August 13, 2020

Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually. Remember the wonderful works he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he has uttered… - Psalm 105:4-5

I know I have often talked about the unique way in which Israel remembers God. How they remember not only the good that God has brought, but also the struggle.  They remind one another of the struggles they have had as a collective people, when they did not obey God’s law, and rebelled from God’s ways. In doing so, they are reminded that the greater times in when God is with them, and God is with them, when they remember God’s ways.

It is for this reason, that the psalmist finds it fit to remind the people of God’s faithfulness at all times, and call the congregation to seek God’s presence continually.  It would be a wonderful thing for us to remember God with us at all times, but often we lose sight of this, and if we think about the exile of the people of God, it is even harder to keep our thoughts on God when we are separated from our people, especially those who remind us of God’s mighty works.

It is evident, that through we are not exiled like those in Israel have been, we are a church in exile.  We have not been able to gather, and the longer we are apart, the harder it becomes for some to remember God’s presence with them. I find this psalm comforting in its telling of the story of the Exodus out of Egypt.  The psalmist reminds us that God is faithful to God’s promises, yet it also calls us to remember his judgements.  We are called to remember a time when God’s people were not able to gather, and began to lose hope in who they were as God’s people. Yet, there is always a remnant. There are always the few, who will remember God, and remain faithful. It is from these few that God does mighty and wonderful works. 

I hope and pray that, we in our prayers seek God, continually; that we would remain part of the faithful remnant until these days of exile are over, and that God would again gather his people and lead them to the promised land.

Grace & Peace,
Sam

Outdoor Service Announcement

Exciting News!

We all know that life has been disrupted in many ways these last several months. Among several others things we have been anxious to gather again as the body of Christ, the people of faith, and now we have been given approval to start.

This of course comes with great caution as we continue to want to show love from a safe distance to our neighbors and friends. 

The latest news from the Conference office is that churches are now allowed to hold in-person worship, but it must be an outdoor service. We are not yet in the place where the conference feels comfortable opening our doors and gathering inside our buildings. In addition we still must keep each family unit socially distanced at 6 feet apart, and masks when that distance cannot be kept, per the CDC guidelines.

Therefore, on Sunday’s beginning August 16, will be offering worship “Under the Oak Tree.”

Our Under the Oak Tree service will begin at 10 a.m.

We invite you to bring a lawn chair, blanket, quilt, whatever might allow you to sit comfortably under the shade of the mighty oak.  This will be a shortened service of Music, Scripture and Sermon – but it will be good for those who desire to gather together.

As a note, if you still feel uncomfortable gathering, or the idea of an outdoor service does not appeal to you, you may still worship with us online (which will be posted at the usual 9 o’clock hour).

I hope you will come join us Under the Oak Tree as we gather to worship our God.

Grace & Peace,
Sam

August 12, 2020

Better is the end of a thing than its beginning; the patient in spirit are better than the proud in spirit – Ecclesiastes 7:8

The book of wisdom known as “Ecclesiastes” takes on many of the aspects of life that we consider common to the human experience.  The book looks at what it is to have wealth, love, knowledge, wisdom, yet finds that they all fall short.  The book can sometimes be seen as a discouragement to people who place all of their hope and thoughts into the things above, however, if we follow through, what we find is that the most important thing is to have a reverent fear, and deep love, in God.

Only God can right what is wrong, make straight what is crooked, and give life that is abundant and eternal.  So, as we look at what it is be patient, as we have all been trying so hard to learn, we come to this verse that starts with what I could jokingly consider the understatement of the year with respects to this on-going pandemic: “better is the end of a thing than it’s beginning.”

As we consider how abruptly life stopped in early March, and how much fear and concern was shared by all, we hoped for an abrupt end, and for life to resume.  I remember being hopeful for the church to gather and celebrate the resurrection of our Lord at Easter. However, as spring gave way to summer, and now we are on the cusp of a fall semester beginning, we still are left wondering when the end shall come.  All this has made the virtue of patience a common point of learning for many of us.

Many years ago, during a small group discussion on Ecclesiastes, we took a long hard look at what it means to be patient.  One of the great ideas that came out of that discussion was this;  No one should ever pray for patience.  The rational is that when we pray and ask God for virtues to build our character, God doesn’t just grant them. God does, however, gives us many opportunities in which to grow into the qualities or virtues.  Therefore, when we pray for patience, we don’t get patience, but opportunities to be patient.  As we learn patience, we find that we have more and more of it… or sometimes we are made very aware of how we have not yet learned that lesson.

Regardless, the greater hope is to remember that God is with us, and with our spirits, and therefore we can find the strength to continue this learning opportunity as we wait with patience, anticipation, and hope that life will seem normal once more.

