THE Promise

The biggest blessing day EVER happened some 1800 to 2200 years before Christ.  God said to Abram in Genesis 12.1-4, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.  And:”

  • I will make of you a great nation
  • I will bless you
  • I will make your name great
  • You will be a blessing
  • I will bless those who bless you
  • Him who dishonors you I will curse
  • In you all the families of the earth will be blessed

God kept all those promises, including the coming of Jesus, as angelically announced in Luke 2.10,”Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

Language T-shirts

These were found in the Mental Floss catalog:

Hyperbole is the BEST thing ever!

Homonyms are a reel waist of thyme

I avoid clichés like the plague

Palindromes are Rasemordnilap!

Spell Czech

Veni Vedi Wiki – I came, I saw, I edited collaboratively

 

Open My Eyes

 

Pastor Jason gave a great sermon this past Sunday about The Road to Emmaus in Luke 24.13-25.  Why was the small (less than 100) group of Jesus’s disciples transformed from a discouraged, disappointed, and depressed band of nobodies to a world-changing body of believers?  Because Jesus opened their eyes in three different ways..

 

“He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” (verse 27). All through the Old Testament, men were given numerous opportunities to earn their redemption, through re-dos; great ideals of unity in Babel; a great nation; a great system of laws; their own land; great leaders – judges; priests; kings; and prophets, but it is never enough.  Nothing except God could be their redeemer; no one is good but God alone.  The Messiah was much bigger and glorious than they could imagine.

 

He opened their eyes to the necessity that “the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory” (verse 26).  The clear testimony in scripture about a crucifixion is that it is scandalous and only for criminals (Deuteronomy 21.22-23).  But the opened eyes of the disciples could see that THIS crucifixion had been part of God’s plan from the beginning, even announced back in Genesis 3.15! The suffering servant had to die as a sacrifice. Suddenly the degrading spectacle of a cross became a glorious symbol of salvation, redemption, and life.

 

He opened their eyes to the resurrection.  They recognized Him (verse 31) as their leader who had died but was now alive. They knew that everything the scriptures promised and declared was fulfilled by the Messiah, Jesus. And they knew that Jesus IS God, their Lord.

 

The rag-tag, shepherd-less disciples could not stop telling what they knew. They suffered persecution and martyrdom, often gladly, because their eyes were opened to the ongoing redemption plan of the One True God of the universe.

 

DEEP Hazard

Two golfers reached the treacherous ninth hole which had a huge ravine just off the green.  One of them landed on the green, and the other watched his ball disappear into the canyon.  He decided to go down and play it where it lie.  Eventually the ball popped up to the green and the golfer climbed out.

“Not bad for three strokes!”

His partner said, “I heard at least six hits.”

“Three of them were echoes.”

Day Of Prayer

We held a Men’s Day of Prayer on a recent Saturday. The plan is easy: Gather briefly to pray and sing together; disperse for private devotions and prayer time; come back together for a sack lunch; then disperse again until the end of the time. 

We have learned several logistical helps over the several occasions we have done this:

  • Sort out ahead of time “key” questions like who will open and lock up the building.  Also, where will the group assemble, what rooms are available (and heated), is the refrigerator available for lunches, will there be tables set up for lunch, etc.
  • Have the participants come to a central site, like the church. Some men may need to do their praying at home, but the advantage of the church is that the distractions of home are avoided.  The time feels more “set aside” for drawing close to God.
  • Set a specific start and end time, but allow flexibility for arrival and departure. We made the “day” be 9AM until 3PM, with lunch at noon. Have a designated meeting spot for initial prayer and lunch.  Assign one person to stay in the meeting spot and brief late arrivals on the plan for the day.
  • Encourage bringing and sharing sack lunches with each other.  It adds complexity to provide a lunch and takes time to procure takeout from a restaurant or fast food place.
  • Some preparation is good, either prior to or at the beginning of the day.  We make available a small NavPress booklet by Lorne Sanny called (appropriately) “How to Spend a Day in Prayer.”
  • We make a variety of resources available to all.  Some may bring their own, but it is good to have Bibles and hymnals readily accessible.  We also draw up a list of recent “Prayer Chain” requests and topics from Tuesday morning, Sunday evening and other congregational prayer times.  Some participants enjoy praying through a church directory or staff list.
  • The focus of the day is on individual prayer, but having brothers close by provides the opportunity to ask for specific prayer and minister to one another.

This may seem like a long list of planning activities, but a smooth operation allows all to calmly proceed to praying.  Related to the second item above, we don’t want to trade the distractions of home for new distractions at the meeting place.

Tuna Again?

At break time, a workman opened up his lunch box, pulled out his sandwich, and said, “Yuck.  Tuna.”

The next day, he opened his lunch, pulled out his sandwich, and said “Darn. Tuna again.”

After doing the same thing for a third day, his buddy asked, “why don’t you have your wife make you something different?”

The workman replied, “Oh, I make my own lunch.”

Alas! and Did My Savior Bleed

This hymn draws from a number of scriptural references, including Isaiah 53.5, “But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities.”  It was written in 1707 by Isaac Watts.

 

Alas! And did my Savior bleed, and did my Sovereign die!  Would he devote that sacred head for such a worm as I!

Was it for crimes that I had done he groaned upon the tree!  Amazing pity! Grace unknown! And love beyond degree!

Well might the sun in darkness hide, and shut his glories in, when Christ the mighty Maker, died for man the creature’s sin.

Thus might I hide my blushing face while his dear cross appears; dissolve my heart in thankfulness, and melt mine eyes in tears.

But drops of grief can ne’er repay the debt of love I owe; Here Lord, I give myself away, ‘tis all that I can do.

 

Hear the gospel segments told in this wonderful song: Christ is acknowledged as the Maker in verse 3.  Man is known to need help – a worm, a committer of crimes, a sinner.

The agony of the crucifixion is described – bloody death, groaning upon the tree.  The devotion of God for His people is registered – amazing pity, grace unknown, love beyond degree.

And the sinner who believes responds in thankfulness, tears, and giving himself away to his Savior and Sovereign.