10w for May 3rd, Not Ashamed, NL.

The following is a 10-minute worship for May 3rd, Not Ashamed, NL.  You can listen on the flash player below. 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 you may text 10w to 2828 to sign up. The song for the day is: All are Welcome by Dakota Road from the CD All Are Welcome, This music is use with permission and you can find this music and many of their other worship resources at http://www.dakotaroadmusic.com

10w or May 3rd, 2015, Pruning, E5.

The following is a 10-minute worship for May 3rd, 2015, Pruning, E5.  You can listen on the flash player below. 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 you may text 10w to 2828 to sign up.  The song for the day is: The Best is Yet to Come by Celia Whitler who is new to 10w, having given her permission to use her music in this ministry.  This song is from the CD On the Way to Somewhere.  You can find out more about Celia at her website, http://celiamusic.net/  and you can purchase her music through iTunes.

Poem based on 5th Sunday after Easter John 15:1-8

Every line in his face

in wandering arcs

tells of a story

marked in time

a story of life

not always easy

and a time

we wished

would not have to have been

back then

before we reached that threshold

beyond which

we dared not to venture

Each line

now marks the focus

of grandchildren on his knee

hanging on every word

silence

and look

that tells with joy

and thankfulness

of when we stepped

beyond our comfort

a time

when we stepped into fear

with only the hand of Christ

to keep us from falling back

a time

without which

life would lose its meaning

its life

Opening Litany based on Psalm 22

Worship Leader:  I will declare your name to my people O Lord and in the assembly I will praise you. 

Congregation: Let all who live in awe of the LORD, praise the holy name of God. All the descendants of Jacob and Israel, all the peoples of the world Praise the Holy name of God! 

Worship Leader:  For the Lord has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted ones but has listened to their cry for help.

Congregation: From you O Lord comes the very essence of my praise in the great assembly before all who live in your grace I will fulfill my vows. 

Worship Leader:  The poor will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the LORD will live forever in a life of praise. 

Congregation: All the ends of the earth will remember God’s loving grace and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will bow down before the Lord, who is ruler of all. 

Worship Leader:  All the blessed of the earth will feast and worship, All mortals will bow before the Lord of all creation. 

Congregation: We will use the blessings of this world are to serve the Lord so that all future generations will know of the righteousness the Lord has done. 

Spirit says Go

Sunday May 3^rd, Acts 8: ²⁶Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." ²⁷So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians.  When the Spirit says go, you had better be packed and ready, because off you go.  In Acts the disciples were charged with spreading the Good News beginning in Jerusalem, or close to home, then Judea or next door to home, and then the Samaria or those sort of like us that we consider enemies of our home and then on to the ends of the earth.  In this story the Spirit intercedes to make the ends of the earth, and with it in the minds of some, the ends of humanity, happen.  Not only was Ethiopia far enough away to where they didn’t even know enough to call them either friend or enemy, but this particular Ethiopian was a Eunuch in the court of the Queen.  A Eunuch, come on God what the hell do you think you are doing to us?  Well, God does know what God is doing to us and what God is doing is saving us from our tendency to categorize others and even pretend to judge who we believe belongs in hell and who doesn’t.   God is serious about this ends of the earth thing in Acts.  This end of the earth thing pushes us both geographically and with our own sensitivities, or should we say insensitivities.  When God created the world and called it good, that is exactly what God meant to say and that is exactly what we are called to live out in our calling to be the children of God.  You are sent from Jerusalem, or close to home, then Judea or next door to home, and then the Samaria or to those sort of like us but that we consider enemies of our home and then on to the ends of the earth.  And when the Spirit says Go!!!! You better be packed and ready!!!

ends of the earth

Monday May 4^th, Acts 8: ³⁶As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?" ³⁸And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.  No preparation, no belonging to a church, no profession of faith, no born again experience, no category on the ELCA form A or any other denominational reporting form, just “Wow, Water, why shouldn’t I be baptized.”  God leaves no doubt that there is only one answer and that is to do it.  You are called to be my messengers from Jerusalem, or close to home, then Judea or next door to home, and then the Samaria or those sort of like us that we consider enemies of our home and then on to the ends of the earth.  For Phillip, this was considered the ends of the earth.    That is how the spirit calls us to react to that wild, out of control, loving, and all inclusive spirit of God.  We are called to reach out to the ends of the earth.   For some that means an Ethiopian Eunuch who is seeking the Lord.  In the world today, that might include being a Reconciled Church, offering a full invitation to the LGBT community.   

