In reading the gospels again, I am struck by how many times
Jesus encourages us to see things differently than the world around us does.
Reformation, transformation, renewal of our faith is all wrapped up in that
seeing how to live in this world differently, so that we can be more like
Christ.
Martin Luther in
1519 had an idea about renewing the church by reconnecting us to the Bible as
the source of life. His tacking 95 Thesis (complaints and fixes) about the
church started the Reformation. We are protestants because of that. His major
contribution was translating the Latin,
Greek and Hebrew scriptures into everyday German, so that his church
participants could read it for themselves and live a life following the
teachings of Jesus and learn it for themselves, and not be depended upon the
priests teaching alone.
All my efforts as
the pastor of this church and all my efforts for my whole ministry of 38 years,
was to help people hear from God directly by helping to make the scriptures
clearer and more available to each individual. We end up slipping back into
just what the priest says if we are not digging into the Bible for ourselves.
It might not be a bad idea to look for and buy The Story and read it for a fresh perspective. The Story is a readers' Digest like version, where the most important parts of the Bible are left in, so you can read it with all the helpful components available. You might also want to get into a small group where you can ask questions and
learn from others just like you, who may be further along the road than you are
spiritually.
We have many ways
to nurture your knowing and connecting to God through the regular reading of
the Bible. There are many daily Bibles to choose from, there are many online
reading lists. There are many email programs you can sign up for and have a
message and a devotional sent into your inbox, that you can read whenever
during the day.
We are losing a
battle of faith by not having a clear impression in our own minds about what
living with and like Jesus should be. Eighty percent of Christians say they do
NOT read their Bibles on a regular basis.We are bombarded by political adds on
issues that twist the truth. We see movies and watch television where the
decisions that the characters make in the story are so off from a follower of
Jesus would do that sometimes I am truly embarrassed to be watching them. It
fuels my desire to spend more time with God in study.
Speaking of reading
the Bible, I had a conversation the other day about preaching and it stirred up
an idea for me. You might like to know how I decide what to preach on and what
shapes the sermons. It’s a journey for sure. I'm using a book by Thomas Bandy, called The Uncommon Lectionary, a book that highlights for pastors, the 52 most important stories about the Bible for those who don't know a whole lot. And 52 important stories followers of Jesus need to have in their system.
My sermon
preparation usually starts during the summer in trying to decide what the
upcoming Sundays during the season of September to May are going to look like.
If I can plan out a nine to ten month outline schedule, and I begin to collect articles or stories and illustrations that might come in handy when I get to that week's message. I make the list available for people, because I could always use some research assistants. If that's something you would like to do, let me know.
I pick up the most
important Sundays first, like Labor Day and World Wide Communion Sunday and All
Saints Day and begin to prepare for them. The HallowThankMas rush (Halloween,Thanksgiving, Christmas) has a power and set of messages
all it’s own. So the message is based on how we can understand what God is doing to help us to feel God's love, God's grace, God's mercy, and how we can demonstrate those qualities in our own lives. St. Paul said, "Have this mind in you that was in Christ Jesus." (Eph. 2: 5)
We
continually look to know God and share God’s love with one another. Blessings
on your faith journey this month.
Pastor Jeff
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