Thought for the Day

That peace, safety, and concord may be the portion of our native land, and be long enjoyed by our fellow-citizens, is the most ardent wish of my heart, and if I can be instrumental in procuring or preserving them, I shall think I have not lied in vain.
--Thomas Jefferson

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Thought for the Day

According to Christ, significance is found in transforming people's lives through love. This is living a truly significant life.
--Gary Haugen

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Sunday's Prayer

Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
our glory is to stand before the world as your own sons and daughters.
May the simple beauty of Jesus' birth
summon us always to love what is most deeply human,
and to see your Word made flesh
reflected in those whose lives we touch.

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Thought for the Day

[A] spiritual life without prayer is like the Gospel without Christ.
--Henri Nouwen

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Thought for the Day

Joy is essential to spiritual life. Whatever we may think or say about God, when we are not joyful, our thoughts and words cannot bear fruit. Jesus reveals to us God's love so that his joy may become our and that our joy may become complete. Joy is the experience of knowing that you are unconditionally loved and that nothing--sickness, failure, emotional distress, oppression, war, or even death--can take that love away.
--Henri Nouwen

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Christmas Prayer

Good and gracious God,
On this holy day you gave us your Son,
the Lord of the universe, wrapped in swaddling clothes,
the Savior of t all, lying in a manger.
On this holy day
draw us into the mystery of your love.
Join our voices with the heavenly host,
that we may sing your glory on high.
Give us a place among the shepherds,
that we may find the one for whom we have waited,
Jesus Christ, your Word made flesh,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit
in the splendor of eternal light.
God forever and ever. Amen.

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Thought for the Day

A word of kindness is better than a fat pie.
--Russian Proverb

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Thought for the Day

We should give as we would receive, cheerfully, quickly, and without hesitation; for there is no grace in a benefit that sticks to the fingers.
--Seneca

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Update on Kony and the LRA

I am trying to keep track of what is happening with Kony and LRA since they were attacked a week ago by the combined forces of Uganda, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. You can read the latest article from BBC that was posted yesterday.

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Thought for the Day

It's not safe to love people in need. In fact, I generally try to keep neediness away. Think about those in your family who are most needy, those in your church fellowship who are hurting the most, those on the other side of the city who are most vulnerable. Being with them, serving them and loving them is uncomfortable. It's messy, untidy, unsafe and even dangerous. And yet, paradoxically, Jesus tells us this is where the deepest joy is found. And based on the experience that my colleagues and I have had...it's true. It's not safe, but it's true.
--Gary Haugen

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Sunday's Prayer

Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

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Thought for the Day

So sometimes we have to decide: are we going to love, or are we going to look smart? Because loving the needy doesn't look smart. And, sadly, in much of our culture this is one of our deepest fears: looking like a fool, naive, unsophisticated, a little too earnest, a loser.
--Gary Haugen

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Thought for the Day

In relationship to God one can not involve himself to a certain degree. God is precisely the contradiction to all that is "to a certain degree."
--Soren Kierkegaard

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Thought for the Day

This may be said of all our estates: what God gives us, is not given us for ourselves, but, "for the Lord."
--Cotton Mather

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Thought for the Day

Benjamin Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanac never tired of preaching the doctrine of saving. And now comes a new generation of alleged financial experts who seem to be telling us that black is white and white is black, and that the old virtues may be modern sins.
--Paul Samuelson

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News about Kony and the LRA

I was surprised and delighted to read in yesterday's Boston Globe that Uganda, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo have launched a joint offensive against the Lord's Resistance Army rebels in a remote corner of Congo. The LRA has caused untold misery for over 20 years. Click here to read the brief article in the Globe. The BBC has a longer article at their website.

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Thought for the Day

The main stimulus for the renewal of Christianity will come from the bottom and from the edge, from sectors of the Christian world that are on the margins.
--Harvey Cox

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Newsweek's "The Religious Case for Gay Marriage"

The feature article in the December 15, 2008 issue of Newsweek is "The Religious Case for Gay Marriage." Author Lisa Miller, the religion editor for the magazine, sets forth the case for gay marriage looking at the Bible and arguing that nothing in the Bible should prevent one from accepting gay marriage. If you aren't a bible scholar and aren't familiar with many of the arguments used in this debate, you may find her article convincing, especially since Newsweek doesn't offer what the counter argument might look like.

