This is not to say that our sins won’t weigh on us and become a burden to us. They certainly can do that. The psalmist is reminding us that confessing our sins – recognizing that we have not lived up to God’s expectation – helps remove the guilt that keeps us from doing God’s work in the world.
Read MoreAnd when you allow the world to distract you from the steadfast love of God during the good times you are ill prepared to experience that same love when tragedy and crisis come to us.
Read MoreThe traditional ‘works’ of Lent – prayer, fasting, and works of love – are to remind us of God’s unfailing love for us and our unworthiness to receive it. This is not just something to do in order to show others that we are faithful Christians. It is to show ourselves the gap between God’s expectation and our lives and to remind us that, with God’s help we can live better lives all the time – not just one time during the year.
Read MoreI suppose, that is the true message of Lent; Trust in the Lord your God that God will help and comfort you in your struggles.
Read MoreThat is what we confessed today and reminded that you are dust and to dust you shall return. This stands in contradiction to what we have been told by society.
Read MoreAlthough, while we may not fear God, we do fear many things – violence, theft, financial ruin, and cancer to name a few. Luther asks, “Do you fear those more than God?” You see here is Luther’s point. You need not fear any of these things because God has freed us from the bondage of sin and death. The question now is, “Free to do what?”
Read MoreWhy is it that the wealthy live lives of luxury while the poor suffer and struggle to just get by. If you too are looking for an answer to this riddle you will not find it here. The psalmist does not try to answer that question. He writes to remind us that it is not our task to find the answer to that question but to, instead, trust that the Lord has ordered all things so that we can live lives that are faithful, that delight in the Lord and all that the Lord has given us.
Read MoreAre we doomed then to what we already have as Jesus says? Or can we receive more from God? While they are not law, the beatitudes can remind us of what we have already received and guide us in how we are to use those gifts.
Read MorePaul is recognizing that he had misused the gifts that God had given him to tear down the church instead of building it up. Instead of punishing him God called him to repent and use his gifts to build up the church. Paul answered that call and was able to sing praises to God for the salvation he had received despite all the struggles and troubles he experienced.
Read MoreRemember who the Old Testament calls God’s people to care for: the orphan, the widow, and the immigrant (the Old Testament says alien) in your land. A hard task when many in our society are calling for the opposite. I am troubled by the amount of hate and threats and violence that has become an everyday event in our lives.
Read MoreJesus, by choosing to read a passage from Isaiah, gives the true use of the Law – to call God’s people to a life of service taking care of all those who struggle: the poor, the captive, the blind, and those who are oppressed. Pretty much those who were viewed by Jesus’ listeners as not deserving help.
Read MoreAs I have said before, life was hard after the return [from exile]. All you need to do is think about the people in California returning after the fires. That was Jerusalem and the surrounding area. And for the Israelites it was 70 years later.
Read MoreGod had a better plan. God’s glory came to earth not as a powerful warrior who would build an earthly empire but as a human child who would die upon the cross so that everyone would be able to live in God’s glory and be those who shine upon the world with the light of Jesus.
Read MoreThe promise for them is that God will bring them all back to the land and reorder their lives. That was what the psalm was about. Except the people had a different idea of how their lives should be ordered and many were grumbling. Instead of chasing after some false god, the palmist tells them to rejoice and praise the LORD. Paul is also telling us the same thing. Through Christ we have been adopted by God and given redemption.
Read MoreWe have made salvation to mean an easy life full of money, and health. When we don’t have that, we think God has abandoned us. That’s also what the Israelites thought. Our story from Luke today says otherwise.
Read MoreThis song is about the fulfillment of a promise that the Israelites had long awaited. Although their wait was not an easy one. I suppose waiting is never easy. Just take our modern life as an example.
Read MoreWe are pulled by the world in so many different directions that we have a difficult time staying focused on the life God calls us to. Because of this we find that we are surrounded by our enemies, wracked by worry and guilt, and are unable to see the way of God. Of course, that is why God gave us the Law. It is God’s gift to guide our lives so that we can withstand the temptations and blows from the world.
Read MoreIn fact, it was not Jesus who decided to celebrate Jesus as king. It was the church. I suppose to help people see and understand that Jesus is the head, the leader of the church. But, as all images of God, it is also wrong if you see Jesus’ leadership as that of a king who tells others what they are to do. Instead, Jesus leads the way and invites us to join him in his task of salvation.
Read MoreWhen people ask me when [the end time will come] I usually answer with a question: “If they knew, let’s say, June 20, 2025, would they change their life?” If they answer with a no, then I point out that when it comes doesn’t matter. If they answer, “Yes,” then we have much more work to do because that indicates they know they are not living up to God’s standards.
Read MoreWe are constantly being bombarded by the false narrative that what you have is yours to have for yourself. Although those who tell you this are usually trying to get you to give them what you have so they can have more. The truth of the matter is that what you have is actually God’s.
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