Thursday, February 23, 2017

2nd Peter 1:17-18: For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.
"I was there." Peter is saying. "I saw Jesus change. I saw Moses and Elijah. I heard the Voice. I am reporting the truth of it."

And more than just reporting the truth of what happened, Peter lived the truth of Jesus. Peter died for the truth of Jesus. Peter's life, especially after the day of Pentecost, was living with the truth of what he experienced and what he saw. Peter's actions are reported in the Acts of the Apostles and in his letters to the Church. Peter's life was all about living, breathing, and dying Jesus so that people would, and did, come to believe in Jesus and Jesus' life for them.

What about you? Now none of us were there on that mountain of Transfiguration. We didn't see it all happen. And we have the tendency to say, "How do I know what Peter says happened, happened? After all, it's just his word. He could have made it all up.

But he didn't. We believe Peter was there. We trust the truth of his account. We trust and believe in God the Holy Spirit who inspired Matthew to write the account in his Gospel and we trust and believe in Peter's recounting of the truth. 

The power of the Holy Spirit through the Word of God brings the reality of the events to life in order to inspire our faith and life. And because we trust in the truth, we live our lives according to it. We now say, "I am there. I see the Transfiguration. I hear the Voice of the Father. He inspires me. He moves me to live my life by means of His grace and love." Let's pray.

Father God, thank You for Peter's eyewitness of Jesus. Thank You for leading us to the truth of Peter. Lead us through the truth to live the truth in our lives today. We pray this in Jesus' name. And all God's children say...

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Matthew 17:2: And he [Jesus] was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.
"I read the words. I read the description of what happened to Jesus. I just can't picture it in my head." 

Most people will say something like that when they read the account of the Transfiguration of Jesus. Most people will come away confused. They do because they don't believe. The don't believe in Jesus being God. And since they don't believe Jesus is God, they can't "see" Jesus as He truly is. They can't, and won't, comprehend the light of the world in human form. 

What we see in our passage today is Jesus saying to us, "This is who I am. This is my nature. I am pure light. I am grace. I am radiance. I am joy. I am salvation. I am God. I am man. This is the unveiled me. And I have come to you today to bring you life and joy and peace and salvation. I have come to die for YOU to forgive YOU and make YOU white and bright and radiant. I have come to transfigure YOU!"

And we, because of the salvation through Jesus' death and new life through His resurrection, we are transfigured from darkness to light, from death to life. Jesus did this all so that we can say, "This is who I am. I am a light bearer. I am saved. I am redeemed. I am the light of God to the world." Let's pray.

Dear God, thank You for all that You did for us through Jesus. Lead us by the Holy Spirit in us to be the light of grace. We pray this in Jesus' name. And all God's children say...

Tuesday, February 14, 2016

John 3:16-17: [Jesus is saying,] “For God so loved ithe world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him."
Valentine's Day: It is the day that we celebrate love with cards, candy, hearts, flowers, and special dinners. Here at Faith Lutheran Church and School, there will be parties and sugar and cards and some really "energized" children.

With all of that said, Jesus says what love is all about. Love is more than an expression of loving acts. It's good that we give cards, gifts, and special time with family. It's good to express love. Jesus is talking about living love.

Jesus is talking about living out love that sacrifices, supports, cares, and nurtures. Jesus is talking about love that even speaks of living out right and wrong, law and gospel. And it is Jesus and His love that gives us so much. Jesus gives us His life so that our lives are saved.

So when we, through faith in Jesus live love, let us express our love in the ways above AND express our love in the way Jesus did; giving of ourselves for the sake of someone else. Let's pray.

Dear God, send Your Holy Spirit to us so that we live in the love of Jesus. In His name we pray. And all God's children say...

Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Deuteronomy 30:19-20: [Moses is saying,] "I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for He is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

Moses and the nation of Israel are parked just outside the Promised Land. It is his final message for them before Joshua leads them on.

This is what God is saying. Do not deviate from Him. Do not let go of His love for you. Hold fast to His grace. Lean on God the author and perfecter of your faith. Rely not on your own will and understanding. God is your source of life and light.

And this is what the servant of God says. This is what Pastor James and I say to you. This is what you say to your families. This is what we together say to the world. 

God loves you. He sent Jesus to die for you in order to forgive your sins. Then Jesus       rose in order to bring life and immortality to you.This is what the servant of God says. Let's pray.

Father God, thank You for giving us life and grace. Embolden us by the Holy Spirit to say what needs to be said. We pray this in Jesus' name. And all God's children say...

Monday, February 6, 2017

1st Corinthians 3:5: What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each.

"Back in the day," there was a big challenge amongst the Church in Corinth. Paul came and established the Church. As was his custom, and God's choosing, Paul moved from there and brought the Kingdom of God to another town. Paul left Elders in his place to serve. The God brings in Apollos to take the Church to the next level. In around the same time Aquilla and Pricilla came, a husband and wife team that God chose. 

And the Church was confused? Who are we to follow? Who is our leader? Who are we to listen? While all this was happening, Paul found out about it. And the above verse summarizes what was God's answer to the questions through St. Paul.

It's the same for us here at Faith. We are blessed with many servants in order to bring the life of Jesus to those who hear the Word of God in the Church and School. We are blessed with Pastor James and myself, Jane, Kristi Pachar, Carol Germany and all the leaders of the Church and school. We believe that we are the servants of God's choosing. 

So to whom do you listen? All of us. The reason is, we preach in our own ways Christ crucified to all the people God has called us to. We preach and teach the salvation from sins given freely to us by God through the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. And we ultimately listen to Jesus. Let's pray.

Father God, thank You for the servants whom You have called into ministry. Lead them by Your Holy Spirit to share Your Word to those whom we serve at the Church and School. We pray this in Jesus' name. And all God's children say...