just the beginning

Tuesday May 5^th, Acts 8: ³⁹When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. ⁴⁰Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.  No time for reflection, no time to change your mind either.  Philip finds himself moved from the Philistine area in the southern Gaza to the northern Gaza area of Azotus and then he travels either up the coast to Herod’s town of Caesarea by the sea or north of the Galilee to Caesarea Philippi.  The love of God is as wide as the East is from the West, and now apparently as deep as the South is from the North.  This is not accidental, this is the ever expanding world of the Grace of God that we are called to be a part of.  Where would the ends of the earth be for us today?? Would it be limited to earth, galaxy, solar system?  These stories tell us that the only limit to God’s love are the limits you and I place on our discovering of that love that already exists beyond any limitation anyone may place, ever!!!!   Whenever you think you see the end, remember, it is just the beginning. 

God loves them

Wednesday May 6^th, 1 John 4: ⁷Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.  Oh that we really believed this and acted upon it.  I get a kick out of the literalists who want to quote chapter and verse to support hatred in God’s name.  It requires amazing mental gymnastics and total misuse of scripture, but if the fear and hatred is deep enough, they can find a way.  I get a kick out of it, but it is more like a kick in the head.  It is amazing to watch, but oh so sad in reality, and humanity has been doing it since Cain and Able.   I also get a kick out of Coffin’s comment in “letters to a young doubter” where he recalls asking the head of a “Jesus” group on campus how their prayer list differed from their shit list.  All too often that too is the case.  As humans we love to judge others as less than ourselves out of fear and then attribute some Biblical quote to justify our hatred.  We are not called to judge others as less than, we are called to love others as created in the image of God.  Judging is easy, judging is fun, judging is empowering, but alas, in the end judging is God’s, and God already answered that question by sending Jesus to forgive the sins of all.  Name someone who doesn’t love.  Those terrorists…. They most likely have families they love, so do most of the others we might be brave enough to mention.  I have met a few who don’t love, they do exist.  Bottom line, God loves them and they just haven’t figured it out yet.  In the end, all will succumb to the love of God and end up in the sweet bye and bye.   It is God’s providence to accomplish such.  In the meantime, and I do mean “mean” time, we all have to face the fact that the biggest obstacle to God’s love is one part of God’s creation not being able to grasps that God loves the other part of creation that God created and called good.  

self-imposed hell

Thursday May 7^th, 1 John 4:  ¹³We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. ¹⁵If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. ¹⁶And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. Wow, if “anyone” acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God??????  For some that should strike up the feeling that the Bible is way too inclusive.  The next thing you know, God will extend the time limit on that way beyond our comfort level.  What if heaven was not complete until the likes of Adolf Hitler finally succumbed to the love of God????  That would mean that God’s love can also be for us.  I believe people do go to hell.  I believe that God so loves humanity that we are even granted that freedom, we are just not left there.  We are not left alone in our own self-imposed hell in this world or in the next.  The seeking God of love will seek us out and love us until we turn, tears in our eyes, and respond to that love.  

pruning hook

Friday May 8^th, John 15: ¹"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ²He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. I need to lose 40 pounds.  Step one is to admit that I am overweight.  There are other things about myself that would be best if they were changed also, I will not mention them here.  We are always in the process of pruning, cutting this back, encouraging growth here, and discouraging this from taking over our self.  We get that.  All too often when we read these texts however we think the pruning is cutting out the other person, rather than the God guided refining of the self.  Perhaps what we most need pruned is our desire to prune the other.  Sometimes the pruning is in the form of excluding the other.  Other times it is trying to be in charge of what the other must do.  Either way, it is about the other.  God calls us to go under the pruning hook of the spirit until we are truly able to love one another.  

clearing brush

Saturday May 9^th, John 15:   ⁵"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.  What part of your life remains outside of God and God’s control??  It won’t be forever, God will change that.  God will prune and perfect you in this life and in the next.  You have a choice.  Do you want to live as a child of God now, fully aware of God’s blessing, or do you want to waste your whole life on some illusion and change it later?  As far as choices go, we all have that one.  Eventually all the dead wood in our lives will be stripped away and thrown into the purifying fire.  It is when the brush is cleared from our eyes that we are more able to see God in our lives.  

