Tag: Worship (Page 1 of 27)

Today is Transfiguration Sunday when we hear of a literal “mountain-top experience” that had to be far beyond the descriptions we get in today’s and the parallel accounts.

In all of the accounts we hear of Peter’s (misguided) suggestion to build three tents; one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.

Also in all three the disciples do not tell anyone of the event for the time being. (Jesus commands this in Matthew and Mark.)

So, Peter seems to want to stay on the mountain and, when he does have to come down, can’t talk about it right away. Hmmm.

Perhaps we have more in common with Peter than we care to admit!

We like to have the “mountain-top experiences” and don’t want to come down from them and we don’t seem to want to share the majesty, glory, beautiful, reality of our life because of Jesus with others.

Ugh!

We have been to the mountain-top through faith in Jesus, God’s Son, and are to “listen to Him,” share Him, and live in that reality.

We are to live the transfigured lives we have been given – a life where we have been forgiven of all our sins, share in the Sacraments of the Lord, have joy, comfort, and power through the Holy Spirit, and the reality of eternal life in God’s presence!

God wants us to realize that reality daily; share it constantly; live it confidently!

Our decent from the ‘mountain’ isn’t so that we are relegated to the valleys as a kind of torture after having been to the Top; it’s to live in the joy we have knowing what is ours in Jesus forever, sharing for others to ascend, and knowing our eternal reality will climb even higher than we can imagine!

We are to live transfigured because we are transfigured! We are share Jesus who transfigures so others can be transfigured!

Let’s “shout it from the mountain-top!”

“Thank You, Jesus, for dying and rising for our forgiveness and everlasting life! Thank You, Holy Spirit, for filling us with peace, joy, power, and love! Thank You, Father, for sending Your Son; help us ‘listen to Him,’ share Him, live in Him! In Jesus’ name; Amen!”

Scriptures

• 1 Corinthians 15:21-34
• Psalm 103:1-13 {Confession & Absolution}

“Bad company corrupts good morals.”

That’s in our text for today, and anyone who has lived for awhile knows it to be true.

Of course that doesn’t mean that those with good morals can’t or don’t have a positive influence on those where morals are lacking. Fair enough. But many a godly people who have seen themselves as being the self-appointed ‘savior’ of folks who will ‘win then over’ have seen their heart, mind, and actions be perverted instead.

Of course we need to be the Light of Jesus to the dark world around us. But we should not deceive ourselves into thinking the dark world has little or no influence on us.

Our Scripture today tells us to “wake from [our] drunken stupor…and [not to] go on sinning.”

We need to be ever watching; ever cautious; ever vigilant. We need to remember that the enemies of the Devil, the world, and our own sinful nature seeks the downfall of our morals and, ultimately, our faith. We need to continually be fortified in the Word of God, the gathering of believers, the in the living of the Holy Spirit, in the good deeds of our lives, and in the saving Gospel of Jesus. We need to stand firm in our Scriptural beliefs and in our sanctified living around all.

We will never be the savior for those who are “bad company,” but we by our careful, consistent, living and sharing of the Savior Jesus, we can and will shine His light to those who need it.

It is through Christ all shall “be made alive.” When we focus of being and remaining in Him, knowing He is the one who saves, the Holy Spirit uses us to affect His will and change for others.

Watch yourselves, brothers and sisters! Focus yourselves on the Word; on the Holy Spirit; on the Gospel of Jesus! Stop sinning and placing yourselves in “bad company.” Be in HIS company and He will use you for His will and ways!

The Lord has saved you. Remain in Him and trust Him to be the savior of others.

“Thank You, Lord, for saving us. Forgive us when we try to save and instead fall into sin. Strengthen and uphold us in Jesus and let us share Your Light in Your way according to Your plan. In Jesus’ name; Amen.”

Scriptures

• 1 Corinthians 15:21-34
• Psalm 103:1-13 {Confession & Absolution}

Resurrection of the dead isn’t as clear and mature of a teaching in the Old Testament. You see a bit more of it in the intertestamental period, but it’s not until the New Testament that you see this as a core Christian tenant and central aspect of the Faith.

Jesus affirms again and again the truth of the resurrection of the dead. And in His rising from the dead He places this doctrine as central and to who He is and what it will look like in the hereafter.

Many Christians act as if the resurrection and the hereafter isn’t really a thing. Or they just play lip-service and don’t take it to heart.

Our text clearly tells us that “if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is in vain.” It says we are “false witnesses of God” if there’s no resurrection. It says if Christ has not been raised our “faith is empty” and we “are still in [our] sins.” That if Christ has not been raised then we are to be pitied as ones having no hope.

Those words are quite an endorsement of both the resurrection and its importance both in this life and in that to come.

