Jesus and Me ... and the Cats

Luke 2:22-40 Greg Brown has a song called "Waiting."  Everybody's waiting for something:  the county fair; the return of a friend; a bus to take them to someplace better; a new job; a personal epiphany or spiritual enlightenment.  Everybody's waiting for something. When we wait, we have three options.  One is to ignore the possibility of positive changes and just lapse into a state of passive hopelessness, going about life as usual. The second is to wait, and then, out of frustration or impatience, take matters into our own hands.  If you remember the story of Abraham and Sarah, trying to fulfill God's promise of heirs to the childless couple by having Abraham sire a son by Sarah's maid, well, you know that usually doesn't work out very well. The third option is the one we see modeled by Simeon and Anna in this passage from Luke.  It is actively waiting in expectancy, in eager hope.  It's living with no doubt that what God has promised us, God...

In those days Caesar Augustus declared that everyone throughout the empire should be enrolled in the tax lists. This first enrollment occurred when Quirinius governed Syria. Everyone went to their own cities to be enrolled.   Since Joseph belonged to David’s house and family line, he went up from the city of Nazareth in Galilee to David’s city, called Bethlehem, in Judea.   He went to be enrolled together with Mary, who was promised to him in marriage and who was pregnant.   While they were there, the time came for Mary to have her baby.   She gave birth to her firstborn child, a son, wrapped him snugly, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the guestroom.                                                 ...

I Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV) Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you,  for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.   While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief.  You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.  So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober.  For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.  But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.  For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through...

Romans 13:8-14 Matthew 18:15-29 Our heroine, bound hand, foot and every where in between by heavy ropes is tied to a set of railroad tracks.  Helplessly she struggles as the train roars down the track and the villain with the cheesy moustache wearing a black hat and frock coat rubs his hands and chortles in glee. Taylor Swift, in her music video, "Mean," uses that image to describe how it feels when people act in unloving ways -- name calling, back stabbing betrayal, lies and put-downs.  I can relate to that.  I've felt tied up in knots because of what someone said about me or did to hurt me.  I think we've all been there. But sometimes, there are things we do that tie ourselves up, that bind us.  As human beings, we may choose to respond in anger, do something to get back at someone or nurse a grudge.  We may treat someone unkindly because we're jealous. or out of selfishness and self-interest, quarrel, insisting on getting our own way.  Whe...

Matthew 16:13-20 If you were at a party, and you saw someone slip something into someone's drink, and they wouldn't believe you when you told them, what would you do?  Would you be willing to create a scene, knock the drink out of his or her hand, risk looking like a fool? Jesus asked his disciples who people said he was.  Some people said Jesus was John the Baptist, a man who came to convict people of their personal sin and lead them to repentance.  Some said he was Elijah, a prophet who was going to confront the ruling parties about their oppressive and unjust reign.  Others said he was Jeremiah, another prophet who warned the nation of Israel to turn back to back to God. There are some people today that say Jesus was just a man -- a good man, perhaps even a prophet.  He was a great teacher who preached about moral and ethical behavior.  He was an advocate for justice and the rights of the people.  He was a man, and the miracles and the re...

Matthew 15:8-28 James Dean was the original rebel without a cause.  From the movie screen, he became a symbol of rebellion and wild, reckless behavior as he bucked the system. Jesus, on the other hand, was a rebel with a cause and a mission.  His mission was to lead the lost sheep of Israel back into right relationship with God and with other human beings.  Jesus was out there raising "heaven," making the religious powers that be uncomfortable and bucking the system. When the Pharisees criticized Jesus and their disciples for not following the ritual of washing their hands, what Jesus was responding to was the "tradition of the elders," an oral code which was a human  interpretation of the Law of Moses that intensified the demands of the law.  The Pharisees and other religious leaders used it to their advantage to financially support their favorite causes while ignoring the needs of their own aging parents and the poor.  By following it rigidly, they...

Matthew 14:22-33                         Romans 10:5-15 Do you have beautiful feet?  Have you ever thought about feet being beautiful?  Oh, yes, feet can be achy.  they can be stinky.  Feet can be calloused, dry or dirty.  They can even be made of clay, but how often do we think about feet being things of beauty? Romans 10:15 says, "...beautiful are the feet that bring good news."  Beautiful feet belong to people who have put their faith in Christ and are obedient disciples. I think beautiful feet are wet feet. In Matthew 14:22-33, we read a familiar story.  The disciples are back out on the Sea of Galilee when another storm catches them out in the middle of the lake.  This time, Jesus isn't even with them.  He stayed behind, insisting that they go on ahead of them while he went off by himself to pray and rest. ...