Grace & Peace,
Sam

August 11, 2020

Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer – Romans 12:12

As we enter into another week, waiting, watching, wondering, and hoping for what the future holds; I am reminded of what normal looks like. In places outside of Knox County, schools are starting back, and friends are posting pictures of their child’s first day of whatever grade.  Of course there is the disclaimer of reality in that many of them are starting school virtually.  However, what I find hopeful about these pictures is that they show a perseverance in the way life should be, that time marches on, and though things are not the normal we want, life continues.

Deep down we all knew that life would continue on, those in the working world have been back to a ‘normal’ for many months now, and some things seem to have never closed or changed at all.  Routines continue, they have simply been tweaked to work within a new reality.  I know that we continue to pray for the virus to be stifled, for a working vaccine to be produced, and for life to resume as it did before this pandemic.  Yet, at the same time, I think we might hope for something different, and dare I say it, better.

I am beginning to pray and dream for what it will be like when the congregation gathers. I am hopeful that we might be more grateful for opportunities to be together. I am hopeful that we will have a greater since of importance to being together, and I am hopeful that some patterns of deep conversations, and time well-spent with loved ones would continue. 

I know we are not out of the difficult times yet, and it will take time and patients to navigate back to what is hoped for.  There may still be setbacks, we may have to wait even longer before that first gathering, however, as Paul reminds us we need to be “patient in suffering,” knowing that our time exiled from one another has been difficult, and remains as such.  But if we look at the ‘bookend’ statements to that call to patients, what we see is opportunity to rejoice in hope, and persevere in prayer.  These surrounding phrases give us understanding that even in the most difficult of times, we often need to renew our focus on the positive, and from there, know that we can and will make it through, perhaps stronger in our faith because of the difficulty.

My hope for today, is that no matter what new news may come, we would rejoice and persevere for God is our hope, and in him we rejoice. Therefore, to God we pray for guidance, an extra outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit, and the love to bind us together until we are able to gather in-person again.

Grace & Peace,
Sam

August 10, 2020

Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen - Hebrews 11:1

So we have a proverbial cup in front of us, the cup is filled/emptied to the half way point.  I know you have already decided how you feel today based on the optimism/pessimism of your cup being empty/full.  However, in much of life we are not at the half-way point, but we are at some other point in the cup all together. For those whom life is at a seeming standstill, we are just happy there is a cup.  At this point, who really knows. With people who are constantly on the go, the point is almost moot, because they have been running on the drops at the bottom for quite some time now.  So, where do we turn when our cup (if still present) is completely empty?

Faith:  Faith is the answer to the question, when all else fails and we are running on the fumes, beyond empty, we need to have faith.  Our faith, is best understood in what the writer of Hebrews gives as the definition of faith.  “Faith is the reality of what is hoped for…”

At first glance, this statement almost seems oxymoronic; how can something that is a hope be a reality?  The proof is in the promises that we have from God.  “Come to me… and I will give you rest” (Matt  11:28); “The Lord will wipe away the tears from every face…” (Isaiah 25:8); “The Lord gives his people strength” (Psalm 29:11).  And we are only getting started with these few verses. There is a vast library to understand the complete promise of God. 

When we increase our faith, through study if these promises, or through prayer, or through enduring hope; we find there is so much more of a hope for this life and for the one still to come, than we first imagined.  Though we cannot see it now, we can still know that God is bringing about His Kingdom and it is rising with us, as we have faith to believe.  It helps us to look inside our hearts and answer; How is God real to you?  What promises do you stand upon?  Where do you see the proof, the reality of hope? 

I hope It is found in the faith you have in your relationship with Jesus, the Son of Man, and with His Holy Spirit. When we find our faith in him strengthened in Him who has been sent from an Almighty God; then we find our cup runneth over.  We might even find that our cup no longer matters because we are filled to overflowing in His matchless, steadfast love, and we may just choose to stay there and rest for a little while.

May God fill you up, lift you up, and may your faith be filled with hope, today and always.

Grace & Peace,
Sam

August 9, 2020

To join online worship today: https://www.stmarkknox.org/sermons
Or join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stmarkknox/

Psalm 67

1 May God be gracious to us and bless us
    and make his face to shine upon us,           Selah
2 that your way may be known upon earth,
    your saving power among all nations.
3 Let the peoples praise you, O God;
    let all the peoples praise you.

4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
    for you judge the peoples with equity
    and guide the nations upon earth.              Selah
5 Let the peoples praise you, O God;
    let all the peoples praise you.

6 The earth has yielded its increase;
    God, our God, has blessed us.
7 May God continue to bless us;
    let all the ends of the earth revere him.

We ‘gather’ again for worship, while remaining distant from one another.  We come together in the sanctuary of our hearts and minds as we join them in praise to God.  We come, knowing that we are still in exile, that each day is difficult, that we long to truly be gathered as God’s people in one place.  However, we remember that God is faithful. God continues to pour blessing upon blessing for his people. We, God’s people, are grateful for God’s faithfulness.

