Archive for October, 2009

All Saints Day (text from The Bible in 90 Days) 11/1/2009

Sunday, October 25th, 2009

They All Look to You

Lessons:
    Isaiah 25:6-9 or Wisdom 3:1-9
    Psalm 24:1-10, 22 (9)
    Revelation 21:1-6a
    St. John 11:32-44
 
Prayer of the Day
    Almighty God, you have knit your people together in one communion in the mystical body of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Grant us grace to follow your blessed saints in lives of faith and commitment, and to know the inexpressible joys you have prepared for hose who love you, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Text from “The Bible in 90 Days”

104:24 O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. 25 Yonder is the sea, great and wide, creeping things innumerable are there, living things both small and great. 26 There go the ships, and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it. 27 These all look to you to give them their food in due season; 28 when you give to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things. 29 When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. 30 When you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the ground. 31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works- 32 who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke. 33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. 34 May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord.
35b Bless the Lord, O my soul. Praise the Lord!

Psalm 104:24-34, 35b New Revised Version Bible (C)1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

Martin Luther, whose reforming work we remembered this past Sunday, had a strong belief in the power of prayer. He himself practiced the discipleship habit of daily prayer (it would be more accurate to describe his habit as “hourly prayer”). In his “Small Catechism” (Section 7: “Grace at Table”) he instructed families to pray in this way before every meal.

The children and the members of the household are to come devoutly to the table, fold their hands, and recite: “The eyes of all wait upon you, O Lord, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy all living things with delight.” (Comment: “delight” means that all animals receive enough to eat to make them joyful and of good cheer, but worry and greed prevent such delight.) Then they are to recite the Lord’s Prayer and the following prayer: “Lord God, heavenly Father, bless us, and these your gifts, which we receive from your bountiful goodness, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

Kolb & Wengert (2000). The Book of Concord. Minneapolis: Fortress Press.

Luther based his understanding of how to pray at mealtime on two Psalms: 104:27-28 (a portion of this week’s reading) and 145:15-16. Set in the larger context of Psalm 104, we understand this verse as a “stewardship verse.” The Psalmist offers effusive praise for the creating work of God: the earth, the waters, the animals, grasses and plants, “food for the earth and wine to gladden the human heart,” the moon and the sun… all of this comes from the hand of God. And more importantly, set within the very nature of creation, is God’s attempt to care for what has been created. “When you open your hand, they are filled with good things.” Luther argues that there is more than enough for all to experience delight.

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All Saints Day (11/1/2009)

Sunday, October 25th, 2009

All Saints — All of Us

Lessons:
    Isaiah 25:6-9 or Wisdom 3:1-9
    Psalm 24:1-10, 22 (9)
    Revelation 21:1-6a
    St. John 11:32-44
 
Prayer of the Day
    Almighty God, you have knit your people together in one communion in the mystical body of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Grant us grace to follow your blessed saints in lives of faith and commitment, and to know the inexpressible joys you have prepared for those who love you, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

11:32 When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. 34 He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus began to weep. 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” 38 Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

St. John 11:32-44 New Revised Version Bible (C)1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

 There is a story about a child who asked Mom what a saint was. Mom was trying to explain sainthood, and finally came upon this explanation: “You know those people whose pictures are in the stained glass windows at church? Mary and Peter and John and Paul and the others? They are the saints.” The child thought for a moment, and finally responded: “Oh I get it. Saints are people who let the light shine through.” A pretty good answer!

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Reformation Sunday (text from The Bible in 90 Days) 10/25/2009

Sunday, October 18th, 2009

The Patience (?) of Job

Lessons:
    Jeremiah 31:31-34
    Psalm 46 (7)
    Romans 3:19-28
    John 8:31-36
 
Prayer of the Day
    Almighty God, gracious Lord, we thank you that your Holy Spirit renews the church in every age. Pour out your Holy Spirit on your faithful people. Keep them steadfast in your word, protect and comfort them in times of trial, defend them against all enemies of the gospel, and bestow on the church your saving peace, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Text from “The Bible in 90 Days”

38:1 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind: 2 “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? 3 Gird up your loins like a man, I will question you, and you shall declare to me. 4 “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. 5 Who determined its measurements-surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? 6 On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone 7 when the morning stars sang together and all the heavenly beingsa shouted for joy? 8 “Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb?- 9 when I made the clouds its garment, and thick darkness its swaddling band, 10 and prescribed bounds for it, and set bars and doors, 11 and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stopped’?

