Several of you have asked for the text of the YouTube video we watched in worship last Sunday. It was uploaded to YouTube by Lastrumpet 08. Here it is:
"My child you lost focus because you concentrate on your current situation, your circumstances that you are in. The things of this world are distracting you all the time.
Some are worried about the wrong things in life. I promised, seek first My kingdom and My righteousness then I will add all the other things unto you.
Do not lose focus but yield to My Spirit who will guide you every step of the way. If you focus on Me all the time you will walk in faith, not by sight because you will know I will not fail you. I will work all things out for good at My time. Trust Me.
My child, if you focus on the storms you will sink. Get your eyes off the storms and focus on Me. I will calm every storm. I am greater than the storms.
My child, do you understand your problem? You keep losing focus all the time.
You must practice, remind yourself all the time to stay focused on Me, not on the things of this world. It will sidetrack you.
Think about the things above, My everlasting Kingdom, not the things on this earth, it will vanish but the things above are of eternal value.
Focus on Jesus."
Monday, November 29, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Stay Focused
The Gospel reading for the 1st Sunday of Advent is Matthew 24:36-44. In it, Jesus says, "If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him."
So...how do you stay focused on Jesus in the midst of all the Thanksgiving and Christmas hullabaloo? I just learned that a member of my congregation arrived at church last Sunday morning, looked at the bulletin and saw that we were not singing any of the traditional Thanksgiving hymns, and walked out. I'm such a silly pastor...I thought it was more important to stay focused on the church holy day of Christ the King Sunday than on the secular holiday of Thanksgiving - the day before Black Friday, the kick-off of the Christmas shopping madness. And if this individual had only stayed long enough to hear the announcements, s/he'd have learned of the ecumenical Thanksgiving service to be held on the Wednesday evening before Thanksgiving. That service includes the hymn "Come Ye Thankful People Come."
This is the problem in the USA today. People -even people who call themselves Christians - don't want Jesus. People want "the holiday season" with all the Hallmark trimmings. No matter that you post "Jesus is the reason for the season" on Facebook - if you spend all your time, energy and money on the trappings of the secular season, you're not getting it. Santa Claus has triumphed over the incarnation, and the Easter Bunny has triumphed over the resurrection.
What do you think would happen if all of us who call ourselves Christians forgot about our decorations and shopping and fancy meals and just focused on the birth of Jesus and how he taught us to live? Would this world look a whole lot more like the Kingdom of God?
So...how do you stay focused on Jesus in the midst of all the Thanksgiving and Christmas hullabaloo? I just learned that a member of my congregation arrived at church last Sunday morning, looked at the bulletin and saw that we were not singing any of the traditional Thanksgiving hymns, and walked out. I'm such a silly pastor...I thought it was more important to stay focused on the church holy day of Christ the King Sunday than on the secular holiday of Thanksgiving - the day before Black Friday, the kick-off of the Christmas shopping madness. And if this individual had only stayed long enough to hear the announcements, s/he'd have learned of the ecumenical Thanksgiving service to be held on the Wednesday evening before Thanksgiving. That service includes the hymn "Come Ye Thankful People Come."
This is the problem in the USA today. People -even people who call themselves Christians - don't want Jesus. People want "the holiday season" with all the Hallmark trimmings. No matter that you post "Jesus is the reason for the season" on Facebook - if you spend all your time, energy and money on the trappings of the secular season, you're not getting it. Santa Claus has triumphed over the incarnation, and the Easter Bunny has triumphed over the resurrection.
What do you think would happen if all of us who call ourselves Christians forgot about our decorations and shopping and fancy meals and just focused on the birth of Jesus and how he taught us to live? Would this world look a whole lot more like the Kingdom of God?
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
"Sainthood for Dummies"
This week's scripture, Luke 6:20-31, is Luke's version of Matthew's "Sermon on the Mount." It is often called "The Sermon on the Plain" because it takes place after Jesus and the disciples have come down from the mountain on which Jesus has chosen the 12 apostles. The first part of the text, verses 20-26, the "blessings and woes" are addressed specifically to Jesus' disciples. The second part, verses 27-31, are addressed to all who are listening.
If you're familiar with the "...for Dummies" series of books, this reading could be called "Sainthood for Dummies." In the Protestant tradition we believe that all Christians are part of "the communion of saints" referred to in The Apostles' Creed. "Sainthood" is not for set-apart holy people, but for all believers. And The Sermon on the Plain is Jesus' summary of how "the saints" are called to live.
Questions for reflection: What do the "blessings and woes" mean to you? Is this the same or different from what they might have meant to Jesus' original listeners? Do you find them comforting or threatening? How about the instruction to "do good to those who hate you"? How hard - and how counter-cultural -- is that! Do we, individually and as a society and a nation, "do to others as you would have them to to you"? Or are we more likely to "do to others as they have done to us," or even "do to others before they have a chance to do to us"? How might the world be transformed if every Christian made the effort to live out The Golden Rule every day?
If you're familiar with the "...for Dummies" series of books, this reading could be called "Sainthood for Dummies." In the Protestant tradition we believe that all Christians are part of "the communion of saints" referred to in The Apostles' Creed. "Sainthood" is not for set-apart holy people, but for all believers. And The Sermon on the Plain is Jesus' summary of how "the saints" are called to live.
Questions for reflection: What do the "blessings and woes" mean to you? Is this the same or different from what they might have meant to Jesus' original listeners? Do you find them comforting or threatening? How about the instruction to "do good to those who hate you"? How hard - and how counter-cultural -- is that! Do we, individually and as a society and a nation, "do to others as you would have them to to you"? Or are we more likely to "do to others as they have done to us," or even "do to others before they have a chance to do to us"? How might the world be transformed if every Christian made the effort to live out The Golden Rule every day?
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