Where are YOU headed?

In these days of rampant political imagery, we hear about new ways, new roads, new paths, new journeys. I'd say that we'd be rather naive to believe that there is anything truly new under the sun. Ways wear thin, roads have potholes, paths crumble and journeys...well...

It's easy to check out - like that guy I spoke with last week who told me that unless he or his family is directly affected, he really didn't care. It's like that girl who thought that there was nothing left for her here, so cast down was her soul.

The Psalmist writes "Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling." (Ps. 43:3) The Way is Christ - the one true hope for change that transcends our "journey". Through His sacrifice on the cross, the holes in the road of life are filled and our path is made smooth. When it's the light and the truth of God that leads us, everything matters - in our own lives and the way our lives affect others. Everything matters because YOU matter! It's time to ask, where are you headed? I pray that we'll continue to let the light of Christ, the truth of the ages lead us to our one true home - back to the house of our God!

IF ONLY...

I was pretty sad when I heard that Paul Newman died back on September 26th. Newman was my cinematic hero. As a young actor, I modeled myself after this guy - studying and imitating his method, his speech pattern, his smile, his walk...whatever! Even the way I dressed for a while was vintage Newman - a mix of classy toughness that couldn't be matched by another actor. In fact...it couldn't be matched by me! As much as I wanted to be like Paul Newman, there was one thing missing in my plan...I was simply not Paul Newman! I fell short of everything he was because there was only one Paul Newman. The job was taken!

Take a look at the classic text Romans 3:19-28.

This text talks about the Law of God. Paul says the the Law is spoken to those under it, so that mouths are stopped and everyone is held accountable to God. What does this mean? Well, we start with the fact that the Law constantly shows us that we are not God. That no matter how we try to follow, to model , to imitate the perfection that is God, we can never come close to His perfection. Instead, we are held accountable. The mirror of the Law reflects just how bad an imitation we are are. "For by the works of the Law no human being will be justified in God's sight." "But NOW", Paul the apostle (not the actor!) tells us, "But now" things are different. Now God's perfection, His righteousness is shown to be apart from His Law. Now we do not have to be God impersonators, but rather we get to be God's own image here and now. The righteousness of God, His glorious face comes to us through faith in Christ Jesus. He was the image of God's perfection. He was the satisfaction of God's Law. He took the accountability we owed to God to the cross, and gave us new life in God's own image through the power of the Holy Spirit. We are now justified, not because we try to be like Jesus, but because Jesus became like us - taking on the form of a servant He humbled Himself unto death, even death on a cross! Rejoice - friends - You're never a cheap imitation in Jesus! You're made to be perfect in God's eyes through the blood of His ever perfect Son!

Vote for ???

This is about as political as this blog will ever get! With the text for today, we've got to talk about it just a little - otherwise you all would think I was chicken!

Isaiah 45:1-7 - The Lord YHWH speaks to an unlikely character, Cyrus. Cyrus is a king, an anointed one. But yet he is a king who is not from among God's chosen people - a highly unlikely candidate for leadership! What is clear in the text is that Cyrus does not follow YHWH,but yet he is elected to do God's will. What does this say about the leaders we choose to elect? Well, for one we know that there is no perfect candidate. No matter shiny the smile or how noble the service record, political leaders all have same common flaw...humanity. And yet God calls men and women to serve. Once again, the key to understanding service is grasping hold of whom we serve. God grasps the right hand, the ruling hand of the leaders He chooses and uses it to the Glory of His name and the benefit of His people.  Why? Because He is the Lord, and there is no other. Besides Him, there is NO other. No king. No president. No leader. No politician. Our God guides and equips leaders to lead - whether they know Him or not. When I say the words "Vote Your Faith", that means look at the candidates and the issues with the eyes of God's will, that it is only by God's Law and His Gospel that all are saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. 

No Greater Joy...

A simple post today...

The words of 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 betray the joy felt by pastor Paul for a congregation he loved. I agree, his greatest joy is my own and together "we give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ." There is no greater joy than witnessing the fruit of the message preached in the way you all live out the mission of Trinity, centered in Christ and focused on our community.

A simple post...a joyful thanks...for who you are and all you do in Jesus name!

Give to Caesar...

