Sunday, April 28, 2013

GLORY AND LOVE

GLORY AND LOVE
Invitation....
If you think of glory as light, it is bright; we are amazed and blinded in its presence. 
Love, though, is warm; we are invited to enter it, to be enveloped by its welcome. 
Imagine these two portions of the spectrum coming together, one bleeding into the other, each becoming part of the other. You find it hard to distinguish them as separate.
Now think of God.
(d365.org, Aram Bae, author)



SATURDAY, May 4 
“Do the Same”
Psalm 148:11-13 (CEB)
Do the same, you kings of the earth and every single person,
    you princes and every single ruler on earth!
 Do the same, you young men—young women too!—
    you who are old together with you who are young!
 Let all of these praise the Lord’s name
    because only God’s name is high over all.
    Only God’s majesty is over earth and heaven.
DO THE SAME the scripture says.
And includes the elite and the common,
Rich and poor, young and old.
DO THE SAME to the men and women,
Black and white,
Catholic and Protestant,
Muslim and Jew.
But we are so different!
Our beliefs so radically opposite.
Our values not aligned.
Lifestyles of various paths.
DO THE SAME?
What can we possibly do together?
What can unite us?
PRAISE GOD.
Yes!
We can unite in praise to the Almighty Creator of all,
We can join hands and sing together, “Hallelujah! Amen!”
Don’t dwell on differences,
But focus instead on the love and glory that can unite. 
May we raise our hearts and voices
And in chorus together do the same:

All glory and praise to the eternal God of all!  

Benediction….
God the Creator, guide my heart and fill it with kindness and gentleness.
God the Redeemer, clear my mind and focus me with mercy and grace.
God the Sustainer, steady my soul and convict it with justice and truth.
As you bless me today with your glory and love, may I bless others too.
(d365.org, Aram Bae, author) 

FRIDAY, May 3
“This IS It!”
Revelation 21:5-6 (CEB)
Then the one seated on the throne said, “Look! I’m making all things new.” He also said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”  Then he said to me, “All is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will freely give water from the life-giving spring.
     In the education world, it seems like a new practice emerges every few years.  A new curriculum, a new approach to learning, a different way to make miracles happen in the classroom.  You never really have a chance to know how well the 'old' was working before it is tossed aside for the latest  pedagogy. It can be frustrating for both teacher and students.
     The Hebrews had been searching for a Messiah for generations, thinking each new prophet might be the 'one'.  In Revelation, God declares, “I’m done.  This IS it.”  Christ is the beginning and the end, the alpha and the omega.  There will not be another new religion to try.   Look no further.  Believe in Jesus Christ and you will drink from the living waters….forever. 
     It’s comforting to have this kind of unchanging rock;  to have something solid in which to anchor ourselves in our ever spinning world.  Beginning and end.  Believe. 

THURSDAY, May 2 
“Tears and Love”
Revelation 21:3-4a (The Message)
 I heard a voice thunder from the Throne: “Look! Look! God has moved into the neighborhood, making his home with men and women! They’re his people, he’s their God. He’ll wipe every tear from their eyes.
God is here.
Next door, right HERE in the neighborhood.
God is here.
In the next room, or
On the couch beside me.
God is HERE.
With me, within me.
Intimate enough to comfort,
To lovingly hold my hand,
And wipe my tears.
God is present.
Everyday and in everyplace.
Welcome, God,
Come, help us take LOVE,
And in wiping the tears of our neighbors,
Make everything new.



WEDNESDAY, May 1 “Everything New”
Revelation 21:1-2  (The Message)
I saw Heaven and earth new-created. Gone the first Heaven, gone the first earth, gone the sea.  I saw Holy Jerusalem, new-created, descending resplendent out of Heaven, as ready for God as a bride for her husband.
New.
Fresh out of the package.
A special scent or smell.
Crisp and unwrinkled.
Anticipation and expectation.
New.
Spring Cleaning.
Sort out the musty closets.
Shine up the windows.
Toss out the old and worn-out,
Bring on the NEW!
New.
The scent of the air after a Spring storm.
Creation awakening from a fresh bath.
Droplets still clinging to quivering leaves,
As life bursts forth in hope.  
New.
A New Heaven, a New Earth.
God’s promise through Christ.
A New Life, a New Me,
Reborn, re-created, re-purposed.  
Shake off the baptismal waters and live
With the Glory and Love of
Everything New in God. 



