Posts Tagged ‘Scripture readings per Revised Common Lectionary’
Holy Thursday – Pastor’s Ponderings, Wonderings, Wanderings
April 6, 2012
Last night at Wesley United Methodist Church we held a Holy/Maundy Thursday Service. We read from John 13:1-17, 31-35 and from 1 Corinthians 11:23-26. Read the Passion of Christ from John 18:1-19:42 and received Holy Communion.
We received Holy Communion last because we wanted the Passion of Christ to be fresh on our minds and in our hearts when we received the gift He has given us.
We are fast closing out the season of Lent. A time when we should be focusing more on Christ and less on ourselves. Remembering Jesus’ teachings about being servants to all. In Jesus’ day the lowliest of lowly jobs was to have to wash someone’s feet. The footwear of choice was a sandal of some sort and feet were usually pretty dirty. Walking around in the streets of Jerusalem was a dusty endeavor with all kinds of animal droppings and such to be dodged so it is pretty easy to understand why Jesus used such a lowly example of servant hood to example to His disciples what it meant to be a servant to others. He showed them in His washing of their feet that the love He had for them was able to go to extremes for them. Even the extreme of willingly, voluntarily giving His very own life for them. In giving His life He exampled the very depths of suffering that He would go to because He loved them (us) all so much. Such depths as being beaten, spit upon, whipped in the most cruel and punishing way to cause the most damage without causing death. Then He was paraded through the streets carrying His own Cross to be nailed to it and left to die.
Who among those you know would be willing to do that for the one’s you love! Many over the centuries have given their lives for what they believe in. They have become Martyr’s for the cause and love of Jesus Christ. That is the extreme example so what do you do in your every day life to example Jesus’ love for everyone you meet every day. That is really why He gave himself up for us. To help us think about thinking about others. How do you serve every day? What are your thought’s about people and who they are? Why do you ignore those in need? Questions we all need to dig deep down into to search our own hearts and maybe we can allow the Holy Spirit to work within us.
Have a blessed day by being the servant to the world and the one’s you love that Christ calls you to be,
Pastor Randy
Lectionary Scripture for April 8, 2012 – Easter Sunday
April 2, 2012Pastor’s Ponderings, Wanderings, Wonderings
March 20, 2012
A scene from my life in Church at St. John’s UMC in West Orange, Texas came to mind the other day and it got me to thinking. Many years ago we were having an evening worship service and during several of the songs a lady who had been visiting our church began to jump up during the song, dancing around and holding up her fingers at the mention of different names. Certain names would be represented by certain numbers. When I asked our Pastor at the time what was going on with the lady he told me that she believed in Numerology. Check out Wikipedia for a definition of Numerology.
I am not a Numerologist nor do I believe in Numerology. But I do place a lot of faith in Numbers. Numbers such as 3:16 found in the Gospel of John or 22:37-39 found in the Gospel of Matthew. There is 13:1-13 found in Paul’s 1st letter to the Corinthians or 3:1-17 found in his letter to the Colossians. There is 4:11-13 in 1 John and so many more that remind us of God’s love for each and every one of us.
So I guess you could say I believe in numbers. Those numbers that lead us into a divine relationship with our God and His Son. An individual and personal relationship that we each can find in the scriptures found in the Holy Bible and experience if we give our heart to Him.
Don’t let belief in some other way deceive you or distract you away from God’s way of love and peace in this world. There is but one way to eternal life and that is through belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God. His Holy Spirit is here touching you right now. All you have to do is acknowledge Him and give your life to Him.
Have a blessed day,
Randy
Pastor’s Ponderings, Wonderings, Wanderings
March 6, 2012I hope everyone had a great weekend. Spent some time in church, in meditation and in prayer. It was a beautiful weekend here in Orange, Texas. Plants are really budding out and spring looks like it is here.
Along with spring comes my time for going to the Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church Course of Study School. It is a continuing education opportunity for me and we delve into Theology, Administration, Spiritual Growth and many other topics which concern the role of being Pastor.
The course I am enrolled in this semester is “Our Theological Heritage: Reformation” where we delve mostly into Martin Luther’s influence but also delve into others such as Zwingli, Calvin, Bucher, Wycliffe and the disagreement between the Protestant movement and the Catholic Church.
In our discussion Martin Luther’s transformation from a work’s driven Monk to a Grace filled reformer gave me pause to think. I thought about how many of us in Church today have the mentality that the things we do in Church are what earns us God’s Grace. Martin Luther was struggling with being able to live a Holy enough life to earn God’s grace but never felt like he did. He was a monk who followed the rules and did the things expected of good monks but always felt like he was falling short of the mark. He tells us that what exposed him to the overwhelming grace of God was his meditation of Romans 1:17.
Good News Bible – Rom 1:17
For the gospel reveals how God puts people right with himself: it is through faith from beginning to end. As the scripture says, “The person who is put right with God through faith shall live.”
Martin Luther realized that his righteousness was not about what he could make himself do it was about believing in God and what He can do through you. Martin Luther came to the realization that having faith in God comes first and having faith in God is all that we need to have. The work that our faith will drive us to do will be what God calls us to do when He is ready for us to do it. Our faith will help us to live the life God calls us too. All we have to do is be ready and willing to hear His call and that is acting out our faith. Faith first, second, third, etc., etc. to the last. Acting upon our faith leads us into the work God will call us to do. Our faith helps us to realize that the Grace God has for us is there whether we acknowledge it or not and there no matter what we do. God loves us. That is what Martin Luther realized and is why his actions changed the world for ever.
God loves you and me. That is the Good News!
Wesley United Methodist Church, Orange TX 