people would not receive him

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

Job 3:1-3, 11-17, 20-23 Psalm 88:2-8 Luke 9:51-56

Luke 9:53  but the people would not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem.

How often do we bite off our nose to spite our face?  Because Jesus was going to Jerusalem the Samaritans would have nothing to do with him.  This is arrogance and pride that destroys, but even prevents us from coming to know Christ.  They lost an opportunity because of their bigotry and resentment,

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to always seek to be filled with grace.  Help me to give people the benefit of the doubt and not to be prejudice to the point of rejecting you.

Amen

blood of the Lamb and by the word

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14  or Revelation 12:7-12 Psalm 138:1-5 John 1:47-51

Revelation 12:11  And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.

There seems to be a major division in Christian theology.  One side places more emphasis on sacraments.  The other side place more emphasis on teaching and preaching.  It seems to me that both are required.  They go together and neither is complete without the other.  Sacraments are vitally important, but without proper teaching and preaching they turn into superstitions.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to faithfully observe the sacraments with the truth of your word.  Help me to faithfully follow you and do all that you command.

Amen

there is a season

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 Psalm 144:1-4 Luke 9:18-22

Ecclesiastes 3:1  For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

In our fast food society we want everything to happen now.  That is partly why we are having such financial problems. True faith recognizes that God works according to his time and his time and plan is better than what we can imagine.  We are not very wise because there is so much that we don't know and because of our selfishness and carnality we can't know.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to realize all that I don't know and to be patient and trusting that you have the wisdom and the power and the love that is best for me.

Amen

number our days

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

Ecclesiastes 1:2-11 Psalm 90:3-6, 12-14, 17 Luke 9:7-9

Psalm 90:12  So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

Often this verse is thought to remind us that our time on this earth is short so we should make the most of the time we have.  In the context of the rest of the readings to day, however, I see another meaning.  The idea of numbering our days may have more to do with understanding that we are part of a bigger picture.  The earth and the people of God have been around a long time and there is much wisdom to be gained by observing and learning from them.  The problem is that we tend to be very egocentric.

To number our days then is to have a real sense of where we fit into time and space and into God's Kingdom, to have a sense of what has come before us and what will come after.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to number my days, to have a real sense of where I fit in your Kingdom and to give thanks for all that has come before me and after me.

Amen

Take nothing for your journey

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

Proverbs 30:5-9 Psalm 119:29, 72, 89, 101, 104, 163 Luke 9:1-6

Luke 9:3  And he said to them, "Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics.

In these times it is interesting that Jesus gives his followers this command.  It is clear that he wants them to depend on the grace and provision of God and not on their own ability to gain wealth, and they are to be a witness to others that God will provide.

Today everybody is worried about securing their own wealth.  We don't trust God.  We need to be more concerned with our integrity than our wealth.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to trust you for my provision.  Help me to work for righteousness and not farsake your commands.

Amen

the way of faithfulness

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

Proverbs 21:1-6, 10-13 Psalm 119:1, 27, 30, 34-35, 44 Luke 8:19-21

Psalm 119:30  I have chosen the way of faithfulness, I set thy ordinances before me.

I say I want to be faithful, yet I continue to fail.  I think what this is saying is that I need to put God's ordinances before me.  That is I need to follow the rules.  We spend a lot of time finding ways to not follow rules rather than follow them.  If we would only follow them we could change.  There is a big movement away from "organized" religion, but it is this organization that helps us to follow Christ, it is called discipline. 

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to become more disciplined in following you.  Help me to take the time and make the effort to do what needs to be done.

Amen

nor anything secret

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

Proverbs 3:27-34 Psalm 15:2-5 Luke 8:16-18

Luke 8:17  For nothing is hid that shall not be made manifest, nor anything secret that shall not be known and come to light.

The biggest lie we tell ourselves is that we can hide what we do and think.  But the Bible says that we can't.  In fact the the Bible says that the truth shall set you free.  So it makes sense that in order to be in relationship with Christ, that is to be free, we must live the truth.  That means both good and bad.  The things that we want to hide we must confess, and the things that we need to know, the Spirit will make known.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to live the truth.  Help me to be honest in all me dealings and to seek the truth in all situations.