If you are interested in a counter argument to this position, look at Rob Bowman's post at the Religious Researcher. His blog is nearly as long as Lisa Miller's but well worth the read.

What do you think of the two articles? Who makes the better case?

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Thought for the Day

Debt is probably the single most oppressive economic reality for nations, organizations, families, and individuals. Its weight radically affects the shape of living and, in open or hidden ways, dictates fundamental decisions about time and energy.
--David F. Ford

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The Parable of the Two Brothers

Sunday's sermon will focus on the well-known parable that you probably know as the Prodigal Son. It is found in Luke 15:11-32 and which I have included below in the NRSV, NIV, and The Message.

NRSV
Then Jesus said, ‘There was a man who had two sons. 12The younger of them said to his father, “Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.” So he divided his property between them. 13A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and travelled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. 14When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. 15So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. 16He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. 17But when he came to himself he said, “How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! 18I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; 19I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.’ ” 20So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. 21Then the son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” 22But the father said to his slaves, “Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; 24for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!” And they began to celebrate.
25 ‘Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. 26He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. 27He replied, “Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.” 28Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. 29But he answered his father, “Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. 30But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!” 31Then the father said to him, “Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.” ’

NIV
11Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons. 12The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them.

13"Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

17"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' 20So he got up and went to his father.
"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

21"The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'

22"But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. 24For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.

25"Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.'

28"The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'

31" 'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' "

The Message
11-12Then he said, "There was once a man who had two sons. The younger said to his father, 'Father, I want right now what's coming to me.'

12-16"So the father divided the property between them. It wasn't long before the younger son packed his bags and left for a distant country. There, undisciplined and dissipated, he wasted everything he had. After he had gone through all his money, there was a bad famine all through that country and he began to hurt. He signed on with a citizen there who assigned him to his fields to slop the pigs. He was so hungry he would have eaten the corncobs in the pig slop, but no one would give him any.

17-20"That brought him to his senses. He said, 'All those farmhands working for my father sit down to three meals a day, and here I am starving to death. I'm going back to my father. I'll say to him, Father, I've sinned against God, I've sinned before you; I don't deserve to be called your son. Take me on as a hired hand.' He got right up and went home to his father.

20-21"When he was still a long way off, his father saw him. His heart pounding, he ran out, embraced him, and kissed him. The son started his speech: 'Father, I've sinned against God, I've sinned before you; I don't deserve to be called your son ever again.'

22-24"But the father wasn't listening. He was calling to the servants, 'Quick. Bring a clean set of clothes and dress him. Put the family ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Then get a grain-fed heifer and roast it. We're going to feast! We're going to have a wonderful time! My son is here—given up for dead and now alive! Given up for lost and now found!' And they began to have a wonderful time.

25-27"All this time his older son was out in the field. When the day's work was done he came in. As he approached the house, he heard the music and dancing. Calling over one of the houseboys, he asked what was going on. He told him, 'Your brother came home. Your father has ordered a feast—barbecued beef!—because he has him home safe and sound.'

28-30"The older brother stalked off in an angry sulk and refused to join in. His father came out and tried to talk to him, but he wouldn't listen. The son said, 'Look how many years I've stayed here serving you, never giving you one moment of grief, but have you ever thrown a party for me and my friends? Then this son of yours who has thrown away your money on whores shows up and you go all out with a feast!'

31-32"His father said, 'Son, you don't understand. You're with me all the time, and everything that is mine is yours—but this is a wonderful time, and we had to celebrate. This brother of yours was dead, and he's alive! He was lost, and he's found!'"

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Sunday's Prayer

Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

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Thought for the Day

It should not bother us that [during different epochs] the Christian faith was perceived and experienced in new and different ways. The Christan faith is intrinsically incarnational; therefore unless the church chooses to remain a foreign entity, it will always enter into the context in which it happens to find itself.
--David Bosch

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Thought for the Day

The Bible tells us that the Christian is in the world, and that there he or she must remain. Christians have not been created in order to separate themselves from, or to live aloof from, the world. When this separation is effected, it will be God's own doing, not man's...The Christian community must never be a closed body.
--Jacques Ellul

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Thought for the Day

A church which pitches its tents without constantly looking out for new horizons, which does not continually strike camp, is being untrue to its calling...[We must] play down our longing for certainty, accept what is risky, and live by improvisation and experiment.
Hans Kung

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Thought for the Day

A great deal more failure is the result of an excess of caution than of bold experimentation with new ideas. The frontiers of the kingdom of God were never advanced bu men and women of caution.
J. Oswald Sanders

