walk

God’s Busy Business, John 5

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I’m just waking up with great focus, not my great, as it’s just wake-up from a madness of crazy dreams, but a wake up into the real great focus of being awake, the focus of a Great, and a great focus. When we wake up, let us say “THANK YOU LORD for waking me up!” 

And next, I can say, “What, Lord, are we talking about today?”…

Lord, You are the One Who soothes and satisfies, and if nothing else (and there’s plenty else), I’m thankful for You waking me up to be thankful. “Whew” is a phrase which describes my attitude and response and drive to keep going. Yes, there is busy ahead of us and busy behind, but nothing can be approaching God’s Busy Business with orchestrating and providing and captivating and corralling us – from providing a way in to LIFE and a way OUT of confusion or mess by sleeping a moment to reset, and that’s just us, hopefully on His time frame, so imagine the orchestration in God’s Busy Business is not limited to ‘just us’, not just earth, neither physically known nor mentally perceived nor spiritually understood. If we learn how Big we are in God’s heart, we also know we are but one small fraction of a fraction in life. Yet, God knows us and loves us immensely immense.

To learn something about God is to wonder why even more.

I wonder why I wonder, do you? Because when we wonder about God, there’s always more to know and wonder about. 

We hunger for understanding and yet understand that we can’t understand all. And I question why I am allowed to question, only to understand God is the only answer in an unraveling scenario for earth which is still under His control. God still reigns, and will return for His people here, of us collectively. 

And us? We must take in and know the knowledge of the Hope of Him before we even know Him fully, we must walk with our Hope and mission all while Jesus is still finding us find our way. We walk through the world just as much as we always did before we knew Jesus was our guide. We have met Jesus and just as He guides, we must listen, listen even more… Wonder but still walk.

If we are commanded to walk into our future, like the crippled man at the pool of Bethesda, who didn’t even have to touch the water there to be healed, but be healed by the Words of Jesus, then we also must be healed by the Word of Jesus, knowing His Grace and Mercy and blessings and forgiveness. And test ourselves, “Do I truly believe Jesus as my Lord and King?” We must know what we didn’t know before Jesus brought us knowledge of Him, all while unmasking our fear and shame in front of Him. If we didn’t know, we didn’t, but now we do, we DO know Jesus. 

We must live, must make the best, must make a difference, must be thankful by the Word of Jesus. The once crippled man at that pool of Bethesda (John 5) answered the Jews questioning ‘who gave authority to work’ on the Sabbath, the man answered: “He who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your bed and walk.’ ” That man surely was then standing eye to eye with those who had always not even seen him enough to move him to the water. He stood as proof that Jesus was the answer all along.

Of the proof of living through Jesus, for Jesus, in Jesus, well doesn’t that also come FROM Jesus? YES. Yes, then if later if we have lost our way in a path that was clearly lit, but we diverted, well we must return to Jesus. Lest we forget what we have already learned, we come back to the scriptures, as through scripture we see Jesus come alive and connect all the dots, with authority and example and fulfillment. 

Jesus said we live in Him, through Him and will keep on living (John 5): “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. 

So, our life in God’s Busy Business has already started, let’s just keep walking, one day at a time. One step at a time. (and yes, take your mat with you, because at some point in life we are going to need a nap!)

Amen 

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John 5 NKJV

A Man Healed at the Pool of Bethesda

After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?”

The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.”

Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.

And that day was the Sabbath. The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, “It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.”

He answered them, “He who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your bed and walk.’ ”

Then they asked him, “Who is the Man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.”

The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.

Honor the Father and the Son

For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath. But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.”

Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God. Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.

Life and Judgment Are Through the Son

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.

The Fourfold Witness

“If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true. There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true. You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved. He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light. But I have a greater witness than John’s; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish—the very works that I do—bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.

“I do not receive honor from men. But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you. I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive. How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God? Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you—Moses, in whom you trust. For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”

WOW – What’s Our Witness? SERMON OF TRUST AND WITNESS OF JESUS!

