10w for February 3rd, Healing Hands, Ep4NL

The following is a 10 minute worship for February 3rd, Healing Hands, Ep4NL. You can either listen on the flash player below or download it to your favorite music program to sync with your mp3 player by clicking on "DOWNLOAD" or play it on your smartphone's music player by clicking PLAY. You now also have the option of receiving these notices each week and on festival days by signing up for the 10W constant contact email list on the right side of the 10W blog where it says "Please Join our email list" or on your phone by texting 10W to 22828. The song for the day is,"The Healing Hand of Jesus" by the Jay Beech Band from the CD "Everyone Who Is Thirsty, Come"  which can be purchased HERE

10w for February 3rd, And so it starts, Ep4

The following is a 10 minute worship for February 3rd, And so it starts, Ep4. You can either listen on the flash player below or download it to your favorite music program to sync with your mp3 player by clicking on "DOWNLOAD" or play it on your smartphone's music player by clicking PLAY. You now also have the option of receiving these notices each week and on festival days by signing up for the 10W constant contact email list on the right side of the 10W blog where it says "Please Join our email list" or on your phone by texting 10W to 22828. The song for the day is,"Let Justice Roll" by Dakota Road from the CD "All Are Welcome" which can be purchased HERE

Poem for 4th Sunday after Epiphany Luke 4:14-21

All of the hopes

All of the dreams

from generation to generation

have come to this

moment in time

In life and in light

as the world of God is spoken

Christ’s ministry in this world

Began

among a people

who saw only the child

who heard only the preconceived ideas

of what was to be

and who was to be

Until

they heard the words of promise

(The Spirit of the Lord

is upon me

to bring good news to the poor)

and they

We

Rejected the one sent

to set free the oppressed

and cringe at the thought

that at last

the time has come

when the Lord will save his people

Opening Litany based on Psalm 71

Pastor: I take comfort and refuge in you O Lord, for you have never brought me shame.

Congregation: I put my trust in You O Lord, my rock and refuge, for in your righteousness you have rescued and delivered me from all the troubles I step into. 

Pastor: You O Lord are the one to whom I can always go for help and salvation.

Congregation: Deliver me from the evil of this world O Lord, that which comes from within and that which comes from without, for the grasps of evil in my life is forever constant and cruel. 

Pastor: You have been my source of Hope O Lord from before I even was, you were there for me. 

Congregation: I will ever praise in this world You O Lord, for you are my strong refuge.  My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your splendor all day long.

10w for February 2nd, Presentation of our Lord

The following is a 10 minute worship for February 2nd, Presentation of our Lord. You can either listen on the flash player below or download it to your favorite music program to sync with your mp3 player by clicking on "DOWNLOAD" or play it on your smartphone's music player by clicking PLAY. You now also have the option of receiving these notices each week and on festival days by signing up for the 10W constant contact email list on the right side of the 10W blog where it says "Please Join our email list" or on your phone by texting 10W to 22828. The song for the day is,"Deep Peace" by Bill Douglas from the CD "Celtic Twilight" which can be purchased HERE

Poem on The presentation of our Lord, Luke 2:22-40

I sit and wait

wait for when the time will be

that I too may know Lord

that I too may feel

                        may see

what this life is all about

the reason for our life

and why we are here

to see, know, feel the existence

of every person’s struggle

called life

some search the mountains

some the valleys

some search for the truth in their heads

some in the cosmos

in the end they all

we all

wait

until

we have exhausted all our own

(Lord)

looking no more to our selves

our books

our minds

our cosmos

or the other among us

(not let thy servant)

finding nothing

(depart)

to see the all

(in peace)

among us

Emmanuel

adventure

Sunday February 3^rd, Jeremiah 1: 4 The word of the LORD came to me, saying, 5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." The young man Jeremiah is called to step forth as a prophet and this raises the question for you and me, “What is God’s plan, God’s calling, for you and I”?  What does God have in mind for us to bring to the world as the gift we have already been given?  Most of us would scoff at such a prospect and so did Jeremiah.  It is not a matter of what we think we are capable of, it is a matter of what God is calling us to do and has already equipped us to do whether we are ready to accept it or not.  Spend some time in prayer this week.  Ask God what it is that God would have you do in this world.  Ask God what gifts you have been given to share.  Ask God what message you have been given to bring forth.  In most cases it will be like the answer John the Baptists gave to some who asked, you are called to go about that which you already do, but with the justice of God as your guide.  It may be that God has another path for you, one you may have never imagined for yourself.  If you follow that path, be ready for an adventure which is not always full of smiles but always full of adventure.

