lutheranorleans

Tuesday, February 9, 2010                                                            1 Samuel 9:1-10:1b

 

 

When Samuel saw Saul, the LORD told him, "Here is the man of whom I spoke to you. He it is who shall rule over my people." (v. 17)

 

It is strange how things workout. Saul was in search of a donkey. He ended up with a kingdom. God works in mys­terious ways.

 

It has happened to many who are reading these words.

 

One morning, with no great spiritual push, they wander into a church. Then, in the length of a morning, or perhaps a longer period of time, they have made a sanctuary their new spiritual home. They had not been appointed a king, but they had found a kingdom. They got up one morning and God was the furthest thing from their thinking. By evening they were under the influence of the Almighty.

Sometimes, the nudge toward God and the community of faith comes through a personal tragedy. God is the only answer that really fills the vacuum. Or the nudge comes through a blessing so great that we seek a place to express our gratitude.

 

A meeting with God that changes a life. It's strange how things work out. God works in mysterious ways.

 

Dear King and Father of humankind, let me heed your call when it comes and give you my best. Amen.

 

Psalm 115; 1 Timothy 3:1-9

 

Wednesday, February 10, 2010                                                        Luke 5:27-32

 

 

[Jesus said,] "I have come to call not the righteous but sinners to repentance." (v. 32)

 

The message here is change. Meet the Master, meet a new you. It spells it out crystal clear: the church is not a country club for saints but a congregation of sinners. Repentance is the password.

The book of Proverbs put it well, "No one who conceals transgressions will prosper, but one who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy" (28:13). And that is the point: hearing the message of Christ and giving it mean­ing by personal action.

 

Dunce caps are free-there is no charge for stupidity.

 

Wasting lives comes easily, lazily, and far too often. To spiritually improve, take God's hand and let God lead you in the right direction.

 

Life's a super bowl. Win it. Let Jesus be your coach.

 

Study his playbook called the Bible. Concentrate less on outward pressures and more on inner resources. It isn't always where you are physically that makes the differ­ence, but where your soul has put down its roots.

 

Dear Jesus, give strength to my acts of repentance,  May they empower me to daily grow closer to you.

Amen.

 

 

Psalm 115; Isaiah 8:1-15

 

Thursday, February 11, 2010                                                            Psalm 99

 

 

Extol the LORD our God, and worship at his holy mountain; for the LORD our God is holy. (v. 9)

 

God is holy and powerful and sits on an eternal throne. It is God's forgiveness side-by-side with God's justice that leads us to look to him with absolute awe. God is to be wor­shiped and God's righteousness is to be extolled. It is no accident that in this psalm God is called holy three times.

 

All that Jesus brought in his ministry on earth was but an extension of the God explained by the words of this psalmist, "O LORD our God, you answered them; you were a forgiving God to them" (v. 8). Therefore, believe, with spiritual muscles on fire, that God is in control. When we call God King, we know that God really is beyond any earthly ruler, president, or king.

 

A perfect God! An imperfect human! Our call is to get this relationship straight. Standing before the throne of grace is no time to start suffering from delusions of gran­deur. In short, true w

orship is true humility. It is why wor­shipping on one's knees is so often recommended.

 

Dear Holy God, teach me how to be humble. Amen.

 

Deuteronomy 9:1-5; Acts 3.11-16

 

 

Friday, February 12, 2010                                                               Acts 10:1-8

 

 

In Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of the Italian Cohort, as it was called. (v. 1)

 

This is the story of two men from quite different heritages and what happened because they were more than ready to obediently follow after the will of the Lord. Cornelius, a Gentile, because it was God's command, was willing to lis­ten to a Jew; and a Jew, Peter, was willing, because he knew it was God's will, to speak to a Gentile.

 

"I don't want to" could just as easily have been both of their responses. The point made, being a Christian doesn't mean we will always want to do God's will, but it does mean we must strive with all might and main to do just that.

 

Most of us have a long list of actions we respond to with the words, "I don't want to." And because that is true, we need another list of the things we ought to do. Today's story about Cornelius and Peter reminds us of the value of obedience.

 

God of earth and heaven, I bow before your power and submit to your presence. Amen.

 

Psalm 99; Deuteronomy 9:6-14

 

 

Saturday, February 13, 2010                        Deuteronomy 9:15-24

Then I saw that you had indeed sinned against the LORD your God, by casting for yourselves an image of a calf. (v. 16)

 

The first commandment could not be more explicit. "You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not bow down to [any idol] or worship them" (Exodus 20:3, 5). But that was exactly what Moses, in horror, watched his peo­ple do. You can almost hear the tears of Moses striking the ground.

And these many centuries later, we, God's children. should add our own weeping as we watch so many people still worshipping idols of a different sort, but idols still. It is easy to worship fancy cars and houses. It is easy to worship a glistening computer that talks back to us and provides so many of our daily needs. It is easy to give energy and devotion and time and effort to the worthless rather than to the worthy, but that does not make it wise or right.

Put it this way: The object of life should not be to wor­ship objects or give devotion to that whose lifespan is far, far short of everlasting. Rather, our purpose on this earth must be to trust, obey, and worship the only one who has an eternal guarantee, the Lord our God.

