God’s self known to us.

Isaiiah says, “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you.”

• As we face a new year, what are ways we can allow the light of Christ shine on us?
• What are times of darkness that we face in life that needs the light to “arise and shine upon us”?
• In what “new” way can you allow the light that is within you shine to the world about you this year?

“Love, Peace and Thankfulness”

Lectionary Readings:

Psalm 148
Colossians 3: 12 – 17
Luke 2: 41 – 52
“Love, Peace and Thankfulness”

May blessings of peace and joy be with you as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.  For those who are experience grief or sadness during this holiday season may the God who gave us Jesus Christ bring comfort to your hearts through the knowledge of Christ’s presence in your midst.

This Thursday evening we will celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.  At 7:30 we will have a service of worship with the candle lighting ceremony.  At 11:00 we will have both candle lighting and communion during worship.  After a day of celebrating with families and as the weekend comes to a conclusion we will gather on Sunday morning once again to worship.

This Sunday our Scriptures speak of gratitude.  The Gospel lesson actually jumps ahead to when Jesus is 12 years old and is found in the temple speaking with the teachers about God’s Word.  In the passage from Colossians it brings to mind three words that are appropriate for this season (and always): Love, Peace and Thankfulness.

• What are ways in which the birth of Christ speak to us of love; of peace; and of thankfulness?
• What are aspects of the Christmas stories that remind us of love, peace and thankfulness?

Living Mary’s Song

Lectionary readings:
Micah 5: 2 – 5a
Luke 1: 39 – 55

Our Gospel passage this week is Mary’s visit to Elizabeth, and Elizabeth’s blessing of Mary, and Mary’s song.  Mary’s song is one that parallel’s the song Hannah sang in I Samuel 2 upon her conception of a child.  You might want to read the gospel and the I Samuel passage and compare these songs.

While we often think on this gospel passage of the statement that “blessed are you among women” and Mary’s “My soul magnifies the Lord”, we also need to note that Mary’s song speaks of God’s triumph.  It mentions the humble being lifted up, and the haughty brought down.

She also refers to “God my Savior”.  In that time sometimes the Roman emperor was referred to as the savior.  The term savior is used 2 times in Luke, In Mary’s song, and in the angel’s message to the shepherds.

Several questions come to mind.

1. What are the similarities between Mary’s and Hannah’s songs?

2. In what ways does Jesus follow the example of Mary’s song through his ministry (lifting up the humble, and bringing down the haughty)?

3. In what ways do we elevate things of this world to be our “savior” instead of allowing God to be our savior?

Looking Forward

Lectionary Readings:
Zephaniah 3: 14 – 20
Isaiah 12: 2 – 6
Philippians 4: 4 – 7
Luke 3: 7 – 18

The readings for this week include a call to rejoicing in the Old Testament.  The Philippians passage calls us to “Rejoice in the Lord always.  Again, I will say Rejoice”  But then we read the passage in Luke which is John the Baptist exhorting the people.  His preaching sounds anything but that of rejoicing.

Thus, this week’s readings give us the difficulty of listening to the challenging words of John the Baptist, and finding the place of rejoicing.  I would encourage you to read the passages and spend some time thinking about how exhortation and rejoicing come together.

What are ways you can  hear John’s words and follow his challenging preaching, and then come into a place of rejoicing during the Advent and Christmas season?