Where are the decisions for me today about being righteous? Will it be the way I respond when neglected or wronged?

Where are the decisions for me about doing righteous deeds? Will it be "going the extra mile" or loving my enemies?

The promise is that the upright will "behold his face". (The KJV reads, "his countenance doth behold the upright".)

Do you need to see God's face? Do you need to know that the King of Kings is looking your way and you have found favor with him?

Jesus promises, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." (Matt. 5:8 NRSV)

Certainly we believe this means in the future, "in heaven"; that we will see and be with God. But I suspect there are some of us who are looking to see God here, now.

Where do you need to see God today?

In the surgical waiting room waiting for a family member?

In the life of a friend or relative who seems to have cooled on the things of God?

In a place where you feel forgotten or alone?

In the place where your energy and enthusiasm seem puny compared to your responsibility and tasks?

My prayer for you is that God would make your heart pure; that you would see God today.

My prayer for you is that you would sense God's presence as you seek to DO and BE righteous.

Grace & peace

And Monday collides with Sunday.

Sunday when we gathered as the people of God. Sunday when we received the bread and the cup, confessing to be the Body of Christ. Sunday when we heard the Bible read. Sunday when we sang together, asking God to "Open Our Eyes".

As these two days collide, sometimes we find it difficult to get our worlds to "sync".

Jesus tells us, "Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you." (Matt. 6:33)

But how? How do we do that in this place where days and worlds and kingdoms collide?

Poet, William Blake tells us the one "who would do good must do so in minute particulars". (Some of us will read "minute" to equal 60 seconds. And that is probably not a bad idea either. But I am meaning extremely small [my-NOOT].) The tiny, seemingly insignificant places of your day are the places where God seeks to make you holy and bring in the Kingdom.

When you decide whether to talk to or ignore the person you pass in the hallway.

When you decide whether to follow through with that thought or idea you had yesterday in the worship service or simply ignore it.

When you decide whether or not to spend time in prayer or reading your Bible today.

When you decide whether that new habit or new thought pattern will take root or melt away.

The minute particulars. Those are places where Sunday and Monday collide. Those are places where you decide if Sunday will transform Monday or if Sunday will be forgotten. Those are the places where the "Kingdom comes and God's will is done on earth as it is in heaven"...or we snuff it out by our lack of cooperation.

May Christ be formed in you today and his Kingdom come...in the minute particulars.

Grace & peace

Did you see yourself in this verse? I saw you.

Maybe you should read it again.

Let the assembled peoples gather around you. Rule over them from on high;

This Psalm is largely a call for judgment. The Psalmist is asking God to "save and deliver me". The image used in verses 6 and following are of a God who "bring(s) to an end the violence of the wicked and makes the righteous secure".

The vision in verse 7 is of the throne from which God rights wrongs and rewards the righteous. And I saw you in there.

You and I may be separated physically today. But in the Spirit we are united, "assembled". You who are holding a wrench in your hand. You who are sitting at a computer screen. You who are pouring over a book. You who are taking a break for lunch. You who are standing at a counter at the store. You who are in a cubicle or an office at work. You who are watching little ones while their parents are away. You who are reading this while you are driving. (Please don't DRIVE while reading!)…

The "assembled" people of God. The Kingdom of heaven is made up of "such as these". The Kingdom is wherever God is in control. Wherever we cooperate with God's rule and reign. We "assemble" under God's Lordship, even when we are scattered. Piece by piece. Cell united to cell. All connected as we make up the Body of Christ.

In the New Testament we are told to not stop gathering or assembling together. God's collection of people is called "the church and the assembly of the firstborn" (Heb. 12:23 NIV).

Is it possible that there is meaning and depth of life in God that we are unable to comprehend unless we "assemble" with other believers? I think that is the perspective of the Bible.

And tonight we offer a chance to "assemble".

6:15 Dinner 6:45 Worship 7-8PM Breakout Groups

I hope you'll join us. Let's see what God has waiting for those who are willing to come together, to participate in the"assembly". Grace & Peace

We've been talking about stewardship recently; how we use the time, talents, and treasures that have been placed within our hands for a time.

