Satuday

 

This iris plant came from an Elder in Neepawa.   Sharing plants is rather like sharing the Good News... it comes unexpectedly and  is beautiful :)     We planted the iris last summer but had to wait until this Spring to know what colour of flower and type of iris we had planted. 

 

Great God,  we give You thanks today for our family and our Church family.   Guide us this day that we may share Your love and peace with those we meet.   Renew our souls this day when  we get bogged down in too much pain or too much negativity.  Remind us that You are our Light and our Peace.    Be with those who preach and teach tomorrow. Open our ears to Your Good News.  Open our hearts to Your beauty of this world.  Open our arms to do Your work now and forever.  Amen.

Friday - newness of time

Today at Brandon University are the Convocations for the 2014 Graduates of Bachelor of Music,  Science,  and Education.   As part of the Convocation,  Brandon University holds a PowWow the night before.  Then the day of  Convocation,  a minister of Word and Sacrament is asked to lead a Prayer of Invocation.   What must the students think to hear a prayer just for them as they begin their new lives and new careers?    Convocation is a time of newness and excitement.  Years of education have been achieved.  The new Grads  begin a time of seeking employment and careers.    The newness of time.      How amazing that Brandon University asks a Minister of Word and Sacrament to be part of this newness of time. 

            Read 1 Timothy 5: 1-8

Paul instructs Timothy how the Christian community must care of the widows, elderly, and slaves.   What one word comes to your mind when you read this passage?  Nurture?  Teachings?  Compassion?

How does this passage of scripture reflect upon the Christian community to the newness of time.   If Churches could have a "convocation",  what would our newness of time be?  Would we have compassion and care for the widows,  the elders, and those who are imprisoned by thought or deed? 
Great God,  on this day may we reflect upon it as a newness of time.  May Your peace which surpasses all understanding keep our hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of You... and of Jesus Christ Your only Son... and Your Comforter the Holy Spirit.  May we rest and abide with You now and forever more.  Amen.

Wednesday - stand firm in the faith

Father, as I sit here, You and Your word are my desire. Clear my mind and heart of all distractions and speak to me through Your Word.    Amen.

            Read 1 Timothy 4: 6-16

Ah.  This portion of scripture should be written in every teenagers school binder.  Timothy was a very young teacher.  Paul is saying that people should not look down upon Timothy because he is young.  Stand firm in the faith.  Persevere in the faith.  Watch your life and what you believe closely.   All this knowing that we put our hope in the living God.

Recently  I was at a first meeting of a non-profit organization.  This people were enthusiastic about beginning this non-profit organization and wanted to expand their membership.  Every time  I mentioned a person's name the group would say, "oh they are too old"  or "that person is too young".  They want a Board who is just like them in age and thought.  This is the surest way to kill off a non-profit organization.     Each board and membership and Church needs a variety of ages not only for longetivity but also for support and enthusiasm!

Today,  how will you help someone stand firm in their faith...no matter what their age.

This day O Lord,  I pray for all the young people in the Church.  May I help them to stand firm in their faith.  May I help them to persevere in their faith.  May I help them know that our hope is in the living God.  Amen. 

Monday - pastoral care

Father, I continue to place before you not only those I associate closely with, but also the culture, events, and the distant people who surround me as I walk through life. May your purposes be extended into the culture I live.

            Read 1 Timothy 4: 1-5

And some people will abandon the faith.  This happens.  People make choices.  But we still need to keep these people in our prayers and in our love as after all,  everything God created is good and through God’s Word and our prayers everything is made holy.

One of the duties and responsibilities of an Elder is to provide pastoral care to people in the congregation.    Yet  over the years,  pastoral care has slowly disappeared from our congregations… and this is a crying shame.   If the Church can not care for the people in their own Church, then how can the Church care of the people of the world?   Time and time again we hear of  Elders calling up congregational members and saying, “I haven’t seen you in Church for six months”.   And the congregational member responds, “Oh,  I left your Church and am now at another Church where they care about me”.   Goodness.

In order to bring the Good News into our congregations and into our community and into our world,  we must provide pastoral care for all peoples.  Christ instructed the disciples  (and Elders and us) to go out into the world and share the Good news. ... to share the love of God... Pastoral care is the heart beat of the Good News.

Open my heart and mind to the things you desire me to pray as I think about the world. There are so many physical, political, and social needs, but most of all I pray for your Gospel to spread to every tribe, tongue and nation.   Amen   (from www.examen.me)

Sunday - renewing ourselves through prayer

Flora Slosson Wuellner in her book, "Prayer, Stress, and our Inner Wounds"  says that often those who are called to minister to all people  -- whether we are  Ministers of Word and Sacrament or Elders or those who teach Bible Study or a Youth Group-- are frequently tired and drained and frustrated people.    This is called Leadership fatigue.  And leadership fatigue is created within ourselves when we believe that we must do everything... we believe that it is all up to us.  This, in turn,  creates  super-responsibility.   We come to believe that the Kingdom of God will only continue because of our righteous efficiency,  our ability to love and heal.

We all know that the Kingdom of God is not totally built upon our own selves,  we know that we share this love of God and this responsibility with others.  Yet.   Yet  while we realize that we can delegate,  and we do delegate yet more and more of our life seems to become looking after other's problems.   Then we begin to harbour our super-responsibilities inwardly.     This is the point where we must stop and sit down and pray.    This is the point where we have become generators rather than transmitters of the Divine.   Wuellner says that those who take on super-responsibility and inwardly never delegate and never take time to pray because we are so busy,  overlook Jesus' challenge to be the branches... instead we try to be the vine... John 15: 4- 5.       We become generators instead of transmitters of the love of God.