have fun

Monday February 4^th, Jeremiah 1:  7 But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD.   If you find yourself in a God directed adventure, you may find yourself in some hot water from time to time.  So it goes.  When you find yourself in such a fix, remember, you are not alone.  The Lord will be with you, and sometimes even rescue you, though not always on your timetable.  This is not a pleasure cruise, it is an adventure that will finally bring meaning to a life that to this point has had that vague longing at its core that there is something more.  If you are worried about getting ready for the adventure, don’t worry, or as the angels would say, “fear not.”  As in most of God’s calling, the readiness is in the calling, it is a gift from God, you are already packed and you don’t even know it.  All it takes is the willingness to respond with even a halfhearted yes.   There will be lots of learning for sure, but that takes place along on the path, not before you start, otherwise you will never start.  So start your journey today, and fear not, enjoy the adventure and whenever possible, have fun.  

learning on the journey

Tuesday February 5^th, 1 Corinthians 13: 1 What if I could speak all languages of humans and of angels?  If I did not love others, I would be nothing more than a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.   2 What if I could prophesy and understand all secrets and all knowledge?  And what if I had faith that moved mountains?  I would be nothing, unless I loved others.  Wow, dude, what if I could be the winner of survivor or America’s got talent, or maybe able to make it to the top level of the latest video game, or wow, like chosen as winner on American Idol?  Well, without love, you are just another self-absorbed blowhard, of which the world already has way too many.  Try being something the world needs and looks up to.  Chances are you already have the tools necessary and are doing most of it, all you need is a focus.  God has already called you for mission, that empty feeling inside you is your lack of response.  Did you ever think that all those closed doors you run into are trying to move you to that one open door you have been trying to avoid?  That emptiness inside could be the beginning of your calling and it could be many things, but whatever it is, if it is God’s calling, it is filled with the love of God and grace and learning on the journey. 

illumination

Wednesday February 6^th, 1 Corinthians 13: 9 We don't know everything, and our prophecies are not complete. 10 But what is perfect will someday appear, and what isn't perfect will then disappear. 11 When we were children, we thought and reasoned as children do. But when we grew up, we quit our childish ways. 12 Now all we can see of God is like a cloudy picture in a mirror. Later we will see him face to face. We don't know everything, but then we will, just as God completely understands us. 13 For now there are faith, hope, and love. But of these three, the greatest is love.  Whatever you try to do in the kingdom of God, rest assured that you will not get it completely right no matter how hard you try. So therefore there is no use getting too uptight about it.  Give it your best.  Let love be your guide.  Let God’s love be your illumination.  Remember there is a good deal of danger in trying to do it all perfectly right, the main one being that it is a good excuse to do nothing at all since you really can’t get there.  It is also a way of saying, I am in charge and I don’t trust God to work things out the way God wants them to work out.  Too many of us fall into the trap of trying to use the scripture the way a drunk uses a lamppost, for support rather than illumination (WSCoffin).  In the next life we will get to see what it was supposed to look like, what the panoramic view back shows us, but for now, let love guide your ways.  In doing so, I think you will find that when we do see that great panoramic view, we will see that our few brush strokes were just what was needed in that time and place, and it was God’s hand that was guiding us all along.  

