Hello, blog... remember me? I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't! It's been almost 2 years since I made an entry. Wow.
So, highlights since 2014?
July 2014 my son, Ben Serrao, and Olive Landon, were married. I call her my daughter-in-love because she is so wonderful and simply perfect for my son as he is for her. We are truly blessed to have her (and her fabulous family) in our family!
August 2014 my oldest niece, Lisa Serrao, and Jason Pomeroy were married. It was a beautiful ceremony, and they are also perfect for one another!
Sadly my Dad, Manuel (Manny) Serrao passed away on June 1, 2015. He was not a perfect man (there was only ever one of those!) but he was my Dad and I loved him, love him still, and miss him tremendously. My Mom is doing pretty well. She is a strong woman and won't always say how she is feeling, but she will make it through. As she says, it's her new reality and she needs to just take one step at a time.
I just know the thought of me becoming a widow terrifies me, so I am in awe of how she is handling it.
The winter of 2014 I took voice lessons in Gulf Shores AL from Kayla Dowling who it the most talented pianist I have ever known personally. And she is a GREAT teacher. I learned more about singing in the first hour lesson than I ever knew in my life prior to that. And I can now hit high notes I never had a prayer of reaching before, simply because she taught me how.
After my first lesson she asked if I would like to sing with the choir at the Gulf Shores Presbyterian church, and of course, I said yes! So I sing with them each winter now and I am thoroughly loving it! I sang with a women's barbershop group the previous year, but that is not my style of singing ... but worship songs and hymns sure are. I love making a joyful noise unto the Lord.
This year during the winter I have been taking piano lessons! Yes, you heard me right, piano lessons! At my age! Again, from Kayla. I am so enjoying it, even the practicing of it. I just love learning more about music. I am finally beginning to read it well and each lesson I learn more and more about rhythm and counting and all that good stuff. It sure is like a foreign language, though. It has helped me in my singing as well. And I am hoping it will help me with learning the violin. I am so excited about doing this. I can hardly wait to show people back home what I have learned!
I am sure there are other highlights that will come to me after I post this and I will wonder why I didn't think of them before that.
That's it for now, and I promise I won't go so long without checking in again! I guess since I am posting things on facebook a lot, that I forget about my blog... sigh. Poor neglected thing...
Showing posts with label church. Show all posts
Showing posts with label church. Show all posts
Saturday, February 20, 2016
Monday, October 31, 2011
Sermon Given on October 30, 2011 at UCUMC
I was asked Saturday night if I could do the sermon for church on the following day, since our pastor was sick (I pray he is getting well), so I said sure!
The Lectionary verse I chose to base it on is Matthew 23:1-12 which reads:
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4 They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
Have you ever heard, or maybe even used, the expression “do as I say, not as I do?”
In today’s gospel lesson, Jesus uses that phrase to condemn the actions of the Pharisees. He says “But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.” Just who were the Pharisees? They were the largest and most influential religious-political party during New Testament times. They appear in the Gospels as opponents of Jesus. Paul was a Pharisee and we recall how he used to persecute, and even put to death, Christians before he became a man of God. The Pharisees controlled the synagogues and exercised great control over much of the population.
The term “Pharisee” means “separated ones.” Perhaps it means that they separated themselves from the masses or that they separated themselves to the study and interpretation of the law. They saw the way to God as being through obedience to the law. The Pharisees opposed Jesus because He refused to accept their interpretations of the oral law.
In this gospel lesson, Jesus does not deny that the Pharisees know the law, in fact he tells the crowds and his disciples that “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you.” Sitting in Moses’ seat meant that they were like Moses in interpreting the law and acting as judges in disputes regarding the law. So they certainly knew what the laws were. And since they took the Scriptures at face value, Jesus said their instructions should be followed. However, Jesus warned the people of the Pharisee’s legalism which valued their own rules and regulations above the Scriptures. Legalism simply means strict, literal, or excessive conformity to the law or to a religious or moral code.
In verse 4, Jesus condemns the Pharisees because “They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders...” What is the heavy load they tie up? The Pharisees counted 613 laws from the Old Testament that they said the people were to do in order to live lives that were pleasing to God. All of these social regulations added up to immense burdens on the Jews for their day-to-day lives. By focusing on these 613 religious rules and regulations, the Pharisees neglected the weightier issues of love and justice. They saw no “wiggle-room” in the law. Indeed they accused Jesus of breaking the law for picking grain for his disciples to eat on the Sabbath. They also condemned him for healing the sick on the Sabbath.
