Corrie Ten Boom by Kelly Ashley

Part of our Sunday morning worship is sharing our joys with our church
family. Why do we do that? It is so that we can lift these joys up to
the Lord and join together in one voice thanking Him for whatever
has blessed us that particular week. I believe the Lord never tires
of hearing His children praise Him for blessings that bring us joy. It
also gives each of us a chance to take time and reflect on gifts from
God, no matter how big or small. We need to realize that each day that
we wake up is yet another chance for us to praise God, and to step a
bit closer to Him. There is so much to learn and so much to do in our
Almighty Father’s name.
Each step that we take in seeking God should be guided by God
Himself. Jeremiah 29:13 says, “You will seek Me and find Me when
you seek Me with all your heart.” That is how God wants us to draw
near to Him….with every bit of our heart.
There are many ways for us to seek God, and those ways are unique
to each person and his or her relationship with the Lord. Certainly
attending church is one way; other ways include Bible study, reading,
prayer, conversations, radio programs (like CSN—88.1 fm), TV, the
internet. Utilizing only one of these ways probably will not give a
growing Christian enough information, knowledge or confidence to be
able to share with others the wonderful messages in the Bible. Quoting
from the book I am going to tell you about in a moment, it says, “Every
experience God gives us, every person He puts in our lives is the
perfect preparation for the future that only He can see.”
Part of my personal seeking and growing as a child of God has come
through reading Christian literature. There are an astonishing number
of books dealing with knowledge and interpretation of the Bible. I
feel that if I can gain understanding through reading about another
Christian’s trials, joys or insights, then that gives me more awareness
in ways that I can pass this on and share it with others.
One book in particular that has been wonderful to read is called
“Tramp for the Lord” by Corrie ten Boom. Kind of an odd title, but as
you read her book and see the ways she is serving the Lord, the title
makes perfect sense. She literally packs her bags and tramps around
the world spreading the Good News as God directs her to.
Before I get into her book, I want to give you a bit of background on
Cornelia ten Boom, so that you can understand where her faithfulness,
wisdom and strength come from. Corrie and her family grew up in
Holland—she never did marry. When she was about 50 years old, World
War II broke out. She and her family were very passionate about
assisting Jewish people in hiding from the Germans, stowing them
in small secret places in their home and helping them to escape to
safety. The Germans eventually found out what the ten Booms were
doing and arrested the entire family and sent them to concentration
camps. Corrie’s book, which many of you may be familiar with, is called
“The Hiding Place”. This book chronicles the atrocities she and her
sister had to endure in the horrible concentration camps. Throughout
their entire incarceration, both she and her sister constantly praised
the Lord, secretly shared Bible passages with fellow prisoners and
experienced many miracles that allowed them to continue ministering
to others. Trusting in the Lord and tolerating horrendous treatment
and conditions, she and her sister vowed to one day return to Germany
after the war was over to spread God’s Word and His abundant love to
the very people who had treated them and many others so inhumanely
in those awful prisons. Talk about a God-given vision---a vision achieved
through faith, forgiveness and courage!
Corrie endured several brutal months in the German camps before she
was miraculously released. Just a week after her release, all the women
of her age were sent to the gas chamber. When prisoners were no
longer able to work or were no longer useful, they were exterminated,
and that was to have been Corrie’s fate, if not for the merciful Hand
of God. God had work for this aging, faithful lady to do.
She was, of course, weak and malnourished after living through the
ravages of the camps, so it took some time to regain her strength. As
she had vowed in the camp, she did indeed travel to Germany to spread
the Good News, although she was without her sister, who had died in
the camp. She travelled most everywhere else in the world, as well, to
win souls for the Lord. This was her “Tramp for the Lord.”
This incredible woman relied on the Lord 100% to sustain her, to tell
her where to go, what to say and how to go about it all. She was a very
persistent and tireless missionary, yet she was very humble about
her gifts, giving all glory to God. She was once described as a “white-
haired woman, broad of frame and sensible of shoe, with a face that
radiated love, peace, joy.” Many people who spoke of their experiences
in the concentration camps had haunted looks in their eyes and shaky
hands when they told of their suffering, pain, and terrible memories.
But, Corrie ten Boom, instead of having a haunted, scared, pained
look…she emanated love, peace and joy. How is it possible that she
could be so content? Only through her faith in God’s love!
I’m going to share one chapter from her book with you this morning.
It’s a chapter about listening to God. The Bible verse that introduces
this chapter comes from Romans 12:1,2: “Therefore, I urge you,
brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living
sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of
worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will
be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing
and perfect will.” We must give ourselves to be used for God’s will and
Corrie gives usan example of this in chapter 23, which is entitled “I’ll
Go Where You Want Me to Go, Dear Lord….but Not Up Ten Flights of
[Tramp for the Lord, by Corrie Ten Boom, 1974, Chapter 23]:
I had spoken that Sunday morning in a church in Copenhagen, Denmark,
urging the people to present their bodies as living sacrifices to the
Lord. I had said even though I was an old woman that I wanted to give
myself completely to Jesus and do whatever He wanted me to do, go
wherever He wanted me to go—even if it meant dying.
After the church time, two young nurses approached me. They invited
me up to their apartment to have a cup of coffee. I was very tired.
At almost eighty years of age I found that standing on my feet for
long periods of time was beginning to be exhausting. The cup of coffee
sounded good so I accepted their invitation.
But I was not prepared for the walk up to their apartment. Many of
the houses in Copenhagen are old, high houses with no elevators. The
nurses lived on the tenth floor of such a house and we had to walk up
“O Lord,” I complained as I looked up at the high building, “I do not
think I can make it.” But the nurses wanted me to come up so badly
that I consented to try.
By the time we reached the fifth floor my heart was pounding wildly
and my legs were so tired I thought they could not take another step.
In the corridor of the fifth floor I saw a chair and pleaded with the
Lord, “Lord, let me stay here a time while the nurses go on up the
stairs. My heart is so unhappy.”
The nurses waited patiently as I collapsed into the chair, resting.
“Why, O Lord, must I have this stair-climbing after this busy day of
Then I heard God’s voice, even louder than my pounding heart. “Because
a great blessing is waiting you, a work which will give joy to the angels.”
I looked up at the steps, towering above me and almost disappearing
into the clouds. Perhaps I am leaving this earth to go to heaven, I
thought. Surely that will give joy to the angels. I tried to count the
steps. It seemed there were at least one hundred more to climb.
However, if God said that the work would give joy to the angels, then I
had to go. I rose from my chair and once again started trudging up the
long flights of stairs, one nurse in front of me, the other behind me.
We finally reached the apartment on the tenth floor and on entering I
found a room with a simple lunch already prepared on the table. Serving
the lunch were the mother and father of one of the girls.
I knew there was only a short time and also knew that a blessing of
some kind was waiting us. So, without many introductions, I started
asking immediate questions.
“Tell me,” I asked the nurse’s mother, “is it long ago that you found
Jesus as your Saviour?”
“I have never met Him,“ she said, surprised at my question.
“Are you willing to come to Him? He loves you. I have traveled in
more than sixty countries and have never found anyone who said they
were sorry they had given their hearts to Jesus. You will not be sorry
Then I opened my Bible and pointed out the verses about salvation.
She listened intently. Then I asked them, “Shall we now talk with the
I prayed, then the two nurses prayed and finally the mother folded
her hands and said, “Lord Jesus, I know already much about You. I have
read much in the Bible, but now I pray You to come into my heart. I
need cleansing and salvation. I know that You died at the cross for the
sins of the whole world and also for my sins. Please, Lord, come into my
heart and make me a child of God. Amen.”
I looked up and saw tears of joy on the face of the young nurse. She
and her friend had prayed so much for her parents and now the answer
was given. I turned and looked at the father, who had sat quietly
through all this.
“What about you?” I asked him.
“I have never made such a decision for Jesus Christ either,” he said
seriously. “But I have listened to all you have told my wife and now I
know the way. I, too, would like to pray that Jesus will save me.”
He bowed his head and from his lips poured a joyful but very sincere
prayer as he gave his life to Jesus Christ. Suddenly the room was filled
with great rejoicing and I realized the angels had come down and were
standing around, singing praises unto God.
“Thank You, Lord,” I prayed as I walked back down the long steps, “for
making me walk up all these steps. And next time, Lord, help Corrie ten
Boom listen to her own sermon about being willing to go anywhere you
tell me to go—even up ten flights of stairs.”
Corrie’s human weariness and logic almost prevented her from being
used by the Lord to bring souls to salvation. But because she listened
and persisted, two more people were now children of God! Corrie gives
full credit and glory to God for blessing her with the right words and
the energy it takes to tramp up ten flights of stairs, and around the
world, because she knows and accepts that that is God’s plan for her.
As Romans 12:1,2 directed, she offered her body as a living sacrifice to
please God.
Each of us is instructed to do the same….give ourselves to be used for
God’s perfect will. We need to open our hearts to His call and be willing
to climb to the top of that building to achieve a work which will give joy
to the angels! Listen for His call.
Dear Father, Thank You for this time we have spent together in worship of Your
Precious Name. May each of us open our hearts and our minds to your perfect will
for our lives, that you may use us to bring others to your loving embrace. I pray
that each of us in this congregation will somehow touch the life of another for
Your glory, oh Lord. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

