Day of Praise

Fr, Nov 30 "Day of Praise"

"I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way—in all your speaking and in all your knowledge—because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you. Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful." - 1 Corinthians 1:4-9

You'd think I was a fool.

Because I'd be acting like a fool.

If I were standing in front of you right now, I'd be jumping up and down and waving my hands as if I was trying to stop a loaded, runaway, passenger train that was hurling towards a washed out bridge.
In today's verses, God plainly says through Paul "Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed." (1 Corinthians 1:7)

Here's the 1,2,3 of it.

1--Because of God's grace given in Christ Jesus in the past,

2--We have everything that we truly need right now in the present,

3--even as we're excited for Jesus to come again at the time of God's choosing in the future.

1--Past,

2--Present,

3--Future.

And here's a highly recommended application.

1--Let go of or thankfully celebrate everything in your past because God has already covered all of it with his grace, which means

2--All your stuff in the past has already been put to use as part of the all-sufficient, God-given treasures that you have right now in the present so that GOD SAYS that right now at this very moment, you lack for nothing; you have everything you truly need, which means

3--Of course you should look forward to Jesus coming again, but not because he will add to what you already have. He is with you right now! Through faith, you already have Jesus...and the Holy Spirit...and (in the midst of the strife and turmoil around you) you have the fruits of the Spirit of Christ... Love... Joy... Peace... Patience... Kindness... Goodness... Faithfulness... Gentleness... Self-Control.

God says that you have everything that you truly need right now in this moment and in the next moment and the next, through faith in Jesus Christ.

"Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed." (1 Corinthians 1:7)

Well, alright then, come what may, we should all have a great day!

Believe and Enjoy!

Praise God!

Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

Th, Nov 29 "Day of Praise"

"Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately." - Acts 18:24-26

I know it's kinda random. However, have you ever given much thought to those "Give a penny; take a penny" trays that are next to a lot of cash registers?

I myself tend to be a "Give a pen; take a pen" kinda guy. I'm always wondering where my pens are.

The point in this is that today's verses have the spirit of "Give some; take some." Specifically, Apollos had some to give, for "he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately." However, he didn't know everything, so "Priscilla and Aquila...invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately."

These verses are in a larger section where we hear that "the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power." (Acts 19:20)

Indeed, that's how God's word spreads: a lot of give and take. Ya give some; ya take some. Ya teach some by giving what ya have of God's word; ya take some by receiving from others what they have of God's word.

God's word goes nowhere and to nobody with no power when everybody keeps it to themselves.

So let's get out there today and talk about God's word. Let's "Give God's word; take God's word" and watch "the word of the Lord spread widely and grow in power." (Acts 19:20)

People will be blessed, and God will be praised!

Praise God!




Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

We, Nov 28 "Day of Praise"

"We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ." - 1 Thessalonians 1:3

Do you ever feel like you're constantly pushing the rock uphill?

It doesn't need to be that way.

I can count at least seventeen people off the top of my head who I know are reading this and who are loving life because they're in a season of learning to let go and let the Holy Spirit do the heavy lifting in life. It's as if the rock is rolling down hill.

It's not about laziness or a bad work ethic. To the contrary, what God tells us in today's verse through Paul is that a relationship with God through Jesus creates more effective, efficient, fruitful, and (dare I say it?) even joyful work.

Read the verse again for yourself, and you'll see it plainly says:
-- faith in our Lord Jesus Christ produces work,
-- love in our Lord Jesus Christ prompts labor, and
-- hope in our Lord Jesus Christ inspires endurance.

So, let's see if we've got this straight. If we just pour out our hearts with faith in Jesus, love in Jesus, and hope in Jesus, then work, labor, and endurance get easier? Yep. That's what it says.

Now, by my rough count, there have been about 380 Day of Praise devotions since 09/01/11. So I know how many people are going to respond to this encouragement.

Some of you are going to say, "I don't see it. They call it work because it's work." Well, I would say to you that I understand. And I also will pray for you as you keep rolling your rock uphill.

But the vast majority of you are going to say, "I didn't know that God makes those kinds of promises." And you're going to hold God to His promise because God is not a liar. And you're going to see how work, labor, and endurance get easier when God greases the gears of life by his own working of faith, love, and hope in Jesus Christ in our hearts.

And it's as if, well, it's as if the rock and the hill just disappear.

That's the power of the promises of our God!

Praise God!

Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

Tu, Nov 27 "Day of Praise"

"Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: 'Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.'" - Acts 17:22-23

When I was a first year student in seminary in Philadelphia, PA, I was blessed every night to have a classmate, named Mary Gabler, who led a beautiful little service of prayer and chanting, called Compline. It didn't hurt that Mary had performed on Broadway and sang like someone famous. But what made the service special was a collective hunger for God that was so thick that you could cut it with a knife.

Whether it was four people or twenty-four people gathered around that single, brightly-burning candle, you could feel God fill the silence and the space of that cavernous church with his unquestionable presence. It wasn't hocus pocus. What it was is that it was late. We were all tired, bone tired, from serving and studying and working three jobs to make ends meet (even with the dirt-cheap white-labeled government food from the food bank that was started by my forty-one year old classmate, Jack Farwig, and his wife, Mary Beth, who needed to feed their five kids.)

Yes, we were all tired and ready for bed, but not so tired to keep many of us from walking to the far end of campus for twenty-five minutes of heaven.

The leader began by chanting scripture, "Hear my prayer, O Lord." And we chanted the scripture in reply, "Listen to my cry." Then the leader chanted, "Keep me as the apple of your eye." Then we'd reply as one, "Hide me in the shadow of your wings."

Thus began the last words, God's words, that most of us heard audibly before the blaring alarm would call us to a new day just a few short hours later.