Imagine the weight of your religion on your shoulders if you thought the only way you could be “religious” was by obeying all of these 613 religious rules. What a burden it would be.
Even though Jesus does not use the word “hypocrite” in this gospel passage, he certainly is pointing out the acts of hypocrisy that the Pharisees display. Hypocrisy is the act of pretending to be what one really is not, especially the pretense of being a better person than one really is. We can see this in the verses where Jesus points out “Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long;”
Let’s take a closer look at this. Phylacteries were small boxes containing Bible passages that were worn on the forehead or arm. This custom was based on Exodus 13:9 which says “This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that the law of the LORD is to be on your lips. For the LORD brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand.” And Dueteronomy 6:8 which says “Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.” But from such passages as Proverbs 3:3 “Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.” that God meant his word to be more than outward adornment – he meant for his word to be held in our hearts.
The tassels that Jesus refers to were worn on the corners of garments in order to remind the Israelites of God’s law. Numbers 15:38-40 states“Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘Throughout the generations to come you are to make tassels on the corners of your garments, with a blue cord on each tassel. You will have these tassels to look at and so you will remember all the commands of the LORD, that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves by going after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes. Then you will remember to obey all my commands and will be consecrated to your God.” In order to be seen as especially righteous, some hypocrites would make their phylacteries conspicuously large and their tassels unusually long.
To the Pharisees their phylacteries had become more important for the status they gave than for the truths they contained. Jesus exposed the hypocritical attitudes of these religious leaders. They knew the Scriptures but did not live by them. They didn’t care about being holy – just appearing holy so they could get the people’s admiration and praise. Even today there are many people who may know the Bible, but they don’t let it change their lives. They say they follow Jesus but don’t live by his standards of love. People who live this way are hypocrites, just as the Pharisees were. We must always be vigilant in making sure our actions match our beliefs.
Hypocrisy was also addressed by Jesus in Isaiah 29:13 where he said “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.”
The other things that Jesus condemned the Pharisees for were “they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them ‘Rabbi.’”
Jesus is not condemning the place of honor at banquets, obviously someone has to sit there, but he is condemning the Pharisees for “loving” the place of honor. They expect to receive the place of honor because they believe they are better than others and should be accorded the highest seat of honor in all places. The most important seats in the synagogues were a row of seats in the font of the synagogue facing the congregation. Again, they want to be seen by everyone as being the most pious and most important person wherever they go. They essentially are making idols of themselves, and worshiping themselves – the worst kind of idolatry. And to seek that kind of recognition in the synagogue where they were supposed to be worshiping God, not themselves, is mocking God rather than honoring Him.
People desire positions of leadership, not only in business, but also in the church. Desiring leadership in itself is not a bad thing – we need Christian leaders. But it becomes a problem, however, when the love for the position grows stronger than loyalty to God. Jesus was not against all leadership – but he was against leadership that serves itself rather than others.
Rabbi means “teacher” and it was used as a respectful salutation. However, the Pharisees loved to be called by that title for the prestige and power that went with the title, not for the purpose of using the position to serve others.
All disciples need a master, or a teacher. But the way the Pharisees viewed the role was in stark contrast to the humble way in which Jesus served his disciples. They gloried in the limelight, while He came to be overlooked and rejected by the nation as a whole. He came to give His life as a ransom for many; they lived only for the praise and adulation their position gave them.
Jesus cautions the disciples to not elevate themselves above others as the Pharisees do. In verses 8-10 he warns them “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called ‘teacher,’ for you have one Teacher, the Christ.” He is teaching them they must be humble and that only God should be exalted above all others.
Jesus is not saying that levels of authority should not exist in this world. In 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 he says “Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.” 1 Timothy 5:17 tells us “The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.” And in Hebrews 13:17 we are told “Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.”
Jesus came as a servant. And one of the greatest teachings of Jesus is that we are to be servants. The greatest Christian is the person who has learned to be a servant, to have the heart of a servant, the attitude of a servant, the actions of a servant. In the foot washing on Holy Thursday, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples and shocked them all with this action and his attitude of humility.
So what do we learn from Jesus, our Teacher and Messiah? Those who seek greatness, says Jesus, will find it not in leading others but in serving others, for as verse 11 in today’s passage says “The greatest among you will be your servant.”
