Water is a foundational element for life on Earth and it also happens to be the theme in our readings this week. The people of Israel complain about not having water in the desert so Moses strikes a rock and they have water to drink. God pours out his Spirit like water into our hearts so that we can rejoice in our sufferings and Jesus shares living water with the people in Samaria.
Readings: Old Testament: Exodus 17:1--7 Epistle: Romans 5:1--8 Gospel: John 4:5--26 (27--30, 39--42)
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Faith is our focus this week as we see Abram stepping out in faith to follow God to a new land when he was already 75 years old. Paul tells us that it was God's gift of faith to Abraham that caused him to be saved, not his own works and Jesus clarifies things for Nicodemus so that he too may know how one enters the Kingdom of Heaven and what Jesus mission was on earth.
Readings: Old Testament: Genesis 12:1--9 Epistle: Romans 4:1--8, 13--17 Gospel: John 3:1--17 Temptation is a theme that we see in our readings this week. In our Old Testament reading from Genesis we hear about Eve being tempted by the serpent and in our Gospel reading we hear about Jesus being tempted by satan. Check it out!
Old Testament Reading: Genesis 3:1–21 Epistle Reading: Romans 5:12–19 Gospel Reading: Matthew 4:1–11 Have you ever noticed that the things that are good for us are hard? They take work. Take school, for example, you can slide through school by just doing the bare minimum. You can get passing grades and graduate without really mastering any material. However, if you really want to learn the material it is going to take more work. You need to read the books, complete the exercises, and do the projects. When you finish this you have to do it all over again. Repetition and experience leads to learning. How about relationships? In order for a relationship to be successful, two people must work hard. There must be a willingness to compromise during conflicts, to apologize when a mistake has been made, to forgive when you’ve been wronged, and to love not only in the good times but also in the bad times. Relationships are easy when life is good and things are going smoothly. When money is readily available, physical appearances are attractive, jobs are fulfilling, and times are fun, it is easy to love each other. But, when money is tight, bodies are worn out, jobs become frustrating, and there hasn’t been a laugh in days, that’s where you must really work to love each other. Another activity that falls into the category of “good for you but hard to do” is exercise. Obesity is on the rise in America. We are faced with a buffet of unhealthy food choices and more and more things to distract us and keep us sedentary. Staying healthy takes hard work. You have to choose the right foods to eat while avoiding the unhealthy ones. You have to dedicate the time to exercising. This means getting rid of excuses about time, ability, or pain. What does any of this have to do with anything and why write about such obvious things? Well today at church we’re beginning our “40 Days in God’s Word” challenge. Using a CD from Faith Comes By Hearing we are going to be able to listen to the entire New Testament in 40 days simply by listening for 28 minutes per day. Have you ever read the whole Bible? This is another thing that takes hard work. There are parts that are exciting and easy to read and there are other parts that don’t make much sense or are tedious to read. It takes hard work to focus and make it through these parts. Sometimes we don’t do it because it takes time and we’re busier doing other things. Other times we start out strong, but lose momentum along the way. My hope is that we will each challenge ourselves to work hard over the next 40 days to commit 28 minutes each day to listening to the assigned readings for the day. God’s word tells us about his work and about his promises. It tells us about how he’s fulfilled all of his promises. We hear that he sent his Son into the world to die on the cross and rise from the dead to rescue us from sin, death, and the power of the Devil. The Holy Spirit uses this word to create and strengthen our faith. I think that at the end of 40 days we’ll find that working hard to carve out the time listen each day will be just as worthwhile as working hard to learn new things in school, to maintain and strengthen our relationships and to keep out bodies in shape. We’ll find that this “workout” for our faith will strengthen it and give us an even greater understanding of God our Father. May God bless us all as we dive further into his Word. This week we get to celebrate another special Sunday in the church year -- Transfiguration Sunday. We hear about Moses and the Elders sharing a special meal with God on Mt. Sinai, Peter, James and John see Jesus changed before their eyes, and Peter recounts this experience later as the foundation for what he preaches and teaches!
