Give us the strength
LORD our God, Thou knowest our sorrow better than we know it ourselves. Thou knowest how easily our fearful soul entangles itself with untimely and self-made cares. We pray Thee: Let us clearly discern their inappropriateness and scorn them proudly, these busy self-made cares. But whatever care Thou dost inflict upon us, let us receive from Thy hand with humility and give us the strength to bear it.
Søren Kierkegaard (b. 1813, d. 1855) was a Christian writer, poet, theologian and philosopher.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Wesleyan Devotional
Matthew 5.5-7
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness; for they shall be filled.
Eating and drinking are absolutely necessary for sustaining healthy human life. Without food, and more importantly water, human life is unsustainable. Even more than our need for food and water is our desire. As is clear to anyone who has ever tried fasting or been forced by circumstances to miss a meal or two, the desire for food can quickly become all consuming.
In his sermon ‘Upon our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount II’ John Wesley makes three connections between physical hunger and thirst and spiritual hunger and thirst.
First, he says that “hunger and thirst are the strongest of our bodily appetites.”
Secondly, “from the time we begin to hunger and thirst those appetites do not cease, but are more and more craving and importunate till we either eat and drink or die.”
Finally, “Hunger and thirst are satisfied with nothing but meat and drink. If you would give to him that his hungry all the world beside, all the elegance of apparel, all the trappings of state, all the treasure upon the earth…He would still say, ‘These are not the things I want; give me food, or else I die.” (II.3)
These three insights hold true not just for physical hunger and thirst but also for spiritual hunger and thirst.
First, human beings are created with a strong, unstoppable desire to love God. We hunger and thirst for the living God all our lives (even if we are too stubborn to admit it!).
Secondly, that hunger has been placed in our hearts by our Creator and it will not subside until we feast upon God’s presence. In fact the longer and harder we run from God the more exhausted we become and the more hungry and thirsty we become for God.
Finally, nothing but God can satisfy our hunger for God. All the pleasures of this world (many of them vain and empty) be they money, power, fame, sex, drugs, children, job security- none of these can satisfy the human heart’s hunger for God.
Although this is often a painful state of being for those who are running from God, Jesus calls this state ‘blessed.’ Wesley interprets the word ‘shall’ as a promise, a recognition that the same God who implanted such a hunger within us is also determined to feed us. We have as a promise from God that the hungry ‘shall’ be filled. He goes on to say, “God shall satisfy them with the blessings of this goodness, with the felicity of his chosen. He shall feed them with the bread of heaven, with the manna of his love. He shall give them to drink of his pleasures as out of the river which he that drinketh of shall never thirst-only for more and more of the water of life. This thirst shall endure forever.” (II. 5)
If you are alive you are hungry for God. I challenge you today to prayerfully consider your diet. What have you been eating lately? Is it sustaining you? Are you still hungry?
Peace be with you~
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness; for they shall be filled.
Eating and drinking are absolutely necessary for sustaining healthy human life. Without food, and more importantly water, human life is unsustainable. Even more than our need for food and water is our desire. As is clear to anyone who has ever tried fasting or been forced by circumstances to miss a meal or two, the desire for food can quickly become all consuming.
In his sermon ‘Upon our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount II’ John Wesley makes three connections between physical hunger and thirst and spiritual hunger and thirst.
First, he says that “hunger and thirst are the strongest of our bodily appetites.”
Secondly, “from the time we begin to hunger and thirst those appetites do not cease, but are more and more craving and importunate till we either eat and drink or die.”
Finally, “Hunger and thirst are satisfied with nothing but meat and drink. If you would give to him that his hungry all the world beside, all the elegance of apparel, all the trappings of state, all the treasure upon the earth…He would still say, ‘These are not the things I want; give me food, or else I die.” (II.3)
These three insights hold true not just for physical hunger and thirst but also for spiritual hunger and thirst.
First, human beings are created with a strong, unstoppable desire to love God. We hunger and thirst for the living God all our lives (even if we are too stubborn to admit it!).