Now, twenty-plus years later, a few times a year, mostly at the beginning of Holy Week before Easter, we share that little, slice-of-Heaven, prayer service at our church here in Birmingham. (Would anyone like to share it more often? Seriously! I wanna know.)

I tell you all this because it reminds me that there are things in life that just flat out testify to how much we hunger for God. I mean, why do y'all read this little Day of Praise everyday and then pass it on to your friends who ask to be put on the list? (A shout out to our newest addition today, Jonathan, "Hey, Jonathan!") It's sure not because I'm the greatest writer in the world. I'm not fishing for compliments. To the contrary, I write this little thing for the same reason that all of you read it, namely, we all hunger for God.

And we all want to be a part of a group of people who hunger for God.

And who find God at Jefferson's while eating wings and discussing Eldredge's "Wild at Heart." And who find God as a group of young moms who want to know if anyone else feels bleary-eyed. And who find God as Seniors at a Seniors luncheon, thankful for another day. And who find God hangin' out on the church patio on a Thursday night doin' nothin' but talkin' because it's enough to feed your hunger when everyone's hungry for God.

When St. Paul said what he said to the Athenians in today's verse, he was saying, "I know something about you folks. You're hungry for God."

People, Paul wasn't a rocket scientist; he didn't even need to be discerning. He had just lived long enough, which doesn't have to be very long, to know that every human being longs to know and yearns to know and hungers to know the God who alone can feed your hunger and fill your soul and quench your thirst and forgive your sin and give you that peace and make your life so worth living that you're willing to give it up so others can have their hunger filled too.

All Paul did was look for a connecting point, an empty spot that hungered to be filled. And finding that empty spot, Paul pointed it out to them, saying, "For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god."

And then he filled their hunger with the God who alone can satisfy, the God who alone can fill, saying, "Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you."

Friends, you have friends, and you have coworkers. You have friends and coworkers who are hungry. And, having God, through faith in Jesus Christ, you have the ability to feed your hungry friends and coworkers.

Get together. Eat some wings. Discuss a book. See if anyone else feels bleary-eyed. Go to a Seniors luncheon. Hang out on a patio doin' nothin' but talkin'. Find a connecting point. And connect it to Jesus.
It's enough to feed your hunger when everyone's hungry for God.

And God says that everyone is!

Praise God!

Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

Mo, Nov 26 "Day of Praise"

"I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all." - Galatians 1:6-7

So what is the Gospel? Well, in the spirit of today's Daily Bible reading, God can obviously do a much better job explaining than I can. But before commending Galatians 2:15-3:14 to you, I'll simply say this. The heart of the Gospel has two fundamentals: 1) the works of God for us through Jesus Christ and 2) receiving God's work for us through faith in Jesus Christ. Try to look for those two things as you read the following:

(Galatians 2:15+) "We who are Jews by birth and not 'Gentile sinners' know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified. "If, while we seek to be justified in Christ, it becomes evident that we ourselves are sinners, does that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! If I rebuild what I destroyed, I prove that I am a lawbreaker. For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!" You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? Have you suffered so much for nothing—if it really was for nothing? Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?
Consider Abraham: "He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through you." So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law." Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, "The righteous will live by faith." The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, "The man who does these things will live by them." Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree." He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

Praise God!

Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

Sa, Nov 24 "Day of Praise"

"Peter stayed in Joppa for some time with a tanner named Simon." - Acts 9:43

Interesting to me. Hopefully so to you.

At the heart of the whole thing is this reality that Peter stayed in the city with a man named Simon, who was a tanner. With this is also the reality that Jesus had changed Peter's name from Simon to Peter. So Simons being changed is important here.

While Peter was at Simon's house, the whole city experienced miraculous visions (eyes), voices (ears), healing (body), and resurrection (new life). Simon's city was totally transformed by God through Peter because Peter was in Christ and because Peter shared Christ in all that he said and did.

But there's more.

If you search the various studies, there's this whole big discussion about the meaning of Simon's name. In sum, the consensus is that Simon's name means "hearer". But the discussion around the name Simon is that the result of his hearing depends on what he does or does not do with what he hears. It's significant in today's verse that Simon is a tanner, that is someone who patiently works with a hide to make it useful. The connection is that Simon the tanner patiently hears and works with, i.e. he obeys, the word of Christ that Peter imparts to him. The name "Peter", you may know, means "rock", as in "a sure foundation". So Simon the tanner's city is transformed by visions, voices, healings, and resurrections because the foundation-giving rock of God's word of Christ is obeyed and lived out with trust in God.

I know that's a lot to follow in a short time, but it's not only interesting to study further if you have a chance, there's also two simple encouragements to take with us into the day.

One, if you really care about someone whose life needs help, then be a "Peter". Be someone who explicitly shares the strong, foundation-giving, life-changing word of God about Jesus. Better yet, get to know Jesus personally and introduce Jesus himself personally to people.

Second, if you want to see your own life and your "city" (the people around you) changed for the better, then don't just listen to God's word, but patiently hear, trust, work with, obey, and live God's word in your life. Be a doer of God's word, like Jesus says plainly in Matthew 7 in the parable of the wise builder.

"Peter stayed in Joppa for some time with a tanner named Simon." (Acts 9:43) And it changed the lives of many.

May God's word dwelling in, with, and through us do the same!

Praise God!

Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

Fr, Nov 22 "Day of Praise"

"All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel." - Acts 6:15

Hey! You're better lookin' than ya think.

Ya see, that's part of your problem. You think too much.

What ya need to do is stop thinkin' about how ya look and start believin' how ya look...

...in God's eyes.

I mean, c'mon, you look in the mirror, and what do ya think? What ya think is what ya see on the outside.