10w for April 26th, Time, E4.

The following is a 10-minute worship for April 26th, Time, E4. You can listen on the flash player below. 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 you may text 10w to 2828 to sign up. The song for the day is: Savior Like a Shepherd Lead Us by Andra Moran from the CD Harmony Grove http://www.andramoran.com/store

10w for April 26th, Road Trip, NL.

The following is a 10-minute worship for April 26th, Road Trip, NL. You can listen on the flash player below. 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 you may text 10w to 2828 to sign up. The song for the day is: God Says it’s Time by Bryan Sirchio from the CD Something Beautiful For God http://www.sirchio.com/index.php?page=cds&viewas=list

Opening Litany based on Psalm 4

Worship Leader: Answer me when I call to you O Lord, give me relief from my distress

Congregation; Have mercy on me O God and hear my prayer.

Worship Leader: How long will the people of God turn glory into shame? How long will they love delusions and run after false gods? Know my children that the LORD has set you apart and called you as faithful servants.

Congregation: I will live my life knowing that the Lord hears me when I call. 

Worship Leader: Live in awe of the Lord and do not knowingly sin.  In the silence of the evening, search your hearts and know that you are a child of God. 

Congregation: We will offer our lives and our trust as a righteous offering unto the Lord. 

Worship Leader: Many spend their lives and energies asking, “Who will bring us prosperity?”  If you want riches, let the light of God’s love shine upon you.

Congregation: Fill my heart with joy O Lord, for that is the abundance I seek. 

Worship Leader: In peace I will lie down and sleep this night.

Congregation: For the Lord alone will make us dwell in safety. 

Poem for 4th Sunday of Easter John 10:11-18

The small child

ran gently

into the arms of her mother

and felt the comfort

--the warmth

the love that is in those arms

the love

--that cared that night

--when dreaming seemed

----so real

--the caring that went on

----into the night

in the love that was felt

--(the Good Shepherd)

and reads

--not one

but two, three, four, five, six

books

--(lays down)

when the night is already late

and the milk tipped over

----somehow

----at supper

these arms that offer security

--suspended there

in a crowed of strangers

all too busy

--in their own worlds

to notice or care about one so small

these arms of security

I can hang onto

And see these worlds

----and yet know

I am safe in my world

--(his life)

within these arms

I know this

and I can sleep now

in peace

because I know

these arms will be there

--(for His sheep)

tomorrow

Shepherd skills

Sunday April 26^th, Psalm 23: The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not be in want. A shepherd is one who watches out for the sheep. The sheep, and that would be you and I, are the ones who tend to wander. We wander out of stupidity, we wander out of curiosity, we wander out of willfulness, and sometimes we wander just for the hell of it to see what will happen.  In this psalm of comfort we hear that even when we wander, we don’t wander alone, the Lord is watching out for us. In that we can put our hope and faith and find comfort. Even when we wander off, the good shepherd is there to bring us back into the community, back into the fold. No matter where we go in life, no matter how far we wander, no matter how much we might try to deny the shepherds existence, the good shepherd is there, always watching out for us and working us back into the fold. That is what grace looks like in action. The reason we are in the fold, and/or brought back to the fold is so the Shepherd can move us onto new pastures.  It is the new pastures in life that help us grow.  This is called mission because in these new pastures we meet new people who we help grow, and in the process find ourselves growing even more because of our interaction with them.  The purpose of Grace is mission and the message of mission is Grace.  Of this the world, and our ever hungry souls, have great need.  