TUESDAY, April 30
“Love Logo”
John 13:34-35 (The Message)
“Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.”
The men of my family are Steeler fans.
They have the t-shirts and hats,
The Steeler blankets and pennants.
Maybe even a license plate frame or mug!
People KNOW they are Steeler fans.
Do people know the same about our Lord?
Do they see us and recognize that we are Christians?
Do we wear a fish hat or a cross around our neck?
What evidence do we give?
The evidence Christ commanded:
Love.
Love for each other.
Love for all.
This is the brand we are to wear.
The LOGO is LOVE.
Wear it.
Show it.
Live it. 

MONDAY, April 29
 "Glory All Around!"
John 13:31-32 (The Message)
When he had left, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is seen for who he is, and God seen for who he is in him. The moment God is seen in him, God’s glory will be on display. In glorifying him, he himself is glorified—glory all around!
.
Glory.
Short and simple. 
Just five letters. 
Not a daily word.
Not on my 'most used' vocabulary list. 
It is a word outside of me. 
Glory.
Elusive, but holy. 
Reverent, dazzling, blinding.
Glory in simple terms 
Is a magnificent reflection of God.
Glory.
While John makes it confusing 
With glory God here and glory Christ there, 
Glory is God in Christ.
Pause now, in holy wonder and awe,
At the scope, grace, and majesty of our universal God.  
Glory all around! 



SUNDAY, April 28  
“Praise and Glory”
Psalm 148: 1-12 (Selections from Good News Translation)
Praise the Lord!  Praise the Lord from heaven,
    you that live in the heights above…
Praise the Lord from the earth…
Lightning and hail, snow and clouds…
Praise him, hills and mountains,
    fruit trees and forests…
Praise him, kings and all peoples,
    princes and all other rulers….
Let them all praise the name of the Lord!
His name is greater than all others;
    his glory is above earth and heaven.
    Psalm 148 is like a Top Twenty list of who should offer up praise to the Living God.  It begins with the realm of the heights above, then includes the physical earth, the creatures of the earth, and finally, the peoples of the earth.  Sometimes we peoples of the earth get the impression WE are the only ones that count in the creation and praise department.  When we experience the Creation of God in all that we encounter, when we allow ourselves to be a part of the natural forces or to gaze at the night sky, we find we are just a small part of God’s glory.  May we revel in the beauty of creation and witness the glory of God within.  That glory is within us as well. 

TOP TWENTY LIST from Psalm 148:
1.    Angels
2.    Heavenly armies
3.    Sun & Moon
4.    Stars
5.    Rain Clouds
6.    Sea Monsters
7.    Ocean Depths
8.    Lighting & Hail
9.    Snow
10.Wind
11.Hills & Mountains
12.Fruiting trees
13.Forests
14.Animals
15.Reptiles
16.Birds
17.Kings
18.Young & Old
19.Male & Female
20. All peoples; all races



SERMON NOTES:  
Rev. Philip, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Edgewood, NM
·       Despair is when you say NEVER and you shouldn’t.
·       Our vocation, our job, is a calling from God.  He has equipped us.
·       Three tools: The Word (Bible), Baptism (Holy Spirit to help us understand the Word), and Lord’s Supper (Community Shared Meal)
·       God isn’t out in a bar having a beer, he is here among us in the dirty parts of life.
·       We should always have an ongoing reformation in our hearts.
·       Wash daily with the Word.   
·       The Joy of the Lord is your strength.
·       Joy is not the icing on the cake; it is the foundation plate the cake rests upon.
·       Do not despair for the world, Joy is the foundation, there is no NEVER because there is the HOPE that lies in each of us. 

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