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So Very blessed to share my sermon today which was well received – and a miracle happened – both Liane and I showed up to church EARLY – probably because I was preaching about Liane and she had to make sure I did OK!

BLESSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

John 20:19-31 NIV

Jesus Appears to His Disciples – On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

Jesus Appears to Thomas – Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

The Purpose of John’s Gospel – Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Sermon 14APR – “WOW – What’s Our Witness?”

I had all the parts of this sermon swirling in my head and also sorta on paper for there were stories I knew would go great with the scriptures – and then also when writing last night I was thinking “well, news is posting about drones coming from Iran to Israel – and how much little impact that was having on me at the moment where I was – and yet has great impact in many lives – in lives we will never meet – and yet how usual for these days but unusual in times past would one have “pre-knowledge” of not just what kind of weapons folks had – but of when they were launched – and would have thought there would be the ability to intercept the missiles and shoot them down (hopefully) – and they DID shoot then down last night – they have like a GPS tracking and GPS zoning in –  and so, after that one attack was done, I flipped back to my “regularly scheduled programs” which was the other browser tab on the laptop and I restarted watching the TV shows I was watching… I thought how funny that I got to sit there and both know it and ignore it at the same time and “check back later”…  even go to bed…  even do frivolous things plus important things too, like pull together this sermon…  Really isn’t it funny the known that we “get” to ignore wars because they are not close by…  Well, forgive me for not delving into world issues that I can’t solve – at least not solve in an hour – and allow me to step aside from the tragedies of the day to look at and expound upon these most important scriptures from John about “Journeying with Jesus” for the next few minutes because in this, I pray that we realize that we are really really really blessed in His guidance and His blessings seen – and especially blessings unseen… We are created to praise God – even in unknown times.

I have called this sermon “What’s Our Witness” “WOW” – because we should be filled with the WOWs of our experiences and understandings on this “Journey with Jesus” and then even more wow-ed by faith in things that we will never be able to understand in this lifetime and here – hoping to understand more when we are face to face with God. And yet – I know that we are experiencing God ALL THE TIME without seeing Him…  aren’t we?…  We are experiencing Him thru the Holy Spirit Who helps us understand. We do and should witness AMAZING things – big and small –

Unseen – sometimes the unknown scares us – we should rely on God to help understand Him better – understand He lives for the LOVE that He is and wants to give…  Certainly the ancients, people of Moses’s time would have thought seeing the face of God would make them die…  Well, some ancients DID see God in various forms – the burning bush for Moses – he believed didn’t he? The cloud filling the temple Solomon built – they knew that was God. And Jacob wrestled with God – ouch my hip hurts too – I wrestle with God too much. 

I was returning to the book of Lamentations in the old testament – about the exile that people were forced into by the hands of the Babylonians – and here people were forced to look to God to plea: “I called on your name, Lord, from the depths of the pit. You heard my plea: “Do not close your ears to my cry for relief.” You came near when I called you, and you said, “Do not fear.” You, Lord, took up my case; you redeemed my life….”

So – we also can call in this manner and we DO know this redemption – for eternal life – because we have learned and experienced this great day of Easter  – of Jesus rising to save us -and from the scriptures we have just heard, we are to remember our redemption and believe – even without seeing… 

Collectively we can remember God’s faithfulness – especially because Jesus came  – and like the poet in Lamentations, we too can reflect that we too are saved:

 I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:  Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. Lam 3:19-26

How AMAZING now for Jesus Himself to come to earth to be seen and for those that Easter day like on the Walk to Emmaus disciples to see the scriptures come to fruition? They did not know it was Jesus – all the while the walked and talked – all the while the scriptures were opened up to them – they did not know even though they saw HIM – and walked with Him for 3 years – they ONLY knew Jesus when He broke the bread – to remember HIM… 

Amazing for the ancients before and for us now to believe – there were lots of people who believed in God without seeing Him…  There is a GREAT set of scriptures that my friend Patti brought to my attention when I was dilly dallying and looking at facebook and not writing my sermon – yeah – then I called her about her garage door and discussed the lawnmower and my procrastination too for mowing my grass – well I digress – and so I explained my sermon bits and pieces floating in my head and she gave me these great scriptures –

