tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49278840946472734312024-02-07T10:03:42.954-08:00LCPC Lenten BlogLCPC Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07888089533017158476noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927884094647273431.post-38268979847522697732017-04-15T19:20:00.000-07:002017-04-15T19:20:02.881-07:00Revelation 7:9-10 By: Andy Wilson <div class="gmail_msg" style="color: #313131; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0in; word-spacing: 1px;">
<span class="m_5877524225132211565text gmail_msg"><span class="gmail_msg" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 11pt;">After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.</span></span><span class="gmail_msg" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span class="m_5877524225132211565text gmail_msg"><sup class="gmail_msg"><span class="gmail_msg" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 11pt;">10 </span></sup></span><span class="m_5877524225132211565text gmail_msg"><span class="gmail_msg" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 11pt;">And they cried out in a loud voice:</span></span><span class="gmail_msg" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 11pt;"><u class="gmail_msg"></u><u class="gmail_msg"></u></span></div>
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<span class="m_5877524225132211565text gmail_msg"><span class="gmail_msg" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 11pt;">“Salvation belongs to our God,</span></span><span class="gmail_msg" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 11pt;"><br class="gmail_msg" /></span><span class="m_5877524225132211565text gmail_msg"><span class="gmail_msg" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 11pt;">who sits on the throne,</span></span><span class="gmail_msg" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 11pt;"><br class="gmail_msg" /></span><span class="m_5877524225132211565text gmail_msg"><span class="gmail_msg" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 11pt;">and to the Lamb.”</span></span><span class="gmail_msg" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 11pt;"><u class="gmail_msg"></u><u class="gmail_msg"></u></span></div>
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<u class="gmail_msg"></u><span class="gmail_msg" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span class="gmail_msg">-<span class="gmail_msg" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><u class="gmail_msg"></u>Revelation 7:9-10<u class="gmail_msg"></u><u class="gmail_msg"></u></div>
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Throughout Lent we’ve focused on the dire needs of refugees and immigrants. Let’s remind ourselves once again of the facts.<u class="gmail_msg"></u><u class="gmail_msg"></u></div>
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First, we’re currently witnessing the largest mass migration of people since World War II. There are more refugees in the world today than there have been at any other time in history. And a huge number of those refugees are escaping from places where, if they returned or were ‘repatriated’ by force, they would be killed or would live in abject poverty under the thumb an oppressive government.<u class="gmail_msg"></u><u class="gmail_msg"></u></div>
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Second, the general trend among developed nations over the last few years has been to tighten border security, severely limit immigration, and admit a small fraction of the refugees seeking asylum. As a result, millions of refugees are barely getting by in dismal camps and slums in developing nations bordering the nations from which they have fled.<u class="gmail_msg"></u><u class="gmail_msg"></u></div>
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Throughout Lent we’ve also been asking ourselves: What is the Lord’s message to his church as it relates to immigrants and refugees? What is his message to each one of us? The Bible tells us again and again to welcome the stranger in our midst and to care for those who are most vulnerable. <u class="gmail_msg"></u><u class="gmail_msg"></u></div>
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But isn’t that naïve? <u class="gmail_msg"></u><u class="gmail_msg"></u></div>
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Many well-meaning people (including many Christians) think so. They believe the risks these days are just too great, and that restrictive immigration policies are necessary in order to protect our economy, our culture and our lives.<u class="gmail_msg"></u><u class="gmail_msg"></u></div>
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Probably we can all agree: every nation has a right and an obligation to protect itself from bad characters, especially those who seek to kill innocent people and sow terror. Moreover, in an age of terrorism, vetting procedures need to be sophisticated and rigorous. Border control is essential. <u class="gmail_msg"></u><u class="gmail_msg"></u></div>
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Yet history teaches us that immigration, over time, brings many blessings. Most immigrants struggle when they first arrive. But as they begin to put down roots, their presence leads to increased economic and cultural dynamism, as well as a strengthening of church and family structures. The people of Israel learned those lessons as they obeyed God’s commandment to welcome the stranger. And so have we in America, where, after all, the vast majority of us are the descendants of immigrants.<u class="gmail_msg"></u><u class="gmail_msg"></u></div>
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Today’s Lenten reading gives us a glimpse of the kingdom that is to come. There people of “every nation, tribe, people and language” will stand before the Lord’s throne. This signals to us that God loves variety, and that the glory and strength and joy of his kingdom are derived, in part, from the fact that everyone there is an immigrant – everyone there has arrived as a foreigner from a foreign land.<u class="gmail_msg"></u><u class="gmail_msg"></u></div>
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The reading ends with a reminder that salvation is from God alone. It’s good to keep that in mind when we’re faced with divisive issues, and we’re gripped with fear, and our instinct is to hunker down and take care of our own. Salvation is from God and not from us. Therefore, it <i class="gmail_msg">always</i> makes sense to obey his Word and trust his promises.<u class="gmail_msg"></u><u class="gmail_msg"></u></div>
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LCPC Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07888089533017158476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927884094647273431.post-83244955480963132772017-04-14T04:11:00.001-07:002017-04-14T04:11:24.134-07:001 Peter 2:13-14 By: Darren Pollock <br style="color: #313131; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 16px; word-spacing: 1px;" />
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<span style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">1 Peter 2:13-14</span></div>
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<span class="m_6081906229476247982gmail-text"><b><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">For the Lord’s sake accept the authority of every human institution, whether of the emperor as supreme, </span><span id="m_6081906229476247982en-NRSV-30396">or of governors, as sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right.</span></b></span></div>
<span class="m_6081906229476247982gmail-text" style="color: #313131; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 16px; word-spacing: 1px;"><b><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b></span><span class="m_6081906229476247982gmail-text" style="color: #313131; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 16px; word-spacing: 1px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></span><span class="m_6081906229476247982gmail-text" style="color: #313131; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 16px; word-spacing: 1px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Many of the Scripture passages from this year’s Lenten blog have addressed the responsibility of those at the center of a society towards those at the margins. Here we have an example of a counsel directed toward the exile himself. 1 Peter is addressed to Jewish followers of Christ living in exile in Asia Minor. Peter writes throughout the letter of the need for continued obedience to Christ in the midst of the various trials that this community was suffering. If the letter was written in the mid-60s, then the emperor referred to would have been Nero—no friend to people of faith. So we have God’s people living as refugees in a land that had been conquered by a foreign power that was ruled by a tyrannical king—the last thing we might expect Peter to say to this persecuted community of believers is for them to submit to this authority that had been imposed over them. Indeed, </span></span><span class="m_6081906229476247982gmail-text" style="color: #313131; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 16px; word-spacing: 1px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">as Calvin writes of verse 13, “</span></span><span style="color: #313131; font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; word-spacing: 1px;">It seemed an unworthy thing that God’s children should be servants, and that the heirs of the world should not have a free possession, no, not even of their own bodies.” So why would Peter, then, include this counterintuitive advice? One reason is that he views the witness of this community to be more important than their rights and their freedom to do as they please. As we saw in the previous verse (2:12), the conduct of this community is to be such that their Gentile neighbors (even their oppressors!) might be moved to give glory to God.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #313131; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 16px; word-spacing: 1px;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">How should <i>we</i> receive this message—we, who (while “exiles” in a theological sense) are mostly pretty secure in our societal position? How might Peter have framed this message for us, being as we are in a radically different social context than his diasporic readers? One key theme that I believe would predominate is the importance of living in such a way that those who don’t know Christ are moved to glorify him—and to prioritize this over our instinct to protect our own rights and freedoms. When God’s people were the exiles, this meant submitting to the authority of those exercising dominion over them; when the Christ-followers are the ones in the position of cultural dominance, might this mean willingly submitting ourselves to the needs of the exiles among us?</span></div>
LCPC Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07888089533017158476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927884094647273431.post-32580290720951502582017-04-13T11:26:00.000-07:002017-04-13T11:26:17.003-07:001 Peter 2:11-12 By: Rachel Woflick<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="text"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">1 Peter 2:11-12</span></span><i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span class="text"><i><sup><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">11 </span></sup></i></span><span class="text"><i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from
sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.</span></i></span><i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> <span class="text"><sup>12 </sup>Live such good lives among the
pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good
deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Let me start
by telling you all that writing this blog causes me great stress. I am not a
theologian and I am not a great student of the bible. However, I am still
thankful for the opportunity to write this. We need to be “pushed” in our walk
with Christ and never settle for where we are.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Of course I
went to the great biblical expert, Google, for thoughts on these two verses.
