Posts Tagged ‘Matthew’
Lectionary Scriptures for 12-8-13
December 3, 2013Pastor’s Pondering, Wonderings, Wanderings
August 22, 2012This is the devotional from the Upperroom for Wednesday, 8-22-12.
The king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”
– Matthew 25:40 (NRSV)
“While driving home from Philadelphia, my wife and I stopped at a red light before crossing the bridge into southern New Jersey. At the light was a poor man wearing rosaries and carrying a bucket of soapy water and a squeegee. He started to wash the car’s front window. I yelled at him to stop and told him that I would not pay him for his labor. The poor man explained that he had to work to eat; if I did not want to pay him, that was between God and me.
My wife pulled out a dollar and gave it to him when he finished his job and the light turned green. My wife was shocked by my behavior and said that turning down someone in need was not like me. She then recited Matthew 25:40. I was speechless; I knew she was right and that I had sinned.
As we pulled into our driveway at home, I realized that I am blessed and that others need help from those more fortunate. Since this incident, I have been more generous toward those in need. I hope and pray that I am never so close-fisted again.”
I had read this devotional for the day at home and had left to go to the Chiropractor. While I was pulling up into the parking space I noticed a man walking across the parking lot watching me pull into the parking lot. Sure enough as soon as I parked he was standing at my window looking like he wanted to ask me something. I put down the window a little ways and he began his spiel about needing some money to get something to eat. I think he was just asking for a quarter or so and I knew he was not getting something to eat for a quarter. The reminder in the devotional fresh on my mind had me digging in my wallett for a few dollars. God works in mysterious ways and this was one of them. I have noticed lately that my heart was hardening towards those who panhandle at convenience stores. I have not walked a “mile in their shoes” so the devotional reminded me that it is not for me to judge but for me to give to those who are in need.
Then I looked at all the bugs on my windshield and he was gone. Oh well, at least God knows his needs and mine!!!
Pastor Randy
Pastor’s Ponderings, Wonderings, Wanderings
June 18, 2012I was just thinking about the Twelve Commandments or is it maybe thirteen. You do remember Jesus telling us to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and love our neighbor as ourselves? Of course those would be eleven and twelve but where is thirteen? Well let’s look in John 15:12 where Jesus tells us “This is my commandment: that you love one another as I have loved you!” You may be thinking that they all say we should love each other and that loving God and loving our neighbor are actually a part of the original Ten. I would say that Jesus made sure that we knew the original Ten were essential and if we were not following His love commandments we would not be using the glue that holds them all together. Remember from Mark:
Mar 12:29 Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord, Mar 12:30 and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ Mar 12:31 The second is this: ‘You must love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”
So love would be essential to all that we do and who we are as Christians and is punctuated in John 15:12 with “love one another as I have loved you.” He is telling His disciples that love is what will hold His Church together. Can you see now how important love is to our Christian beliefs? Can you also see how divided the Christian church is? Do you think that love is left out of the equation in the differences we have in our denominations and the teachings that divide us? Yes, I think there is much hatred and bigotry “exclusiveness” in some “Christian” churches today because they pick and choose scripture that suits their own priorities. They then make those scripture primary over the “thirteen commandments.”
Jesus tells us that if love is not in the equation then it is not of Him. Jesus was very wise in His teachings and I sometimes wonder why Christian churches don’t listen to Him. Love your neighbor as yourself! That means you cannot pick and choose by color of skin, ethnicity, language spoken, denomination, immersion or sprinkling or affluency. Just love your neighbor!
Pastor Randy
Pastor’s Ponderings, Wonderings, Wanderings
May 2, 2012
The sun might be setting in this picture but heaven is alight with God’s presence.
Our Bible Study for the past couple of weeks is over Randy Alcorn’s book “Heaven”. There are five sessions left so if the topic is of interest to you come on by on Wednesday nights. We have a covered dish fellowship meal at 5:30, prayer at 6:15 and we start watching the video about 6:30. You are welcome at all or part of the evening. So many of us have heard so much about Heaven, about what it is like and what we will be doing. So many different ideas and many of them have nothing to do with scripture. The Rev. Dr. Randy Alcorn bases all of his ideas and statements on scripture throughout the Bible. Here is an excerpt from his book.