Greatness in the kingdom of God is not measured, as the Pharisees supposed, by determining how many disciples they had under their authority. Rather it is the number whom we serve that reflects our measure of greatness in God’s sight. To Jesus greatness come from serving – giving of yourself to help God and others. Service keeps us aware of others’ needs and keeps us from focusing only on ourselves.
Indeed, as Paul points out in Philippians 2:6-8, Jesus “... being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!”
The good news is that the story of Jesus did not end at the cross or with his death. God raised Jesus to new life and restored to him all the rights, privileges, and titles he had willingly given up in order to serve us. And so we can claim the truth of Jesus’ promise in the last verse of today’s lesson: “All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Let us pray: Heavenly Father, thank you for your words today that teach us not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought. Remind us that we are to be servants, not only to you, but to others as well. As 1 Peter 4:10 tells us “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” Let us go forth today and use our gifts to serve others in your name, Lord. We humbly ask that you continue to guide us and to teach us your word. We also ask that you be with those on our prayer list, you know who they are, Lord. We lift them up to you; hold them in your loving arms, be their strength and their comfort. Your will be done, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
The Lectionary verse I chose to base it on is Matthew 23:1-12 which reads:
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4 They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
5 “Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries[a] wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7 they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them ‘Rabbi.’
8 “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. 9 And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called ‘teacher,’ for you have one Teacher, the Christ.[b] 11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
And here is the sermon I gave:
Hypocrisy & Servanthood
Have you ever heard, or maybe even used, the expression “do as I say, not as I do?”
In today’s gospel lesson, Jesus uses that phrase to condemn the actions of the Pharisees. He says “But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.” Just who were the Pharisees? They were the largest and most influential religious-political party during New Testament times. They appear in the Gospels as opponents of Jesus. Paul was a Pharisee and we recall how he used to persecute, and even put to death, Christians before he became a man of God. The Pharisees controlled the synagogues and exercised great control over much of the population.
The term “Pharisee” means “separated ones.” Perhaps it means that they separated themselves from the masses or that they separated themselves to the study and interpretation of the law. They saw the way to God as being through obedience to the law. The Pharisees opposed Jesus because He refused to accept their interpretations of the oral law.
In this gospel lesson, Jesus does not deny that the Pharisees know the law, in fact he tells the crowds and his disciples that “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you.” Sitting in Moses’ seat meant that they were like Moses in interpreting the law and acting as judges in disputes regarding the law. So they certainly knew what the laws were. And since they took the Scriptures at face value, Jesus said their instructions should be followed. However, Jesus warned the people of the Pharisee’s legalism which valued their own rules and regulations above the Scriptures. Legalism simply means strict, literal, or excessive conformity to the law or to a religious or moral code.
In verse 4, Jesus condemns the Pharisees because “They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders...” What is the heavy load they tie up? The Pharisees counted 613 laws from the Old Testament that they said the people were to do in order to live lives that were pleasing to God. All of these social regulations added up to immense burdens on the Jews for their day-to-day lives. By focusing on these 613 religious rules and regulations, the Pharisees neglected the weightier issues of love and justice. They saw no “wiggle-room” in the law. Indeed they accused Jesus of breaking the law for picking grain for his disciples to eat on the Sabbath. They also condemned him for healing the sick on the Sabbath.
Imagine the weight of your religion on your shoulders if you thought the only way you could be “religious” was by obeying all of these 613 religious rules. What a burden it would be.
Even though Jesus does not use the word “hypocrite” in this gospel passage, he certainly is pointing out the acts of hypocrisy that the Pharisees display. Hypocrisy is the act of pretending to be what one really is not, especially the pretense of being a better person than one really is. We can see this in the verses where Jesus points out “Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long;”
Let’s take a closer look at this. Phylacteries were small boxes containing Bible passages that were worn on the forehead or arm. This custom was based on Exodus 13:9 which says “This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that the law of the LORD is to be on your lips. For the LORD brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand.” And Dueteronomy 6:8 which says “Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.” But from such passages as Proverbs 3:3 “Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.” that God meant his word to be more than outward adornment – he meant for his word to be held in our hearts.
The tassels that Jesus refers to were worn on the corners of garments in order to remind the Israelites of God’s law. Numbers 15:38-40 states“Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘Throughout the generations to come you are to make tassels on the corners of your garments, with a blue cord on each tassel. You will have these tassels to look at and so you will remember all the commands of the LORD, that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves by going after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes. Then you will remember to obey all my commands and will be consecrated to your God.” In order to be seen as especially righteous, some hypocrites would make their phylacteries conspicuously large and their tassels unusually long.