That was more overwhelming than helpful. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I read the
verses that followed and the previous Chapter to better understand the context
of the message.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Who was
Peter writing to? </span><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">The letter is addressed to various churches in Asia
Minor suffering religious persecution.</span><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This is likely in about the year 65 A.D. so the church is in its early
formation and in these areas of Asia Christians would have been a very small
minority.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">When Peter
refers to those in the church as “foreigners and exiles” I think he means that
we are all “foreigners and exiles” in this world. As new creations in Christ,
we don’t belong to this world, we belong to a heavenly kingdom where we will
one day reside for eternity. Wherever we travel or settle in the world, Asia or
Rome, Jerusalem or Egypt, we are as Christians all “foreigners” because we are
not of this world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As such, we
should not be seduced by the things this world usually cherishes: wealth,
power, possessions, beauty and all of the related trappings. These are the
things that wage war against our soul. If we do nothing but seek these
“trappings” while here on earth we will be just like the pagans that Peter
refers to in this verse. As a new creation in Christ we should be seeking the
fruits of the kingdom, to love others as Christ showed us, to live a life
according to Christ’s teaching of humility, compassion for others and
forgiveness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">While here
on earth we will be constantly seduced by the things of this world. How do
we “abstain from sinful desires which
wage war against [our] souls?” I think Peter’s message urges us to have pure
thoughts. To reflect on what is good and not what pollutes our spirits. If al I
am doing is thinking about how to get a bigger house or more money, I am not
thinking about the suffering of the world, I am blind to the needs of others
because I am focused on me and my needs and wants.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Every
morning when we get up we have to make a choice. I can allow my thoughts to be
seduced by the trappings of this world, or I can focus on the things of the
kingdom. Where our thoughts go, so will our actions. Throughout the day we will
struggle with this but with God’s help we will overcome. It all starts with our
thoughts and our discipline to focus on what is good and of the kingdom. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Finally, I
believe that Peter is urging the reader to set a good example and to live “good
lives” and perform “good deeds” even in the face of persecution and rejection
by others. If we only love those who love us we are not much better than the
pagans. If we only forgive those who first forgive us we really don’t
understand the message of Christ. We are
called to be different even when it’s hard, even when we feel rejected by this
world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This Easter
we celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. His hope for us is
that the desire of our hearts for the trappings of this world will die with him
on Good Friday and be replaced by the hope, joy and promise of new life offered
to each of us through his resurrection
on Easter. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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LCPC Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07888089533017158476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927884094647273431.post-84270811519717081382017-04-12T01:51:00.002-07:002017-04-12T01:51:23.450-07:00Hebrews 13:2. By: Shawn Kelly<div class="gmail_msg" style="color: #313131; font-family: 'ITC Garamond'; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; word-spacing: 1px;">
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.</div>
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Hebrews 13:2 (NRSV)</div>
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When Scott and I started talking about renting out rooms in our empty nest to tourists via Airbnb, some of our friends were aghast. Really, you’re going to let perfect strangers from other countries stay in your house? While you are there? Seems dangerous. I would never do that. </div>
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Three years later, we have hosted hundreds of strangers from dozens of countries and most states, and the experience has been overwhelmingly enriching, inspiring and fun. We began with the firm belief that the vast majority of human beings are inherently good, and that being open to new cultures and languages and traditions would enhance and invigorate us. We were hoping that we might make the world just a bit more friendly and less fearful. We love to travel, and figured that this would be rather like traveling, but without the jet lag and TSA patdowns.</div>
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We have shared many meals, hours by the pool, and neighborhood walks with our guests. We’ve had lots of fun with guests who speak almost no English. You just can’t beat chicken wontons made by hand in your own kitchen, barbeque prepared by Argentinians in your backyard, or Danish meatballs whipped up by actual Danes...and then sharing these delicacies around your dining room table amid raucous laughter and fascinating conversation. We often bid our guests goodbye with hugs and selfies. Our belief that all humans are fundamentally alike was entirely confirmed. </div>
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Now I realize that Airbnb is probably not what the author of Hebrews had in mind. We aren’t taking in refugees nor the homeless, and we are getting paid for our hospitality. But our Airbnb experience is what first sprang to mind when I read the words “hospitality” and “strangers.” I’m so saddened by the atmosphere of fear and judgement that has reached a fever pitch in our country and elsewhere in recent weeks amid the ongoing refugee crisis. As has been eloquently pointed out by numerous others on this Lenten Blog, fear is definitely not how Christ instructs us to react to the stranger. Instead, we are called to put our fears aside and see the face of Jesus in every person, regardless of class, race, gender, religion, or nationality. In fact, we are to treat “the least of these” with MORE respect and love than the privileged, who already have more than they need. </div>
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While preparing to write this entry, I read that the word “angels” in this context could be interpreted to mean “messengers.” What message could we receive as Christians by showing hospitality to strangers, to refugees, to the homeless? Scott and I have learned so much from our guests from all over the globe. If only we could replace fear with wonder, and trepidation with curiousity. </div>
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The verse just before this one, the first verse of Hebrews 13, reads simply, “Let mutual love continue.” I will pray that we as Christians can look towards the stranger, the refugee, the least of these, with mutual love. That we can welcome all into God’s big hospitable family. And that if each of us does this, we might together set a shining humanitarian example for the rest of our planet. </div>
LCPC Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07888089533017158476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927884094647273431.post-61921762729394129322017-04-11T05:00:00.000-07:002017-04-11T05:00:04.191-07:00Philippians 3:20 By: Greg Cary<div id="m_-2610556971092417833yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491781462797_5080" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<b id="m_-2610556971092417833yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491781462797_5081"><i id="m_-2610556971092417833yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491781462797_5082"><span id="m_-2610556971092417833yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491781462797_5083" style="background-color: #fdfeff; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, Philippians <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_2053926007" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">3:20</span></span></span></i></b><i id="m_-2610556971092417833yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491781462797_5084"><span id="m_-2610556971092417833yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491781462797_5085" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></i><span id="m_-2610556971092417833yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491781462797_5086" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">(We recommend reading the entire chapter)<i id="m_-2610556971092417833yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491781462797_5087"><u></u><u></u></i></span></div>
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<span id="m_-2610556971092417833yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491781462797_5090" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> It seems that Citizens of Planet Earth are selfishly territorial. Spend enough time in the ocean and chances are a shark will try to make a meal of you, spend enough time hiking in Deukmejian and an unnerving mountain lion or bear encounter becomes probable. “Those wild animals!” we say with a civilized tone…… but go to Music in the Park six hours in advance and you will see people putting up caution tape to mark their territory for later. Where money or prestige is involved it gets even messier – What If I live west of Pennsylvania Avenue am I a Citizen of Glendale only or can I say I’m from La Crescenta? If I could just live North of Foothill, maybe people would finally accept me! How about the children living in the Sagebrush Area should they really be in La Crescenta Schools or La Canada? If you are a Dodger fan and want coffee and cookies at the LCPC Party in the Breezeway you will be forced to mingle with a few of those Cubs fans. Good or bad, innocent or not, it seems that we Citizens of Planet Earth are selfishly territorial!<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span id="m_-2610556971092417833yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491781462797_5093" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> So, if that conversation was all about Citizens of Planet Earth what about Citizens of Heaven? Are we who know Christ as Savior selfishly territorial about our Heavenly Citizenship?......or do we eagerly invite and invest in all who are willing to listen to the gospel of God’s love and mercy? <u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span id="m_-2610556971092417833yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491781462797_5096" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> The story is told of a Canadian gospel preacher back in the middle of the last century who was going to take an over-seas trip. He walked into the Yugoslavian embassy and spoke to the ambassador’s deputy about travel to Yugoslavia. By the time the preacher left the Embassy he was greatly energized about leading people to Christ and a Heavenly Citizenship based on three observations he made of the ambassador’s deputy:<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span id="m_-2610556971092417833yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491781462797_5102" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">2.) He faithfully laid out entry requirements, <i id="m_-2610556971092417833yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491781462797_5103">and</i><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span id="m_-2610556971092417833yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491781462797_5106" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">3.) His speech gave away his citizenship. <u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span id="m_-2610556971092417833yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491781462797_5109" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> We too have been deputized as ambassadors of Christ (2 Cor. <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_2053926008" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">5:20</span></span>) and as we let our light shine today let’s remember that there is only one thing we can take with us to Heaven - the people around us!<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span id="m_-2610556971092417833yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491781462797_5112"><b id="m_-2610556971092417833yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491781462797_5113"><i id="m_-2610556971092417833yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491781462797_5114"><span id="m_-2610556971092417833yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491781462797_5115" style="background-color: #fdfeff; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?</span></i></b></span><span id="m_-2610556971092417833yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491781462797_5116"><b id="m_-2610556971092417833yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491781462797_5117"><i id="m_-2610556971092417833yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491781462797_5118"><span id="m_-2610556971092417833yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491781462797_5119" style="background-color: #fdfeff; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></i></b></span><span id="m_-2610556971092417833yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491781462797_5120"><b id="m_-2610556971092417833yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491781462797_5121"><i id="m_-2610556971092417833yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491781462797_5122"><span id="m_-2610556971092417833yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491781462797_5123" style="background-color: #fdfeff; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. John 14:2-3</span></i></b></span><b id="m_-2610556971092417833yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491781462797_5124"><i id="m_-2610556971092417833yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491781462797_5125"><span id="m_-2610556971092417833yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1491781462797_5126" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><u></u><u></u></span></i></b></div>
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LCPC Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07888089533017158476noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927884094647273431.post-55173371583113521202017-04-09T22:02:00.003-07:002017-04-09T22:02:46.354-07:00Ephesians 2:14-18 By: Karen Gee-McAuley and Grace McAuley<div style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">
<span class="s2" style="font-weight: bold; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">By Karen Gee-McAuley and Grace McAuley</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Ephesians </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">2:14-18:</span></div>
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<span class="s2" style="font-weight: bold; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Oneness and Peace in Christ: </span></div>
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<span class="s3" style="font-style: italic; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.</span></div>
