Come and join our pilgrimage, our spiritual journey to become the kind of people the original designer had in mind. The last blog we started this adventure with the Magi and the word STAR, to help remember the Studied, Traveled, Adored, Redirected, STAR, experience of the Magi. So here is the next installment.
I chose the second word to be T Traveled, because after the Magi discovered the phenomena in the sky, they Traveled to further discover what this was all about. So often we get stuck at one place and never quite move beyond where we are. New Year's resolutions to lose weight for instance often require that we travel to the gym, and that seems a bigger obstacle than we first realized. So we stay stuck.
This adventure was different because the Magi were willing to travel. They arranged for a journey to find the King of the Jews who was to be born according to the great star/light in the sky. They went looking for the baby. It meant they left behind the familiar and went looking for the new discovery. We ought to be so inclined as we encounter Jesus, we ought to leave behind the past and the ways our faith didn't work, and find a new relationship and encounter with Jesus.
Some travel might not be too far. It's getting out of bed on a Sunday morning and going to church. I know that this is harder and harder to do for more people. Attendance at worship services continues to decline, people come less often per month and still feel like they go all the time. Some of this may be our fault for not making the services and encounters with God that Passionate and exciting. Pray for us as we move into new ways to worship so that it will be Passionate and encouraging and uplifting and help you make a connection to the Creator.
Some travel might include a missions trip somewhere to make a difference for someone else. Go on a Volunteers in Mission trip to rehab broken down houses, or hurricane restorations. Or go dig a well, or teach people how to do better with nutrition or education. There are thousands of opportunities for you to take a week of you time and invest it in some worthwhile project. It will be life changing. I've been to Africa University in Zimbabwe to help build faculty housing. I've been to Rochester NY to rehab run down houses with our youth group. I've been to Red Bird Mission to bring water into to homes that did not have it. I've been to Denver CO to refurbish a run down apartment complex that was being renovated to be a second chance for single moms. I've been to our camps to put in new screens in the windows, paint walls, etc. You can travel somewhere and make a difference to others and ultimately for you.
Some travel may not be external but internal. You may have to figure out a way not to react to somethings people say, because you are thinking more what would Jesus say in response. Some travel may be to find a different response to people who are nasty at work. Maybe there is something going on in their lives that needs fixing, and until it is, they will always be nasty. Maybe it's traveling across the hall, or down to the coffee pot and staying there for a time to see what you might do to make a difference in some one else's life. Caring goes a long way.
Some travel may be interior as you explore what is the most meaningful thing you can do with your talents, abilities, and skills. You may find you are in the wrong place and might want to explore where God might have you work instead. That can be scary and it will change a lot of things. Hopefully for the best. The travel should be the result of wanting to be the person God created you to be, to be the person that Jesus role modeled for you to follow.
Jesus often ended his conversations with people he met, with come follow me. See traveling again. It meant to be willing to hang out with Jesus long enough to get what was important in life. It meant discovering how we might love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and how might we love our neighbor the way Jesus loves us. It might mean to follow a class to learn what the difference that Jesus makes can be all about.
This new year, I hope you can travel for your faith, so that in six months or so, you can look back and see that you have changed and made a difference in your own life and in the lives of others. Looking back and seeing lives you've touched will be an awesome story to tell.
Come join us, travel with Jesus.
Next issue will be on the Adored part. How do we bow down and worship God and not some idol we have created that get's all of our attention.
Until then
God Bless Us Everyone
Pastor Jeff
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Monday, January 5, 2015
A New Star Trek
Hello Spiritual Trekkers, going on the adventure following the sign from God is a good thing. I've come up with a formula to share the story of Matthew 2: 1-12 and it relates to a STAR. Imagine that.
What I am planning on doing is preparing four sections to this blog, one a day, to share the insights and wonders of the sign from God that we find in Matt. 2: 1-12. I hope you come back in a day or two to pick up the other pieces. This started out as research for my sermon on Jan. 4, which is Epiphany Sunday in some church world circles. It has been celebrated by Christians from very early in our history, sometime before Christmas became a big deal, to commemorate the visit of the Magi to the Christ Child. It was a good way to say to non-jews who were becoming Christians as the message and the Good News spread, that there were other gentiles who were noticing what God was doing with the Birth of Jesus in Bethlehem.