In this passage, Jesus confronts people who are "doing business" in the name of religion. It is a warning to us about the relationship between making a fortune and nurturing faith. Jesus goes on to say,

It is written, "My house shall be called a 'house of prayer'; but you are making it a den of robbers.

I wonder…

...what would cause Jesus to overturn tables and chairs in our church?

...how would Jesus describe the way we view & use our money?

...where have we become more concerned with fortune or fame than with faith?

Matthew Henry commented upon the application of this passage to our lives:

"How many things daily practiced under the cloak of religion would (Jesus) show to be more suitable to a den of thieves than to a house of prayer?"

God, forgive us for times we've looked to prosper off of things that should be freely given to those in need. Help us to be more concerned about leading others to you than lining our pockets. Turn over the habits and attitudes in us toward money that you find unacceptable for your followers.

Grace & peace

But HOW do you seek the kingdom?

Sunday we talked about this verse in the larger context of Matthew chapter 6 and stewardship (of time, talents, and treasures). But it goes beyond that to our relationships...our thoughts...EVERY aspect of our life.

Here are 2 questions we might find helpful in this endeavor of seeking the Kingdom first.

1.) "Who Owns It?" It is a question we should ask ourselves anytime we get ready to pull out our credit card, get frustrated with a relationship, or get ready to invest time and energy. If we are seeking the Kingdom, then the first principle of the Kingdom is GOD OWNS IT..whatever "it" is.

2.) "What do YOU want me to do with it?" After we have established that God OWNS IT, we need to find out how GOD wants us to USE "it".

Seems simple. Two questions that are easy to understand.

May we train ourselves to cooperate with the Spirit and ask them regularly.

Grace & peace

Would you use the word "wicked" to describe yourself?

I suppose there are times when we each have things in our mind or heart that, if we are REALLY honest about, honest in a way that we'd be embarrassed to say in a room full of our friends, those things could be called "wicked". But me?! Wicked??!

Most of us would probably be offended at being described as "wicked".

The alternative the Psalmist gives us is to be "well-watered", like a tree planted by a stream.

I'd LIKE to be that one: delighting in the law of the LORD, meditating on Him day and night, yielding fruit in season, neverwithering…

But I'm not sure that describes me either.

I want to be that one. I'm praying to be that one.

I want you to be that one, the well-watered one, NOT the wicked one, the withering one. So we look at gifts God has given us to tend to our lives and become who God dreamed of us becoming.

ONE of those gifts is gathering together with other Christians, for the purposes of fellowship, scripture, prayer, and worship.

TONIGHT is one of those opportunities.

Will you join us?

DINNER 6:15 (no cost. no need to bring anything. just show up.) WORSHIP 6:45 BREAK-OUT 7-8. Grace & peace

There's a phrase in scripture that ties together two stories: the story of a man who has too much stuff and a story about workers who all receive the same wages, no matter how long they worked. (My kids HATE that story. "It is SO UNFAIR!" They say it every time we read Matthew 20.)

This phrase plays a prominent role in this passage of Matthew. And, I think, has a lot to say about The Kingdom. It reads,

"...the last will be first and the first will be last." (Matt. 20:16) (or "...first will be last and the last will be first." Matt. 19:30)

It is this idea that things aren't quite what they seem.

People who have left everything will gain even more (19:29).

People who have worked the least will receive just like those who worked the most (20:10).

First. Last. Last. First. All the same in the end.

OR maybe just the OPPOSITE of what we thought.

Imagine running a race or joining a competition and finding out that the results were completely different from what you had experienced. The person who ran away from the field now is listed dead last.

The person dragging up the rear, the butt of the jokes, is now crowned champion.

Weird.

Such is the Kingdom where the king serves.

The brainier student who always broke the curve gets the same grade as the slow-witted kid who never seems to quite get it.

The billionaire ends up no better off than the homeless person pushing a grocery cart.

The one who had been laughed at or ignored because they had so little is now celebrated as the favorite.