open

Thursday February 7^th, Luke 4: 21 and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." 22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. "Isn't this Joseph's son?" they asked.  Some of those gathered must have been proud of this young man from their home town.  The may have had a little pride in what they were able to accomplish through helping to raise him.  That young Jesus, he did so well.  Look what we taught him.  They were right of course, they did teach him.  Part of who Jesus was, was formed listening to the word and being part of the community of faith gathered in that place.  But as with most communities of faith, it had its limits also.  There were the others listening to him, the movers and the shakers who heard the jubilee language and asked, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”  The very words invoke limits and preconceived ideas.  Just who does that uppity kid think he is?  God’s love on the other hand knows no limits, God’s vision knows no limits, and God’s forgiveness knows no limits.  Sometimes breaking the mold is hard.  But then sometimes it is the only thing that can bring growth.  Be open to the word of God in your midst coming from even the cute little places, and be open to the ideas of the kingdom breaking into your life and your concept of it breaking apart.  Remember, God and the kingdom knows no limits, not even the ones you try to place around your life.  

Kingdom not limited

Friday February 8^th, Luke 4:  24 "I tell you the truth," he continued, "no prophet is accepted in his hometown. 25 I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah's time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. 26 Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. 27 And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian." Limited views of the Kingdom allow us to believe that the Kingdom is only for us, or those who believe like us.  Mold breaking is hard, and painful.  Nazareth was a small Jewish community in the midst of a diverse Galilee and close to the very cosmopolitan Zippori (Sepphoris).  Nazareth was this nice little pure town.  Now we find that Jesus, after introducing jubilee language, drives the thorn deeper by using examples of the wideness of God’s mercy to show that maybe there is something beyond their narrow fundamentalists view of the world and God’s role in it.    Have you had a time when you had to break your preconceived ideas of another?  Was it painful?  Was it best in hindsight?  The Kingdom of God is not limited, it is open to all.  God created all and called it good.  We on the other hand are still working on accepting that one.  For help you might try signing the Charter for Compassion.  (http://charterforcompassion.org/)

ruffled

Saturday February 9^th, Luke 4:  28 All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. 29 They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff. 30 But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.  OK, so much for that cute little homeboy, let’s kill him.  When you are doing God’s will, expanding the Kingdom beyond the comfortable borders of our world, you are bound to ruffle a few feathers.  When that happens, remember that those feathers that have been ruffled are also the children of Gods.  Sometimes it is best to just walk away and bring them the Gospel another day and another way.  Sometimes it is best to stay and stand your ground.  Death for Jesus would have to wait for another day, but the stage was set, the powers of this world were on notice, God’s kingdom welcomes all and all our attempts to kill that notion are in vain.  

10w for January 27th, Man vs. Sabbath, Ep3NL.

The following is a 10 minute worship for January 27th, Man vs. Sabbath, Ep3NL. You can either listen on the flash player below or download it to your favorite music program to sync with your mp3 player by clicking on "DOWNLOAD" or play it on your smartphone's music player by clicking PLAY. You now also have the option of receiving these notices each week and on festival days by signing up for the 10W constant contact email list on the right side of the 10W blog where it says "Please Join our email list" or on your phone by texting 10W to 22828. The song for the day is,"Come, Now is the Time to Worship" by Arlen Salte and the Breakforth Band from the CD "Breakforth Vol. 4" which can be purchased HERE

10w for January 27th, Starts Today, Ep3

The following is a 10 minute worship for January 27th, Starts Today, Ep3. You can either listen on the flash player below or download it to your favorite music program to sync with your mp3 player by clicking on "DOWNLOAD" or play it on your smartphone's music player by clicking PLAY. You now also have the option of receiving these notices each week and on festival days by signing up for the 10W constant contact email list on the right side of the 10W blog where it says "Please Join our email list" or on your phone by texting 10W to 22828. The song for the day is,"I Was Hungry" by Dakota Road from the CD "All Are Welcome"  which can be purchased HERE

Poem for 3rd Sunday after Epiphany Luke 4:14-21

All of the hopes

All of the dreams

from generation to generation

have come to this

moment in time

In life and in light

as the world of God is spoken

Christ’s ministry in this world

Began

among a people

who saw only the child

who heard only the preconceived ideas

of what was to be

and who was to be

Until

they heard the words of promise

(The Spirit of the Lord

is upon me

to bring good news to the poor)

and they

We

Rejected the one sent

to set free the oppressed

and cringe at the thought

that at last

the time has come

when the Lord will save his people

Opening Litany based on Psalm 19

Pastor: The heavens declare the glory of God and the skies proclaim the work of creation. Day after day the cosmos pours forth speech and night after night it reveals knowledge. 

