Thursday Talk Story #15 “Come and See”
“Come and see what God has done…” Psalm 6:5
Here are the words of invitation that are the basis of our faith, worship, discipleship and hope. “Come and see what God has done!” Then the poet makes a list of God’s great and gracious activities: He turned the sea into dry land in the Exodus from Egypt. Israel passed through the river on foot when they entered Canaan. He rules in might forever as evidenced by the creation continuing. He watches the nations and sees what they do. He keeps Israel alive and does not let their feet slip. Even though Israel was tested, weighted down with burdens, and went through fire and water---“Yet God brought them out to a spacious land.”
When Jesus began his public ministry, two of John’s disciples followed him and asked where he was staying. Jesus said to them, “Come and see.” The next day Philip found Nathanael and said, “We have found him…about whom Moses…and the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.” When Nathanael scoffed, Philip said to him, “Come and see.” (John 1)
When the angel appeared to the two Mary’s at Jesus’ tomb, he said, “Come, see the place where he lay.” Matt. 28:54. After
“Come and see” he said “Go and tell…He is going ahead of you.
The church is in the world to invite us all to “come and see” what we think about Jesus. As we hear his Word and the Spirit gives us faith we will conclude with Nathanael, “Rabbai, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” So now we have no fear. The Risen Christ still goes ahead of us to meet us in worship and send us out to continue His ministry today.
Come and See!
Thank you Risen Christ for being with us. As we come and see what you say and do, you give us greater confidence to follow you.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
satisfied
Thursday Talk Story for May 21, 2009 #14 Satisfied
Psalm 65:4b “We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, your holy temple.”
What if we could be satisfied? Our economy is based on dissatisfaction. Consumer spending drives our economy. Dissatisfaction drives us to shop and buy. We always want more. So we buy new homes, new cars, new clothes, new toys when the old ones are probably still good. Our children want the latest gadgets as soon as they come out. They’ve learned dissatisfaction well. Our culture teaches it nonstop with constant commercials.
The economy hums when we buy. It slumps when we stop. If we become satisfied with what we have and stop wanting “new and more” will we have more slowdown and recession? Will we die of boredom…be unpatriotic? Would our well-being be at risk?
How different it is in God’s economy. The poet is satisfied and happy just to remember the goodness of being in God’s temple sanctuary. Thinking of worship there is enough to satisfy him. God answers prayer so he’s content, fulfilled, and happy to think of God’s goodness. He finds God’s power in the creation and rejoices in God’s providential care. He sees God’s love and grace in the spring rain, summer crops, and fall harvest. He recognizes God’s power behind the mountains and ocean waves. He thinks of God’s peacemaking power when uprising peoples fall silent.
Amid the ebb and flow of life’s currents and storms the poet sees that worshipping God is the way to be satisfied and content in life. It’s almost as if he is counseling us, “Remember God, worship God, and you will be satisfied and happy and blessed.”
“Thank you God for satisfying us spiritually in worship. Help us find our way to your sanctuary and learn contentment there.”
Psalm 65:4b “We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, your holy temple.”
What if we could be satisfied? Our economy is based on dissatisfaction. Consumer spending drives our economy. Dissatisfaction drives us to shop and buy. We always want more. So we buy new homes, new cars, new clothes, new toys when the old ones are probably still good. Our children want the latest gadgets as soon as they come out. They’ve learned dissatisfaction well. Our culture teaches it nonstop with constant commercials.
The economy hums when we buy. It slumps when we stop. If we become satisfied with what we have and stop wanting “new and more” will we have more slowdown and recession? Will we die of boredom…be unpatriotic? Would our well-being be at risk?
How different it is in God’s economy. The poet is satisfied and happy just to remember the goodness of being in God’s temple sanctuary. Thinking of worship there is enough to satisfy him. God answers prayer so he’s content, fulfilled, and happy to think of God’s goodness. He finds God’s power in the creation and rejoices in God’s providential care. He sees God’s love and grace in the spring rain, summer crops, and fall harvest. He recognizes God’s power behind the mountains and ocean waves. He thinks of God’s peacemaking power when uprising peoples fall silent.
Amid the ebb and flow of life’s currents and storms the poet sees that worshipping God is the way to be satisfied and content in life. It’s almost as if he is counseling us, “Remember God, worship God, and you will be satisfied and happy and blessed.”
“Thank you God for satisfying us spiritually in worship. Help us find our way to your sanctuary and learn contentment there.”
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Thursday Talk Story for May 14, 2009 "Listening"
Thursday Talk Story for May 14, 2009
Psalm 64: 1 “Hear my voice, O God,…”
Listening is hard work. When I was in seminary, I took several counseling courses. Back in the 70’s Client Centered Therapy by Carl Rogers was one school of counseling. In that method, “active listening” was a central practice. One of our repeated assignments was to write ‘verbatims’ of conversations we had in our fieldwork experiences that included identifying theological themes, scriptural connections, and therapeutic goals we identified in the encounter. We practiced active listening by role-playing various situations in our class. Two students would sit in front of the rest of the class and one would present an issue seen in a conversation as the other actively listened. Then we would discuss what we saw and heard happening in the interaction. Active listening was a discipline we studied, practiced and learned. It is a way of communicating understanding.
Next Thursday is Ascension Day on the Christian calendar. One great image from the Apostles Creed says, “I believe in Jesus Christ…he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.” What does he do there? What do you think? He listens to our prayers and serves as our high priest and mediator with God. He listens to us. He prays for us. How comforting it is to know that the Risen Christ listens actively to our prayers!