3 Temptations of Christ

February 17, 2013   Three Temptations of Christ

Temptation is the desire to perform an action that one may enjoy immediately or in the short term but will probably later regret for various reasons: legal, social, psychological (including feeling guilt), health-related, economic, etc. In the context of religion, temptation is the inclination to sin

Temptation is usually used in a loose sense to describe actions which indicate a lack of self control.

What Is Sin - The Big Question
We live in a culture where the concept of sin has become entangled in legalistic arguments over right and wrong. When many of us consider "What is sin?" we think of violations of the Ten Commandments. Even then, we tend to think of murder and adultery as "major" sins compared with lying, cursing, or idolatry.

The truth is that sin, as defined in the original translations of the Bible, means "to miss the mark." The mark, in this case, is the standard of perfection established by God and evidenced by Jesus. Viewed in that light, it is clear that we are all sinners.

The Apostle Paul says in Romans 3:23: "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

In light of this, it does no good to compare ourselves to others. We cannot escape our failure to be righteous in our own strength. This is by God's design, because only when we understand our weakness will we consider relying on the atoning sacrifice of Jesus.

The three temptations of Christ are as follows
1 Change the stone to bread.
2 to fall from the cliff and the  angels would protect him.
3 After showing the whole country from a high point the devil says to Jesus he can have the land and all the riches only if he falls and worships the devil.

Old Testament- Deuteronomy 26:1-11

Each Lenten season we thoughtfully revisit the legacy of the cross and the defining miracle it wrought for each of us as Christians.  Once again we seek to ready ourselves for the in-breaking of God’s radical grace and abundance. Today’s reading in Deuteronomy is a valuable summary of the story of God’s promise of fulfillment for Israel after forty years of desert wandering. In our own Christian lives there have been times of wandering. Just as God was with the Israelites He has been with us. At times we don’t realize that He is there because we are focused more on our problems than on God.  Jesus in the desert was Focused for the entire 40 days as an example to us that we too need to remain focused on God.

At the beginning of the Lenten season, this passage from Deuteronomy provides an important perspective.  Despite our spiritual wanderings God has remained faithful and through Christ’s sacrifice has brought us in grace to a land of spiritual milk and honey.  Yet our failure to remember this truth puts us at risk of squandering our remarkable inheritance. What remembering might we do?

Psalm 91- This Psalm is at once beautiful and troubling. It offers some of the most comforting language in all of Scripture, but it also suggests a linkage between invoking the name of God and avoiding harm, a connection that rightly causes discomfort for many Christians.

Jesus speaks  of gathering the people of Jerusalem under his care, much as a mother hen gathers her chicks under her wings. Why all of these images of protective care?  It is because we human beings, whether children or adults, crave a sense of security.  We love to be Sheltered, warned, and embraced.  When the psalmist talks about abiding  “ in the shadow of the Almighty,” and says, “under his wings you will find refuge,” we relax into a smile.  This is the promise of security.

Epistle- Romans 10:8b-13

Want to divide a room fast? Just start talking about who is saved and who is not. Set up the criteria, then point out who is in and who is out.  Soteriology is a hotbed of religious controversy.  It is tempting to shy away from questions of salvation in an effort to avoid arguments.  Yet these questions are on the minds and hearts of people all along the spectrum of religious belief, particularly during the season of Lent, with its focus on sin and sacrifice.

Righteousness by Faith is a hard worker, a relentless companion.  It stirs up faith through the Word of god (v.8). This is no small feat when you consider the thickheaded disciples, most people in the pews on Sundays, and all the rest of us as well.  However the work of righteousness goes on, evoking a confession from the lips of believers.  Only then Paul explains through this character, is righteousness by faith complete (v. 9-10).

Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved (v.13). The sticking point for many Christians is that we think we know exactly what that call sounds like, what pitch it is, how the sentences are formed, and what words are used. In this community, how does it sound when people call on the name of the Lord?