Take a look at the news, it's all about electing a new Caesar - oh, sorry...I mean President. Take a look at quite a few cars in our community - the words "Not Of This World" appear in so many stickers. So which is it? Are we citizens here or there? Do we serve government or God? Easy to answer? I don't think so! Jesus is asked the same question in Matthew 22:15-22.  Two unlikely groups have gotten together against a common enemy...Jesus. The Pharisee's sent their disciples to find out if Jesus would defy the Law of God which gave them power over the spiritual life of the people. The Herodians came to discover if Jesus would defy the law of the land, which gave them power over the civil life of the people. Which would Jesus be, a blasphemer or a traitor? An enemy of God or an enemy of the state? an impossible question with no good answer...unless of course you remember who's being asked! For Jesus, an either/or answer that would lead to accusation from one party or the other gives way to a both/and which leaves them in awe. "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesars, and to God the things that are God's." Jesus gives a both/and answer which reveals that all things - all people, all governments, all laws and all tributes fall under the scope of Almighty God. It is HIS government that is "Not Of This World" - meaning that His love, His grace, His work through the instruments of His creation (EVEN GOVERNMENT!) do His good and gracious will! You, as one who lives under this will only has an obligation to serve. This means to serve the world with that which is given from heaven - to serve with FAITH in what God has done for you in Christ Jesus and continues to do through YOU - calling all people to Himself for life and hope in this world and the next. 

Sing, Tell, Declare!

Anyone who knows me has come to realize that when I open my mouth to sing it is under great fear and duress! I'm not a singer, by any stretch of the imagination. So how do I connect with singing the Lord a "new song", like it says in Psalm 96? "Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord all the earth." That's everyone by the way - the whole earth singing out to God a new song. Yet when I look around, there doesn't seem to be much singing going on. In fact, the sweet sounds of singing have been overtaken by the crass cacophony of complaining! Just give a listen, if you think your ears and your heart can handle it. Hear the complaining about jobs, the economy, and politics. Stop and really listen to the noise all around you and you'll find that static has replaced the notes that have been playing since God decided to do a new thing, to give us anew song.  In the cross of Jesus Christ, we hear God's symphony of love, His action for a people who's hearts and ears have been abused by the noise - you're not good enough, you'll never measure up, you can't sing and God wouldn't listen anyway. In the cross of Jesus the static is replaced by a new song, a song that tells of His salvation from day to day. It's a song that declares His glory, His marvelous works among all the people. It's a new song that lifts up our God above the noise and gives us voice in this broken world. Yes, in christ God has given you the voice of the angels, to sing and to bless, to tell and to declare to all the world what God has done for you and all who who love Him and sing His precious name....Jesus!

What if...

What if you planned for months. The top quality invitations, hand lettered and mailed out well in advance. The flowers ordered, the cake made, the food - sumptuous and elegantly prepared and waiting in the kitchen. Tables set, candles lit, doors thrown open to reveal...nobody. What if you threw a party and nobody came? Matthew 22:1-14. The wedding feast not prepared by some average Joe, but by the King. It was throughly and lovingly prepared and yet nobody came. Everybody seemed to have an excuse. Everything seemed to be more important. Some even took offense to the constant badgering of the Kings' servants - treating them shamefully and even killing them. What happens when you diss the King? What happened when those for whom God prepared a feast rejected the invitation? Wrath and judgement, obviously. What about grace? This same King, the one royally dissed by His people sends the servants out with a whole new batch of invites. This time the invites extend to all who see that the feast is ready and waiting, prepared for them to enjoy free of charge. Not because they know the King or have worked hard to deserve such an invite - simply because the King has prepared it and it's ready and waiting for those who appreciate the gift. When God extended the invite to all people, He was confirming that this feast is all about the one for who the party is thrown in the first place - the son...His Son...Jesus. The guests gathered are clothed in His spotless garment of faith, faith in the fact that God is the one who prepares the feast - the feast that is His Son Himself. think about the feast you have been invited to as you approach the banquet table of God this week. As you wait to receive a meal of bread and wine, have faith that it is body and blood for you. Have faith that you have been called - made worthy of this strengthening meal through faith in these precious words...Given and Shed for YOU!