Secondly, that hunger has been placed in our hearts by our Creator and it will not subside until we feast upon God’s presence. In fact the longer and harder we run from God the more exhausted we become and the more hungry and thirsty we become for God.
Finally, nothing but God can satisfy our hunger for God. All the pleasures of this world (many of them vain and empty) be they money, power, fame, sex, drugs, children, job security- none of these can satisfy the human heart’s hunger for God.
Although this is often a painful state of being for those who are running from God, Jesus calls this state ‘blessed.’ Wesley interprets the word ‘shall’ as a promise, a recognition that the same God who implanted such a hunger within us is also determined to feed us. We have as a promise from God that the hungry ‘shall’ be filled. He goes on to say, “God shall satisfy them with the blessings of this goodness, with the felicity of his chosen. He shall feed them with the bread of heaven, with the manna of his love. He shall give them to drink of his pleasures as out of the river which he that drinketh of shall never thirst-only for more and more of the water of life. This thirst shall endure forever.” (II. 5)
If you are alive you are hungry for God. I challenge you today to prayerfully consider your diet. What have you been eating lately? Is it sustaining you? Are you still hungry?
Peace be with you~
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
A Prayer for the Day
Thou Are Our Only Hiding Place
O Lord Jesus Christ, the birds have their nests, the foxes their holes, and Thou didst not have whereon to lay Thy head, homeless wert Thou upon the earth, and yet a hiding place, the only one, where a sinner could flee. And so today Thou art still the hiding place; when the sinner flees to Thee, hides himself in Thee, is hidden in Thee-then he is eternally defended, then “love” hides a multitude of sins.
Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) was a Christian writer, poet, theologian and philosopher.
O Lord Jesus Christ, the birds have their nests, the foxes their holes, and Thou didst not have whereon to lay Thy head, homeless wert Thou upon the earth, and yet a hiding place, the only one, where a sinner could flee. And so today Thou art still the hiding place; when the sinner flees to Thee, hides himself in Thee, is hidden in Thee-then he is eternally defended, then “love” hides a multitude of sins.
Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) was a Christian writer, poet, theologian and philosopher.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Daily Devotional
Matthew 5.1-3
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are the poor in Spirit. What does it mean to be poor in Spirit? I know what it means to be poor in the flesh. A great many American’s live paycheck to paycheck struggling with poverty and all the hardships that come with it. Few would claim that being poor in the world is a blessing.
I’ve always considered the poor in Spirit to be those who were not enjoying a deep spiritual communion with God. As Christians we claim that a great richness of spiritual blessings await those who pursue an active relationship with God the Father through God the Son by the power of God the Spirit. To live in communion with the Holy Spirit is indeed ‘blessed.’ But how can one be called blessed who does not have a spiritual relationship with God
In his sermon ‘Upon our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount’ John Wesley wrote that the poor in Spirit are those who have come to realize that they are sinners, those who have come to see with painful clarity that they are living in spiritual poverty. The poor in spirit are those who are “convinced that [they are] spiritually poor indeed; having no spiritual good abiding in [them].” (I.4)
Here we may pause again to wonder how it is that spiritual poverty would lead one to claim the kingdom of Heaven. According to Wesley, this spiritual poverty is a gift and represents the first step towards the Kingdom of Heaven. “Real Christianity always begins in poverty of spirit” (I.1)
Once we have realized that we are poor in spirit, that we are sinners in need of God’s grace and helpless to gain the riches of the spiritual life ourselves we have already begun to call out to God for salvation. Poverty of spirit leads to a painful longing for something more and that longing finds its fulfillment in the Kingdom of God.
There are many among us who live daily with a poverty of spirit, a longing for something more without realizing just what it is that they are missing. The poor in spirit are our neighbors, our friends, our children, and sometimes…we ourselves.
Let us pray that through our life at New Covenant the poor in spirit might be drawn deeper into the spiritual riches of the Kingdom of God.