The word is near you, Paul writes, on your lips and in your heart (v.8b). God is doing the heavy lifting here -  bringing the Word near, planting the seeds of faith in our hearts, placing words tenderly on our lips.  We do the telling – setting free those words already in our hearts and on our lips, sharing the questions central to our faith, in order to build on up one another. Confession our faith takes practice.  It is an ongoing act that changes as faith evolves throughout life.

All who call on the name of God will be saved,  whether this call is perfectly in tune or just a jumbled joyful noise.  Practicing this call is our task this Lenten season.  To learn to make this joyful noise, we can listen to the voices of those who have gone before us: ancestors in the faith, hymn writers, and confessors.  We can also listen to the voice of Righteousness by Faith, personified by Paul, which assures us of our salvation, no matter how small the mustard seed of faith may be.

Gospel Reading ( Please Stand if Able) Luke 4:1-13

We live in a culture that is always inviting us o “eat the whole thing.”  Whether it is to purchase the latest technological invention or to buy the most stylish clothes or visit the most exotic places, we  North Americans are schooled by advertisers to believe we can always “eat the whole thing.” And that we can have it all.

But, we have the word of the church drawn straight from the bible saying: You cannot have everything and at the same time have what matters most.

There are boundaries in all relationships, and one cannot serve God and the at the same time say yes to all the choices that come to us.

The Lenten journey has begun.  We walk with Jesus through a wilderness of temptation, sin, and confession to the glory of Easter morning.  Lent is designed to be a thoughtful time, a reflective time, a prayerful time.  Lent invites us to consider what it means to be a person created in the image of God.  Lent brings us to the awareness of our essential uniqueness as God’s son or daughter.

The clue for Lent is Jesus in the wilderness, where he was tempted by the devil.  In three scenes are played out all that it means to be a human being made in the image of God.  In the wilderness, Jesus shows his full humanity; he was genuinely tempted as every human being is.  What Jesus does in the wilderness is make choices about what he will say yes to and what he will say no to.

The gift God gave us in the beginning was the gift of choice. Some days we do ok with it. Other days we make bad choices and there are consequences that follow that choice.  So we are confronted with the necessity of making a choice, where we go in one direction rather than another direction, where we must lay something down in order to be able to  pick up something else.

The reality of choice was present in the first moment of creation.  God put Adam and Eve in a beautiful garden where everything they needed was provided by God’s gracious hand. They had all they needed but could not have all that was there. Don’t eat of this tree! One simple command.

They have to make a choice as to whether to trust God on God’s terms or to live by their own design. We all know how the story turns out! SO, how is it with your soul today? What choices have you made since last year’s Lenten season. Have you made choices that you are pleased with in your spiritual walk or did you make choices that you have regretted.

Jesus had to make a choice. He has to struggle with how he will live, whom he will trust, what he will give his life to. He made the right choices. Will you make the right choices during this season of Lent.?

The final verse of our text says that after Jesus had successfully resisted the devil’s temptations, after he had made his good choices, the devil “departed from him until the next opportunity”.

We need to make the right choices and continue to practice our Christian faith in the way that we were taught by the examples of our Lord.

None of us escape the temptation s of satan. But it is important to make the right choices when he comes around tempting us.  The Good News is if you have blown it Today is the Day of Salvation and you have an opportunity to make the Right  Choice.

Transfigurationof Jesus

February 10, 2013  By Lay Leader Rick Rounds

Today is Transfiguration Sunday where we celebrate the Transfiguration of Jesus.  How many have heard this story before?  Was it new to anyone?  Before we can discuss it we have to have a foundation to work with so let’s look at the word transfiguration.  If you look p the word in a dictionary, it will tell you that it is: A marked change in form of appearance; a metamorphis. Thus, a change that glorifies or exalts.  In the biblical sense it is the sudden emanation of radiance from the person of Jesus that occurred on a mountain.  On a side note, kind of FYI comment it is also a Christian feast commemorating this event, observed on August 6 in the Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches, on August 19 in the Eastern Orthodox Church, and on the Sunday before Lent in most Protestant churches.

The Transfiguration of Jesus is an event in the New Testament in which Jesus is transfigured (or metamorphosed) and becomes radiant  on top of a mountain.  The Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 17:1-9, Mark 9:2-8, Luke 9:28-36) describe it, and 2 Peter 1:16-18 refers to it.

In these accounts, Jesus and three of his apostles go to a mountain (the Mount of Transfiguration). On the mountain, Jesus begins to shine with bright rays of light. Then the prophets Moses and Elijah appear next to him and he speaks with them.  Jesus is then called “Son” by a voice in the sky, just as in the Baptism of Jesus.