The Study Catechism says we affirm the following in saying this portion of the creed: “First, that Christ has gone to be with the Father, hidden except to the eyes of faith. Second, however, that Christ is not cut off from us in the remote past, or in some place from which he cannot reach us, but is present to us, here and now by grace. He reigns with divine authority, protecting us, guiding us, and interceding for us until he returns in glory.” (Q.47 The Study Catechism of 1998 see also Acts 1: 6-11, Colossians 3:1)
Read John 17: 20-25 to find what he prayed for us before his own death on the cross and his glorious resurrection. It’s good news to know that Christ is always actively listening to everyone who prays to Him in faith. “Thank you Lord, for welcoming, hearing and answering all our prayers. Thank you for listening.”
(For more about Presbyterian Christians visit 1stpresomro@sbcglobal.net and www.pcusa.org) My blog is: http://thursdaytalkstory.blogspot.com/
Psalm 64: 1 “Hear my voice, O God,…”
Listening is hard work. When I was in seminary, I took several counseling courses. Back in the 70’s Client Centered Therapy by Carl Rogers was one school of counseling. In that method, “active listening” was a central practice. One of our repeated assignments was to write ‘verbatims’ of conversations we had in our fieldwork experiences that included identifying theological themes, scriptural connections, and therapeutic goals we identified in the encounter. We practiced active listening by role-playing various situations in our class. Two students would sit in front of the rest of the class and one would present an issue seen in a conversation as the other actively listened. Then we would discuss what we saw and heard happening in the interaction. Active listening was a discipline we studied, practiced and learned. It is a way of communicating understanding.
Next Thursday is Ascension Day on the Christian calendar. One great image from the Apostles Creed says, “I believe in Jesus Christ…he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.” What does he do there? What do you think? He listens to our prayers and serves as our high priest and mediator with God. He listens to us. He prays for us. How comforting it is to know that the Risen Christ listens actively to our prayers!
The Study Catechism says we affirm the following in saying this portion of the creed: “First, that Christ has gone to be with the Father, hidden except to the eyes of faith. Second, however, that Christ is not cut off from us in the remote past, or in some place from which he cannot reach us, but is present to us, here and now by grace. He reigns with divine authority, protecting us, guiding us, and interceding for us until he returns in glory.” (Q.47 The Study Catechism of 1998 see also Acts 1: 6-11, Colossians 3:1)
Read John 17: 20-25 to find what he prayed for us before his own death on the cross and his glorious resurrection. It’s good news to know that Christ is always actively listening to everyone who prays to Him in faith. “Thank you Lord, for welcoming, hearing and answering all our prayers. Thank you for listening.”
(For more about Presbyterian Christians visit 1stpresomro@sbcglobal.net and www.pcusa.org) My blog is: http://thursdaytalkstory.blogspot.com/
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Living Water for may 7, 2009
Thursday Talk Story #12 http://thursdaytalkstory.blogspot.com
Psalm 63:1 “My Soul thirsts for you…”
Psalm 63 is captioned: “A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.” There are many other wilderness experiences in life in which we can find ourselves besides a physical desert. There’s the wilderness of illness, economic recession, job loss, divorce, warfare, and grief to name just a few. It was in the wilderness of Judah that David discovered his need for God, remembered God’s past faithfulness, and rejoiced at God’s presence in worship and the sanctuary.
Augustine said we humans are restless until we find our rest in God. Could it be that God has created us this way—we hunger and thirst for a relationship with God that cannot be satisfied by any other substitute? If that is the case, then our trust in God is most important. We need to tend it. Just as our physical health depends on drinking water to be hydrated, so our spiritual health depends on being rightly related to God. How can this health happen? Jesus told the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well the answer.
“If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink’, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water…. Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give him or her will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” (John 4)
What a Word of promise! Let the beautiful spring showers, flowing rivers, and teeming lakes fill us with joy. Then let those life-giving waters remind us to drink deep from the living water of Christ’s Word so we will be able to make it across every wilderness time and place in life! That living water is available for free at every church oasis on Sunday mornings. There’s plenty for everyone. Don’t forget to bring your canteen!
Thank you Lord for slaking our thirst for God. We will drink deep from the reservoir of your living Word Jesus Christ this week. Amen.
(Visit www.omropres.com or www.pcusa.org to learn about Presbyterians)
Psalm 63:1 “My Soul thirsts for you…”
Psalm 63 is captioned: “A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.” There are many other wilderness experiences in life in which we can find ourselves besides a physical desert. There’s the wilderness of illness, economic recession, job loss, divorce, warfare, and grief to name just a few. It was in the wilderness of Judah that David discovered his need for God, remembered God’s past faithfulness, and rejoiced at God’s presence in worship and the sanctuary.
Augustine said we humans are restless until we find our rest in God. Could it be that God has created us this way—we hunger and thirst for a relationship with God that cannot be satisfied by any other substitute? If that is the case, then our trust in God is most important. We need to tend it. Just as our physical health depends on drinking water to be hydrated, so our spiritual health depends on being rightly related to God. How can this health happen? Jesus told the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well the answer.
“If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink’, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water…. Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give him or her will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” (John 4)
What a Word of promise! Let the beautiful spring showers, flowing rivers, and teeming lakes fill us with joy. Then let those life-giving waters remind us to drink deep from the living water of Christ’s Word so we will be able to make it across every wilderness time and place in life! That living water is available for free at every church oasis on Sunday mornings. There’s plenty for everyone. Don’t forget to bring your canteen!
Thank you Lord for slaking our thirst for God. We will drink deep from the reservoir of your living Word Jesus Christ this week. Amen.
(Visit www.omropres.com or www.pcusa.org to learn about Presbyterians)
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