Psalm 100 Devo

 Spiritual Practices - Praise the Lord

Adapted from: Adele Ahlberg Calhoun, Spiritual Disciplines Handbook: Practices that Transform Us, (Downers Grove: IVP Books, 2005).

Week of May 30th, 2021

Sometimes we need a reminder of how we grow closer to God. A different way to think about continually being shaped and molded by our Lord. For the next five weeks, we will be inviting you to think of the ways different practices impact your relationship with God. Some may come naturally to you or are things you already do, perhaps take time to thoughtfully consider what they mean to you. Some practices may be new, give them a try and see if they are a fit for this season of your life. Let us bring our hearts and lives before the Lord!

Scripture for the week: Psalm 100

What does it mean to give God grateful praise?

 What does praise look like in your life?

 Why do we praise our Lord? 

When do you worship the Lord with gladness? 

How do we come to know God more fully though praise?

Spiritual Practice: Worship

Set aside time during your day for worship - a time to praise God for all that God has done throughout the day. 

What amazing things is God doing amongst you and through you? 

How do you express your praise to God most naturally? 

What does your act of worship reveal about your heart?

Additional Scriptures to Meditate On:

Revelation 4:11

Matthew 4:10

John 4:24

Romans 12:1

Sabbath. Study. Serve.

 Sabbath, Study, Serve 

Taking the Sermon Into Our Week 

Scripture of the Week: Psalm 100

From the Sermon:

All of us worship ____________________________________.

What is written between “Psalm 100” and “Shout for joy to the Lord” - A psalm. For giving _________________________.

We do not give our praise to God in a _____________ way - saying God, I’ll sing your praises, but only if you do this for me first.

We come praise God because we are ____________ to God.

Reflection Questions:

How does praising God transform us?

It is really easy to say that of course we praise and worship God alone, but do our lives really show that?

What would other says is the focus of our time, our attention and our worship? In other words, what do you praise above God?

Prayer:

Lord, forgive us for the times we have lifted up other people and things in praise above you. Return us to a place where we honor you and your name above all others, we pray. Amen. 

“Pentecost” Acts 2:1- 4; Galatians 4:1-7

     The story of Jesus's ascension is sometimes hard to understand because we aren't quite sure what it has to do with us. What does this story of Jesus being raised in front of his first disciples up into heaven say to us today?

    First, I think it asks us the question that was posed to the disciples in this passage - why are we looking up? There is a gentleman in the parish that I serve that says sometimes you can be so heavenly minded that you are no earthly good. Yet, sometimes it is so tempting to keep looking up instead of heeding Jesus's call to go out. The disciples are handed the message of Jesus to carry forth, but they can't do that if they spend all of their time only looking up. The same is true for us today.

    Second, this scripture passage reminds us that God works through everyday people. We spent so much time discussing the Gospel of Mark talking about how the disciples missed the point again and again and again. And here we find more of the same. Yet, God keeps using them. God called fishermen to be witnesses of Jesus in the world. And God continues to call you and me, no matter where we have come from, to go forth today.

     Third, this passage asks what we are going to do with our time. A good summary of this particular passage is in-between-ness. In between the resurrection and Pentecost. In between Jesus going up into heaven and the coming of the Holy Spirit. What do we do with those in-between times in our lives? We pray. We get ready for what God is going to call us to next. We are obedient to the words and calling of Christ.

     The disciples probably didn't see it as such at the time, but this was a blessing for them. It was getting them ready for the coming of the Spirit. And as frustrated as they may have been with the lack of certainty or answers, they continued to sit and wait and pray.

    How are we being called to be Christ's witnesses in the world today and how are we preparing to go forth in his name?

Reblog - 4/2020

Pentecost Devo - Acts 2: 1-4 and Gal. 4: 1-7

 May 23, 2021

Devotional

“Pentecost”

Acts 2: 1-4 and Galatians 4:1-7

Keep the sermon topic and Biblical text preaching all week by following Pastor Michelle on twitter @tinypastor and reading her sermon blog www.revmichelle.blogspot.com

Monday: “Pentecost” - Acts 2: 1

  The story is told of an elderly man who had been a life long member of a local church. One day the man died and the church folks all gathered to celebrate his life, but many people didn’t know much about him. The following Sunday the church folks returned for worship only to find that the lights were off, the heat wasn’t turned on, there was still a mess in the sanctuary, and the garbage was overflowing. It ends up this man singularly took care of most of the behind the senses tasks that made the church a pleasant place to be on Sunday. He did it all without any fanfare so people didn’t realize until his absence how vital he was.