Congregation: The heavens use no speech, no words, no sound is heard, yet the voice of God extends from the cosmos into all the earth.

Pastor: Each day the sun shines on creation, bringing joy to all God has made. 

Congregation: It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is deprived of its warmth and joy.

Pastor: So too the law of the LORD is perfect and refreshes the soul. The guidance of the Lord is trustworthy bringing simple truth to our world.

Congregation: The ways of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the hearts of the people. The ways of the Lord are radiant, giving light to our eyes. The wonders of the LORD are forever and the teaching of the LORD form the foundation of all we do. 

Pastor: The ways of the LORD are more precious than gold, they are sweeter than honey.  But the ways of the LORD also guide our ways both revealing and forgiving our hidden faults. Making us pure through the presence of the LORD in our lives.   

Congregation: May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD my Rock and my Redeemer.

community and creator

Sunday January 27^th, Psalm 19: The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.  The story of creation is a story of the beginning of a relationship.  We were created from the dust of the ground, and created in relationship to the Creation from which we were formed and the creator who formed us.  We were created in the likeness of God with the breath of life, the Spirit within us and as such we are created in and for a relationship with the Creator, Creation and Creature or one another.  Eve, known as the mother of all was created from the earthman Adam, from there grew community and as such we are related one to another in Community.  We live, breath, and find our being in this three-way relationship, with Creation, with Community and with the Creator.  As the heavens, part of God’s creation, declare the glory of God, so too, we are called to declare the glory of God, it is what gives life meaning by connecting our lives to the original intent of creation, to be in relationship with one another, God and the rest of creation.  It also calls into question how we treat those same heavens with which we are to join in glorifying our Creator.  As we continue to play games trying to deny both the problems and solutions to the effects of climate change, we are sinning against not only Creation, but also Community and the Creator. Now that you have been created in a loving relationship, how are you going to show the manifestation of that relationship back to this gift of God we call creation?  

Jesus is on the other side

Monday January 28^th, 1 Corinthians 12:  12 The body of Christ has many different parts, just as any other body does. 13 Some of us are Jews, and others are Gentiles. Some of us are slaves, and others are free. But God's Spirit baptized each of us and made us part of the body of Christ.  This was a radical understanding at the time of Paul.  Jews and Gentiles did not freely associate, and slavery, where one person owned another, was a part of everyday life.  Paul is stating that we are all part of God’s glorious creation no matter what lot fate casts us in.  Whenever there is a division, whenever there is a line drawn in the sand, Jesus is on the other side of the line.  When we draw lines and build fences, whether they be between Christians and non-Christians, Jews and Palestinians, East and West Germany, Americans and Mexicans, Gay and Straight, we only succeed is putting a wall between ourselves and God.  Where do we draw lines, whether physically or rhetorically today?  In how many ways and in how many houses of worship do we force Jesus out, allowing him in name only, but not in our hearts in the process?  What can we do in our community to help erase the lines that have already been drawn? Remember, whenever you draw a line in the sand, Jesus is on the other side of that line!

