The texts for this Sunday are:
Jeremiah 31:3-14
Revelation 21:1-4
Here are the verses that caught my attention:
"...He who scattered Israel will gather them and will watch over his flock like a shepherd. For the Lord will ransom Jacob and redeem them from the hand of those stronger than they. They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion: they will rejoice in the bounty of the Lord. ..." (Jeremiah 31:10-12)
"...Now he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (Revelation 21:3-4)
Some of my thoughts:
We talked about being thankful for what God has done. "We have been brought up out of Egypt." We talked about being thankful for what God is doing. "Be thankful even for fleas." These are both reason enough to give thanks in all circumstances, but as Christians we have one more reason to give thanks. And that is that this world is not all there is. We can and should give thanks for all that we have. But, we also hold the promise that there is "a louder shout to come." We hold the promise that one day God will come and be our God and death and mourning and crying and pain will be no more. And for this promise, we are thankful.
Questions to ponder:
How does it change your day to day living, knowing that you hold these promises? What part of these passages gives you the most hope?
How do we hold onto the promises we have, without getting too caught up in them? We want to look to the future, without it becoming our only focus. How can we maintain balance?
Monday, November 17, 2008
Finishing the story...
Just in case you missed it on Sunday... here's the rest of the story:
Corrie and her sister Betsie did manage to "settle in" at this new concentration camp. They had prayer meetings in the back of the room every night. They were always very nervous about being caught by the guards, but it never seemed to happen. Each night, they had more and more women join their group. Each night, they got a bit louder. Corrie and her sister tried to keep everyone quiet, but it proved difficult. Everyone was so glad to have the chance to come and pray. They were worried about the guards patroling their barracks. They did not want the guards to stop the prayer meetings.
But, oddly enough, the gaurds never patrolled that room. The other rooms were thouroughly patrolled. But not the Ten Boom's barracks.
The reason?
They later found out that the gaurds never came by, because they were afraid of the fleas!
So, it turned out that there really was a good reason to be thankful for fleas!
I pray that God may show you the reasons that you can give thanks for the "fleas" in your life.
Corrie and her sister Betsie did manage to "settle in" at this new concentration camp. They had prayer meetings in the back of the room every night. They were always very nervous about being caught by the guards, but it never seemed to happen. Each night, they had more and more women join their group. Each night, they got a bit louder. Corrie and her sister tried to keep everyone quiet, but it proved difficult. Everyone was so glad to have the chance to come and pray. They were worried about the guards patroling their barracks. They did not want the guards to stop the prayer meetings.
But, oddly enough, the gaurds never patrolled that room. The other rooms were thouroughly patrolled. But not the Ten Boom's barracks.
The reason?
They later found out that the gaurds never came by, because they were afraid of the fleas!
So, it turned out that there really was a good reason to be thankful for fleas!
I pray that God may show you the reasons that you can give thanks for the "fleas" in your life.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Being Thankful For What God IS Doing
One of my all-time favorite stories that illustrates the idea of being continually thankful comes from the book The Hiding Place by Corrie TenBoom.
Corrie and her sister Betsie get put in a Concentration camp for hiding and protecting Jewish people during World War II. They endure many hardships and suffering during thier imprisonment. At the climax of the conflict they are transfered to a new camp. When they arrive in their new barracks, they are horrified to discover that their beds are infested with fleas and lice. This discovery pushes both sisters to the breaking point. How can they possibly survive this new place?!?
Betsie insists that they pray. She reminds Corrie that they should "give thanks continually" (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Corrie looks at her sister in disbelief. What is there to be thankful for in this horrible place? By the looks of things... not much.
But, Betsie is thankful for the fact they are together. And Corrie responds, "yes, God, thank-you."
Betsie is thankful they were able to bring their Bible, and Corrie responds, "yes, God, thank-you."
And then, Betsie says, "thank-you God for the fleas." And Corrie again looks up in horror and disbelief. HOW can she be thankful for fleas?!? But, Betsie is insistent. The scripture says to give thanks in ALL circumstances. And, that means, giving thanks for fleas. So, finally, Corrie gives in and says, "thank-you God for the fleas."
Now, there is an amazing (it really is amazing) part 2 to this story, but I'll make you wait until Sunday to hear the end.
In the mean time, here are some questions for reflection:
What are the "fleas" in your life?
What are the things you can be thankful for in spite of the "fleas"?
And, have you ever tried giving thanks for the "fleas"?
Challenge yourself this week to be thankful for the fleas.
