The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23

It is, perhaps, one of the most well known and loved pieces of scripture/poetry ever.  It is recognized the world over by people of many faith traditions as a meaningful writing.  The 23^rd Psalm, the Shepherd’s Psalm, is a very special word of God. Over the next few weeks, let us contemplate this important writing.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.  God is in control, and God will provide.  So often we get lost in the many perceived needs of our day, as well as the necessities of life and yet God will provide.  This is especially true when we think we do not have enough resources to do what God calls us to do – and yet the Good Shepherd will give us all we need to go out into the world with hope.

As you journey through this week, know that the Shepherd leads you, and will provide.

Peace,

Pastor Bill

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die,  a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,  a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

When you think about it, we are governed by seasons.  We have the four climate seasons, summer, fall, winter and spring, and each brings its own excitement.  We have holiday seasons (which are just around the corner), and in this end of summer/end of August, we have the back to school season (as well as back to full church activities).

This is a bittersweet time for many parents as school begins.  For some, it is the change from elementary to middle, or middle to high school.  And for many the change from high school to college – meaning our little children are no longer little and have reached a different point in their lives. 

There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heaven.

As we watch our children grow and explore the world, we must remember that God is with them (and us), and our prayers go with them.

For our students, may you have a wonderful school year and take the opportunity to learn beyond the subjects.  And remember, God goes with you.

Peace,

Pastor Bill

Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them. Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him. Matthew 4:23-25

I never noticed this before.  As I was pondering a scripture for today’s message, I came across this interesting tidbit.  Matthew tells us how news about Jesus was spreading among the area of the Jews, and Matthew’s gospel is written to Jews, including a lot of Hebrew scriptures related to the Messiah. 

But there it is, “Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.”  Galilee, Jerusalem and Judea makes sense, but Matthew points out the Decapolis, a region of ten Hellenistic cities.  These Greek cities followed their own culture, more in line with Roman beliefs than that of the Hebrews.  Yet they heard the stories of Jesus and followed Him.

This is good news for us in our segmented society.  Some of us might live in completely homogenous communities, while others very diverse.  In all cases, the story of Jesus can be powerful and will be heard – as long as we tell it.

This brief scripture also reminds me that even when people are “different”, God includes them into the family.

As you journey through this week, be on the lookout for someone that might be “different” and show them some love.

Peace,

Pastor Bill

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?” Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 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.’” He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” 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.” When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions. Mark 10:17-22

Often, we interpret this passage in a very exclusive way.  Jesus told this man, and this man alone, to sell all his possessions, give the money to the poor, and follow Jesus.  Yes, you can point to many wealthy people in the gospels who follow Christ, and even support the ministry so one could conceivably interpret this passage for the man alone.  But what do you need to give up so you can follow Jesus better?  Is there something that holds you back from greater discipleship?

Most of us have something.  It might not be wealth or possessions, rather it might be a relationship, or a hobby or a habit.  It might even be a combination of things.  What we frequently need to do is practice self-examination (or Holy Spirit led self-examination) and ask the Spirit to show us areas where we lack.  This does not mean we have to give up everything, we just need to put God first and allow God to put everything else in perspective.

As you journey through this week, practice the prayer of examen.  Ask the Spirit to show you areas that are placed above God, and ask for help. 

Peace,

Pastor Bill

The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” John 1:43-46

Notice how Philip does not argue with Nathanael, nor does Philip reject him.  Nathanael has a counter to Philip’s claim of finding the Messiah.  Nathanael’s argument is downright nasty and prejudice, but Philip answers him with a very simple statement; come and see.

Come and see.  If someone wants to know who Jesus is, can you invite them to come and see?  Do you have a place to take them to show them Jesus in action?  How about a place to show great devotion? 

Have you ever invited someone to come with you on a mission project? Imagine your skeptical friends watching not only you, but your fellow congregation members working side by side in unity serving the hungry, or someone in need.  Imagine how the greater church can grow if we simply say “come and see”.  Come and see what we do for others.  Come and see, experience a peaceful and prayerful experience.  Come and see what we do in the name of Jesus.

As you travel through this week, consider how you could invite someone to come and see.

Peace,

Pastor Bill

…for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’  Matthew 25:35-40

Seems simple, doesn’t it?  Yet our society continues to argue with this.  We argue, we reason, we compare, we make excuses.  But do we see Jesus?