Job 38:1-11 New Revised Version Bible (C)1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

Many people, even people who know little or nothing about the Hebrew Bible we’ve been reading these past weeks, have heard of the “patience of Job.” The image that comes to mind is of a person who suffers great difficulty, but quietly and peacefully takes it all in stride. The reader of Job is left with a different image, though. Job indeed suffers patiently, but through it all he maintains his innocence. While Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar speculate as to what offense Job must have committed in order to deserve such suffering, he demands that it isn’t so. Insisting that he has done nothing wrong, he rails at his friends, he rails at God, he rails at life itself, he curses the day he was born, he cries out for God to kill him – to put him out of his misery.

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Reformation Sunday (10/25/2009)

Sunday, October 18th, 2009

You Will Know the Truth, and Be Set Free

Lessons:
    Jeremiah 31:31-34
    Psalm 46 (7)
    Romans 3:19-28
    John 8:31-36
 
Prayer of the Day
    Almighty God, gracious Lord, we thank you that your Holy Spirit renews the church in every age. Pour out your Holy Spirit on your faithful people. Keep them steadfast in your word, protect and comfort them in times of trial, defend them against all enemies of the gospel, and bestow on the church your saving peace, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

8:31 Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” 33 They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean by saying, ‘You will be made free’?”  34 Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. 35 The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there forever. 36 So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.

St. John 8:31-36 New Revised Version Bible (C)1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

In the Sixteenth Century, All Saints’ Day was an important festival in the life of the church. It was a day to remember the people whose exemplary faithfulness had strengthened the life and witness of the Christian Church. Every November 1st, the church remembered these saints: the ones who had lived years earlier, and the ones who had lived in more recent times. It was a time for worship services, private meditation, and pilgrimages. The faithful would make pilgrimages to places where relics of the saints were collected. In these places, documents called indulgences were sold. According to the church of that day, indulgences conferred forgiveness of sin, and participation in the merits of the saints, for those who purchased them (or, if preferred, indulgences could be purchased on behalf of relatives who were already deceased).

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Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost (text from The Bible in 90 Days) 10/18/2009

Sunday, October 11th, 2009

The Heart of Restoration

Lessons:
    Isaiah 53:4-12
    Psalm 91:9-16
    Hebrews 5:1-10
    St. Mark 10:35-45
    Semicontinuous Series
        Job 38:1-7 [34-41]
        Psalm 104:1-9, 24, 35b (24)

 

Prayer of the Day
Sovereign God, you turn your greatness into goodness for all the peoples on earth. Shape us into willing servants of your kingdom, and make us desire always and only your will, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

 

Text from “The Bible in 90 Days” 

1:4 When I heard these words  [about those who returned from exile, and found Jerusalem destroyed] I sat down and wept, and mourned for days, fasting and praying before the God of heaven. 5 I said, “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments; 6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Both I and my family have sinned. 7 We have offended you deeply, failing to keep the commandments, the statutes, and the ordinances that you commanded your servant Moses. 8 Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples; 9 but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are under the farthest skies, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place at which I have chosen to establish my name.’ 10 They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great power and your strong hand. 11 O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man!”

 

Nehemiah 1:4-11a New Revised Version Bible (C)1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. 

The exile was a difficult time for the people of Israel. Under the rule of Saul, David and Solomon, God’s people were a mighty and prosperous nation. But their country split after Solomon’s death in 922 bc. In 721 bc, Tiglath-pileser and the armies of Assyria destroyed the northern kingdom (Israel) and made it a vassal state. In 587 bc, Nebuchadnezzar and the armies of Babylon conquered the southern kingdom (Judah) and destroyed Jerusalem. The people of Israel were carried off into captivity, where they lived for years, separated from the land they loved, and from the physical sign of the promise God made to their ancestor Abraham.