 

Eternal God, teach me to put my trust in you alone.

Amen.

 

Psalm 99; Luke 10:21-24

 

Sunday, February 14, 2010                                                        Luke 9:28-36 (37-43)

 

 

Transfiguration of Our Lord

 

 

Then from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!" (v. 35)

 

It's not that this revelation of Jesus' identity was some­thing new. The whole process got off to a momentous start and closed with one miracle after the other. Therefore, the transfiguration, while explosive in what happened, was just one more way God underlined that Jesus was more than a prophet or a wise man with above-average wisdom thoughts. He was the Son of God.

 

In a play on stage when a director wants an actor to be highlighted, he or she uses a spotlight. The director wants there to be no doubt where the audience's focus should be. And this was what God was doing-making sure the disciples had their focus right. God said, "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him." It is little wonder the disciples were speechless. All except Peter, of course, whose response was up to form.

 

Are you speechless before this admonition? You should be, often praying a listening rather than a talking prayer. Read and listen to this scene of transfiguration as if it hap­pened only yesterday and you were there. For through the pages of your Bible you can be there many, many times.

 

Dear Jesus, may I pay close attention to your words so that they make their mark upon my life. Amen.

 

Exodus 34:29-35; Psalm 99; 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2

 

 

Monday, February 15, 2010                                                   Psalm 35:11-28

 

 

Great is the LORD, who delights in the welfare of his servant. (v. 27)

 

Think on the warmth of the prayer we were taught to pray that has the signature of heaven on it, "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name" (Matthew 6:9). And when our heavenly Father sent Jesus from the safety of heaver to the instability of earth, God underscored God's love and empathy toward us. When Jesus hung upon a cross to die for our sins, it emphasized this spiritual welfare program. set up for the whole of humankind. Not partial or paltry Complete. Even to the point of suffering and death.

 

Salvation, from such sacrifice, is a word that should make our souls shiver with joy when we consider what it means. Think on our God who loved and loves us enough. to steal our sins by this act of forgiveness and, by such. caring, fertilizes our souls.

 

Think about the word delight found in today's verse Not duty with its sterile chilliness, but delight with the warmth of angel voices announcing the birth of the Savior, "1 am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people" (Luke 2:10).

 

Almighty God, mark my mind with the truth of your greatness, that it might influence each moment of my day. Amen.

 

Exodus 35:1-29; Acts 10:9-23a

 

 

Tuesday, February 16, 2010                                                                      Acts 10:23b-33

 

 

And he said to them, "You yourselves know that it is unlawful for a Jew to associate with or to visit a Gentile, but God has shown me that I should not call

anyone profane or unclean." (vv. 28-29)

 

In this passage, Peter explained that it was God's inten­tion that the message about Jesus should cease to have an ethnic stopping point, a parochial wall. Christianity was to begin having an open-door

policy.

What significant moments these were: Cornelius, tell­ing of God's command to send for Peter, and Peter's obedi­ence to broaden a church with tribal boundaries and aim it at reaching all the world.

And the message to us these centuries later? Tell it like it is-the old, old story, "of Jesus and his love, of Jesus and his glory," never changing, always relevant. For everyone.

 

Come before God with a desire to fulfill God's will. Do not forget that it is your calling to not only receive the good news but to share it with the world. How will you share the love of Jesus today?

 

Dear Lord of the universe, may I find in anyone I meet opportunities to spread your word rather than make excuses not to. Amen.

 

Psalm 35:11-28; Ezekiel 1:1-21

 

Wed., February 17, 2010                                              Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

 

 

Ash Wednesday

 

Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. (v. 1)

 

From leaders in the church to the back-row parishioner everyone wants the blessings of God for good deeds done But at the same time, we would seldom turn down a plaque here, a honorary degree there, or a mention in the church. bulletin. We are all tempted to want a double dose of praise for a singular act of excellence.

 

The danger, of course, is the "see what a good boy or girl I am" syndrome. And the audience in mind: Unfortunately, often the community of faith as well as our Father in heaven.

 

How many attics or basements have in their shadow~ some bauble of yesterday that meant so much on the day of reception but is already "Covered by dust and spider webs? In time, a few verbal bubbles of tribute or an inked recognition of something above average that we have done lose their significance before the greater affirmations of God.

 

So "beware." It is the first word of our scripture and i: should not be passed over lightly.

 

Humble Jesus, help me to serve with humility and love. Amen.

 

Joel 2:1-2, 12-17; Psalm 51:1-17; 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10

 

 

Thursday, February 18, 2010                                                             Psalm 91: 1-2, 9-16

 

 

My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust. (v. 2)

 

This beloved psalm depicts the kind of security and ref­uge that believers find in the shelter of God's presence. The devil used these words to tempt Jesus. From atop the temple, the devil insisted that Jesus throw himself down, "for it is written, 'He will command his angels concern­ing you,' and 'On their hands they will bear you up,  “(Matthew 4:6). But Jesus did not fall for the devil's clever manipulation of scripture. Even in his vulnerable state, Jesus knew that the shelter of God's presence was not sim­ply a happy place where everything is blissfully at peace.