To the Pharisees their phylacteries had become more important for the status they gave than for the truths they contained. Jesus exposed the hypocritical attitudes of these religious leaders. They knew the Scriptures but did not live by them. They didn’t care about being holy – just appearing holy so they could get the people’s admiration and praise. Even today there are many people who may know the Bible, but they don’t let it change their lives. They say they follow Jesus but don’t live by his standards of love. People who live this way are hypocrites, just as the Pharisees were. We must always be vigilant in making sure our actions match our beliefs.
Hypocrisy was also addressed by Jesus in Isaiah 29:13 where he said “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.”
The other things that Jesus condemned the Pharisees for were “they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them ‘Rabbi.’”
Jesus is not condemning the place of honor at banquets, obviously someone has to sit there, but he is condemning the Pharisees for “loving” the place of honor. They expect to receive the place of honor because they believe they are better than others and should be accorded the highest seat of honor in all places. The most important seats in the synagogues were a row of seats in the font of the synagogue facing the congregation. Again, they want to be seen by everyone as being the most pious and most important person wherever they go. They essentially are making idols of themselves, and worshiping themselves – the worst kind of idolatry. And to seek that kind of recognition in the synagogue where they were supposed to be worshiping God, not themselves, is mocking God rather than honoring Him.
People desire positions of leadership, not only in business, but also in the church. Desiring leadership in itself is not a bad thing – we need Christian leaders. But it becomes a problem, however, when the love for the position grows stronger than loyalty to God. Jesus was not against all leadership – but he was against leadership that serves itself rather than others.
Rabbi means “teacher” and it was used as a respectful salutation. However, the Pharisees loved to be called by that title for the prestige and power that went with the title, not for the purpose of using the position to serve others.
All disciples need a master, or a teacher. But the way the Pharisees viewed the role was in stark contrast to the humble way in which Jesus served his disciples. They gloried in the limelight, while He came to be overlooked and rejected by the nation as a whole. He came to give His life as a ransom for many; they lived only for the praise and adulation their position gave them.
Jesus cautions the disciples to not elevate themselves above others as the Pharisees do. In verses 8-10 he warns them “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called ‘teacher,’ for you have one Teacher, the Christ.” He is teaching them they must be humble and that only God should be exalted above all others.
Jesus is not saying that levels of authority should not exist in this world. In 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 he says “Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.” 1 Timothy 5:17 tells us “The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.” And in Hebrews 13:17 we are told “Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.”
Jesus came as a servant. And one of the greatest teachings of Jesus is that we are to be servants. The greatest Christian is the person who has learned to be a servant, to have the heart of a servant, the attitude of a servant, the actions of a servant. In the foot washing on Holy Thursday, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples and shocked them all with this action and his attitude of humility.
So what do we learn from Jesus, our Teacher and Messiah? Those who seek greatness, says Jesus, will find it not in leading others but in serving others, for as verse 11 in today’s passage says “The greatest among you will be your servant.”
Greatness in the kingdom of God is not measured, as the Pharisees supposed, by determining how many disciples they had under their authority. Rather it is the number whom we serve that reflects our measure of greatness in God’s sight. To Jesus greatness come from serving – giving of yourself to help God and others. Service keeps us aware of others’ needs and keeps us from focusing only on ourselves.
Indeed, as Paul points out in Philippians 2:6-8, Jesus “... being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!”
The good news is that the story of Jesus did not end at the cross or with his death. God raised Jesus to new life and restored to him all the rights, privileges, and titles he had willingly given up in order to serve us. And so we can claim the truth of Jesus’ promise in the last verse of today’s lesson: “All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Let us pray: Heavenly Father, thank you for your words today that teach us not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought. Remind us that we are to be servants, not only to you, but to others as well. As 1 Peter 4:10 tells us “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” Let us go forth today and use our gifts to serve others in your name, Lord. We humbly ask that you continue to guide us and to teach us your word. We also ask that you be with those on our prayer list, you know who they are, Lord. We lift them up to you; hold them in your loving arms, be their strength and their comfort. Your will be done, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Hearts on Fire For Jesus
This is the sermon I gave at our church (Unadilla Center United Methodist) on Mother's Day. It was my first chance to preach in front of a congregation.
