This past week and weekend has been a very difficult weekend in our family. My father-in-law has been diagnosed with acute leukemia and it is very aggressive. He is 90 years old and even with treatment the best that could be hoped for is an extra week and it would be a hellish week. Both Nancy and I are only children. We have decided to have him transferred to hospice care. My daughter and family are going to be flying in this week. At this time the best guess is that he has a week or two.
In our adult faith class, the members had been talking about death and dying. One idea that came out of that was that we don't die we are promoted. When I think of my father-in-law, I truly believe he is being promoted. He has lived a wonderful life. He served our country in the south Pacific during WWII. He worked hard all of his life and was faithful to his church and to God. He loved baseball and football. He also enjoyed woodworking until later in life. He will be missed.
So over the next few days please keep my family in prayers.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
reflection on Palm Sunday
Our journey is coming to Jerusalem. The crowds are gathering as Jesus prepares to encounter his passion. The crowd had many differing expectations regarding Jesus and who he was. Imagine if you were part of that crowd. What are your expectations of Jesus? This Sunday we will have the opportunity to reflect on our expectations. Take time for the rest of the week and examine honestly your feelings regarding Jesus.
Many people have a variety of expectations of Jesus then and now. I know that even in my life there have been times that my expectations of who Christ was may change depending on my life situation. To often we look to Christ only in times of trouble rather than times when life is easy. We are studying the parables of Christ and his passion. One of the lessons talked about the tower builder and the king going to war (Luke 14:27-33). One of the aspects of this parable dealt with counting the cost of something before one would commit to a decision to do something. What we discussed was, would we be willing to commit ourselves to Christ if we knew that the cost would be the cross. Not just a cross or slight sacrifice but facing the cross that Jesus took upon himself for us. The Way is not just a "not a spiritual get-rich-quick scheme. It is the cross (Parables and Passion, John Indermark 2006, 94)."
Would our understanding of this effect our discipleship and our expectations of Jesus? This Sunday we will continue our journey from the garden to the cross and beyond.
Many people have a variety of expectations of Jesus then and now. I know that even in my life there have been times that my expectations of who Christ was may change depending on my life situation. To often we look to Christ only in times of trouble rather than times when life is easy. We are studying the parables of Christ and his passion. One of the lessons talked about the tower builder and the king going to war (Luke 14:27-33). One of the aspects of this parable dealt with counting the cost of something before one would commit to a decision to do something. What we discussed was, would we be willing to commit ourselves to Christ if we knew that the cost would be the cross. Not just a cross or slight sacrifice but facing the cross that Jesus took upon himself for us. The Way is not just a "not a spiritual get-rich-quick scheme. It is the cross (Parables and Passion, John Indermark 2006, 94)."
Would our understanding of this effect our discipleship and our expectations of Jesus? This Sunday we will continue our journey from the garden to the cross and beyond.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Next Sunday
Last Sunday we began to look at how our perceptions can affect the way our journey can proceed. What we see and what we believe is often influenced by our social status and social learning that we receive from our family, church, and culture. During the service I used some optical illusions to help point out our expectations and assumptions and how they may influence our attitudes and our beliefs. The concern that I have is that sometimes we can make decisions based on our perceptions and not take time to try to understand another point of view. This is can lead to serious breakdowns in communication not just between individuals but also can cause the lack of communication even among nations. The greatest breakdown in communication is certainly stated in scriptures with the assumptions of what is holy and what is righteous based on either cultural expectations or God's expectations. The stories of Samuel choosing the new king and the blind man in the gospel of John.
This Sunday we will be looking at the story of Lazarus in John and Ezekiel in the valley of dry bones. I would ask you to reflect on those stories and what they might mean for you. Have their been any times in our life that you have felt lifeless, disconnected, disorganized to the point that you might feel like giving up. How did you get through those times or if it is happening today what gets you through the day? The question Ezekiel asks that I believe is still pertinent today is ,"Can these bones live?" Read the scripture Ezekiel 37:1-14. How would you answer?
This Sunday we will be looking at the story of Lazarus in John and Ezekiel in the valley of dry bones. I would ask you to reflect on those stories and what they might mean for you. Have their been any times in our life that you have felt lifeless, disconnected, disorganized to the point that you might feel like giving up. How did you get through those times or if it is happening today what gets you through the day? The question Ezekiel asks that I believe is still pertinent today is ,"Can these bones live?" Read the scripture Ezekiel 37:1-14. How would you answer?
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