Falling into Thanksgiving...

Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’

(Luke 22:19)

Yes, everything is for your sake, so that grace, as it extends to more and more people, may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.

(2 Corinthians 4:15)

Reflection:

As I write this, just outside my window I can see the last few leaves letting go of the trees. Even from inside, the air looks crisp with the temperatures of late fall. Even the smell of that air brings up memories of Thanksgivings past and the anticipation that Christmas is near.

Today is one of those days we all have from time to time. I am working from my dining room. My wife has the flu, my son has an ear infection, and my daughter doesn’t have school. Tonight, we are slated to be the overnight hosts for Family Promise at the church. The mounting responsibilities I must attend to, combined with the family responsibilities that were unplanned make for a stressful mix of long to-do lists and little time.

If your life is like mine (and from conversations with many of you I know that it is), you are often in situations where it is tempting to focus on what is not going right…to be upset about the ways in which things are not as they should be. I wish my wife were feeling better. I wish my son were well. I wish I had more time today to get the things done that must be done. I wish I didn’t have to work late tonight to make up for this unplanned time at home attending to my family. I wish, I wish, I wish…

Beneath all of that, though, runs a quiet sense of peace today…and the peace I feel begins with thanksgiving. Not the day, but the attitude. That sense of peace begins with a recognition of how richly blessed I am.

Every Sunday, we re-tell the story of how Jesus took bread, gave thanks, and broke it for his disciples. This part of the service is even called “The Great Thanksgiving.” Biblically speaking, being a grateful person is part and parcel of being a Christian. We live in thanksgiving – a recognition that all that we have an all that we are is pure gift. Then, like the second verse linked above, our main job as the church is to do the things that extend to others that sense of thanksgiving.

It all boils down to this; there is a simple truth that many modern self-help books will tell you – but it is a truth that existed in the pages of the Bible long before that: GRATITUDE IS THE HEART OF JOY.

So today, take 5 minutes. On a piece of paper, or a blank document on your computer, attempt to make a list of everything you have to be thankful for. Keep writing. Keep typing. We all have much to be grateful for, and intentionally focusing on that tends to put our sorrows or hardships in the proper perspective.

Then, take a moment and look at your list…and offer a simple prayer of thanks to the One who has blessed you with it all.


Happy Thanksgiving from your Pastor & your St. Luke family!

Prayer: God of every good gift, inspire in us deep sense of gratitude for the lives we have. Help us not to measure our days by what we don’t have, but live in the joy that comes from recognizing what we do have. Amen.

Which Comes First?

Romans 2:1-4 (click link to read passage before continuing on to Reflection)

Reflection:

Some timeless questions:

Which came first? The chicken or the egg?

Which comes first? Repentance or forgiveness?

Said another way:

Does repentance lead to forgiveness? Or is it the other way around?

I know for some, what I say here is going to be a little provocative – that's good. But consider the above verses. They were written to those who thought that the forgiveness offered through Jesus was like a free ticket. They knew they were forgiven, and used their freedom to cast judgments on others for their sins. Paul is reminding them that God's forgiveness, which is freely offered through Christ, is meant to inspire repentance not arrogance.

Here's the pitfall: When you think it is your repentance that causes God's forgiveness, it's an easy road to arrogant judgment of others. But when you recognize that God's forgiveness always comes as undeserved gift, it's a little harder to fancy yourself more deserving than anyone else.

So maybe, just maybe, we've answered one of the timeless questions above. Maybe we are doing it in the wrong order on Sunday morning – maybe God's forgiveness always comes first, and then leads us into a life of humility and repentance.

You'll have to ask someone else about the chicken/egg question…

Prayer: Gracious God, help us to avoid casting judgments on others – instead, help us to use our energy in humble self-assessment. Change our hearts, O God… Amen.

Declaration of Dependence

Exodus 16:11-16, 19-20

Reflection:

Take only what you need, and don’t hoard it for tomorrow.

Oh, how the promise of self-sufficiency lured the Israelites in. “If I gather a bunch now, then tomorrow I and my family will be well-fed, whether the bread comes again or not…”

For them and for us, this scripture is a lesson in dependence…and not the kind that renders us helpless, only to wait on the gifts of God – but the kind that breeds simple trust in God’s goodness and mercy.

In the grasps of our own materialism and consumer culture, it is a message we need to hear as well…So, as Steven Curtis Chapman (a contemporary Christian music artist) said years ago in a song, “This is our declaration of dependence!”

Prayer: Gracious God, help us to trust that come what may, you are faithful and your promises are sure. Amen.

Divine, Fierce Passion

Song of Solomon 8:5-7

Reflection:

Is the Bible one book, or a collection of many books?

The answer: Yes.

There is a rich story behind every book of the Bible and why it was ultimately included in the collection we now call “The Bible.” Some books were written as moment-by-moment historical accounts. Some were written as biographies (the Gospels). Some songs were included. Some teaching stories, like parables, were included. There was even some love poetry that got included.

The above reading is from the book “Song of Solomon,” which is Hebrew love poetry. It is a love song between two young lovers. At first glance, you might wonder why it is included in a Holy Book.

But…what is human love but an imperfect reflection of the love that spoke the world into existence? What is passion between young lovers but a faint echo of the passion that God felt for us most powerfully on the cross? If human love is powerful, and we know it is…divine love is more powerful still.

So, the people of God have claimed this love poetry as part of their scriptures because it is an example of the love God has for God’s people. And notice it’s not just a warm-fuzzy love, like we often like to think of it…it is as strong as death (and stronger!)…as fierce as the grave (and fiercer!). It is a raging flame.

May you be consumed by that flame today…so much so that you can’t help but go out and set the world ablaze with this fierce, strong love from above.