When I heard this story the first time my thoughts immediately went to the Holy Spirit. One of the claims of the Church is that God is three in one and one in three. Three distinct persons with distinct roles, yet wholly untied and all part of the Godhead. Yet, the Holy Spirit seems to be the most forgotten and least talked about part of the Trinity. Even on this Sunday, Pentecost Sunday, when we celebrate the birth of the Church, the Holy Spirit sometimes gets discounted. We forget how vital the Spirit is, until he seems to be absent from our lives, personally or corporately.

In some Bibles, in addition to scripture verses being numbered, topics are broken up and given headings - a preview of what the section is about. In my Bible, the first part of today’s scripture passage is entitled “The Coming of the Holy Spirit”. While that statement is true, the Holy Spirit has also existed with God and Jesus since the beginning of time, sweeping over the vastness that was to be created in the beginning. But now the Holy Spirit has come to form the Church, empowered by God to carry forth Christ’s mission to go the very ends of the earth baptizing disciples.

How has the day of Pentecost changed your life?

Prayer: Lord, we thank you for your story of old about sending your Holy Spirit in a new way. Because of that day, we are knit together as your church. Because of that day, we are lead by your Holy Spirit. Thank you, Lord! Amen. 

Tuesday: “Filled” - Acts 2:2

I wonder, how long God had been planning this Pentecost celebration. How long had God been dreaming up this time when disciples would be gathered together, fearing for their very lives, yet would be met with a gift from Heaven that rushed through their space like a violent wind and appeared like tongues of fire? Did Christ know that the Spirit would enable his followers to speak languages they never studied, some they had never even heard before, in order to go forth in his name? Did God chuckle knowing how the people hearing these disciples would react? Asking how this was possible for them to hear Galileans speaking their own language? Or that some would be nay sayers would say that disciples were only drunk - as if alcohol would give them the power to speak different languages discernibly?

This celebration that God was planning was a giant gift to the Church that we still do not fully understand or unwrap today. We don’t understand the role of the Holy Spirit so we can’t tap into his power in our ministry. So what are some of the things that the Holy Spirit brings to the Church? The list is extensive, but I want to address four this morning. 

What questions do you have about the day of Pentecost?

Prayer: Lord, we confess that your plans are beyond our imagination. We confess that we cannot even come close to what you have dreamed up and put into being. Lord, as we tremble before you in awe and wonder, let us be led to praise you alone. Amen. 

Wednesday: “Fire” - Acts 2:3

The Spirit brings forth signs and wonders! One of the things I hear from time to time that breaks my heart is that we are no longer in the age of miracles -that they don’t exist anymore. For that’s simply not true. We just don’t recognize the Spirit moving among us, bringing forth signs and wonders even today. Like the people in Jesus’ day who demanded a certain sign, only to receive something else instead, we overlook every day miracles, or worse don’t properly attribute them to the Holy Spirit. It doesn’t come in the packing we expect, so we dismiss it.

The Spirit also gives us courage. The second part of this morning’s scripture has the title “Peter Addresses the Crowd” in my Bible. Peter, filled with the Spirit, has the courage to preach the first sermon of the Church. He raised his voice and told the crowd to listen to what he is saying. That those filled with the Spirit aren’t drunk, rather this is a fulfillment of scripture. Peter, who didn’t even have the courage to admit that he was a follower of Christ only a few months earlier, now is boldly proclaiming the gospel. 

What has the Holy Spirit equipped you to do?

Prayer: Almighty God, your Spirit unleashed in the world did many things. Things that we cannot fathom. And things that have intimately changed us. Holy Spirit, move today, we pray! Amen.  

Thursday: “Holy Spirit” - Acts 2:4

Every time we claim that we aren’t brave enough to do something, or it makes us feel uncomfortable, or we can’t possibly do a certain work for the kingdom because we aren’t gifted, we are denying the courage and power the Spirit gives us. We dismiss the Spirit, thinking that he isn’t big enough to stand up to our own self-proclaimed inadequacies. What would have happened if Peter wouldn’t have seized the courage given by the Spirit at this moment? Three-thousand people would have missed out on the opportunity to be baptized. What moments do we miss when we make excuses instead of depending on the Spirit?

The Spirit gives us guidance when making decisions. One of my favorite parts of the Pentecost story is the timing. The disciples were gathered in the upper room, waiting. Christ told them to wait in a certain place until a certain, undisclosed time. There is a lot of trust and hard work that goes into waiting. Yet the Spirit helps us discern the right time, decision, or plan of action, if we actually pray for these things. But all too often, we pray about something once and consider that good enough for discernment. Or we get caught up in other people’s ideas instead of the prompting of the Spirit. We lose our sensitivity to the movement of the Spirit and our ability to discern diminishes as we rely solely on ourselves instead of waiting on the Holy Spirit.