self-mutilation

Tuesday January 29^th, 1 Corinthians 12: 15 Suppose a foot says, "I'm not a hand, and so I'm not part of the body." Wouldn't the foot still belong to the body? 16 Or suppose an ear says, "I'm not an eye, and so I'm not part of the body." Wouldn't the ear still belong to the body? 17 If our bodies were only an eye, we couldn't hear a thing. And if they were only an ear, we couldn't smell a thing. 18 But God has put all parts of our body together in the way that he decided is best.  No matter how we try to draw lines, no matter how we try to exclude others, no matter what glorious, thoughtful and righteous arguments we use, whether we like it or not we are still all part of the body of Christ.  Discussion on laws to limit the rights others based on their sexual orientation may sound like a righteous discussion, but they are still part of the body of Christ.  Putting Bible Verses on gun sights (http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/us-military-weapons-inscribed-secret-jesus-bible-codes/story?id=9575794) for our solders does not make the person on the other end of that sight any more or less righteous than the person using the sight, they are both part of the family of God. There is no such thing as a “holy” war. Moreover, each time we draw one of those lines, one of those distinctions, we are only deceiving ourselves.  With that imaginary line we are on one side and Christ is on the other.  Most would consider self-mutilation a form of sickness that needs to be treated, all too often within the body of Christ is it the norm.  

this is sin

Wednesday January 30^th, 1 Corinthians 12:    God put our bodies together in such a way that even the parts that seem the least important are valuable. 25 He did this to make all parts of the body work together smoothly, with each part caring about the others. 26 If one part of our body hurts, we hurt all over. If one part of our body is honored, the whole body will be happy.  A society is to be judged by how we treat the least among us.  We have the largest rate of incarceration in the world.  More than 5.6 million Americans are in prison or have served time there, according to a report by the Justice Department. That's 1 in 37 adults living in the United States, the highest incarceration level in the world.  That should tell us that we are doing something wrong.  The distribution of wealth in this country has shifted from a slope to an “L” shape.  No longer do 30% own 70% of the wealth, but 5% own almost 90% of the wealth and the top 1/10^th of 1% owns the vast majority of that; calls the shots, makes the laws by paying the lobbyists who write them for the legislators who are too busy raising money, from this same group, to get reelected. By not caring for the least, lost and lonely, we are destroying ourselves from the inside out.  A very few are smiling about it all the way to the bank.  This is not what God intended.  This is sin.

still our calling

Thursday January 31^st, Luke 4:  16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. 17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.  As I write this, it is inauguration day.  President Obama is taking the oath of office and giving his inspiring speech.  This text is considered the beginning of Jesus ministry, Jesus inauguration day.  It starts with the official declaration of who he was and what God had called upon him to do.  It is the mission statement of Jesus inc. and it is our mission statement also.  It is who Christians are called to be and what we are called to do.  The first thing mentioned is to preach good news to the poor, those who are poor because they have nothing, job lost, house in foreclosure, your world collapsed around you, as well as those who are poor because they have taken everything with their corporate mergers and bailout bonuses and still find life meaningless.  One can only assume, after reading the rest of the Gospel, that this preaching included more than just words, it also included actions.  It is still our calling, it is still our mission statement, our call to action.  

Christ's vision

Friday February 1^st, Luke 4: He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, Having the highest incarceration rate in the world should be a barometer of our national mental and social health. It is not so much a question of whether those individuals need to locked up as it is, why are so many drawn into that world. It is not just a matter of setting them free, it is a matter of fixing the system that is at the heart of a life of hopelessness. What directions in life are we taking that lead to such hopelessness? Could it be that so many own so little while so few own so much?  Could it be that elected officials act more out of the desire to be reelected than to help the nation, could it be that so many years after Martin Luther King, the race and wealth and power gaps are greater than before? We are driving headlong down the road away from Paul’s vision of the body of Christ, away from Christ’s vision of bringing good news to the poor. We are not after all, blessed to be a blessing in this world?

kill Jesus

Saturday February 2^nd, Luke 4: 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." 20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, 21 and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." The year of the Lord’s favor was to be the year of the Jubilee according to Jewish law (Leviticus 25:8-12). It was to happen every fifty years. In the year of Jubilee, all property went back to the family of origin, prisoners and slaves were set free, and debts were canceled and the wealth that had been accumulated would be redistributed. Imagine the implications for those who had become wealthy by confiscating the property of others—imagine, too, the implications for the AIG’s and Goldman-Sacks of today if such a jubilee were practiced in our time. It was to be the great economic leveling of society. It was God’s intention for the children of God. It never happened. Read on from verse 21 and you will see that the people even tried to kill Jesus for mentioning it. Read the paper and see if anything would be different today.  