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<span class="s3" style="font-style: italic; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">These passa</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">ges seem especially disconnected to</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> the realities of</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">2017</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> in light of the latest Syrian crisis invo</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">lving chemical warfare on civil</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">i</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">a</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">ns</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> followed by the U.S. bombing of the Syrian government airfield where the chemical attack was reportedly launched.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Paul’</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">s letter to the Ephesians was written when</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> he was imprisoned in Rome</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> and</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> was meant as a grand vision for the Christian church</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">. But we</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> can’t h</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">elp bu</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">t want to scream that this</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">vision is far from becoming reality with the number of civil wars, terrorism and </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">prolific</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">suffering taking place </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">in our own backyard and </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">around the world. </span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">How could Christ allow so much strife, unrest and death take place? Why can’t the walls of hostility be broken by “ending the system of law with i</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">ts commandments and regulations?</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">”</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> It’s as if today’s oppression is so complicated, extreme, cruel, inhumane</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">and widespread</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> that</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> Paul’s teachings are too simplistic and, frankly, unrealistic.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">R</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">ational thinking can only surmise that </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">until the forces of evil are destroyed, only then will </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">there be peace on earth and freedom for the oppressed</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">God isn’t simple. He knows all, everything and everyone. It is by his grace that when humanity suffers</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> we realize we can’t do this alone, that we need to lean on </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">him more now than ever. T</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">his</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> is what makes suffer</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">ing almost too difficult to bear</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">, but also </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">special in that by trusting Him, he</span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> brings us closer, more united and “together as one body.”</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">But how can you, I, our community so far away contribute to eradicating the forces of evil, which, in turn, will help and free the oppressed? Can it be done? As one drop of water does not feed a plant, but 100 drops will, the same can be said of the power of people</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> and prayer</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">. </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Wh</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">ether we pray individually and as a</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> congregation, donate</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> resources and supplies to humanitarian organizations or </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">using your skills in medicine, social work or education to </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">augment an organized effort, the more “good” that is directed toward the oppressed will, </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">we </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">believe, eventually make these psalms reality. </span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">By living in and with</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> Christ, and reminding ourselves</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> every day what he sacrificed for us, we can </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">begin to </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">tame the hostility that exists today.</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"></span></div>
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LCPC Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07888089533017158476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927884094647273431.post-80744952130309496062017-04-08T09:25:00.001-07:002017-04-08T09:25:15.146-07:00Romans 12:13. By: Austin Granier<span style="background-color: white; color: #313131; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 16px; word-spacing: 1px;">I just came back from a Youth Leaders Conference in Irvine this past week and one of the speakers said something that was so relevant to the verse we are going over today. This Pastor, by the name of Drew Worsham, spoke and he said something that has been in my head ever since I left. He said "In your everyday life, is it evident that you have been with Jesus." He continues asking, "Is it clear that you know the Gospel? Because just like how you can't get up and walk away like nothing has changed if you were to get hit by a car, you cant just get up and act like nothing has changed if you get hit by the Gospel." I have been reflecting on those words, thinking to myself, is what I do in my own life truly reflective of Christ's character and truly honoring to Him at all? I think a great way to tell if that sentence is true is by asking yourself, do I have marks of a true Christian? Coincidentally, that is the title of the passage which our verse of the day comes from, "Marks Of A True Christian." Our verse today is Romans 12:13 and it states:</span><br class="gmail_msg" style="color: #313131; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 16px; word-spacing: 1px;" /><br class="gmail_msg" style="color: #313131; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 16px; word-spacing: 1px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #313131; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 16px; word-spacing: 1px;">“Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”</span><br class="gmail_msg" style="color: #313131; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 16px; word-spacing: 1px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #313131; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 16px; word-spacing: 1px;">Romans 12:13 NIV</span><br class="gmail_msg" style="color: #313131; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 16px; word-spacing: 1px;" /><br class="gmail_msg" style="color: #313131; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 16px; word-spacing: 1px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #313131; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 16px; word-spacing: 1px;">So here is a start. Here is one thing that we all can do in the next few weeks that can show others that Christ is in our lives. Here's just a super simple thing that will make others feel the same love that we are blessed to feel every single day. A practical way to practice hospitality is maybe you sacrifice and afternoon and feed the homeless. Or maybe you join us on Men's Mexico this May and serve others and give to others. My encouragement is that we all just make a small step, so that it will be more clear we have been with Christ and we have marks of a True Christian.</span>LCPC Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07888089533017158476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927884094647273431.post-58392076789902395542017-04-07T05:00:00.000-07:002017-04-07T10:51:18.052-07:00Romans 13:1-2 By: Greg Wolflick <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.295; white-space: pre-wrap;">Romans 13:1-2</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">13 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 7.199999999999999pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: super; white-space: pre-wrap;">2 </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.</span></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-1ef8728d-4175-49d0-addf-d38d8173e7e9" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Much has been written on the meaning of these controversial verses written by Paul in his letter to the Romans. And one could use these verses to justify all types of political behavior and pose all sorts of vexing questions like “Were Christians in Germany during the Second World War supposed to support Hitler?” I don’t know and frankly I don’t care about the theological answer to that question or any related questions.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you read the verses that follow you will see that Paul is trying to convince Roman Christians to honor the authority of the Roman Empire given that they were living in its capital. Was this a divine direction that all Christians are to honor the government authority they are subject to in all circumstances? That is a question well above my pay grade.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I believe that Paul was trying to convey a few things.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">First, and foremost the ultimate source of all authority is God. It is His authority and His law that really matters. If you spend 90% of your time complaining and fighting about what some earthly government is doing or not doing you might have some misguided priorities. Paul wanted us to focus on God’s law and His will not that of the government.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Second, if you follow God’s law you will likely be OK with the Government. Don’t kill, don’t steal, don’t fight, love others, and you won’t run afoul of the laws of the government you are subject to.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Third, Paul was not looking for some revolt against the Roman Empire. He wanted the Roman Christians to be spending their energy on growing the kingdom of God, spreading the Good News, setting a good example by loving not only one and other but all people in all circumstances. The revolution was bringing God’s kingdom to earth as it is in heaven, not undermining the Roman authorities.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finally, I think Paul was likely writing knowing that the Roman authorities would get wind of his letters. And the fact he was urging Roman Christians to honor the Roman law was going to keep the Roman authorities off the backs of the Christians. He didn’t want the Christians persecuted or made out as enemies of the state. That would undermine their ultimate priority of growing God’s kingdom on earth. If people saw the Roman Christians as outlaws those same people would be less likely to listen to Christ’s message as shared by his followers. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have heard people say I am a Democrat first and an American second (or a Republican first and an American second). For me, I believe we should be Christians first. Everything after that will take care of itself and is of little consequence in the Kingdom of God.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I end where I usually start, I am the most broken person I know saved only by the mercy, grace and forgiveness of Jesus Christ whose death and resurrection we celebrate in this season of Lent. </span></div>
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LCPC Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07888089533017158476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927884094647273431.post-34122555071125894082017-04-06T05:00:00.000-07:002017-04-06T05:00:26.500-07:00Acts 17:26-27 By: Craig Carlson<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Acts 17:26-27</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.”</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-0043c633-4171-9c64-63ac-be2c055e7648" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We live in a world filled with racial issues, ethnic divides and a struggle to understand cultural and religious differences. I find this passage a welcome reminder that this has all been planned by God and we need to remember and apply this teaching from Paul.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are two incredibly significant statements contained in this reading. The first statement, that “from one man he made all the nations” tells us that God’s world is for everyone. The second statement, that “he marked out…the boundaries of their lands” supports the first statement and adds a twist that He </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">intended</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for His people to live in different nations.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I believe the first statement speaks to physical differences, those of complexion or color for example, and signifies that while we may look different now, we started from the same blood. Therefore, the treatment of anyone in God’s kingdom based on physical differences is not to be condoned by any means. I find that most (though sadly not all) Christians agree relatively easily with the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">concept </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">that the color of one’s skin makes no difference in the eyes of God.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The challenge and the revelation for me can be found in the second statement, which speaks to different nations and lands. This likely refers to differences in customs or beliefs. This is where society tends to get more uncomfortable. But if God has laid out the world intentionally into different lands and boundaries, he has done this knowing that such geographical boundaries would lead to different ways of thinking that lead to different customs, beliefs and even religions. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The reading goes on to say that all these people should seek Him and reach out to Him. So if all people, regardless of complexion or color OR even beliefs or customs, are to seek Him, shouldn’t we also be accepting of them? I believe this to indicate that all the people of the world are our brothers and sisters, regardless of our differences. I find it revealing, and even inspiring, that God planned for such differences so specifically! </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I pray that I can be more accepting of those from other lands that may look, think or act differently from me. I pray that as a society we can look past such differences and accept all the children of God equally. Amen. </span></div>
LCPC Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07888089533017158476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927884094647273431.post-30434125408199188002017-04-05T05:00:00.000-07:002017-04-05T05:00:29.073-07:00Acts 16:37 By: Jim Larson<br />