Restoring the soul

Monday April 27^th, Psalm 23: He makes me lie down in green pastures, and leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul and guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. There is a restoring that goes on in the presence of the Lord. We were created and called good in the beginning and when we get askew, which is all of us some of the time and most of us most of the time, we are re-created through the love of Christ.  When we gather in the word, when we hear the stories, when we feel the presence of a loving community, we are refreshed, restored, reborn and recreated in the image of God. Sometimes we like to take our own paths in life and claim them as the Lord’s path; when we do, we find a community broken, restoration broken, anger grows, and selfishness and war break out as self-defeating self-defense moves. When we again look to the Lord and the ways of the Lord, we find a grace filled community filled with healing and wholeness and calling us back to the commandment of God to love one another as we have been loved by God.  It is in loving others, loving God and loving self that we find the paths of righteousness.  It is a true righteousness that comes from God and lives in harmony in the company of our brothers and sisters and friends and enemies. The righteousness that comes from the self, self-righteousness, lives alone in a world of conflict and points to what others are doing wrong in its “Oh not so humble” opinion. The path of righteousness that comes from God is the path that leads through brokenness to wholeness and a peace that can only come from God. 

Table fellowship

Tuesday April 28th Psalm 23: You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow us all the days of our lives and we will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. "War is the coward's escape from the problems of peace" Thomas Mann. All too often we rush headlong into battle and conflict rather than into negotiation, conversation and justice.  To be honest, there is more money to be made in war than in peace, at least for the well-connected and morally bankrupt.  But it is a path that eventually leads to the whole world being bankrupt both morally and financially.  The world now faces the devastation, economically, socially, and politically, that this headlong rush to war can bring to the generations that follow such cowardly greed and self-righteousness.  In contrast, the Lord sets us down in the presence of our enemies at a table. As we gather to eat, the underlying premise is that we are all the children of God gathered around the God’s table, with God as the silent listener of every conversation. Our task in life is not to pull one over on our enemies, or get the better of our enemies, or experience the joy of having a snit fit with our enemies, our task is to recognize that our enemies are our brothers and sisters at the table of God.  Our job is to find out how to get along. It all starts with recognizing and respecting the other as a child of God. It is then the real work starts.  Those who cowardly send the sons and daughters of others to war don’t have the stomach for the real work and operate only out of fear.  Our task, out of love for God and love for our Brothers and Sisters, and even out of the love for the ones trying to solve problems of the world with war, is to stop them in the name of the God who created us all and called us good.  

Our Blessing and our Calling

Wednesday April 29th, John 10: 11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. Jesus came into the room where the disciples were hiding and breathed on them the Holy Spirit and gave them the commission that as the Father had sent him, so too they were now sent. That same commission extends to us all. As the Father had sent Christ, so now we are sent.  For the disciples it was beginning in Jerusalem, to Judea and Samaria and on to the rest of the world.  For us it is beginning in our home community, to the neighboring community, to the unclean and unfriendly community just outside our doorstep and on to the ends of the earth.  It is our calling, we are sent.  We are sent into the world to bring the good news, the healing, the wholeness, the reconciliation and the gift of forgiveness that comes from our loving God. We are all at the same time, sheep and shepherds, both seeking and being sought. The shepherd is willing to give his or her all for those being shepherded. That is both our blessing and our calling. Feel the breath on your neck and get up and go.

More than a day job

Thursday April 30th, John 10: 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. The hired hand, who is in it only for the money, turns and runs when the going gets tough, and leaves the sheep at the mercy of the wolves. It is all too common a sight. Pension funds being raided or underpaid, CEO’s with multi-million bonuses while the corporations they lead getting bailed out by the working poor.  Corporations moving offices off shore to avoid taxes and regulations, while holding contracts paid by the taxes of you and me.  We see union busting and blaming while corporate downsizing provides the cash flow to keep the bonuses and stock prices going.  All is done in the name of making a buck. All is done at the expense of the sheep.  With the push of the tea party the sheep are even cheering on the slaughter of other sheep.  Jesus calls us to a different image, one where there is a loving concern for all the sheep, a desire for what is best for the many, not just profitable for the few. Being a child of God is more than just a day job, it’s a committed life. The commitment is to the Creator, the Creature, and the Creation, not the self.  It all goes back to the garden and that tree of knowledge thing.  It is not about us “singular,” it is about us as the whole family of God.  