Peace be with you~
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are the poor in Spirit. What does it mean to be poor in Spirit? I know what it means to be poor in the flesh. A great many American’s live paycheck to paycheck struggling with poverty and all the hardships that come with it. Few would claim that being poor in the world is a blessing.
I’ve always considered the poor in Spirit to be those who were not enjoying a deep spiritual communion with God. As Christians we claim that a great richness of spiritual blessings await those who pursue an active relationship with God the Father through God the Son by the power of God the Spirit. To live in communion with the Holy Spirit is indeed ‘blessed.’ But how can one be called blessed who does not have a spiritual relationship with God
In his sermon ‘Upon our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount’ John Wesley wrote that the poor in Spirit are those who have come to realize that they are sinners, those who have come to see with painful clarity that they are living in spiritual poverty. The poor in spirit are those who are “convinced that [they are] spiritually poor indeed; having no spiritual good abiding in [them].” (I.4)
Here we may pause again to wonder how it is that spiritual poverty would lead one to claim the kingdom of Heaven. According to Wesley, this spiritual poverty is a gift and represents the first step towards the Kingdom of Heaven. “Real Christianity always begins in poverty of spirit” (I.1)
Once we have realized that we are poor in spirit, that we are sinners in need of God’s grace and helpless to gain the riches of the spiritual life ourselves we have already begun to call out to God for salvation. Poverty of spirit leads to a painful longing for something more and that longing finds its fulfillment in the Kingdom of God.
There are many among us who live daily with a poverty of spirit, a longing for something more without realizing just what it is that they are missing. The poor in spirit are our neighbors, our friends, our children, and sometimes…we ourselves.
Let us pray that through our life at New Covenant the poor in spirit might be drawn deeper into the spiritual riches of the Kingdom of God.
Peace be with you~
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Easter Events
Greetings!
Easter Sunday is the most joyful and exciting Sunday of the year. To recognize that, we do things a little differently at New Covenant.
This Easter we will gather for a short worship service at 6:45 a.m. Sunday morning. We will gather in darkness and watch the sunrise as a powerful symbol of Jesus rising to new life from the grave. Our short service will be followed by breakfast and fellowship time.
After this service we will worship at 10:30 a.m. as we always do…in Spirit and Truth.
Hope to see you there,
Jake
Easter Sunday is the most joyful and exciting Sunday of the year. To recognize that, we do things a little differently at New Covenant.
This Easter we will gather for a short worship service at 6:45 a.m. Sunday morning. We will gather in darkness and watch the sunrise as a powerful symbol of Jesus rising to new life from the grave. Our short service will be followed by breakfast and fellowship time.
After this service we will worship at 10:30 a.m. as we always do…in Spirit and Truth.
Hope to see you there,
Jake
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Wesleyan Devotional
The Almost Christian
On July 25, 1741 John Wesley climbed into a pulpit at Oxford University and preached a sermon entitled ‘The Almost Christian.’ The sermon was based on Acts. 26.28 ‘Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.’ In the sermon Wesley compares the almost Christian to the altogether Christian.
The almost Christian is in many ways the ideal Christian. According to Wesley the almost Christian “avoids all actual adultery, fornication, and uncleanness.” They “abstain from wine wherein is excess.” The almost Christian avoids gossip and “does not willingly wrong, hurt, or grieve any man.” In short, the almost Christian does no harm.
But more than this, the almost Christian does good. The almost Christian “reproves the wicked, instructs the ignorant, confirms the wavering, quickens the good and comforts the afflicted.” The almost Christian seeks to do good to all who they encounter and in all things seeks to follow “that plain rule ‘in everything, do unto others as you would have them do unto you” (Matthew 7.12).
Still more! The almost Christian constantly ‘frequents the house of God” practices private and family prayer and eats at the Lord’s Table often.