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: Arimo, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;">But Paul said to the officers: "They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out." Acts 16:37</span><span class="p" style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: Arimo, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 13px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: Arimo, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"> The apostle Paul, unjustly arrested and abused, strongly objected, demanded redress, and so received justice. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: Arimo, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"> Most of us at some time in our lives have experienced what Paul did. Hopefully not to the degree that Paul suffered. A teacher's accusation of cheating, an unwarranted traffic stop are but two examples of injustices that may have happened to you. And like Paul, I am sure you protested loudly and demanded justice. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: Arimo, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"> Be, let me ask you a question. What if you were witness to the unjust treatment of someone else? If so, did you speak up, protesting loudly and demanding justice? </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: Arimo, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"> Rural Steele County Minnesota, School District 28, maybe ten or twelve students, year 1945, Mildred Hankerson teacher, that sets the stage. Perhaps Mrs. Hankerson should not have been a teacher. She was quick to anger, lacked empathy, and was very impatient with "slow" learners. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: Arimo, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"> La Von Ripka was a "slow" learner. Not that she was stupid, she just needed more time to make a concept clear. Mrs. Hankerson picked on La Van a lot, not in private, but out loud in front of all the kids. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: Arimo, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"> One day, after Mrs. Hankerson's tongue had reduced La Von to tears, one of the kids stood up and protested loudly. Interspersed with expletives, he demanded that Mrs. Hankerson back off, stop picking on La Von, treat people fairly, and so on. All this delivered in as loud a voice as a sixth grade boy could muster. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: Arimo, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"> Retribution was swift. Abuse was piled on the blasphemer. I remember things; like Reform School, be expelled, and many other dire threats. I remember the villain's younger brother going home from school crying because Jim was going to reform school and he would have to do Jim's chores. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: Arimo, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"> Well, reform school didn't happen, neither did the expelling. Mrs. Hankerson didn't change. She still picked on kids. But, she didn't come back the next year. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: Arimo, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"> What do you think the Apostle Paul would think about this story? </span>LCPC Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07888089533017158476noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927884094647273431.post-12924667598456925682017-04-04T05:00:00.000-07:002017-04-04T05:00:29.757-07:00Luke 10:36-37 By: Dennis Fernandez<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 1.3800000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;">Luke 10: 36, 37</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers? The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These verses come from The Parable of the Good Samaritan. A man walking down the street in a very bad part of town was beaten, robbed and left to die. Could have happened right here in LA. Three different guys see this dying man in desperate need of aid. First, the Priest (like Andy or Lee) does not stop but crosses to the other side of the street and keeps on going. Next, the Levite (churchgoer like you and I) quickly walks by on the other side of the street ignoring the man’s necessity for help. Finally, the Samaritan (the guy you would least expect) not only helps him but takes him to an inn, cares for him, and pays for his whole stay and more.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jesus then asks a no-brainer question: “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The lawyer answers, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus then responds, “Go and do likewise.” </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jesus’ statement is very simple and to the point – Be a neighbor. Our calling from God is this – to love God and be a neighbor to others by meeting their needs. To love God means to show mercy to those in need. Neighbors should not be determined by race, religion, nationality, sexuality or gender; neighbors consist of anyone in need. Jesus would not want us to rule out certain people as neighbors.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Even though Jesus’ message seems so simple, we still struggle with being a good neighbor. We often, like the Priest or Levite, are too busy and hurried to stop and help. Sometime we fear being injured ourselves or getting sick from touching or assisting the needy. Or the neighbor is not like us so we avoid engaging with them. The bother, the situation or discomfort stops us from helping.</span></div>
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<br />LCPC Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07888089533017158476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927884094647273431.post-46223756559575093212017-04-03T02:42:00.003-07:002017-04-03T02:42:48.633-07:00Mark 2:27 By: Elisabeth Kennedy<div style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">
<span class="s2" style="font-style: italic; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Then he said to them, "The </span><span class="s2" style="font-style: italic; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">sabbath</span><span class="s2" style="font-style: italic; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> was made for humankind, and not humankind for the </span><span class="s2" style="font-style: italic; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">sabbath</span><span class="s2" style="font-style: italic; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">.” Mark 2:27</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Jesus got into a lot of arguments about keeping the Sabbath! Six verses after this one, we hear how much these debates got to him: Mark tells us he was both </span><span class="s2" style="font-style: italic; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">angry</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> and </span><span class="s2" style="font-style: italic; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">deeply distressed</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> at the attitudes he was encountering. Here in our verse, h</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">e goes to the heart of the debate swirling around him</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">. </span><span class="s2" style="font-style: italic; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Why</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> did God create the Sabbath? People </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">were getting tied up</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> in knots about how to keep the Sabbath because they missed the point, they forgot the </span><span class="s2" style="font-style: italic; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">why</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">, and Jesus wanted to take them back to that. </span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">The Sabbath </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">was made</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> </span><span class="s2" style="font-style: italic; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">for us</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">, Jesus insisted. It serves us, it helps us, it lifts us up, </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">it</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> frees us. I think of this and a familiar tape plays in my head. </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">I really should keep a Sabbath, the tape says. </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">It’</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">s so good for me!</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"></span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Every few years I have a surge of resolve and I do keep a Sabbath—for a few weeks at a time, sometimes for a few months. It’s always both tremendously difficult and highly rewarding. Resting for one day a week is a compelling discipline, with abundant benefits. Self-help gurus generally back up biblical wisdom in this area: it’s good to rest. My perfectionism, my competitiveness, and my addiction to productivity are well into overdrive most of the time, and </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">a siesta from all that crazy</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> is just what the doctor ordered.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Rest is good. That’s why we are supposed to have a Sabbath, right? </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">To rest.</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">But</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> it’s so easy to think of rest as a luxury, an option that is nice, but not exactly at the </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">core</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> of what Christians </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">are called to </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">do. </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">It’s an enriching self-help idea that </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">is easily dismissed</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> when </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">something urgent takes up our bandwidth. </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Maybe that’s why this is the only commandment of the Ten Commandments we consider optional—not </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">really</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> a moral issue, like the other nine are.</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">The Hebrew verb “</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">shabbat</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">” doesn’t mean rest, though. Shabbat means STOP! Cease. Desist. Halt. Quit. End. The good, valuable, meaningful stuff </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">we</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> do for six days—on the seventh day, it needs to stop. God didn’t stop what he was doing (creating the world) on the seventh day because he needed rest. God stopped, and made the seventh day holy. Then God commanded us to do the same. For us, for our sakes, God made stopping holy.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">When we still don’t get it, Deuteronomy </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">5:12-15 </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">spells it out in all caps. </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">We</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> need to </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">stop</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> for one day a week, Deuteronomy says, because unless </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">we</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> stop, </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">NO ONE ELSE WILL GET A BREAK</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">. </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Our kids.</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Our staff.</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"></span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Our servers.</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Our </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">cars and </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">appliances (that’s </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">“oxen and </span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">“donkeys” in the old world).</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> Deuteronomy</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> specifically </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">mentions</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> low-paid workers and </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">foreign </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">immigrants</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> (v. 14)</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">. There are people that serve </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">us for nothing or almost nothing</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">, and unless </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">we suspend </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">our rounds of consuming, they </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">don’t get to</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> stop their rounds of labor. There are immigrants</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> who are vulnerable to how people on the inside call the shots, and if we aren’t careful to build in buffers and safety zones, they don’t get to stop their cycles of desperation and dependence. </span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Then De</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">uteronomy delivers the zinger. R</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">emember, it says, that you were once a slave too (v. 15). You</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">’ve been freed</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">! So </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">just</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> stop—stop once a week, put it all down. </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Otherwise</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> you’re creating some serious crazy that’s putting everyone around you into bondage. </span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Jesus got </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">really mad</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> about people missing the point of Sabbath</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">, endlessly wrangling about what was technically “work” and what checked the box of “rest</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">.</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">”</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">He was criticized for freeing a woman from a lifelong disability through healing her on a Sabbath day, and he responded that it was right to untie </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">a</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> bond on a Sabbath (Luke 13:16). Healing and setting free </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">are</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> what Sabbath </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">is</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">about</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">. </span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">What do you need to STOP so that freedom can happen? When you STOP, who else </span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">will also be set</span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> free?</span></div>
LCPC Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07888089533017158476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927884094647273431.post-21928147482857650772017-04-01T03:30:00.000-07:002017-04-01T03:30:09.001-07:00Matthew 25:35 By: Darren Kennedy<div style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">
<span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">“…</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;"> a stranger and you welcomed me…”</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;"> (Mat 25:35 NRS)</span></span></div>