Knowing

Friday May 1st, John 10: 14 "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15  just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. As we are known and loved by Jesus, so we are called to get to know other sheep and to learn to be loving towards these other sheep.   Caring is more than just saying “I’ll pray for you,” it is actually about praying for them in words, and then following that up with deeds.  In our church we have prayer cards that are sent out each week to those people in the congregation are praying for.  It is not the end, but it is a good start.  There are times however when one’s prayer list is not much different from ones shit list. It is usually when we find ourselves praying that the other would see things our way.  Those prayers are more about our self-interests than about the person we are praying for.  Being a shepherd is about knowing the other well enough to truly pray for them. It is in praying and knowing well enough to know what to pray for even before the conversation begins that is the mark of a loving, caring shepherd. That kind of knowing presupposes relationship, and relationships take work, caring, and love, and most of all ……. Prayer.

One God, One Love

Saturday May 2nd, John 10: 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. The early church depicted in Acts was a church that was beginning to grasp the idea that the mission of grace begins in Jerusalem, (at home and in the comfort of knowing) and then goes to Judea (next to home, and close enough to have an understanding) and Samaria (those people you might think you know, but really can’t stand) and on to the ends of the earth (which with scientific discovery is an ever changing proposition).  The church later held onto the idea that the earth was the center of the universe and that the sun revolved around us. Those who taught to the contrary we chastised and excommunicated from the church, for which in some cases the Roman church has apologized. Lest we be too judgmental it is good to realize that we too tend to think that the universe revolves around us. It always is easier to see oneself as right, and those who opposed your viewpoint as wrong.  Our children, whose brains are different than ours, are more able to function in the world of dichotomy.   They, more than we, are able to conclude that though we and the other may differ, we may also both be, to a certain extent, right, even when the conclusions appear to be at polar opposites. Some of the worst atrocities in the world have been committed in the name of god. I use a small “g” because any atrocities committed in the name of god must assume that god is not grand enough to love all of humanity. It is only our “little god” of self-interest. Jesus lets us know that there is more to this world, more to the family of God, more to our brothers and sisters in Christ than seems reasonable by our perception. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth, all of it, everyone in it, begins the scriptures. It is from that basis that we are called as the children of God to love all creation. To accept the notion of Islamic terrorists is to also accept the notion that those who would use any means, including torture, are terrorists also.  To accept them as Samaritans means that we don’t particularly like what they are doing, or maybe even who they are, but they are our brothers in Christ, with a Capitol “C” which rhymes with “G” and is our God.  Anything else is just lower case.  

10w for April 26th, Time, E4.

The following is a 10-minute worship for April 26th, Time, E4. You can listen on the flash player below. 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 you may text 10w to 2828 to sign up. The song for the day is: Savior Like a Shepherd Lead Us by Andra Moran from the CD Harmony Grove http://www.andramoran.com/store

10w for April 26th, Road Trip, NL.

The following is a 10-minute worship for April 26th, Road Trip, NL. You can listen on the flash player below. 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 you may text 10w to 2828 to sign up. The song for the day is: God Says it’s Time by Bryan Sirchio from the CD Something Beautiful For God http://www.sirchio.com/index.php?page=cds&viewas=list

10w for April 19th, Eat and Go, E3.

The following is a 10-minute worship for April 19th, Eat and Go, E3. You can listen on the flash player below. 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 you may text 10w to 2828 to sign up. The song for the day is: "Life is Bigger than Death" by Hans Peterson from the CD "A Time to Mourn.. A Time to Dance"  http://www.dakotaroadmusic.com/index.php?p=catalog&parent=4&pg=1

10w for April 19th, Eeeeeww, Gross, NL.

The following is a 10-minute worship for April 19th, Eeeeeww, Gross, NL. You can listen on the flash player below. 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 you may text 10w to 2828 to sign up.  The song for the day is: "Follow Me (87 times)" by Bryan Sirchio from the CD "Justice and Love"  http://www.sirchio.com/index.php?page=cds&viewas=list

Opening Litany based on Psalm 4

Worship Leader: Answer me when I call to you O Lord, give me relief from my distress

Congregation; Have mercy on me O God and hear my prayer.

