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!
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.
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!
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.
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.
“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.
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.”
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.
"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…
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…
fruit trees and forests…
Praise him, kings and all peoples,
princes and all other rulers….
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.
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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