—- Hebrews 11:1-2, 7Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for… 7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith. – So Noah really had to trust God, didn’t he? before he saw any raindrops… The Lord rescued Him—- Hebrews 11:3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.    Meaning that God made everything not from a drawing or a model in existence – it was made from nothing seen – something which is not nothing and yet nothing to our mind – we can’t wrap our heads around this something or nothing… We are so human and therefore we must have this faith – faith for faiths sake – for our sake and for God’s… Just like our money says: In God we Trust –  we trust and know how God is amazing…  So even God Himself knew what He could make and why He was going to make it…  We must praise a God who can handle it all and love it all and want to share it all with us – and even saw and knew and loved us before we were even “knit in our mother’s wombs”. God was Love before the beginning of time…  Faith-living, for faith with faith is to know that God is looking out for us and wanting us to Praise Him in return….

I want to share an amazing story of faith – of struggling to keep all the faith and the benefits praying and calming down and trusting in God…  We do have to keep the praise going – having it remind us that we need to count our blessings and calm down – and put God first – and we need to understand that God is in control… this is a great story of seeing what is unseen – that God is for us…  My friend Liane wrote me – this was almost 10 years ago now – Liane has been relying EVEN more on God since an accident took her sight in her early teens. She is so amazing – my sister in Christ – so capable – filled with PRAISE. This is her email, she is addicted to her phone and a computer whiz and facebook fanatic like me:

“Hi Debbie,
When Pastor John (we called him PJ) asked in church today if anyone had a praise offering, it was silent. Then a few people spoke up. I was thinking about saying I was thankful for being at church since I haven’t been there in a while and also wanted to thank God for rocks and trees and of course, I thought to myself, people are probably going to think I’m crazy.


“So PJ’s message was about how we do not praise God enough and for the simple things. He went on to say how God created nature and the things in it to sing his praises – like the rocks and trees –  we who were created in his image don’t realize how important it is to give thanks and praise.

“So this is why I wanted to say praise for rocks and trees, you’ll understand how it all connected for me. Friday morning after putting my son on the bus, I stupidly decided to go across the street to a very familiar corner to walk my dog without his harness on. I wasn’t feeling that great but I go there often and besides that, I had my trusty I-phone. So Basil (that’s her previous guide dog) and I walk across the street and then I realize we are not where I wanted to go. I felt around with my foot and was trying to get oriented by listening to the traffic but the more frustrated I got, the more disoriented I became.,
Lightbulb moment, use your I-phone to call someone or use GPS. Well, my phone was not working because before the boys went to school they told me to update my phone but they neglected to tell me I need to go through setting up my phone after that. I was getting upset with myself since I haven’t grasped this technology and [yet] have become so dependent on it. So, I stopped and prayed asking God to send me someone or something to get me back home. I was already lost for about a half an hour and was panicking because I left my house open and Mom was going to be coming over but she always calls first to see where I’m at and of course, she wouldn’t be able to get hold of me.  So I waited a little longer for a sign but no one or nothing clued me in so I calmed myself down, prayed again and decided to walk towards the sound of traffic in hopes I would figure out which intersection I was at.


“I told Basil to go home and he started pulling the leash a little but then stopped and he seemed confused as well then I felt the sun. I started thinking about where I am when I can feel the sun when I go for my regular walks. I decided to turn around and walk the opposite direction and I started getting closer to traffic. Then, a tree branch brushes across the top of my head – [ah] – this branch feels like the one I always bump my head on while passing my neighbor’s house who lives across the street from me. So I keep walking and find a driveway and decide to cross the street and if I’m correct, it will take me to my driveway. Well, it didn’t. So, I step up on the curb and decide to still head toward the traffic but use my foot to trail the grass line hoping for a clue. I didn’t have to walk too far before my foot bumps into a pile of rocks which I immediately recognize as the river rocks my husband placed around the sump pump pipe sticking out of our yard. I say out loud, “Thank You God!!!!” and I immediately get this message from God, God is my rock. He is there no matter what I’m going through and as long as I believe and have faith and hope, he will take care of me. I found my way back to my house and went inside and cried tears of joy.  God is awesome!

