10/28- Answering God's Call

10/28- Tuesday 1 Corinthians 4:12 We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it;

Bonhoeffer:”Prayer should not be hindered by work, but neither should work be hindered by prayer…Work plunges the Christian in the world of impersonal things- ‘the it.’ …The breakthrough is made [when] the unity of prayer and work, the unity of the day is discovered.  For to find, back of the “it” of the day’s work, the “Thou,” which is God, is what Paul calls ‘praying without ceasing.’

Thoughts: We do not leave our faith behind at the door to the sanctuary.  The way we answer our calling is important.  If you are a student- do your work to the best of your ability.  If you are a full time parent, work hard to balance love and teaching what is right.  If you are retired, do not use your opportunity of extra hours to waste your life.  In our society, we are dependent on our retirees to volunteer where many young people cannot.  If your call is to work at a job, then put God in your work, and pray about your decisions as they come.  In whatever you do, you will interact with people.  In some ways this interaction is a test and part of your eternal work for our Lord.  Be a blessing to those around you- even if they are a bit ornery today. 

Prayer: Lord, may what I do today please you.  Give me grace and strength to show your love to those around me.    

10/26- Need to forgive

10/26- Sunday (New Theme: FELLOWSHIP OF FORGIVENESS; Read LT Chapter 5) Mark 11:25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."

Bonhoeffer: “The pious fellowship permits no one to be a sinner.  So everybody must conceal his sin from himself and from the fellowship.  We dare not be sinners.  Many Christians are unthinkably horrified when a real sinner is suddenly discovered among the righteous.  So we remain alone with our sin, living in lies and hypocrisy.  The fact is that we are sinners!”

Thoughts: A whole section of the forty days is devoted to forgiveness.  This is a priority for the Christian far more than the atheist, the Muslim, the Jew, the Buddhist or Hindu.  Forgiveness as a priority- even over worship and prayer- alone in the Christian tradition.   For many forgiveness doesn’t make sense.  But holding grudges or allowing yourself to be eaten up with anger or revenge is self-destructive behavior too.  Bitterness and grudge keeping hurts ourselves far more than the one who may have injured us.  Our passage reminds us that we have been forgiven by God- not because we have earned that forgiveness with right living.  In this passage even repentance is not required for forgiveness.  When someone injures you then moves away- you must forgive them not for their protection but for your own good.  The Father’s grace elicits repentance- but sometimes we may not have time to repent.  The person who is going to apologize but dies on the way is surely offered forgiveness by God.  God’s grace is amazing, and we are called to be gracious to those who do not deserve our forgiveness either.  In the end- God is glorified by His great mercy, and we are helped in our relationship with the merciful God when we join in showing forgiveness and mercy.

Prayer: Lord, help me to see how much I need your forgiveness.  Give me grace to forgive as you have forgiven me. 

Day 19- Forty Days of Fellowship; 10-16-14

10/17- Friday Psalm 5:4-8, 11- 4For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness;

with you, evil people are not welcome. 5The arrogant cannot stand in your presence.

You hate all who do wrong; 6you destroy those who tell lies. The bloodthirsty and deceitful

you, Lord, detest. 7But I, by your great love, can come into your house; in reverence I bow down toward your holy temple. 8Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies— make your way straight before me. 11But let all who take refuge in you be glad;

let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

Bonhoeffer: “Repeatedly in Psalm 5 there are two voices, bringing the same concern to God. Is this not a hint that one who prays never prays alone?”

Thoughts: To be able to downplay evil as if it does not matter what we do is to miss the importance of the holiness of God.  Some things do not please God.  Which things?  God, as the Creator, has the right to decide what is wicked and what is good.  The things that go along with His design and His creation are good.  The bloodthirsty who kill thinking they are doing good- think ISIS- are wrong.  The lying and deceiving who try to disguise the reality of life in order to achieve more selfishness are wrong.  But it is by God’s great love that we are brought into fellowship with Him.  It is by God’s great love that we know we should be reverent and humble before Him instead of arrogant and selfish.  The prayer is that God will lead us in His way of fellowship and love because there are those who would persecute or make fun of those who would try to be selfless instead of selfish.  There are the arrogant who would use their power to overwhelm the weak and humble.  The two voices Bonhoeffer describes are the “I” and the “we.”  No individual prays apart from the fellowship.  The selfless are never alone.

Prayer: Lord, as I give myself to you and others, may I find that you are there with me and others are as well. 

Crowd cheering a racer on. 

The Fellowship cheers us on the straight and narrow path to the finish line.  

40 Days day 3 Malachi 3:16

9/30- Tuesday- Malachi 3:16- Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name.

Bonhoeffer: “It is by the grace of God that a congregation is permitted to gather visibly in this world to share God’s Word and sacrament.”

Thoughts: When we talk together, the Lord listens.  This is the beauty of the fellowship: where two or three gather, there He is. Jesus said if we agree on earth it will be done by my Father in heaven (Mt. 18:18-20).  God does not want us alone in silence all the time- with a TV, computer, IPAD, tablet, or cell phone. These are helpful tools, but they can never take the place of fellowship.  These are like eating fellowship junk food.  Junk food may help you in a crunch but it can never replace a nutritious meal.  Seek a small group where you can talk together- it may be choir, or working at GOoDWorks, or a committee, or a circle, Bible study, or Sunday School.  Be in a place where you can share and hear- and God will be there too.

Prayer: Lord, thank you that you listen and hear us.  Thank you for your love and the promises of care for us.  

Kickoff Celebration LMPC Sunday night