Author: Pastor Doug

Our scripture today is Psalms 9:1-2 (NASB1995).

I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonders. I will be glad and exult in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.

Today in the United States we celebrate Thanksgiving, remembering the blessings we have been given by our loving God. The psalmist links thanks and praise, our response to God for His care. It is important for us to recognize that all good things come from Him and any good we do or receive is because of Him. God wants us all to be part of what He is doing in creation, treating each other with the love and care He offers us. We recount the stories of how He has offered guidance and protection throughout human history and our shared connection to Him. While today may be a holiday in the US, we need to give our thanks and praise to God every day, celebrating His love and His forgiveness offered through Christ’s sacrifice for us.

Gracious God, as we celebrate and remember today, help us to make each day a celebration of Your love, and share it with all our brothers and sisters. May we go in Your name, telling the Good News of salvation everywhere. Amen.

Our scripture today is ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭68‬:‭19‬-‭20‬ ‭(NIV‬‬).

Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death.

This Psalm passage reminds us we can trust God because He “daily bears our burdens.” He is always there for us, in good times and bad. Jesus tells us this in Matthew 11:28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” Jesus came to show us what a life lived in God could be like, and to invite us to be blessed in this as well. Through Christ we are forgiven as the prophet Isaiah wrote “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted” (Isaiah 53:4). Jesus bore the burden of our sin that we could be redeemed through accepting Him as our Savior. While mortal death will happen, “from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death”, the promise of eternal life with Him.

Gracious God, we are sorry for our failure to obey and to love as You have commanded. Forgive us and send us in Your name to share the joy of salvation with everyone. Amen.

Our scripture today is Psalms 23:4 (NASB1995).

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

Psalm 23 is well known to many people, with verses that provide comfort and strength when we are oppressed by life. David sings “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me.” God knows everything we face here and has promised to be with us always. While this doesn’t mean we will never experience adversity, it does mean we have God and fellow believers with us through it. Our salvation isn’t based on anything we can do. An old hymn tells us “my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.” Only by coming to Christ in repentance can we truly fear no evil. He is indeed our Savior and our brother.

Loving Lord, we put all our hope and trust in You. Bless us to be faithful stewards of Your gifts and Your word to all people. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Colossians 4:2 (NASB1995).

Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving.

Paul indicates that prayer is not just for confessing our sins and asking for blessing or relief. Prayer is a two way conversation with God that can take place at any time in any setting. Jesus used to go off by Himself, not that the place was important but rather that He would not be interrupted. He tells us in Matthew 6:6 “But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” However, Jesus knew the joy of constant contact with the Father and promised us His presence as well (John 14:26). By devoting ourselves to prayer we stay in touch with God and hear His invitation to be part of sharing the Good News.

Loving Lord, You made a way for us to be forgiven and to carry on the work Jesus began here. Bless us to go in Your name, bearing Your love everywhere. Amen.

Our scripture today is Isaiah 43:2 (NASB1995).

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you.

Isaiah writes of God’s love for us and His saving grace. He has promised to be with us through all the issues we face when we walk in His way. These promises come with responsibilities, that we obey the commandments to love Him and our brothers and sisters. We must be careful not to think His protection means we can do whatever we like. Jesus demonstrates this in Luke 4:1-13 when Satan tempts Him to do things that would test God. Jesus refuses comfort, wealth and attention because it was not God’s plan and not Satan’s to give. We must not fall for these lies either. Only God can give us lasting peace and an eternal home.

Heavenly Father, we are sorry for the times we are selfish and our own way fails. Bless us to be generous with Your gifts and share Your love with everyone. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Matthew 19:25-26 (NIV).

When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Jesus has just finished His exchange with the rich young man who was unwilling to give up his wealth in order to receive eternal life and tells His disciples how hard it is for people who love things more than God and each other to enter the kingdom. This is where we messed up to begin with – evil got us to believe something other than our connection to God could make us happy. The truth is things are temporary but God is eternal and even after our poor choices He still wants us to be with Him forever. We can’t trade our things for this, we can’t work for it, salvation is a free gift from God through Christ’s sacrifice for us. Jesus rephrases what the angel Gabriel told His mother Mary “For nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke 1:37). God has made a way for us to be saved!

Loving Lord, we are thankful for the gift of Your Son to save us and that You call us to be productive kingdom workers. Bless us to share the Good News with the world. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is 2 Timothy 1:6-7 (NIV).

For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

Paul writes to remind all of us that God has gifted us with things to be used to care for His creation and to spread His love. Timothy has studied under Paul, traveled with Him, and now carries on the ministry while Paul is in prison. Sometimes we confuse the instruction to be humble with being timid. Paul tells us this is not the case, that we can share the Good News boldly while giving the glory to God. Power, love and self-discipline are tools for us to use in the kingdom work which we are assigned. This points out the old phrase God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

Heavenly Father, we are amazed that You ask us to be part of what You are doing in the world. Bless us to share Your word with energy and love. Amen. 

Our scripture this morning is Mark 10:14-15 (NIV).

When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

Have you heard someone say “childlike faith”? It is likely they are referring to this story. As a pastor I have experienced this where a well meaning parent tells an excited child “don’t bother the pastor, he’s busy”. Well, yes I am…but if I ever cared more about the hands on a clock than the hands of a child reaching out, I hope the Spirit would convict me quickly! Jesus says in John 3:3 “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” It is this change in our lives and a new way of looking at the world that Jesus wants us to experience. May we all have this childlike faith that leads us to Him and to share His love with everyone.

Loving Lord, You came as a child to be one of us. Help us to be Your faithful children, using the wonderful gifts You have given to care for Your creation. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Hebrews 4:12 (NASB1995).

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

The Letter to the Hebrews is attributed to Paul but he does not identify himself as in his other letters. Paul was known as the apostle to the Gentiles, but he was a Jew by birth and by practice. It doesn’t matter who the author is as long as it expresses the love and teachings of Jesus. In this verse we hear about the probing nature of God’s word, “living and active”, inviting us to look deeper into ourselves. Nothing is hidden from Him, but if we examine our thoughts and behavior with Him, we can be forgiven and live in his love. The study of His word and ongoing conversation with God is His presence to reassure us and guide us in His way.

Gracious God, You have given us Your word that we might understand our connection to You and all of creation. Help us to care for what You have given us, especially each other, and to share Your love everywhere. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Luke 1:37 (NASB1995).

For nothing will be impossible with God.

The angel Gabriel appears to Mary and explains the call God is asking her to fulfill, to be the mother of our Savior. Mary has reasonable questions and Gabriel answers “nothing will be impossible with God.” This is the part we seem to forget, even when we are faithful. Jesus came to be one of us as a child, so that we could see our humanity in Him, but also His divinity. We have that same spark, the very breath of God breathed into us as we are created in His image. We need both of these sides to be able to share the Good News with the world. God has called us to be part of what He is doing in creation, and when it is hard we must remember “nothing will be impossible with God.”

Loving Lord, You sent Jesus to be the way for us to be saved. Bless us to share this precious gift with all our brothers and sisters. Amen.