How have you witnessed the Holy Spirit’s perfect timing?

Prayer: God of Grace, we are not perfect, but you are. So, Lord, we humble ourselves to accept your will and your timing. Let us simply have the passion and courage to follow you. Amen. 

Friday: “The Church” -Galatians 4:1-7

  The Spirit equips the Church for ministry. The disciples couldn’t speak these languages, they weren’t native to them. Yet the Holy Spirit came and reversed the confession that had existed since the tower of Babel. The Holy Spirit brings gifts and power to use them to the disciples. The Spirit works in creative ways to unite the nations for the mission of God, if only we would claim them.

Sometimes Pentecost is described as a Birthday party. And in some ways this is true. But some times we get too caught up in the image of a birthday party - where only certain people are invited. And at the end of the day, after the presents are opened, and the cake is eaten, people go home, back to their lives as if nothing has happened. But the birthday of the Church is something everyone is invited to, a celebration for the world if only people would RSVP. Some will dismiss the message, like the nay sayers claiming that the disciples were drunk. Others will simply come to see what all the commotion is about before return to their lives as scheduled. But there is the potential for the celebration to lead to lives being changed, if we rely on the Spirit in all of its power, creativity, and gifting. People can come to know Christ, if we have the courage to discern where the Spirit is leading and boldly follow. 

May we be a Church known for following the Spirit, instead of dismissing him. May we follow the gifting granted to us for the mission of making disciples for the transformation of the world, proclaiming the signs and wonders of our God, three in one and one in three.

How did the Spirit equip Paul and the Galatians?

Prayer: God, we thank you that you do not leave us or forsake us. We thank you that you call us. And we thank you that we are entrusted with the Gospel truth. Send us out, we pray. Amen. 

Saturday: Preparing for the Word

You are invited to read and pray this week’s text and topic to prepare for worship: “Psalms” - Psalm 100

Sabbath. Study. Serve.

 Sabbath, Study, Serve 

Taking the Sermon Into Our Week 

Scripture of the Week: Acts 2:1- 4 and

Galatians 4:1-7

From the Sermon:

The church of God continues on with the same __________ as the day that it was formed - to proclaim Jesus Christ crucified and to see hearts and lives being changed.

The Holy Spirit is ________________.

Out of this crucible of fear, when the disciples were all gathered together in one place, the Spirit of God came upon them and proclaimed that this is the day when_________________________.

Because of Pentecost,  ________ was sent out to these people who thought they needed to be part of a religion before in order to be a child of God.

God will never let the church ______.

Reflection Questions:

Where were the disciples on the day of Pentecost?

How are the story of Pentecost and Paul writing to the Galatians linked?

What new thing God will continue to do to make people aware of the gift of grace and call them to respond?

Are we willing to do whatever it takes to be part of the movement of the Holy Spirit?

Prayer:

Lord, for the times we have not remembered the power of the Pentecost story, forgive us. For the times we have not lived into your calling as the church, have mercy on us. Lord, renew your church this day, we pray. Amen. 

"One in Christ" - Galatians 3:1-9, 23-29

    If any people should be proclaiming that all people matter to God, it should be the Church. The apostle Paul writes to the church in Galatians that there are no distinctions in the body of Christ, no one is better than anyone else, and I can guarantee that made just about everyone angry. The Jews thought that they were better then the gentiles, as God’s chosen people - yet there is no Jew nor Greek. Those that were free look down upon those who were slaves, both indentured and those by birth - yet there was no slave nor free. Men thought they owned women as property, and all of the religious teachings and political laws of the time were set up to agree with them - yet there is no male nor female. For there is no distinction outside of the most important one that we all bear “child of God.”

Spiritual author Henri Nouwen rocked my world in college with his short piece Life of the Beloved. To date it is the spiritual writing that I have gifted and handed out the most. The pages are tattered, highlighted, and filled with ink. The book is Nouwen response to his friend Fred, who asked him to explain in simple terms why life mattered and Nouwen’s answer has changed lives for generations “You are the beloved.” That is what matters - we are loved by God. We are loved by God with such a radical love that all of the other distinctions and labels people try to put upon us don’t matter. That is the message the church should be proclaiming.