It is based on Luke 24:13-35, the text of which follows:
When things are taken out of context, it can be jarring. It leaves a story feeling unbalanced, or unfinished. That’s how today’s reading seemed to me when I first read it. Starting with the first four words “Now that same day...” Obviously, it must have been an important day, but what day was it? So, I had to look back in my Bible to the preceding subheadings. Starting from the one before this reading and going backwards, they are “Jesus Has Risen,” “The Burial of Jesus,” and “The Death of Jesus.” Ah! Now I get it! “That same day” refers to the Sunday when Christ had arisen from the dead. Wow! Now the passage becomes more intense than when I originally read it. It has so much more weight and meaning. This is no ordinary, run-of-the-mill day. This is the day that our Lord and Savior arose from the DEAD!
Now THAT is a day to remember! Just think of all that came before this day. How Christ rode triumphantly into Jerusalem amidst loud “hosanas!” and much adoration. How that was quickly followed by those who opposed him gaining the upper hand and having him arrested. And instead of releasing him because he had committed no crimes, they instead let a murderer go free. After giving Jesus no trial, they commenced to torture him and ridicule him and beat him beyond mercy. He was then forced to carry his own cross where he would later be continually taunted as he died on that cross for all to see.
Many people saw Jesus as weak at this moment. After all, wasn’t he “King of the Jews” and the “Son of God?” Hadn’t he shown great power through many miracles? Hadn’t he helped others who seemed beyond help? Why then could he not save himself?
I see this as Jesus’ greatest show of strength, however. How easy it would have been for him to destroy all his tormentors. Just a word, or a glance, or even a thought could have ended all of his torture and his shame. He could have struck them all down one by one. But, in his strength, he chose not to. Instead, he chose to follow God’s will and to be sacrificed so that all who believe in him, confess their sins, and follow him may have eternal life. Now that is strength. How many of us, given the powers that Christ had, would have been able to restrain ourselves from annihilating our enemies? How many of us could have stayed our hand and not raised it against those who had beaten us, humiliated us, taunted us to the very end of our lives? I don’t think I could have. And that is probably why we are not given such powers! Christ was the perfect son of God. We are all children of God, but we are not perfect as He alone was.
So, it is the third day after Jesus’ death and he has arisen from the grave. He has already appeared to Mary Magdalene; angels have appeared to the women who had come with Jesus to the cross and told them Jesus had arisen from the dead. The women had already run and told the disciples who were hidden behind locked doors in fear that they, too, would be taken and crucified. Peter and the apostle whom Christ loved ran to the tomb and discovered that he was gone as they said.
All these things had taken place, just as Jesus had told his disciples they would. And yet, these two men walking along together, deep in a discussion about all that had happened were not joyful. You would think that after Jesus had told all his disciples of all that would happen to him, and all those things had come to pass that they would believe that he had come back from the dead. But they did not. When the disciples were told by the women that Jesus was raised on this third day, Luke 24:11 tells us: “But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense.” Even after everything else Jesus had told them had already taken place, they could not bring themselves to believe this last prophecy.
When the two men were asked by Jesus, whom they “were kept from recognizing,” what they were discussing as they walked along, they did not respond with joy and exclamations of triumph. No. “They stood still, their faces downcast.” How could they be downcast when their Savior has arisen? They are not only downcast, but they are incredulous that this stranger walking with them does not know what has transpired during this time of great upheaval. They practically ask him if he has been living under a rock or something not to know what has taken place.
Jesus asks them “What things?” knowing full well what things they spoke of. Perhaps he wanted to hear their “take” on things. Perhaps he wanted to see how much they believed. These passages do not give us the answer to his motivation, but I think maybe it was to present him with another opportunity to teach them through Scriptures. Jesus was the Great Teacher. So the two men began telling Jesus all that had ensued. And here, we can find out why they are so downcast. When asked “What things?” they replied “About Jesus of Nazareth... He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had HOPED that he was the one that was going to redeem Israel.” Notice the word “hoped” – it is in the past tense. They were downcast because they had lost their hope for redemption. They thought because Jesus was dead that their hope of salvation had died with him. After all, he had been arrested, beaten, and crucified just like a common criminal. Where was his power then? And how can a dead man be a Savior of anyone? They had lost hope.
They have not only lost hope, they were also confused. They told the rest of the story of how the women did not find Jesus’ body in the tomb, and the angels had said Jesus was alive, and some apostles went to the grave and did not see Jesus. But they apparently did not believe this last part, otherwise they would have been anything BUT downcast! They would have been filled with joy and anticipation at the thought of seeing him again. So, the stranger then rebuked them for their unbelief: “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!” In other words, you have heard all Jesus told you about his being betrayed, crucified and buried and you saw all that happen, so why do you choose not to believe the final piece of the story – that of his resurrection?
