The one desire that I have, above all others, is to give my deepest love and full obedience to God. God is love, God is truth, God is life. That is what I believe. I have had to examine and reexamine what I genuinely believe over my life, especially whether or not I actually live up to what I say that I believe about loving and obeying God.
"What are you prepared to do?" This line is from an award-winning film The Untouchables, about Elliot Ness and a group of law enforcement officers who ended the criminal career of the gangster Al Capone. That line called into question the reliability and the determination of Elliott Ness to complete the job that he was sent to do. I often wondered if I were given that very difficult job how far would I go to complete it.
What constitutes a call upon your life? For me, it represents something that I would be willing to do for God regardless of pay, and no matter what negative aspects were associated with it - it is just in me to do it. It is something that I have come to love and care for intrinsically, whether I realized it immediately or over time.
As we consider the baptism of Jesus, let•s look at what Holy Baptism stands for. John the Baptizer preached about baptism by pointing out that there must be repentance, a turning away from the things that we think, say, and do that are against the will of God. When we turn away from participating in the things that are against the will of God we open up our minds and spirits to become aware of our participation in sinful ways and more fully understand that there is another way of living that makes us free from the desire to participate in those former selfish ways.
As a kid, I never gave much thought to my body, until I really injured it. I broke my arm when I was nine and had surgery to repair it. In that experience, I learned that our bodies are fragile, yet incredibly resilient.
In this week’s sermon, we will be studying Christ’s incarnation in John 1:1-18. We read about how Jesus took on flesh to be in relationship with us, human beings. We will explore what it means to have a body, and the purpose of our bodies. I hope you are able to join us!
My first year of college, when looking for a church home, a sign posted in the college of music caught my attention. Trinity United Methodist Church, a small congregation down the street, invited college students to join their choir and receive a small stipend for singing with them each semester, no audition necessary. I'd grown up in a Methodist Church and this sounded like a great opportunity so I headed over for my first choir rehearsal.
Trust and Obey is the name of a hymn that is familiar to some, but its lyrics ring so true about our experience as believers and followers of God. When you have chance, search for the lyrics and then listen to it. The refrain, or the hook as some people call it, goes like this, "Trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey."
What keeps us properly focused during Advent 2020? I say that it should be the understanding of what God wants us to be living up to and living into as we work and wait until Christ’s return. Our work is both spiritual as well as action-oriented. Our wait is about serving while we are preparing for Jesus’ second arrival.
There is a saying that has been around for a while. It says, “We climb to glory on the down escalator.” As we continue the journey into the second week of the Advent study called “Down to Earth”, we have been considering what humility is and what it means to us during this time of a global health crisis, domestic social and political conflict, and deep economic hardships.
It’s here! It’s here! The season of advent is upon us. Often advent is described as a time of waiting. We wait for the coming of Christ. Our Scripture for this week invites us instead to take a more active approach. Mark 13:24-37 charges us with being alert! Be aware!
What are the ways in which God’s presence is being made known to us in this season and behind? Are we watching? Are we listening? Are we open to the ways God is meeting us in the world?
The most familiar sayings and stories often prove to be difficult to find the full depth of their meaning because, as some may know, familiarity breeds contempt. "Extensive knowledge of or close association with someone or something leads to a loss of respect for them or it." (Oxford Dictionary). Though I will never have actual contempt for the word of God, I have heard or read the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats since childhood, which is this Sunday's Bible reading from Matthew 15:31-46.