     The Church of Jesus Christ has a unique opportunity to model unity. To buck the actions and attitudes of favoritism discussed in James, who says that we cannot both show favoritism and believe in Christ. Hard words to swallow. Especially for folks who have come to privileges at the expense of others, privileges that are so engrained in us that we don’t even realize them any more. When we choose to learn from each others differences instead of judging each other by them - we are the Church. We are proclaiming with our lips and our lives that what matters most is that we are God’s beloved, and all people under the banner of Christ deserved to be treated the same way, with love, honor, and respect. 

“One in Christ” - Galatians 3:1-9, 23-29 Devo

 May 16th, 2021

Devotional

“One in Christ” - Galatians 3:1-9, 23-29

Keep the sermon topic and Biblical text preaching all week by following Pastor Michelle on twitter @tinypastor and reading her sermon blog www.revmichelle.blogspot.com

Monday: “Foolish” - Gal 3: 1-6

  No one amongst us likes to be called foolish, yet that is exactly what Paul calls the Galatians when he hears that they are starting to doubt that they are now part of the family of God - even though they are Gentiles.

Last week we talked about the folks who were confusing the people in Galatians and how Paul felt, but Paul was equally dismayed that the people in Galatia had been so easily led astray. 

Often when we talk about being led astray it has to do with people leading people away from Godly things. But for Paul, the Galatians are being led astray by people trying to heap even more requirements on them in order to be Godly. He has people who are eager to follow God and others who are more than happy to add stipulations on to what it means to be a follower of Jesus.

Sometimes in our zeal to follow God, we forget what it means to follow Christ alone. We add more and more rules onto the plate of Christianity, to the point where we forget who we are following in the first place and how he has set us free. 

What does freedom in Christ mean to you?

Prayer: God, we thank you that through your son, Jesus Christ, you have opened up wide the gates to your Kingdom. Forgive us for times we try to narrow your reign or the meaning of your freedom in our lives. Let us live for you, we pray. Amen. 

Tuesday: “Justify the Gentiles” - Gal 3: 7-9

  I grew up taking typing classes. The first ones I fully remember were in middle school, where we learned about justifying your words - lining them up and setting them right. 

Why it may be hard for us to wrap our minds around how God justifies us and what it fully means in our lives, we do understand setting something right. Especially when it is something out of place or that has been wrong.

The Gentiles had never before heard that they could be justified - be made right - by faith in God. No additional requirements. No need to become a Jew. To simply be welcomed as part of the covenant because of Jesus. 

To be honest, some of the Jews had not heard and understood this as well. They got caught up in the mechanics of justification instead of the gift of grace.

What has God justified, or made right, in your life? How is this a gift of grace?

Prayer: God, we thank you that our lack of understanding does not limit your grace. Let us live lives that are aligned with you and proclaim your goodness, love and truth, we pray. Amen. 

Wednesday: “Law” - Gal 3: 23-24

Paul grew up as a Jew. In fact a Jew among Jews and a Pharisee among Pharisees, if you remember what he wrote last week. So Paul understands the law. He understands the importance of the law of the Abrahamic covenant. And he also understands that no one has ever kept the law perfectly, nor has the law alone  saved any one. 

So Paul is taking all of his knowledge of the law and saying, yes, it had its place but its place was to point us to God and now, we no longer need that because God has come to us in the flesh in Jesus. If we keep trying to go back to what once was trying to reveal God’s heart and way to us, we minimize the Good News of Jesus Christ.

There are times when looking back is important, but if we get stuck in the past we can miss what God is inviting us to in this moment. 

How does Paul weave together the past and the present to point to the future?

Prayer: Almighty God, when we could not fulfill your covenant and keep your laws, you sent us a new way, a perfect way, through Jesus Christ. Let us live as people who are marked by the cross and the empty tomb every day of our lives. Amen.  

Thursday: “Clothed in Christ” - Gal 3: 26-27

Baptism is an important outward sign of the inward work of grace in our lives. There is a good work that began in you. It began long before your baptism – the time when we publicly proclaim it as a church. It was known in the Heavens before you took your first breath on this earth. Because God created you. We live in a world that tempts us to forget that message, that we are God’s very own. That the creator of the universe called Jesus out of the waters with the Heavens proclaiming that he was God’s beloved, and the same claim is laid on each of our lives every day. We stand as witnesses in the tradition of the Saints and Jesus Christ saying that God has a purpose for our being, and we will surround all of those around us with love. We will let our lives be examples, like Jesus’ was for us, of the walk of faith – triumphs, joys, sorrows, struggles, and everything in between. We will nurture those around us to make disciples for the transformation of the world. And most importantly, we hold each others hand and proclaim that we are one family, united by one true Holy Spirit that has laid claim to each of our lives and calls us “Beloved”. 