“A fundamental article of the Christian faith is that the resurrected Christ now dwells in Heaven. We are told that his resurrected body on Earth was physical, and that this same, physical Jesus ascended to Heaven, from which he will one day return to Earth (Acts 1:11). It seems indisputable, then, to say that there is at least one physical body in the present Heaven.
If Christ’s body in the present Heaven has physical properties, it stands to reason that others in Heaven might have physical forms as well, even if only temporary ones. It also makes sense that other aspects of the present Heaven would have physical properties-so that, for example, when Christ is seen standing at the right hand of God(Acts 7:56), he is actually standing on something. Otherwise we would have to conclude that the resurrected (and thus, embodied) Christ has been floating for two thousand years in a realm without material substance. (He could, of course, but does he?) If we know there is physical substance in Heaven (namely, Christ’s body), can we not also assume that other references to physical objects in Heaven, including physical forms and clothing, are literal rather than figurative?”
We hope to find many scriptural answers to the many questions we have. At least we will hear scripture quoted to support Randy Alcorn’s opinions and we can make educated, spirit-led decisions about our future life eternal.
With a first name like Randy, I just have to listen to him.
Have a blessed week,
Pastor Randy Branch
Pastor’s Ponderings, Wonderings, Wanderings
February 23, 2012
We celebrated Ash Wednesday on the 22nd. If you were not in your church home then you missed an opportunity to start Lent in your house of worship. There is no better place than God’s house to make a commitment to change your life and to follow Him more closely.
Lent is not about being somber and in a mourning state because you are a sinner. It is about knowing you are a forgiven sinner and with a joyful heart make decisions that excite God and build His Kingdom. You see God doesn’t want us to roll around in sackcloth and ashes and cry and weep because we are living life in sin. He wants us to open up our hearts and our minds to the new testament teaching of Jesus Christ and go out into the world joyful and alive with the excitement that the knowledge of our Salvation lies in the saving Grace of God through the gift of Jesus Christ.
Lent is a time for us to focus with laser beam accuracy on the parts of our lives that we know are holding us back from being all that God calls us to be. Here are some give ups that can really help us realize the new life that Christ has put into us:
GIVE UP grumbling! Instead, “In everything give thanks.” Constructive criticism is OK, but “moaning, groaning, and complaining” are not Christian disciplines.
GIVE UP 10 to 15 minutes in bed! Instead, use that time in prayer, Bible study and personal devotion.
GIVE UP looking at other people’s worst points. Instead concentrate on their best points. We all have faults. It is a lot easier to have people overlook our shortcomings when we overlook theirs first.
GIVE UP speaking unkindly. Instead, let your speech be generous and understanding. It costs so little to say something kind and uplifting. Why not check that sharp tongue at the door?
GIVE UP your hatred of anyone or anything! Instead, learn the discipline of love. “Love covers a multitude of sins.”
GIVE UP your worries and anxieties! Instead, trust God with them. Anxiety is spending emotional energy on something we can do nothing about: like tomorrow! Live today and let God’s grace be sufficient.
GIVE UP TV one evening a week! Instead, visit some lonely or sick person. There are those who are isolated by illness or age. Why isolate yourself in front of the “tube?” Give someone a precious gift: your time!
GIVE UP buying anything but essentials for yourself! Instead, give the money to God. The money you would spend on the luxuries could help someone meet basic needs. We are called to be stewards of God’s riches, not consumers.
GIVE UP judging by appearances and by the standard of the world! Instead, learn to give up yourself to God. There is only one who has the right to judge, Jesus Christ.
Things like Chocolate and Sodas are not mentioned one time. Perhaps we have made the tradition of Lent a little to0 easy if all we can think to give up is something that feeds our sweet tooth but doesn’t really help our SWEET SPIRIT in Jesus Christ grow.
Have a blessed Lent. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.
Pastor Randy
Ash Wednesday Service – 6pm – 2-22-12
February 20, 2012Come and join us for our Ash Wednesday service. A time of renewal, repentance and reflection. Have a great week, get right with God by giving your heart to Him.
Lectionary Scripture for February 22, 2012 – Ash Wednesday
February 20, 2012Pastor’s Ponderings, Wanderings, Wonderings
November 22, 2011
This picture is of a sunset I took with my Iphone. In case you are wondering I seldom get up early enough now a days to get the beautiful sunrise pictures.