The transfiguration is one of the miracles of Jesus in the Gospels.  But, this miracle is unique among others that appear in the Canonical gospels, in that the miracle happens to Jesus himself.  Thomas Aquinas considered the Transfiguration “the greatest miracle” in that it complemented the baptism of Jesus and showed the perfection of life in Heaven.  The Transfiguration is one of the five major milestones in the gospel narrative of the life of Jesus, the others being His Baptism, Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension.

In the Christian faith, the Transfiguration is a pivotal moment, and the setting on the mountain is presented as the point where human nature meets God: the meeting place for the temporal and the eternal, with Jesus himself as the connecting point, acting as the bridge between heaven and earth.

In the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 17:1-9, Mark 9:2-8, Luke 9:28-36) the account of the transfiguration happens towards the middle of the narrative.  It is a key event and almost immediately follows another important event, the Peter’s confession: “You are the Christ”.  The Transfiguration narrative acts as a further revelation of the identity of Jesus as the Son of God to his disciples.

In the Gospels, Jesus takes Peter, James, son of Zebedee and John the Apostle with him and goes up to a mountain, which is not named. Once on the mountain, Matthew (17:2) states that Jesus “was transfigured before them; his face shining as the sun, and his garments became white as the light.”  At that point the prophets Elijah and Moses appear and Jesus begins to talk to them.  Luke is specific in describing Jesus in a state of glory, with Luke 9:32 referring to “they saw his glory”.  Then just as Elijah and Moses begin to depart from the scene, Peter begins to ask Jesus if the disciples should make three tents for him and the two prophets.  This has been interpreted as Peter’s attempt to keep the prophets there longer.  But before Peter can finish, a bright cloud appears, and a voice from the cloud states:  “This is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased: listen to him”. The disciples then fall to the ground in fear, but Jesus approaches and touches them, telling them not to be afraid.  When the disciples look up, they no longer see Elijah or Moses.

When Jesus and the three apostles are going back down the mountain, Jesus tells them to not tell anyone “the things they had seen” until the “Son of Man” has risen from the dead.  In addition to the principal account given in the Synoptic Gospels; in 2 Peter 1:16-18, Peter describes himself as an eyewitness “of his sovereign majesty.”  The Gospel of John may also briefly allude to the same episode in John 1:14. In our Luke passage it just says, “they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.”

Although Matthew 17 lists the disciple John as being present during the Transfiguration, the Gospel of John has no account of it.  This has resulted in debate among scholars, some suggesting doubts about the authorship of the Gospel of John, others providing explanations for it.  One explanation (that goes back to Eusebius of Caesarea in the fourth century) is that John wrote his gospel not to overlap with the synoptic gospels, but to supplement it, and hence did not include all of the narrative.  This is not the only incident, not present in the fourth gospel, and the institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper is another key example, indicating that the inclusion of material in the fourth gospel was selective.  The general explanation is thus the gospel of John was written thematically, to suit his theological purposes, and has a less narrative style than the synoptics.

Christian theology assigns a gread deal of significance to the Transfiguration, based on multiple elements of the narrative.  In Christians teachings, the Transfiguration is a pivotal moment, and the setting on the mountain is presented as the point where human nature meets God: the meeting place for the temporal and the eternal, with Jesus himself as the connecting point, acting as the bridge between heaven and earth.

The Transfiguration not only supports the identity of Jesus as the Son of God (as in his Baptism), but the statement “listen to him”, identifies him as the messenger and mouth-piece of God.  The significance of this identification is enhanced by the presence of Elijah and Moses, for it indicates to the apostles that Jesus is the voice of God “par excellence”, and instead of Elijah or Moses, He should be listened to, surpassing the laws of Moses by virtue of his filial relationship with God.  2 Peter 1:16-18, echoes the same message: at the Transfiguration God assigns to Jesus a special “honor and glory” and it is the turning point at which God exalts Jesus above all other powers in creation, and positions him as ruler and judge.

The Transfiguration also echoes the teaching of Jesus (as in Matthew 11:32) that God is not “the God of the dead, but of the living”.  Although Moses had died and Elijah had been taken up to heaven centuries before (as in 2 Kings 2:11), they now live in the presence of the Son of god, implying that the same return to life can apply to all who face death and have faith.

