Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. ² So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. ³ Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.  John 12:1-3

There is more to this story, mostly about Judas’ response, but for today let’s look at this extravagant gift.  Mary takes this expensive ointment and uses it to anoint Jesus.  She takes something of value to her and uses it to bless Jesus.

During this Holy Week, what do you use to bless Jesus?  What great gift of yours are you willing to give to the Lord?  How will you bless His name?

Peace,

Pastor Bill

As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. Luke 9:51

We are less than one week away from Palm Sunday, with the pageantry of the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.  It is always a “big” Sunday, with children handing out palms, and an air of celebration. 

Yet it is also known as Passion Sunday, as it leads us towards Good Friday.  Too often our society goes from the celebration of the Palms to the celebration of the Resurrection without stopping in the Upper Room for a meal, going to the Garden for prayer and then to Golgotha to witness the Crucifixion.

All of this takes place because Jesus set out for Jerusalem.

As we travel this last bit of the Lenten season, consider going with Jesus, approaching Palm Sunday with both excitement and trepidation.  Be ready for the grandiose atmosphere, as well as the transition to Holy Week.  Travel with Jesus through the entire week.

But first, you must set yourself out for Jerusalem.

Peace,

Pastor Bill

 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, ² and he began to teach them. He said:

⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God.

Here we are.  I started this series thinking about how to reflect upon this verse, and that was before certain world events. 

I pray for peace in our world.  There are far more armed conflicts than we normally lift up in a Sunday morning prayer than most of us realize.  There are horrific things happening in every corner of the world.  Peace seems elusive.

Yet Jesus calls us to be peacemakers, and blesses those who are.  If we truly are the children of God, we need to strive for peace, or as one of my favorite hymns says “and let it begin with me.”

What can you do today for peace?  Not just pray for peace in Iran, Gaza, Ukraine, and all the others, but in your corner of the world.  How can you be a peacemaker?

I truly believe that if we all strive for peace in our own little places, in our communities, perhaps that will begin to spread.  If we accept our call to be light in the places of darkness, if we truly spread the good news of God’s love, we can begin to see small peaceful movements.

Let it begin with us.

Peace (and I mean this),

Pastor Bill

Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, ² and he began to teach them. He said:

⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

This one is hard for who among us are truly pure in heart?  Paul reminds us that we all fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).  On the other hand, sometimes we tend to think of purity with acting a certain way, following a bunch of rules, almost to a ritualistic way.  This sounds like the Pharisees Jesus often argued with during His earthly ministry.

Being pure in heart is more about a clean heart of devotion to God.  It is hard, but it is worth striving to achieve.  It is not found in the number of prayers we say in a day, or how much we give the church, or how many good deeds we do.  Purity in our hearts is allowing God to cleans us, change us, transform us into the new creation.

This is a key to the Lenten season, a time to allow God to change us, making us closer to the pure in heart.  As you continue this journey, pray for the Holy Spirit to purify your heart.

Peace,

Pastor Bill

Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, ² and he began to teach them. He said:

⁷ Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Mercy.  It’s one of those words we use a lot in church.  We quote scriptures about God’s mercy, we speak together a common prayer of confession and celebrate our forgiveness, an act of God’s mercy.  Yet, are we showing mercy to others, or even ourselves?

Jesus tells us directly that the merciful will be shown mercy.  He also says “forgive us as we forgive others.”  These are not just miscellaneous scripture verses, they all connect to Jesus’ ministry – one of love, forgiveness, restoration and mercy, and He calls us to the same ministry.

During this Lenten season, look within and see if you are showing mercy to others – to the one who cut you off in traffic, or the one who said something questionable, or someone who just needs extra grace.  And see if you are showing yourself mercy as well.

Be blessed this week,

Pastor Bill

Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, ² and he began to teach them. He said:

⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.

Righteousness.  It is one of those words that can be misinterpreted.  To be righteous can mean being totally good, or being a complete a@#.  In today’s society, righteousness is not considered something good – simply because it is associated with people who believe they are “holier than thou”, that they are the only ones who are “good” or “following God”. 

Jesus, however, says “blessed are those who hunger and thirst…” those who are seeking God’s righteousness – God’s ways.  When we seek God’s ways, we will be filled.

It is very hard in today’s society to know what is right – and good.  Yet, if we listen for God’s voice, if we follow Jesus, we know what is right, and what is “false righteousness”. 

As you journey through this week, seek God, seek Jesus, and you will hunger and thirst for true righteousness.

Peace,

Pastor Bill

Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, ² and he began to teach them. He said:

⁵ Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Do you know your limitations?  Recently, I was looking at a project that would cost a lot of money.  I priced the parts, did the research and thought “I can do this.” 

Now, honestly, this was three different events in the past few weeks.  One of them was fixing our clothes dryer – and I ordered the parts, replaced them and, once again, the dryer is working. 

Another was someone’s heater – I thought about it and decided it was not something I know enough about, even with videos on the internet.

The third was a brake job.  It looked easy enough, but that assumes I have a garage with a lift and all the proper tools.  While doing this myself would save tons of money, I decided it was not in my best interest.

This is meekness – to honestly discern what I can do and what I cannot do.  Meekness is not about being timid or afraid, it is about recognizing what I can do, and what is beyond my gifts.

Another part of meekness is recognizing that I cannot do much without God – I need to turn to the Lord daily with all the things on my “to do list”.  Only through God can I do anything, for it is God who has gifted me in many ways.  And, only through God can I recognize where I cannot do something, and must depend on the one God has gifted.

As you journey through this week, pay attention to your gifts, and those areas where you need to rely upon another.

Peace,

Pastor Bill

Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, ² and he began to teach them. He said:

⁴ Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Mourning.  It is something we all do, and we do it in different ways.  When we lose a loved one, we are sad, we might get angry and we might get confused.  Mourning hits us all in a variety of ways.

One of the great things about mourning is that it reminds us of our humanity.  To feel the loss of another person, even if we do not know them, reminds us that we are all created in the image of God.  To feel loss reminds us that we are human.

In today’s word, many downplay feelings as being weak but Jesus says otherwise.  If you mourn, you are blessed and will be comforted.

Whether your mourning is about a lost loved one, or you mourn for the state of our nation, or for the loss of someone you never met, God is blessing you – with feelings, with humanity.  Take this as the gift it is

Peace,

Pastor Bill

Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, ² and he began to teach them. He said:

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:1-3

Besides being physical, emotional and intellectual, we are spiritual people.  There is a spirit within us no matter what our religious beliefs.  The poor in spirit are those who recognize that our spirituality is not dependent upon us, rather upon God.

Wealth, power and control do nothing for our spiritual lives, rather we must be “beggars before God”, knowing our own spirit is not sufficient.

But when we rely upon God, when we turn ourselves towards the Lord, our spirit is refreshed, renewed and strengthened.

As you journey through this week, recognize that you do not walk alone, for God is with you.

Peace

Pastor Bill