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<span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">When I first read these words from Matthew back in my childhood home of Kansas, they meant something much different than they do today. </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">Since I moved to Cairo to teach in a seminary here in 1999, I have started taking special interest in the Bible’s references to Egypt. </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">According to Matthew 2, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph fled the terror of Herod’s death squads to find refuge and peace in my current home of Egypt (Matthew 2). In a literal way, Gentile Egyptians welcomed a family of refugees and literally welcomed Jesus Christ himself. As a Presbyterian minister with a son named Calvin, I am also pleased that the people of Geneva welcomed the stranger and French refugee John Calvin into their midst after he fled from persecution in France. In both these cases, we can look back in hindsight and see the remarkable ways that God used the hospitality of ordinary people like us in the larger purposes of God’s Kingdom here on earth. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">Jesus’ words from Matthew 25:31-46 picture him in the future judging “all the nations.</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">”</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;"> Unlike many other prophetic words of the future, Christ’s words here are self-referential. In essence, Je</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">sus </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">describes in some detail both how he will assess the way we spent our time on earth and in doing so what he values most. </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">With these words, </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">Jesus fleshes out more what he has already proclaimed to be the greatest co</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">mmandments just 3 chapters earlier in Matthew 22</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">: “</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">all your</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;"> mind… [</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">and</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">] You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Surprising his eschatological audience, Jesus tells them that when they offered the poor food and drink or welcomed the stranger they actually welcomed Jesus himself. Here, loving God in Jesus Christ is directly connected to loving the suffering, the stranger, and the powerless.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">Living here in Egypt, I struggle with this theological truth. Each day on </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">my</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;"> way to work, I pass broken people who are desperate for food, water, and welcome. While I strive to serve where I can, the overwhelmi</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">ng needs often leave</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">me pondering the reality that Christ identifies himself with many o</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">f the hungry, broken people I</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;"> pa</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">ss by</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;"> every day. My prayer for myself and other Christians is that these words of Christ would not produce guilt so much as compassion and hope inside us</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">; that they would empower and inspire us to serve</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">. </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">In other words, the suffering people of this world offer us an opportunity to draw closer to Christ here and now in this world. When we love others deeply </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">through</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">our words</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">, time,</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;"> and actions, we embody the love we proclaim for Jesus and wonderfully experience his intimacy with us even more.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">Like the United States, Egypt is </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">currently </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">facing a dramatic refugee crisis prompted by </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">turmoil</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;"> in the Middle East</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">. Syrians are pouring into Egypt in an effort to escape the terrors of Islamic State (IS). In the past few weeks, many of our Egyptian Presbyterians fled their homes in and around </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">Areesh</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;"> on the Sinai Peninsula in the wake of brutal attacks on Christians there. I remember in the past, joyfully traveling to </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">Areesh</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;"> for our seminary’s annual retreat and the wonderful times of fellowship, laughter, and worship we experienced there. </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">Today, the people who once hosted us have fled for their lives in fear and sadness. These people—Christians and Muslims alike—are the strangers that Jesus calls us to welcome and serve. </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">My heart swelled with pride when I saw our seminary’s graduates open their doors and welcome these refugees: feeding them, quenching their thirst, and finding them housing.</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;"> There, in cities like Ismailia, my former students inspire and teach me with their compassion, empathy, and embodied faith.</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">They are doing the very things Jesus calls us to do in Matthew 25.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">Jesus’ words here reframe and rephrase the questions I often ask myself in regard to </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">the stranger</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;"> or refugee</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">. My human suspicions often presume an equation</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;"> that assumes the </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">Other</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;"> is dangerous until prove</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">n otherwise. Here, Jesus overturns such a view by putting himself into the place of the stranger. As a follower of Christ, I am invited to encounter the loving heart of God here in this broken, haggard, and culturally different stranger.</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;"> </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">May we all enjoy the blessing of welcoming the stranger and some day experience the joy of Christ saying, “…you did it to me.”</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;"></span></span></div>
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LCPC Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07888089533017158476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927884094647273431.post-66627660422103164882017-03-31T08:34:00.001-07:002017-03-31T08:34:49.467-07:00Matthew 2:13-14 By: Carleigh Fernandez<br />
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<span class="m_5537131931987838707gmail-s1 gmail_msg"><i class="gmail_msg">13 After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up!</i></span></div>
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<span class="m_5537131931987838707gmail-s1 gmail_msg"><i class="gmail_msg">Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother,” the angel said. “Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”</i></span></div>
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<span class="m_5537131931987838707gmail-s1 gmail_msg"><i class="gmail_msg">14 That night Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, his mother.</i></span></div>
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<span class="m_5537131931987838707gmail-s1 gmail_msg">Because Mary is the only female in this passage, I automatically find myself wanting to identify with her. Yet when I really think about it, we actually have very little in common. I am neither a teenager, a married woman, a mother, nor subject to life or death based on my decision making skills. I can’t even begin to imagine the stress of being a teenage mother recovering from giving birth in a barn. Let alone just days later being told I need to leave immediately without time to prepare anything. But this is what God asked of Mary. And while from my millennial and earthly point of view, it was asking a lot, from His vantage point, it was another opportunity for Him to show His power in sustaining His people in even the most dire of circumstances. </span></div>
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<span class="m_5537131931987838707gmail-s1 gmail_msg">On the topic of God’s power: we are often told throughout the Bible that His power is made perfect in our weakness. Mary and Joseph’s escape with Jesus makes them refugees, a status that many would say puts them in a remarkably weak position in society. It is also a status which I believe really cannot be fully understood until experienced. I like to think that this means Jesus feels a special solidarity with refugees undergoing even the most horrific of crises, not only because of his dedication to the poor and meek, but also because he and his family probably suffered through similar hardships. More likely than not, countless people turned away Jesus, Mary, and Joseph from their houses, neglected to help provide for them, and may have even discriminated against them for being foreigners. But how would people have treated them had they known that Jesus was the son of God? Or that he going to grow up and change the world both during their lifetimes and for thousands of years beyond? My guess is they would have reacted a bit differently, and may have even gone out of their way to help.</span></div>
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<span class="m_5537131931987838707gmail-s1 gmail_msg">Who are <i class="gmail_msg">we</i> turning away, neglecting to provide for, and possibly even unfairly judging? And are we doing so simply because we perceive them as foreigners, even though they were forced to flee from their country, for reasons completely outside of their control? Most importantly, are our neglect and indifference, to blame for people in our own backyards not having the means to provide for themselves, or feeling unwanted, inadequate, or powerless? </span>Many of these foreigners that are deemed as lesser or unwelcome are simply strangers who need our kindness. As Christians, we are called to allow our weakness of being judgmental and exclusionary toward strangers be made perfect in His power through caring for, and welcoming foreigners as if they were Jesus himself. We should listen to their stories, and hear how they came to be our physical neighbor, and not just our metaphorical one that the parables told us to love. What do we have to lose by listening to the story of a woman who was forced to leave her country just after giving birth in a primitive hospital abroad? Probably nothing. But what do we have to gain? Probably a whole lot of perspective, and maybe even a chance to understand the life of Jesus in an entirely new light. </div>
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LCPC Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07888089533017158476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927884094647273431.post-66262705969524578592017-03-30T14:30:00.000-07:002017-03-30T14:30:13.848-07:00Malachi 3:5 By: Judy Trumbo Vine<div class="m_1658519543863898551quote gmail_msg">
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</i><i class="gmail_msg" style="color: #313131; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 16px; word-spacing: 1px;">5 <span class="gmail_msg" style="color: black; font-family: 'helvetica neue', verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">Then I will draw near to you for judgment; I will be swift to bear witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired workers in their wages, the widow and the orphan, against those who thrust aside the alien, and do not fear me, says the </span><span class="gmail_msg" style="color: black; font-family: 'helvetica neue', verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">Lord</span><span class="gmail_msg" style="color: black; font-family: 'helvetica neue', verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><b class="gmail_msg"> of hosts. </b>(NRSV)</span></i><br class="gmail_msg" style="color: #313131; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 16px; word-spacing: 1px;" /><div class="gmail_msg" style="color: #313131; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 16px; word-spacing: 1px;">
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<span class="gmail_msg" style="color: black;"><span class="gmail_msg" style="font-family: times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">In this passage, the LORD is speaking through the prophet Malachi to the Israelites. The context: He is vowing swift judgement against those who do not fear Him. And who are those people? In a list of inequities he includes <i class="gmail_msg">"those who thrust aside the alien"</i>. Other translations say, <i class="gmail_msg">"turn aside the sojourner from his right" (ASV); "deprive the foreigners among you of justice" (NIV)</i> . There is no distinction between one who treats the foreigner unfairly and one who lies, one who cheats on spouses or laborers, and more. Even sorcery is on an equal plane. All who are unrepentant of these sins will incur the swift judgement of God.</span></span></div>
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<span class="gmail_msg" style="color: black;"><span class="gmail_msg" style="font-family: times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Now this may not be the basis on which to build a national policy on immigrants and refugees--after all there are interests to balance, borders and a populace to secure and defend. Both Paul and Jesus admonish us to obey our leaders (although I think a case can be made that God's law is higher that human law).</span></span></div>
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<span class="gmail_msg" style="color: black;"><span class="gmail_msg" style="font-family: times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">But this warning in Malachi <i class="gmail_msg">must be</i> of concern to us individual Christians. It is prescient to the parable of the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25), in which Jesus tells of judgement that will come down upon those who treat "the least of these" without compassion. </span></span></div>
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<span class="gmail_msg" style="font-family: times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><span class="gmail_msg" style="color: black;">It calls to mind the passage in 1John (20-21): </span><span class="gmail_msg" style="color: black; font-style: italic;"><span class="gmail_msg" style="font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; vertical-align: top;">20 </span>Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. </span><span class="gmail_msg" style="color: black;"><span class="gmail_msg" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; vertical-align: top;">21 </span><i class="gmail_msg">The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.</i></span></span></div>