Old Testament Reading: Exodus 24:8–18 Epistle Reading: 2 Peter 1:16–21 Gospel Reading: Matthew 17:1–9 Check out "Christ Follower Today" on Facebook and "Like" their page for daily scripture readings and insights: https://www.facebook.com/ChristFollowerToday This week we hear more about how God's people live in light of being chosen as God's people. The Old Testament reading describes a life for the children of Israel that is different than Egypt, where they came from and Canaan, where they are going. Paul continues his letter to the Corinthians talking about building carefully on the foundation that is Christ and instructing them not to put their hope and trust in people and things that are temporary but rather in the one that continues forever. Finally, in our gospel reading Jesus shows us how to live our lives as the salt and light of the world. Old Testament: Leviticus 19:1--2, 9--18 Epistle Reading: 1 Corinthians 3:10--23 Gospel Reading: Matthew 5:38--48 This week we're hit with some difficult readings assigned to us through the lectionary. In Deuteronomy Moses is giving the Israelites the choice between walking in God's ways and receiving life, or turning toward other gods and facing death. Paul continues to sort out the conflict in the Corinthian church and Jesus takes the commandments and shares their true meaning. When he's done there is no one left who is guiltless. Check it out! This week's video is coming out a little late because I was stuck at home for part of the day due to snow. I'm thankful for nice neighbors with tractors who were able to come and plow my drive. I was able to do all the filming and editing here at home, but my internet isn't fast enough to get it uploaded very quickly, hence the delayed release. Last week we took a little side trip back in time to see another example of Jesus fulfilling all parts of the law. We're back on track with our normally scheduled readings this week. We'll hear God speaking in Isaiah about how his people are to live because they are his people. Paul addresses the wise debaters of his time and reminds us where true wisdom comes from. And Jesus calls his disciples salty lights. Ok, maybe not quite like that, but he gives them their new identity which is meant to draw all people to him. Some of you have been following along over the past month as I've written the daily "Dial-a-Devotions". I appreciate the kind words that you've shared with me during this time. I've really enjoyed writing these brief devotions. Here at St. Paul's we rotate responsibility for the devotions each month. This means that with the start of a new month, my devotion writing responsibilities come to an end. However, since I've enjoyed doing it, I may continue writing them just for this site. Check back for more updates!
In the name of Jesus our Savior, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church welcomes you to ‘Dial-a-Devotion’, this is Vicar Tom Schlund. Our text for today are verses from Psalm 135 which reads:
Praise the Lord! Praise the name of the Lord, give praise, O servants of the Lord, 2 who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God! 3 Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing to his name, for it is pleasant! 4 For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel as his own possession.5 For I know that the Lord is great, and that our Lord is above all gods. 6 Whatever the Lord pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps. 7 He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth, who makes lightnings for the rain and brings forth the wind from his storehouses. 13 Your name, O Lord, endures forever, your renown, O Lord, throughout all ages. 14 For the Lord will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants. January is a hard month, isn’t it? It is a long 31 days. The days have started to get longer, but it still is dark for more of the day than we’d like. It is usually pretty cold and it comes right after the festive time of Christmas. We get tired of the darkness, we get tired of the cold, and we get tired of the snow. With all of these things that we consider to be wrong with January (and the other winter months too) it can be difficult to think about being joyful and praising God. It is far easier to ask him why he keeps giving us snow and cold weather or to beg and plead for warmer weather, right? This is why it is great that our text is the one that is appointed for today, the last day of January. The Psalmist is writing all about praising the Lord. This is a good reminder that need to hear regularly and especially in a month like January. Why do we praise him? Is it because things always are going wonderfully in our lives? No, rather it is because God is good. It is because he is in control of the whole world. He makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth, he makes the rain and the lightning and the snow and the wind. They’re all his creation. As remarkable as that is though, it isn’t the end of the story. The last verses that are selected for today come from later in the Psalm, verse 13-14 to be exact. They tell us that God’s name endures forever and that he’s known throughout all time. Our God isn’t one that is just a flash in the night. He isn’t something that was just made up by a few random people who got together. No, he has been around forever and will be around for all of eternity. While he is ruling over all of creation he remains close with his creation, with you and with me and has compassion on his servants. This is great news. News that we can be thankful for and praise God for whether it is a dark, cold, snowy day in January or a bright sunny day in May. We can praise God everyday because he is faithful and loves us and cares for us. Praise be to God Let us pray: Dear father in Heaven, we praise you for your great faithfulness throughout all generations. Thank you for caring for us and for always providing for our needs in the cold of winter and the warmth of summer. Help us to always recognize your goodness and praise you for your great gifts that you give to us. We ask this all in Jesus’ name, Amen |
AuthorMy name is Tom. I'm fascinated by the ways that people, ideas, current events and theology interact with each other. Archives
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