Ten things Churches in Anchorage did that blew me away in 2012

Wonderful write-up about our church from our local Anchorage newspaper Church Visits Blog.

Full article HERE

Caring Ministry of Christ Our Savior Lutheran
I found myself at Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church many times this year. This under-attended South Anchorage church offers so much. A warm congregation and a pastor who cares is a good starter. The Superbowl Sunday service rocked my boat with its 4 quarters of worship service, cheerleaders, and closing anthem of “Dropkick Me Jesus (Through the Goalposts of Life)”. Easter Sunrise Service was sparsely attended but rich with meaning. Foodstock’s IV and V brought evenings of folk entertainment, food and donations for Lutheran Social Services and friendly members getting better acquainted. Weekly, Pastor Dan Bollerud produces fabulous electronic church newsletters and 10W, a 10 minute dose of liturgy and music to give you that church connection if you missed church, or just need something spiritual to savor during your commute. I wish there were more Anchorage churches like this who built true community, have fun, nourish real relationships with God, and help the less fortunate in our community consistently.

10w for January 25th, the Conversion of Paul.

The following is a 10 minute worship for January 25th, the Conversion of Paul. You can either listen on the flash player below or download it to your favorite music program to sync with your mp3 player by clicking on "DOWNLOAD" or play it on your smartphone's music player by clicking PLAY. You now also have the option of receiving these notices each week and on festival days by signing up for the 10W constant contact email list on the right side of the 10W blog where it says "Please Join our email list" or on your phone by texting 10W to 22828. The song for the day is,"Right by the Water" by Dakota Road from the CD "Break These Chains"  which can be purchased HERE

10w for January 20th, Great Catch, Ep2NL.

The following is a 10 minute worship for January 20th, Great Catch, Ep2NL. You can either listen on the flash player below or download it to your favorite music program to sync with your mp3 player by clicking on "DOWNLOAD" or play it on your smartphone's music player by clicking PLAY. You now also have the option of receiving these notices each week and on festival days by signing up for the 10W constant contact email list on the right side of the 10W blog where it says "Please Join our email list" or on your phone by texting 10W to 22828. The song for the day is,"I Saw the People Gathered" from the Bread for the World musical "Lazarus" this version is by the All People Band from the CD "Plenty of Room" which can be purchased HERE

10w for January 20th, Wedding Wine, Ep2

The following is a 10 minute worship for January 20th, Wedding Wine, Ep2. You can either listen on the flash player below or download it to your favorite music program to sync with your mp3 player by clicking on "DOWNLOAD" or play it on your smartphone's music player by clicking PLAY. You now also have the option of receiving these notices each week and on festival days by signing up for the 10W constant contact email list on the right side of the 10W blog where it says "Please Join our email list" or on your phone by texting 10W to 22828. The song for the day is,"Water of Change" by Dakota Road from the CD "Build Up"  which can be purchased HERE

Poem for 2nd Sunday after Epiphany John 2:1-11

I watched the swallow soar around me.

Sitting there bound to earth

I watched

as each dive to the waters surface

was a gift of perfection

beheld by my eyes,

bound to my world of possibility.

I watched as more and more they circled

in ever increasing numbers

filling my heart with joy at the sight.

(Draw out)

At the sight of each dive and loop

I sat there and wondered

at the creator of all this,

(the water)

the beauty and grace of these creatures so small,

each movement a sign of glory

only roughly mimicked

(turned)

by the best of humanities efforts.