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Thought for the Day

If you want to build a ship, don't summon people to buy wood, prepare tools, distribute jobs, and organize the work, rather teach people the yearning for the wide, boundless ocean.
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery

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Thought for the Day

Our economy and culture are like a machine manufacturing and orchestrating the desires of millions of people. The most obvious way this happens is through the entertainment industry, advertising, and mass democratic politics. Our whole civilization would collapse if people started desiring in very different ways. Therefore, massive forces are focused on making sure that that does not happen. These are the forces behind the compulsions [that tend to overpower us], and it is difficult and sometimes dangerous to resist them.
--David F. Ford

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Sunday's Prayer

Gracious God,
your vision of peace and wholeness
comes to us in sweeping revelations
and in tiny signs of hope.
Kindle our hearts, that we might be a hopeful people.
Keep us from growing weary of waiting
so that we do not miss the glory of your appearing.
Even so, come quickly, O God. Amen.

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Thought for the Day

To know time as a gift is to know that its basic rhythms and inevitable passing are beyond our control. And to know time as gift is to recognize time as the setting within which we also receive God's other gifts, including the fruits of nature and the companionship of one another.
--Dorothy C. Bass

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Thought for the Day

God gives and forgives abundantly and expects us to give and forgive abundantly: This is the great virtuous circle of joyful responsibility. The crucial thing is God is utterly for us, but that is not at all in order to take away our responsibility. On the contrary, God is for us so that we can be wholeheartedly for God and for other people. God shares both joy and responsibility.
--David F. Ford

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Thought for the Day

Be silent about great things, let them grow inside you. Never discuss them: discussion is so limiting and distracting. It makes things grow smaller. You think you swallow things when they ought to swallow you. Before all greatness, be silent--in art, in music, in religion: silence.
--Baron von Hugel

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Thought for the Day

Awareness of mortality exerts a unique power to focus the mind and heart on essentials.
--Columba Stewart

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Thought for the Day

[W]e will always be something of an exile in the present world. As lovely as it may be, it's not our final home, and worshiping God in spirit and truth always leaves us aware that there is more than what meets the eye.
Justin DuVall

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Parable of the Good Samaritan

I will preach on the Parable of the Good Samaritan on Sunday, December 7th. This parable is found in Luke 10:25-37 and below will find it in the NRSV, NIV, and The Message.

NRSV
Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ he said, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ 26He said to him, ‘What is written in the law? What do you read there?’ 27He answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself.’ 28And he said to him, ‘You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.’
29 But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbour?’ 30Jesus replied, ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. 31Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33But a Samaritan while travelling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. 34He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, “Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.” 36Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?’ 37He said, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise.’

NIV
25On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
26"What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"
27He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"
28"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."
29But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
30In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'
36"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"
37The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him."
Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."

The Message
25Just then a religion scholar stood up with a question to test Jesus. "Teacher, what do I need to do to get eternal life?"
26He answered, "What's written in God's Law? How do you interpret it?"
27He said, "That you love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and muscle and intelligence—and that you love your neighbor as well as you do yourself."
28"Good answer!" said Jesus. "Do it and you'll live."
29Looking for a loophole, he asked, "And just how would you define 'neighbor'?"
30-32Jesus answered by telling a story. "There was once a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. On the way he was attacked by robbers. They took his clothes, beat him up, and went off leaving him half-dead. Luckily, a priest was on his way down the same road, but when he saw him he angled across to the other side. Then a Levite religious man showed up; he also avoided the injured man.
33-35"A Samaritan traveling the road came on him. When he saw the man's condition, his heart went out to him. He gave him first aid, disinfecting and bandaging his wounds. Then he lifted him onto his donkey, led him to an inn, and made him comfortable. In the morning he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, 'Take good care of him. If it costs any more, put it on my bill—I'll pay you on my way back.'
36"What do you think? Which of the three became a neighbor to the man attacked by robbers?"
37"The one who treated him kindly," the religion scholar responded.
Jesus said, "Go and do the same."

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Thought for the Day

Spirituality without a prayer life is no spirituality at all, and it will not last beyond the first defeats. Prayer is an opening of the self so that the Word of God can break in and make us new. Prayer unmasks. Prayer converts. Prayer impels. Prayer sustains us on the way. Prayer for the grace it will take to continue what you would like to quit.
--Joan Chittister

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