“So when PJ said about the rocks singing praises and then he mentioned the trees, it just confirmed my belief. I know you will understand what I mean.”

AMEN and for sure, Liane, I understand – yes, I understood what she meant – and what a beautiful testimony of trusting God… gave me tears of joy because I in those days had also just started to understand this amazing world of God we were in. … The rocks will cry out if you don’t praise God, and sometimes the trees will knock you in the head until YOU praise!

This was a WOW – and in my response to Liane – I thought these rocks were an emergency GPS – “God Positioning Stones”.  I have those GPS letters from our VBS days – and I want us now to have WOW cards – to think about and write some items of WOW – of our witness – presence – believing – and  GPS – where God positionings/blessing or God-winks some would call them, occurred – for us to remember when we have been blessed.  

SO – these WOW cards are actually stickers, and perhaps you can take a moment to write down a real witness you have – we are not collecting them – they are for you – and perhaps we can share some or our experiences later – so with this in mind – let us return to our scriptures of WOW today – that keep us thinking…

And so – WOW – A Risen Jesus walks into the disciples’ room and says: “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” WOW and now we learn the HOW – How did Jesus give his disciples (and us) this ability to praise and witness? With what did fill these disciples (and us) with ? “He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”  WOW!

Here is more of that verse:  If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”  WOW !!!!   the peace and ability and greatest gift of love and mercy is forgiveness!  WOW !!!!  

I love how my friend Liane felt for the sun to orient herself that day she was lost – and she still does that – but in that situation – she found the best reliance was on God, and Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit to help.

Did you enjoy the eclipse? I know that Liane enjoyed the eclipse and I did too – even if I didn’t see the sun (or feel it) – I was in western NY near where I went to college up on a golf course (and bar and grill) – with lots of university people – 180 plus – and it was cloudy but that was OK because I was still on vacation and still blessed  -and so out of the blue – there was someone who eclipsed my eclipse – I got to see my p-chem professor and his wife from like 30 years ago… WOW!  – I could care less that it was cloudy now that I was positioned to talk to them for well over an hour –   and it was cool – an astronomy professor answered questions and then a little boy – asked simply: ‘what IS an eclipse?’ – and the professor says: you have a sibling? Well his sister was of course there – and the professor said – you ever watch one of your favorite tv shows and then your sister stands right in front of the TV? – well THAT’S an eclipse – so funny – yes … 

And I will share how my friend Liane enjoyed the eclipse – she sent me a text: she listened to a zoom call of blind people from Texas and sequentially all up the path of the eclipse where the people were listening and then describing these light measuring devices – making decreased noise when the moon moved in partially and then totally and then moved back out increasing the noises measuring the light.. so cool – and Liane said it was like experiencing the travel around the world of New Years celebrations one after another – and it was such an excitement for these folks to collectively enjoy that phenomenon – as a community – over zoom but collective in appreciation…  so cool… I have told dozens of people this week that Liane and her description – that she appreciated and enjoyed the eclipse more than most sighted people I know – she experienced the excitement and the community without seeing the light but by KNOWING the LIGHT – that is the love of God – we walk by faith not sight… 

