PK’s Corner April 2011
Matthew 14:18 “Bring them here to me.” (HCSB)
The feeding of 5000 people with just 5 loaves and 2 fish is truly a remarkable feat. It is even more remarkable when we realize that they only counted the males of the group. Truly this is a miracle of enormous proportions.
But, the one thing I have learned in my Christian journey is God does not work in a vacuum. There was a teaching here, and all too often we miss it. This small lunch was not enough to feed more than one person. It was so small, the disciples were almost apologetic in when they brought it too Jesus. But Jesus knew better. He knew that something great can come out of something small.
God can take our weakness and turn it into the greatest of strengths. God is glorified when we give God everything, including what we consider small and worthless. The greater gift in the temple was the widow’s mite, not the overflowing bags of gold. The one lamb was more important than the flock, the broken prodigal meant more than all the servants, and yes the fish were more filling than all the burgers money could buy.
When we give with all we have, when we give up everything , that is when God is glorified. The boy gave out of his poverty, the widow gave her last two coins, the Syrian woman, her last ounce of dignity and Jesus gave his last drop of blood.
All these gifts, given even though there was nothing else, is the giving God desires, the letting go of all we hold dear.
Give God your all, not just your best, but you’re worst also, not just you joy, but your pain. Even if we think it is insignificant, God can turn it into Glory.
If you doubt that, look at what God did to an instrument of torture called the Cross.
Amen
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
It is Written
PK’s Corner March 2011
Isaiah 49:16a “ See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;”
“I will never forget you…” how many melodramatic movies have had that line. “I will never forget you…” are supposed to be words that bring comfort in a time of sorrow, and often they are a promise that is kept. But humans do tend to forget, and time heals wounds of the heart.
But imagine someone who wants to remember you so much that they are willing to carve you name in their hand. This is what God does; our name is in God’s hands. We can never be forgotten or forsaken because God knows us.
We are never alone. God holds us in the palm.
And if you think about, how did our name get engraved on God’s palm, could it be with a rusty spike at a place called Golgatha? Be assured, God never forgets God’s children. The question is, are you a child of God?
Amen
Isaiah 49:16a “ See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;”
“I will never forget you…” how many melodramatic movies have had that line. “I will never forget you…” are supposed to be words that bring comfort in a time of sorrow, and often they are a promise that is kept. But humans do tend to forget, and time heals wounds of the heart.
But imagine someone who wants to remember you so much that they are willing to carve you name in their hand. This is what God does; our name is in God’s hands. We can never be forgotten or forsaken because God knows us.
We are never alone. God holds us in the palm.
And if you think about, how did our name get engraved on God’s palm, could it be with a rusty spike at a place called Golgatha? Be assured, God never forgets God’s children. The question is, are you a child of God?
Amen
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Epiphany
Matthew 2:10 “When they saw the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy”.
Epiphany is the time of discovery. We celebrate this end of the nativity season with the stories of the Maji, of Simeon and of Anna. All of these people were promised a glimpse of the kingdom in the sight of Jesus the Christ.
When the Maji came to the house of Joseph and Mary, they were overwhelmed with Joy, here they had traveled so long and almost always at night to visit this new born king of the Jews. They saw in their own writings and prophecies the salvation that this little child would bring. For them, this was the pinnacle of their lives, they had given so much for this journey, and now they were rewarded with the gift of God’s son.
Can you imagine being overwhelmed with joy by coming to the house of the Lord? When was the last time you walked into a house of worship in expectation of meeting God? When was the last time you knew the true joy of being in the presence of God with you fellow worshipers?
In the year to come, I pray that our churches will become places of overwhelming joy. I pray that we can look forward to being in the presence of God when we are together in worship. I hope that we become a people that will put Christ first and lets the church be the focal point of the Christ first attitude.
In church, there can be overwhelming joy, but for that to happen, you need to know God. Let this be the year that God fills you with joy and kingdom purpose.
Amen
Epiphany is the time of discovery. We celebrate this end of the nativity season with the stories of the Maji, of Simeon and of Anna. All of these people were promised a glimpse of the kingdom in the sight of Jesus the Christ.
When the Maji came to the house of Joseph and Mary, they were overwhelmed with Joy, here they had traveled so long and almost always at night to visit this new born king of the Jews. They saw in their own writings and prophecies the salvation that this little child would bring. For them, this was the pinnacle of their lives, they had given so much for this journey, and now they were rewarded with the gift of God’s son.
Can you imagine being overwhelmed with joy by coming to the house of the Lord? When was the last time you walked into a house of worship in expectation of meeting God? When was the last time you knew the true joy of being in the presence of God with you fellow worshipers?