I thank you Lord for these gifts

of beauty,

(wine)

signs of your presence

signs of your grace

that points us from our own strivings

(for)

to the world you have created

and the glory of the world to come

(the feast)

need one another

Sunday January 20^th, Psalm 36: Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.  Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. O LORD, you preserve both man and beast.  How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings. Both High and Low find refuge in the shadow of your wings,….Thank you Lord.  It is easy for those on the bottom to point to the ones on the top as the problem but mostly today what you hear is the ones the top pointing to the ones on the bottom as the problem.  The reality is that one group does not liberate the other or save the other or give the other meaning, but that the children of God working together help liberate one another.  The first thing to recognize is that everyone has been given gifts from God.  Failure to see the “other” as your brother or sister in Christ is to “cut off your nose to spite you face.”  The ones at the top however will seldom if ever see this as an area to pursue and thus the task of liberation falls most often on those at the bottom.  “This, then, is the great humanistic and historical task of the oppressed: to liberate themselves and their oppressors as well. The oppressors, who oppress, exploit, and rape by virtue of their power; cannot find in this power the strength to liberate either the oppressed or themselves. Only power that springs from the weakness of the oppressed will be sufficiently strong to free both. Any attempt to “soften” the power of the oppressor in deference to the weakness of the oppressed almost always manifests itself in the form of false generosity; indeed, the attempt never goes beyond this. In order to have the continued opportunity to express their “generosity,” the oppressors must perpetuate injustice as well. An unjust social order is the permanent fount of this “generosity” which is nourished by death, despair, and poverty. That is why the dispensers of false generosity become desperate at the slightest threat to its source.” (the Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire)

In God’s world, we need one another and when we begin to recognize that, we begin to recognize the glory of God’s creation.  

bridal gift

Monday January 21^st, Isaiah 62: 4 Your name will no longer be "Deserted and Childless," but "Happily Married." You will please the LORD; your country will be his bride. 5 Your people will take the land, just as a young man takes a bride. The LORD will be pleased because of you, just as a husband is pleased with his bride.  The coming of the Lord into the land, or into our hearts, brings hope for the hopeless.  Those who feel abandoned are not only recognized, they are loved, glorified, and cared for.  This is the Christian call to care for the least, lost and lonely in the world, because in our need, in our feelings of being the least, the lost and lonely, Christ with us is more easily seen and felt.  As the children of God, we must continually ask ourselves, would we, as a country, a state, a community, please the Lord as his bride?  With the ever expanding separation between the rich and poor with the top 1% of the population owning more than the bottom 90% (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VHNXTBwj80) would the Lord of all creation be pleased?  Would the Lord be pleased with fences designed to separate being built both in the Holy Land and on our southern border?  Would the Lord be pleased with the endless debating of the value of a decent minimum wage while hardly batting an eye at the mulit-million dollar executive bonuses at the welfare recipients at the top of the wealth pyramid?  Are these the examples of what we lovingly present to the Lord?  Should we not instead offer justice as a bridal gift?  Forgive us Lord, and love us into acting justly, Amen!!

shower time

Tuesday January 22^nd, 1^st Corinthians 12: 2 Remember how you were when you didn't know God, led from one phony god to another, never knowing what you were doing, just doing it because everybody else did it? It's different in this life.  The calling to live as a child of God is not a once in a lifetime thing, it is a daily renewal, and in that, a daily rejuvenation and igniting of our longing for the Kingdom.  Each morning when the water hits your face in the shower, remember your baptism, remember again that you are a child of God.  Remember again the calling you received from a loving God and the blessings from the community.  Remember your promises to be with those who have been baptized in your faith community and your calling to be a blessing to them as well as to others in your community.  Plan your day to live as a baptized and called child of God.  In doing so, you won’t even notice all those little gods vying for your attention, and the world will be blessed through you.  

puzzle

Wednesday January 23^rd, 1^st Corinthians 12:4-5 God's various gifts are handed out everywhere; but they all originate in God's Spirit. God's various ministries are carried out everywhere; but they all originate in God's Spirit. God's various expressions of power are in action everywhere; but God himself is behind it all. Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits.  Have you ever tried to put together a large puzzle and when you get almost the end, you look and look and look, and behold, you are a few pieces short?  The picture is nice, you can sort of tell what it is, but, there is something missing.  Think of what the family of God would look like if all the pieces were there.  Think of the beauty, the grace, the justice that would abound in this world should we all contribute from the gifts we have been given.  I don’t think we will ever get that in this world, but, the more we all come forward with the gifts God has given us, the more glorious the picture.  The more we honor gifts that are different from ours, the more glorious the picture.  The wider our view of the family of God, the more glorious and broad is the landscape in this picture we call life and the greater the blessings to all.  

cookies, yuk!

