1 Samuel 16:1-2 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.”
Occasionally, things just do not work out. Inventors are very familiar with the principle. Edison was once asked about his numerous failures in inventing the light bulb. He replied that through the process he had learned how not to invent a light bulb. And sometimes experience is a very good teacher. It can be a very painful way to learn too. I can look back on the lessons I have learned in my life. The lessons which stand out the most are those I experienced and not those taught by someone sharing their experiences, or advice, with me. At some point we always reach the point in recovering from failure that we realize it is time to move on.
Have you ever encountered a person who just could not put the past behind them and move forward with their lives? There are numerous causes for a person being in that position. It could be the loss of a loved one, a family member, a pet. It could be a failed relationship or marriage. It could be any number of things we all have the opportunity to encounter in life. But for some people, the prospect of moving on with their lives is inconceivable. They have lost hope. It is sad to see this happen. And it happens all too often my friends. This can even happen to people of faith. Something occurs that overwhelms them. I will not pretend to be able to understand all the reasons, but I do know that this happens. I have seen this with my own eyes. What are we to do to help these people? What can we possibly know what would be of value in helping them recover? When we look at the words of 2 Corinthians 4:5-10. Therein is the hope we all need to have. We are afflicted, but not crushed. We are perplexed but not driven to despair. We have the knowledge through faith to see beyond our current position the opportunity to reach beyond the current and to will to grasp onto all that can be through Jesus Christ our Lord. That is what we know. We have to look at the example given to us in 1 Samuel 16:1-2 and there it is laid out in the very words of God. “How long will you grieve over Saul?” God, as we should too, knows there are situation where the right thing to do is to move on. It can be painful and scary, but well worth it. We, those who may have already come through the fire can share our experiences, our compassion, our concern, our love and the love of Jesus with those who are stuck in the quicksand of despair and doubt. We can reach out with a willing hand to point the way to Jesus. That is what we can do. We can help those who have been unable to help themselves. This we do not because we have to in order to earn our salvation. This we do because we are already saved, and that message has to be shared with all who are downtrodden and in despair.
PRAYER: Lord of Creation, the harvest is plentiful and the workers are few. The magnitude of the number of lost souls is overwhelming to us. The breadth and depth of the need is too much Father. Help us to remember that we are not alone. Help us to remember that You are there by our side. Send Your Holy Spirit to comfort us and to strengthen our faith so that we may be equal to the task at hand. This we ask in the name of Your Son Who was equal to the task of saving all mankind on the cross. Amen.
This Is Where Everything Changed
Friday, March 18, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Who’s This Jesse Guy We Are Making Such A Fuss Over?
Isaiah 11:10 In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples – of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.
Jesse is not a well known figure in the Bible until 1 Samuel chapter 16 where we find out why he is important. In ancient cultures ancestry is a very big deal. Inheritances were based on the legitimacy of a person’s ancestry. Their livelihood and place in society were set forth by whom were their ancestors. Roman emperors, Egyptian Pharaohs, Kings of Europe and Asia were all determined (in most cases) by family connections. Today, in many cases, we vet our rulers through a meat grinder we call the campaign and election process. In theory this process is designed to weed out undesirable or unqualified candidates and yield up the cream of the crop. One can say that it does not often turn out that way, but it is what it is.