I hope you will join me in singing praise to God today, from wherever we are, distant from one another. I know that God is still in control, that God is binding us together in love, and I hope that we would allow our hearts to give praise that we can continue to worship together through the technology of our day.  Praise be to God for his continued blessings. Amen!

Grace & Peace,
Sam

August 8, 2020

Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. - Psalm 136:1

There are always an abundant many reasons to give thanks to God for the great things God has done in our lives.  Most of the time we can admit that we should “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for [us]” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).  As we Endure in our love for God, I believe that we do try to give thanks for the circumstances of our lives, but I can admit, that’s not always easy.  Reality is, many of the things that we should give thanks for we often take for granted. 

In psalm 136, the psalmist takes a slightly different path from the normal metered proven lyrical psalms of the day.  The tone, here, falls in line with our contemporary music of saying the same thing over again and again, always coming back to the point.  That point is “his steadfast love endures forever.”  This line occurs 26 times in Psalm 136, and occurs after each line expressing gratitude for God and what God has done.

I wonder, are we as the people of God today, expressing that same understanding as we give thanks to God? Do we proclaim time after time that “His steadfast love endures forever?”  Are we finding that we are living, serving, and witnessing in all things to this enduring love? Especially as we remain separated from one another, and lack the encouragement we are accustomed to receiving.

As the days press on, I hope we all become a little more mindful of the blessings we have received, and the blessing that continue to come even in difficult days. I, also, hope we strive to live a life of praise for God’s enduring love.  My desire is that my faith and yours too, would grow in such a way that we would live a life of gratitude, every day, for that steadfast love of God that endures forever.

Grace & Peace,
Sam

On a personal note: today, we are especially grateful for the enduring love that comes in the form of our daughter, Summer, who is now 2 years old. Happy Birthday, and may God's blessings abound (for all of us!).

August 7, 2020

But Peter and the apostles replied, "We must obey God rather than men. - Acts 5:29

What is it to have proven Christian endurance?

After the day of Pentecost, when the apostle’s received the Holy Spirit, their ministry grew enormously throughout Jerusalem and beyond.  It was at this point in history that Peter began to live up to the charge given to him by Christ; “and I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the forces of Hades will not overpower it.” (Matt 16:18).

Peter is quite a character, a fisherman by trade, was called away with his brother to follow the Messiah. Though he had no theological training besides living with Christ for three years, and learning from him. Peter endures with the Holy Spirit.  Peter is the one on whom Christ will build the church.  God’s use of Peter is remarkable because it really has very little to do with Peter, himself, aside from Peter’s willingness to endure for the sake of Christ.

Peter by himself was proven to be weak, and loud mouthed, and in constant need of approval from others.  However, when Peter gave himself over to the Lord, and received the blessing of the Holy Spirit, Peter’s character completely changed.  From that point forward we see Peter as a leader, as someone sold out for God, and not backing down from anyone as he proclaims the truth of God.  Peter is a prime example of how God will take us as we are, and produce much fruit if we are obedient to God and work with God’s blessing of the Holy Spirit.

God did not send the Holy Spirit just to make us feel all warm and fuzzy inside, in fact the sending of the Holy Spirit to dwell inside of us has very little to do with us at all.  The purpose of receiving the Holy Spirit is so that we can get rid of our earthly desires.  We are not capable of living for God on our own, and God understands that, so as we give ourselves over to God, He gifts us with His precious Spirit. That Spirit allows us to have spiritual strength, wisdom, and understanding; it produces in us endurance to make it through difficult times, and goes beyond anything that can be taught. Mostly, though, the Sprit is for the purpose of glorifying God through the way we show love for one another.  Our humble response for this gift, is obedience.

We can endure all things, through Christ and the Holy Spirit that give us strength.

Grace & Peace,

Sam

August 6, 2020

But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
- Micah 7:7

In the midst of learning to endure, in building the character of a Christian, confidence in what we believe is needed.  Confidence that God is who we believe God to be, confidence that salvation will come, confidence to continue to have hope even when we want to give up or give in.  Confidence is something, however, that is hard to build.

I sometimes feel,  we are constantly bombarded with ridicule. From social media, especially, however from others places as well.  It seems to be a point of enjoyment when people tell others that they are not good enough, smart enough, pretty enough, etc.  People, we often don’t even really know believe they have an opinion in what we say or stand for.  When a bombardment of degradation is combined with constant visions of everything wrong with our world, it becomes obvious why confidence and hope are hard to find. 