I've chosen the word STAR, because it helps me to keep my thoughts together. S stands for Studied, both the Magi and the experts of the law studied and had parts of the answer to the quest for the baby who would be born King of Jews. We need that component still.
I've chosen the second letter T to stand for Traveled, the Magi left behind their study halls and went looking for this great result of the sign from God. This is a clue to the need for us to get up and follow where God is leading us. More to come on this letter in another day's blog.
I've chosen the third letter A to stand for Adored, the Magi adored, worshipped, bowed down, respected the Boy Jesus for who they knew him to be, the King of the Jews. In a world where we feel so important, or think we are, Adoring the child of God, the one whom God sent to connect with us so that we might know God is with us, it is important to Adore, to worship, to give value and recognition to the Creator of us all. We lose so much when we don't have an" other " to worship.
I've chosen the fourth letter to be R to stand for Redirected. The Magi were warned in a dream to head home in a different way than the one they came in. It was in part to stay away from Herod, but it's also a great symbol for, coming to encounter the Love of God should make us different people as a result. We should go away from the encounter with the Creative force of the Universe, who knows us and wants a relationship with us, a different person that before the encounter. We should be Redirected in our goals and purposes in life because we have met the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.
So back to Day one thoughts...
The Magi knew something extraordinary was happening in the sky, because they knew the sky. Part of their ability to resource and equip Kings and Emperors and Caesars, was their deep knowledge of important things. They Studied, they knew history and Astronomy, and Astrology, and science and could bring the wisdom of the ages together to advise those who sought their wisdom for help. They discovered something was going to happen because of what they saw, what they studied. We don't know exactly what they did see. There have been many blogs and papers written and argued about what the phenomena was that they witnessed, but I'm not going there. It was enough to get them excited that something was about to happen.
The connection to modern day seekers is the value of Study. We need to read and learn about what God is doing, and the best place for that is Scripture. Now I know that's a tall order, but it's one that has been truly helpful for centuries. The struggle is that we have to become familiar enough with the book, a library actually, to make sure it's helpful. It's a collection of the experiences of many people who encountered God and wanted us to learn from their experience, to guide our experience. When Herod was so upset about a rival King of the Jews, he turned to the scholars around him. They knew their Bible well enough to know that the answer was the promise of Micah, that the child would be born in Bethlehem.
Bethlehem, the town of David the King who wrote all those Psalms. The David who was able to have faith enough to take on Goliath. The David who was King and who brought the nation of 12 scattered tribes into a powerful force. The David who was able to bring worship and government and lifestyle together for the people. A new King of the Jews, a ruler for all our lives, should be born in a place like that. The meaning and connections to all those qualities are worth seeing to understand the power of Jesus in our lives.
The S of STAR, is an invitation to you now to study what God is doing, so that you gain wisdom for your journey through life. Study, read a few chapters of the Bible through at a time. Get a One-Year Bible, in what ever translation or version you are comfortable with and read a section a day. Go online and sign up for a daily email study. Get an app that will provide a daily guide to reading like You Version, it can be a tremendous help. Study 5 Psalms a day to develop your prayer life, to help you know what and how to pray about anything, which can be big help for a whole bunch of other things you worry about. Discover BibleGateway.com for a wealth of study helps.
Study is also best with a group of friends. A Bible Study, a Sunday School class, some people gathered at a coffee shop or burger joint, who want to talk about the Bible can be a good idea. We can encourage and stimulate each other. John Wesley made small groups for learning a priority among Methodists, and as long as we made that a commitment, we were dynamic. We've lost our touch because we don't require everyone to do that anymore, we've lost our edge at changing people's lives for the better. But Study is important. Find a group to study, you'll be glad you did.
I'll come back tomorrow or the next day to talk about the T of STAR, for Traveled, making a significant difference in your life. Blessings on your STAR gazing....