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Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost — Proper 24B (10/18/2009)

Sunday, October 11th, 2009

Do for Us Whatever We Ask of You

Lessons:
    Isaiah 53:4-12
    Psalm 91:9-16
    Hebrews 5:1-10
    St. Mark 10:35-45
    Semicontinuous Series
        Job 38:1-7 [34-41]
        Psalm 104:1-9, 24, 35b (24)

 

Prayer of the Day
Sovereign God, you turn your greatness into goodness for all the peoples on earth. Shape us into willing servants of your kingdom, and make us desire always and only your will, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

10:35 James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” 36 And he said to them, “What is it you want me to do for you?” 37 And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” 38 But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” 39 They replied, “We are able.” Then Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; 40 but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”

41 When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. 42 So Jesus called them and said to them, “You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. 43 But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

 

St. Mark 10:35-45 New Revised Version Bible (C)1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

“Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” Say what you will about James and John and their misguided ploy for power and glory — but give them credit for their honesty. They have followed Jesus from the very beginning (St. Mark 1:19-20). They have witnessed the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law (St. Mark 1:29-31), the raising of Jairus’ daughter (St. Mark 5:35-42), and the transfiguration (St. Mark 9:2-4). They may not have understood what it means for Jesus to be the Messiah, but they know he is a man of power. They know what they want for themselves, and they are unabashed in their effort to obtain it. They lay their cards out on the table: “We’ve thrown our lot in with yours. We’ve followed you from the start. We know you can do it. Give us whatever we want.” You have to give them credit for their honesty.

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Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost (text from The Bible in 90 Days) 10/11/2009

Sunday, October 4th, 2009

The Wisdom of Solomon

Lessons:
    Amos 5:6-7, 10-15
    Psalm 90:12-17
    Hebrews 4:12-16
    St. Mark 10:17-31
    Semicontinuous Series
        Job 23:1-9, 16-17
        Psalm 22:1-15 (1)
 
Prayer of the Day
    Almighty and ever-living God, increase in us your gift of faith, that, forsaking what lies behind and reaching out to what lies ahead, we may follow the way of your commandments and receive the crown of everlasting joy, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Text from “The Bible in 90 Days”

3:5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask what I should give you.” 6 And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant my father David, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you; and you have kept for him this great and steadfast love, and have given him a son to sit on his throne today. 7 And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people, so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted. 9 Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?”
10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. 11 God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches, or for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, 12 I now do according to your word. Indeed I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you and no one like you shall arise after you.

1 Kings 3:5-12 New Revised Version Bible (C)1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

I’ve never been a fan of the wisdom literature we find in our Bible. I’ve read through the book of Proverbs a time or two, and find it interesting – but I’ve always believed my time was much better spent reading the Gospels and being stirred by who Jesus is, or reading the Psalms and having my heart drawn towards God, or reading Paul’s letters and contemplating how grace compels us to give our lives to Christ and make a difference for our neighbors.

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Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost — Proper 23B (10/11/2009)

Sunday, October 4th, 2009

The Camel and the Eye of the Needle 

Lessons:
    Amos 5:6-7, 10-15
    Psalm 90:12-17
    Hebrews 4:12-16
    St. Mark 10:17-31
    Semicontinuous Series
        Job 23:1-9, 16-17
        Psalm 22:1-15 (1)
 
Prayer of the Day
    Almighty and ever-living God, increase in us your gift of faith, that, forsaking what lies behind and reaching out to what lies ahead, we may follow the way of your commandments and receive the crown of everlasting joy, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

10:17 As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.’ ” 20 He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” 21 Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” 22 When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions. 23 Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 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.” 26 They were greatly astounded and said to one another, “Then who can be saved?” 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.” 28 Peter began to say to him, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.” 29 Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age-houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions – and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

St. Mark 10:17-31 New Revised Version Bible (C)1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

I am the rich man in this week’s Gospel lesson. It takes only a few moments in front of the television screen these days to realize that. Throughout the world people live with debilitating hunger: if I was hungry, I’d grab a frozen dinner from the freezer and pop it in the microwave. We see people in war torn lands patching up their homes with mud and scrap lumber: if my home had a hole in it, I’d head off to Home Depot, and return with a truck filled with new materials. I am the rich man Jesus is speaking to in today’s Gospel lesson. Ouch!

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Do We Dare to Grow? Do We Dare to Go?

Thursday, October 1st, 2009

October 2009 Pastor’s Monthly Newsletter Article

Saint Peter’s mission statement calls us to recognize that we are Welcomed and Sent: “Welcomed into God’s love, just as we are” and “Sent into God’s world, to be a reflection of Christ’s love.” On both sides of that equation, we experience the call to “go” – the call to invite others into an experience of God’s love.

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