But God is looking at something else as He says to Samuel in 1 Samuel 16:7, "The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

Whatever it is you might be lookin' at in the mirror and whatever you might be thinkin' about what you see in the mirror, here's the truth. You are the apple of God's eye (Psalm 17:8). (In case you're not up on Bible-speak, to be the apple of God's eye means that you are beautiful in His eye. Totally handsome.) Because He created you and crafted you in love. And that is choosing, sacrificial, unconditional love.

In Deuteronomy 32:10-11, God declares His love of your beauty and handsomeness in this way because you belong to Him. He says that he shields you and cares for you; he guards you "as the apple of his eye, like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them aloft." It's like a 30-year old dad smilin' and pickin' up his 4-year old child and raisin' you high above his head and swingin' you in the air and tellin' you how wonderful you are and how much you mean to him.

You don't think about that as a 4-year old. You just soak it in and enjoy the ride and the words and the love. You don't even think about believin' it. You don't think at all. I'll say it again; you just soak it in and enjoy the ride and the words and the love.

It just is. And there ain't no arguin' about it.

You are beautiful.

You are handsome.

It's the beauty and handsomeness and attractiveness and radiance that overflows from a child that is being loved with such a grand and uplifting love that all they can do is laugh and smile and enjoy the breeze in their face as the Strong One lifts them high to the heavens.

That's what was goin' on with Stephen long ago as spoken of in today's Bible verse, "All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel." (Acts 6:15)

Did ya' catch that? "[Stephen's] face was like the face of an angel." (Acts 6:15)

So what do you think Stephen really looked like?

Eh, eh, eh! Stop! Stop thinkin'!

Stephen was so enjoying the love of God for him in Jesus Christ that he didn't give a second thought to what he looked like. My goodness, he didn't give it the first thought.

He just enjoyed.

That he was the apple of God's eye.

And so are you! You look, well, you look like an angel!

Believe it! Because God says it's true!

Praise God!

Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

Th, Nov 22 "Day of Praise"

Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. - Psalm 106:1

Happy Thanksgiving!

Praise God!



Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

We, Nov 21 "Day of Praise"

"When Peter saw this, he said to them: 'Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?'" - Acts 3:12

Today, something will happen, as happens everyday, that you will not be able to comprehend. You won't be able to wrap your mind around it. It just won't compute. You will not be able to fix it by your "own power or godliness." (Acts 3:12)

Maybe, somebody will blatantly run a stop sign as happened to me last night. "How can that be?," you say. "I just don't understand. So let me honk my horn!" As if horn honking really changes anything...except your own blood pressure.

Or maybe, your boss or your neighbor or someone you live with will speak to you with a tone that makes you ask, "What is wrong with people?" And, what? You think asking that question again will suddenly reveal an answer when none of us have yet figured out the answer in all the other days that we've asked it. (Heeey! Pssssst! What's wrong with people is this little thing called sin. Oh, and by the way, it's the same thing that's wrong with you and me too.)

Or maybe, a family member will break some bad news to you. They tell you that a dearer family member has cancer. "I can't wrap my mind around that," you cry. "It pains me to think of them suffering or the thought of them not being around." The mind just can't grasp it, so we grasp a hold of each other in love. And hopefully somebody faiths out a prayer so we can lean into God's grasp on us.

Yes, today, something will happen, as happens everyday, that you will not be able to comprehend, that you will not be able to fix by your "own power or godliness" (Acts 3:12) or strength.

That's what happened to Peter in today's Bible verse. "A man who was lame from birth (Acts 3:2)" asked Peter and John for money. And Peter hadn't a clue what he should do. So he did the only thing he could do when the mind and the biceps and the wallet are impotent. Oh sure, you would think he poured out the problem to Jesus in prayer, though it's not said explicitly that Peter did.

What he did do, we know, was even better.

Peter poured out Jesus onto the problem. "Then Peter said, 'Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.'" (Acts 3:6)

And just like that, it was taken care of. "And instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God." (Acts 3:7-8)

Now, the people, who knew the lame man and saw him walk and jump, they just couldn't wrap their minds around it and "were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him." (Acts 3:10)

So Peter spoke to the befuddled crowd as noted in today's verse. "When Peter saw this, he said to them: 'Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?'" (Acts 3:12) And then Peter said, "By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see." (Acts 3:16)

Friends, did you get that?

Not "by our own power or godliness." (Acts 3:12)

"It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see." (Acts 3:16)

Today, something will happen, as happens everyday, that you will not be able to comprehend. You won't be able to wrap your mind around it. It just won't compute. You will not be able to fix it by your "own power or godliness." (Acts 3:12)

Pour out Jesus on it.

His "name and the faith that comes through him [will] completely [heal it], as you [will] see." (Acts 3:16)

Praise God!

Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

Tu, Nov 20 "Day of Praise"

[Peter said,] "These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
'In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.'" - Acts 2:15-17

Most of you underestimate yourself.

God wants to do great things through you. God is working to do great things through you. Since the day that Jesus was raised from the dead, God has been pouring out His Holy Spirit to wash you, to immerse you, to baptize you with His Holy Spirit.

I heard people just yesterday, as I do everyday, talking about their awakening to the things of God, to the Spirit of God.

I heard other people worried about, well, other things.

God wants everyone to awaken more each day to the things of God, to the Spirit of God. Isn't that what God says in today's verses? "I will pour out my Spirit on all people (Acts 2:17)."

If you're a person, you're included in "all people."

Oh sure, I know that some people believe that this stuff that I'm talking about was just in Bible times, that the Spirit was a Bible times thing, that miracles stopped with the Biblical Twelve Apostles.

Like I said earlier, most of you underestimate yourself.

Recently I read the late John Osteen's book, "Becoming a Man of Unwavering Faith". It talks about what every human being experiences on a daily basis, namely, the world is full of people and forces that are trying to talk you out of claiming and living in the blessings and power that God has wanted you to have since His Son, Jesus, died for you and rose from the dead so He could live in you with authority and power by way of God's Holy Spirit. Joyce Meyer talks about the same stuff in "Knowing God Intimately".