Jesus proceeded to remind the two men of all the teachings in the Scriptures about his life, as they continued on their walk. He wanted them to understand two things especially: one – that Jesus would have to suffer death, and two – he would then enter into his glory.
Once they reached their destination, “Jesus acted as if he were going farther.” He did this because it was not polite to invite oneself to stay at someone else’s home. But seeing him getting ready to continue on, the two men “urged him strongly” to stay with them. Doesn’t hearing that phrase “urged him strongly” make you think that they had become entranced with all that this stranger had to say to them, all he was teaching them? I think so, or else they would not have wanted to prolong their visit with him.
Jesus accepted their invitation to stay. In those days, before a meal, a host would take bread, offer a blessing, break it, and distribute it to all who were feasting together. Here Jesus went from being the guest to becoming the host because he “took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them.” Doubtless, these two men had traveled with Jesus in the past and were used to him seeing him begin the meal by breaking bread and giving a blessing. This, too, of course brings to mind the Last Supper where Jesus broke the bread and gave it to his disciples saying “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
This act of breaking bread opens their eyes and they recognize him, and he then disappears from their sight.
Now the joy sets in! They are no longer downcast. They know their Savior lives! They begin to excitedly talk about all that has happened, and ask one another “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked to us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” Their hearts were on fire for Jesus once again! Hallelujah!
How often are we walking along our road of life a little downcast or confused? Do we recognize Jesus when he walks along with us, or are we too deep into our own despair or too distracted to even know he is there? Are we in so much pain and confusion or so set on solving our own problems, that we cannot discern when Jesus is with us? What will it take for us to recognize him? How often are our hearts on fire for Jesus?
Here is my challenge for us this week: as we walk along our road of life, let’s take the time to seek out and to find Jesus. Let’s ask him to walk beside us, to teach us, and to restore our faith and hope in him. Let’s find a way to set OUR hearts on fire for Jesus this week!
It is based on Luke 24:13-35, the text of which follows:
Luke 24:13-35
New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)
On the Road to Emmaus
13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles[a] from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him.
17 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”
They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
19 “What things?” he asked.
“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.”
25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Christ[b] have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.
30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.
Hearts on Fire for Jesus
When things are taken out of context, it can be jarring. It leaves a story feeling unbalanced, or unfinished. That’s how today’s reading seemed to me when I first read it. Starting with the first four words “Now that same day...” Obviously, it must have been an important day, but what day was it? So, I had to look back in my Bible to the preceding subheadings. Starting from the one before this reading and going backwards, they are “Jesus Has Risen,” “The Burial of Jesus,” and “The Death of Jesus.” Ah! Now I get it! “That same day” refers to the Sunday when Christ had arisen from the dead. Wow! Now the passage becomes more intense than when I originally read it. It has so much more weight and meaning. This is no ordinary, run-of-the-mill day. This is the day that our Lord and Savior arose from the DEAD!
Now THAT is a day to remember! Just think of all that came before this day. How Christ rode triumphantly into Jerusalem amidst loud “hosanas!” and much adoration. How that was quickly followed by those who opposed him gaining the upper hand and having him arrested. And instead of releasing him because he had committed no crimes, they instead let a murderer go free. After giving Jesus no trial, they commenced to torture him and ridicule him and beat him beyond mercy. He was then forced to carry his own cross where he would later be continually taunted as he died on that cross for all to see.
Many people saw Jesus as weak at this moment. After all, wasn’t he “King of the Jews” and the “Son of God?” Hadn’t he shown great power through many miracles? Hadn’t he helped others who seemed beyond help? Why then could he not save himself?
I see this as Jesus’ greatest show of strength, however. How easy it would have been for him to destroy all his tormentors. Just a word, or a glance, or even a thought could have ended all of his torture and his shame. He could have struck them all down one by one. But, in his strength, he chose not to. Instead, he chose to follow God’s will and to be sacrificed so that all who believe in him, confess their sins, and follow him may have eternal life. Now that is strength. How many of us, given the powers that Christ had, would have been able to restrain ourselves from annihilating our enemies? How many of us could have stayed our hand and not raised it against those who had beaten us, humiliated us, taunted us to the very end of our lives? I don’t think I could have. And that is probably why we are not given such powers! Christ was the perfect son of God. We are all children of God, but we are not perfect as He alone was.