How do you claim being God’s beloved in everyday life?

Prayer: God of Grace and God of Glory, you do not leave us alone. You have given us the gift of the Holy Spirit to lead us and the community of faith, the body of Christ, to support us, as we are clothed together in Christ. Amen and amen! 

Friday: “One in Christ Jesus” - Gal 3: 28-29

  Sometimes we don’t get the “one in Christ Jesus” part of our faith down very well. We understand cognitively that there is one Lord, one Body broken for our sins. We understand that there is one church universal, where we should hypothetically be accepted because of our relationship with Christ wherever we go, but we also know that what we understand with our head we don’t always put into action. 

What is God’s vision for the church, as presented by the apostle Paul in this particular scripture verse? What prevents us from making this a reality? 

Prayer: O loving God, make our church be known as a church where everyone is treated equally because they are your child a reality. Help us set aside anything that may block your Kingdom vision for our Church. Amen. a new beginning, marked by repentance. We pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen. 

Saturday: Preparing for the Word

You are invited to read and pray this week’s text and topic: “Pentecost” - Acts 2:1- 4; Galatians 4:1-7

Sabbath. Study. Serve.

 Sabbath, Study, Serve 

Taking the Sermon Into Our Week 

Scripture of the Week: Galatians 3:1-9, 23-29

From the Sermon:

Paul is trying to remind the people of Galatia that  their identity in __________ isn’t something to be shed or set aside, but instead is the entirety of who they are.

Does a Gentile need to become a Jew or like a Jew in order to be ____________?

Paul who said if you hold folks to ______ part of the law of old you’ve missed the whole point about Jesus’s coming.

It’s about Christ’s _________________.

The question now is - are you ____________________________?

Reflection Questions:

How would you answer the question, “who are you?”

Why was the question ‘Does a Gentile need to become a Jew or like a Jew in order to be Christian?’ So important to the early church and Paul?

Do we truly believe that Christ changed everything? If so, how do we see this in our lives?

Prayer:

For the times we have tried to break what you have bound together, forgive us, O Lord. For the times we have tried to place up divisions where there should be unity, forgive us, O Lord. For the times we have let other identities take the primary spots in our lives, forgive us, O Lord. And make us a new creation. Amen.

Living by Faith - Galatians 1:13-17; 2:11-21

      I have been thinking a lot this week about what exactly makes living by faith so difficult, and I think it boils down to the fact that it is not about us. Which is hard to swallow.

      A casual reader of Galatians, especially chapter one, may say that Paul is talking a whole lot about himself. They may think that Paul was saying that it's all about him. But as we dig deeper we find that this isn't the case. Paul isn't talking about his past in order to say how great he is, instead he saying to folks "look at how great the Gospel is." Look how the Good News of Jesus changed even and most especially me. That is the power of Christ that we claim. 

     Faith is all about the power of Jesus. But we live in a world that tells us that it's about us. Work hard and you will be rewarded. Be wise and you'll get ahead. But Paul comes into all of that and turns it on his head when he says that being in Christ, having faith in Christ, is about Christ and not us. It's not about simply saying the right thing or believing the right thing, it's about being changed by Christ.  And that is not something we can do by our own strength or will. 

     How would you define faith and why do you think living by faith is difficult at times?

Living by Faith Devo

 May 9th, 2021

“Living by Faith”

        Galatians 1:13-17; 2:11-21

   

Keep the sermon topic and Biblical text preaching all week by following Pastor Michelle on twitter @tinypastor and reading her sermon blog www.revmichelle.blogspot.com

Monday: “Previous Way” - Gal 1: 13-14

Paul had come to the region of Galatia, which is around modern day Turkey, to witness to the Gentiles. While he was there he suffered some of the most intense persecution, beatings, and sufferings that he ever encountered along his missionary journey. But despite all that happened to him, he deeply love the churches in this region. He taught them about finding freedom through the salvation offered in Jesus Christ. A spiritual freedom they had never experienced before. 

  But then he left the region, moving on to the next area, and it seemed like everything started to fall apart. Yes, the churches in Galatia wanted freedom, but they didn’t seem to grasp what it meant to be truly free in Christ. In the midst of the confusion entered a group known as the Judiziers, people who grew up Jewish and told them that their faith in Christ wasn’t complete if they didn’t act like a Jew. News got back to Paul and he was noticeably upset. 