Worship Leader: How long will the people of God turn glory into shame? How long will they love delusions and run after false gods? Know my children that the LORD has set you apart and called you as faithful servants.

Congregation: I will live my life knowing that the Lord hears me when I call. 

Worship Leader: Live in awe of the Lord and do not knowingly sin.  In the silence of the evening, search your hearts and know that you are a child of God. 

Congregation: We will offer our lives and our trust as a righteous offering unto the Lord. 

Worship Leader: Many spend their lives and energies asking, “Who will bring us prosperity?”  If you want riches, let the light of God’s love shine upon you.

Congregation: Fill my heart with joy O Lord, for that is the abundance I seek. 

Worship Leader: In peace I will lie down and sleep this night.

Congregation: For the Lord alone will make us dwell in safety. 

Poem based on 3rd Sunday after Easter Luke 24:3-49

Among the living

stands one

who was

--and is

The Christ who came

to bring life

--only to taste death

Lives

Among our doubts

------and fears

--and hopes

that what we have heard is true

Christ Lives

amid the power structures

--that do not at all find

-----------surprises

----------------all that appealing

Christ lives

That we may know that

which has been said

--from the beginning,

God looked and said

--it is good.

Christ lives!

It's a gift

Sunday April 19^th, Psalm 4: O Lord you have put gladness in our hearts more than when grain and wine abound. We will both lie down and sleep in peace; for you alone, O LORD, make us lie down in safety. After all the hurrying around in life, we sometimes get to the point where we stop struggling to put our own stamp on life and let God be in charge. It is then we begin to see the riches that have been given to us. It is good to be thankful, but all too often we are only thankful for the frosting in life. It is when we realize that God has given us all that we have, all is a gift from God, all is given by grace, that we can live with gladness in our hearts. It is not just the frosting; it is the cake, and more often than not, the meat and potatoes where the true blessings lay.  When we slow down, look around, see the sights, look at the details, and nourish the relationships, that we see the hand of God in our lives.  Some say it is a gift that comes with age, others say it comes with trauma or some manner of facing death.  God calls you to live it now.  May you relish the gift today. 

Fathers day, this and every Sunday

Monday April 20^th, 1 John 3: 1 What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it--we're called children of God! That's who we really are. I love my children. But to be honest, there are days I wonder why. Now that they have gotten older and on their own it is easier, but oh, even now, there are those days….. The bottom line however, I love them. That is who I am. We are called the children of God. I am sure there are lots of times when God is pretty disappointed, or at least just wants to go on vacation and get away from us all.  God loves us anyway. That is who God is. We are the children of God because we are loved and we are loved because we are the children of God. Don’t forget Mother’s day or Father’s day, it comes every Sunday when we gather, hear words of forgiveness, words of Gospel and hope, offer thanks and some understanding of how to do better, and of course, are fed.  There are times when I think warm Chocolate chip cookies and a glass of milk might be a better symbol for communion.  This is my love poured out for you, welcome to the kitchen of God!   Smell the smells, feel the warmth, taste the goodness, comfort food, comfort love, comfort Gospel.  Take and eat in remembrance that you are all loved in the family of God.  

Grace is heaven in the midst of the slop

Tuesday April 21^st, 1 John 3: 6 No one who lives deeply in Christ makes a practice of sin. None of those who do practice sin have taken a good look at Christ. They've got him all backwards. Sin is not based on a list of do’s and don’ts, it is simply that which separates us from God. It may or may not include the Ten Commandments but the Ten Commandments surely does not include all the ways we manage to separate ourselves from God. When we find ourselves separated, as did the prodigal son at the pig trough, know that God is waiting right there for us, eyes searching the horizon waiting for some sign of return. The pig troughs of life do not separate us from the love of God; that love is always there.  It is just that all that slop makes it hard for Us to see. The slop gets in our eyes, clouds our vision, dulls our senses, and hampers our ability to see the beauty of God that surrounds us.  Rest assured, even standing in the middle of that slop, stinking to high heaven, God is right there with us telling us we are loved and calling us home. It’s called grace. 