However, for people who call themselves Christians there is a different standard or pattern of thought that must be considered.  This is part of the character we should be building in ourselves because of Christ who saved us. First, we do not belong to this world; therefore the ideas and ridicule of this world do not apply to us.  I can’t tell you how life-giving that statement can be.  To help someone understand that though the words of others can be hurtful, they are not lasting, it is what God says about us that matters most, it is in the one whom we place our hope that will one day we will be in a place where there is no more hurt and pain, all because we believe God loves us.

Second, we serve a God of love, who does not ridicule or break down, but as we humble ourselves before him, we are exalted (James 4:10).  We should realize that the only opinion that really matters is the one that comes from above, and that of those who choose to uplift us, encourage us, and guide us to live with joy in this life.

Third, we are called to have endurance as we wait upon the Lord. We can boldly ask God to come, believing that he will and knowing that we are secure in His salvation, but our endurance comes with great patience. 

Micah, when facing the moral decline of Israel as a nation and as a people, spoke out in a lament. He was saddened by the lack of hope, faith, and love of his fellow Israelites.  Micha saw them in a very low place in faith, not following God and living in sin.  However, Micah endured, and waited patiently, for he knew that God the Savior would come.  Micah’s hope was never diminished.  I hope that as you may be facing a time in your own life when hope seems to be running thin, that you will seek the Lord, patiently.  Pray to God and know that He will come to you, have hope, God’s presence is near.

Grace & Peace,
Sam

August 5, 2020

They remembered that God was their rock, the Most High God, their Redeemer.– Psalm 78:35

One of the things I find most interesting in the old testament is the way they record the history of the people of God.  Israel, those who are descendants of Jacob, a people whom God chooses as his own, record all the times they fail to be who God has set them apart to be.

The reason this is so fascinating to me, is that most history books are written from the perspective of those who feel they have done what is right and necessary.  There is truth that history is recorded from the perspective of the ‘winners,’ however, those who have defeated a foe believe they have done so because of a higher powers will for them to win. As we look as Israel’s history, however, we see something different.

Even the shortened version of stories that we can read in psalm from, like the psalm for today, we find recorded is how Israel had not won, but lost.  Their reason for losing, is because they forgot who they were, more importantly, they forgot whose they were. The people of Israel, often, lose track of what it means to be the people of God, who have been set apart, and called to obey God’s law.  God is continuously compassionate to them, and helps them to atone for their sin.  However, they are often not without punishment. Even after they atone for their sins, they still rebel against God again.  It seems to be in their nature to want to stray from God.

I guess the same could be said of us, no matter how faithful God has been, we still have a desire to stray from God’s will, God’s law, and God’s love.  Yet, I believe there is always hope, because when things get bad, and we begin to stray, we remember that God is our rock, and our redeemer. 

In these, and every challenging time, I pray we would find a way to realize when we have strayed from God. I hope that we would realize that we are lost without God, but God is steadfast in love, and as we remember Him, our rock and redeemer, He will remember us, and be merciful.  May you know the mercy of God’s love today, and always.

Grace & Peace,
Sam

August 4, 2020

Restore us, O God; let you face shine, that we may be saved. – Psalm 80:3

“Restore us, O God” is a phrase repeated throughout this psalm of lament.  It is a lamenting prayer that in the church today echo.  We long for the days when we can gather again in the place where we once gathered as a church family. We look forward to seeing the faces of those whom we miss dearly. We long for the embrace of those whom we call friend, but even more sister and brother in Christ.

I share in this lament, today. We have missed 20 weeks of worship together due to the ongoing pandemic so far. I wish I could tell you when the next time we can potentially gather will be, but as of right now I cannot.  We are a church in exile.  Yet, we should understand that the church, the people of God, have been exiled before.  This may be a great time to remember that God’s people have faced challenges, have faced being away from one another, and have even faced disease, pandemic, plague before, but the church remained.

The fact that the church, as people who worship the God of Abraham and Isaac, who believe in the one who came from God, Jesus God’s only Son, have remained steadfast through all the ups and downs of the centuries should be proof enough of God’s everlasting salvation.  As we are prolonged in our time away from one another, God remains steadfast. God’s Holy Spirit rests with us, and gives us grace to make it through each day. We know God’s face will shine on us again, and we will be saved.  Knowing this, gives us a hope to continue enduring.

Endurance, however, is a different kind of struggle.  Endurance requires not giving up, when that is all we want to do. Take for example, someone who starts a new routine of exercise, or even a diet.  Anyone who starts something new, will have be able to push through the thoughts and feelings of not being able to do it, not being able to keep up, and not being able to succeed.  However, endurance produces perseverance, and perseverance produces character, so says Paul (Romans 5:3-5).  What we find, is that during this prolonged exile our character, who we truly are, will show.  When we look into the mirror we will either see someone who’s character is producing hope that the world will get better, or we may see a character that needs more work.  Truthfully, many days we will see both.

I know this struggle, because I am in this struggle with you, desiring to see the world, and especially the church come together, but enduring to keep the hope that the church that gathers in the future will be as strong if not stronger than the one before this exile.