I know that there are some out there reading this who think I'm crazy. But, since I'm a Christian in the Lutheran tradition, I'll point to the example of Martin Luther (though not perfect to be sure) who lived outside "Bible times" in the power of the Holy Spirit, standing up to forces of nature, government, ecclesiastical authority, and the Devil himself. He had a marvelous sense of humor, a sharp mind, strong morals, a beautiful family, an amazing record of hospitality and almsgiving, and a keen understanding that the present moment is the most precious moment. And he had all this while constantly attacked by guilt, depression, and political and "churchy" opponents.

Not because he was special. (Read history; Martin Luther merely picked up the banner that had been waved by John Wycliffe, Jan Hus, and Savonarola.)

But because he came by God's grace to learn and believe and then know with deep conviction that God wanted more for him than his own guilt, depression, and political and "churchy" opponents.

God wanted Luther to know the blessings and power of the Almighty Living God through His Son, Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, which filled Luther and unleashed a courage, a marvelous sense of humor, a sharp mind, strong morals, a beautiful family, an amazing record of hospitality and almsgiving, and a keen understanding that the present moment is the most precious moment.

And God wants all that for you too.

Isn't that what God says in today's verses? "I will pour out my Spirit on all people (Acts 2:17)."

Praise God!

Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

Mo, Nov 19 "Day of Praise"

"Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid." - Mark 16:8

In order for us to think together for a moment about this verse, it would be good for you to read this verse in a regular Bible. You should also read the study notes connected to it.

So, with that encouragement to you, we can now say that this is a very interesting ending to the Gospel of Mark.

Trembling, bewildered, fled, said nothing to anyone, afraid.

Those are hardly terms that you'd use to start a church today. They're not happy terms. They're not contemporary music material. They're not terms of material prosperity.

But they're real.

And they're terms which create a crossroads. They force a decision.

You can either reject them altogether.

Or you can say in faith, "Lord, what do you want me to do?"

Just out of curiosity, let me ask you a question, "How many times a day do you think you stop and say, 'Lord, what do you want me to do?'"

What did you say? Not that many? Excuse me? Did you say that some days it's not at all?

Huh. Interesting.

As a Christian in the Lutheran tradition, I'm a part of a tradition that holds to what's called a "Theology of the Cross". Very simply, historically, we Lutherans spend time considering the horror and ugliness of the cross of Jesus. As with a few other Christian traditions, we observe Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, which also are not happy and joyful times.

But they create a crossroads. They force a decision. You can either reject them altogether. Or you can say in faith, "Lord, what do you want me to do?"

That's what things that are characterized by "Trembling, bewildered, fled, said nothing to anyone, afraid (Mark 16:8)" do.

They force us to decide if we're going to go it alone. Or are we going to reach for Almighty God, and call on his name, and ask for his wisdom, his counsel, his help, and his strength.

Real life is filled with a thousand of these moments everyday. A thousand crossroads.

God wants to be your God, your wisdom, your counsel, your help, and your strength.

Call on Him.

He will answer.

Praise God!

Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

Sa, Nov 17 "Day of Praise"

But they insisted, "He stirs up the people all over Judea by his teaching. He started in Galilee and has come all the way here."
On hearing this, Pilate asked if the man was a Galilean. When he learned that Jesus was under Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time. - Luke 23:5-7

Well, this is a simple praise.

In today's verse, Pilate passes the buck and dumps his situation on Herod. Herod will do the same to Pilate. Tragically, because of our sin, we all tend to pass the buck.

Fortunately, God is different. In the cross of Jesus, God says, "The buck stops here." Instead of passing on problems, God in Christ bears our problems, our wounds, and all the ugliness and consequence of our sin. The buck stops here with Jesus Christ. There is no passing it on to the next guy like Pilate and Herod did to each other and we do to each other in our weakness and sin.

So, when you're frustrated and wondering, "Will this ever end?", then look to Jesus. Because with Jesus, the Son of the Living God, the buck stops here.

Lean on Him. Cast your cares on Him because he loves you and cares for you.

Praise God!




Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

Fr, Nov 16 "Day of Praise"

When Jesus said, "I am he," they drew back and fell to the ground. - John 18:6

In today's verse, the soldiers and others armed with weapons who came to arrest unarmed Jesus, they fell to the ground when he spoke because they inherently knew the might that was before them in Jesus. And it was almighty might.

And still is today.

As believers, we know that, though God in Jesus Christ does indeed have power that is rightly honored and worshiped and revered, God has shown us in Jesus that he uses all His might for you.

To overcome our sin. To overcome our fears. To overcome our infirmities. To overcome our doubts. To overcome all that would steal, kill, and destroy our heart (John 10:10).

Friends, almighty Jesus, Son of God, is here, and he's for you!

Thus the saying, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31). And "No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn" (Isaiah 54:17).

God is for you. And we know this in Jesus Christ!

So get out there, and have a great day with Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit. For he to whom all will bow down, yes, he has shown in his being and his death on the cross that he is totally for you!

Honor and trust him, and you'll see.

