It’s been a while since I posted anything for you here. But as I was studying in preparation for my Christmas message, the Spirit moved me to write this. May you have a blessed Christmas and a Spirit led New Year!!
A Christmas Meditation
Do you see it? Can you feel it?
The Spirit is a blow’n.
Listen, it isn’t a noise. It isn’t the wind.
The Spirit is a blow’n.
The Sentinels are sing’n and church bells are ring’n.
For the whole world is a know’n.
That oppression is a break’n and we’ve not been forsaken.
For the whole world is a know’n.
Our vindication is revealed. God’s promises are sealed.
By a star’s light a glow’n.
For a child is born, wrapped in rags to keep warm.
By a star’s light a glow’n.
All authority rests with him. He came to free us of our sin.
His rule is still a grow’n.
Some call him Counselor. Some call him Prince.
His rule is still a grow’n
Christ came to live among us. Salvation is upon us.
God’s love is overflow’n.
Christ was born for this, O what joy, what bliss!
God’s love is overflow’n. Amen.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
The Thrill of Victory
“The Thrill of Victory…”
24 Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it. 25 Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one. 26 So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air; 27 but I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be disqualified.
1 Cor 9:24-27 (NRSV)
This is an exciting time for me. In case you’ve missed it, the Winter Olympics are in full swing. I enjoy watching all the Olympic competitions, both summer and winter. But for some reason, the winter games seem to stick out more in my mind. Maybe it is because I grew up watching ABC’s Wide World of Sports. I vividly recall the opening credits as the voiceover told of the “Thrill of victory… and the agony of defeat” and the accompanying video showed a ski jumper going off a jump badly, taking a spill that was absolutely painful to watch.
In many ways the Olympics, with all the spills, falls, triumphs, and failures seem to be a good metaphor for life. We start out with every intention of succeeding and winning the gold medal, but we trip and stumble, falter, fall and if we are fortunate, get up and try again. Life, like the Olympics, is not so much about winning as it is about trying valiantly.
The Apostle Paul wrote: “Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it. Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one. (1 Cor 9:24-25)” I believe his point is that every athlete, and each one of us, goes through life not planning to loose, but to succeed. The difference is in how we measure our success.
For the athlete, the gold medal, or wreath as Paul wrote, is the prize that is pursued. Along the way some display great feats of strength and character. For other folks, the prize becomes the goal and the way the race is run is unimportant. Unfortunately, when the prize becomes paramount, scruples and character building can fall by the wayside.
The Game Show Network has a current series titled “Anything to Win.” In it they detail the lengths people will go to, sometimes scrupulously other times not, to win. Some of the stories reflect heroic individuals, such as Johnnie Cochran’s decades-long struggle to right the legal wrongs done to some defendants. Other stories are not so nice, like the father who led his child to cheat in the Soap Box Derby in pursuit of the trophy.
As Christians, the prize we seek is not an earthly trophy or medal. We do not seek the adulation of peers or cheering throngs of fans. Instead our prize in an imperishable one, the gift of life everlasting with our Lord. And that goal is all the encouragement we need to run the race of life with dignity, honor, and love for all in the name of Christ. May we all reach that eternal finish line together. Amen.
Download today’s podcast here!
24 Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it. 25 Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one. 26 So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air; 27 but I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be disqualified.
1 Cor 9:24-27 (NRSV)
This is an exciting time for me. In case you’ve missed it, the Winter Olympics are in full swing. I enjoy watching all the Olympic competitions, both summer and winter. But for some reason, the winter games seem to stick out more in my mind. Maybe it is because I grew up watching ABC’s Wide World of Sports. I vividly recall the opening credits as the voiceover told of the “Thrill of victory… and the agony of defeat” and the accompanying video showed a ski jumper going off a jump badly, taking a spill that was absolutely painful to watch.
In many ways the Olympics, with all the spills, falls, triumphs, and failures seem to be a good metaphor for life. We start out with every intention of succeeding and winning the gold medal, but we trip and stumble, falter, fall and if we are fortunate, get up and try again. Life, like the Olympics, is not so much about winning as it is about trying valiantly.
The Apostle Paul wrote: “Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it. Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one. (1 Cor 9:24-25)” I believe his point is that every athlete, and each one of us, goes through life not planning to loose, but to succeed. The difference is in how we measure our success.
