Author: Pastor Doug

Our scripture this morning is Ephesians 2:18-19 (NRSV).

For through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God.

Paul speaks of a huge division in the world of his time, Jews and Gentiles. The children of Israel had been chosen by God, but to their surprise, His blessing is extended to all people. Paul is sometimes known as the Apostle to the Gentiles because of his extensive missionary work with communities that were mostly non-Jews.

God made a promise to Abraham that through his descendants the whole world would be blessed: “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:2-3). God chose to use a certain group of people to reach out to the world, but His promise is for all His children everywhere.

In Acts 15 we hear Peter, the head of the Jerusalem church say of the Gentiles: “And God, who knows the human heart, testified to them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us; and in cleansing their hearts by faith he has made no distinction between them and us” (Acts 15:8-9). May we have the same love for all His children!

Gracious God, we know You made us and You see us all in the same loving way. Bless us to heal our divisions and love one another as You first loved us. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Mark 9:23 (NRSV).

Jesus said to him, “If you are able!—All things can be done for the one who believes.”

Jesus has just come down the mountain where He appeared in His glory to Peter, John and James. They find the rest of the disciples struggling to heal a boy possessed by a demon. The boy’s father begs Jesus to help “if he is able” and we can hardly blame him for his doubt. Jesus tells him “All things can be done for the one who believes.”

Jesus says this to His disciples (and us!) in other lessons: “And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a dead calm” (Matthew 8:26). Jesus always seems amazed at our ability to panic, even when we know His presence.

Later Peter exhibits faith by getting out of the boat to walk on the water to Jesus. However, it wavers and he cries to Jesus for help as he begins to sink. “Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”” (Matthew 14:31). While Jesus may sound as if He is scolding us, even a little belief is enough to overcome unbelief. The tiny spark of faith can lead to the fire of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2) and empower us to share our faith with the world.

Loving Lord, help us in our unbelief! Remind us of the promise we have in You and make us bold disciples to share Your love everywhere. Amen.

Our scripture today is Luke 16:10 (NRSV).

Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much.

Jesus tells a somewhat cryptic story about using our resources well for the kingdom, and the danger that lurks in the love of money. It is often known as the Parable of the Dishonest Manager (Luke 16:1-13). It has much to teach us about our relationship with money and one another.

Our key verse (Luke 16:10) speaks to the fact that with sin there is very little gray area. It warns us “whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much.” We tend to see sins as human crimes with different punishment severity according to the act. The real penalty for sin, all sin, is a separation from God. Evil can’t exist in His presence, that’s why we were banished from the garden.

God never gives up on us; if we repent and ask forgiveness, we can be reconnected to Him. He is always ready to welcome us back. By being “faithful in a very little”, we can grow to be “faithful also in much” and fulfill our charge to share His love with the world.

Generous and patient Lord, we are grateful for every gift You have given us and we ask Your forgiveness for the times we have wasted our gifts. Help us to be good stewards in Your name, bringing the joy of a relationship with You to all Your children. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Philippians 2:5-8 (NRSV).

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, assuming human likeness. And being found in appearance as a human, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross.

Think like Jesus? That sounds hard, but Paul tells us that if we want a relationship with Jesus, we must be of the same mind. If we want to be like Jesus, we have to want what He wants for us as individuals and the world.

This was the original problem that led to our fall into sin. We had a relationship with God, but we were not of the same mind. Humans chose to follow our own minds on the advice of one who did not have our best interests at heart. This lack of trust and disobedience broke the relationship with God for which we were created.

However, God didn’t give up on us. While things were different than at first, God still loved and wanted the best for us. He already knew we would need help, and in the time He determined, Jesus came to show us what we needed to be saved. Now we get to pass that blessing on to others, inviting them to know the love of God.

Loving Lord, we are grateful You still reach out to us with mercy and forgiveness. Bless us to be good stewards of all Your gifts and share the Gospel with the world. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Matthew 28:19 (NASB).

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”

These are the words of the risen Christ to each and every one of us. It is known as the Great Commission, Jesus passing His earthly ministry to us. Now we are responsible for spreading God’s love to the world.

In Acts 2 we read of the coming of the Holy Spirit, God’s presence with us always. This enables us to be in constant contact with our Creator and to speak His truth. We are not merely things He made but beloved children, and part of His plan.

In the beginning God gave us responsibility for all earthly things, to act as His representatives here. Through the Great Commission we are made responsible to Him for the spread of the Good News, and to each other that all hear of His love and care for us. Each one of us must accept Christ as our savior, and each one of us must tell His story through how we live.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your love and forgiveness demonstrated through Christ’s sacrifice for us. Help us to be bold and loving voices for You always. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Psalm 23:4 (ESV).