Thursday January 24^th, 1^st Corinthians 12: 7-10 All kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit, and to all kinds of people! The variety is wonderful: -wise counsel -clear understanding -simple trust -healing the sick -miraculous acts -proclamation -distinguishing between spirits -tongues -interpretation of tongues. This is a very simple and short list.  Look around, what are the gifts present in the family of God that surrounds you?  What gifts do you bring to this family and community?  How can some of your gifts bring out the “God flavors” in someone else’s gifts?  It is overwhelming to think of what might be in this world and in our communities, if all the “God-flavors” were to come together in one faith based stew.  Share your gifts today and help bring out the “God-flavors” in your community stew.  I can smell the glory in the air just thinking about it.  (Children’s sermon idea on this text; bake some chocolate chip cookies and leave out the vanilla and put in three times the salt.  Before handing them out ask the kids if they like chips, popcorn etc. and snacks with lots of salt, most will agree.  Then give them the cookies explaining how you made them especially for them.  You tasted the vanilla and it taste awful so you left that out, and you knew they like salt so you added a bit extra.  Lead the conversation into how you need all the flavors to the cookies to be good just like we need everyone to share their gifts in the family of God for it to be something great, if you are nice you can end by giving them regular chocolate chip cookies)         

God flavors

Friday January 25^th, John 2: 1 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more wine." 4 "Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied, "My time has not yet come." 5 His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." Just as time between Good Friday and the resurrection, after three days, something totally new comes into the world. And the new thing that comes into the world is better than what was before.  There are some lessons we can learn from this. Lesson number one; you might as well do what your mother tells you to do, because sooner or later you will end up doing it anyway.  Lesson number two; it appears as if even Jesus had to be prodded once in a while, so it’s OK to prod and to be prodded yourself.  Lesson number three; Others can see your gifts, and sometimes wonder why you are not using them, so use them and make your mother and the rest of the family of God happy and use your gifts.  Lesson number four; others will appreciate your gifts as they fill out the flavors of this God given life.  So, celebrate the life God gave you in what you do and help bring out the God flavors in this life.  

MD 20/20

Saturday January 26^th, John 2: They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now." This world sees limits, whereas God’s world view sees ever expanding vistas of opportunity.  The world view is “There is only so much to go around so get them drunk first and they won’t notice you have switched to MD 20/20.”  This type of outlook doesn't cut it in God’s world.  When you call in and upon the Spirit, your life just keeps getting better and better all the time.  When Jesus turned the water into wine perhaps it was his way of saying that life is a celebration not only of what is, but of what can become.  Be part of the expanding vista of hope in your community allow your life to be changed from the ordinary to the sacramental life that brings joy to all people.   

poem on Confession of Peter Matthew 16:13-19

There comes a time

when we must make a stand

when we must be who we are

and why

A time

when for one brief moment

all else ceases to be important

and that something more in life

that is at stake

takes center stage

At those times

Those moments

life swings through gentle arcs

to some other point

to some other time

and life goes on

except for that point

around which all of life swings

all of life lives

that time spoken to by Peter

For us all

Who do you say I am

Who in all that is

do you say I am

Who in all of time

do you say I am

Peter answered

The center point shifted

Life became somehow new

You are the Christ

The Son of the living God

10w for January 18th, the Confession of Peter.

The following is a 10 minute worship for January 18th, the Confession of Peter. You can either listen on the flash player below or download it to your favorite music program to sync with your mp3 player by clicking on "DOWNLOAD" or play it on your smartphone's music player by clicking PLAY. You now also have the option of receiving these notices each week and on festival days by signing up for the 10W constant contact email list on the right side of the 10W blog where it says "Please Join our email list" or on your phone by texting 10W to 22828. The song for the day is,"You Are My All in All" by Arlene Salte and the Breakforth Band from the CD "Breakforth Vol 1"  which can be purchased HERE