December 5th

Can it be too early to be planning a Christmas party? Like last year, Cassie and I are busy planning for December 5th - our Christmas open house where we invite everyone to come and enjoy the feast and fellowship of this most joyous season. We love this event, because it seems like all our cares and concerns melt away as together we celebrate with thanks and praise the season that marks the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Soon we'll be sending out the invites - hoping that all of our friends will respond and join us for the fun! The party's coming, will you be there? God asks the same question through His prophet Isaiah in 25:6-9.  God has planned a party and has promised to make it a feast for all people on His holy mountain.  This feast will be rich, full of well aged wine and the best food imaginable.  At this party, God has planned to give a gift. God has planned to remove the covering over the people, the veil of shame that has covered us all as a result of our sin.  It is a party where cares and concerns melt away as God has planned that this party will swallow up death forever. All on the mountain, the holy mountain, Mt. Zion - the place of our salvation. This party began and continues today and will come to it's peak on some future day marked in God's cosmic planner. This party began on a hill in Jerusalem where in the raising up of a cross, death was swallowed up forever! At this precious banquet of body and blood, God wipes away tears from faces and takes away the guilt of our sin - all with a Word, with a promise fulfilled, with Jesus! It has been and will be said that on this day, at this party, we behold our God - the one we've waited for in hope - the one who promises salvation today and forever. Accept the invite once again - every moment of every day - the invitation to God's feast of everlasting life in Christ Jesus!

Do NOT be anxious????

Dropping Dow. Petty politics. Risky relationships.  "Do NOT be anxious about anything", Paul says in Philippians 4:6.

Paul...are you kidding me? We live in a world of high anxiety. Studies say that stress related illnesses account for anywhere from 60 to 90 percent of doctor visits. Ask anyone "How you doing?" and your bound to get the litany of anxiety. "I'm up to my *** in alligators" - that's my favorite! Paul seems to have a prescription for our anxiety. Oddly enough, it doesn't include shutting down, backing out, folding up or running away. In fact, it doesn't even begin with us! "Rejoice in the Lord always;" Paul writes, "again I will say, REJOICE!" In the midst of struggle and anxiety, Paul calls us to rejoice in the Lord...always. He call us to a life of lifting up words of faith to God in prayer - acknowledging that from the hand of God comes all things, including His peace in times of our highest anxiety. Peace is hardly what we imagine it to be. The Hebrew idea of a peace that "surpasses all understanding" is summed up in their word shalom. This peace is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent and worthy of praise because it is the peace that only comes FORM God to YOU! This is the peace given in the cross of Jesus Christ. The peace given in the faith that all the anxiety we feel, the fruits of all of our sins, has been taken away from us by the precious sacrifice of Jesus.  Paul found that the peace he needed came to him each time he changed the subject of his life from self to God. This means that the Lord is at hand - in your life, now! He's not waiting by the sidelines to see how you'll handle the next big challenge of your life. Not this God! He's right there with you - pacifying you in prayer, soothing you in supplication and filling you with gracious gratitude for the peace He gives beyond all measure in Christ Jesus. Anxiety fades as you can do all things through Him who strengthens you!

Big Kid's Food

Doesn't look like much. Just a piece of bread and a little bit of wine. Hardly a banquet in our eyes. But in the hands of God, it's big kid's food! It's a fair statement that none can deny - we all started out this life as babies. Baby's first meal is her mother's milk. As she grows and develops she moves from a taste for milk, to hunger for soft cereal, unidentifiable "vegetables",Cheerios, hot dogs and eventually a big, juicy steak! Read Psalm 23 - familiar words for us - but read them with the eyes of a "foodie". You'll notice the images at the beginning, of green grass and still water - the infant food of the faith. God leads us to the green grass of the Gospel and to the still waters of our Baptism. God feeds His youngest children in the most simple faith that He is our Shepherd, the one who restores our soul, leading us in lives that mirror His beautiful promise - to make us righteous from the inside out! As we walk the path of life - the one that is the ever present shadow of death, we know that our God who has provided for us continues to guide and protect His children of faith. The rod and staff, the discipline of God is preparation for a greater meal, which He Himself had promised to prepare. The table set before us is a banquet - a banquet that stands between us and the enemy to our soul. The table is a cross. The food, simple bread and wine, yet it's big kid's food. To think that we could apprehend the eternal meal of Jesus' own body and blood, given and shed for us, without having first the faith in a leading, sheltering and providing God is foolishness. Just as it is foolishness to question what Jesus means when He says "take, eat, this is my body" and "drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." This cup overflows all the days of our lives for we who believe that the promises of God are eternal! Friends, step up to the big kid's table, and feast on forgiveness as Jesus has won forgiveness for you!

SORRY!!!

Sorry - I've been locked out of Blogspot since late last week, therefore unable to post.

I'll be back in full force on Monday October 6th!