Last weeks lectionary scripture was from Matthew 25:31-46. Dust your Bible off and read it. Jesus comes and sits on His throne and gathers all the nations before Him and separates them as a shepherd would separate the sheep from the goats. The criteria for the separation was very simple. The ones on His right hand (sheep) were called to everlasting life because they gave a meal to someone who was hungry, a drink to someone who was thirsty, clothing to someone who had none, visited the sick and those in prison and welcomed a stranger. All very simple acts of help done by people because they saw or heard of someone in need. They acted in a way that Jesus approved of by just helping others. All of these very simple acts are vitally important to each of us. I would like to stress the importance of the one I listed last, welcoming a stranger. You know that old “love your neighbor” commandment that Jesus gave us. If we are good at welcoming then most likely that helping part will be a natural act for us. It is very important for us as Christian witnesses to the teachings of Jesus Christ to be open, warm, caring, giving and loving to our neighbors and strangers. Chapter 25 gives us three parables and at the end of each we see a warning of the judgement that Jesus will bring. Why not act as He suggests and make the world and eternity a much better place? Have you helped anyone including a stranger lately? He calls us to Help in simple ways.
God’s Peace and Blessings to all this Thanksgiving,
Randy
Pastor’s Ponderings, Wonderings, Wanderings
November 4, 2011
In Matthew 25:1-13 we hear Jesus tell us the parable of the Ten Virgins (bridesmaids) and the Bridal Party. Jesus again is speaking to the hard hearted, set in their ways, religious authorities. People who were afraid of the message that Jesus was bringing to them as the Messiah. Jesus uses this parable because it set a scene that all would recognize. A bridal party in Israel was something that everyone wanted to be a part of and looked forward to. Essentially what Jesus is telling the Pharisees and Scribes is that they have come to His party unprepared. There is no oil in their lamps (Holy Spirit) for the light that will show them the way into Heaven. Others cannot get that oil (Holy Spirit) for you. We each and everyone must find the love for God in our own hearts and allow the Holy Spirit to illumine our paths. When we succumb to the Holy Spirit’s leading ways we then will be able to see through the darkness of this world and go about our lives walking a path alight in God’s love and being a light to others. We are to be thankful that our God has given us an unlimited supply of oil for our lamps so that we will be ready for that eternity He has promised us. Our prayer, our study, our meditation and our involvement in the Church will give us more than enough oil through out our lives to give light to our paths and show others the light for their paths.
It was tradition in Jesus’s day to not know when the bridegroom would be coming. It could be at any time day or night. One never knew when the bridegroom would send someone out into the streets to announce his coming. We are to always be ready to hear the call or miss it and be left out in the darkness.
How is the oil level in your lamp? Our faithfulness in our prayers, study, meditation and Church life are signs of how well we are prepared or even that our lamp is lit.
God’s Peace and Blessings to all,
Randy
Pastor’s Ponderings, Wonderings, Wanderings
August 25, 2011Matthew 16:23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”
Have you ever wanted to say those “Get behind me, Satan” words? Has someone ever done or said things that have kept you from doing what is the right and good thing or tried to entice you into doing the wrong and evil thing? Jesus was speaking to His right hand man, Peter, who was wanting to keep Him from following through with His journey to Jerusalem, the Cross and the Resurrection. Jesus gives us a pattern for us to follow here. Not that we should start saying to people “Get behind me Satan”, but that we should set our face toward the heart of Jesus Christ and His teachings. Jesus was focused. Jesus expects us to be focused.
To the best of our ability we must develop our Spiritual Growth to the point we can resist the temptation to allow ourselves or others to distract us from moving forward to the goal Jesus sets individually for each of us. Through Spiritual Growth we can achieve the goal of carrying the message of Christ to the world.
What is the best way to promote our own Spiritual Growth? First we must commit to our church and it’s activities such as Sunday School, Church and Bible Studies. Then we should focus on tried and true traditions such as personal study, fasting, meditation and service.
Our words should reflect what we believe. Peter’s words said he believed he knew better than Jesus. How often do your words reflect Jesus Christ’s teachings in the Bible? How often do they truly reflect the level of your Spiritual Growth? Of course the answer to the last question is “always.”
Have a blessed day,
Randy
Wesley United Methodist Church, Orange TX 