Amen

If for this life only

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

1 Corinthians 15:12-20 Psalm 17:1, 6-8, 15 Luke 8:1-3

1 Corinthians 15:19  If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all men most to be pitied.

At the end of the day, the message the we need to stay focused on is that we have life eternal through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  It is the fact that he rose from the dead that separates him and us from other religions.  The sins of this world are not going to go away.  There will always be people who refuse to follow Christ and there will always be temptation in this life.  But our basic hope in Christ is that we have a new life eternal through his and our resurrection.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to always remember that we have new life through the death and resurrection of your son and our savior Jesus Christ.

Amen

my burden is light

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

1 Corinthians 12:31; 13, 1-10, 13 Psalm 25:1-5, 8-10 Matthew 11:25-30

Matthew 11:30  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

What is Jesus talking about here?  Is he talking about physical labor?  Perhaps.  But he may also be talking about the yoke and burden on our souls because of sin.  If we live honestly and we live in the hope that Jesus will bring us into eternal life with him, then we can truly have peace and our burden can be light.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to trust you and follow you and not get caught up in the ways and the values of this world.  Help me to stay focused on the hope that you bring and then to live in peace.

Amen

ashamed of me and of my words

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

Galatians 6:14-18 Galatians 2:16, 20; Philippians 1:20-21 Luke 9:23-26

Luke 9:26  For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

Are we ashamed of Jesus today?  Sometimes I think we are even when we don't think so.  In this political season, are we willing to stand up for Christ or do we water down the Gospel and compromise our faith?

What about abortion for example?  Are we afraid of being extreme?  What about the right to believe in the Word of God and call what is right right and what is wrong wrong?  What about homosexuality?  Do we endorse what the Bible calls and abomination?

Are we afraid of the people who are perishing?

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to know what is right and what is wrong and to be willing to follow your leading with faith and courage.

Amen

Fear seized them all

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 27-31 Psalm 100:1-5 Luke 7:11-17

Luke 7:16  Fear seized them all; and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has arisen among us!" and "God has visited his people!"

As we look to our political figures, and we admire our athletes and celebrities, who among them is like Jesus Christ?

Fear seized the people.  Does fear seize us when we see the popular people of today?  No!  Rather, we use their popularity to endorse our own political and moral views.  We don't fear them, we use them, and they use us.  But when we come to the reality of Jesus Christ you can't use him.  You are seized by fear because he is a great prophet, he is the Son of God.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to be seized by fear when considering your great presence.  Help me to not depend on or use the popularity of human figures to my own demise.  Help me to seek you and you above all others.

Amen

he learned obedience

First Reading: Hebrews 5:7-9
Psalm: Psalm 31:2-6, 15-16, 20
Gospel: John 19:25-27 or Luke 2:33-35

Hebrews 5:8 Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered;

Jesus is our savior and our model of human perfection. Yet, he too had to learn obedience through his suffering.
We tend to think that if we suffer we are not right with God, but in fact it is through suffering that we learn how to be right with God. If Jesus needed to do it how can we claim exemption.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to always accept the call and the grace you have for me. Help me to understand that in tough situations I need to seek you and be thankful.

Amen

the gospel free of charge

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-27 Psalm 84: 3-6, 12 Luke 6:39-42

1 Corinthians 9:18  What then is my reward? Just this: that in my preaching I may make the gospel free of charge, not making full use of my right in the gospel.

Today we have made merchandise out of the Gospel.  We sell books and videos and seminars and all kinds of ways of getting money from the people so we can give them the Gospel.  Underlying all of this is the idea that the one writing the book knows more than the one reading.

The reason the Gospel should be free is because first of all it is God's grace and not ours that is being given and God has not determined that it needs to be payed for anymore.  Second, we need to reflect personally on our own sin and on how God is working in our lives.  We need to learn form those who have demonstrated real faith but it is a personal matter. 

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to learn to look for the log in my eye before the spec in someone else's.  The Gospel is your free gift to all and not my property to control.

Amen

see if there be any wicked way

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

1 Corinthians 8:1-7, 11-13 Psalm 139:1-3, 13-14, 23-24 Luke 6:27-38

Psalms 139:24  And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!

We are often too busy looking for what we should be doing that we don't take the time and are not willing to take the time to judge ourselves.  We need to take that time.  We need to take the time to and look at ourselves with scrutiny and pledge to change to walk in God's way.  

