New creations

I am reading through the Bible in a year, using the M'Cheney Bible reading system.  Today one of the readings was from 2 Corinthians 5, a very appropriate reading coming into a new year.    Paul writes: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation."   People look forward to a new beginning in the new year.  What Paul is saying is that we daily have a new beginning, in the waters of our Baptism.   In Baptism the old has passed away and God creates in us to be His new people, living for Him daily.  So while the world looks forward to a new year, the Christian can not only look forward to a new year but a new day, everyday, in Jesus.

The Resurrection at Christmas

I received word of a death of a member's father yesterday.   What a sad time for the family.   Years ago my Grandma McCormick died on Christmas Day in 1963.   It was a sad time for my mother and rest of my family.    As I thought about families who have loved ones die during the holidays, it is indeed a sad, difficult time.  So many mixed emotions.   And yet, we can have joy because of Jesus.  For the message of Christmas is the God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son to be our Savior.   Christ came to live, die and rise again so that all who believe in Him will rise with Him and live forever with HIm.   Because of Jesus we can have joy in the midst of sadness.  Christ was born, He lived, He died, He has risen. Thanks be to God.

Giving thanks from generation to generation

I was struck by the words of Psalm 79:13, "But we your people the sheep of your pasture will give thanks to you forever; from generation to generation we will recount your praise."   This Psalm was a lament over Israel.  Babylon had laid waste to the place where God's people dwelt.  God's people were mocked for believing in God.   And yet, the Psalmist remains steadfast and immoveable in his trust in the Lord.   God's people will praise God forever, no matter the circumstance, because God's people continually return to the Lord.   God is always reliable and trustworthy.   In the midst of trial and tribulation, may God keep us in His grace, immoveable in Christ, waiting on Him to help us in time of need.

I am Yours, save me

In the Luther' films, depicting Luther in his life struggles, Luther is heard to be praying the words of Psalm 119:94: "I am yours, save me."   Luther put his hope in the Lord, who saved him by sending His Son Jesus Christ.   It would do us well to look at the verses preceding and following verse 94.  The Psalmist delights in the Lord and His Word, he calls upon the Lord in his trouble by trusting in God's Word.   He takes God at His Word, and in a paraphrase of Luther, the Psalmist reminds God of His promises.   What a model for our prayer life.   Read God's Word, delight in that Word, and then pray God's Word back to God, trusting in God's Word and promises, for this is what God calls us to do.

So What's the Point?

I picked  up a book to read over the Christmas season.  It is titled: "The First Days of Jesus: The Story of the Incarnation."  I have only read the first couple of chapters but it is a very interesting read, the point of the book is that Jesus really did come down from heaven to be our Savior.   The authors carefully read the texts of the Bible, in this case Matthew's and Luke's account of Christmas, to flesh out the details of Christ's birth.  The birth of Jesus really took place.  It happened in history.  And that is the point of Christmas, that Jesus really was born, He lived, died, and rose again all to fulfill the Scriptures and promises of God that He would deal mercifully with His people.  And He has.   For to us a Child is born.  His name is Jesus, and He saves people from their sins.

Faith or no faith?

I was struck by God's Words to Isaiah in Isaiah chapter 7: If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all."   Faith requires taking a stance, trusting in God and His Word and Promises.  If you are not firm in the faith, you faith will be tossed around like the wind.  But if you have faith, you stand on the Lord's promises.   On Christ the solid Rock I stand.  All other ground is sinking sand.

God is on our side

As we approach the Christmas season, one of the themes that sticks me is God with us, Emmanuel.  God is with us and for us.  He is on our side.  He is not out to get us, rather He deals with us in love.   Psalm 30 says: With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes."   God was the ever present help of old for the people of Israel.  He was the ever present help for the people of the New Testament.  He alone is our ever present help today.   With Him we shall overcome our enemies of sin, Satan, death, and despair.   How?  Why?  Because of Jesus.   Jesus has come to beat down our foes.   And as we enter Advent, we look forward to His coming again.  Even so, come Lord Jesus!

The Church is not a buisness

The Church is not a business.   Don't let anyone tell you differently.  Businesses exist to turn a profit   Churches, however, exist to serve people by sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.   When the Lord Jesus returns, He won't be asking how much money is in the Church account.  He will say that what we have done to the least, we have done for the Lord.   Yes, good business practices MUST take place in the Church, that is called being good stewards and managers of God's gifts.   But the Church is not a business, it is a ministry.   We as members of the Church are called to serve the Lord sacrificially, we love and serve because Jesus first loved and served us.   We are called to love the Lord with all of our being, and then manifest that love by showing love to our neighbor as ourselves. This is the purpose, dare I say, business of the Church, to serve others in the name of Jesus.   In other words, this is the ministry Christ has given for us to carry out.