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<span class="gmail_msg" style="font-family: times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><span class="gmail_msg" style="color: black;">1John in turn echoes the greatest commandment, as Jesus states in Matthew 22: </span><span class="gmail_msg" style="color: black;"><span class="gmail_msg" style="font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; vertical-align: top;">37<i class="gmail_msg"> </i></span><i class="gmail_msg">“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ </i></span><i class="gmail_msg"><span class="gmail_msg" style="color: black;"></span><span class="gmail_msg" style="color: black;"><span class="gmail_msg" style="font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; vertical-align: top;">38 </span>This is the greatest and first commandment. </span><span class="gmail_msg" style="color: black;"></span><span class="gmail_msg" style="color: black;"><span class="gmail_msg" style="font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; vertical-align: top;">39 </span>And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ </span><span class="gmail_msg" style="color: black;"></span><span class="gmail_msg" style="color: black;"><span class="gmail_msg" style="font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; vertical-align: top;">40 </span>On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”</span></i><span class="gmail_msg" style="color: black;"> Full circle to Malachi 3:5. </span></span></div>
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<span class="gmail_msg" style="color: black;"><span class="gmail_msg" style="font-family: times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Like the widow, the spouse, the laborer, and orphan--like all people we come into contact with-- foreigners are made in the image of God, and therefore worthy of respect, compassion and justice.</span></span></div>
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LCPC Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07888089533017158476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927884094647273431.post-42674752272502892992017-03-29T00:19:00.006-07:002017-03-29T00:19:59.869-07:00Zechariah 7:10 By: Shirley CarlsonZechariah 7:10 “Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor. And do not scheme against each other.” <br />
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This theme keeps repeating itself many places in the Bible as we can witness just in this Lenten blog series. Zechariah is a minor prophet and God gives this message to him to speak to the Israelites who have returned to Jerusalem following their exile in Babylon. These words were spoken around 2150 years ago and yet we are still wrestling with these issues today. God must get very frustrated with us. In many ways I seem so removed from the suffering in this world. I try to do my part, but is it enough? Am I afraid of getting too involved? In years past I have gotten involved, so why am I holding back now? But let me tell you about when I was involved and the rewards that came from that experience. The main thing I learned was compassion—seeing the struggles to survive in a foreign land. In 1979 our country was helping resettle Vietnamese refugees. Our family lived in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio and we had just moved into a larger home with extra space. We felt blessed and needed to share that blessing with others. Ed and i made a commitment to use that new home to help others. Not long after moving in a plea was made on television for people to sponsor the “Boat People”, so we volunteered. Our family arrived in the middle of January with the temperatures hovering around zero. Instead of getting a family unit with a mother, father, and children, we only got the children. Four siblings ranging in age from 10 to 21, the older two being girls. Their parents had tried to escape with them, but were forced back. Our four had been in a refugee camp in Malaysia for eleven months and flew directly to Cleveland, going from a warm climate to a frigid one. They were dressed in chemise type clothing, had a sweater, socks on their feet and flip flops. They not only got culture shock, but also climate shock! <br />
Our first order of business was to get them proper clothing. We went to thrift shops where I quickly saw prejudice. The locals who frequented these shops did not want any foreigners coming into their space. I learned how to stand in long lines with them to get the government assistance that was to be provided. I experienced resistance when I tried to get the 16 year-old enrolled in our local high school and eventually settled for English as a 2nd Language classes at the public library in downtown Cleveland. I had to teach them how to take busses to get to their classes. Being able to communicate with them was difficult at first, but they had taken some English classes in the refugee camp and could write some words, pronunciation was a big hurdle. I have so many stories to tell about the four months they stayed with us, but this blog would become an epistle. If you are interested, we could chat sometime. I want to dwell on the good that came from that experience. Halfway through the time spent with us, their parents and a 6 year-old brother were able to escape Viet Nam and come to the Cleveland area to be sponsored by another family. Also an older brother who was married and had a baby son, Tai Lan, named for the refugee camp where he was born, also came to our area. There were now ten members of their family relocated to Cleveland. We helped them find a place to rent to all ten of them, which is another story. They were very frugal and four of the ten were able to get jobs. Fast forward, they now live in Stanton, CA, and each have jobs and own their own homes. The youngest son graduated from Cal State Fullerton. Our family benefited too. Our sons were 5 and 7 and they quickly accepted the addition to our family. There was no jealousy. The 10 year-old went to school with our sons. They learned what it means to share, especially when others have nothing. I learned that when you take risks and allow yourself to become vulnerable, God provides. I learned that neighbors, family, and friends would step in an help when I got swamped. I learned that with the help we provided, four foreigners became self-sufficient and productive members of their new country. I learned how grateful they were for our hospitality. The oldest girl even took my name when she became a citizen. <br />
That experience was very positive and we volunteered again the next year and had a family of three, a mother and two sons, 19 and 21. However, that time we asked our church to help sponsor them. We housed them, but volunteers from our church took the rest of the responsibilities, i.e. teaching them transportation, getting them into classes, getting them clothing, finding an apartment to rent, taking them shopping for furniture, etc. Would I do it again? Yes, when God calls. I believe God wants us to show compassion for our fellow man and to trust Him when he calls us to action.<br />
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Pray with me: Lord, help us to be open to your call on our lives. Help us to befriend the widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor. Help us to trust that you will walk with us on this journey. Help us to learn what it really means to befriend one of the least of these. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.LCPC Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07888089533017158476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927884094647273431.post-75256805612140957432017-03-28T06:46:00.001-07:002017-03-28T06:46:17.213-07:00Ezekiel 22:29 By: Kathy Hill<br class="gmail_msg" style="color: #313131; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 16px; word-spacing: 1px;" /><br class="gmail_msg" style="color: #313131; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 16px; word-spacing: 1px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #313131; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 16px; word-spacing: 1px;"> “The people of the land practice extortion and commit robbery; they oppress the poor and needy and mistreat the alien, denying them justice.” Ezekiel 22:29.</span><br class="gmail_msg" style="color: #313131; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 16px; word-spacing: 1px;" /><br class="gmail_msg" style="color: #313131; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 16px; word-spacing: 1px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #313131; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 16px; word-spacing: 1px;"> We can put this verse in it’s proper context by reading the preceding verses where Ezekiel is calling out the sins of all of the people of Jerusalem, regardless of their station in life. Here we read of the transgressions practiced by the common people as well as the “princes of Israel.” The simple words used to convey the oppression of the poor and denial of justice to aliens by the common man, when contrasted with description of the atrocities of the sins of those in power, i.e., the priests, leaders and prophets whose transgressions are described in vivid detail elsewhere, makes this last verse seem almost like an afterthought. Extortion and a few civil rights abuses seem almost benign. As noted by Carlo in the preceding blog, the extent of evil by those in power was limited only by the human capacity to commit evil. Yet, we see here that God’s wrath at the people of Jerusalem includes without distinction, the powerless and those who had been lied to by their leaders concerning the Law. Those not in power will not be able to escape judgment by pleading ignorance, mitigating circumstances or that justice should be meted out on a sliding scale because God is not willing to adjust his punishment according to such modern concepts. In fact, we learn in the very next verse that God looks in vain for a man who had repented and could defend the city of Jerusalem. But he does look.</span><br class="gmail_msg" style="color: #313131; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 16px; word-spacing: 1px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #313131; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 16px; word-spacing: 1px;"> The fact that God was willing to spare the city if he could find one deserving man tells us that God puts great store in personal responsibility. One can not escape responsibility by blaming high ranking people. God does not recognize the so called Nuremberg defense. Nor does God draw a great distinction between the manner in which people sin.</span><br class="gmail_msg" style="color: #313131; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 16px; word-spacing: 1px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #313131; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 16px; word-spacing: 1px;"> We see a parallel between ancient Jerusalem and our modern society in our individual treatment of the strangers in our land. Granted, we may not be involved in human trafficking, slavery and the like. We may not employ dozens of illegal immigrants at a sweatshop, car wash or even a restaurant in order to pay less or because we believe “these people” will be more compliant. We may not short-change a person because we know we will not see them again or employ someone we know is here illegally. We may even disguise our disgust with the smelly homeless man in the coffee shop or carefully watch our words when confronted with someone we perceive as “different” so as not to offend, however I think this verse is a warning to us - not just as a nation, a region or a city, but individually, that these things are not enough. I believe God is calling on us to change our hearts.</span><br class="gmail_msg" style="color: #313131; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 16px; word-spacing: 1px;" /><br class="gmail_msg" style="color: #313131; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 16px; word-spacing: 1px;" /><br class="gmail_msg" style="color: #313131; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 16px; word-spacing: 1px;" /><br class="gmail_msg" style="color: #313131; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 16px; word-spacing: 1px;" />LCPC Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07888089533017158476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927884094647273431.post-20139228546266913932017-03-27T11:57:00.000-07:002017-03-27T14:13:46.694-07:00Ezekiel 22:6-7 By: Carlo Manookian<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ezekiel 22:6-7</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 5.3999999999999995pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: super; white-space: pre-wrap;">“</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">See how each of the princes of Israel who are in you uses his power to shed blood. In you they have treated father and mother with contempt; in you they have oppressed the foreigner and mistreated the fatherless and the widow.”</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">God has called the prophet Ezekiel to judge the city of Jerusalem. The city and her inhabitants (society) are guilty of transgressions, and the charges are very serious. To shed the blood of the innocent, to dishonor father and mother, and to oppress the widow, the fatherless or the stranger are all serious violations of the Law. Israel has been told in numerous places that these acts are sinful. We can read about them in such places as the Commandments, Deuteronomy 24:14, Leviticus 20:9, and Exodus 22:21-24. However, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, especially the powerful, had no regard for the Law; the extent of evil which was committed was only limited by the capacity to commit evil.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Reading the above verses made me wonder: how would our city fare if judged in the same way? How does this society treat the defenseless and the disadvantaged? How do we treat fathers and mothers or the orphan? Twenty-first century America is not very different from Jerusalem during the time of Ezekiel. The widow and orphan are marginalized and ignored. Some become homeless, forced to sleep in the streets of our city. We view those most in need of compassion as a problem. Equally troublesome are the ways foreigners are excluded from society and are not given the same opportunities as everybody else. Children from other lands are brought here to be exploited in the most deprived ways. The list is rather lengthy and every single transgression need not be enumerated. But the fact is-this is our city.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It’s easy to say that it’s “society’s” fault that these injustices happen and to blame those in power as culpable. I think we like to shift the blame on a nebulous concept as “society” because it takes the responsibility off of our shoulders. After all, we figure we’re hard working Americans; we pay taxes to fund the multitudes of government departments and agencies that are tasked with taking care of the “disadvantaged.” </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To make change, I think we need to start with ourselves. I was so distraught by the programming on mainstream television that (amongst other things) often dishonors the parent/adult characters-I cancelled cable. While this change doesn't solve our city’s problem, it does send a message to my kids that I honor God’s concept of family. I’ve also learned that if I’m going to try to change, then I’m going to have to get used to feeling uncomfortable. A couple of weeks ago, while I was walking in Pasadena, I noticed a homeless man sitting on the curb. I bought him a sandwich and when I handed it to him I realized he wanted my company more than the food I had to offer. But I wasn't comfortable with giving him my time or companionship. He shared with me how he had traveled from the Midwest in hopes of living in a warmer climate. I felt awkward and at a loss for words. I didn't get the immediate gratification of feeling good about myself for having “helped” him. As disastrous as I felt our encounter was, it was a first step for me. Normally, when I’m stopped at a light and someone standing on the corner is asking for money, I give him some without even making eye contact.</span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-01c648ea-11ae-7f01-3234-abf1a90b509e"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For me, these examples are small steps, but they’re small steps toward meaningful change. In both cases, I was drawn to reflect upon what matters to God and to pray for His guidance and presence especially when I come face to face with the injustices of our society. </span></div>