Prayer: Loving God, you are the source and ground of all that is, including the passion and love we feel. Help us to know that we can love because you first loved us…and transform our hearts so that we may more perfectly mirror your divine care. Amen.

Building a House

1 Peter 2:4-10

Reflection:

            As I type this, I can hear the sounds of hammers and the occasional “pop” of a nail gun. Just outside my window, there is a group of dedicated volunteers building a new storage garage on the church grounds.

            If you would have come by the church a few days ago, you would have seen a pile of plywood, a stack of trusses, and various other building materials laying on a concrete slab. Today, the work of our volunteers has transformed that seemingly random stack of materials into a building that will soon be used for a specific purpose.

            Peter, in his first letter, uses this same image for the church. Visiting the temple to offer sacrifices and “pay” for sins is no longer an option for his readers. So, he says, let us be built into a spiritual house for God – like living stones. Then, built by God into that structure, we will be used for a specific purpose – to “proclaim the mighty acts” of God.

            I see this happen every Sunday. A seemingly random collection of people from every different background are gathered, empowered, and sent to serve. Once we were not A PEOPLE, but now we are God’s people.

            So, the next time you are in church, listen carefully. You may not hear the “pop” of a nail gun, but you may just notice the construction of a holy people…

Prayer: Gracious God, you gather us and empower us for a purpose – to be the place you dwell in the world. Help us to serve our purpose well, and function as a place where all people can come to be connected with your love and your will for their lives. Amen.

Gratitude & Grass Seed

2 Corinthians 9:1-15

The Collection for Christians at Jerusalem

Now it is not necessary for me to write to you about the ministry to the saints, for I know your eagerness, which is the subject of my boasting about you to the people of Macedonia, saying that Achaia has been ready since last year; and your zeal has stirred up most of them. But I am sending the brothers in order that our boasting about you may not prove to have been empty in this case, so that you may be ready, as I said you would be; otherwise, if some Macedonians come with me and find that you are not ready, we would be humiliated—to say nothing of you—in this undertaking. So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to go on ahead to you, and arrange in advance for this bountiful gift that you have promised, so that it may be ready as a voluntary gift and not as an extortion.

The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work. As it is written,

‘He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor;

   his righteousness endures for ever.’

He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us; for the rendering of this ministry not only supplies the needs of the saints but also overflows with many thanksgivings to God. Through the testing of this ministry you glorify God by your obedience to the confession of the gospel of Christ and by the generosity of your sharing with them and with all others, while they long for you and pray for you because of the surpassing grace of God that he has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

Reflection:

            When we lived in North Dakota, I learned how to spread grass seed (not a skill often useful growing up in Arizona!) The very first time I did it was when we put more dirt in the front yard of the parsonage, in order to landscape it a bit.

            Months later, you could still see the effects of my mistake. I begun spreading seed up against the side of the house, and continued out toward the street from there. Up close to the house, not much grass took root. Reading today’s passage reminds me why…

            You see, when I first started scattering seed, I was in a mindset of scarcity. I didn’t know how long the seed would last, so I “sowed sparingly.” As I got further away from the house, I slowly became more confident that we would have enough seed. The further from the house I got, the more “bountifully” I sowed.

            As Paul says, “the point is this;” if our eyes are always on the reserve, we will always sow sparingly, never sure there will be enough. Instead, we must make a conscious decision to focus on the goal.

This Sunday, we will talk more about how God sows…and how we are encouraged to sow in response. (I’ll give you a hint: I bet the grass in the Garden of Eden was lush and full!)

Prayer: God of all good gifts, inspire in us the joy that recognizes your blessings and is eager to give so that others might be blessed as well. Amen.

Hopefully Anchored

Hebrews 6:18b-20a

“…we who have taken refuge [are] strongly encouraged to seize the hope set before us. 19We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters the inner shrine behind the curtain, 20where Jesus, a forerunner on our behalf, has entered…”

Reflection:

Every day I live, I become more and more convinced that the opposite of fear is hope.

The profound passage above is one of those that many people never realized was in the Bible. The beautiful image of hope as “a steadfast anchor of the soul” is one that takes some time to ponder…

Sometimes, the faithful thing to do is to pull up anchor and let God lead you like a river’s current.

Sometimes, even the attempt to control the current is an exercise in arrogance and futility at the same time.

But sometimes, the waters churn and crash so much that the only thing to do is to drop anchor and pray.

My family experienced one of those times recently. On Wednesday, word came that my uncle, in desperation and despair, ended his own life. The pain this has caused in my family is a bit like the crashing waves…

I share this, not to “air our dirty laundry” or tell something that shouldn’t be told, but because I believe that as a pastor, my most profound “job” is to point others to the hope that sustains us in this life.

Whether you have lost a family member to suicide, struggled with suicidal thoughts yourself, or simply know the pain of enduring challenges and changes you hadn’t wished for, I have no doubt that every single person reading this message (and the one writing it) have need to drop anchor occasionally; to buffet ourselves against the onslaught of trouble.

But remember, the opposite of fear is…HOPE.

Hope that Jesus’ death really did destroy the ultimate power of death…

Hope that the struggles we endure here never have the final say…

Hope that the curtain of the temples HAS been torn in two and we all have access to God’s love…

Hope that my uncle, though he suffered terribly in this life, now rests in the arms of love…

Hope that nothing, truly nothing, can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

That’s the hope that anchors me in this time…and the hope that will anchor you when the waters churn and crash.

Thanks be to God for hope, for Christ, for a love that is more powerful than even the most difficult death.

Prayer: Gracious God, we pray that you ground us, anchor us, in your unending love for us. Help us to see past our struggles to see every tomorrow resting in your hands…Amen.