Praise God!!
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

Th, Nov 15 "Day of Praise"
[Jesus said,] "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." - John 16:33
When Jesus died for us on the cross, he took away something, namely the penalty for our sin that belonged to us.
But he also gave us something.
He gave us heart.
His heart.
"Take heart!" Jesus said in today's verse.
He gave us his heart because the troubles of this world eat at our heart, erode our heart, and cause us to lose heart. So Jesus died to pour out his heart, to give us his heart, so our hearts would be renewed.
Friends, God, through Christ, is offering to renew your heart, to make it whole again, so your joy can be restored.
And we all want joy, don't we?
I mean, what's the alternative? A weary, heartless, joyless existence.
My kids and I laugh together everyday. And I mean everyday. Just yesterday, my 13-year old son said that his friends like our family because we laugh together, we're fun, we have heart. My 17-year old daughter is constantly bringing her friends to our home from her school. We sit around and talk. We laugh. It is a heart-filled time. We smile. We read the Day of Praise together. We take heart...Jesus' heart...because he pours it into our family, our friendships, and our home by the power of his Holy Spirit.
My daughters, including my 19-year old at Auburn, both lead Christian fellowships at their church and in their school. They tell me about these things, like Calley did a few days ago from Auburn and Cassidy did last night about the growth of the prayer group she started 4 years ago at the Alabama School of Fine arts.
I tell you these things, not because our family is special, but because there is heart to be had.
Jesus' heart.
Where people are willing to believe that the troubles of this world are not all that there is in this world.
And where people are willing to believe that the troubles of this world are far from the greatest power in this world.
Jesus, the Son of God, has overcome the world!
That's why he says, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." - John 16:33
Take heart, Dear Friends! Take Jesus' heart! He freely offers it to you!
Praise God!


Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

We, Nov 14 "Day of Praise"

"It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love." - John 13:1

When I came to this verse in today's section of The Daily Bible, I could not continue to read. Eventually, I did continue to read, but I came back to this verse and read it over and over again.

The reason today's verse means so much to me is because I know how much it means to many of you. And it means so much to many of you because of what's going on in your lives.

Hey KS, I'm talkin to you. Hey LS, I'm talkin to you. Hey CT, I'm talkin to you. In fact, if you're reading this, I'm talkin to you as I've gone through the whole Day of Praise recipient list and prayed for you individually, along with your circumstances, circumstances which most of you shared when you asked to be on this list and additional circumstances which many of you share as you reply from time to time.

It means a lot to us, doesn't it? When somebody knows us and our circumstances and when they make time for us, to love us and encourage us and pray for us, it means a lot, doesn't it?

And yet, as much as our love and encouragement and prayers mean to us as we share with one another, how much more are we loved by our God through His Son, our Savior, Jesus, the Christ? How much does God's love mean to us?

"Having loved his own who were in the world, [Jesus] now showed them the full extent of his love." (John 13:1)

And what exactly did Jesus do in order to show them the full extent of his love at this point of his earthly life?

He washed their feet.

He suffered for their sin, literally down to the bloody bone.

He died for them, took their place on the cross.

And he conquered the power of their sin, which is guilt.

Then he rose from the dead.

And he conquered the power of their death, which is fear. (Fear is paralyzing. It opens the door to spiritual attack.) Jesus conquered our fears. Give your fears to Jesus.

Then he went to heaven and prepared a place for us. He went to His Father's house and prepared a place for you and me.

Then he poured out his Holy Spirit so that he could live in us and dine with us. Day after day after everlasting and eternal day.

Some of you, at this point, are in a hurry and need to go. So you're in a hurry for this devotion to be done. I understand. More importantly, God understands.

But for those of you who have another minute or two, I just wanted to tell you about an old woman in our church who lost her mind a couple years before she died. She was receiving Holy Communion at her nursing home. Upon being told all that Jesus did in order "to show the full extent of his love" for her, this old and mindless woman was clearly taking time to think about it. After taking it all in, she smiled and glowed and said, "He did all that for me?"

Friends, if you have a minute later today, maybe you could revisit the above list of things that Jesus did in order "to show the full extent of his love" for you.

Because the answer to the question is, "Yes, He did all that for you." And he did it because he knows you and your circumstances and so he makes time for you, to love you and encourage you and pray for you.

It means a lot, doesn't it?

Pass it on and...

Praise God!

Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

Tu, Nov 13 "Day of Praise"

"Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him." - John 12:37

How do you explain it? People see miracles with their own eyes, and then they still don't believe in the one who did the miracles.

How do you explain it?

One, the miracles of Jesus turned something bad into good.

Two, that means the "bad thing" was conquered.

Three, like a living tree that's just been cut down and obviously still has some lingering signs of life (like the green wood and leaves), when a bad thing is conquered or cut down then it too may have some lingering signs of life in the immediate time period that follows.

Four, but that bad thing is indeed cut down or conquered and its lingering signs of life will pass with time.

Five, unbelief happens because people don't focus on the one who cut down and conquered the bad thing but focus instead on the signs of life that linger from the bad thing.

Six, but that bad thing is indeed cut down or conquered and its lingering signs of life will pass with time.

Seven, we are blessed by people who turn our focus from the lingering bad, from the pokes of a defeated devil, from the frustrations of difficulties that seem to keep hanging around and who turn our focus onto God and His Word that cut down the Evil One and conquered all his minions, cronies, servile followers, and subordinates.

Eight, so let's be a blessing today to the many people who are or will be discouraged from believing both in God's presence and also in the miracles he has and will work for us through Jesus. They'll be discouraged because signs of evil linger all around us. But Jesus conquered and cut down the source of all evil. So let's boldly encourage the discouraged not to dwell on the lingering evil, but "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:2).

Praise God!

Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

Mo, Nov 12, Veterans Day Observance, "Day of Praise"

"After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.'" - Matthew 25:19-20

If you are a "The Cup Is Half Empty" person, then you would say, "If you don't use it, you lose it." And that perspective is indeed a part of the parable in today's verse.

However, I prefer "The Cup Is Half Full" outlook, which leads you to say, "When you use it, you get more." And that perspective is the part of the parable that is today's verse, 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.'

One of our year-long classes at church is studying Arthur Burk's Biblical study of the redemptive spiritual gifts. (Google it! It's fascinating stuff.) One of the primary truths about spiritual gifts that Burk points out is "When you use it, you get more." Specifically, when you use the primary spiritual gift that God's given you, you get more spiritual gifts from God.