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

This verse from Psalm 23 expresses our faith in the Lord in all circumstances. It doesn’t matter where we go or what we face, God has promised to be with us. We remember Moses’ plea to God “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here” (Exodus 33:15). David, the author of this psalm, knew that promise not just from scripture, but from experience.

We know that as followers of Jesus there will be obstacles on our journey and opposition to the message we bring. David had a hard path to becoming king, and although he was not perfect, he knew about asking God’s forgiveness when he stumbled. He counted on God to be with him always, not just when things were rough.

This is our major problem as humans – we are more than willing to cry out for God to be with us when things are challenging, but do we also crave His presence when things are good? He is not the God of good times or bad times but the Creator of time itself and all things that exist. He is always there, it is up to us to recognize His presence and accept His blessing.

Heavenly Father, forgive us when we ignore You and the love You have for us. Help us to see You in all our brothers and sisters, and may they see you in us. Amen.

Our scripture today is Micah 6:8 (ESV).

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

We’ve looked at this scripture before, but it was up again today on Bible.com, perhaps a sign we need to hear it again. I like using their scripture reading because it’s a surprise each day and makes me think about what I’m studying each morning. I found when I picked my own passages I would sometimes avoid difficult sections, and tended to only choose “happy” scriptures.

Unfortunately, life isn’t always the happy experience we hope for. The prophet Micah met resistance to his call for repentance and care for one another. Even though the people didn’t heed his words, he still preached that there was hope for the future. In Micah 5:2 we read “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.” 

Micah reminds the people (and us) that God has told us what is necessary – be honest with Him and each other, love and care for all things, and always follow His path, not our own. We will always encounter obstacles and resistance to our discipleship, but with His help we will share the Good News with everyone.

Gracious God, we are sorry for the times we fail to love each other as You have taught us. Forgive us, and send us to be Your messengers everywhere. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Exodus 33:15 (ESV).

And he said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.”

Exodus 33:12-23 is subtitled “Moses’ Intercession” in many translations. The Hebrews have sinned badly by practicing idol worship while Moses had gone up to meet with God. Moses pleads for God to remain with them, teaching us that without God’s presence we have no hope. The Promised Land is just dirt if God is not with us.

Moses didn’t sugarcoat what the people had done, but he makes the case that our relationship with the Lord is more important than any other gift we are given. Moses had a very special connection with God and he was not afraid to speak to Him in defense of the people. He asks for nothing less than God with us, the knowledge that whatever else happens, we are together with Him.

God has reached out to us in love throughout history. At the point in time He chose, He shared His presence with us as Jesus, a human being like us, but capable of being obedient where we were not. His self sacrifice shows His love for us; and His resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit show His presence with us.

Heavenly Father, we are sorry for the times we have failed You. Forgive us and be with us, that we may go to tell the world of Your redeeming love. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Ezekiel 37:5-6 (ESV).

Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.

God created everything from nothing, so Him being able to bring life to dry bones shouldn’t surprise us. However, it’s not the way things usually work, and like the prophet Ezekiel we are somewhat hesitant at God’s command to “prophesy to the bones” (Ezekiel 37:4). God doesn’t need our help for anything but there is a lesson for us here.

He brings the bones together and breathes life into them after Ezekiel speaks to them. Just having a complete body is not enough, God’s breath in us is necessary for life. This is meant to teach us that we may look like we’re living, but without God within us, we’re really not.

It also shows how God intends His Word to be shared by His people with the world. He sent His Son as a human to teach us, that we might go in His name to share the blessing He has given us. Without His love in us, we are just so many dry bones.

Loving Lord, it is only through Your will and Your love that anything exists. Help us to show the joy of a life in You to all Your children. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is James 5:16 (ESV).

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

Let’s talk about our sins for a bit. I think a statement like that makes most of us a little uncomfortable. People generally will talk about anything, especially the sins of others, rather than our own sins. James advises “confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.”

Confession as a practice means different things to different faith traditions, but all agree that the act of speaking our mistake to another human brings an indescribable healing. Evil tries to corrupt us and make us think if we tell anyone what we did, we will be shunned. This secretive nature is essential to evil’s success – it brings separation from God and our community. 

When Adam and Eve knew they had sinned, they hid because they were ashamed (Genesis 3:8). This shame over our willful behavior separates us as much as the act itself, and its effects are long lasting and serious. We are called to share one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2), and as James tells us, our prayers for one another are powerful. By ministering to each other’s issues, we fulfill the command of Christ.

Gracious God, we are sorry for the number of times we have fallen short of Your will for us. Forgive us and bless us to listen to other’s issues and pray for them as Jesus taught us. Amen.