For the athlete, the gold medal, or wreath as Paul wrote, is the prize that is pursued. Along the way some display great feats of strength and character. For other folks, the prize becomes the goal and the way the race is run is unimportant. Unfortunately, when the prize becomes paramount, scruples and character building can fall by the wayside.
The Game Show Network has a current series titled “Anything to Win.” In it they detail the lengths people will go to, sometimes scrupulously other times not, to win. Some of the stories reflect heroic individuals, such as Johnnie Cochran’s decades-long struggle to right the legal wrongs done to some defendants. Other stories are not so nice, like the father who led his child to cheat in the Soap Box Derby in pursuit of the trophy.
As Christians, the prize we seek is not an earthly trophy or medal. We do not seek the adulation of peers or cheering throngs of fans. Instead our prize in an imperishable one, the gift of life everlasting with our Lord. And that goal is all the encouragement we need to run the race of life with dignity, honor, and love for all in the name of Christ. May we all reach that eternal finish line together. Amen.
Download today’s podcast here!
Sunday, January 22, 2006
All in the Family
All in the Family
Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ. 22 Wives, be subject to your husbands as you are to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife just as Christ is the head of the church, the body of which he is the Savior. 24 Just as the church is subject to Christ, so also wives ought to be, in everything, to their husbands. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 in order to make her holy by cleansing her with the washing of water by the word, 27 so as to present the church to himself in splendor, without a spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind--yes, so that she may be holy and without blemish. 28 In the same way, husbands should love their wives as they do their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hates his own body, but he nourishes and tenderly cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, 30 because we are members of his body. 31 "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." 32 This is a great mystery, and I am applying it to Christ and the church. 33 Each of you, however, should love his wife as himself, and a wife should respect her husband.21
Eph 5:21-33 (NRSV)
I’m not the biggest fan of professional sports. I seldom watch pro football, unless it is the Super Bowl. Once in a while, I may watch a baseball game or a NASCAR event or a golf tournament. And usually, I watch them for the noise value so I can take a nap. It is not that I dislike sports I just don’t find much entertainment in them.
However, there was an event that caught my attention this week in the NBA. Everyone recalls the melee at a pro basketball game last year. A number of players got into a brawl with fans during a game. Subsequently, several players were fined and I believe are still awaiting trial for assault and inciting a riot.
We all flashed back to that event when Antonio Davis of the New York Knicks went in to the stands during a game against the Chicago Bulls. Davis spotted an altercation of some sort involving his wife and left the game to go to her assistance. Even now the specifics of the event are still open to interpretation and discussion.
As a result, Davis was suspended for five games and fined heavily. I have no gripe with the actions of the NBA in this case. They were applying a rule that was established to prevent a repeat of the brawl of last year. However, I do applaud Mr. Davis for his actions; they demonstrate a relationship that illustrates Paul’s words in the passage above.
Christian spouses are challenged to demonstrate a love and submission to one another as husband and wife that echoes the love Christ shows for the church. Husbands and wives are to honor, cherish and protect one another. And to quote from Paul; “husbands should love their wives as they do their own bodies.” Antonio Davis demonstrated that type of love.
Perhaps people of faith need to keep their eyes open and observe the examples of God’s model for us in the world. Not everything that happens in the NBA or professional sports is good or worthy of imitation. But devotion to family, even over devotion to one’s profession and the sport, is something to be commended to all persons. For when we submit to one another out of love for Christ, we glorify the Lord our God.
Merciful Lord, thank you for good examples of family life in the world around us. Encourage and build us up in our relationships with family and friends. Keep us ever mindful of the love we are to show to spouses and how it is to be modeled on your love for us. Grant, O Lord, eyes that see and ears that hear your voice when it speaks to us. This we ask in the name of Christ the Lord. Amen.
Download today’s podcast here!
Christ The Icon
Rory Cooney, Gary Daigle, Theresa DonohooWorld Library Publications
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- Download the mp3 of "Let Us Go To The Altar Of God"
Sunday, January 8, 2006
Setting Some Things Straight
Setting Some Things Straight
Luke 13:1-5
It amazes me how often God arranges events in the world to highlight Scripture. Let’s just look as three headlines from recent days and I think you will begin to understand what I mean.