May we continue to persevere in our prayers for one another and the world, that God would restore us, again, and let His almighty face shine upon us, that we might be saved. Amen.

Grace & Peace,
Sam

August 3, 2020

Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God.  May Your gracious Spirit lead me on level ground - Psalm 143:10

God’s will is something that hard to nail down. It has been said of any number of things, that it must be God’s will, but I think it is import to understand that not everything we do, even the good stuff, is in the will of our Heavenly Father.  Sometimes, we simply do the things that we think we should, or we do the things even though we know we shouldn’t.  We live each day of life “trying to do what is right,” yet never succeeding.  Why is it that even when things are going well, we can still have feelings that something is missing, or something just isn’t right?

Perhaps, we need to understand better the will of God, and how it works in our lives.  The Father’s will is for us to live in obedience to Him, but when we don’t know what to do, we feel that we have to do something, so we continue on with our lives, and the first few things we do (especially when we’re doing them “for” God) feel really good.

We feel like we are making an impression on others, and in our hearts we think we are doing what is right, but soon, we keep doing those same things, and they don’t mean as much.  Why did the feelings of accomplishment and good stop?  The answer may be one of two things.  

First, the answer is that we never were doing the God’s will, but simply what we felt like we should do as a Christian person.  Our life is not bad, and does much for others because we think we should. This does not take away from the fact we have a relationship with God, but it does limit our relationship with God.  Even when we are doing what we think we should, we might be limiting God. We might be limiting what God could do through us. We put God in a box that only encompasses our comfort zone, and we never feel fulfillment because we are not allowing the power of the Holy Spirit to truly work through us. 

The second answer follows the first. God may have moved on and we have not. What I mean by this is what can be seen in many places within the Scriptures, and it has to do with the seasons of life.  We may have been called to work in a particular area or in a particular ministry for a season, when our season is over we need to be open to where God is calling us next. God may be calling us to new places in our faith, and if we keep doing the same things, expecting the same feeling they may not be there.
 

The greater problem we fall into is that being obedient to God’s will, calls us give up that free will we so often covet. Being free, we have to choose to listen and allow God to move us and direct us as necessary to accomplish His will on earth; thus we pray, “your (God’s) kingdom come, your (God’s) will be done…”  In a world in which we really have no control, we need to learn to relinquish control of our lives over to God. Then we can see where the Spirit may be leading.  May God help us re-learn how to pray, and may we seek God to teach us obedience that we may live in His most powerful will, and walk the road to a fulfilling life always in his presence.

Grace & Peace,
Sam

August 2, 2020

To join online worship today: https://www.stmarkknox.org/sermons
Or join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stmarkknox/

I bless God every chance I get, my lungs expand with his praise.  I live and breathe God, if things aren’t going well, hear this and be happy.  Join me in spreading the news, together let’s get the word out.  God met me more than halfway; he freed me from my anxious fears. Look at him; give him your warmest smile.  Never hide your feelings from him.  When I was desperate, I called out, and God got me out of a tight spot, God’s angel sets up a circle of protection around us while we pray.  Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see – how good God is.  Blessed are you who run to him.  Worship God if you want the best; worship opens doors to all his goodness.  Young lions on the prowl get hungry, but God-seekers are full of God.  Come, children, listen closely; I’ll give you a lesson in God worship.  Who out there has a lust for life? Can’t wait each day to come upon beauty?  Guard your tongue from profanity, and no more lying through your teeth.  Turn your back to sin; do something good.  Embrace peace – don’t let it get away!  God keeps an eye on his friends; his ears pick up every moan and groan.  God won’t put up with rebels; he’ll cull them from the pack.   Is anyone crying for help? God is listening, ready to rescue you.  If your heart is broken, you’ll find God right there; if you’re kicked in the gut, he’ll help you catch your breath.  Disciples so often get into trouble; still, God is there every time.  He’s your bodyguard, shielding every bone; not even a finger gets broken.  The wicked commit slow suicide; they waste their lives hating the good.  God pays for each slave’s freedom; no one who runs to him loses out. - Psalm 34

This morning, as we prepare our hearts for worship online again, let us meditate on a simple Psalm form Eugene Petersons, “The Message.”  This Psalm is a prayer for those who are in a time of need. Many of us are in such times, but our greatest need to contact from others.  Yet, even as we are yet again apart, God is with us. We can continue praising God all the time, whether we feel His presence or not, because He has assured us that He will never leave nor forsake us.  I know that times when boredom sets in, or stress, or anything in life that comes that makes life more difficult, we might become lethargic. We might not really strive to do much of anything but survive.  However, no matter where we are God is there, and no matter how we feel, God is there. We need to be like David in this Psalm and let “my lungs expand with his praise.” 