Pastor Jeff
What I am planning on doing is preparing four sections to this blog, one a day, to share the insights and wonders of the sign from God that we find in Matt. 2: 1-12. I hope you come back in a day or two to pick up the other pieces. This started out as research for my sermon on Jan. 4, which is Epiphany Sunday in some church world circles. It has been celebrated by Christians from very early in our history, sometime before Christmas became a big deal, to commemorate the visit of the Magi to the Christ Child. It was a good way to say to non-jews who were becoming Christians as the message and the Good News spread, that there were other gentiles who were noticing what God was doing with the Birth of Jesus in Bethlehem.
I've chosen the word STAR, because it helps me to keep my thoughts together. S stands for Studied, both the Magi and the experts of the law studied and had parts of the answer to the quest for the baby who would be born King of Jews. We need that component still.
I've chosen the second letter T to stand for Traveled, the Magi left behind their study halls and went looking for this great result of the sign from God. This is a clue to the need for us to get up and follow where God is leading us. More to come on this letter in another day's blog.
I've chosen the third letter A to stand for Adored, the Magi adored, worshipped, bowed down, respected the Boy Jesus for who they knew him to be, the King of the Jews. In a world where we feel so important, or think we are, Adoring the child of God, the one whom God sent to connect with us so that we might know God is with us, it is important to Adore, to worship, to give value and recognition to the Creator of us all. We lose so much when we don't have an" other " to worship.
I've chosen the fourth letter to be R to stand for Redirected. The Magi were warned in a dream to head home in a different way than the one they came in. It was in part to stay away from Herod, but it's also a great symbol for, coming to encounter the Love of God should make us different people as a result. We should go away from the encounter with the Creative force of the Universe, who knows us and wants a relationship with us, a different person that before the encounter. We should be Redirected in our goals and purposes in life because we have met the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.
So back to Day one thoughts...
The Magi knew something extraordinary was happening in the sky, because they knew the sky. Part of their ability to resource and equip Kings and Emperors and Caesars, was their deep knowledge of important things. They Studied, they knew history and Astronomy, and Astrology, and science and could bring the wisdom of the ages together to advise those who sought their wisdom for help. They discovered something was going to happen because of what they saw, what they studied. We don't know exactly what they did see. There have been many blogs and papers written and argued about what the phenomena was that they witnessed, but I'm not going there. It was enough to get them excited that something was about to happen.
The connection to modern day seekers is the value of Study. We need to read and learn about what God is doing, and the best place for that is Scripture. Now I know that's a tall order, but it's one that has been truly helpful for centuries. The struggle is that we have to become familiar enough with the book, a library actually, to make sure it's helpful. It's a collection of the experiences of many people who encountered God and wanted us to learn from their experience, to guide our experience. When Herod was so upset about a rival King of the Jews, he turned to the scholars around him. They knew their Bible well enough to know that the answer was the promise of Micah, that the child would be born in Bethlehem.
Bethlehem, the town of David the King who wrote all those Psalms. The David who was able to have faith enough to take on Goliath. The David who was King and who brought the nation of 12 scattered tribes into a powerful force. The David who was able to bring worship and government and lifestyle together for the people. A new King of the Jews, a ruler for all our lives, should be born in a place like that. The meaning and connections to all those qualities are worth seeing to understand the power of Jesus in our lives.
The S of STAR, is an invitation to you now to study what God is doing, so that you gain wisdom for your journey through life. Study, read a few chapters of the Bible through at a time. Get a One-Year Bible, in what ever translation or version you are comfortable with and read a section a day. Go online and sign up for a daily email study. Get an app that will provide a daily guide to reading like You Version, it can be a tremendous help. Study 5 Psalms a day to develop your prayer life, to help you know what and how to pray about anything, which can be big help for a whole bunch of other things you worry about. Discover BibleGateway.com for a wealth of study helps.
Study is also best with a group of friends. A Bible Study, a Sunday School class, some people gathered at a coffee shop or burger joint, who want to talk about the Bible can be a good idea. We can encourage and stimulate each other. John Wesley made small groups for learning a priority among Methodists, and as long as we made that a commitment, we were dynamic. We've lost our touch because we don't require everyone to do that anymore, we've lost our edge at changing people's lives for the better. But Study is important. Find a group to study, you'll be glad you did.
I'll come back tomorrow or the next day to talk about the T of STAR, for Traveled, making a significant difference in your life. Blessings on your STAR gazing....
Pastor Jeff
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