 

Trouble and danger are part of life. In God we have a shelter that will allow us to survive those times. We draw strength from the promise that we will always have a home in the Lord, come what may. We believe the promise that one day God will wipe away the tears from our eyes, and death and pain will be no more (Rev. 21:4).

 

For now, God comforts us through scripture, the members of our faith community, and Holy Communion. Through these gifts God gives us refuge, and we find hope.

 

O God of refuge, bless me with the assurance of your protection and love. Amen.

 

Exodus 5:10-23; Acts 7:30-34

 

Friday, February 19, 2010                                                                Exodus 6:1-13

 

 

 

They would not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and their cruel slavery. (v. 9)

 

A mouse was trapped inside a cage, a clear glass wall sep­arating him from his food and water. Time and again, he scurried toward the food, only to be stopped cold by the divider. After some time, the glass was removed and the mouse had complete access to the other side. But by then, he had given up. Without hope, he couldn't see that the obstacle had been removed, and he died within reach of the nourishment he needed to survive. The enslaved Israelites were also crippled with despair.

 

They could not believe-or even hear-the promised word of God's deliverance. Though God's promise was not received with grateful ~nd believing hearts, God kept the promise and led the Israelites to freedom .

 

Likewise, God does not give up on us when we are feel­ing discouraged and broken-hearted. God does not tire of reaching out to us with peace and a word of hope, even when we are too weak lift up our eyes and behold the promise of our salvation. God will never abandon us. God will nourish and sus­tain us all the days of our lives.

 

Loving God, when I am discouraged, help me rest easy in your peace and presence. Amen.

 

Psalm 91: 1-2, 9-16; Acts 7:35-42

 

 

Saturday, February 20, 2010                                                     Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

 

 

For everything there is a season, ... (v. 1)

 

"I can't wait for things to get back to normal." How many times have we uttered this phrase, or heard it from oth­ers? After times of great difficulty or even times of great celebration, we're ready for things to calm down.

 

But the author of Ecclesiastes teaches us that the ups and downs of life are normal! Rarely does a person coast along for very long before the next twist or turn of life appears. The good, the bad, the joyful, the sorrowful, the wild, and the calm-everything has its time.

 

Much of Ecclesiastes deals with this reality of life.

 

The writer urged readers toward acceptance, content­ment, and gratitude in the face of every situation. In fact, another verse from this book sums it up perfectly: "On the day of prosperity be joyful, and on the day of adver­sity consider; God has made the one as well as the other" (7:14). We have good days and we have bad days, but every day is a gift from God.

 

o God, bless me with contentment, trusting that each day is a gift from your hand. Amen.

 

Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16; John 12:27-36

 

Sunday, February 21, 2010                                                           Luke 4:1-13

 

 

For forty days he was tempted by the devil. (v. 2)

 

When I think of temptation, I think of things like lust. vanity, greed, and even chocolate. But the devil didn't tempt Jesus with any of these. Instead, the devil cleverly tempted Jesus with things that, at first glance, might not even be bad or sinful. What's so wrong with turning a stone into bread? Or having a merciful Savior ruling over all the kingdoms of the earth? Or jumping from a high place to receive rescue? If Jesus were to fulfill the devil's requests, would he not be displaying the very qualities that people expected in a Messiah?

 

But, ultimately, the devil's goal was to tempt Jesus away from the path that would lead him to the cross to die for our sake. Jesus loved us so much that he did not stray from his mission.

Because Jesus was faithful in the face of temptation his righteousness and faithfulness are ours. We are most undeserving, but that is the nature of God's grace.

 

I praise you, 0 Christ, for standing firm in the midst of temptation for my sake. Amen.

 

Deuteronomy 26:1-11; Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16; Romans 10:8b-13

 

Monday, February 22, 2010                                                  Psalm 17

 

 

May their bellies be filled with what you have stored up for them. (v. 14)

 

"Let me have a good look at you!" Helen greeted Jessica at the door. "Skin and bones, I tell you. Skin and bones!" Jessica grinned. It was so good to be home again, with a caring grandparent who thought she was too skinny! Helen promptly guided Jessica to the kitchen. "I know you don't do a lot of cooking in your little apartment. So I made you some of your favorites. Why don't we start with pie?" It crossed Jessica's mind to tell her grandma that she didn't need to go to such trouble. But seeing the look of love on Helen's face, the excitement and pride with which the food was offered, she knew that she could do no other but dig right in and appreciate what was so kindly offered!

 

Helen cherished her granddaughter and longed to lav­ish her with food and affection. So does God long to affec­tionately feed us, for we are God's cherished children! We are nourished in countless ways-in prayer, in scripture, in worship, in the bread and wine of Holy Communion, in community, in each day's unexpected gifts. We are nour­ished by the presence of God's Spirit, always with us. It is God's good pleasure to feed us when we hunger. Indeed, we are cherished and blessed.

 

Loving God, as you sustain and provide for me, may I be truly grateful. Amen.

 

1 Chronicles 21:1-17; 1 John 2:1-6