Walking in wisdom

I try to read a chapter from Proverbs a day.   Today I read Proverbs 28 and as I was reading, my attention was focused on verse 26: "Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered."  My Grandpa Davidson wrote a note to all of his grandsons when he was alive, encouraging us to all read a chapter of Proverbs a day, he also encouraged us to read the Psalms regularly (hence my little blog post yesterday).  Grandpa said that if you want to walk in wisdom, you need to read God's wisdom, which is revealed in the Bible and the book of Proverbs.    To be truly wise is to have the wisdom of God, leaning not on your own understanding but receiving God's wisdom as a gift.   That gift is Jesus Christ, and whoever trusts and focuses on the words of Christ will become wise in the eyes of the Lord.   The world may think of this as foolishness (the Apostle Paul addresses this in 1 Corinthians 1) but true wisdom is found in Christ, His Cross, and His Word.

The Psalter

Praying the Psalms has been an important part of the life of the disciple of Jesus.  To pray the Psalter is a way of praying the Psalms by using the very words that the Spirit inspired back to God.   It is something that I have done over time that is beneficial in that it allows the Spirit to plant the Word into the heart of the one who prays.   Take a few minutes a day and begin to pray the Psalms.  There are plenty of helps on the web.   I believe that when you try this you over time you will find that God will use His Word in your life in ways that you could not have imagined.

Giving Thanks

From Psalm 54 we read: "With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you; I will give thanks to Your name, O Lord, for it is good.  For he has delivered me from every trouble, and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies."

The Psalmist says that he will thank the Lord, for the Lord has delivered him from every trouble and his own eye has looked in triumph over his enemies.   I am reminded when I read this that Moses and the people of Israel were pursued by their enemies as they fled from Egypt.  And the Lord delivered His people from their enemies.  The Lord fought the battles for them and the Lord achieved the victory.  

In the same way, Jesus delivered us from the power of sin, Satan, and death.    By His sacrificial life, death, and victorious resurrection He has won an overwhelming victory for all who believe in Him.  And that is not all.   He continues to be with us, to be our ever present Help in time of need.  No matter what problem we face the Lord is on our side.  He calls us to trust in Him, for He will deliver us from every trouble.  And because of what the Lord has done and continues to do to help us, we can and will give thanks to the Lord.  He is good.  His mercy lasts forever.

What God wants

God does not want our money, our good intentions, or anything that we have.   What does God want? A broken spirit.  He wants us to repent, turning to Him in faith for forgiveness and His gifts.  Note what He says in Psalm 51:16-19.

"For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart O God you will not despise.  Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem; then will you delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar."

So build up Your Church, O Lord, grant us Your gifts, so that we might delight in giving You the thanks and praise You deserve.

The Work of a Pastor

I ran across this quote from Herman Sasse in the Treasury of Daily Prayer (TDP).  It is outstanding and even though it was written in the mid 20th century it speaks to the challenges of ministry and expectations today of a pastor in the US.

“The Church administration in Europe follows the pattern of the administration of the state, while in America the great buisnes organization seems to be unknowingly imitated by the churches.  The consequence is that the parish minister becomes more and more of an administrator and organizer who rushes from meeting to meeting and has not enough time for his proper calling as a shepherd. “

Do Good to Zion

Psalm 51: 18 says : "Do good to Zion in Your good pleasure, build up the walls of Jerusalem."   Here the Psalmist reminds us that it is God who builds HIs Church.   He requests that God would be gracious and merciful to His Church.  It is God's good pleasure to fill His Church will love, to build it up in love, forgiveness, and the peace that surpasses all understanding.   Jesus says that He will build His Church and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it.   Jesus is speaking about the Christian Church, the Church Catholic.   In our day and age when we see churches closing and the Church losing its influence in society, it is good to be reminded of God's promise.   We tend to rationalize and think that the Church can only move forward and succeed due to our planning, efforts, and works.   But God reminds us that He alone builds the Church.   And so we pray that God will continue to build His Church, rooted in the teachings of the Apostles and Prophets (the Word of God, the Bible), so that the Spirit will be living and active in and through the Word.   May God so grant to the Church, and each congregation, the refreshment and life of the Holy Spirit, leading people to Christ, through the preaching and teaching of the Word, and the use of God's Sacraments.

My DNA

I recently received a gift from a member that researched my DNA to determine my ancestry.   After submitting my saliva sample, the results came back that I am 75% Scotch-Irish.  Tell me something I don't know (insert LOL smily face here).   I was told by my parents that this was my background and it is good to know that they weren't lying, although my grandma McCormick insisted that she was part American Indian (and this didn't show up in the DNA test, so sorry, Grandma Mac).   While it is interesting to see the results, my thoughts turn into thanksgiving, not just for my ancestry, but for the godly influences I have had from my family over the years.    I am a pastor because I had parents and grandparents who were Christian and who influenced me to enter the ministry.    So while my roots are from Scotland and Ireland (and part Scandinavian) my spiritual roots lie in ancestors who believed and lived for Jesus.  Thanks be to God.