The theology of the Transfiguration received the attention of the Church Fathers since the very early days.  Origen’s theology of the Transfiguration influenced the patristic tradition and became a basis for theological writings by many others.  Among other issues, given the instruction to the apostles to keep silent about what they had seen until the Resurrection, Origen commented that the glorified states of the Transfiguration and the Resurrection must be related.

In the 7^th century, Saint Maximus the Confessor said that the senses of the apostles were transfigured to enable them to perceive the true glory of Christ.  In the same vein, building on 2 Corinthians 3:18, by the end of the 13^th century the concept of “transfiguration of the believer” had stabilized and Saint Gregory Palamas considered “true knowledge of God” to be a transfiguration of man by the Spirit of God. The spiritual transfiguration of the believer then continued to remain a theme for achieving a closer union with God.  In the New Testament, Paul’s reference in 2 Corinthians 3:18 to the “transformation of believers” via “beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord” became the theological basis for considering the Transfiguration as the basis for processes which lead the faithful to the knowledge of god.

So what are we to take from all of this?  Simply this, 1) the transfiguration of Jesus was a miracle confirming and expounding on Jesus identity as the Son of God. 2) that the disciples and anyone who follows Jesus are to “Listen to Him.” And 3) that through faith in and the grace of Jesus Christ we too can be transformed or transfigured, that we too, can know what to look forward to in Heaven. This is why we celebrate Transfiguration Sunday.

Today you are Appointed

 

 

February 3, 2013 Today you are Appointed

Old Testament Jeremiah 1:4-10

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations. Then Jeremiah started with excuses…a normal human trait.  What does it mean to be called by God?  What does God generally call people to do? To whom does God issue this call? These are questions many Christians deal with every day. Or, Is God calling me to this particular ministry?

Psalm- 71:1-6

The psalmist declares : “For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth.  Upon you I have leaned from my birth; it was you who took me from my mother’s womb. My praise is continually of you.”

Epistle- I Corinthians 13: 1-13

Some people go into ministry for various reasons. Some are called, some are self- appointed. If one is in it for the money then they are in it for the wrong reason. If they are in it because they are control freaks and want to control the church that is the wrong reasons.  We and that’s all of us are called into ministry to love God and love one another. The message from Jesus when questioned was to Love God with all our heart mind and soul and to love our neighbor as our self.

The message Paul has for us is about the best gift of love.  “If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal…..Love is patient, love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in truth.  It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things…..Love never ends.

And now faith, hope and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.

Gospel Reading ( Please Stand if Able) Luke 4:21-30

Today’s text is the second part of the Luke passage begun last week.  Invited by the local officials , Jesus is teaching at a Galilean synagogue.  At first he is welcomed, but by the end of his teaching, the crowds are so angry at Jesus proclamations they are intent on murder!  The Galileans greet Jesus as Joseph’s son, not as the SON of God; the man they reject is the Messiah.  Jesus reminds his listeners that prophets of old were sent to Gentiles instead of Israelites, implying that did not recognize the messengers of God.

The text addresses God’s concern for persons and God’s liberating activity in very concrete sociological categories.  Lukes beatitudes and his corresponding woes are expressed in concrete and precise ways in Luke 6.  The poor, the hungry, those who weep, and so forth include the underprivileged and marginalized society. As Christian/ministers we are to offer hope to those less privileged as pointed out. So we are appointed today to LOVE as God Loves us.

So where does appointed ministry begin? Right here in our local community. We start right where we are sitting. Loving each other on either side of us and letting this love flow out of this church into our community, into the local area, and on out into the world.

Jesus came into the synagogue in our midst and declares that the Scriptures have been fulfilled in Him. Through the Scriptures we see new indicators for the new and renewing narratives that God is unfolding with or without us, and usually in spite of us. God gives us an opportunity to respond..

We can listen but not hear; hear but not respond, respond but not follow. We can be filled with wrath, as were those in the temple who heard the young, upstart Jesus when he came home and spoke of the new narrative.

We can be quietly indifferent.  Or we can – accept that we are called to – follow, and by following contribute to the renewing,--- redeeming the narrative that is God’s relentlessly powerful story, come alive on the edges of the human family and the faith community.

In our creative participation in framing this new narrative we also know the fullness of life…

The depth of god’s promise spoken through Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Jesus, and all those who have had the audacity  believe that God is indeed creating a new narrative of hope and justice.

It is to know the fullness of the Love of god and the overwhelming power of God’s narrative even in our own time.

Jesus stands before us not just yesterday, or in some longed-for tomorrow, but TODAY.

TODAY we are appointed-  to be and continue to be the Messengers of Gods Love.