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to look at myself and be willing to change what you want me to change.

Amen

the appointed time has grown very short

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

1 Corinthians 7:25-31 Psalm 45:11-17 Luke 6:20-26

1 Corinthians 7:29  I mean, brethren, the appointed time has grown very short; from now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none,

For those who think the end is near, well, it may be, but the end that Paul is talking about was to occur in the lifetime of those in his audience.  And it did.  Jerusalem was burned. 1.25 million men women and children were killed.  The blood ran deep.  This was the end that was talked about in scripture.  We are now in the kingdom age, the millennial kingdom. Paul instructed people to remain as they are.  If they were married, stay married, if not, stay single.  This was because the end was very close.

Today we have different challenges, but the same urgency.  Our end could be just around the corner.  We should live as though our time is short.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to number my days, to appreciate every minute I have, to live as though I will meet you today.

Amen

why do you

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

1 Corinthians 6:1-11 Psalm 149:1-6, 9 Luke 6:12-19

1 Corinthians 6:4  If then you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who are least esteemed by the church?

Today the pendulum has swung and the church has become almost entirely hands off when it comes to resolving personal issues.  To answer the question in the passage one might say that the church no longer is willing to play that role. The church needs to stand up and take it's responsibility in being a decision maker for conflicts among her members.

Father, help your church to see her responsibility to be a judge for her people.  They church is the body of Christ, help us to act as though we truly believe that.

Amen

God works for good WITH those

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

Micah 5:1-4 or Romans 8:28-30 Psalm 13:6 Matthew 1:1-16, 18-23 or 1:18-23

Romans 8:28  We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose.

This is a famous verse.  It certainly is a favorite verse.  I would like to focus in on a little word that is rendered differently in different translations.  Some say for good "to" them, but here we have one that says for good "with" those. There is a difference here and the word is one that is implied.  It is not in the original text.  I like the "with" rendering. 

Everything works together for good with those.  That means that we are to work with God, together, for the good.  This is the call.  There is no promise that God is just going to bestow unlimited good on everybody who patronizes God.  It is for those who work with God.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to work with you for good.  Help me to put you and your will ahead of my own.  Help me to be with the program.

Amen

stewards of the mysteries

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

1 Corinthians 4:1-5 Psalm 37:3-6, 27-28, 39-40 Luke 5:33-39

1 Corinthians 4:1  This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.

Who is Paul referring to as "us", the servants of God?  Well you could say it is all of us who believe in Jesus Christ.  You could also say that it refers to the Apostles.  You could also say that it refers to Paul and the recipients of the letter, the church leadership.  Well, the church leadership according to Paul are "stewards of the mysteries of God".  What are the mysteries of God?  Well, I think traditionally the sacraments are considered mysteries, in fact, the word from which we get the word sacrament means mystery.

So then what is the roll of the church?  Well, at least one of them is to be the stewards of the sacraments.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to have great regard for the mysteries that you have given to us, that is the sacraments.  Help me to respect and defend them and to honor them with a life faithful to you service.

Amen

But at your word

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

1 Corinthians 3:18-23 Psalm 24:1-6 Luke 5:1-11

Luke 5:5  And Simon answered, "Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets."

We often think that if we can't do it than it can't be done. But God is able to do all things.  Our responsibility is to obey his commands.  If we do what he tells us then we may be in a place where we can see the work of God.

If we don't do what he says we will not be in the place where he is going to do the work and we will miss it.

Our efforts are only as good as we are and we are not God.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to always seek to obey your command.  Help me to realize that my efforts may fail but you will never fail.

Amen

not the spirit of the world

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

1 Corinthians 2:10-16 Psalm 145:8-14 Luke 4:31-37

1 Corinthians 2:12  Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might understand the gifts bestowed on us by God.

It amazes me how people can see the world so differently than I do. I am not saying that I am always right, or even that I am wise, but I just don't understand how people can be so opposed to each other.

The answer is whether something is of the Spirit or not.  I do believe that some of my beliefs are of the Spirit, and those are the ones that the others are most irrational about.  What I need to do is understand that is how it is and I have to be able to live with it.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to be patient with others and not to get personal about the differences, but to understand that they are not speaking from the same spirit that I am.  I need to give you thanks for the grace you have shown me.

Amen