I'll let you explore that spiritual gifts application more on your own.

What I want to close with is another application of the "When you use it, you get more" principle, which applies both to the use of God-given gifts and also to Veterans Day.

Veterans have a special God-given gift, namely, a courage and conscious willingness to stand in harm's way for the sake of other people. And not just for the sake of other people, but the benefit of other people. In other words, "When they use it (their gift), we get more."

It is because of Veterans using their God-given gift that I had the freedom to assemble (with other Christians) yesterday.

It is because of Veterans using their God-given gift that I had the freedom to practice my religion (with those other Christians) yesterday.

It is because of Veterans using their God-given gift that I had the freedom to speak (from a pulpit to those other Christians) yesterday.

And so on. And so on. And so on.

Thank a Veteran today.

And tomorrow.

And as often as you can.

"When they use it, we get more."

Praise God!

Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

Sa, Nov 10 "Day of Praise"

"Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!"
"Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" - Luke 19:38

May a Happy Saturday be yours, filled with praise to God and peaceful rest surrounding the hearts of you and yours!

Praise God!





Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

Fr, Nov 9 "Day of Praise"

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!"
The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, "Who then can be saved?"
Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."
Mark 10:23-27

I have a question for all of you. Really. Why do you think the disciples were amazed at Jesus' words when he said, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!"?

Now, letting a few people that I heard talking recently represent all of you, I'll answer your question. What does Jesus mean when he says, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God"?

Well, in Jesus' day, cities were built with walls around them in order to better protect them from attack. Obviously, you needed a gate for citizens to get through the wall and into the city. However, the broader the gate was then the weaker the wall was. So they made the gate as narrow as possible. It was like "the eye of a needle."

The problem with a narrow gate (a needle eye), however, was the trouble that it created for the merchants, who brought their goods mostly by camel. The goods weren't piled high on the camel; instead the goods were strapped on the sides of the camel. Thus, the loaded camel was wider than "the eye of the needle."

In order to bring their goods into the city, the merchant had to go to the time-consuming and very annoying trouble of unloading the camel, walking the camel through the gate, bringing in the goods, and then reloading the camel to get the goods to the right place within the city. The whole unloading/loading ordeal at the gate was further complicated by the fact that beggars knew that the gate was the best place to beg. The beggars knew that even the most hard-hearted merchant had a hard time not giving to the beggars when they could plainly see the quantities and values of their goods stacked on the ground right next to fellow human beings who had nothing. The merchant would always lose something during the unloading/loading ordeal--either a portion of their goods by virtue of giving something to the beggars or a portion of their soul by virtue of not giving something to the beggars. You can imagine all sorts of scenarios with that.

Bottom line: it was easier for that unloaded camel to get through the eye of that needle-narrow gate than it was for the merchant to get through with all his goods.

The lesson here can be stated in a couple ways.

One, let go! You just flat-out can't let your heart get attached at all to your stuff because you ain't gonna be carrying a lick of it through the eye of the needle that is the gate to the kingdom of heaven.

And two, examine your relationships! Do they match God's Word? Here's the Biblical matches in our relationships--trust God; love your neighbor; and manage your stuff.

Any shift from the Biblical matching is absolutely disastrous, such as, manage God; trust your neighbor; and love your stuff.

Only the Biblical matches make it possible for any of us to pass through the eye of the needle. We must trust God (not our stuff) to bring us to heaven. We must love our neighbor (not our stuff) to see the value of the people in front of us, begging for a little mercy, affirmation, and conversation. And we must manage our stuff so that God is glorified and people are blessed.

Jesus said again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, "Who then can be saved?"
Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."
Mark 10:23-27

Praise God!

Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

Th, Nov 8 "Day of Praise"

When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. - John 11:43-44

It has been said that it's a good thing that Jesus said Lazarus' name when he shouted "Come out!" Into the tomb or else every single dead person would've been raised up and walked out of that tomb.

Such is the power of God's Word. God says it, and it's done.

Friends, when you were baptized, you were called by name out of death into new life. "Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. (Romans 6:3-4)"

So many Christians lIve defeated lives, like a 6-ton (12,000 pound) male Asian, circus elephant that is kept in place by a small stake because it's been beaten down in it's training as a youth. It believes it has no power to break free from that stake when in actuality, the stake is no match for the beast.

So too, many Christians, not knowing or believing in the power of God's Word that's available to them are kept in place by the small stake of circumstance because you've been beaten down by the world. You believe you have no power to break free from that stake when in actuality, the stake is no match against God's Word in your life.

Friends. Jesus is the Lord of all creation. Through him all things were made (John 1:3). When you were baptized, he called you by name from death into new life.

So live today victoriously.

Believe! Believe that Christ has more than a tomb prepared for your life. Come out of the tomb of despair and glumness. Believe that when Christ called your name in Baptism, he called you to share in his joy and victory.

And boldly speak the same to others that they too might have a new life.

A great big, go-get-em hug to you all! Mmmmm mmm! Jesus is alive. And you are loved with a powerful and everlasting love.

Praise God!

Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

Wed, Nov 7, Election Day + 1, "Day of Praise"

Same song as yesterday. Second verse.

I think it's important for me to tell you, right here at the start, that the guy I voted for (Mitt Romney) did not win, assuming there's no Dewey-vs-Truman-like reversal overnight. It's important for me to tell you that because I'm sticking to God's word from 1 Timothy 2:1-6 that tells me to pray for those with authority in government.

I was going to stick to God's word and ask you all to do the same, whether my guy won or not.

It's a call for us to recognize that, while we walk in faith, we have one foot in the earthly realm and two feet in the spiritual realm. Yes, I realize that's three feet. It's a paradox, of sorts, that reminds us that earthly government is just that, earthly government, with an earthly President, who needs our prayers.