In the year to come, I pray that our churches will become places of overwhelming joy. I pray that we can look forward to being in the presence of God when we are together in worship. I hope that we become a people that will put Christ first and lets the church be the focal point of the Christ first attitude.
In church, there can be overwhelming joy, but for that to happen, you need to know God. Let this be the year that God fills you with joy and kingdom purpose.
Amen
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
War?
PK’s Corner December 7, 2010
John 11:35 Jesus Wept
69 years ago, on a Sunday morning, the United States of America was forced into a war that had been going on since 1939. The unprovoked attack on Pearl Harbor was to change the lives of those who fought and those who lived during the war. It would also change the world, and even today we are realing from the effects of that war.
Consider this: The total killed at Pearl Harbor was 2402 military and civilian personnel. Of that 1177 were aboard the USS Arizona. Total American Casualties for the war from that day to August of 1945 were 418,500 both military and civilian.
For the world from 1939 to 1945 there were over 70 million persons killed of that 25 million were military casualties, the rest were civilian. Over 6 million of those died in the gas chambers and furnaces of the Concentration camps. The Second World War was a truly world war. There was no place on earth that was not affected in some way by the war. Economically it led to rationing and in some places starvation. Civilly whole towns were wiped out, never to rise from the ashes. For the family, it led to the eradication of whole generations and family names. Almost 9% of the population was destroyed in that war. Most of that population were guilty of only being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
And yes, Jesus wept. How could he not, to see his children harming one another over petty things such as politics, and power? Today we still argue over the trivial stuff, when we should be loving our neighbor and loving our God. What have we learned, wars still happen, people still look out for themselves, governments still exert their power and bask in that power. Petty dictators still kill the innocents in the name of ethnic cleansing. What have we learned?
How many families were broken by this war, and are still healing even today. Like the oil that still leaks from the USS Arizona, we still bleed. When will we learn?
Wars will always be around us, Peace will always be elusive, unless we as Christians and followers of Christ start loving and caring as Christ did for us. What can you do today, that will stop someone from making war? What can we do today, that will celebrate the Prince of Peace and the Lord of Life?
For humankind, stopping war may be impossible, but with God all things are possible.
Amen
John 11:35 Jesus Wept
69 years ago, on a Sunday morning, the United States of America was forced into a war that had been going on since 1939. The unprovoked attack on Pearl Harbor was to change the lives of those who fought and those who lived during the war. It would also change the world, and even today we are realing from the effects of that war.
Consider this: The total killed at Pearl Harbor was 2402 military and civilian personnel. Of that 1177 were aboard the USS Arizona. Total American Casualties for the war from that day to August of 1945 were 418,500 both military and civilian.
For the world from 1939 to 1945 there were over 70 million persons killed of that 25 million were military casualties, the rest were civilian. Over 6 million of those died in the gas chambers and furnaces of the Concentration camps. The Second World War was a truly world war. There was no place on earth that was not affected in some way by the war. Economically it led to rationing and in some places starvation. Civilly whole towns were wiped out, never to rise from the ashes. For the family, it led to the eradication of whole generations and family names. Almost 9% of the population was destroyed in that war. Most of that population were guilty of only being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
And yes, Jesus wept. How could he not, to see his children harming one another over petty things such as politics, and power? Today we still argue over the trivial stuff, when we should be loving our neighbor and loving our God. What have we learned, wars still happen, people still look out for themselves, governments still exert their power and bask in that power. Petty dictators still kill the innocents in the name of ethnic cleansing. What have we learned?
How many families were broken by this war, and are still healing even today. Like the oil that still leaks from the USS Arizona, we still bleed. When will we learn?
Wars will always be around us, Peace will always be elusive, unless we as Christians and followers of Christ start loving and caring as Christ did for us. What can you do today, that will stop someone from making war? What can we do today, that will celebrate the Prince of Peace and the Lord of Life?
For humankind, stopping war may be impossible, but with God all things are possible.
Amen
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Plans
Jeremiah 29:11 “ For I know the plans I have for you , declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not evil, to give you a future and a hope” (ESV)
Life can get us down. With work, or unemployment, we can get pretty run down. We run ourselves ragged trying to meet the obligations, juggling kids, career, family and church. We get run down, and if we are not careful, we start trudging into automatic mode. We have a hard time seeing hope or a brighter future. We stop noticing God, and just live from day to day. The grey melancholy of drudgery starts taking over our minds and our dreams
This was the case with Israel, the invading army was taking over, it would only be a matter of time. The population was in survival mode, and stopped living. Hope seemed to be gone. Yet Jeremiah gets this message “I have a plan for you, and it means hope and goodness and the bad going away”
I read this passage and I realize that God has a plan, for you and for me, and God isn’t through. When we give ourselves over to God’s will, we are in the plan God has for us and for creation. This plan is one of Hope and Love and Peace.