So, it is the third day after Jesus’ death and he has arisen from the grave. He has already appeared to Mary Magdalene; angels have appeared to the women who had come with Jesus to the cross and told them Jesus had arisen from the dead. The women had already run and told the disciples who were hidden behind locked doors in fear that they, too, would be taken and crucified. Peter and the apostle whom Christ loved ran to the tomb and discovered that he was gone as they said.
All these things had taken place, just as Jesus had told his disciples they would. And yet, these two men walking along together, deep in a discussion about all that had happened were not joyful. You would think that after Jesus had told all his disciples of all that would happen to him, and all those things had come to pass that they would believe that he had come back from the dead. But they did not. When the disciples were told by the women that Jesus was raised on this third day, Luke 24:11 tells us: “But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense.” Even after everything else Jesus had told them had already taken place, they could not bring themselves to believe this last prophecy.
When the two men were asked by Jesus, whom they “were kept from recognizing,” what they were discussing as they walked along, they did not respond with joy and exclamations of triumph. No. “They stood still, their faces downcast.” How could they be downcast when their Savior has arisen? They are not only downcast, but they are incredulous that this stranger walking with them does not know what has transpired during this time of great upheaval. They practically ask him if he has been living under a rock or something not to know what has taken place.
Jesus asks them “What things?” knowing full well what things they spoke of. Perhaps he wanted to hear their “take” on things. Perhaps he wanted to see how much they believed. These passages do not give us the answer to his motivation, but I think maybe it was to present him with another opportunity to teach them through Scriptures. Jesus was the Great Teacher. So the two men began telling Jesus all that had ensued. And here, we can find out why they are so downcast. When asked “What things?” they replied “About Jesus of Nazareth... He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had HOPED that he was the one that was going to redeem Israel.” Notice the word “hoped” – it is in the past tense. They were downcast because they had lost their hope for redemption. They thought because Jesus was dead that their hope of salvation had died with him. After all, he had been arrested, beaten, and crucified just like a common criminal. Where was his power then? And how can a dead man be a Savior of anyone? They had lost hope.
They have not only lost hope, they were also confused. They told the rest of the story of how the women did not find Jesus’ body in the tomb, and the angels had said Jesus was alive, and some apostles went to the grave and did not see Jesus. But they apparently did not believe this last part, otherwise they would have been anything BUT downcast! They would have been filled with joy and anticipation at the thought of seeing him again. So, the stranger then rebuked them for their unbelief: “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!” In other words, you have heard all Jesus told you about his being betrayed, crucified and buried and you saw all that happen, so why do you choose not to believe the final piece of the story – that of his resurrection?
Jesus proceeded to remind the two men of all the teachings in the Scriptures about his life, as they continued on their walk. He wanted them to understand two things especially: one – that Jesus would have to suffer death, and two – he would then enter into his glory.
Once they reached their destination, “Jesus acted as if he were going farther.” He did this because it was not polite to invite oneself to stay at someone else’s home. But seeing him getting ready to continue on, the two men “urged him strongly” to stay with them. Doesn’t hearing that phrase “urged him strongly” make you think that they had become entranced with all that this stranger had to say to them, all he was teaching them? I think so, or else they would not have wanted to prolong their visit with him.
Jesus accepted their invitation to stay. In those days, before a meal, a host would take bread, offer a blessing, break it, and distribute it to all who were feasting together. Here Jesus went from being the guest to becoming the host because he “took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them.” Doubtless, these two men had traveled with Jesus in the past and were used to him seeing him begin the meal by breaking bread and giving a blessing. This, too, of course brings to mind the Last Supper where Jesus broke the bread and gave it to his disciples saying “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
This act of breaking bread opens their eyes and they recognize him, and he then disappears from their sight.
Now the joy sets in! They are no longer downcast. They know their Savior lives! They begin to excitedly talk about all that has happened, and ask one another “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked to us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” Their hearts were on fire for Jesus once again! Hallelujah!
How often are we walking along our road of life a little downcast or confused? Do we recognize Jesus when he walks along with us, or are we too deep into our own despair or too distracted to even know he is there? Are we in so much pain and confusion or so set on solving our own problems, that we cannot discern when Jesus is with us? What will it take for us to recognize him? How often are our hearts on fire for Jesus?
Here is my challenge for us this week: as we walk along our road of life, let’s take the time to seek out and to find Jesus. Let’s ask him to walk beside us, to teach us, and to restore our faith and hope in him. Let’s find a way to set OUR hearts on fire for Jesus this week!
