Now there was a royal official whose son lay ill in Capernaum. ⁴⁷When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. ⁴⁸Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” ⁴⁹The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my little boy dies.” ⁵⁰Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started on his way. ⁵¹As he was going down, his slaves met him and told him that his child was alive. ⁵²So he asked them the hour when he began to recover, and they said to him, “Yesterday at one in the afternoon the fever left him.” ⁵³The father realized that this was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he himself believed, along with his whole household. ⁵⁴Now this was the second sign that Jesus did after coming from Judea to Galilee.  John 4:46-54.

The sermon on Sunday charged us all to pray for our neighbors and co-workers, even people we do not know, even people who do not believe in Whom we believe.  Here is a foundational scripture for this.

The royal official, probably a Roman citizen, had a sick son.  He heard about Jesus, but there is no reason to believe he was a follower.  He just asked Jesus to heal his son. 

Jesus doesn’t even ask him to follow, he just heals the son.  This is one of the many times in John’s gospel where Jesus heals outside of Israel.  Jesus’ ministry is world-wide, He is there for everyone, even those who do not know him.

Today, say a prayer for someone you know, even if they do not believe in God.  Pray for their needs and ask God to bless them. 

Peace,

Pastor Bill

The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
The Lord is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made. Psalm 145:8-9

We have begun a new week, one filled with great possibilities.  Maybe you start out your week thinking it will be the same as last week, or you have a situation that has not been resolved.  Maybe your weekend was filled with less than blessed activities, or you had difficult issues with loved ones.  Fear not because God is the God of new beginnings.

The psalmist reminds us that God is forgiving and loving.  God is compassionate.  Start your week with God, turn yourself back towards the Lord.  Seek the Lord with your heart and mind, ask for compassion and believe that you will receive it.  Then go out and make it a great week.

Pastor Bill

As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. Ps 41:1-2

Now that the Christmas lights are dark, the music no longer playing on the radio, the trees lining the streets for pick up and the assorted shepherds, wise men, animals and the Holy Family are packed away, it is easy to get into a funk.

The Christmas season is certainly exciting, but in the end it’s not about the excitement, it is about the incarnation, God coming to us as one of us. 

Do you thirst for God as that deer longs for the flowing streams? 

As you journey through this new year, seek God, thirst for God, take time to truly embrace that relationship and grow with God.

Peace,

Pastor Bill