Jesus Appears to Thomas – Now Thomas, ‘doubting Thomas’ said to the others:  “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”  A week later Thomas was with them and Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”  Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”   Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Are we not the blessed ones to believe without seeing – and yet have our WOW moments – our witness of His Love? This is my segue transition to avow what is something like an eclipse but much more severe than the moon getting in front of the sun (or the sister in front of the tv) – Sin is between us and God and ends up with us living in the darkness and the cold – like the eclipse day I had –  and it is more frighteningly easy to get lost. All that stuff that gets in the way between us and God – yes this is an eclipse from being close to Him – an eclipse of us experiencing and feeling God less – God is still there [like the sun is still there but behind clouds etc] and yet the LOVE does not dim but we feel it less because we are clouded and eclipsed by sin.  and how is that removed? By forgiveness…  and Jesus comes to forgive – forgiveness is more easily given (and commanded to be given) by Jesus and felt by the presence of the Holy Spirit Who gives you that ‘Jesus Peace’ so that we can and may forgive others…  If you have not yet accepted the forgiveness that Jesus has been giving out then please consider coming out of the cold – please consider coming into the warm loving light – you yourself have not been sharing in a gift given by Jesus to be in the full capacity of total love that we could be in. Likewise, if we hold grudges and we don’t forgive then we are in risk of being stuck in an eclipse between that gift and us…  I have heard it said that Peace is already given and if we don’t feel peaceful, it is because we have given away that ability to feel the peace – we need to hold onto it – feel it – and give it –

WOW – what is our witness? Like did we forget all the times that God saved us and we forgot to praise Him and also bad that we get ourselves so worried at another time and forget we can call upon His Name to help us?

 Lastly we listened to the end scriptures of “The Purpose of John’s Gospel” :

Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Jesus was and is not a side show – an attraction of God’s power to impress… sure they as disciples had seen impressive miracles in person – but John wrote this down for us to believe… Likely those gathered at his feet, would have been among the first earliest Christians who would have not seen Jesus alive directly – at least one and two generations after Jesus …   Jesus provided continuity in people who witnessed and shared – with John, the only disciple to live until old age – He provided an overlap in generations – and knowledge to the real stories of I was there… God knows what time after time after time, really did witness those who were listening to the stories and to us. But it is not JUST the listening to a trusted soul – like a nice salesman at the car dealer –  there is more to it – Yes there is – we the people listening must open their faith by letting God open our hearts…  Yes, God’s intention in sharing THESE miracles is so that we believe who have not seen them first hand – INN GOD WE TRUST – and God would know not too little or too much info – and God knows that the witness in the person would develop to see God in their own miracles and WOWs -and be able to explain how each section touched their hearts…

If you wrote on your WOW cards, What’s Our Witness – or just have a short thought from this past week that would be good to share – please let us share – these WOW statements or experiences – and if you did just write it or just thought it out – maybe now you can use this as a book mark or put it in your car or on your fridge – then remember that we DO have our own WOWs – our moments that we praise – and we DO remind ourselves of how faithful He is, so that in the future when we doubt we can look back at these. 

You are free to share with us or keep it a secret – there are such good secrets to keep between us and God – but before a tree hits you in the head or rocks cry out – well – you best call it out in PRAISE PRAISE PRAISE!   

And we can be God’s WOW – a Walk of Wonder – and Witness of Whew …  Maybe you have understanding and witness – Like seeing spring rebirth – or an old friend or mentor – or held a baby like I did recently, experiencing the trust of the mom to let me hold her – maybe you have a WOW of Jesus forgiveness when you were distant – maybe you have a WOW of simply being alive today. 

I will pause and wait a moment…

WOW – let us end with a WOW – What’s Our Witness – knowing types of witness are physical and spiritual – how we see things working in our lives, like Jesus showing up in the flesh; physical like Thomas needing to actually touch and see. Maybe we are not wanting to believe either – but I must urge you to try. Look for your WOWs:

Spiritual like the gift of the Holy Spirit and the gift of forgiveness to share. Spiritual in us understanding salvation. 

Wisdom-filled – experience-derived – understanding the stories like John is giving

And Trust: All the miracles and happenings of Jesus would be more than too many books could contain – given what we need to know was on a “needs to know” basis ONLY.

TRUST the REST. 

Let us Pray……….

AMEN!

A Palm Sunday Services Prayer to Share

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Lord we are entering Holy Week.

Greater Love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

Today Palm Sunday, we are waving our palms and saying Hosanna, seeing You Jesus as a great king. May we see You Jesus as OUR King, a Heavenly king and not just an earthly king. May we be walking with You this whole week, still saying Hosanna as we want to grow – grow from the sheep being fed – to disciples being led.

