AUGUST 2009 DEVOTIONALS

 Main Devotional Page

August 1                   No Devotional

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August 2                   No Devotional

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August 3                 Paul’s Introduction

Romans 1:1-17                 

Key Verse:          1:17                        This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight.  This is accomplished from start to finish by faith.  As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”

Paul writes to a group of Christians in Rome, a place where when he wrote this he hadn’t been.  It was Paul’s hope to get to Rome at some point.  But he has heard about the Christian group in Rome and has taken it upon himself to write to them and to encourage them in their faith.  The concept of faith is a major theme in Paul’s letter.  Faith is that quality which makes us right with God; it is what gives us assurance that life in Jesus will always have the final say for us.  And faith is ultimately a gift from God.

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August 4            God is the judge of sin

Romans 1:18-2:16 

Key Verse           2:11                        For God does not show favoritism

When we first begin exploring our faith, we realize that something separates us from God.  This separation from God is called Sin.  We all know the churches that preach against sin very heavily.  We have all heard a preacher on the TV or radio going on about whatever sin is his or her favorite for that day.  We have even seen high-profile Christians who once preached against sin get caught up in that very sin so heavily preached against. 

We humans tend to use sin as a weapon against others.  We use sin to identify people God does not like.  And if we read just certain portions of the Bible – we would always find Bible passages that support the notion that God will spite sinners.  Paul spends a lot of time on the idea of sin in his letter to the Romans.  But he does so in order to show that each person is a sinner.  Each person is separate from God.  And because we are all sinners, God is one who does not show favoritism.  God does not love one group of sinners over another – because all sin is equal and all sin separates people from God.

Take a moment today to think about your life as being separate from God.  What are some of the ways you know you are separate from God.  How does knowing God doesn’t show favoritism affect your attitude toward other people who are sinners just as you are a sinner?  At Living Spirit Lutheran Church, we begin by saying our church is a home for sinners.  We are a place where sinners gather to acknowledge their separateness from God, and grow in faith together in trusting the forgiveness and mercy which God has for all sinners.

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August 5                            We are all sinners

Romans 2:17-3:20           

Key Verse:          3:20                        For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands.  The law simply shows us how sinful we are.

A long time ago a small group of runaway slaves stood at the foot of a mountain and God spoke to them.  What God said became known as the Law.  The Top Ten Laws (Commandments) are fairly famous and get thrown around at election time as if they were nothing more than a political campaign poster.  But beyond the Top Ten were a whole lot of other laws, something like 600-700 laws. 

It was impossible for the ancient Israelites to follow all those laws.  It is even more impossible for us today.  We wear clothes of different materials, we eat food that was banished.  Relationships have changed, how we fall in love and marry is different.  So much is different today than 4000 years ago, the people under God’s mountain wouldn’t recognize the world.

Yet so often the Law is still tossed around as if it is the end all of our relationship with God.  If only we lived the 10 Commandments.  If only our courthouses were allowed to post them.  If only the children at school could pray.  Then all would be right.  Paul takes issue with this notion – in fact, this section of Paul’s letter is a great counter argument to much of what is on TV and radio about our faith and God today.  The Law does not make us right with God.  It cannot.  It will not.

At Living Spirit Lutheran Church, we still believe that God’s law has a tremendous value for us today.  It better, it is in the Bible.  But that value is not in determining who is better in God’s favor and who is not.  The value of the Law is that it convicts us all as being separate from God, and so when we learn that because of Jesus we are loved – we are all the more joy-filled as we seek guidance from the law as it shapes our community. 

Take a moment  today to reflect on the last law (civil or religious) that you broke.  If you broke the posted speed-limit, or ran a red light, and got a ticket – you were condemned.  And rightfully so. And you paid the penalty.   If you looked at another person who is not your spouse (or name your sin here), you were condemned by God – and rightfully so.  But you were also set free.  Not because you paid the penalty, but because Jesus paid it for you.

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August 6                 We are made right through faith

Romans 3:21-31               

Key Verse:          3:22                        We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ.  And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.

It is weird to think that we need to be made right with God.  After all, God is our creator.  God created us knowing we would be sinners – that is we would have something come between us and God.  So why should we need something to make us right with God?

To be made right with God means we are brought into alignment with God’s ways.  Since sin separates us from God, we are separated also from God’s ways.  God’s ways are not our natural inclinations.  As we grow in our faith, we learn more and more about God’s ways and are brought into a right relationship with God’s ways. 

We cannot achieve being made right by following the law.  There are too many laws, and the is no way we can follow all of the laws all of the time.  So God opens the door for us to be made right with him by our faith.  We believe in God, therefore God sees us as holy people, not as sinners.   And as we learned in the last passage, this is for everyone – for God does not show favoritism.

At Living Spirit Lutheran Church, growing in faith together is not just a tagline.  It is a way of life.  Since by our faith we are made right with God, we are all set free to live as God’s children.  Take a moment today to reflect on how you live according to God’s ways.  Are you struggling to be right with God because you know you have some sin that you just can’t get over?  God has set you free, and has made you right just because you believe in God.

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August 7              Pardon me, you’re in my way.

Romans 4:1-25                  Abraham’s faith

Key Verse:          4:14                        If God’s promise is only for those who obey the law, then faith is not necessary and the promise is pointless.

Faith is one of those unscientific and immeasurable qualities.  Abraham, the father of the Israelites, had faith that God called him to move from Haran to a new place, a place Abraham had never been before.  Abraham also believed God that he would become a father to many, even though he and his wife were old and had no children.  I am sure his friends thought he was crazy, moving on a whim, believing he would still have children.

Faith today is still just as crazy.  It is much easier to have a list of rules to follow.  I recently got a list of expected behaviors for my son who is entering kindergarten.  We know if he follows these behaviors he will do well in class.  If not, there may be consequences for him in class.  The Law of God says the same thing – follow these and you know what to expect.  But since God’s promise cannot be received by following the law, God has given us faith, the crazy, unscientific, immeasurable faith, by which we receive God’s promise. 

At Living Spirit Lutheran Church, faith is what called a group of people together to form a church, to meet in an elementary school, to rent an office in an industrial park, and to believe that one day by God’s grace, a church home will be built on a parcel of land on Wolf’s Crossing.  Faith has brought us together. 

Take a moment today and think about the last thing you knew absolutely true by faith.  How did you prove it?  When Katie and I moved from Indiana, we had faith that God would make all the things come into place.  We didn’t know how.  We couldn’t see it happening.  Yet it did. Everything fell into place.  By faith, we trusted.  By faith, we received the promise. 

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August 8                

Person of Interest:          Dominic, founder of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans)

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August 9             No Devotional

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August 10           We have been made right by faith     

Text:      Romans 5:1-11                 

Key Verse:          5:8          But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

One of the themes from our VBS program “Son Rock Kids Camp” centered on the truth that we are accepted by Jesus.  It was very powerful to have the children echo the truth “I am accepted by Jesus”.  And to help us understand this truth, we talked about the skunk.

Skunks are one of the least popular animals around because they get scared and release a very foul odor that is difficult to clean off our pet dogs and cats and even sometimes ourselves.  Just driving down the road and pass a place where a skunk released its scent and it can take several miles for the air in the car to be clear of its presence.  Yet the skunk is one of the many important animals in this world, and even though it is hard to make friends with the skunk, we know God loves the skunk.

Sometimes we are like a skunk, and don’t even realize it.  Sometimes we do things or say things that make it hard for someone else to accept us.  Yet God always accepts us.  His son died for us, not because we were beautiful people who always live right, but because God loves us as the people we are – complete with our sin and our skunk-like offenses.  God loves us that much.

At Living Spirit Lutheran Church, we believe everyone is accepted by Jesus, and therefore we accept everyone.  We know it isn’t always easy to be accepted, or even to accept someone else.  But with God’s help we are striving toward this amazing truth – that we are accepted by Jesus.  Take a moment today to think about someone who is difficult for you to accept.  How might you view that person differently when you are reminded that Jesus has already accepted that person?   

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August 11           Adam and Jesus     

Text:    Romans 5:12-21     

Key Verse:     5:18    Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone.

The second truth we talked about at our VBS “Son Rock Kids Camp” was the truth that we are protected by Jesus.  If you think it was awesome to hear the kids echoing the we are accepted by Jesus – it was even louder the second day.   To help us understand this point, Rocky the Raccoon, our VBS mascot – excellently puppeted by Jason Gussman – came out and shared a story with the kids.

Rocky had been walking through the woods and he found a new baby bear cub to play with. So Rocky and this cub were playing and running and romping and rolling.  Then all of a sudden a huge mother bear came running up and stood up and growled.  She did not know Rocky was a friend, and she thought Rocky was trying to hurt her cub.  Mother bears are very, very protective of their cubs.

Jesus is very protective of us too.  Jesus knows that because we are human, we are going to sin.  It is in our genetics.  It is like we have been programmed to sin.  But because Jesus has accepted us, he has protected us from the punishment of sin.  Jesus died so that we will have eternal life – not the death which sin would bring. 

At Living Spirit Lutheran Church, our teaching and preaching should always proclaim what Jesus’ death means for us – that he died so that we may live, and not be a victim of our own sinfulness.  This is how Jesus protects us.  Take a moment today to reflect on the joy of being in Jesus’ protection.   When did you come to faith in the amazing joy of what Jesus has done for you?

Person of Interest:   Clare, Abbess of San Damiano

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August 12                 Of Course Not

Text:    Romans 6:1-23                    

Key Verse:     6:11                So you should also consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.

On the third day of our VBS program “Son Rock Kids Camp”, we learned the truth that Jesus has saved us.  And since it was the third day, the kids were starting to lose energy a bit.  But they became more and more excited as our VBS mascot Rocky the Raccoon came out and helped us understand our truth for the day.

Rocky was recently walking around a farm and he saw a lot of sheep out grazing in the grass.  And as it was getting close to sundown, he saw a sheep-dog come out and start barking and rounding up the sheep and they followed the sheep-dog into their enclosure.  They were brought safely into the home where they belong.   When Jesus saves us, it is sort of like this.  We are brought safely into where we belong.  We belong in God’s Kingdom.   It is where we have always been meant to be.  Jesus gathers us together to be with him, safe and secure from all alarms. 

At Living Spirit Lutheran Church, we are a place where Jesus’ voice is heard calling his people into the safety of God’s kingdom.  Here in God’s kingdom we are transformed and renewed and experience the new life God has given us.  Take a moment today to reflect on when you first heard Jesus call you into the safety of God’s kingdom?  What was it like for you to know that no matter what happens here, you are always safe and secure from all alarms?

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August 13                 A Slave to Sin

Text:    Romans 7:1-25                    

Key Verse      7:25    Thank God!  The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.  So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.

On our fourth day at our VBS program “Son Rock Kids Camp”, we learned the truth that we are forgiven by Jesus.  And during this lesson, things got a bit personal.

Rocky the Raccoon, our VBS mascot, told us a story about when he was scurrying about the forest with his brothers Ronnie and Ricky and while they were playing, Ricky pushed Rocky really hard.  Rocky didn’t like that, so he scratched Ricky really bad.  And when they got home, Rocky got in trouble.  His father made him apologize and Ricky, still scratched up really bad, accepted the apology and forgave Rocky.

But then, Rocky shared something else.  Rocky shared that earlier in the week, when we had blue Jell-o snacks, that when I put my snack down to talk with someone and came back to find it, it was gone because he ate it.  Rocky felt really bad, and he didn’t want me to be made at him, so he told me he was sorry and asked if I would forgive him too.   I talked it over with the kids, and we agreed because Jesus forgives me, I need to forgive Rocky too.  Later, we agreed we would get a snack we could share.  And believe me – it was yummy.

At Living Spirit Lutheran Church, we understand what Paul is writing to the Romans in the seventh chapter.  There are times when we want to obey God’s law, and yet our nature takes over and we can’t help it.  We are bound to the sin of this world.  But in Christ, we are forgiven.  Take a moment and reflect today on the fact that Jesus Christ died and rose from the dead over 2000 years ago – long before we were born.  That means his death covered all our sins, because he died before we committed our first sin, before we knew Jesus had died for us, before we commit our next sin, or even our last sin.  Jesus’ death covers every sin from our first cry to the final closing of our eyes.  What freedom does that give to us?

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August 14                 Alive in the Spirit

Text:    Romans 8:1-17                    

Key Verse:     8:11                The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you.  And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.

On our final day of our VBS program, “Son Rock Kids Camp”, we learned that we live for Jesus.  Now that we know what gifts Jesus has given to us, we live for Jesus.

Rocky the Raccoon, our camp mascot, shared a story of watching an owl flying through the night capturing his food.  At first, Rocky didn’t understand why the owl would fly at night.  It is hard to see at night, it can be really easy to walk into things, and for an owl who is flying, it must be really hard.  But then Rocky realized that God had given the owl special gifts for flying at night so the owl was just using his gifts from God.

When we live for Jesus, we use the gifts Jesus first gives to us.  We use the gifts of acceptance, protection, salvation, and forgiveness to guide our life.  Living for Jesus does not mean we get to just keep on sinning for the sake of keep on sinning – it means these gifts from Jesus shape us, and inform our very way of living.  That is the true freedom that comes from having been accepted, protected, saved, and forgiven by Jesus.

At Living Spirit Lutheran Church, our effort is to create a community where these gifts of Jesus are proclaimed and taught and we can learn together to live in Jesus by using these gifts.  It is not always easy, creating a community based on these gifts, but we need to start somewhere – and Jesus gives us the best place to start.  Take a moment today and reflect on how you live in Jesus.  Are you aware everyday just how much God loves you and how through Jesus you are accepted, protected, saved, and forgiven?  What are the ways these gifts are present in you as you live in Jesus?

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August 15

Person of Interest:   Mary, Mother of our Lord

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August 17                 The Bond of the Spirit

Text:    Romans 8:18-29     

Key Verse:     8:34    Who then will condemn us?  No one – for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at god’s right hand, pleading for us.

Justice is an important theme in our culture.  From the beginning of our story telling, justice always captures our imagination.  Whether it is from the early days of television with western shows like Gunsmoke, or modern television shows like Law and Order, justice is the one we are taught that we should always find.  Toby Keith and Willie Nelson even sang a duet about it that is a really fun song called Beer for my Horses.

In God, there is also justice – but not the justice with a gavel or where someone wins and someone loses.  In God, justice is Christ pleading for us and winning every time, since no one can trump Christ’s death on a cross.  Jesus died a sacrificial death for us.  He now stands before God and brings us into a right relationship with God not because we deserve it, but because he died for us and he loves us so very much.

At Living Spirit Lutheran Church, our preaching and teaching begins with Jesus’ death and resurrection.  It may not seem like fair justice when we proclaim God’s love for all in Jesus – but it is the Good News we have to proclaim.  God does not condemn us, therefore no one else can condemn us either.  Take a moment today and reflect on this notion of God’s justice.  Who would you like to see excluded from God’s law because you think they should be condemned for the way they live their life.  Re-read this passage from Romans, how is Jesus pleading for that person before God as well as Jesus is pleading for you?

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August 18                   How does the creator get our attention

Text:    Romans 9:1-33                    

Key Verse:     9:21                When a potter makes jars out of clay, doesn’t he have the right to use the same lump of clay to make one jar for decoration and another to throw garbage into?

Our world is filled with many different people.  Some believe in Jesus, others don’t.  Some accept society’s laws, others mock them.  Some treat others with respect and kindness, others don’t.  It is a world of paradox, and sometimes we wish we could ask God – why didn’t God just make us all the same? Why didn’t God make it so we all believe?

The metaphor of the potter’s clay is a powerful one here in Paul’s letter.  It doesn’t attempt to give us an answer to our questions about God and why he created some people to be good, and others to be filled with the most horrific evil imaginable.  But it leads us to a larger understanding of God.  That God has chosen some to reveal his love and presence in the world is a gift to us who have come to believe.  And so now what do we do with that gift?

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August 19                    The simplicity of believing

Text:    Romans 10:1-21     

Key Verse:     10:9                If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

This is Confirmation 101.  Going through the motions isn’t what draws us into God’s salvation – it is letting the Spirit move through us so that we can confess with our mouth and believe in our heart.  These are not actions we do on our own.  These are actions of God’s Holy Spirit moving through us.  The ability to confess and believe is a gift from God, a gift that is so very simple.

We pass on to others our passionate beliefs in so many cultural things – the passions for a favorite cause; the passions for a favorite sports team.  In Boy Scouts, learning and memorizing the oath and law makes one a better scout and helps the young boy earn more badges until he can achieve the highest rank.  But for all of that – there is what you must do, what course of actions are laid out that must be achieved, one step at a time.  But with God – all we can do is let the Spirit flow freely through us.

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August 20                 God’s chosen Israel

Text:    Romans 11:1-12     

Key Verse:     11:6                And since it is through God’s kindness, then it is not by their good works.  For in that case, God’s grace would not be what it really is – free and undeserved.

In the Disney Pixar movie “Finding Nemo” the seagulls all say one word – “mine”.  When they see a fish out of the water, they all fly in a large swarm shouting out “mine – mine – mine – mine”.  As if they have exclusive right to that fish.  Sometimes, when it comes to God’s salvation, there are people who want us to believe that it is an exclusive thing – that God has given it to only our group of believers because we believe the right way.

This comes up a lot in conversations about the Jews and God’s relationship with the Jews since they today still do not believe that Jesus is the Messiah God sent.  Today’s Jews are still waiting for a messiah from God to come into the world and restore their kingdom.  Paul reminds us salvation is not “mine – mine – mine” but God’s to give freely.  Whether it is the Jews or another group of Christians who believe differently from us, God’s grace is the final determining factor in who is saved – not our man made doctrines and theologies.

At Living Spirit Lutheran Church, we believe very much the doctrines of the Lutheran Church.  We accept the creeds and the confessions of the Lutheran Church.  We accept the Bible as the inspired Word of God which is our norm for all things faith.  Yet we also know that God’s grace is not exclusive to us.  That God is not contained to our church and our way of believing.  Take a moment today and reflect on your understanding of who is in and who is out of God’s kingdom.  If someone has to believe a certain way, then grace is not what it truly is –free and undeserved, for each of us falls short and ought to be excluded from the kingdom.  But God has given us grace, he has accepted us unconditionally – how now do we help others to see they are included in the kingdom as we have been included?

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August 21                   God’s Chosen Gentiles

Text:    Romans 11:13-36   

Key Verse:     11:32              For God has imprisoned everyone in disobedience so that he could have mercy on everyone.

Have we begun to sense a running theme throughout Romans?  God has created a world filled with many people – some have been gifted with faith in God, while others have not.  God has covenanted with first the people of Israel to be his chosen people – to be a light shining in the world.  Now in Christ, God has a covenant with everyone.  God has done this not to punish some, or who we want God to punish, but so God’s full nature can be revealed in the mercy he has one everyone.

Big Idea Pictures is responsible for the Veggie Tales series of cartoons with Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber and a whole host of other fruits and vegetables teaching children lessons about God.  In the first feature-length animated film (most of their works are 30 minutes long) we learn the story of Jonah, who was a prophet who never really got it.  It is a wonderful re-imagining of the Old Testament story that has perhaps the most accurate ending as it follows the actual book and Jonah never gets it.  God is a God of mercy and compassion and he wants everyone to have it – even the enemies of the Israelites, who at Jonah’s time period were the dreaded Ninevites (oh, those nasty fish-slappers – go watch the movie, you’ll get the joke). 

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August 22                 No Devotional

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August 23         No Devotional

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August 24                  Living toward God  

Text:    Romans 12:1-21     

Key Verse:     12:1                And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you.  Let them be a living and holy sacrifice – the kind he will find acceptable.  This is truly the way to worship him.

So far, much of what Paul has written about is how God has come down in Christ, met us where we are in all our sinfulness, and has bridged the sin-gap by Jesus’ death and resurrection.  Our salvation, our faith, our forgiveness, it is all a gift from God.  Paul now turns to the question, how shall we live within these gifts God has given to us?

And Paul uses the language of response.  When someone gives us a gift, we say thank you.  Oh how much trouble I get in when I don’t send a thank you note to my grandmother when she sends a gift for me or one of my kids.  Of course, my grandmother isn’t going to stop sending gifts because I don’t send a note.  God won’t stop saving, forgiving and loving just because we don’t respond either.  But we are called to respond to the many gifts God has given to us.

At Living Spirit Lutheran Church, we believe that God has given us so many gifts and the proper way to thank God is to respond by how we live.  Part of our mission is to “Grow in faith together.”  We grow in faith together by learning together how to live in response to God’s goodness.  Take a moment to reflect today on the last time you wrote a thank you note to someone for a gift.  Was it out of obligation?  Was it a joy to write?  How do you see the life you live as a way of saying “Thank You” to God for the many gifts you have received from God?

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August 25               Living toward God

Text:    Romans 13:1-14     

Key Verse:     13:14              Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.  And don’t let yourself think about way to indulge your evil desires.

The stereotypical, and not always accurate, image of a college kid’s weekend involves lots of drinking, lots of promiscuous behavior, and general trouble making.  It is an image portrayed in movies as fun and celebrated in our culture as an ideal of that era everyone grows through.  In one community I served in the past, drinking was so prevalent among high school teens, parents would dismiss their kids behavior after a police raid and arrests by saying, “Well, he is a good kid, he hasn’t gotten in trouble before.”  As if that makes it all okay.

We have been gifted in so many ways by God – we are not to go around now and living a life that shows disrespect to what we have been given.  Instead we should be finding ways for our lives to reflect what God has done for us in Christ.  This is not just for teens, this is for adults too.

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August 26                     Living Toward God

Text:    Romans 14:1-23     

Key Verse:     14:8                If we live, it’s to honor the Lord.  And if we die, it’s to the honor of the Lord.  So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

This verse is a favorite verse at funerals.  It reminds us that our whole being – in life and in death – belongs to God.  But this verse should not be left exclusively for the dead.  It is a powerful verse for the living as well.  We all know the people who live and die by their favorite sports team.  We all know the parent who will do anything for their kids (perhaps that is you).  This expression is not unknown to us.

But what is unknown to us, the living, is who we ultimate live for.  Ultimately we do not live or die for the Cubs or White Sox.  Ultimately we do not live or die for our kids.  Sure, we have fun teasing the fan of the other team.  Sure, we do anything for our kids.  But ultimately, our life belongs to God.  So everything we do – from how we raise our children, to how we root for our teams – belongs to God.  While watching a recent Cubs game, a Cubs fan threw his beverage onto the opposing team’s center fielder while the player was making a catch.  That is someone who lives and dies by his team – and not for God.  For someone who knows his whole life is for the Lord would root strongly for his team and act respectfully toward the opponent in victory and defeat.

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August 27                  Living toward God 

Text:    Romans 15:1-13     

Key Verse:     15:5                May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus.

In the Disney Pixar movie “Cars”, the main character Lightning McQueen gets lost in a small town, and after some trouble gets caught up in the lives of its residents.  Before his detour, all Lightning thought about was himself and his own goals and his own agenda.  This detour slowed Lightning down enough to realize that he was on such a greater journey than he ever realized.

We are on a journey of faith.  We are not going to complete this journey in this life.  There will be times our faith will be very strong.  There will be times we will feel really far from God.  Sometimes the journey will be clear in front of us, sometimes we will feel lost in dense woods.  But it is a journey, and it is one that God gives to us as a gift, and one of the gifts he gives to us is the gift of community.  We cannot go on this journey alone.  It is a journey meant to be traveled with others. 

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August 28           Paul’s final thoughts

Text:    Romans 15:14-33 (also read chapter 16, for Paul’s closing words)  

Key Verse:     15:20              My ambition has always been to preach the Good News where the name of Christ has never been heard, rather than where a church has already been started by someone else.

Paul was certain about what his mission was.  He was called by God and sent for something  very specific.  As a congregation, we too have a mission and it is something we need to be very clear about.

We are called to “Connect to Christ.  Grow in faith together.”  This means learning what it means that Christ came and died for us, drawing us into God’s Kingdom and that we share the journey of faith with one another.  It is our mission, as our new church gets started, to tell others in our community that this is what we are about.   God has gathered us together for this work – each of us, and we all have a task and a responsibility as part of this work.

At Living Spirit Lutheran Church, our joy is in discovering what God is calling us to be and do.  What we believe is our mission will be shared in the coming weeks – and how we plan to live it out will begin to be implemented in the coming weeks also.  Take a moment today to reflect on the mission statement, “Connect to Christ.  Grow in faith together.”  What does this statement mean to you?  How might you share that with a neighbor or a friend?

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August 29              No Devotional

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August 30                   No Devotional

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August 31                  

Read Mark Chapter 1

Bible Concept: Not Just Any Book

The Bible is the Living Word of God.  It is entirely inspired by the Holy Spirit and also written and translated by men and women.  It contains history, poetry, faith-filled stories, incredible concepts and miracles.  It speaks truths about our God and is completely relevant to our lives.

Yet, to think about opening its pages can be a scary thought because the Bible is filled with images and language we do not always understand.  This is why when we read the Bible, we need to study it.  We study so the stories begin to make sense.  We study so we get a fuller idea of what God is trying to say to us.

The central theme of the Bible is God’s love for us.  We find God’s love from the first pages of creation in Genesis, through God’s loving relationship with the people of Israel, through the Gospel stories of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, and finally through the New Testament Letters which help us to understand how to live as Christians.  The Gospel of Mark is one of four accounts of Jesus’ life.  While all four Gospels differ in the way they tell us about Jesus, three are fairly similar in the way they tell the story.  Matthew, Mark and Luke are called Synoptic Gospels, because they tell the story roughly the same.  Synoptic is a Greek word meaning, “one view.”

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