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LCPC Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07888089533017158476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927884094647273431.post-23650529318632780032017-03-25T12:27:00.001-07:002017-03-25T12:27:28.827-07:00Jeremiah 22:3 By: Armineh Manookian <div class="s3" style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 21.600000381469727px; text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 1.5em;">Jeremiah 22:3</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 1.5em;"> </span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px; padding-left: 36px;"></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">“This is what the LORD says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place.” </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">As </span></span><span class="s6" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px; text-decoration: underline;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">The</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> </span></span><span class="s6" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px; text-decoration: underline;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Baker</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> </span></span><span class="s6" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px; text-decoration: underline;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Illustrated</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> </span></span><span class="s6" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px; text-decoration: underline;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Bible Dictionary</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> explains, “one of the central ideas” in the Book of Jeremiah is covenant. “God makes promises and calls on [His] people to observe certain requirements.” God sends prophets like Jeremiah to His people “when they disobey the law. Their job is to warn the people to change their lives and live in conformity with God’s </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">will</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> or else the curses of the covenant will come into effect.”</span></span></div>
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<span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">God’s command to do “no wrong</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> or violence</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> to the foreigner, the fatherless, or </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">the </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">widow</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">”</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> comes in a chapter of Jeremiah’s book that lays out God’s judgement against wicked kings. In the chapter before, God’s wrath towards those who disobey this command is evident: “rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed, or my wrath will break out and burn like fire because of the evil you have done-burn with no one to quench it” (21:12</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">). </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">I’m really drawn</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">to</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> this phrase “rescue from the hand of the oppressor,” repe</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">ated in both Chapters 21 and 22. T</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">he sentence structure makes it sound like we are to save victims in the very act of injustice, in the moment </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">it’s</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> happening. The imperative commands “Do” and “Rescue” </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">call</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> us to </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">take </span></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">immediate action. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"></span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">These observations led me to</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> ponder about</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> what is at the heart of God’</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">s concern and to reflect</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> a little bit about my own experiences as an immigrant. </span></span><span style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> </span></div>
<div class="s5" style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 2.4; text-indent: 36px;">
<span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">My family and I emigrated from Iran six months before the Islamic Revolution in 1979, and growing up, I often felt confused about my identity. At school, I did my best to fit in-to not draw attention to my difference (which is really hard to do when you have a name like mine</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">!</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">). At home I was reminded to never forget my roots. The constant tug from one culture to the other convinced me I wasn’t “normal”</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> and didn’t belong.</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> I’m not proud to have these feelings but if I can be totally honest, I feel </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">an inexplicable discomfort </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">when I see</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> newly arrived </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Armenian immigrant</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">s</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">-despite the fact that I’m </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">an immigrant</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">myself. I wonder why they have to be so different. I tried so hard to blend in, why can’t they? Their presence reminds me of who I was-of who I am. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">I think this is the most subversive part of oppression, when it becomes internalized and turns into self-hatred. In God’s eyes, the foreigner, fatherless, and widow all share a similar loss. </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">I think the similarity may be in this feeling of not belonging. </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">The fatherless and widow have lost the head of their family. The foreigner has lost the home of his forefathers. They are displaced</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> and </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">feel abandoned. God’</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">s promise to us is that He will never leave us nor forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6). As His people,</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">we</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">must </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">take </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">on the hands and feet of Christ-we must reach out to those on the fringes of society who are most vulnerable to believing </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">God has abandoned them. We must share the love, mercy, and peace we’ve received from Jesus; otherwise, we put into jeopardy God’s covenant.</span></span></div>
LCPC Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07888089533017158476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927884094647273431.post-16293149684955791052017-03-24T05:00:00.000-07:002017-03-24T05:00:31.083-07:00Jeremiah 7:5-7 By: Ed Carlson<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 1.3800000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;">“For if you truly amend your ways and your doings, if you truly act justly one with another, if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own hurt, then I will dwell with you in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your ancestors forever and ever.”</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">God clearly wants the Israelites (then) and us (today) to love God (not go after other gods), and to love others (truly act justly one with another). The key word for me is “justly” – to act according to what is morally right, equitable in manner with justice. Equitable - being equal in status, rights, and opportunities. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When we read scripture passages like this one we usually think about our own actions – are they just, equitable? I believe we almost always believe we act justly and equitably. However, in the Bible God generally addresses a people, a nation. So are our nation’s structures, laws, and practices just, equitable? Recently I have asked myself, what is behind the “Black Lives Matter” movement? To learn more I have recently read three books: “America’s Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege and the Bridge to a New America” by Jim Wallis; “waking up white and finding myself in the story of race” by Debby Irving; and, “Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption” by Bryan Stevenson. I believe I gained a better understanding about how well intended legislation or action can have unintended consequences. Here are just two examples:</span></div>
<ol style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Following World War II the GI Bill was set up to recognize the our returning GI’s by providing free college education and assistance with housing. Unfortunately, only 4% of the returning black GI’s were able to access the free education, due in part to limited placement opportunities and the need for many of them to work to support their families. Of one million black GI’s, only 4% were able to access the free education. </span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Between the 1970’s and today the U.S. prison population has increased 767%! (from 300,000 to 2,300,000). We now have the highest incarceration rate in the world. Our “three strike” laws were meant to deter repeat offenders, but they also made writing a bad check or committing a petty theft or a minor property crime an offense that can result in life imprisonment. And when combined with our efforts to curb the escalating drug problem our prisons and jails overflowed.</span></div>
</li>
</ol>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Unfortunately, there has been a disproportionate impact on blacks. Of all males born in 2001 it is estimated 1 in 15 will be imprisoned, but for black males it is 1 in 3 will be imprisoned. Even though studies have consistently shown that people of all colors use and sell drugs at remarkably similar rates, in some states 80-90 percent of all imprisoned drug offenders are black. Federal funding flows to those state and local law enforcement agencies that dramatically boost the sheer volume of drug arrests; agencies don’t get rewarded to bring down the drug bosses or arrest violent offenders, they are rewarded in cash for arresting people en masse *drug arrests show a 5 to 1 ration for possession over sales. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As I ponder today’s scripture in light of what I am learning I can’t help but think as a country we have work right here to do to truly have justice for all. When the Israelites asked, “What does the Lord require of us?” The response was: “ To do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8b). </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now that I know this, what am I going to do about it? I would love to discuss this issue with others. If you would be interested please contact me. Perhaps together we can find some ways to take action? </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Love is the motive, but justice is the instrument.” (Reinhold Niebuhr)</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“There is no social change fairy. There is only the change made by hands of individuals.” (Winona LaDuke)</span>LCPC Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07888089533017158476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927884094647273431.post-2108209821910487102017-03-23T05:00:00.000-07:002017-03-23T05:00:13.053-07:00Psalm 146:9 By: Pat Chambers<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12.5pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The LORD watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12.5pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-Psalm 146:9</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12.5pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One of the teachings I remember from Mr. McClair’s sixth grade Sunday School class here at LCPC was that I am to be the hands and feet of Christ here on earth. That what I do with my hands, feet, mouth, money and time should be a reflection of my love for and faith in God. So how does the LORD watch over the foreigner and sustain the fatherless and widow? In one significant way He does it through you and me. He places a call upon our hearts to welcome the stranger, to not let fear stand in our way of watching over the foreigner and sustaining the fatherless and widow. These may seem like scary times but it is in the scary times that God gives us the opportunity to stand bolder. Just as we were once strangers to the Lord's table but were welcomed and just like we could not earn our way to the table we now invite those that are strangers to our table as well. The Bible repeatedly shows us that God cares about those that are disempowered, just look at the scripture we are studying this Lenten season. There may be debates about what to do for those that have been displaced or are seeking a better life, but there can be little debate that God has called us to watch over them. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12.5pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wouldn’t it be great if we could help frustrate the wicked? How are we the hands and feet of Christ as we work together to frustrate the wicked? By not giving into the fear, by saying that in anyway I can, I will watch over the foreigner and sustain the fatherless and the widow. Taking that call seriously would frustrate the wicked to no end. Let us all act upon the things we say we believe in and make room at the table for all. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 13pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All-embracing God, no one is a stranger to you and no one is ever far from your loving care. In your kindness, watch over refugees and exiles. For those separated from their loved ones when they fled war and conflict, re-unite them and give them protection. Inspire us to make our churches places of refuge for those in search of safety and peace. Help us to show by our words and our actions the welcome you gave to the strangers you met. We pray this, in the name of our God who unsettles and inspires us, We give our praise and thanks. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 13pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Amen. –</span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-2eb58ff1-ee4c-e259-da6c-be41d65a877c"><span style="font-family: Adelon-Light; font-size: 13pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Prayer From the Presbyterian Church of Canada workshop Making Connections: Staying Rooted in an Uprooted World</span></span>LCPC Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07888089533017158476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927884094647273431.post-24378829905582377032017-03-22T05:00:00.000-07:002017-03-22T05:00:21.815-07:00Psalm 94:6-7 By: Stacie Nevlin<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> “They slay the widow and the alien;</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">They
murder the fatherless.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">They
say, ‘The Lord does not see;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The
God of Jacob pays no heed.’”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Psalm