First, is the cave-in and subsequent death of twelve miners at the Sago mine in West Virginia. Who among us didn’t hope and pray, in the early hours, for a rescue of all thirteen? And when that hope was lifted and then dashed, we couldn’t help but feel the pain and sorrow of the families.
Next, we must journey to Israel. I’m certain we are all aware of the series of strokes suffered by Ariel Sharon. People across the nation were gathering in synagogues to pray for his rapid and full recovery. Many consider Sharon one of the best hopes for a peaceable resolution to the tensions between Israel and the Palestinian Arabs.
And finally, it was reported that Pat Robertson, on the 700 Club TV program declared that Ariel Sharon’s strokes were God’s punishment for giving away the Promised Land to non-Jews. If this particular story doesn’t upset you – it should!
Rarely, do current events give me such a close parallel to Christ’s words in Scripture. I suggest you reread the Luke passage and substitute Pat Robertson for the people who came up to Jesus; Ariel Sharon for those whose blood Pilate spilled; and the miners in W. Virginia for the workers at Siloam. Can you see the relationship?
My point in all of this is much like Christ’s, stuff happens. Good and bad things befall each of us every day and they happen not because we are sinners (for we all are). The bad things in life happen just because they do!
To suggest that Ariel Sharon’s stroke is divine punishment is a distortion of the teachings of Christ! In truth, we all deserve to be stricken down were we stand for our sin. Yet, some of us will give birth tomorrow, some may win the lottery, and others will recognize how much God has blessed their life today.
The message of Christ is crystal clear – we are sinners who need to repent and change our ways. If we fail to do so, we might not like the place where we will spend eternity. The challenge is to resist all temptation to point a finger at someone else’s misfortune. We must be sure we never say to one who is suffering; “God is punishing you for ….” Instead we must look at our own sin-filled lives and see what changes we need to make to make them ‘Son filled.’
Merciful God, we are sinners in dire need of your mercy, grace, and redemption. Help us Lord, to clean up our lives and never lose sight of the need to show compassion for others when they suffer, even our enemies. We ask this, in the name of your gift of grace, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Download today’s podcast here!
Luke 13:1-5
About that time some people came up and told him about the Galileans Pilate had killed while they were at worship, mixing their blood with the blood of the sacrifices on the altar. 2 Jesus responded, "Do you think those murdered Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans? 3 Not at all. Unless you turn to God, you too will die. 4 And those eighteen in Jerusalem the other day, the ones crushed and killed when the Tower of Siloam collapsed and fell on them, do you think they were worse citizens than all other Jerusalemites? 5 Not at all. Unless you turn to God, you too will die."1
(The Message)
It amazes me how often God arranges events in the world to highlight Scripture. Let’s just look as three headlines from recent days and I think you will begin to understand what I mean.
First, is the cave-in and subsequent death of twelve miners at the Sago mine in West Virginia. Who among us didn’t hope and pray, in the early hours, for a rescue of all thirteen? And when that hope was lifted and then dashed, we couldn’t help but feel the pain and sorrow of the families.
Next, we must journey to Israel. I’m certain we are all aware of the series of strokes suffered by Ariel Sharon. People across the nation were gathering in synagogues to pray for his rapid and full recovery. Many consider Sharon one of the best hopes for a peaceable resolution to the tensions between Israel and the Palestinian Arabs.
And finally, it was reported that Pat Robertson, on the 700 Club TV program declared that Ariel Sharon’s strokes were God’s punishment for giving away the Promised Land to non-Jews. If this particular story doesn’t upset you – it should!
Rarely, do current events give me such a close parallel to Christ’s words in Scripture. I suggest you reread the Luke passage and substitute Pat Robertson for the people who came up to Jesus; Ariel Sharon for those whose blood Pilate spilled; and the miners in W. Virginia for the workers at Siloam. Can you see the relationship?
My point in all of this is much like Christ’s, stuff happens. Good and bad things befall each of us every day and they happen not because we are sinners (for we all are). The bad things in life happen just because they do!
To suggest that Ariel Sharon’s stroke is divine punishment is a distortion of the teachings of Christ! In truth, we all deserve to be stricken down were we stand for our sin. Yet, some of us will give birth tomorrow, some may win the lottery, and others will recognize how much God has blessed their life today.