Three things will help with those who take on super-responsibility.    First is  a time of prayer.  When one is so overloaded with work and burdens and committees and  the work of the Church,  often making time for prayer is hard.    Prayer does take time.  But prayer is our lifeline to God.  Prayer is the evening breeze or the morning sun.  Prayer is what sustains and nurtures us.    The more we pray,  the less exhausting it will be and the more we find ourselves daily or hourly or every minute turning to God.

Second is letting others serve us and minister to us.   At the Last Supper,  Peter had a problem when Jesus wanted to wash his feet until Jesus said that Jesus must wash Peter's feet or Peter will have no part of the Kingdom of God.  Then Peter said for Jesus to wash every part of him.   (John 13).    While we serve and minister to others and are an example of the love of Christ,  we must also let others serve and minister to us!    Ask another person to pray for you and be specific of your needs!    Ask another person to go for a walk.   Book two hours into your date book and go sit in a park with your Bible and just read (especially the Psalms!).    Be  refreshed and renewed in God's love.

Third is  to ask for forgiveness and then tell God  three things that you were thankful for today.   Forgiveness is not only a cleansing of our souls but also a cleansing of our lives.  Too often in ministry we equate our work with who we are.  We look at how many people attend worship.. and then subtly compare our numbers to other Churches. We look at how many committees we are on compared to other people.  If our church attendance numbers go down,  we feel diminished.   When we end up with so many committee meetings,  we suddenly realize that we are overburdened but there is seemingly no way out of the burden.   Stop.  Sit.  Pray prayers of forgiveness and thanksgiving.

As we grow in God in prayer,  we shall become more like Christ.   As we grow in God through inner reflection,  we shall love and our burdens will be lifted.   As we grow in God through reading of God's Word,  we shall become compassionate.    As we grow in the love of God,  we are made whole.
Is it really as simple as this?  Yup.      Today and this week,   make time for prayers, especially those of forgiveness and thanksgiving... make time for reading God's Holy Word... make time for asking one person to pray for you...

 Prayer:   Great God,  we come before You today knowing that it is through Your love that our hearts are restored,  our energies make new,  and our lives are simple and good.    Divine Healer,  send down upon us today Your Holy Spirit so that Your healing power may flow through our whole body and we are made whole.   Almighty God,  may the power of this new life flow into our actions and our relationships with others this day.    God of all reconciliation,  we lay before You now those that we have hurt.....  those who have hurt us........  and those deeds we have forgotten to do.......  Through Your love we know that we are forgiven and made whole in Your love and peace.    Wash us O LORD in Your love so that we are made clean inwardly and outwardly.   Holy God,  we bring before You know  three things for which we are thankful.......... Thank You Lord Jesus Christ.      Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.  As it was in the beginning,  is now and ever shall be,  world with out end.  Amen.  

Friday - qualities of Deacons and Elders

Great God, help me to  keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience this day and always.  In Jesus’ name I pray.  Amen.

            Read 1 Timothy 3: 8-13

Ah.  Now we come to the list of qualities needed for those who are called to be Deacons.  Note that these are qualities not a job description.  This list of qualities and characteristics are for those who serve others and as some Scholars suggest, as those who help the Overseers.  Often when a  Presbyterian congregation is seeking Elders,  this is the scripture that is used.  These are not easy qualifications nor should they be.  To be an Elder means to serve God  by being worthy of respect, must be able to express what they believe and hold to that belief in the Christian faith, must be tested and approved,  must have an irreproachable home life, and must be compelled to share the love of Christ with everyone they meet. 

Dear LORD,  I keep all the Elders of the Church I attend in my prayers today. May they stand firm in their beliefs.  May they be worthy of respect not only in the Church but also in the community, and be with them when they are tested.   Enable them to  be amazing servants of Christ.  In Jesus name I pray.  Amen.

Thursday - the call to servanthood

May I open my heart to You today, O LORD.  May I set my heart on doing Your will this day, O LORD.  My rock and my redeemer.  Amen.

            What it all Means

From a discussion of Worship in 1 Timothy 2:8-15  and what should be the proper etiquette of Worship,  Paul moves through to what the Ephesian Christian community needs to look for in an Overseer and Deacon.   

One thing we need to remember is the Christian Community was a community that worshipped together…. males and females worshipped together.  During Paul’s time, this was not something that happened with many other religions.   Men and Women usually were separated for worship.

Then Paul proceeds to give Timothy another bit of advice.  “Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task.” (1 Timothy 3:1).    This is Paul’s second bit of advice using the phrase “here is a trustworthy saying”.  The other advice was 1 Timothy 1: 15.

Paul sets out a list of gifts and qualifications that Overseers must have.   If anyone is contemplating a call to ministry,  this is a list that you need to check against yourself.  Paul gives this list to Timothy because the care and nurture of God’s people is a noble task.  Noble not in the sense of prestige but noble in the sense of  having excellent moral character…. of being a servant. 

But isn’t the call to ministry a Divine call and not something we just want to do?  Indeed.    But for Paul,  the call to ministry is a three step process. First,  in Acts 20:28 Paul states an affirmation to  the divine call.  One had to be called by God in order to undertake ministry to God’s people.  Second,  the individual must have inner aspirations and convictions to that call.  Have a firm grasp of what it means to be a Christian.  And third, it is here in 1 Timothy  that Paul gives the Christian community a list of requirements for the community to measure whether the candidate meets the requirements and would be considered for Ministry.

Great God,  I thank You that some are called to minister to Your people.    I know that this is not an easy vocation and ask that You be with all ministers this day.  Help them in their struggles and in their joys.  And may I be a help to ministers today.  May I build up ministers instead of tearing them down.    In Jesus name I pray.   Amen.