94: 6-7<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Let’s
be honest… who would want to write about these two verses from Psalm 94? Not
me! Yet- here we are, and if you’re reading this, I apologize in advance for my
feeble attempts at addressing this passage. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In
Psalm 94, the author is giving voice to the oppressed with a plea to God to
avenge those who have committed injustices against them, His people. The
psalmist is crying out for God to punish those who “slay the widow and the
alien” and “murder the fatherless.” These evildoers claim that “the Lord does
not see; the God of Jacob pays no heed.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In
our very secular culture and even in churches, God is portrayed as two very
distinct opposites- we have the “hippy” version of Jesus who is all about love
and peace. On the other end of the spectrum is the God who is watching and
judging our every thought and deed just waiting to pounce when we make one
wrong move. There are bits and pieces of truth to these depictions; however,
they do not come close to capturing the complete picture of our Great God (in
the best way our minuscule human minds can possibly comprehend). While the
Bible tells us that God is love and He commands us to love one another, it also
says that “God is the judge” (Psalm 75:7) and that “for those who are
self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and
anger” (Romans 2:8). <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If
you’re anything like me, the passages of the Bible that describe God’s
punishment (a huge chunk of the Old Testament) or speak of His wrath for those
who sin against Him are often ignored. I skim those verses at best and skip
over them at worst. It’s not that I doubt them; rather, I have trouble
reconciling them with the God of love. I only want to read of God’s love and
grace. Unfortunately, in our fallen world, we cannot have one without the
other. There is Good and Evil. Our God is filled with mercy and love, but there
are conditions to His grace and mercy. He freely offers eternal life through
Jesus Christ, but we must accept that gift by believing in Jesus and
recognizing our utter sinfulness apart from Him. If we choose to ignore His
gift and continue living in sin, we will not receive the salvation He so longs
to give us. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now
you understand why these two verses I was assigned for this Lenten blog are so
difficult for me. They remind me that God is the Judge of all. They remind me
that God does see and cares greatly about all we do, think, and say. It
instills within me a new fear of the Lord. Not a fear in the sense of doom or
dread or eternal damnation (as a believer I hold to the promise of John 3:16),
but a renewed understanding of how great and powerful He is and how all things
are in His control. Proverbs 9:10 says, “the fear of the Lord is the beginning
of wisdom.” Perhaps these verses can be the catalyst for us to grow in wisdom
as a nation, as a church, and as individuals. God does see evil in this world,
and He will avenge those who commit the atrocities of which the psalmist
describes. In a world where evil seems to triumph over good, we can find peace
in the knowledge that God is the Judge, and “He will bring every deed into
judgement, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil”
(Ecclesiastes 12:14). In the meantime, may we hate what God hates and abide by
the religion that the Lord accepts as pure and faultless: “to look after
orphans and widows in their distress and keep [ourselves] from being polluted
by the world” (James 1:27). <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thank
God for the Cross,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Stacie</span><span style="font-family: "timesnewromanpsmt" , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
LCPC Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07888089533017158476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927884094647273431.post-36699788186426569432017-03-21T05:30:00.000-07:002017-03-21T12:02:50.526-07:00Job 29:16 By: Jeff Lowe<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In our Biblical passage of the day, Job is defending his life to his friends who are insisting that some </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">hidden sin in Job’s life has brought about his suffering, and Job says:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was a father to the needy;</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I took up the case of the stranger. (Job 29:16 NIV)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In these words, Job is projecting the Lord as there is no greater Father or Advocate than Him. We were </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">strangers once and He found us and provided for us. He has taken up our case before the Father, and as </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Christians, we are called to pick up this mantle and serve those in need in the same ways. Our church is </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">very mindful of the needs of others around the world and we can see that it is truly wonderful to be able </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">to serve the Lord by helping others.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But in doing so, when we witness devastation and suffering, what we really want to know is why? Why </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">would a God who is great and good allow families and children to suffer? Over time, we see that </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">everyone experiences suffering, and at some point in our own life we might even find ourselves asking </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">horrible questions like why do I have to walk through cancer? Why is my home being taken from me? </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Why is my job going away? Why did my best friend betray me? Why is my family breaking apart? Why </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">did my child die?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Like Job, we may even know that we did not bring the suffering upon ourselves through willful sin and </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">we want an explanation from God. What is happening? Why is this happening? Where is God when this </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">is happening? Job asks all of these questions, too, but the question that truly dominates the book of Job </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">is “Who?” Who is this Sovereign God that ordains all of this suffering?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We want to know why, and as we see in the Book of Job instead of telling us why, God reveals Himself </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">and draws us closer to Him. We really just want our life and all our stuff to be restored to the way it was, </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">but in His revelation, God exposes our limited and erroneous thinking. In fact, it is in our suffering that </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">God shows Himself to be our treasure. He is our Creator, our Sustainer, and our Savior. His power is </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">great and His knowledge is perfect. His purpose will not be thwarted. And most poignantly, His love and </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">mercy are personal; He is our Friend. We can trust in a God like that, a God who is personally and </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">intimately involved in our life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In awe, when Job realizes who God truly is, his immediate response is to humble himself by saying, </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:6). Job despises the small view he held </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">of God in his suffering and he turns to a corrected grand view of God. Job finally sees that God is his </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">treasure, God is his goal, and when the goal of our life is God Himself and not the things of God, then, </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">like Job, we can view our suffering as a pathway to finding deeper and deeper treasure in Him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At the end of the book, we see Job’s health and status restored, so is God telling us that if we just walk </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">through suffering we’ll get all our stuff back? No, that’s not the message. That discounts Job’s deep pain </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">and horrendous loss – nothing is going to bring back his 10 children. But, the reason the book ends that </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">way is to show us that suffering doesn't have the last word. Satan doesn't have the last word. The cross </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">doesn't even have the last word. Resurrection has the last word. Hope has the last word. Victory has the </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">last word. God has the last word. Thus, as we the people of God walk through suffering, we can know </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">that suffering is not the end. God is the end and He has the last word every tim</span>e. <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Praise God.</span></div>
LCPC Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07888089533017158476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927884094647273431.post-76788002605551037662017-03-20T11:51:00.001-07:002017-03-20T11:51:30.266-07:00Deuteronomy 27:19 By: Michele Fernandez<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Deuteronomy 27:19 </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cursed is anyone who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow. Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’d never really noticed how much God has to say about the way we should be treating and caring for foreigners in our midst, until LCPC focused on the “I was a Stranger” theme. I knew we were to be tending to the needs of widows and orphans, but did I just pass right over the foreigner part? With the Global Refugee Crisis being in the forefront of the news these days, there’s no ignoring the fact that there are over 65 million people who are estranged from their homes, communities and countries. The Bible is very clear that we all have a responsibility to these people.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lee says the Bible doesn’t waste words, so if something is repeated, it is of utmost importance in God’s eyes. I’ve been reading all the blog posts and seeing God’s recurring commands to care for and treat foreigners fairly. This verse, however, is a bit different from the others. It commands fair treatment of foreigners, but there is a curse involved for those who disobey! That word really caught my attention. Curses are the opposite of blessings. God lists the blessings of being obedient in chapter 28 of Deuteronomy – blessings on the fruits of our wombs, our crops, our livestock, our land, strength against our enemies and being established as God’s holy people. The curse for disobeying God’s command is that these blessings are withheld from us. Seems like the curse encompasses just about all aspects of our lives.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What are ways we might withhold justice from a foreigner, and incur this curse? Other biblical translations use phrases like “obstructs or deprives foreigners of their rights” or “anyone who isn’t fair in the way he treats foreigners.” I can’t think of a personal way I have withheld justice from a foreigner, but I can certainly think of times I have been frustrated, impatient or have judged people from other cultures who do things differently from us native Californians. I’m guessing God wouldn’t view that as fair treatment. If I was living in a war torn country where my family wasn’t safe from violence and terrorism, I probably wouldn’t feel I was being treated fairly if I wasn’t allowed entry into another country so I could protect my precious family. I think God might agree.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I feel pretty powerless to make much of a difference for the millions of refugees fleeing right now, but God calls me to do something. I can make a Refugee Welcome Kit. I can make a donation to an organization directly working with refugees. I can sponsor a child through Compassion or World Vision who is a refugee in another country. I can use my voice to stand up against laws that feel discriminating to refugees. I can pray for protection and for these people’s needs to be met. I can befriend a stranger who has moved into my own community and show them God’s love by helping them get settled.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And about that curse? We were all cursed because we have never been able to keep God’s commands perfectly. Praise God that Jesus bore the curse for all of us.</span></div>
LCPC Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07888089533017158476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4927884094647273431.post-21247002189010700472017-03-18T09:50:00.000-07:002017-03-18T09:50:05.067-07:00Deuteronomy 26:12 By: Lecia Van Horn
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Deuteronomy 26:12 New International Version (NIV)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">"When you have finished setting aside a tenth of all
your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, you shall give it to the
Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that they may eat in
your towns and be satisfied."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">From Study Notes in the NIV Life Application Study Bible:
"This law is repeated from 14:28-29. The people were to give their tithe
to the needy every third year. This amounts to one-third of their giving on a
three-year cycle. Though we are not under this law today, the New Testament
reminds us not to forget the poor. Consider giving one-third of your annual
contribution to overseas ministries, or to relief for the poor, orphans, and
widows."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">From Study Notes in the Amplified Bible: "This is a
reference to a benevolence offering given every three years (called the
"tithe of the poor" by the ancient rabbis). This was in addition to
the "Storehouse Tithe," brought to the sanctuary and the
"Pilgrimage Tithe" used for the expenses of going to Jerusalem three
times each year. Together, the Old Testament tithe amounted to a third of the
total."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> Tithing is our way of giving back to God a portion of
what He has graciously and generously given to us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Today, I don't think we give those second and third tithes
as described in the Amplified Bible. Instead we give gifts and offerings, in
addition to our tithe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Bible study notes explain how we should apply this verse
to our lives today.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There are plenty of needy people around us. This Lenten
Season we are focusing on taking care of refugees, whom the Bible clearly
states we are to welcome and treat as equals. (Numbers 15:15-16)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Some people may be hesitant to step out in faith and help
the needy because they themselves fear refugees or those different from them,
or they fear that God will not provide for them if they give away anything they
own.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I'd gently say that fear is not from God (2 Timothy 1:7);
God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:6-7) and God promises to provide
for us (Matthew <span style="color: #222222;">6:33</span>).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
LCPC Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07888089533017158476noreply@blogger.com0