When things get tough and we get down, we need to remember the promise God has for us. God isn’t done with us because God has a plan for all of us.
Amen
Life can get us down. With work, or unemployment, we can get pretty run down. We run ourselves ragged trying to meet the obligations, juggling kids, career, family and church. We get run down, and if we are not careful, we start trudging into automatic mode. We have a hard time seeing hope or a brighter future. We stop noticing God, and just live from day to day. The grey melancholy of drudgery starts taking over our minds and our dreams
This was the case with Israel, the invading army was taking over, it would only be a matter of time. The population was in survival mode, and stopped living. Hope seemed to be gone. Yet Jeremiah gets this message “I have a plan for you, and it means hope and goodness and the bad going away”
I read this passage and I realize that God has a plan, for you and for me, and God isn’t through. When we give ourselves over to God’s will, we are in the plan God has for us and for creation. This plan is one of Hope and Love and Peace.
When things get tough and we get down, we need to remember the promise God has for us. God isn’t done with us because God has a plan for all of us.
Amen
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Regret or Comfort
PK’s Corner November 2010
1 Peter 1:24-25, “For, "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever." And this is the word that was preached to you.”-
To paraphrase a line from a favorite movie, “Life is short, if anyone says differently; they are trying to sell you something.” The one thing we share with all of creation is the limited time of life on this earth. We cannot live forever and neither can those around us. But, the word of God is the infinite factor in this finite world.
The Word is summed up in 3 phrases: A: Love God, B: Love Neighbor, C: Love one another. There is not enough time for us to live otherwise. We can’t know what tomorrow will bring. The one working beside us may not be with us to later. A loved one could be taken in tragedy or sickness. Will the parting word that you said be ringing in your ears as words of regret or comfort?
The word of God is meant to love and care, and we cannot afford to waste our lives in any other way.
I urge you, as the stresses of this Holiday Season approach, to follow the example Christ has set before us. If there is something between you and a loved one, if your last word was less than loving, no matter who is at fault or whatever the issue, reach out in love. Let these words of Christ be your guide, for they are forever, “Love one another as I have loved you”.
Amen
1 Peter 1:24-25, “For, "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever." And this is the word that was preached to you.”-
To paraphrase a line from a favorite movie, “Life is short, if anyone says differently; they are trying to sell you something.” The one thing we share with all of creation is the limited time of life on this earth. We cannot live forever and neither can those around us. But, the word of God is the infinite factor in this finite world.
The Word is summed up in 3 phrases: A: Love God, B: Love Neighbor, C: Love one another. There is not enough time for us to live otherwise. We can’t know what tomorrow will bring. The one working beside us may not be with us to later. A loved one could be taken in tragedy or sickness. Will the parting word that you said be ringing in your ears as words of regret or comfort?
The word of God is meant to love and care, and we cannot afford to waste our lives in any other way.
I urge you, as the stresses of this Holiday Season approach, to follow the example Christ has set before us. If there is something between you and a loved one, if your last word was less than loving, no matter who is at fault or whatever the issue, reach out in love. Let these words of Christ be your guide, for they are forever, “Love one another as I have loved you”.
Amen
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Benediction
PK’s Corner October 2010
Benediction
Jude 1:24-25 “ Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His Glory, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory majesty dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. AMEN
Benediction is the blessing of separation and peace. Time and again we see in the New Testament words of blessing that leads to separation of the worshipers.
Why are these types of words so prevalent in the New Testament? The answer; Christianity is not meant to be a static belief. It is not meant to be confined to the church buildings or seminarian discussions. The Gospel (Good News) is meant to be carried beyond the borders of our walls.
Go was the word Christ used as he was raised into heaven. Go- Make- Baptize, all action words meant to change the world. Benediction isn’t meant to be the end of worship, but the beginning of mission. It is, if you will, a transitional statement that sends us into the world to make disciples. Not the starter, nor the brake, but the clutch that gets the Gospel bus into gear. Amen
Benediction
Jude 1:24-25 “ Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His Glory, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory majesty dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. AMEN
Benediction is the blessing of separation and peace. Time and again we see in the New Testament words of blessing that leads to separation of the worshipers.
Why are these types of words so prevalent in the New Testament? The answer; Christianity is not meant to be a static belief. It is not meant to be confined to the church buildings or seminarian discussions. The Gospel (Good News) is meant to be carried beyond the borders of our walls.
Go was the word Christ used as he was raised into heaven. Go- Make- Baptize, all action words meant to change the world. Benediction isn’t meant to be the end of worship, but the beginning of mission. It is, if you will, a transitional statement that sends us into the world to make disciples. Not the starter, nor the brake, but the clutch that gets the Gospel bus into gear. Amen
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