Corrie and her sister Betsie get put in a Concentration camp for hiding and protecting Jewish people during World War II. They endure many hardships and suffering during thier imprisonment. At the climax of the conflict they are transfered to a new camp. When they arrive in their new barracks, they are horrified to discover that their beds are infested with fleas and lice. This discovery pushes both sisters to the breaking point. How can they possibly survive this new place?!?
Betsie insists that they pray. She reminds Corrie that they should "give thanks continually" (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Corrie looks at her sister in disbelief. What is there to be thankful for in this horrible place? By the looks of things... not much.
But, Betsie is thankful for the fact they are together. And Corrie responds, "yes, God, thank-you."
Betsie is thankful they were able to bring their Bible, and Corrie responds, "yes, God, thank-you."
And then, Betsie says, "thank-you God for the fleas." And Corrie again looks up in horror and disbelief. HOW can she be thankful for fleas?!? But, Betsie is insistent. The scripture says to give thanks in ALL circumstances. And, that means, giving thanks for fleas. So, finally, Corrie gives in and says, "thank-you God for the fleas."
Now, there is an amazing (it really is amazing) part 2 to this story, but I'll make you wait until Sunday to hear the end.
In the mean time, here are some questions for reflection:
What are the "fleas" in your life?
What are the things you can be thankful for in spite of the "fleas"?
And, have you ever tried giving thanks for the "fleas"?
Challenge yourself this week to be thankful for the fleas.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Being thankful for what God HAS done
The Psalmists are great at giving thanks for things that God has done. I am amazed at the history that often pours forth in the midst of a psalm. God has been faithful, and even in hard times, the Psalmist clings to that hope that God will be faithful again.
Look at Psalm 136.
Over and over throughout this Psalm, the refrain echos "give thanks to the Lord for his love endures forever."
In good times (like creation) and in bad times (like attacks from the enemy) Gods love endures forever.
So, now, it's your turn. If you were to write a new Psalm 136, what would it look like?
What are the highlights and lowlights in your life?
Where have you seen evidence that God's love truly does endure forever?
Look at Psalm 136.
Over and over throughout this Psalm, the refrain echos "give thanks to the Lord for his love endures forever."
In good times (like creation) and in bad times (like attacks from the enemy) Gods love endures forever.
So, now, it's your turn. If you were to write a new Psalm 136, what would it look like?
What are the highlights and lowlights in your life?
Where have you seen evidence that God's love truly does endure forever?
Being Thankful...
"In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."
- 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Over the next three weeks we will consider the topic of thankfulness. This verse in 1 Thessalonians is a challening one. In EVERYTHING give thanks.
The question is do you?
Do you give thanks for a bad hair day? For being stuck in traffic? For an empty bank account? For an argument with a friend or family member? For moments of embarrassment? For moments of humiliation?
I know that I don't. And yet, I know lots of stories, some that have happened to me, and some that I have heard of ways that awful situations turned into really great situations.
In the hard times, we cling to God more and more and our faith grows. And in the good times, we need to rejoice in answered prayers. God is certainly working in our lives, and being thankful helps us to see God at work in our world.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Over the next three weeks we will consider the topic of thankfulness. This verse in 1 Thessalonians is a challening one. In EVERYTHING give thanks.
The question is do you?
Do you give thanks for a bad hair day? For being stuck in traffic? For an empty bank account? For an argument with a friend or family member? For moments of embarrassment? For moments of humiliation?
I know that I don't. And yet, I know lots of stories, some that have happened to me, and some that I have heard of ways that awful situations turned into really great situations.
In the hard times, we cling to God more and more and our faith grows. And in the good times, we need to rejoice in answered prayers. God is certainly working in our lives, and being thankful helps us to see God at work in our world.
Surrounded By Saints
Tim’s message Sunday was a reminder that human vision is 20/20 in hindsight; we don’t recognize Saints until they’re gone. But that doesn’t mean that they’re not all around us. It doesn’t mean that they aren’t us! We have a choice. Are we going to be ill –fitting shoes cluttering the floor and tripping people up, or are we going to be strong shoulders for the present and future to stand on?
To help Tim develop as a lay preacher, please comment below. Did you at any time during the service feel the Spirit stir inside you; move you? If so when? Did you feel touched by the message or manipulated? Were you inspired to commit your life to continue Christ’s work? What does Tim need to improve upon?
To help Tim develop as a lay preacher, please comment below. Did you at any time during the service feel the Spirit stir inside you; move you? If so when? Did you feel touched by the message or manipulated? Were you inspired to commit your life to continue Christ’s work? What does Tim need to improve upon?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