The dominant paradigm has been subverted.

I wonder…

...how might I order my life differently if I could see the flip side of this world?

...how might I spend my time differently?

...how might I give differently?

...what might become REALLY important?

...what might drop off my radar?

God, help us to get a sense today of what it means to live life where the first are last and the last are first. Where we don't care where we end up. Help us to be more concerned about others. Let us see that you won't forget about the least and the last. Don't let us forget either. Change us. Reform us. Reshape us into the image of Jesus, the First who became last for us.

Grace & peace

We talked yesterday about what happens when we mix up the extremities of life with the core of life. Jesus tells us to seek first the kingdom of God...and all these things will be added to you... (Matthew 6:33)

The Kingdom of God is to = The Core or Heart of our Existence

Things like food & clothing are to = The Appendages (or Prosthetics)/Add-ons

We lay that conversation alongside this one in Matthew 19. Jesus is talking to a man we often refer to a "Rich Young Ruler". (What do you think YOUR label would be if you had a conversation with Jesus that other people were trying to describe? Compared to people in other parts of the world and other times in history, "rich" would probably be part of the way people would refer to us. I laugh as I think about being called "The Rich Young Pastor"....or maybe "The Rich Middle-Aged Pastor"?)

Jesus makes a bold promise to the Rich Young Ruler: you will have treasure in heaven.

That sounds great. But…

...the promise is proceeded by a command: ...go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor…

For him to receive all God wanted to give, he had to LET GO.

Hard lesson, isn't it?

I wonder…

...what does God want to give you?

And…

...what is God telling you to let go of first?

By placing your treasure into the Kingdom, you are releasing control of things or people in your life. You are handing over control to God.

Which makes sense, really, because ALL you and I have are ultimately God's anyway! We might as well act like it now, right?

May we purpose in our hearts to cooperate with the Spirit in the areas of our "treasures" for the sake of the Kingdom today.

Grace & peace

I'm interested to know.

Maybe you have thoughts about the sermon Sunday.

Maybe you have questions you don't hear addressed about money.

Maybe you have a story to share about how God has been faithful, has blessed you, or has responded to your obedience in this area.

Contact me. (You might hear your thoughts addressed or shared via sermon or e-mail sometime. If you do NOT want that, let me know.)

"The people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings." (Luke 16:8-9 NIV)

Grace & peace

"They" tend to give the rest of us a bad name.

"They" get so much play on TV and so much publicity, you'd think they represent all of us...but they don't.

"They" are televangelists. I don't simply mean preachers who are TV. And I don't mean to lump every church service that is on the air with "them".

The "they" I am referring to seem to have this interesting habit of twisting EVERY text in the Bible into a pitch for why YOU should send money to THEM.

"Sow a seed!" by sending ME a check!

"Make a pledge!" to support ME and my wealthy lifestyle.

"Give (to ME) and it will be given to you!"

Problem is, like so many problems connected to the church, SOME of what they say is true. On Sunday in our service we read,

Whoever sows sparingly will reap sparingly. Whoever sows generously will reap generously. (2 Corinthians 9:6)

There is definitely a connection between my heart and my hands. If my hands are closed, tightfisted, then probably my heart is too. But it is hard to find a generous, large-hearted person, who doesn't live with open, giving hands.

So to "them" I would say, "Woe to the person who uses the Bible to mean, 'You should give a lot TO ME.' God's word is not intended to make any person or church or ministry rich. God's word is intended to move us and move resources in order to help those who are in need."

Proverbs 22:8-9 tells us

Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity, and the rod of anger will fail. Those who are generous are blessed, for they share their bread with the poor.

So we will, from time to time, talk about money.

We'll do it because the Bible does it.

We'll do it because Jesus did it...a lot.

And we'll do it because how I use my time, talents and treasures is directly connected to the type of follower of Jesus I am or am not becoming. My stewardship says a lot about the sort of Christlike character God wants to develop in me.

While this e-mail and this sermon series has to do with money, don't worry. God willing, it isn't one of THOSE.

Grace & peace