None of us can fathom the pressure the President of the United States must be under day after day. Ultimately, every President counts on every able-bodied person to get up out of bed and go to work and produce something that contributes to our economy.

Even moreso, every U.S. President probably doesn't realize how much he counts on us Christians holding the line of the spiritual realm which totally works on principles of authority. And every Christian has a direct line to the One who said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me" (Matthew 28:18).

The morale of this country is radically dependent on every Christian being Christian and, therefore, doing what Christians do, namely, believing. That means believing that, whether it's Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Kennedy, Reagan, Obama, or whoever as the name on the mailbox at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, that President is powerless unless God imparts the power.

Ultimately the God who sent His Son to our cross for our sin, and in so doing displayed his might and power over all creation, that God is calling the shots. Remember Psalm 127:1, "Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain."

President Obama needs our prayers, not because he didn't get the vote of many people, including me. President Obama needs our prayers because he's the President of a country that on many counts is fractured and divided and has lost its soul by chasing after wind.

God help us.

God help the President.

And ya know what?

Throughout history, God has shown that He's ready to do just that--to help us and our President and any country for that matter. But God's made it clear in His Word that His help is tapped into through faith in that God, through prayer that really believes in the sovereignty of the God who's being prayed to, and through people who dignify those prayers by stopping their griping about the President and instead put all that energy into those prayers, into a good day's work, and into faithfully loving their family, their neighbors, and their fellow man like the LORD, Jesus Christ showed us how to do in the strength of the Holy Spirit of the Sovereign God.

So, here's ten truths to believe before and after breakfast, as we start today to restore this nation to its greatness--one God-fearing, Jesus-believing, Holy Spirit-praying, hard-working, family-and-neighbor-loving citizen at a time.

1. God is still on His throne.
2. Jesus is still The King of all kings and The Lord of all lords.
3. The Bible still has all the answers to every problem because God speaks through it to the heart of every matter, which is the condition of the heart of every man and woman!
4. The tomb is still empty.
5. Jesus is still The Only Way to Heaven.
6. Prayer still works and still makes a difference and is still answered by God if people will just pray!
7. The cross, not the government, is still our salvation as Jesus' cross sets us free to love our neighbor with the same sacrifice, persistence, and grace that Jesus loved us with on that cross.
8. There is still room at the cross for people to visit God and lay their griping sin at the feet of Jesus and ask Him both to forgive us and also to give us a new heart to joyfully conquer whatever comes our way today.
9. Jesus, who was raised up to new life, still saves anyone for new life (and saves anyone from the old life of despair and hopelessness and meaninglessness), who places their faith and trust in Him.
10. God will still be with us always - He will never leave us or forsake us - so we know that if God is for us, then who can be against us and prevail?

"I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time." - 1 Timothy 2:1-6

Praise God!

Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

Tu, Nov 6, Election Day, "Day of Praise"

"I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time." - 1 Timothy 2:1-6

Please care. Please pray. Please vote.

Stated in multiple amendments as a right in our U.S. Constitution and preserved as a freedom by our Veterans, voting is an honor, duty, and privilege.

Please vote.

And encourage others to do the same.

Then pray for whoever wins. Whether he's your man or not, he will be the President of our nation, the greatest nation in the world, The United States of America.

Praise God!






Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

Mo, Nov 5 "Day of Praise"

[Jesus said,] "I am the Light of the World. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12

Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, is a more than 2,000 year old celebration of the victory of the Jews over Antiochus Epiphanes, a madman who thought he was a god. Jesus, who truly is God, chose the Festival of Lights to reveal that he himself is the Light of the World.

On the festive occasion of Hanukkah, Jesus invited people into a relationship with Him that would free them from sin and from death.

Let's think about it.

The Hanukkah candles are traditionally lit by a special candle called the shammash. Shammash is Hebrew for "servant." In the shammash candle, there is a symbol of Jesus Christ because Jesus said, "The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:28)

The shammash serves the other candles by bringing light to them, which is why Jesus said, "I am the Light of the World. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12)

Just as the shammash gives light to the other candles, Jesus came to give the world His Light.

Hanukkah includes the celebration of two miracles – the defeat of an enemy army and a day's allotment of temple oil that lasted for eight days. These two miracles show how God keeps His light burning in the hearts of His people, even when they face what seem to be impossible odds or situations. With God, all things are possible.

In Jesus Christ, we are assured that God's light cannot fail, or go out.

Friends, last week, over a dozen of you shared how you faced what seemed to be impossible odds or situations. Today is Monday. Odds are that the week ahead will probably bring what seem to be impossible odds or situations to more than a dozen of us again; maybe even to somebody who had to face that strain last week.

But please don't forget, and remind one another, that God keeps His light burning in the hearts of His people, even when they face what seem to be impossible odds or situations. With God, all things truly are possible. In Jesus Christ, we are assured that God's light cannot fail, or go out.

For Jesus is the ultimate shammash candle who, by the power of the light and fire of the Holy Spirit serves the other candles (us) by bringing light to the wick of our soul, which is why Jesus said, "I am the Light of the World. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12)

Praise God!

Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

Sa, Nov 3 "Day of Praise"

But Jesus came and touched them. "Get up," he said. "Don't be afraid." When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus. - Matthew 17:7-8

I love life.

And the older I get, the more I understand why Jesus says the greatest command is to love God with all ya got and to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-39). God and your neighbor. They're what makes life lovable.

For whatever else we might believe or think or hope is in the everlasting heaven, we can be sure that there will be two things: God and, by God's grace, people.

Yep, God and people. They're what makes life lovable.

I so love my three kids. My parents. My three siblings and their families. My church family. My Day of Praise friendships. My neighborhood friends.