Hope for the future

"You with your own hand drove out the nations, but them you planted; you afflicted the peoples, but them you set free; for not my their own sword did they win the land nor did their own arm save them, but your right hand and your arm and the light of your face, for you delighted in them." Psalm 44: 2-3.


Here our Lord reminds us that God delivers His people.   In the days of old, God chose Israel and saved Israel from all of her enemies.  God drove out the nations that were in the Promised Land, God planted Israel in the Promised Land, He saved them and won an overwhelming victory for them.  He delighted in them, giving them everything they needed.   The response God wanted from them was to love Him and follow Him.

Even today God reminds us that He delivers His own.   He chose us in Baptism, we are chosen in Christ.   He forgives us and leads us to the Promised Land in heaven.   He has won an overwhelming victory for us in Christ and delights in forgiving us and providing for all our needs.  And what is our response?  Do we worry, fret, and have anxiety over the future and what we do not have?  Or do we thank and praise God for what He has given us and how He has blessed us?  Will we live in faith trusting in God to lead and provide, as He has shown in the past?   Seek first God's kingdom and His righteousness.   Trust and follow Christ.   God gives us hope for the future when we trust in Him.

An Abomination to the Lord

"There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him...one who sows discord among the brothers."  Proverbs 6: 19

On the Festival of All Saints, the Gospel reading is from Matthew 5.   Jesus says "blessed are the peacemakers."   Who is the true Peacemaker among us?   His name is Jesus!   For the Devil stands before the Lord God accuses God's people, and Jesus stands to advocate for sinners.    Even as Jesus advocates for us and has made us at peace with the Father, so now our joyful task is to seek peace with one another.    

The Fool on the Hill

Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself.  Proverbs 26:4

The fool stands out for all to see.   He is proud and arrogant.   He is one who thinks only of himself.  God here in this passage instructs us to measure our words when speaking to a fool.   How can we do this?    By stepping back and reflecting on what we are going to say, and do.  It means that we take some time to consider the weight of our words and actions, and their possible consequences.   We live in a time of great anger and division.  People are apt to speak off the top of their head, venting and showing their anger without stepping back and considering what affect their words or actions might have.    We live in a time of fools, where angry emails, tweets, and rants seem to be the norm of the day.    So take a step back and pray, ask God for the proper God pleasing response.  Consider your own words and actions before you say and do them.   Reflect on the mercies of Christ and how Christ would have you answer and act.  Pray for the wisdom of the Spirit.   Then you won't be seen as a fool or play the part of a fool, but you will seek to live and act as a disciple of Christ.  

Waiting patiently for the Lord

The Psalm today is from Psalm 37: 3-11.

Trust in the Lord, and do good;
    dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the Lord;
    trust in him, and he will act.
6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
    and your justice as the noonday.

7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
    fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
    over the man who carries out evil devices!

8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
    Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
9 For the evildoers shall be cut off,
    but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.

10 In just a little while, the wicked will be no more;
    though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.
11 But the meek shall inherit the land
    and delight themselves in abundant peace.

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.  How hard this is to do!   When we are wronged and wish to seek revenge, the Lord instructs us to leave it to Him.  Note verse 8, retain from anger and forsake wrath.   The Lord says vengeance is mine, says the Lord.   Satan seeks to tempt us by causing us to fret and think of ways we can take matters into our own hands.   But this is not to be!   In doing so, it only leads to evil, as we, sinful people, seek to do sinful things to those who have wronged us.   When we do that, we pile sin onto sin.  And yet the Lord tells us a better way.   Wait for the Lord.    Turn the matter over to God, and let Him deal with the matter.  Turn all things over to God.   He is merciful and ready to forgive.  He forgives us in Jesus Christ, even though we do not deserve it.   As God is merciful to me, I am to be merciful to the one who wrongs me.   And a way to do that is not to seek revenge, but to turn that person over to the Lord and let Him deal with the person the way He sees fit.  

At the proper time God says the wicked will be no more.   He will come on the Last Day and make all things right.  It is amazing how the Old Testament people waited for the Lord.   They waited literally centuries to see God fulfill HIs promises in Jesus.   And yet they waited and trusted.  SHouldn't we do the same?   For when we trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and His strength, when we are meek instead of having hearts filled with anger, then we will truly be at peace not only with God, but with others, and we will delight in the peace that God gives that surpasses all understanding.

I'm back, I think

I read recently an article in a Journal from a pastor who said that he writes daily devotions for his congregation.  The reason he does this is that he is able to reflect on the Scripture he reads for the day and put those thoughts into writing.   It helps him become a better writer.  I read that and thought to myself, "I should do that, but how?"  So I return, hopefully more regularly, with thoughts springing from my reading of the Scripture.   May all who participate in this, writer and reader, be blessed.