Cold Medicine and the Gospel

We take colds and flus seriously.  We throw everything at them in the hopes of minimizing the impact on our life.

What if we took sin this seriously? 

We have a prayer of confession every week because it serves to remind us of the impact of sin on our lives and our relationships, both with God and one another.  The more we pay attention to sin, the more we realize that we cannot save ourselves from sin.

Which leads us to the realization that only Christ can deliver us from sin, and thanks be to God that God does deliver us from the power of sin and death.

That should drive us to worship God with thanksgiving in our hearts.

Luke 22:47–51

Luke 22:47-51

English Standard Version 

  I was thinking about this passage the other day and it had never occurred to me before that Jesus' disciples were carrying swords around, and he never stopped them.  Google tells me that carrying a sword was common at the time, often due to bandits roaming the roads.  Here in this moment, when Jesus is being arrested, it would seem like an ideal time for a sword to be used to set Jesus free.

  And yet Jesus intervenes with a memorable scene, reaching out to miraculously heal the one who had been violated.  This would seem to be an enemy of Jesus, as he has come to arrest him, and yet there is grace even for him.  Do you ever wonder what that man talked about at his kitchen table in the days to come?  Did he still advocate for the murder of Jesus?  How could he, after Jesus stopped to heal him in this moment?  You'd think that every time he looked at that ear in the mirror for the rest of his life, he remembered the feel of Jesus' hand upon his head, and a moment of peace in the chaos of adversity.

  I pray this moment for each of us, that when the tides of life are sweeping us along and we're caught up in the emotions, that there is a moment of peace when we remember that Jesus Christ is still Lord.  No matter how strong the opponent may seem, and no matter how angry we are, may we feel the hand of Christ upon us, sowing seeds of peace that will grow into a garden, into a tree of life that bears fruit for the healing of the nations.

Entrusted: What Have We Been Given? | Genesis 2:4–15

What does it mean to be entrusted with something by God?

In Genesis 2, God places Adam in the Garden of Eden, not simply to enjoy its abundance, but to care for it. From the very beginning, humanity is given both the gift of life and the responsibility to tend God's creation.

In the first sermon of the Entrusted stewardship series, we explore the connection between love, responsibility, and God's generosity. Drawing from Genesis 2, Psalm 8, James 1, and Jesus' restoration of Peter, we discover that God doesn't wait for us to become perfect before inviting us to participate in his work.

Stewardship isn't simply about money or supporting the church. It's about recognizing the people, opportunities, abilities, and resources God has placed in our care and responding faithfully to those gifts.

The central question: What has God entrusted to you, and how are you caring for it?

Scripture: Psalm 8:1–9; James 1:16–18; Genesis 2:4b–15

Luke 22:43–46

Luke 22:43-46

English Standard Version 

  Here we have prayer.

  Jesus is praying desperately.  He needs strength.  He is clearly suffering the full weight of the trial he is about to endure.  The Father has given him a glimpse of what is to come, and he is in agony.  So he prays.

  The disciples are in sorrow, overcome with sleep.  The world is in turmoil around them, and they are emotionally exhausted.  They collapse in sleep, but Jesus awakens them to pray.  They will pray a different prayer, but all the same, they will be in prayer.

  As you go through this week, you will pass through different moments and different moods.  For each of them, there is a prayer.  They are not all the same prayer, but each can carry you through, from one moment to the next.  God is with you.  Jesus prays with you.  Stay in prayer.