The message of Christ is crystal clear – we are sinners who need to repent and change our ways. If we fail to do so, we might not like the place where we will spend eternity. The challenge is to resist all temptation to point a finger at someone else’s misfortune. We must be sure we never say to one who is suffering; “God is punishing you for ….” Instead we must look at our own sin-filled lives and see what changes we need to make to make them ‘Son filled.’
Merciful God, we are sinners in dire need of your mercy, grace, and redemption. Help us Lord, to clean up our lives and never lose sight of the need to show compassion for others when they suffer, even our enemies. We ask this, in the name of your gift of grace, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Download today’s podcast here!
Sunday, January 1, 2006
In the beginning
In the beginning….
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being4 in him was life…
John 1:1-4 (NRSV)
Everything in life has a beginning, right? Well almost everything. We know when we had our beginning as sentient beings. I’m assuming we can count backwards approximately nine months from our birthday. I believe that for us to have any hope at examining the world around us and letting the Word of God (Jesus) shine upon it, we need to get one or two things straight, right from the start.
First, I strongly believe that Jesus Christ is co-existant and co-eternal with God the Father. This means that there was never a time when Jesus was not God’s Word. As John wrote: “He was in the beginning…” I also affirm that all things were created through Him.
With that understanding in front of us it gets easier to see how we can hope to hold the Light of the World up to the world. I maintain that since Jesus had a hand in the creation of all things, we can best understand and change the world we live in only when we let him have a hand in how we live and interact with the world. Please note I am not advocating that we withdraw from the world. Instead what I am suggesting is that we jump into the world with both feet.
Jesus did not stand aloof from the people of his time. In fact, he sought out those society rejected and told them the truth of God’s grace, mercy, and love. In the same manner, we are called to be practicing Christians 24/7/365. We cannot take a break simply because our friends do differently. Nor can we draw lines in the sand and condemn others who think or act differently than we do. If anything we are called to continue to love others, even our staunchest foes in life. For to paraphrase Paul, “When we do so it is like pouring boiling oil all over them.”
It is my hope and prayer that through this blog and podcast and your comments, we can together look at the world in which we live. I pray that in the looking we might discover how God is at work and perhaps see how we can be God’s instruments of healing, in the name of our Savior, Christ the Lord.
Merciful God, it is with fear and trepidation that I begin this blog. I pray, Lord, for your guidance and your words as we look at the world around us. Help us to recognize that our spiritual life with you grows deepest, not when we bemoan the sad state of affairs, but when we reach out as your children to make a difference. This we ask in the name of Christ our Lord. Amen.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being4 in him was life…
John 1:1-4 (NRSV)
Everything in life has a beginning, right? Well almost everything. We know when we had our beginning as sentient beings. I’m assuming we can count backwards approximately nine months from our birthday. I believe that for us to have any hope at examining the world around us and letting the Word of God (Jesus) shine upon it, we need to get one or two things straight, right from the start.
First, I strongly believe that Jesus Christ is co-existant and co-eternal with God the Father. This means that there was never a time when Jesus was not God’s Word. As John wrote: “He was in the beginning…” I also affirm that all things were created through Him.
With that understanding in front of us it gets easier to see how we can hope to hold the Light of the World up to the world. I maintain that since Jesus had a hand in the creation of all things, we can best understand and change the world we live in only when we let him have a hand in how we live and interact with the world. Please note I am not advocating that we withdraw from the world. Instead what I am suggesting is that we jump into the world with both feet.
Jesus did not stand aloof from the people of his time. In fact, he sought out those society rejected and told them the truth of God’s grace, mercy, and love. In the same manner, we are called to be practicing Christians 24/7/365. We cannot take a break simply because our friends do differently. Nor can we draw lines in the sand and condemn others who think or act differently than we do. If anything we are called to continue to love others, even our staunchest foes in life. For to paraphrase Paul, “When we do so it is like pouring boiling oil all over them.”
It is my hope and prayer that through this blog and podcast and your comments, we can together look at the world in which we live. I pray that in the looking we might discover how God is at work and perhaps see how we can be God’s instruments of healing, in the name of our Savior, Christ the Lord.
Merciful God, it is with fear and trepidation that I begin this blog. I pray, Lord, for your guidance and your words as we look at the world around us. Help us to recognize that our spiritual life with you grows deepest, not when we bemoan the sad state of affairs, but when we reach out as your children to make a difference. This we ask in the name of Christ our Lord. Amen.
Download today's podcast here!
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