Jesse, as we learn in 1 Samuel 16, is the father of David. David is the one chosen by God to be the King of Israel. David would replace Saul because the Lord had rejected Saul because Saul had rejected the Word of the Lord (1 Samuel 15.) And David would go on to be a wonderful King of Israel. He was human, he had his flaws, but he was chosen by God to lead. And David led to the best of his abilities. Learning along the way, making mistakes, but learning. Matthew Chapter 1 provides us with the ancestry of Jesus. This is very important. The prophet Isaiah spoke of the lineage of Jesse leading to the Christ. And to help prove that Jesus was the bona-fide Christ, his ancestry is laid out for all to see. Our take away from this little bit of history is two-fold. 1) None of us are locked into being just like our parents. Look at Jesse and his son David. We each are on our own path. We have the opportunity to learn from the past, or we can repeat the same mistakes as in the past. We have things in common with one another. We have a loving God the Father, a Holy Spirit, and a Savior Jesus Christ. Our rich inheritance comes not from our parents on earth, rather from the Triune God. Our inheritance, the one that really counts is from God and not from mortal man. And this is one inheritance that cannot be taxed. Check out 1 Peter Chapter 1. And 2) what we share with our children, what we do to guide them to the Word of God and a life in Christ is what really matters. To be sure life skills are important lessons to pass along. But what really matters in their faith. It is so important that we acknowledge its’ importance at their Baptism. Parents, and God-parents, are charged with bringing the child to worship and placing the Word of God in their hands. That is what matters. Not the worldly goods inheritance, but their inheritance of life everlasting in Christ. Focus on that one, please. Leave a lasting legacy with your children.
PRAYER: God of Wonder, God of Light, help us today and everyday to see the light of truth. Help us to keep our focus on the important matters and not to be distracted by the trivial. Help us to see clearly the path You have laid out for us, and for our children to follow. Lead us not into temptation, and deliver us from evil. This we ask in the strong name of Your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Jesse is not a well known figure in the Bible until 1 Samuel chapter 16 where we find out why he is important. In ancient cultures ancestry is a very big deal. Inheritances were based on the legitimacy of a person’s ancestry. Their livelihood and place in society were set forth by whom were their ancestors. Roman emperors, Egyptian Pharaohs, Kings of Europe and Asia were all determined (in most cases) by family connections. Today, in many cases, we vet our rulers through a meat grinder we call the campaign and election process. In theory this process is designed to weed out undesirable or unqualified candidates and yield up the cream of the crop. One can say that it does not often turn out that way, but it is what it is.
Jesse, as we learn in 1 Samuel 16, is the father of David. David is the one chosen by God to be the King of Israel. David would replace Saul because the Lord had rejected Saul because Saul had rejected the Word of the Lord (1 Samuel 15.) And David would go on to be a wonderful King of Israel. He was human, he had his flaws, but he was chosen by God to lead. And David led to the best of his abilities. Learning along the way, making mistakes, but learning. Matthew Chapter 1 provides us with the ancestry of Jesus. This is very important. The prophet Isaiah spoke of the lineage of Jesse leading to the Christ. And to help prove that Jesus was the bona-fide Christ, his ancestry is laid out for all to see. Our take away from this little bit of history is two-fold. 1) None of us are locked into being just like our parents. Look at Jesse and his son David. We each are on our own path. We have the opportunity to learn from the past, or we can repeat the same mistakes as in the past. We have things in common with one another. We have a loving God the Father, a Holy Spirit, and a Savior Jesus Christ. Our rich inheritance comes not from our parents on earth, rather from the Triune God. Our inheritance, the one that really counts is from God and not from mortal man. And this is one inheritance that cannot be taxed. Check out 1 Peter Chapter 1. And 2) what we share with our children, what we do to guide them to the Word of God and a life in Christ is what really matters. To be sure life skills are important lessons to pass along. But what really matters in their faith. It is so important that we acknowledge its’ importance at their Baptism. Parents, and God-parents, are charged with bringing the child to worship and placing the Word of God in their hands. That is what matters. Not the worldly goods inheritance, but their inheritance of life everlasting in Christ. Focus on that one, please. Leave a lasting legacy with your children.
PRAYER: God of Wonder, God of Light, help us today and everyday to see the light of truth. Help us to keep our focus on the important matters and not to be distracted by the trivial. Help us to see clearly the path You have laid out for us, and for our children to follow. Lead us not into temptation, and deliver us from evil. This we ask in the strong name of Your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Putting Down Roots
Isaiah 11:1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
Have you ever tried to dig in a yard where there are trees? It seems no matter where you try to dig; those roots are making for difficult shoveling. They are pervasive and something of a nuisance. But for the tree they feed, they are essential to life.
