Monthly Archives: March 2015

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:18 am on March 16, 2015
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“The Touch of the Master’s Hand” – Rev. David J. Schreffler

March 16, 2015

“They came to…the country of the Gerasenes. And when (Jesus) came out of the boat, there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who lived among the tombs; and no one could bind him any more, even with a chain; for he had often been bound with fetters and chains, but the chains he wrenched apart, and the fetters he broke in pieces; and no one had the strength to subdue him. Crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High G*d?” Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion; for we are many.” He begged him eagerly not to send them out of the country. He gave them leave. And the unclean spirits came out, and entered the swine. People came to see what it was that had happened. And they came to Jesus, and saw the demoniac sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, the man who had had the legion.”
Mark 5:1-20

“Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer
Thought it scarcely worth his while
To waste much time on the old violin,
But he held it up with a smile;
“What am I bidden, good folks,” he cried
“Who’ll start the bidding for me?”
“A dollar, a dollar, now two, only two
Two dollars, and who’ll make it three?

Three dollars once, three dollars twice
Going for three.” But no –
From the room far back, a gray-haired man
Came forward and picked up the bow,
Then wiping the dust from the old violin
And tightening up all the strings
He played a melody pure and sweet,
As sweet as the angel sings.

The music ceased and the auctioneer
With a voice that was quiet and low
Said, “What am I bid for the old violin?”
And he held it up with the bow.
“A thousand dollars, and who’ll make it two?
Two thousand and who’ll make it three?
Three thousand once, three thousand twice
And going, and gone,” said he.

The people cheered, but some of them cried,
“We do not quite understand-
What changed its worth?” Swift came the reply,
“The touch of the Master’s hand.”
And many a man with life out of tune,
And battered and torn with sin
Is auctioned cheap to a thoughtless crowd,
Much like the old violin.

A mess of pottage, a life of shame
A game and he travels on.
He’s going once, he’s going twice,
He’s going and almost gone.
But the Master comes and the foolish crowd
Never can quite understand
The worth of a soul and the change that’s wrought
By the touch of the Master’s hand.”

“The Touch Of The Master’s Hand”

Pastor Dave

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:32 am on March 15, 2015  

Gifts – Rev. David J. Schreffler

March 15, 2015
Sunday

“But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.” Ephesians 2:4-10

How have you been made alive together with Christ this week? Every Sunday, during the seasons that are not Lent, we hear these words, or similar words, as part of the absolution – the corporate forgiveness of sins. What helps us to be alive in Christ is that “by Grace we have been saved.” “What is Grace?” you may ask. Grace is a gift – it is Jesus going to the cross to die for us so that we can be made right with G*d. There is nothing we can do to earn such grace – as I said it is a gift. It was given freely to us.

So what do we do with gifts? We open them – we take time to assess what they might mean to us, how valuable they might be to us – and then we put them to use. If we get a cheap flashlight from a dollar store, we may find that we do not cherish that gift very much, and if it breaks, we most likely will discard it. But if we get a gift that is priceless, or at least very, very expensive, then we treat it with care, we protect it, and if it is damaged, we spend the money to get it fixed.

Recently I received the gift of a “OOga” horn. What is that? It is one of the old horns that was on a Model A or T car. It has a lever on the top of the horn that you depress and you get that classic “OOOOOGA” sound. The gift came from my parents. It may not be worth much to some people, but to me it is priceless. When my father had the horn, it did not work – it was broken. He either worked on it himself, or he had someone else work on it, took it completely apart and reassembled it, and now it works beautifully. This gift connects me to my parents: it comes from my past, and more importantly it connects me to the now, and so the gift is priceless.

The greatest gift we ever received was the cross of Jesus Christ, who died for us so that we all may be saved. The cross connects you and me to G*d, it connects us to the past, but is ever-present in the now. If this gift means something to you, the gift of the cross of Jesus Christ and your relationship with him, cherish this gift: take time this Lent to repair it – if it is broken; to protect it, if you have been careless with it; and to show that you value it, if you have been taking it for granted.

Pastor Dave