At this point you may find yourself like me, wishing that you were half as good as Wesley’s almost Christian. The above is an impressive list, the kind of Christian lifestyle that would transform the lives of most practicing Christians. Indeed the almost Christian seems to be almost a SUPER Christian. And yet Wesley says that all of the above is not enough to make someone altogether Christian.
After listing all the above qualities Wesley answers that for someone to be altogether Christian, they must have three things. First they must have the love of God. Wesley quotes Mark 12.30 ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ Wesley goes on to say “Such a love of God is this as engrosses the whole heart, as takes up all the affections, as fills the entire capacity of the soul….he that thus loves the Lord his God, his spirit continually rejoices in God his savior.” The difference between an almost Christian and an altogether Christian is that the altogether Christian is filled with a genuine, overwhelming love for God.
The second quality of an altogether Christian is love of neighbor. Wesley quotes Mark 12.31 ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ When asked who our neighbors are Wesley replies ‘everyone in the world!’ We cannot truly love God unless we love the things that God loves and believe it or not, God loves us! And so Wesley says the mark of an altogether Christian is that they truly love God and they truly love all people.
Still, according to Wesley one more thing is needed. The third and final mark of an altogether Christian is faith. Wesley explains what he means by faith, saying “the right and true Christian faith is not only to believe the Holy Scripture and the articles of our faith are true, but also to have a sure trust and confidence to be saved from everlasting damnation by Christ.” Wesley here refers to a saving faith, a sure hope in Jesus as one’s savior.
For Wesley then all the good works in the world still amount to an almost Christian if they are not motivated first by a love for God, second by a love for our neighbors and third, by a sure faith in Jesus Christ. We should work to do no harm, to abstain from sin, to do good to others and to be faithful in church attendance. But these actions must be the acts of our faith done in love. Or in Wesley’s words “whosoever has this faith, thus working by love, is not almost only, but altogether Christian.”
For Wesley, these are the marks of an altogether Christian.
1. Love of God.
2. Love of Neighbor.
3. Faith in Jesus Christ.
If you had to name the three things that mark and altogether Christian, what would make your list?
If you would like to read Wesley’s sermon ‘The Almost Christian’ for yourself, follow the link to your left to reach a free online archive of John Wesley’s sermons.
On July 25, 1741 John Wesley climbed into a pulpit at Oxford University and preached a sermon entitled ‘The Almost Christian.’ The sermon was based on Acts. 26.28 ‘Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.’ In the sermon Wesley compares the almost Christian to the altogether Christian.
The almost Christian is in many ways the ideal Christian. According to Wesley the almost Christian “avoids all actual adultery, fornication, and uncleanness.” They “abstain from wine wherein is excess.” The almost Christian avoids gossip and “does not willingly wrong, hurt, or grieve any man.” In short, the almost Christian does no harm.
But more than this, the almost Christian does good. The almost Christian “reproves the wicked, instructs the ignorant, confirms the wavering, quickens the good and comforts the afflicted.” The almost Christian seeks to do good to all who they encounter and in all things seeks to follow “that plain rule ‘in everything, do unto others as you would have them do unto you” (Matthew 7.12).
Still more! The almost Christian constantly ‘frequents the house of God” practices private and family prayer and eats at the Lord’s Table often.
At this point you may find yourself like me, wishing that you were half as good as Wesley’s almost Christian. The above is an impressive list, the kind of Christian lifestyle that would transform the lives of most practicing Christians. Indeed the almost Christian seems to be almost a SUPER Christian. And yet Wesley says that all of the above is not enough to make someone altogether Christian.
After listing all the above qualities Wesley answers that for someone to be altogether Christian, they must have three things. First they must have the love of God. Wesley quotes Mark 12.30 ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ Wesley goes on to say “Such a love of God is this as engrosses the whole heart, as takes up all the affections, as fills the entire capacity of the soul….he that thus loves the Lord his God, his spirit continually rejoices in God his savior.” The difference between an almost Christian and an altogether Christian is that the altogether Christian is filled with a genuine, overwhelming love for God.