Tree stumps are interesting to look at and to contemplate over. When you venture out into a National Forest that has experienced tree harvesting it can appear to have been devastated. Instead of a lush green forest, there appears a field of stumps. Depending on the type of trees harvested, the stumps may be bare or they may, in time, have shoots growing out of the stumps. The roots of the tree stump continue to provide nourishment to the shoots. It is as if the tree is refusing to yield to the death sentence imposed upon it by the tree cutter. Life springs where death once stood. How fitting of an analogy for the life of Jesus Christ. His death on the cross seemed to bring to an end the problem he posed for the authorities of that time. The tree had been cut down. And yet we know that was not the case. For life was not to be denied. He rose again in glory. He had strong roots. His roots reached all the way to His Father and they were well nourished. The tree we know as Jesus Christ was restored.
And what of us? Is there a lesson for us in the analogy of the tree stump? We are often tossed about by the winds of our life. The turmoil of everyday living will seek to cut us down or rip us out of the ground. But through the roots we put down we can be saved. So, you ask, how do I put down strong roots? Just as with real life trees, water is essential. Water that, which we call the living water of Christ, is the essential element. The water of Baptism with the Word is what we yearn for. It keeps us alive. And we our roots must also be nourished by staying close to the Word of God. We are fed daily by study, reflection, and prayer. We share our lives, our passion and love for Christ with others so that they too will put down good strong roots. And when our life here on earth is done, new shoots may spring up from the stump we leave behind in the form of family, friends, and those we do not even know who are given the opportunity to learn of Christ because we did not let our love for Christ die with us. Friends, may your roots be strong, and the shoots from your stump be numerous in Christ our Lord.
PRAYER: Most Merciful God, we depend totally on You for our lives, the lives of our family, our friends, and our church. The living water of Jesus sustains us. Your Word nourishes us. Keep us close Father to You at all times. We ask this in the name of the one we call the shoot from the stump of Jesse – Christ Jesus. Amen
Have you ever tried to dig in a yard where there are trees? It seems no matter where you try to dig; those roots are making for difficult shoveling. They are pervasive and something of a nuisance. But for the tree they feed, they are essential to life.
Tree stumps are interesting to look at and to contemplate over. When you venture out into a National Forest that has experienced tree harvesting it can appear to have been devastated. Instead of a lush green forest, there appears a field of stumps. Depending on the type of trees harvested, the stumps may be bare or they may, in time, have shoots growing out of the stumps. The roots of the tree stump continue to provide nourishment to the shoots. It is as if the tree is refusing to yield to the death sentence imposed upon it by the tree cutter. Life springs where death once stood. How fitting of an analogy for the life of Jesus Christ. His death on the cross seemed to bring to an end the problem he posed for the authorities of that time. The tree had been cut down. And yet we know that was not the case. For life was not to be denied. He rose again in glory. He had strong roots. His roots reached all the way to His Father and they were well nourished. The tree we know as Jesus Christ was restored.
And what of us? Is there a lesson for us in the analogy of the tree stump? We are often tossed about by the winds of our life. The turmoil of everyday living will seek to cut us down or rip us out of the ground. But through the roots we put down we can be saved. So, you ask, how do I put down strong roots? Just as with real life trees, water is essential. Water that, which we call the living water of Christ, is the essential element. The water of Baptism with the Word is what we yearn for. It keeps us alive. And we our roots must also be nourished by staying close to the Word of God. We are fed daily by study, reflection, and prayer. We share our lives, our passion and love for Christ with others so that they too will put down good strong roots. And when our life here on earth is done, new shoots may spring up from the stump we leave behind in the form of family, friends, and those we do not even know who are given the opportunity to learn of Christ because we did not let our love for Christ die with us. Friends, may your roots be strong, and the shoots from your stump be numerous in Christ our Lord.
PRAYER: Most Merciful God, we depend totally on You for our lives, the lives of our family, our friends, and our church. The living water of Jesus sustains us. Your Word nourishes us. Keep us close Father to You at all times. We ask this in the name of the one we call the shoot from the stump of Jesse – Christ Jesus. Amen
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