God has given us, each of us a desire to worship.  However, from the time of our birth there has been another force that has wanted to keep us distracted from worship at all costs.  The way this is done is through the distractions of life; and it’s true for all of us.  We often get so distracted by life that the one thing we were created to do (worship) is the one thing we often let suffer in our lives.  We want to see the goodness of God, yet we are not disciplined enough to follow the call to worship.  Let us join in seeking him with all that we have and let “worship open doors to all his goodness” for us, today, and always.

Grace & Peace,
Sam

August 1, 2020

Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, in order to know what has been freely given to us by God. - 1 Corinthians 2:12

“No eye has seen, now ear has heard, and no heart can fully know.” These words come from Isaiah 52:15 and 64:4.  They were made popular in contemporary Christians song “Beautiful One” by Jeremy Camp. The simplicity of this short tag line is in its meaning; no matter how much knowledge, wisdom, or insight we may have, we have no clue what is going on in the mind and heart of our amazing God. 

In our minds and in our spirits are often the things of this world because we are of this world and our spirits are grounded in this world.  However, for those who accept the free gift offered by God; that is, the Spirit of the Lord, they can evaluate everything (1 Cor. 2:15), and can understand both the things of this would and the things of heaven.  Jesus even said, “I do not call you slaves anymore, because a slave doesn’t know what his master is doing.  I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from my Father” (John 15:15). 

Therefore, through the Spirit of the Lord, we have been given the gift to know the things that God wishes us to know, and we have been given the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16).  The beautiful one has loved us and lavished us with the gift of wisdom to know and evaluate right from wrong, light from darkness, and good from bad.  We have been given every opportunity, through God’s gift to do that which is pleasing in his sight, yet I find myself a failure at times. 

I can read these words over and over, and think about what it is that I have done with the gifts that have been so freely given to me. If I dwell on it too hard, I know that I am worthy of none of them.  It is shameful to think how one-sided my relationship with God is at times, and it is shameful to know that the spiritual wisdom that has been poured out has been received without regard of thanksgiving. 

I rest assured in this, however, and I hope you will too. God still loves. God still forgives. God still accepts.  God does not turn us away, but is always there welcoming us into the arms of love. The gifts have been given in order that we may mature in our relationship with Christ, and that we might mature in our spiritual life, individually and collectively.  It is the times when we feel shameful about how we have used the blessings of God we realize how immature we still are (no matter how old we might be).  Sometimes we need to realize that we still are in need of spiritual milk, because we are not yet ready of the solid food that is to come (1 Cor 3:2). 

May God bless you richly as you reflect on how you have used the blessed gifts you have been given, and may you rest today, knowing you are loved and accepted by God, regardless.

Grace & Peace,
Sam

July 31, 2020

…and My people who are called by My name humble themselves, pray and seek My face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.  My eyes will now be open and My ears attentive to prayer from this place. - 2 Chronicles 7:14-15

 Today, let us simply be in prayer…

Lord, how we have forgotten to think of you in our times of blessing, or even when we are in a time of need.  People are losing their jobs, fear and worry are common place. Our nation seems to be falling apart.  We read your Holy Word, and the passage above says that if your people, called by Your name would humble themselves and pray, you would hear them.  Lord, we have forgotten what it means to be humble.  We are a prideful people; a disobedient people.  Just like the Israelites who swore they would keep your commands, we said we would follow you, but too often we have strayed from that path. We continue to stray, even when you have welcomed us back, we find new ways to leave you behind.  We often find ourselves worse off than when we first began.

Lord, forgive our arrogance, and help us to regain humility, that we might have the same attitude of Jesus Christ (Phil 2:5).  Lord, our hearts have been hardened, we pray that you would send your Holy Spirit, and ignite a flame in our hearts that would melt even the most solid of stone.  Lord, you can do all things, and we know that you are watching over us.  We pray that once again you will be the guide of our lives; teach us, Lord, your ways; and let us no longer follow our own desires.  Hear these words Lord, and lead us to be in your amazing presence now and always. Amen.

Grace & Peace,

Sam

July 30, 2020

36 And the jailer reported the message to Paul, saying, “The magistrates sent word to let you go; therefore come out now and go in peace.” – Acts 16:36

So what is that hope that we wait for? 

(If you didn’t read yesterday’s message you may want to take a second and go back, as this follows from the same story).

We come back to that scene where Paul and Silas are in the jail because of an unjust society.  However, what happens in the night is surely a sign of the hope of God.  While Paul and Silas are singing hymns in the innermost cell of the prison, an earthquake comes and sets them free. The jailer rushes in when he realizes that the doors of the prison are now open, ready to fall on his own sword if they had escaped (his punishment would have been worse from his employers). However, what he finds is that everyone is still in their place. Though they were free they remained. The guard falls to his knees and asks Paul about how one can be saved. 