  He is upset because the churches took the grace of Jesus Christ and imparted on top of it a list of rules - making it legalistic instead of loving. They put so many rules on it that they are in danger of losing what the heart of the gospel is all about - Jesus Christ. He saw what the Judiziers were doing as a hinderance to the faith that these gentile pagans who had came to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. The teachings of the Judaizers were becoming a hinderance. 

How does Pauls’ previous life allow him to both understand and refute the Judaizers?

Prayer: Lord, free us from our need to be in control that makes us add to your grace with laws. Let us live into your freedom alone, we pray. Amen.

Tuesday: “Grace” - Gal 1: 15-17

I have to believe that the Judiazers did not set out to make the Gospel message more complicated. I want to believe that they had the best interest of the Galatians in mind. I want to believe that because too many Christians are like the Judiazers today, adding rules to grace. Trying to put forth the message that Jesus is not enough alone, even if we don’t mean to. We say that you need to believe in Jesus and in order to be a good Christian. You need to believe in Jesus and like a certain style of worship. You need to believe in Jesus and vote a certain way. You need to believe in Jesus and following the rules not of Christ, but of this specific church. All of the rules were weighting the Galatians down, just like they weigh us down today.

Think of  some of the “ands” that we add to our faith today. Some are preferences - we want you to dress a certain way. Others are cultural misunderstandings about the Bible - such as not having tattoos, which had more to do with ownership, being branded, then the expression of love or devotion that most tattoos show today. The truth is that we all have “ands” that we’ve added to faith in Jesus Christ that are weighing us down and distracting us from the gospel truth, making faith and grace far more complicated then it should be. 

What are some of the “ands” we to to grace today?

Prayer: Lord, we thank you that you came to teach a new way to live. A way marked by your truth and grace. Let us live into your life, boldly and fully, being freed from the extra “ands” we hear all around us. Amen. 

Wednesday: “Oppose” - Gal 2: 11-14

There is a distinction to be made between structure that helps us live out our faith by being acceptable and the Church representing Christ to the world and imposing rules on top of our faith that distract us from our mission. A wonderful example of this came from my spiritual director, who served with her husband as a missionary around the world for decades. The places where Christianity often faltered where those areas where North Americans and Europeans went into tribal cultures, introduced Christ to folks, but didn’t stop there. Instead of allowing people to live into their faith in the context of their culture and society, they took their evangelism one step forward, and one step to far, by explicitly telling people they weren’t quite Christian until they accepted the way of being and culture from the missionaries. For example, going into an African tribal society and trying to make them democratic in the name of being Christian. Democracy isn’t in the Bible and by trying to impose this way of living, they just confused what it meant to be a follower of Jesus Christ with their particular way of living.

Have you ever noticed when someone doesn’t have all of the facts right they just skip logic altogether and start attacking people? Paul wants the Galatians to know that he has preached the full and true Gospel to them. Jesus’s teachings, death, and resurrection. He didn’t water down the Gospel, as he was accused on by the Judaizers, in order to convert them. He gave them the whole gospel and let the Holy Spirit convict and lead them into faith. Now others were coming to make their faith about the law instead of Jesus, and that is not part of the Gospel message of Christ. Its almost as if they have been saved from a burning ship, are on the lifeboat, and are now trying to steer the boat back towards the flames. And when they can’t, they start jumping overboard and swimming towards the now sinking ship. 

How would you explain the argument between Peter and Paul?

Prayer: God, forgive us for the times we have used faith as a weapon when we disagree with someone. Instead, unite us in your love, we pray. Amen.  

Thursday: “Faith in Christ” - Gal 2: 16-16

  Paul proclaimed that the Gospel message tells us that we are saved by Jesus Christ alone. Not by our own actions of following the law to a ’t’ or worshipping a certain way, or anything else that is done by our own merit. Paul isn’t giving them this message in a diluted form, or to make them like him. He is telling them the whole gospel because he is compelled to by Christ. Humorously, what the Juadizers are proclaiming about needing to follow the law, is what he believed before encountering the risen Christ on the road to Damascus. Knowing how painful that road is, he is trying to steer the Galatians away from it, towards the Gospel. He doesn’t want them to follow a law just to please others, he wants them to please God. 

  Our deepest human desire is for companionship and we think we can achieve that by making people like us, or by making people like us, in our image. Paul speaks firmly against this, saying that we are not to proclaim the Gospel, the very word of God, to please others, but because we are compelled by God. We are merely vessels to help others glorify God! 

 How much of what we do and who we are, both as individual believers and this Church, is because we are seeking to glorify God and how much of it is to make other people like us? How much of what we do is to fulfill other people’s expectations and how much of it is living into the mission God has created us for?  