So blessed.

I stop by CVS on the way to work most mornings to check my blood pressure in that little machine next to the pharmacy section. Usually my blood pressure's a little higher than I want when I first check it. So then I take a breath, close my eyes, and imagine the faces of a few very specific people. Different people each day. It's amazing how their faces calm me. And my blood pressure.

But God, through today's Bible verses, invites us to recognize that, as great and calming as all those people can be, God has sent us His only Son, Jesus. And Jesus comes to us and touches us and, if we need it, picks us up and speaks to us, saying, "Don't be afraid."

And it's so divine and heavenly and spirit-filled that we, like the disciples long ago, are given to look up and see no one except Jesus.

So I close my eyes again, and I picture Jesus, the Good Shepherd. I can see that he's led me and the other sheep to a sloping green pasture with woods far to the right. The green pasture slopes down into a lake of still waters, so still, in fact, that the moon makes a glassy smooth runway of light that only stops at the shoreline at the exact spot from which the Good Shepherd is watching us. He has a strong and yet gentle smile on his face. I can see it, even with his back to the light, because there's an aura around him. Not from the moon behind him. But from the love within him.

So he glows.

And my blood pressure drops to what, for me, are ridiculously low (read, "calm") numbers.

And I know the other sheep are there. And I love the other sheep. They're my three kids. My parents. My three siblings and their families. My church family. My Day of Praise friendships. My neighborhood friends. And I even sense some enemies with whom the Shepherd has brought reconciliation.

But it's like we're all in a trance. A mesmerized bliss. We just can't take our eyes off of Jesus.

It's like heaven.

It probably is.

But it's now. Before we die.

For us all.

Together.

Because, in His presence, we all love life.
And the older we get, the more we understand why Jesus says the greatest command is to love God with all ya got and to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-39).

God and your neighbor.

They're what makes life lovable.

And because of Jesus we can see both of them, God and people, in a lot more clear and calming way.

Close your eyes. And see.

Praise God!

Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

Fr, Nov 2 "Day of Praise"

The woman came and knelt before him. "Lord, help me!" she said.
He replied, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs."
"Yes, Lord," she said, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table."
Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed from that very hour. --
Matthew 15:25-28

I'm sure you've heard the one about the insomniac, agnostic, dyslexic. He stayed up all night wondering if there was a dog.
That's a joke. You're supposed to at least groan.

But make no mistake, Jesus is not joking in today's Bible verses when he replied to the Canaanite woman, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs."

Jesus' reply is tied to what's called the "Scandal of Particularity." In other words, Jesus is the Jewish Messiah who was sent by the Jewish God (who is the only God) to fulfill the Jewish prophecies SO THAT salvation could come to the whole world, including non-Jews, who are otherwise called Gentiles.

Salvation will come through the Jewish Messiah by way of the cross, to which Jesus will be sent by the Jewish (not Gentile) leaders. Pontius Pilate, remember, did not want to crucIfy Jesus. He merely caved in to the pressure from the Jewish leaders who kept stirring up the Jewish crowd. And being rejected by his own people, Jesus would then be crucified for the sin of the whole world.

I'm not patronizing when I say that I know this is all a hard concept to grasp because it seems like sweet baby Jesus is being mean to a nice old lady who just wants her sweet little daughter healed.

But Jesus is not being mean. He's being focused. On his mission. So that whether we understand all the ins and outs of it all, we can be saved through faith in him, which is exactly what the Canaanite woman shows us and Jesus affirms.

She doesn't understand all the "theological necessity". She just knows that her daughter is sick, and Jesus has the power to heal her daughter.

So she persists. Like the parable of the widow going to the judge. Or the Greek who tells Philip he wants to see Jesus.

And faith in God's goodness and power is what drives persistence. My goodness, faith in God's goodness and power is what drives contentment as the woman doesn't ask for the whole enchilada. She just asks for a crumb from the table. It's kinda like the woman who says, "If I can just touch the hem of his cloak, then my bleeding will be healed."

Friends, it's important that you pursue a deeper understanding of the faith for all sorts of valid reasons. But today's Bible verses are a call for you to believe in the goodness and power of God through Jesus.

And therefore to persist in coming to the Lord and saying out of deep and strong belief, "Lord, just a crumb from you today is better than anything the world has to offer."

And the Lord will feed and fill your soul today, as he did for an old, single woman and her daughter long ago.

And THAT, my Friends, is no joke!

Praise God!

Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Day of Praise

Th, Nov 1 "Day of Praise"

Today is All Saints' Day.

If you believe in Jesus himself and His saving work for you on His cross, then, Biblically-speaking, you are a saint. To be a saint is to be made holy, set apart both for a relationship with God through Christ and also for a joyful place in God's life-giving, sinner-redeeming work. There is no better relationship and no greater place.

Relish these that are just a few of the many promises of God to you who are His saints, to you who believe in Jesus himself and His saving work for you on His cross.

1 Samuel 2:9
He will guard the feet of his saints, but the wicked will be silenced in darkness.

2 Chronicles 6:41
Now arise, O LORD God, and come to your resting place, you and the ark of your might. May your priests, O LORD God, be clothed with salvation, may your saints rejoice in your goodness.

Psalm 16:3
As for the saints who are in the land, they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight.

Psalm 30:4
Sing to the LORD, you saints of his; praise his holy name.

Psalm 31:23
Love the LORD, all his saints! The LORD preserves the faithful, but the proud he pays back in full.

Psalm 34:9
Fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing.

Psalm 52:9
I will praise you forever for what you have done; in your name I will hope, for your name is good. I will praise you in the presence of your saints.

Psalm 85:8
I will listen to what God the LORD will say; he promises peace to his people, his saints— but let them not return to folly.

Praise God!




Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson