JULY 2009 DEVOTIONALS

 Main Devotional Page

 July 1            July 2          July 3            July 6            July 7

July 8           July 9          July 10           July 11         July 12

July 13          July 14        July 17           July 20          July 21

        July 22          July 23        July 24           July 25          July 27          

July 28           July 29          July 30       July 31

Note: With these days devotions, I will include the names of people who are being remembered by the Church – the larger church – the whole Christian church.  It might just be a fun thing to look up these people on the internet, and learn something about some worthy followers of Jesus.  Not every day has a person being remembered.

July 1                   The President, the Evangelist, and an anchorman walk into a bar . . .

Acts 9:20-31       

Key Verse: Acts 9:31       The church then had peace throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria, and it became stronger as the believers lived in the fear of the Lord.  And with the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, it also grew in numbers.

Recently, US President Obama finished his first 100 days as president.  And as he came to this apparently newsworthy occasion he, like all presidents before him, received the first of many report cards.  There was criticism and praise, from Republicans, Democrats, pundits and comedians.  Everyone has been watching for these first 100 days, and everyone has been asking, “Is President Obama up to the job?”  The basic point being – do we still trust this person to be our elected leader? (As a disclaimer, while President Obama is the current president, this is the same thing that happened to all former presidents – including Bush, Clinton, Bush, Reagan, Carter, Ford, etc, so I am not picking on or favoring one particular party or president with this brief illustration.)

In the book of Acts, Saul is introduced as a Pharisee who initially is trying to put down the Christian movement.  He has arrested many followers of Jesus.  He has presented them to the Jewish Council for discipline, imprisonment, and in the case of Stephen, for stoning.  Now he has been chosen by Jesus to become part of the Christian Movement, the very movement he once opposed.  When he returns to Jerusalem, the apostles don’t trust him.  Not even Saul’s former friends trust him anymore; they now want to kill him.  No one knows if Saul can be trusted, though eventually the Holy Spirit proves he is trustworthy, and the Apostles accept Saul’s ministry.

At Living Spirit Lutheran Church, learning to trust the leaders who have been appointed by and called by the Spirit is essential to building our church.  As we grow, we need to trust our leaders – the council leaders, the ministry leaders, the pastor, and the office manager – and all leaders because the Spirit has given them the gifts for their leadership role.  Take a moment today to reflect on the way you support the leaders of our congregation.  Have you said a prayer for the leaders of Living Spirit?  A list of their names is found elsewhere on this website.  The Holy Spirit is waiting to use you as a voice of encouragement for the leaders of our church.

People of Interest today: Catherine Winkworth and John Mason Neale, hymn translators

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July 2                   It’s Alive!

Acts 9:32-42

Key verse: Acts 9:40        Peter asked them all to leave the room; then he knelt and prayed.  Turning to the body, he said, “Get up, Tabitha.”  And she opened her eyes!  When she saw Peter, she sat up!

One of the great pieces of literature which just about every high school student has had to read is called “Frankenstein”.  In this book a doctor who is named Frankenstein (the monster has no name) wants to know everything there is about human anatomy, including how it begins to live.  So he digs up corpses, and begins to assemble a new body, and attempts to bring it to life.  Unfortunately when he is successful, the monster becomes something terrifying, and well you need to read (or re-read) the book to find out what happens.

We are always amazed by stories of people who have near-death experiences and stories like this miracle in Acts where Peter raises a dead girl back to life.  We wonder what amazing power has done this, and we look for ways to harness this power for our own uses.  As Christians, we know the power to bring anything to life comes only from Jesus.  Jesus gives life and he gives new life.  It is not our job to make life happen – it is our job to proclaim how Jesus is making life happen and how Jesus is making new life happen in the midst of our world.

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July 3                 Can I see some ID please?

Acts 10:1-7

Key Verse:          He was a devout, God-fearing man, as was everyone in his household.  He gave generously to the poor and prayed regularly to God.

Cornelius is a Roman officer, he works for Caesar’s army, and he is not a Jew.  Yet he believes in the God the Jews proclaim.  He follows God’s laws.  He serves others, even in his position in the army, as God would have him serve.  He is by all means except by birth a Jew.  Yet he is also an outsider.  He is a gentile.  His status in Israel is first that he is an oppressor and an outsider.

But what gives us identity is not our birth-ethnicity, not our gender, not our employer, not our native tongue.  What gives us identity is God.  God claims us and gives us the faith to follow Jesus.  Then come the signs – the water of baptism, the meal of communion, the other marks of belonging.  God gives us our identity. 

At Living Spirit Lutheran Church, we teach that we all have great value in God’s eyes, and our identity comes first and foremost from God.  Sure there are differences between us, some are visible, most are not.  But there is only one thing that unites us – the identity we have in God.  Take a moment today to think about people you feel are outsiders, who do not belong in your church or your community.  How might you see them differently if you knew their identity came from God just like your identity comes from God?  As we grow as a congregation – we will be including all sorts of people, including some who might just be seen as outsiders.  It is up to us to proclaim they are not outsiders, and that we all share in the one identity from God.

Person of Interest: Thomas, Apostle

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July 6                 Mr. Clean gets rid of dirt and grime And grease in just a minute

Acts 10:9-33, read through the rest of the chapter to learn more about this amazing story

Key Verse:          Acts 10:15            But the voice spoke again: “Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.”

As the Christian movement was beginning, it was a learn as you go movement.  The first apostles had 3 years of learning directly from Jesus – and now they are still learning from the Spirit.  Peter’s dream opened to him how God shows no partiality.  God is not interested in birthrights, or follow codes of law, or belonging to a certain club.  God cares about people living a life of faith, and living as though they know they belong to God.

So many people are left out of being part of what God is doing because they are seen as having no value, or no birthright, or some other mark that makes them “unclean” in our sight.  God uses Peter and his vision to show us that it is God who makes clean, how can we deny any one the opportunity to become part of God’s movement?

At Living Spirit Lutheran Church, we teach that by baptism God has made us clean.  Our sins are washed away, and there is no line of separation between us and God.  Take a moment today to think about how you have been cleaned by God.  What does that mean as you prepare to share the good news with someone else?

Person of Interest:          Jun Hus, martyr

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

Acts 11:1-18

Key Verse:          Acts 11:17            “And since God gave these Gentiles the same gift he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to stand in God’s way?”

In so many adventure movies, the hero has something to accomplish, but some major thing is standing in his way.  In Indiana Jones, his goal to get the prize is almost always made more difficult by the Nazis standing in his way.  In Star Wars, Luke’s path to become a Jedi Knight has Darth Vader standing in the way.  In Spaceballs, Lonestar’s return of the princess to her home planet has the Lord Helmet and his minions standing in his way.  (had to name at least one comedy.)

The Ministry of the Church would be so much easier, if it weren’t for all the people.  That was said by someone while I was in seminary.  I don’t remember if it was a professor or a classmate.  But it stands to reason, that the biggest object standing in the way of ministry is often our own selves.  Yet as Peter confesses to his fellow apostles, “Who was I to stand in God’s way?”

At Living Spirit Lutheran Church, we proclaim that God’s Kingdom has come, and we are to proclaim God’s Kingdom as a reality.  Take a moment today and think about in what ways you stand in the way of God’s Kingdom – and in what ways do you step aside and allow the Kingdom to work right through you?  God’s Kingdom will happen, many times in spite of us.  But when we step out of the way and are no longer road-block, but the agent through whom God works – the Kingdom grows a lot faster.

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July 8                He was such a good man . . .

Acts 11:19-30

Key Verse:          Acts 11:24            Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith.  And many people were brought to the Lord.

In my first congregation, I served over 50 families in 3 years at the time of a loved one’s death.  As I sat with each of the families to talk with them about their loved one, the first words out of their mouths were almost always: “He/She was a good person.”  And many times I learned how this person influenced the lives of others for the better, and how cherished this person was in the eyes of the family. 

In our story from Acts, Barnabas was not dead when Luke wrote this story.  But he was being remembered.  His life and ministry were being lifted up for the whole early church as an example of what it means to be a faithful person.  These are the descriptors: “good man”, “full of the Holy Spirit”, and “Strong in faith”.  And Luke shows us how people learned to trust him and were encouraged by his ministry and came to stronger faith because of Barnabas.

At Living Spirit Lutheran Church, we strive to be a family where people see these same descriptors in us:  good, full of the Holy Spirit, and strong in faith.  These qualities are necessary qualities for Christians gathering with the purpose of growing a faith community.  Take a moment and reflect today how someone might memorialize you.  Are these the descriptors they would use at your retirement party or even in your eulogy?  And also take a moment today to think about who has been a Barnabas in your life – who has been that good, full of the Holy Spirit, and strong in faith person that encouraged you as you grew in your faith in Jesus.  Don’ t be afraid to call and thank him or her today, you might just be encouraging!

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July 9             To the Bat Cave, Robin

Acts 12:6-19, this story is framed by verses 1-5 and 20-25, which make for interesting reading.

Key Verse:          Acts 12:11            Peter finally came to his senses.  “It’s really true!” he said.  “The Lord has sent his angel and saved me from Herod and from what the Jewish leaders had planned to do to me!”

Growing up, I watched all the reruns of the 1960’s campy version of Batman.  In the first half hour episode, Batman and Robin would meet their foe – some great “Holy Devotional, Batman” one-liners were uttered, and at some point the brave crime-fighting duo would be captured and put into danger.  We would be left to watch the 2^nd half hour episode – same bat time, same bat channel – to find out how the Caped Crusader and the Boy Wonder would escape.  (For those who never saw a Batman episode, they always escaped the danger and won the day, go figure.)

As Christians in the United States of America, our lives are hardly ever put in danger for proclaiming the Gospel.  In fact we go out of our way to make sure our lives are not in jeopardy ever.  We shy away from knocking on doors to invite people to church; we send money to missions overseas and don’t go personally.  We watch a video of what someone else has done, and give that person praise for doing something we wouldn’t consider doing.  Really, Christians in Africa, South America and Southeastern Asia think most American Christians are wimps when it comes to putting our lives at stake for the Gospel.

Peter and the earliest disciples knew what it meant to have their lives in danger for proclaiming Jesus.  There are brothers and sisters in the faith today whose lives are very much in danger for proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus.  These Christians live in places where the Bible is prohibited, where gathering in any name other than the State-sanctioned religion is forbidden, and where authorities regularly make examples of law breakers with imprisonment and capital punishment.

At Living Spirit Lutheran Church, we are not asking members to put their lives at stake –yet.  We are teaching that being Christian means being aware of the mission across the globe – and finding ways to be involved that unite us with the struggles of people all around the world.  Take a moment today and do some internet research – look up on the ELCA home page (www.elca.org) global ministries.  What story catches your attention – what global need calls to you and says – this is where we need to put some energy.  Bring these global ministries to our Council and our Ministry Leader’s attention, so we can think globally – and share in the ministry of Christ where people’s lives are at stake.

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July 10                

Acts 13:1-12                        I hereby dub thee . . .

Key Verse:          Acts 13:3              So after more fasting and prayer, the men laid their hand on them and sent them on their way.

I am a fan of Star Trek.  In one of the first movies featuring the cast from the Next Generation television series, there is an opening scene when a bottle of champagne is floating through space and smashing into the ship.  The ship was being christened, following an ancient maritime tradition.  In 2001, Nancy Reagan commissioned the US Navy nuclear powered super-carrier CVN-76 USS Ronald Reagan, also by smashing a bottle of champagne.

As Christians, beginning a new mission involved being blessed or christened as well.  This happens most notably at our baptism – when water is poured over our head, and hands are laid on us and we join the church, and the mission Christ calls us all into.  Throughout life, we have other opportunities to be christened.   The power of this type of blessing is that the Spirit is moving through the hands that are being laid upon us, and we are being affirmed not only by God but by the whole group that yes, this is what God is calling us to do.

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July 11                

Person of Interest: Benedict of Nursia, Abbot of Monte Cassino

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July 12                

Person of Interest:          Nathan Soderblom, Bishop of Uppsala

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July 13                 One more time, from the top . . .

Acts 13:13-42

Key Verse:          Acts 13:16            So Paul stood, lifted his hand to quiet them, and started speaking, “Men of Israel,” he said, “and you God-fearing Gentiles, listen to me.”

Week after week, Christians gather in sanctuaries across the globe.  Week after week, the same stories are lifted up and read about Jesus and about Israel and about the early church.  Week after week, these stories are told.  Some people find it boring to listen week after week.  Some people find it irrelevant the way we share the story, week after week.  But week after week, we share the story.

We share the story about what God has done because it is in hearing the story that our faith grows.  It is in hearing the story we are reminded, because we so easily forget, what God has done for us.  It is in the hearing the story that we are encouraged in our walk.  It is in hearing the story over and over again that we become more familiar with the story, and with the first language of our faith – the Bible. 

At Living Spirit Lutheran Church, story is very much important to us.  Especially the story found in the Bible.  This is why we read the lessons during worship and hear a reading from either an Old Testament book or a New Testament letter and also a reading from one of the four Gospels.  We tell the story so we can hear it again and again, and always be reminded and encouraged, and our faith may grow.  Take a moment today to think about how you hear the story from Monday through Saturday, when you are not in church.  Are you reading the scripture daily?  Twice a week, even?  We all know the story – sort of, kind of, in an outline sort of way, since we have heard it in bits and pieces since we were young.  But now we need to hear it again – because even in hearing the same story again, the story still has power.

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July 14                

Dedicated to the Jacobsville, MI lighthouse – a very beautiful lighthouse indeed

Acts 13:44-52

Key Verse:          Acts 13:47            “For the Lord gave us this command when he said, ‘I have made you a light to the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the farthest corners of the earth.’”

Living in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, I became familiar with seeing a lot of lighthouses.  Lighthouses serve a great purpose.  And they are architecturally wonderful and beautiful and just fun to go and see.  The purpose of the lighthouse is not to serve anyone on dry land.  The lighthouse does not protect the land it is on.  It is to be a beacon, calling out to others and pointing the way to safety. 

As Christians, we have something really special, but if we keep it to ourselves, we are no better than a lighthouse with a burned out light.  We have something that other people need.  We have a message about a way of safety in God’s amazing arms.  And what we have is not meant for us, it is meant to be shouted out from the mountaintops, and used as a message to call others into God’s Kingdom.

At Living Spirit Lutheran Church, we are a beacon in the community.  We are a place where people hear the words of forgiveness proclaimed and experience the presence of God.  We are a place where what we have is not kept inside but is shared with those out there.  Take a moment today to think about your life as a lighthouse – are you protecting the ground around you, or are you shining brightly so the people out there can see there is a way of safety at our church?

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July 17                 No mask, costume or alter-ego required

Acts 14:8-20  also read Acts 14:1-7 and Acts 14:21-28 for more of Paul and Barnabas’ travels

Key Verse:          Acts 14:15 “Friends, why are you doing this?  We are merely human beings – just like you!  We have come to bring you the Good News that you should turn from these worthless things and turn to the living God, who made heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them.”

In one of the recent Spider-Man movies, Aunt May says to her nephew Peter Parker, who is also Spider-Man, “You do too much, you aren’t Superman, you know.”  Of course, we all know who Peter’s alter-ego is, but Aunt May doesn’t know – that’s the humor of that line.  Peter Parker is able to do all sorts of amazing thing as Spider-Man – climb walls, fly through the air with webbing he shouts out of his wrists, fight bad guys, and a bunch of other cool things.  But all the amazing things he does is because he has a gift of super-powers.

As Christians, we do not have super-powers.  We are ordinary people, who accomplish things by an extraordinary faith.  Paul and Barnabas heal a man by faith, and suddenly the greek-cultured town thinks they are the gods Zeus and Hermes.  It makes sense in their world view – that extraordinary things can only be accomplished by gods who are in human form.  But Paul quickly tells the crowd that he and Barnabas are only ordinary people, with an extraordinary faith in the One true God.

At Living Spirit Lutheran Church, our growing community is not happening because there are super-heroes in oru midst who have been bitten by genetically engineered spiders, or come from other planets.  Sure, we may look at the set-up crew on Sunday morning and wonder how they can do all that amazing stuff.  But they are ordinary people just like you and me.  We are all ordinary people, with an extraordinary faith in the One true God.  Take a moment today to reflect on what it is like to be in a community of ordinary people with extraordinary faith.  How might you use your ordinary gifts to help our community grow?

Person of Interest: Bartolome de Las Casas, missionary to the Indies

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July 20                 People are . . . People

Acts 15:1-21 (this section tells of a letter that is sent, that is found in Acts 15:22-35)

In the movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” the father struggles because his daughter falls in love with a man who is not Greek.  He tries desperately to get her to marry a Greek man, even bringing over to dinner several Greek men in an attempt to get her to leave her non-Greek fiancé and marry a Greek man.  In the end, he realizes that even though we have these distinctions between us, “people are people.”

In the day of Paul and the disciples starting a church there was a major distinction between who was Jewish and who was not.  In fact, the Jewish people called all non-Jewish people Gentiles.  This distinction was necessary to determine who was in God’s favor and who was not in God’s favor.   As the disciple grew the new church, they had to learn that God makes no distinction between people.  People are people.  What puts us in God’s favor is God – not our human distinctions.

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July 21                   How about a little rain, here!

Acts 16:16-40     for Paul’s travels up to this point, read from Acts 15:36-16:15

Key Verse:          Acts 16:30            Then [the Jailer] brought [Paul and Silas] out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

In the movie “Evan Almighty” the main character Evan Baxter is a new US Congressman who is chosen by God to build an ark at his home outside of Washington.  He hesitates at first, but eventually comes to understand God’s calling, even though he cannot explain it to his own family or friends.  Meanwhile, a long-standing US Congressman has a problem with Evan’s sudden regard for the environment and tries to get his ark destroyed.  Everyone mocks Evan, and when the dribble of rain doesn’t cause a flood they laugh even harder.  Then a dam breaks and the flood comes crashing down and everyone runs to be saved on the boat.

As we live our lives as faithful people, we do not always need to preach with words, but the way our faith is lived out others should be asking us, “What do we need to do to be saved?”  No we are not all called to build an ark.  No, we will not be jailed when an earthquake comes as Paul and Silas were.  But people should see our faith pouring out of us.  Others should see the faith pouring out of us as we strive for justice issues, as we raise awareness for our environment, as we welcome others who are considered unwelcome-able.

At Living Spirit Lutheran Church, we are not interested in building a church of numbers.  We are called to build a church of faithful disciples.  As we grow together in faith, people should be seeing our confidence in living as God has called us to live, and be asking us what gives us our peace-  what gives us our assurance in God – what has changed our life so much that we get up early on Sundays and go to church.  Take a moment to reflect on how your faith pours out from you.  Who is the last person to ask you “What must I do to be saved”?

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July 22                 Hello, previously unknown deity, nice to meet you.

Acts 17:16-34 (more on Paul’s travels read Acts 17:1-15)

Key Verse:          Acts 17:23            “As I was walking along I saw your many shrines.  And one of your altars had this inscription on it: ‘to an unknown God’.  This God, whom you worship without knowing, is the one I’m telling you about.”

In ancient Greek culture, every town had a deity, a god to whom they prayed for protection and good crops, and health and wealth.  In Athens, a prominent city in Greece, there was a temple to all the different deities from all around Greece.  And Paul found it interesting that the Greeks even had a temple to an unknown God – as if they were covering their bases by saying there might be a god that hasn’t been revealed to them, and they don’t want to offend that god simply because they don’t know who that god is.  So they worship and offer sacrifices to a god they do not even know.

In our culture, we certainly do not have multiple deities like the ancient Greeks.  But we have science, sports, money, a whole host of different Christian denominations all claiming to have it right while the others are wrong, and a myriad of other religions.  All of these things vie for our attention.  We are divided between our loyalties and since there is no clear one right path, for many the easier choice is simply to give up.

At Living Spirit Lutheran Church, our task is to go out into this world of chaos and confusion and to name the unknown God.  We are to give a face for what God looks like in Jesus Christ by being his hands serving those with needs, by being his mouth by proclaiming his truth, by being his feet to take his message everywhere.  Paul provides an example for how to proclaim the word about God.  We get to follow his example and stand out in a world that is clouded by many different deities.  Take a moment today to think about the many deities in your life that distract you from the one True God.  Where are the places today where the True God needs to be named as the unknown God lost in the chaos?

Person of Interest: Mary Magdalene, Apostle

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July 23         Growing In Faith Together is a GIFT

Acts 18:24-28     (for more of Paul’s travels read Acts 18:1-23)

Key Verse:          Acts 18:26            When Priscilla and Aquila heard [Apollos] preaching boldly in the synagogue, they took him aside and explained the way of God even more accurately.

I was recently having a conversation with a friend about a large field that was being mowed.  My friend wondered why it had to be mowed.  I shared what I had been taught, that mowing the grass allows birds to come in and eat the bugs.  But my friend recently finished a course in which she became a certified Master Naturalist in the state of Illinois.  What I had been taught was not correct.  And she shared with me what she had learned and showed me a ground-nest building bird who was apparently seeking its nest that was destroyed by the mowing action.

As Christians, we have our Sunday school faith, the things we have grown up knowing and believing.  And as we grow up we learn more about God and our faith moves from a Sunday school faith to a deeper relationship with the Almighty.  We need one another to help us along the way as we learn more.

At Living Spirit Lutheran Church, we know that learning about God does not end because we are done with Sunday school or confirmation.  Learning about God is a lifelong process.  We are blessed to have an adult Sunday school class that meets between our worship services on Sunday mornings.  In these classes, we share our understanding of God and grow in faith together.  Take a moment today to reflect on the last time you attended a learning event.  How might God be nudging you to participate in a class in which you learn more about God?

Person of Interest:          Birgitta of Sweden, renewer of the church

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July 24 Who are you?  Who Who Who Who.  (okay it is better when The Who sings this)

Acts 19:8-22        (for more of Paul’s journey’s read Acts 19:1-8 and Acts 19:23-41)

Key Verse:          Acts 19:15 But one time when they tried it, the evil spirit replied, “I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you?”

What’s in a name?  A rose by any other name is still as sweet.  That isn’t the exact quote from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.  But it is close.  It gets the point across.  Names carry meaning.  There is a story behind names.  Certain names even carry power.

Recently in Chicago, a famous landmark made news headlines when it agreed to change its name to Willis Tower.  Now, we all know what the Sears Tower is.  We all can point it out in the skyline.  But the Willis Tower?  What’s that?  Where’s that?  That tall one?  Nope – that’s the Sears Tower.  Well, no, now it is the Willis Tower.  And who can forget that Macy’s downtown location is really Marshall Field’s?  Or who really calls the home park of the White Sox US Cellular Field – even to me, a north-sider, it will always be Comiskey Park.

Names have meaning.  And as Christians, we must realize which name has the ultimate power.  It is Jesus.  In the name of Jesus, forgiveness is proclaimed, peace is granted, healing takes place, and life is renewed.  In the name of Jesus, ministry happens more powerfully than when it is done by any other name.

At Living Spirit Lutheran Church, we know our name and our name alone is meaningless.  But when we act in the name of Jesus –our ministry will grow and flourish.  Take a moment today to think about the last time you invited Jesus to be the power source of your faith life?  Have you invoked Jesus’ name in granting forgiveness to someone?  Did you ask Jesus to bring peace to that situation in your life where you are holding on to a grudge?   

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July 25                

Person of Interest:          James, Apostle

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July 27                   Okay, Everyone, Let’s take five.  Smoke  ’em if you got ‘em *

*I am not actually encouraging smoking, only quoting a movie line referring to taking a break

Acts 20:1-12

Key Verse:          Acts 20:11            Then they all went back upstairs, shared in the Lord’s Supper, and ate together.  Paul continued talking to them until dawn, and then he left.

I think this is one of the funniest stories in the New Testament.  Not because someone was hurt, but because of how fast everything seemingly goes back to normal.  Paul declares the boy to be not dead, but alive; then Paul continues the worship service with communion and a sermon that lasts til dawn (I could never preach that long).

I remember a time when I was in high school, a friend of mine at church had passed out during the worship service.  The ushers took care of the family, and tended to them until the ambulance arrived.  The paramedics helped her out of the sanctuary and treated her.  Meanwhile, the worship service continued.  It felt odd, pausing momentarily to see that my friend was sick, and while there was someone tending to her needs, the worship service continued. 

Does it strike you odd that when this happens, life just seems to keep on going like it is no big deal?  Shouldn’t we all stop from worshipping God and see that the person with the medical need is helped?  Yet do we all stop our daily commute when we pass an accident scene?  Do we all stop before going into a restaurant and help the homeless person on the street corner looking for spare change?  Before we receive our medical attention for preventative things, do we even think about the millions and billions of people who have no vaccinations and no way of receiving even the basic medical attention?  Life goes on.  No matter what the pressing need is, life goes on.  And so to in worshipping God, we do not pause from worshipping God to attend to needs – we pause from attending to needs to worship God.  There are pressing needs before we begin worship, there will be pressing needs after worship , and sometimes there are even pressing needs during worship.  And in the place of worship, we can replace with “work” “Vacation” “Sleep” “Bathroom Breaks” and so much more.

At Living Spirit Lutheran Church, we have not had in the 2 months that I have served as pastor a case like this, where an ambulance is needed during the worship service.  I am not sure, but I think we would respond fairly similar to how my home congregation responded – with ushers tending to the immediate family’s needs and the paramedics doing their job and worship continuing.  We know there will always be pressing needs around us.  And to help us respond to the pressing needs of this world, we pause to worship God – to hear God’s word and to seek God’s will in the ways we live.  Take a moment to reflect on how you pause to worship God.  Are there pressing needs that always seem to get in your way of worshipping God?  How might you need to take a break from those pressing needs and pause to worship God? 

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July 28           Now accepting applications . . .

Acts 20:13-38

Key Verse:          Acts 20:24            But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus –the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.

Here this with the deep, heavy breathing and the deep voice of Darth Vader: “Luke, join me on the Dark Side, complete your training.  It is your destiny.”   Wow, a scary moment for young Luke confronted with a decision about what his life will be like – following a path with his father and ruling the Empire, or becoming a Jedi Knight and leading a rebellion against the Empire to create a new world order.  I wonder how that turned out for him (just kidding).

We all believe in one way or another that there is a fate or destiny for each of us.  Some people put more trust in fortunes or tarot readings or horoscopes than others.  I got a fortune cookie the other day that read, “look for a new start in your life.”  Of course, our family tradition is to add “in bed” after reading a fortune cookie.  So you can’t believe everything you read in those Chinese desert delicacies. 

As Christians, we use the word “vocation” to describe how our life’s work is a calling from God.  Whether we are a plumber, a politician, a stay-at-home parent, an engineer, a career-military person, or whatever our job is – that job becomes a calling when we use it as a way to live out our faith in Jesus.  Paul was a traveling missionary, and he worked as a tent-maker to support himself along the way.  One of my friends was an elementary teacher 9 months a year, and a home painter during the summer.   He saw that his teaching and his painting business both reflected the values of God in the way he dealt with students and with clients.  His jobs were not jobs, they were vocations –the way God called him to share his faith with others in the world.

At Living Spirit Lutheran Church, we are trying to create a climate where people discover their vocation – their calling from God to live faithfully in their daily job.  So whether you deal with the public, or whether you are a teacher, or have a small business – whatever you do – the values you learn from Christ should be lived out and experienced by others.  Take a moment today to reflect on your current job – is it just a job, or is it a vocation?  Who might you need to talk with to discover how your job can become a vocation?

People of Interest           Johann Sebastian Bach; Heinrich Schutz; George Frederick Handel; musicians

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July 29              Well, in my defense . . .

Acts 22:1-22 (for the story of how Paul got to Jerusalem and into such a fine mess as this, read Acts chapter 21, verses 1-40)

Key Verse:          Acts 22:1              “Brothers and esteemed fathers,” Paul said, “listen to me as I offer my defense.”

One of the key freedoms in the US is the presumption of innocence before guilt.  Even when someone is arrested, they are presumed innocent until proven guilty.  Even if the bank robber is caught in the act, pinned to the ground, arrested and hauled straight before the judge – that bank robber is still innocent until proven guilty.  It is sometimes an annoying principle of our legal system, because obviously guilty people can sometimes get away with their crimes because of the presumption of innocence.  Of course, anyone falsely accused is thankful for this freedom because it allows for a chance to state their defense, and to uphold their innocence.

Sometimes, this idea that we are innocent until proven guilty even spills over into our faith life.  We try to find ways of being innocent when it comes to sharing our faith – or at least, we find ways to not be guilty of sharing our faith.  Paul in his situation in Jerusalem had no choice but to stand up and say – here is my defense – this is how I have shared my faith and have remained true to God’s Word.  Unfortunately for Paul, sharing his faith only got him more into trouble. 

People of Interest:          Mary, Martha, and Lazarus of Bethany; Olaf, King of Norway, martyr

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July 30                   Be Encouraged!

Acts chapters 23, 24, 25, 26 contain the story of Paul’s lengthy trial with the Roman leaders in Jerusalem and then in Caesarea as he waited to appeal his case to Caesar in Rome.

Key Verse:          Acts 23:11            That night the Lord appeared to Paul and said, “Be encouraged, Paul.  Just as you have been a witness to me here in Jerusalem, you must preach the Good News in Rome as well.

The book of Acts is about to come to a close.  Paul’s journeys as a free individual are now over.  In these chapters, which span several years, Paul is in captivity explaining his case to anyone who will listen.  When the leaders in Jerusalem approve a plot to have Paul killed, the only thing that saves him is his Roman Citizenship – it allows him to be taken to Caesarea to be tried by the Roman governor there.  But the first governor doesn’t want to judge Paul innocent.  He is afraid of the Jews.  The next governor even appeals to a visiting king to help decide the matter.  He too wishes to set Paul free, but Paul had appealed to Caesar in Rome.

Before Paul embarked on this massive trial and journey to Rome, he hears the voice of Jesus encourage him.  Encouragement is needed in ministry.  It is needed when we send our future pastors to seminary.  It is needed when we support missionaries across the globe.  It is necessary when we elect leaders for our congregation.  It is needed as a new congregation begins ministry and is worshipping in a gymnasium and has for an office an industrial park location.

At Living Spirit Lutheran Church, we believe God has called us to gather in Jesus name and to proclaim Jesus’ message to Oswego and beyond.  We are needing now to hear Jesus call to us and encourage us in our way.  Take a moment and reflect on why you are a member at Living Spirit Lutheran Church.  Who encouraged you to become part of a new congregation just getting going in Oswego? Who might need to hear an encouraging word from you as our ministry grows?

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July 31                   That’s all folks

Acts 28:1-31

Key Verse           Acts 28:30-31     For the next two years, Paul lived in Rome at his own expense.  He welcomed all who visited him, boldly proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ.  And no one tried to stop him.

That’s it.  That’s how the book of Acts ends.  We do not know what happened when Paul met Caesar.  We do not hear in the Bible how Paul dies or whatever happens to his ministry in Rome.  The book isn’t as much of an ending as it is a pause in the story, as if you expect to turn the page and keep reading what is going on. 

In many ways, we are the next page.  We are the continuing story of the book of Acts.  The story of the growing church doesn’t end.  The author Luke may have run out of energy in recording the stories of the early church, but the story hasn’t ended.  We continue the work of Paul when we share the Word of God, when we tell others about Jesus and we heal and do all the things Jesus did.

At Living Spirit Lutheran Church, we are a part of the continuing story of the book of Acts – we are the church growing in Oswego and we are the fellow workers with Paul in following the way of Jesus the Nazarene, who was killed but whom God raised from the dead.  Take a moment today and realize the power of what it means to be the next page – the 29^th chapter, so to speak, of the book of Acts.  We are writing as we live it, the rest of the story of the church.

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