How does your faith in Christ center and guide you?

Prayer: Lord, sometimes we want others to like us, other times we want other people to be like us, and both ways of living can steer us away from living by faith alone. Speak to us again what it means to have faith in you. Lead us to follow you, we pray. Amen. 

Friday: “Grace of God” - Gal 2: 17-21

  The truth is that the Word of God is powerful. It’s the message of the Gospel that leads people to love Christ. It’s the message of Christ still converts hearts today - if we get out of the way and stop complicating it with our own agendas and laws. We need to get out of our own way in order to get back to the root of the church - the Word of God. We need to get out of our own way in order for the church to be re-born anew, like that first Pentecost. S

I am commissioning you today, may the love of Jesus Christ and the grace that passes all understanding, shine through you, as it did the apostle Paul, so that those who do not yet know Christ come to that knowledge through you. And leave it at that. Don’t give into the temptation to make someone like you, so that others may be made in the image, not of us, but of God. How has the grace of God changed your life?

Prayer: Lord, we rejoice in your grace and how it has transformed us. Let us listen to the call of your grace upon our lives and respond with eager hearts every day. Amen. 

Saturday: Preparing for the Word

You are invited to read and pray this week’s text and topic: “One in Christ” - Galatians 3:1-9, 23-29

Sabbath. Study. Serve.

 Sabbath, Study, Serve 

Taking the Sermon Into Our Week 

Scripture of the Week: Galatians 1:13-17; 2:11-21

From the Sermon:

Paul thought that he and Peter and the other leaders in Jerusalem had an understanding- new _________ coverts did not need to become ____________ in order to be a believer in Christ.

Paul is saying there can be no ______ or _______ when it comes to the salvation of Jesus Christ.

You can’t say that you are saved by ________ and the ________.

__________ is what replaces ______ as that which propels us forward everyday. 

Faith is the priority because it points us to the _______________________________.

Reflection Questions:

How would you define “faith”?

What would you say your faith is built upon?

How do you share faith with others?

Prayer:

Lord, we confess that all too often we take your Good News and try to add to it. We try to gloss it over with doctrine, having right beliefs. Or we say that people need to act a certain way to be welcomed, having right actions. But you invite people to simply come and be transformed by your love and grace. Let us claim this as the center of our faith again today. Amen. 

Council at Jerusalem - Acts 15:1-18

       The Pharisees often get a bad rap in the Gospels, but at their core, they were traditionalists. They were the people who were trying to remind the Jewish people who they were and how God had made them the chosen people. That's why they could often be found pointing back to the law of Moses to guide them, because it was a sign of this amazing covenant that God had with them.

      Enter Paul. A self-described Pharisee of Pharisee, who had come from this place of wanting to uphold all of the traditions. But now God has placed this call upon his life to throw open wide the gates of the Kingdom to the gentiles and say that they, too, are part of the family of God because of this new covenant - the covenant of Jesus's blood. 

     We still have both groups of people in our faith today. Those that want to uphold the traditions and those that want to live boldly, even if it looks a little different from the past. And the truth is both groups are needed to help each other grow and to be complete in the body of Christ. The real question of Acts 15 isn't who is right and who is wrong - it's how can we live together for the sake of the Gospel - an invitation that is still just as vital 2,000 years later. 

“Council at Jerusalem” Devo - Acts 15: 1-18

 Monday: “Certain People” - Acts 15: 1-4

     If you asked Christians today if circumcision is necessary in order to be part of the Kingdom of God, most people would probably tell you know. Some may cite family history, but very few would claim that you must be circumcised in order to be part of the family of God. Yet, that is the question facing gentile believers who Paul had raised up. Is circumcision necessary to be part of the faith?

Paul had taught no, it is not necessary. As he raised up new believers and planted churches from those with no Jewish lineage (those called gentiles) he was teaching Christ crucified alone. But at Antioch filled with new believers Jews came from Judea and started to contradict Paul - of course you need to be circumcised. You cannot be Jewish without being circumcised and you cannot be a believer of Jesus if you aren’t a Jew. And a dispute erupted.

While it is hard to image the church today fighting over circumcision we certainly fight about a lot of things. How to baptize. How old you need to be in order to be baptized. Who is welcomed at the communion table -the list goes on and on. This week let us invite God’s teaching through the book of Acts to illuminate our path in the midst of disputes as well. 

How would you feel if you were Paul and someone came to contradict your teaching with people you love? 

Prayer: God, we often like to think that we have all the answers, yet Lord, the Truth lies in you alone. While we are grateful to catch glimpses, we are not the ultimate authority, you are. So let your Truth and Way guide us this week and beyond, we pray. Amen. 