The second quality of an altogether Christian is love of neighbor. Wesley quotes Mark 12.31 ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ When asked who our neighbors are Wesley replies ‘everyone in the world!’ We cannot truly love God unless we love the things that God loves and believe it or not, God loves us! And so Wesley says the mark of an altogether Christian is that they truly love God and they truly love all people.
Still, according to Wesley one more thing is needed. The third and final mark of an altogether Christian is faith. Wesley explains what he means by faith, saying “the right and true Christian faith is not only to believe the Holy Scripture and the articles of our faith are true, but also to have a sure trust and confidence to be saved from everlasting damnation by Christ.” Wesley here refers to a saving faith, a sure hope in Jesus as one’s savior.
For Wesley then all the good works in the world still amount to an almost Christian if they are not motivated first by a love for God, second by a love for our neighbors and third, by a sure faith in Jesus Christ. We should work to do no harm, to abstain from sin, to do good to others and to be faithful in church attendance. But these actions must be the acts of our faith done in love. Or in Wesley’s words “whosoever has this faith, thus working by love, is not almost only, but altogether Christian.”
For Wesley, these are the marks of an altogether Christian.
1. Love of God.
2. Love of Neighbor.
3. Faith in Jesus Christ.
If you had to name the three things that mark and altogether Christian, what would make your list?
If you would like to read Wesley’s sermon ‘The Almost Christian’ for yourself, follow the link to your left to reach a free online archive of John Wesley’s sermons.
Monday, February 22, 2010
March Devotional
What are the marks of the Christian life? The question is so broad we could immediately answer it in many different ways. We could say holiness, repentance, faith, service, the Cross, suffering or hope. Surely all of these are marks of the Christian life. Still, that is quite a mouthful. How would you explain the marks of your life in Christ to a non-Christian friend? Words like repentance, holiness and even the Cross would not be immediately clear to some who were not raised in the Christian faith. The question is clear and we should be able to provide a clear answer.
For those of us who bear the name ‘Wesleyans’ one answer has been provided by John Wesley’s General Rules. Wesley had three basic rules for all who wanted to be members of his Methodist societies. They were: 1. Do No Harm. 2. Do Good. 3. Attend upon the Ordinances of God. These three phrases provide us a Wesleyan vision of the marks of the Christian life.
As followers of the Prince of Peace Christians seek to be peacemakers, a people who do no harm, who strive to avoid sin and the damage it does to ourselves and others. Still, avoiding harm is just the first step. The Christian life is marked by more than simply avoiding evil, we must also actively work to bring peace and reconciliation into the brokenness of our everyday lives. We must do good.
Finally the Christian life is marked by a dependence on God. As Christians we avoid harm and do good by attending to the ordinances of God. The ordinances of God are the practices of worship and devotion. We must sing, pray, worship, celebrate the Lord’s Supper and seek God in our devotional life. Through these practices we are given everything we need to do no harm and do good.
What are the marks of the Christian life? The question is simple enough…what’s your answer?
For those of us who bear the name ‘Wesleyans’ one answer has been provided by John Wesley’s General Rules. Wesley had three basic rules for all who wanted to be members of his Methodist societies. They were: 1. Do No Harm. 2. Do Good. 3. Attend upon the Ordinances of God. These three phrases provide us a Wesleyan vision of the marks of the Christian life.
As followers of the Prince of Peace Christians seek to be peacemakers, a people who do no harm, who strive to avoid sin and the damage it does to ourselves and others. Still, avoiding harm is just the first step. The Christian life is marked by more than simply avoiding evil, we must also actively work to bring peace and reconciliation into the brokenness of our everyday lives. We must do good.
Finally the Christian life is marked by a dependence on God. As Christians we avoid harm and do good by attending to the ordinances of God. The ordinances of God are the practices of worship and devotion. We must sing, pray, worship, celebrate the Lord’s Supper and seek God in our devotional life. Through these practices we are given everything we need to do no harm and do good.
What are the marks of the Christian life? The question is simple enough…what’s your answer?
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