May our Hosannas come with hope everlasting and a willingness to believe. Oh Jesus, Lord, please keep us from becoming that crowd that scorns You, denies You, and leaves You hanging by Friday. We ask Lord to remain walking step by step and be a witness as we all get to Thursday, Your last supper on earth, Your Passover feast, to break bread with You. We want to try to stay awake with You in the garden. We WANT to be Your friend, but our sleepiness is shown in Your tears. And please console us on Friday, Lord, open our eyes to see why such darkness was necessary in death and then truly allow us to see the Light overcoming darkness, by GLORIOUS Sunday.  Let us not remain those wondering Saturday people, lost and hopeless. Bring us Lord to Easter and understanding, Jesus let us taste in Your resurrection and Life.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that who-so-ever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

So today Lord, we are Your people who lay down their coats and palms, may we continue all week and for all of our days to lay down our plans for Yours, lay down our expectations for Your enrichment. Kneel at Your cross and tomb then keep walking and share your Good News:

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Please Lord send your Holy Spirit. As we receive Your Word today may we be filled with Your Spirit to open our ears and hearts to hear Your Voice as Shephard, know You as Prince of Peace, and to understand You and Your plan for us.

And Sweet Jesus, may we continue this Holy Week being led in praise and in measured steps, one day at a time.

We love You Lord because You loved us first.

Amen 

Unroll Sweet Jesus!

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Sweet Jesus. 

I didn’t unroll the Smarties – the candy – but I unrolled my SMILE – how adorable – it’s a Torah scroll from a girl scout event, Thinking Day, and an older troop representing Israel as their country to study and present, made up these mini Torah from the sweet Smarties wrapped in a paper showing the Ten Commandments as two tablets. I quickly paid my quarter and thought so deeply of both the meaning but also that a church faith item was shown and shared at a secular event. Good to open an opportunity to think at “Thinking day”.

This was no sugar rush, this is God-gifted goodness in thought, and I pondered the deepest of meanings here:: Jesus IS the sweet core of the tablets and the fulfillment of the LAW AND THE PROPHETS. Good God!

Then the next day a church window caught my attention, what beautiful light shone through the stained glass window of the tablets portrayed. The windows so beautiful in the church building and isn’t that so appropriate of our beautiful LIGHT of the world, Jesus, illuminating His Plan to satisfy what man can not achieve, total coherence and coverage with all the laws. Jesus is our Light to elucidate our wrongs and fill the spaces of darkness with LIGHT, a LIGHT that eliminates the sting of death and illuminates a forgiveness which brings LIFE. 

This is probably easy for us to now see, but be ever so closer to the events of Jesus’s day and Jesus, in His hometown, was shunned, shocking the people who remained sure He was being blasphemous in self by speaking eloquently from the Torah scroll, from Isaiah, that He Himself was filled with the Spirit of the Lord to proclaim freedom and healing. That He was the Healer. That they needed Him.

We need Him too – and pray we know it. And that we feel it. And that we follow Him. And we love Jesus even more for Him gifting Hope. And thank God for we can’t make this journey by ourselves. Jesus must fulfill our lives with forgiveness to bring us to the everlasting life. Like the man who puzzled at the keeping of the laws of Moses, Jesus looks at us and loves us and knows we are in need of His completion to make us from part to whole. 

And while He already accomplished this, we know that this is unrolled to each of us in a journey that takes our whole lives – it takes one sweet candy at a time – it takes one step in front of the other – and sometimes we are simply carried. We know that we must wait and watch the unveiling of Jesus in our lives, just as the spring unveils itself – like the first flowers and the progression further into later flowers and then fruits. Let us savor the spring that comes from the winter.

Unroll Sweet Jesus into your life. 

And start smiling. 

Amen 

—

Luke 4:14-30

Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.

He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked.

Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ And you will tell me, ‘Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.’”

“Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown. I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.”

All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.

—

Mark 10:17-31  The Rich and the Kingdom of God
As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’”

“Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”

Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”

The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!”

“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”