Tuesday: “Law of Moses” - Acts 15: 5

Often in the Gospels the Pharisees get a bad rap. If Jesus is arguing with anyone, it is the religious establishment, including the Pharisees and other leaders of Jewish life. But if we give a charitable reading to the Pharisees, they are trying to uphold the traditions of the faith. What traditions? Specifically the law of Moses, because it is a sign of the covenant. 

While we think about circumcision coming from God to Abraham and his descendants as a sign of the covenantal promise, it was the law of Moses that brought circumcision and all of its accompanying practices into law. If you would ask Pharisees why circumcision was important, they would not have pointed to Abraham as much as the law of Moses.

They are trying to keep people on the right path by upholding the law and the tradition. Which Paul would have understood as a Pharisee of the Pharisees.

Tradition is an extremely important thing. But it must be tempered with being obedient to the Holy Spirit. We need both a heart of tradition and a spirit of submission to God in our lives.

  How do tradition and following the Spirit not seem to gel in this first section of Acts 15?

Prayer: Lord, your ways are beyond our human understanding. Give us hearts that embrace your mystery - the mystery of tradition and the mystery of following where you are leading today. Give us discerning hearts and wisdom as we follow you and you alone. Amen. 

 

Wednesday: “Grace ” - Acts 15: 6-11

The church in Jerusalem at this point in time was led by James. In his wisdom, we allowed the opposing sides to have “much discussion” which is a nice way to say debate the topic out. But it is Peter who stood up and put the matter to rest, calling those gathered to believe through grace that we are saved as the sign of the new covenant, not circumcision alone. 

It is no accident that it is Peter who stood up and spoke. Just a few chapters earlier (Acts 10) he had his own conversion experience around the question of who was in and who was out, as God gave him a vision of clean and unclean animals. When Peter instead in the vision to live into the tradition, denouncing unclean foods, God reminded him that anything that God says is clean is clean. 

In Acts 11, Peter then has to defend his own actions that follows. How he went into the home of a gentile (who would have been considered unclean) and baptized his family.

In Peter’s mind, this is a settled matter. Grace abounds. 

How has grace abounded in your life?

Prayer: Lord, we thank you that you are God and we are not. We thank you Lord that you declare who is clean and it is not up to us in our human ways. And we thank you, O Lord, above all else for the grace that claimed our life and claims the lives of others. Alleluia and Amen!

Thursday: “God Had Done” - Acts 15: 12-14

  When I read Acts 15 from the beginning, I imagine Paul and Barnabas heading off to Jerusalem raring for a fight. Who are these people to come and confuse the people they love? Those that they had been teaching about the faith?

But once Peter spoke, in many ways the fight left them, and instead their words rang out with praise for God. They told of what God had done amongst the gentiles they had seen. The signs and wonders. The people whose lives were changed as they came to believe the Gospel.

What an example for our lives as well. What would it look like if next time we are in a disagreement with another believer, we praised God? Not a backhanded praise like “God I thank you I am not like so and so” but authentic praise - “Lord, I thank you for what you have done!” 

It reminds me of the ancient hymn “To God be the Glory” why? Because “great things he has done. He loveth the world so he gave us his son!” True words throughout the ages. 

  How can you change the tenor of an argument to praise to God? 

Prayer: Lord, we do want to give you all the honor, glory, and praise. Lord, remind us that you do not need us to defend you with our words so much as testify to your grace and love with our actions. When we become heated, let us turn our hearts to praise and find our rest in you, we pray. Change us, O Lord. Amen. 

Friday: “Agreement”- Acts 15: 15-18

At this end of this time of praise and testimony, James spoke and reminded the people of how what had been pointed out by Peter and lifted up by Paul and Barnabas was seen through the prophets as he called to mind the words of Amos 9, that even the gentiles would bear God’s name.

James, in his wisdom, was able to unite the tradition of the prophets with the bold work of Paul for such a time as this, as Paul lived into his call from God to take the Good News to the gentiles.

Acts 15 reminds us that God offers a third way - bringing together the past and the present in a way that leads to God’s future. 

How is God calling you to be a wise bridge-builder like James between the past and the present to the future?

Prayer: Lord, we thank you for your servants throughout the ages who did not speak by their own mind, but through your wisdom. May we, too, be people of your wisdom who share your love and grace with the world. Amen. 

Saturday: Preparing for the Word

You are invited to read and pray this week’s text and topic: “Living by Faith” - Galatians 1:13-17; 2:11-21