That very night, the one who had them in chains, turned, and now treated them as guests, bandaging and caring for wounds, inviting them into his home, sharing with them a family meal. This is the power of grace and hope.  It turns those who were once against us into friends.  It reminds us that though we may be on different sides at one moment, we are still one family.  This is the hope that I hope we can find as a society soon. That we are called to be one family in and through Christ, that God is the God of us all, and desires us all to find that which we can agree.

When sunrise comes the next day, we find that the city magistrates have heard of the unjust arrest and flogging and want Paul and his companion released. However, Paul pushes a little further brining to light his citizenship as a Roman. Roman citizens were to be treated with greater respect, receive just trials, and since Rome was the super-power of the day, no one wanted to disrespect Rome (especially if you had trade dealings with them). The magistrates come to the place where Paul and Silas are staying, and formally apologize to them.

In less than 24 hours, the entirety of this story flips. Paul and Silas who were beaten and imprisoned for unjust reasons, are released with an apology from the city officials. It may not cover all the actions taken against them, but despite their situation, the hope remined secure for these followers of Christ. They kept the hope of a better tomorrow, and so should we.  Always look for the hope of a better tomorrow.

Grace & Peace,
Sam

July 29, 2020

19 But when her owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities… - Acts 16:19

You remember that story of when Paul and Silas were in the prison, and began singing hymns of praise to God? They start singing, and everyone in the prison is listening to them, they bound in chains, but that doesn’t stop them from singing praises to their God.

Paul and Silas were simply continuing in their current situation to do that which they knew in their hearts to be right. But why were they in jail in the first place?  We know that many times the apostles were put in jail because of their opposition to the Jewish religious leaders in Jerusalem, and some were in jail because they stood against oppression of the Romans.  However, in this instance, we find that the reason they are in jail was because of the owners of a slave girl.

As we read Chapter 16 of the book of Acts, we find that a young man named Timothy comes to the faith, and begins traveling with Paul. Paul moves on into Asia minor, to Philippi, and then to a smaller city called Thyatira. While they were in that city, a slave girl who had a spirit of divination, meaning she saw and understood truth, was following Paul around proclaiming that they were slaves or servants of the Most High God.  It seems that this would not have been anything to bother these apostles, that was there ministry, and that was their mission. 

However, they were also foreign travelers who wanted to be able to speak peacefully, and not cause any kind of ruckus. The preaching of Christ and the kingdom to come in those days, typically came of public places where all kinds of ideas and philosophies would be shared.  It was a safe place for persons to speak their peace, and as long as it remained peaceful no one bothered them.  This slave-girl was causing Paul and his companions to get a bunch of attention outside of the meeting place, and this made Paul nervous, and as scriptures puts it, “annoyed” with this girl.  Paul proceeds to cast out the spirit, which causes the slave girl’s owners to be upset because they seemingly had been making money off this girls gift. They have Paul and Silas flogged and arrested for causing a disturbance.

What is interesting about this story is that the reason for Paul and Silas to be in the prison is because someone outside the faith lost their means of wealth. A means which was based on cruel and unjust treatment of another human being – slavery.

While much could be said, and much has already been written on the injustice of slavery, I want to focus, here, on the response of the missionaries.

Paul and Silas, though they had done nothing wrong in the sight of God, though they remined righteous in their actions, were put in jail because of a human injustice, were beaten because of human insecurities, and were (like Christ) treated as the worst of criminals being put in the innermost cell, and fastened with chains in the stocks. Yet, they chose to continue praising God. They chose to continue singing, they chose to live into hope. This is the message we need to hear today.  That when the world seems out to get us, when the world is worried about itself, and its means, while the world is focused on things that are not eternal. We, those who follow Christ, should focus on what really matters.  We should continue to sing praises to God.  It isn’t always easy to do so, but God is righteous, God is just, God is eternal, and we who focus on the goodness of God remain focused on hope.  Let us continue in the hope that awaits us tomorrow.

Grace & Peace,
Sam

July 28, 2020

And every day in the temple and at home they did not cease to teach and proclaim Jesus as the Messiah. – Acts 5:42

Following the same thought from yesterday, about learning new things each and every day, I’m drawn today to the story of the early church in the book of Acts.  Early in this book, the words seem to be a continuation of the gospel story. The physician, Luke, who wrote the gospel of the same name continues the story for a friend whom he is trying to convince of the truth of God found in the person of Jesus Christ.

The continuation of the story in the book of Acts tells of what happens after the resurrection, of the calling of the disciples to an apostolic mission. To go forth and share the good news in which they know that Jesus is raise from the dead and offers life abundant and eternal for those who believe.  Further we read early in the book of the coming of the Holy Spirit, God’s presence to lead and to guide, to offer comfort, counsel, and of course guidance to these new evangelists.  The story after the day of Pentecost is close in to Jerusalem.  There is much work to be done first in the city of God.