Yet so many times Christians live as if this isn’t either true, important, or applicable to life. They live like there is no hope. They cling onto this life because they are unsure of what is to come. They fear the hereafter because they don’t really take to heart that there is one. But “Christ has been raised from the dead” and that is what gives us hope. Not just hope here, hope for what is to come. All that is to come. That there is a time to come. That what happens here is not the end of us. It is not the end of life. It is the beginning of new life. New creation. Full hope. All this because Christ has been raised from the dead is at the right hand of the father and goes and prepares a place for us that He might bring us to be where He is. Forever. With new life. With resurrected life. With full hope. With glorified bodies. Jesus came to suffer, to die, and to rise so that we would rise. He came to conquer death so that death wouldn’t be the end for us. We don’t know what our new, glorified, resurrected bodies will be like, but we know that it will be beautiful, incorruptible, perfect. We know that it will be in Him and be forever. And that’s a hope that we can take to the grave – and beyond. That’s something worth living for and not fearing dying for. Because that’s not permanent. Our time with God forever in resurrection is.

“Thank you, Lord, for conquering death and giving us resurrected hope forever. Help us to live in this life in that resurrected hope now because we have that to come. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Scriptures

• 1 Corinthians 15:12-20
• Psalm 1

It’s always kind of interesting when you come to a major realization that you weren’t expecting. Something big that was unforeseen. Something major out of the blue.

The disciples had to have a lot of those times. Time after time Jesus was making the unexpected happen. You would think that after a while they would get used to it and actually start expecting those types of things. Well, if that ever happened, we don’t see much evidence of it.

In today’s gospel lesson we get one of those situations where the unanticipated happens and it has a consequence beyond what was expected. It’s a familiar story that most of us probably know. It culminates in Jesus going out with some of the disciples to fish even though they had been there all night. Jesus tells Peter put out into deep water and let down the nets for a catch and Peter, after explaining that they had already tried this all night with no results complies, taking Jesus at His word, almost resigned to the fact that he needs to do this because of his Teacher’s request, but he isn’t expecting anything different.

But what he gets is vastly different! Not because of the large number of fish that they end up catching, but the realization of why they caught that many of Who it really is that was with them. The fact that Jesus commands fish and waves and boats and weather and everything. The fact that this Jesus – Who is right there in the boat with them – is holy; and he isn’t. The unexpected realization and encounter with his own sinfulness and Jesus’ holiness. “Depart from me, Lord, because I am a sinful man,” he says. That was unexpected. We were just going out and doing some fishing and hanging out. “Depart from me, Lord, because I am a sinful man.”

But the story doesn’t end there. The story ends with Jesus comforting Simon saying “Do not be afraid! From now on you will be catching people!” Another unexpected twist! Another different – wonderful ending! It doesn’t end with Peter’s sinfulness. It ends with Jesus using Peter despite his sinfulness because of Jesus’ holiness.

God uses us too. Even when we’re unholy; when we’re sinful; when we’re far away: He makes the unexpected expected. Because of Jesus’ holiness, we are forgiven and no longer sinners. We are no longer stuck with an unfruitful bounty, but rather bountiful in His harvest, in His catch, and what He desires of us.

Jesus has saved us and forgiven us and now He uses us to share Him for unexpected results for everyone else. Praise the Lord!

Scriptures

• Luke 5:1-11
• Psalm 138

What would you be willing to give up? What is your level of commitment?

Most of us, if pressed, would say that we would die for Jesus and our faith (I hope!). That’s good. That’s as it should be. But sometimes there are other commitments – smaller than death – that we don’t seem able to, well, commit to; Work through; play through. They seem too much; be they financial requests, time commitments, or requests to volunteer. Or maybe they are helping someone out when it’s inconvenient.

In our Scriptures for today we hear about a young Christian, Timothy, who is “all in” on his commitment. This is someone who was – as an adult – circumcised in order to be a better witness of Jesus to the audience that he was going to.

That is a commitment! That’s putting yourself on the line; “out there” (literally)!

In our lesson from First Timothy we’re told to “pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patient endurance, and gentleness.” We’re told to “fight the good fight of faith.” That’s not just in the big things, that’s not just our life and death situation, that’s for our living situation as well. It’s for the little things. It’s for all the things. It’s for the small commitments and the big. It’s “all in.” That’s what God wants of us – all of us: our heart, mind, soul, strength – everything. He wants us to be “all in” because Jesus was all in. He didn’t just come and give His life. He came and gave us living. He lived so we might live abundantly. He died so we might live forever. He desires and wants all of us because He gave all for us.

“Thank You, Lord Jesus, for being “all in” for us. Help us in our commitment to be all in for You in everything; for You and others. Amen.”

Scriptures

• Acts 16:1-5
• 1 Timothy 6:11-16