This Sunday marks the First Sunday in Lent. Lent is a time for us to examine our own lives, to peer deeper into our souls and to strip away the veneer. It causes us to look at what we really trust in life. It makes us look, once again, to see if we are really living as children of God. It makes us see what needs to be renewed.
Our Gospel in Mark 1:9-15 brings us to the Spirit leading Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. This wilderness experience comes just before Jesus starts his public ministry. Any coincidence? It seems like the Spirit is leading Jesus to confront his own humanness in order to understand us better. The power of the devil will become a challenging force throughout the rest of his life.
The wilderness is a place where you are stripped of all your resources. It is a barren place where you must see just how you will survive. It can be a frightening place. Jesus through this experience learned his dependence on God. There were angels that came to minister to him.
We, too, will face temptation by the evil one. Satan does not appear before us overtly announcing a time of testing, but rather comes in some subversive forms--ways in which we might not be aware. Satan's temptations are for us to find our security in the things of this world.
Therefore, we must sit up and take notice. Satan can use anything to draw us away from God. Will you be on guard? Because Jesus has overcome temptation by Satan, we also can have the power from him to resist what Satan might bring to us.
What are you trusting in life to help you through rough times? Can you identify anything in your life in the good times, where Satan might be tugging at you to pull you away from God?
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Beholding God in Jesus
Have you ever had a discussion about God with someone and wondered if the both of you were on the same page? Maybe you felt you were or maybe you realized that the both of you were a world apart. Anyway, I think when we do talk about God, we as Christians cannot help but to mention Jesus. Jesus changes the dynamics about how we perceive God.
At one point in Jesus' life, he is having a conversation with Philip. Philip had wanted a little more evidence about God. Jesus responds to him: "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?" John 14:9
It is through Jesus that we really get to know God. For example, I think of the aspect of God's glory. Certainly, the heavens and our natural surroundings declare the glory of God. Psalm 19. However, the glory of God really comes to light when Jesus is transfigured. This Sunday, which is the celebration of the Transfiguration, presents us with those disciples beholding God in high definition when they look at Jesus and see his appearance changing to a bright color.
Those disciples and we can understand God better when we look at Jesus. It's not just the words that he spoke, but his very actions that reveal to us what God is really like. In my sermon I will explore such things as compassion, mercy, and concern for all kinds of people.
In what ways has Jesus helped you to understand God better? What qualities of God come to your mind when you think of Jesus?
At one point in Jesus' life, he is having a conversation with Philip. Philip had wanted a little more evidence about God. Jesus responds to him: "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?" John 14:9
It is through Jesus that we really get to know God. For example, I think of the aspect of God's glory. Certainly, the heavens and our natural surroundings declare the glory of God. Psalm 19. However, the glory of God really comes to light when Jesus is transfigured. This Sunday, which is the celebration of the Transfiguration, presents us with those disciples beholding God in high definition when they look at Jesus and see his appearance changing to a bright color.
Those disciples and we can understand God better when we look at Jesus. It's not just the words that he spoke, but his very actions that reveal to us what God is really like. In my sermon I will explore such things as compassion, mercy, and concern for all kinds of people.
In what ways has Jesus helped you to understand God better? What qualities of God come to your mind when you think of Jesus?
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Beholding God in Nature
There is a powerful verse in Scripture, "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. " Romans 1:20. The key words here are 'eternal power and divine nature.'
I wonder how many of us look at the mountains or a lake or just a small flower and can think of God's eternal power. We might tend to look more at the fierceness of a tornado or a snowstorm. But in the act of creating the world itself and all that is in it, there was power needed that no human being could duplicate. With God's divine nature, I think of seeing beauty in nature. Ever take the time to really look at a flower or a sunset and actually think of God? When I see a rainbow in the sky, I want to think of it as more than the refraction of light in the sky, but of God's signature. It's God's promise to us about preserving the Earth from another catastrophe like the Flood.
I can look at a tree and just see a tree or I can see the wood from which a cross could be fashioned. I can look at the rebirth in nature in springtime and see just the coming back of what once was or I can see the motif of death and resurrection.
There is much for us to see and remind us in nature about God.
What in nature brings your attention to God? Ever been on a vacation where you were in a special place that made your thoughts turn to God?
I wonder how many of us look at the mountains or a lake or just a small flower and can think of God's eternal power. We might tend to look more at the fierceness of a tornado or a snowstorm. But in the act of creating the world itself and all that is in it, there was power needed that no human being could duplicate. With God's divine nature, I think of seeing beauty in nature. Ever take the time to really look at a flower or a sunset and actually think of God? When I see a rainbow in the sky, I want to think of it as more than the refraction of light in the sky, but of God's signature. It's God's promise to us about preserving the Earth from another catastrophe like the Flood.
I can look at a tree and just see a tree or I can see the wood from which a cross could be fashioned. I can look at the rebirth in nature in springtime and see just the coming back of what once was or I can see the motif of death and resurrection.
There is much for us to see and remind us in nature about God.
What in nature brings your attention to God? Ever been on a vacation where you were in a special place that made your thoughts turn to God?
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Practicing the Presence of God
February 17 has been designated as the day when the transition will be made from analog to full digital TV transmission. Yes, those of us who have older TV's and do not have cable TV will have to make some adjustments. Besides freeing up the frequency spectrum for other uses, high definition gives us a sharper picture. In thinking about the switchover, I wonder how many of us would like to get a clearer picture of God in our lives. Do you yearn to have God more in focus in your life?
This concern has prompted me to develop a sermon series on "Getting God in High Definition." My sermon on Sunday will focus on "Practicing the Presence of God."
The title comes from the title of a book by Brother Lawrence, who lived a little over three hundred years ago. His book has become a classic. His point is that we must make a conscious effort to be aware of God throughout the day. I think many of us just expect God to show up in spectacular ways on a regular basis. When that doesn't happen, we feel God has abandoned us or the chasm has grown larger between us and God.
The real secret is to to be thinking of God in everything we do. We thank God for every good thing that comes our way. It is to think of God when we have to make any kind of a decision. It is to think of God when we contemplate the direction of our lives. We consciously make God a part of our living each day.
Where are you in terms of experiencing the presence of God? What else might we do to bring God into sharper focus in our lives?
This concern has prompted me to develop a sermon series on "Getting God in High Definition." My sermon on Sunday will focus on "Practicing the Presence of God."
The title comes from the title of a book by Brother Lawrence, who lived a little over three hundred years ago. His book has become a classic. His point is that we must make a conscious effort to be aware of God throughout the day. I think many of us just expect God to show up in spectacular ways on a regular basis. When that doesn't happen, we feel God has abandoned us or the chasm has grown larger between us and God.
The real secret is to to be thinking of God in everything we do. We thank God for every good thing that comes our way. It is to think of God when we have to make any kind of a decision. It is to think of God when we contemplate the direction of our lives. We consciously make God a part of our living each day.
Where are you in terms of experiencing the presence of God? What else might we do to bring God into sharper focus in our lives?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