The truth is love

Wednesday April 22^nd, 1 John 3: 7 So, my dear children, don't let anyone divert you from the truth. It's the person who acts right who is right, just as we see it lived out in our righteous Messiah. Truth is not just a set of facts that we can know, rather truth is the relationships in which we live. To live in the truth does not mean that we always do everything right, or that we even should do everything “right,” or that we always live happy lives or that we are successful etc. etc. etc. Living in truth means that we live knowing we are loved by God and that nothing we have done, are doing, or will do, can break that bond of love, at least from God’s side. Living that truth is being in love with God and knowing you are loved by God. Don’t let anyone, or any doctrine, or any rules, or temptations, or any church, divert you from that truth. Know, deep down in your very being that you live in God’s love each and every moment of your life.  

Peace be with you where you are at

Thursday April 23^rd, Luke 24: 36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." 37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself. The truth is that Jesus comes to where we are in our lives, even if that where happens to be in hiding. When Jesus comes, he brings peace, shalom. When Jesus came to the disciples they were afraid. That is often the case with us also.  Last week we heard the story in John, this week in Luke, and they agree on the fear part. It is almost comical to imagine the disciples hiding in a room, doors locked, afraid there will be “that” knock on the door, when all of a sudden, without a knock, someone is standing in their midst breathing down their necks.  Oh, Jesus, you scared me, was most likely a proper response.  Jesus comes to where we are to calm our fears. No matter what is going on in our lives, the one thing we can be assured of is that we are never alone. The God of love is always by our side uttering words of shalom.  

Eat and run

Friday April 24^th, Luke 24: 40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?" 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence. The story of the fish was meant to show that Jesus was not just an illusion or a ghost, but real flesh and blood. It is also a good metaphor for life as a follower of Christ. First, sit down and have a bite to eat together. Look around and know you are not alone, you are surrounded by the love of God in the presence of your brothers and sisters in Christ. From this point the disciples were sent out into the world to spread the good news. The Good news is not, “you can be saved if you…………….., it is, “you are saved because Christ already did…………….  Now that you don’t have to do anything, what are you going to do?  I suggest you sit down, eat with friends, and then go into the world and spread the good news refreshed. 

The Key? God loves us!

Saturday April 25^th, Luke 24: 45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. All of scripture is to be seen through the lens of the empty tomb. God has been reconciling us with the love of God since the beginning of time, and will continue long after time is no more. Through all the stories in the Old Testament that sometimes glorify human failure, and then attribute it to God, runs that thread of God’s faithfulness, and often times, our folly. Through all the stories in the New Testament runs the thread of God’s faithfulness and plan for the salvation of all creation.  God loves us!! Understand that, and you hold the key to scripture.

10w for April 12th, Authority, NL.

The following is a 10-minute worship for April 12th, Authority, NL.   You can listen on the flash player below. 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 you may text 10w to 2828 to sign up.

10w for April 12th, RCL, Twins.

The following is a 10-minute worship for April 12th, RCL, Twins.  You can listen on the flash player below. 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 you may text 10w to 2828 to sign up.

Poem for 2nd Sunday in Easter John 20:19-31

I sit in darkness

late at night

the kids are asleep

quiet now

--after a day of fun

oblivious to the adult world

--as we have made it

of war and hate

and children very much like themselves

loved very much like themselves

without enough

--of their share

--to survive

I want to venture out

To help in this world

--of too much

----and not enough

but I often find myself

----------hiding

here in the darkness

----------comfort

-------------safety

of my own walls

when

--into this sanctuary

--of my

------awareness fear

comes a voice

----(peace)

of disturbing comfort

that seeks to destroy

------------my little kingdom

-------of what

--------------can

------------------I

--------------------do

-----------------------anyway walls

I am heralded again

----(peace)

from that voice of life

----(be with you)

I long to

--but wish not

------------hear

peace

in the midst of your world

and because of it

as the words still ring

------in my mind

I remember the one who came

To make all things new

And I long

--for that contact

that would take me by the hand

and lead me

--down the path of what will be

lead me

----(as the Father sent me)

somehow to show

--that Christ lives

show it to others

------and myself

Help me Lord to do thy will

----(I send you)

today

Opening Litany based on Psalm 133

Psalm 133

Worship Leader: How sweet, how wonderful when all of God’s creatures live together in harmony and unity.