What amazes me about their story, is that the early church didn’t have buildings, or budgets. They didn’t have committee meetings (at least for a little while). When they did meet to discussed issues of the church for where they would go, to whom they would share the gospel, and what was acceptable behavior for a Christ follower.  But here’s the greatest part – in the verse above. Every day they met in the temple and at home, and never stopped teaching and proclaiming Jesus was Messiah. 

The very message that caused many of them to spend time in jail, yet they never stopped proclaiming.  It was a message that filled their souls to the fullest, it gave them life, purpose, and they lived into their calling to spread the gospel every, single, day.

These days we live in now, they still seem to run together, every day we await new news, different news, hopeful news. Each day I await word about whether or not we can reopen the church building.  However, I’m reminded that in our faith, though the building might remain closed to keep people safe, I still have a message to share.  We still have the love of God in our hearts, and it is bursting to share forth to others. We might not be able to meet physically, but that shouldn’t stop us from sharing the gospel when we can, how we can. Just because we are in the house, doesn’t mean we can make a call, send a note, or any number of things to encourage one another, to spur on one another to do good works, and to continuously proclaim that Jesus is the Messiah.

Grace & Peace,
Sam

July 27, 2020

So I’ll keep reminding you about these things, although you already know them and stand secure in the truth you have.  - 2 Peter 1:12

There are times when I am studying the scriptures when I get to particular passages, and it kind of feel like I already know it, and there is no reason to look at it more in depth. This is especially true of those passages we base our life’s work upon, or passages that we have had memorized since childhood.  We might think we have already read these verse before, and how could something new come out of something so familiar? However, there is something to be said about repetition. 

Even when we think we know exactly what a verse in Scripture says, new situations and different life circumstances might give us an opportunity to see the same words in a different way.  I believe that it is for this reason that the disciples, and especially Peter when about speaking the same things again and again and again… to different churches, to different peoples,  he wanted to make sure that those he left behind would continue to grow in understanding and love. When he was gone, Peter wanted to make sure that people would not forget the intent of his ministry - to share the love of Christ.  He did not want people to simply forget the power of the Holy Spirit living inside of them, instead he wanted that power to grow, and become stronger, that the disciples that would follow would do even greater things than he through the power of Christ.

That being said, perhaps the best encouragement that we can have in studying scripture is to come across a new lesson in an already familiar passage.  It is an encouragement to read the same passage, or the same saying, and do so with new eyes and a renewed heart for deeper understanding. So, whether you have read something for the second time of one hundred and second time, you can know that God is still speaking His wisdom to you through the ages, from the Scripture.  God continues to shine new light into our lives.  He has not brought us yet to completion, but in His presence, He is pouring out wisdom, knowledge and love, that we might go into this would to share what we continue to learn with all whom will listen. In this way the message of Christ continues to spread, everlasting.

Grace & Peace,
Sam

July 26, 2020

To join online worship today: https://www.stmarkknox.org/sermons
Or join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stmarkknox/

9 Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; 10 love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. – Romans 12:9-10

What could you accomplish if someone loved you with out condition? 

My hope is that someone in your life has shown you such love, perhaps a parent, a spouse, a friend.  Knowing that love has helped you do more than you could ever imagine.  However, there are people in this world, and I have known a few who haven’t known such love.  They have known the love of another person, but it has always been with a condition, that usually worked in the other persons favor.

Perhaps it was the parent who wanted their child to be successful, but when that child made a choice to do something else, the parent was unsupportive of such choice.  Perhaps it was a business partner who worked hard with you to build up a business, but decided they wanted to go a different direction, or where unsupportive when you needed to go a different direction. There are thousands of scenarios we could come up with were the love and respect were mutual until one decision changed everything. 

This is not so with the love of God. God’s love that is poured out on the cross of Jesus is truly unconditional. God’s love is meant for us to understand as seeing, knowing, and feeling the pain of our deepest regrets and mistakes, and choosing to sit with us, and help us up.  God doesn’t look at choice we made 15 years ago, or a few seconds ago, and decide, no more chances.  God gives us life and breath, and every moment of the day pours out blessing and love. God lifts us when we are down, and comforts us in our weakness.

God’s love in unconditional and genuine, and the call of the Christian is to learn how to utilize that love in the way we love others.  As Paul writes in his letter to the Romans, just as God’s love has been genuine to us, we should let our love be genuine towards God and others. To love one another, and have a mutual affection that goes out of our way to offer forgiveness, to offer counsel, to offer comfort, and grace, and mercy even to those whose choices we don’t agree with. 

In doing so, we truly become the body of Christ, sharing the love of God, unconditionally, with the world.  May we love someone more deeply today, and always. Amen.

Grace & Peace,
Sam