Home
NOVEMBER 13,
2008 # 417
NOVEMBER
26, 2008 # 419
NOVEMBER
21, 2008 # 418
OCTOBER 30, 2008 # 415|
Home |
NOVEMBER 13,
2008 # 417 |
|
NOVEMBER
26, 2008 # 419 |
|
|
NOVEMBER
21, 2008 # 418 |
OCTOBER 30, 2008 # 415 |
Pastor Duane writes a weekly e-mail devotional. If you would like to receive his devotional please e-mail him at trinity@midstatesd.net
DECEMBER 4, 2008 # 420
The
beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as it is written in
the prophet Isaiah, "See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will
prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 'Prepare the
way of the
Lord, make his paths straight.'" Mark 1:1-3
It will be 5 years next Tuesday, December 9th that I had cancer surgery. Next week I go in for my 5 year check-up and I am hoping and praying that the test results are good. If the results are good it will call for a celebration because after 5 years the chance of cancer returning goes way down. After going through cancer treatment, I can identify with what was written on the back of this coming Sunday's Augsburg-Fortress bulletin. The author writes the following; "Nobody chooses to go to the wilderness. We usually find ourselves brought there against our will by receiving news of things beyond our control-news that often begins with words like 'I'm sorry to inform you...' or 'Are you sitting down?' If you've ever been on the receiving end of those words, you know what the wilderness feels like. When you're in that place, you long for someone-anyone-to offer a word of hope, to announce a different outcome than the one you were expecting, to give you a sign that God is indeed coming to visit." Mark begins his gospel with a quote from the prophet Isaiah. Both Matthew (3:1-3) and Luke (3:1-6) use this quote after the introduction of John the Baptist and they both indicate that it is referring to John. But Mark used the Isaiah quote before introducing John and I believe is using it to describe Jesus. Jesus is the one who goes into the wilderness to help prepare the way for the Lord. I found this to be true during my wilderness experience. Jesus was in the wilderness with me. He was there when I was crying out and was there when I couldn't sleep. Jesus helped to keep me connected with God. If you are going through your own wilderness experience my prayer is that you will know of Jesus presences with you and hopefully be able to see the ways he is trying to keep you connect with the Lord.
Heaven
and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
Mark 13:31
Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. Mark 13:33
Rev. Brian Stoffregen posted the following thought provoking commentary on this text on his ecunet site "Gospel Notes for Next Sunday".
“When Jesus says "Beware" or "Watch out for" in our text, I don't think that he is telling us to watch for his return. I think that he is telling us to "watch out" for the unbelieving, adulterous and sinful generation that seeks to deceive us into not following God's right way. "Everybody else is doing it," children often tell their parents. Even parents can feel the pressure to keep up with the Joneses -- whoever the Joneses are. "Everybody else may be wrong," is Jesus' message in Mark 13."Watch out for them!" Watch out for those students who think cheating is the normal way to get good grades. Watch out for those teenagers who think that drinking and drugs and sex are the only ways to have a good time and to enjoy life. Watch out for those adults whose jokes and language betray disrespect for other people and God. Watch out for the worldly attitude being concerned only about me and what is mine. Watch out! Be on guard! Be alert! It is an unbelieving, sinful society that we live in. You know how easy it is to get sucked into and become part of that worldly way of thinking and acting. Watch out for them. Don't be deceived by the world's empty promises. Remember: it is only Jesus' words that will last past the last days.
I do
not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. Ephesians 1:16
I attended the quarterly meeting of the Sanford Hospice Chaplains yesterday in Sioux Falls. Sanford did a spiritual assessment on patients upon admission for 22 months (2/06-12/07). One of the questions asked on the assessment was; "What aspects of your spiritual practices do you find most helpful to you personally? “ Sixty-six percent of those responding said prayer was most helpful. Music and Sacraments were tied for second at 42% and in fourth place was the reading/hearing of scripture at 40%. At our hospice chaplains meetings we have been looking at prayer, different kinds of prayers and how we can faithfully minister to those we serve. Paul reminds the Ephesians that he is remembering them in his prayers. Remembering others should be included in our prayer time. My list is long and continues to grow. During my morning prayer time I pray for my family (mother, wife, children and grandsons) on a daily basis. I remember every member of Trinity on their birthday. I pray for the hospice patients served by our local hospice unit by name. On Wednesday I pray for each confirmation student and the confirmation guides. The day I teach an early communion class I pray for each class member. When our ministerial meets I give thanks for the other pastors in town. Of course I remember Trinity members who are in the hospital of have special needs. Paul got it right. When we pray for others we can't help but cease giving thanks to God. When we pray for others we begin to see how God has blessed us. Next week we will be celebrating Thanksgiving. I would encourage each of you to make a list of the people who have been a part of your life this past year. Then take the time to pray for each individual on your list. It will help to make your thanksgiving a more thankful one this year.
Then the
one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, 'Master, I knew
that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where
you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in
the ground. Here you have what is yours.'
Matt 25:24-25 (NRSV)
TV Game shows continue to be popular. New shows such as “Deal or No Deal” and “Who Wants to be a Millionaire”? try to hand out a million dollars. My favorite game show "Wheel of Fortune" followed suit this fall by adding a 1 million dollar wedge to the wheel, which someone could win if they made it to the bonus round and solved the puzzle. It brings up an interesting question, how would you feel if someone handed over to you a large sum of money to you? Jesus tells a parable (Mt. 25:14-30) where a man hands over large sums of money to his servants. Jesus mentions that to one he gives 5 talents, to another 2 talents and finally to the third 1 talent. A talent was the equivalent of 20 years of basic wages. Let’s say that the modern equivalent of a basic wage is $35,000. That would mean that the one servant received $700,000, the second almost 1.5 million and the first a total of 3.5 million. That's a lot of money to be handing out. What is surprising is the attitude that the one servant who had received $700,000 had toward the owner, that he was a harsh man. The talents were a gift since nowhere in the parable are we told that he asked for the money back. But the one servant did not see the talent as a gift. The truth behind this parable is that each one of us has received a very valuable gift from God. That gift is none other than the message of the gospel which is worth more than money can buy. What is our attitude toward God who has given to us this priceless gift? Do we view God as the generous giver that God is and share the gift of the gospel to others? Or is our view of God that of a harsh, judgmental person? Are we afraid of God and therefore hide the gift of salvation from others? Our personal view of God has a lot to say with how we use and share the gifts that God has given to us.
But the
wise replied, 'No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better
go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.' Matt 25:9 (NRSV)
I have difficulty saying no. At times this has lead to having to many commitments, not being able to do everything and ending up being totally stressed out. I have had to work at using the word NO, but still feel a little guilty when I do. After all I like to be liked and like to believe I can do everything. That is why this parable of Jesus has always bothered me. It seemed like the 5 wise maidens were being selfish when they refused to share their oil with the five foolish ones. For the next three week the assigned Gospel text will be the three parables of Jesus from Matthew 25. The question that these three parables try to answer is what shall we do while we wait for Christ to return? The answer in the parable of the 10 maidens is to have enough oil. So what does the oil symbolize that we are to have enough off? A number of suggestions have been given but the one that makes the most sense is to interpret the oil as one's relationship with God. When we look at the end of the parable the five foolish maidens after trying to buy some oil came to the door and found the door closed. The reply of the Lord is "I do not know you" (verse 12). This raises the question do you have enough oil for your lamp? Or to put it another way how is your relationship with Jesus? Are there times when your “yessses” undermine your relationship with Christ? I believe the problem with many Christians today is that they are saying yes to so many things that they no longer have time to spend time developing their relationship with Jesus. It takes time to worship, to talk and listen to Jesus in prayer, to read and study God's word. How often I have heard the excuse, I don’t have time. I don’t have time to pray. I don’t have time to worship. I don’t have the time to attend a Bible study. I’m just too busy. Maybe the time has come to begin saying NO! to some of the busyness of the world so that you can say YES to Jesus and have enough oil in your lamp.
Taste and see that
the LORD is good; Psalms 34:8a (NRSV)
When our son Josh and daughter-in-law were attending Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota, Margie and I discovered an interesting healthy food store. Not only did they have organic grown fruits and vegetables and the usual groceries items you find in a health food store but they also had a deli and bakery that made delicious European style breads. Last week on my trip to and from St. Paul I had the opportunity to stop at this store. On the way to St. Paul I purchased a delicious scone that was filled with raspberries and blueberries. On the way back to South Dakota my eyes fell upon a piece of bread pudding. The pudding was delicious, made with Italian bread with gobs of raisins. Yummy! Of course anything with lots of raisins has to be good! David in Psalm 34 reminds us that we can "Taste and see that the Lord is good". For me the tasting and seeing happens at the communion rail where we see the body of Christ as we taste the bread. But we can experience God's goodness in many other ways. I experienced God's goodness as I enjoyed the bread pudding last week. In fact anytime I have a meal I really enjoy is an experience of God's goodness. But not only can we taste and see God's goodness we can also hear and touch God's goodness. When I hear the birds singing as I enjoy my morning time in the hot tub I am hearing the goodness of God who surrounds me with wonderful sounds. When I give my grandson a hug I am feeling the goodness of God who has blessed me with grandsons. God's goodness comes to us in so many ways. Take time this week to notice the many different ways that you taste, see, hear and touch the goodness of God. When you do, take the time to offer a simple thank-you to God for God's goodness.
.This page was last updated on 12/04/08