Congregation: It is like precious abundance and peace filling the land.  A true gift from God for all of creation.

Worship Leader: It is like the life giving water in the land, nourishing all of creation with life. 

Congregation: it is the blessing of God for all creation.  

waiting

Sunday April 12th, John 20: 19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you…. OK, now that you don’t have to do anything what are you going to do?  The disciples hid away in fear, hoping beyond hope they would not be next.  Jesus had other ideas.  Jesus has other ideas for us also.  Go, out into the world.  Go, out among the people.  Remember what Jesus said to the women at the tomb?  “Go tell the disciples I will meet them in Galilee, I will be out ahead of them in the world, I will be out ahead of them in life, I will be out ahead of them when they interact with friends, family, work and world.  Hiding behind the doors in the upper room or in the church building are not what the call is about.  The call is about getting out there and being the church in the world.  It is a world that needs you.  It is a world that needs grace.  It is a world in which Christ lives already, waiting for you to show up and do and be your part.  Peace be with you…. 

allows

Monday April 13^th, John 20: 21 Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven." OK, now that you don’t have to do anything what are you going to do?  Peace be with you, now get out there and forgive.  You will find that your brothers and sisters need that forgiveness.  If they look deep enough, they need that forgiveness.  We often skip along the surface in life, if we look down, just under the ice; there is all that garbage we might have to look at.  Forgiveness and acceptance thaws that ice and allows the garbage to be taken care of, allows lives to be cleaned, allows hearts to be whole.  Now that you don’t have to do anything, go in peace, forgive, and be the body of Christ in the world.  

study or plant

Tuesday April 14^th, John 20: 26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!"  The disciples, like you and I most of the time, are still sitting around getting ready to go out there into the Galilee, the world, and bring the good news.  Now that they don’t have to do anything, they are choosing to do nothing, or holding meetings, or studying the situation, or playing church or something, anything except getting out there where Jesus is, in the Galilee, in the world.  Jesus comes to them as Jesus comes to us.  What Jesus does is to urge us to get out there into the world, into the Galilee.  Jesus has already been there.  The ground is fertile.  You are holding seeds in your hand.   Now that you don’t have to do anything are you going to study those seeds or plant them?   

check it out

Wednesday April 15^th, John 20: " 27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."  28 Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"  29 Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."  Now that you don’t have to do anything, and realize that you haven’t done anything, you could either get out there into the Galilee, the world and plant those seeds or blame someone for you not planting those seeds in your hand.  The disciples give us a good example.  Unfortunately it is an example of what not to do..  They stand there and blame Thomas.  He will forevermore be the example of doubt in the world of people held up inside the four walls of Christian churches waiting for someone to blame for not being out there in the Galilee.  Doubt however, rather than being something evil, is the ants in the pants of faith, it gets it up and moving (Buechner, Wishful thinking). Perhaps it was Thomas’ doubt that got the disciples out into the world.  Perhaps it is your doubt that will be the true blessing that will get you to leave the four walls and go to where Jesus is waiting for you, in the Galilee, in the world.  

learning

Thursday April 16^th, Acts 4: 32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.  The Honda text, they were all in one accord.  More importantly, there had finally left the upper room and stopped blaming one another as to why they were still there.  The one accord thing is a start, but it is a myth.  It reminds me of a couple coming in for premarital counseling.  I ask them how they fight and they tell me they never fight.  I tell them I feel sorry for them and suggest they spend some time talking at a deeper level and come back after they have had a good fight and have figured out how they fight.  The church will never get along in one heart and mind, and it would be a scary aspect if they did.  But they are out of the room, infatuated with God and starting the long and painful process of learning to be the Body of Christ in the world.  

the soil is ready

Friday April 17^th, Acts 4: 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. Now that they don’t have to do anything, they finally made it out to the Galilee.  Much grace was upon them all, the Lord had gone on ahead of them and prepared the soil for them.  Now that you don’t have to do anything in the post resurrection world, what will you do?  The seeds are in your hand, the soil is ready………….