We are all created in the image of God, the Imago Dei. This means no matter who we are, what we believe, where we live, what color, race, gender or any other “descriptive term”, we are all the same – children of the Heavenly Father.

There is a lot going on in our country right now, there are many distractions, many difficult issues, and to be honest, a lot of people are falling through the cracks.  Most people do not “deserve” to be hungry or poor.  It is not a lack of hard-work or discipline.  Often it is nothing more than where someone is born (even in our country).

See Jesus in the face of everyone and do what you can.

Peace,

Pastor Bill

Again, Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.” Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” Mark 4:1-9

We went out to our garden the other night to see what was ready to harvest.  Of course, as anyone with a small home garden knows, the zucchini which were tiny a few days ago are now large clubs.  We picked them, as well as some cucumbers, and looked at the jumbled mess of tomatoes.

We actually did not plant the tomatoes this year (or last, either).  Two summers ago, we had a huge crop of heirloom tomatoes.  We harvested them and cleaned up as many as possible, but there were enough small, rotted tomatoes that we missed.  

Over the past two summers, tomato plants have grown from that seed that fell into good, fertile soil.  It is amazing how well things can grow in the right environment.

Our society today is filled with dry, shallow places, rocky places, thorny places and fertile places.  We often encounter turmoil, dealing with people who want to tear us down, watching as people scorch one another, or those who are truly thorny, who will tear us apart and choke our dreams and aspirations.

Or we can create fertile ground, places where we are nurtured and can nurture others, places where we can bring peace and love.  If we all work towards the true Christian ethic, we can remove the thorns, and rocky places and instead create places of great growth.

During your journey this week, be a fertile place for another, be a person of nurture, care and understanding. 

Peace,

Pastor Bill

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”  Luke 10:25-29

This, of course, is the set up to the parable of the Good Samaritan a story where Jesus turns the tables upside down.  He makes the “expert” admit that the Samaritan was the neighbor to the man beaten and left in a ditch.  The Samaritan, you know, the foreigner who Jewish people of the day were not supposed to avoid.  There was a long-standing division between the two peoples, over religion, politics and beyond.  But here Jesus states something different – He makes the Samaritan the hero of the story forcing the expert to admit it. 

Who are the Samaritans in your spheres?  Who are the ones you are not supposed to associate with, to speak with, to consider friend?  Or, to ask a different question, if you were robbed, beaten and dying in a ditch, who would you want to be your neighbor?  Someone so self-absorbed that they walk on by, or the one who everyone considers an outsider?

As you journey through this week, look around at your neighbors.  Pray for them, talk with them. Show them Christ’s love no matter who they are, where they are from or what they do, for you have something in common with them, the image of God.

Peace,

Pastor Bill

For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my deliverance and my honor; my mighty rock, my refuge is in God.  Psalm 62:5-7

Along with many in this nation, I am heartbroken over the catastrophic loss of life in Texas due to flash flooding.  My sympathy goes to all who have lost a loved one, a family member, a friend.  I cannot imagine how parents feel sending their child to a summer camp, for this to happen. 

There are so many ways we can take this event, but for right now the best we can do is to keep all in prayer while looking for ways to respond.  Can we help?  Are there needs we can meet?  Are there ways to reach out to people affected?  If so, we should respond.  If not, for now, can we keep silent instead of playing the blame game (which started immediately from all sides of the political circus). 

For God alone my soul waits in silence.  My heart goes out to all involved in this situation, I am paying attention to any needs that can be filled and I lean on the mighty rock.

As you journey through this week, be attentive to how you can help in any situation, working for the good of all.

Peace,

Pastor Bill

Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple police, and the elders who had come for him, “Have you come out with swords and clubs as if I were a bandit? When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness!” Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house. But Peter was following at a distance. Luke 22:52-54

Are you following at a distance?  Peter, in the dramatic story of Jesus’ Passion, was following at a distance.  He wanted to know what was going on, but did not want anyone to know he followed Jesus, for fear of his life. 

Often, we follow Jesus at a distance.  We come to church, we give our offering, we even do ministries around the church, but are we open about our faith?  Do we show Jesus to others, or are we following at a distance?

As you journey through this new week, find an opportunity to step out of the shadows and the distance and show Jesus to someone.  It does not need to be a grandiose thing, rather one simple caring thing you can do to show your faith.  It may make all the difference.

Peace,

Pastor Bill