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Sunday
A gloomy, overcast day... much like Lynn himself today -- he has some kind of stomach bug that started last night. I went to church without him this morning and then had to stay for an Administrative Board meeting after services (I'm the Secretary), and he was still sleeping when I got home. That is not like him at all, but he had a pretty tough night of it. I sure hope it's a short-lived illness.
I am taking an online course right now. I would be a career student if I could afford it. Well, I could afford it if it were free like this course. It's United Methodism 101: An Introduction to the United Methodist Church. Yeah, I know, I have been a baptized Methodist for a few years now, and have attended the Annual Conference for years as well, but that doesn't mean I know what it's all about. So, I am taking this course so I will have a good general overview. Plus it satisfies my craving for continuing education. I am also signed up for Four Areas of Focus -- which outlines the focus areas for the United Methodist Church: Leadership Development, Church Growth, Ministry with the Poor and Global Health.
Lynn ended up not working at the Elks for the Car Show yesterday because they had so many people there to help that he wasn't needed. And he is not one to stand around doing nothing, so he went up to the Unadilla Rod & Gun Club instead and helped out there. There were 14 guys there helping to replace the roof and Lynn and a couple of other guys got a meal ready for them for when they were done. They fortunately had started the roofing at 6:30 AM so they had just finished when it started raining at 12:30 or so. Good timing!
We now have a third pond on our property.... it rained into our new foundation hole. Hopefully they can do something about that before the mason gets started tomorrow.
I am taking an online course right now. I would be a career student if I could afford it. Well, I could afford it if it were free like this course. It's United Methodism 101: An Introduction to the United Methodist Church. Yeah, I know, I have been a baptized Methodist for a few years now, and have attended the Annual Conference for years as well, but that doesn't mean I know what it's all about. So, I am taking this course so I will have a good general overview. Plus it satisfies my craving for continuing education. I am also signed up for Four Areas of Focus -- which outlines the focus areas for the United Methodist Church: Leadership Development, Church Growth, Ministry with the Poor and Global Health.
Lynn ended up not working at the Elks for the Car Show yesterday because they had so many people there to help that he wasn't needed. And he is not one to stand around doing nothing, so he went up to the Unadilla Rod & Gun Club instead and helped out there. There were 14 guys there helping to replace the roof and Lynn and a couple of other guys got a meal ready for them for when they were done. They fortunately had started the roofing at 6:30 AM so they had just finished when it started raining at 12:30 or so. Good timing!
We now have a third pond on our property.... it rained into our new foundation hole. Hopefully they can do something about that before the mason gets started tomorrow.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Jets Missed Out
Drat! The Philadelphia Eagles swooped in and stole Nnamdi Asomugha out from under both the Jets and Dallas who seemed to be the only two in the running for his free agency. Oh well. I will just have to trust that the Jets can come up with some other great deals. I do hope they resign both Braylon Edwards and Antonio Cromartie! The Jets are finally opening their training camp today. The players will be on the field tomorrow. They are practicing this year at camp headquarters in NJ instead of in Cortland at the college, because of the shortened season due to the lockout. I believe they plan on returning to Cortland next year. Hopefully, I will get there to see at least one of their practices if they do. I had wanted to go last year, but never made it.
Heading to church in a little while (services at 10 AM). We are doing our monthly Meal Deliveries after services today. We make up some take out meals and deliver them to area people who are living alone or dealing with an illness, just to give them some contact with the outside world and some good nourishment. We deliver to about 10 different homes. If you know of anyone in the area that is in need, let me know and we will add them to our outreach mission. Thanks!
Lynn has gone to pick up his mother in Norwich so she can attend church with us. It is also her home church, so she really likes to come back and see people and they enjoy having her join us as well.
Today is bright and sunny so far and I pray that it will be another good day in the Palmer household... and in yours as well!
Heading to church in a little while (services at 10 AM). We are doing our monthly Meal Deliveries after services today. We make up some take out meals and deliver them to area people who are living alone or dealing with an illness, just to give them some contact with the outside world and some good nourishment. We deliver to about 10 different homes. If you know of anyone in the area that is in need, let me know and we will add them to our outreach mission. Thanks!
Lynn has gone to pick up his mother in Norwich so she can attend church with us. It is also her home church, so she really likes to come back and see people and they enjoy having her join us as well.
Today is bright and sunny so far and I pray that it will be another good day in the Palmer household... and in yours as well!
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