Monthly Archives: August 2015

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:44 am on August 15, 2015
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That Great and Terrible Day — Rev. David J. Schreffler

 

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August 15, 2015

“Lo, I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of parents to their children and the hearts of children to their parents, so that I will not come and strike the land with a curse.”  Malachi 4:5-6

“The promise of the Day of YHWH does not come without its requirements, however. The day of the Lord is a blessing for the righteous because they “Remember the teaching of my servant Moses, the statutes and ordinances that I commanded him at Horeb…” As we wait for the Lord to make things right, we must remember that we are called to stricter obedience to God’s will. The obedience is herein described in terms of the Mosaic Law complete with its statutes and ordinances. Though we, as Christians, have a different relationship with Mosaic Law, we are not less obliged to “remember” that we have been called to a different set of values than those posed by our world. As Christians, we are called to live our lives by God’s system of rights and wrongs. Taking seriously personal morality and our commitment to justice, we are called to live out an example of God’s ways, rejecting the dangerous moral postures that hurt our brothers and sisters, and offering a new way of living out God’s forgiveness, truth, and light. We are called to express a new Law, the Law of Love that Jesus repeatedly commands of us as the testimony of our fellowship with him.”

(December 21, 2008, Rodney S. Sadler, Jr.)

Not too long ago I wrote about making promises to our children (and here I could include our entire family) that we will always be there for them. The point I was making is the fact that we make this promise knowing full well that we cannot guarantee that reality. The true fact of life is that we cannot predict to any great degree of accuracy, when we might leave this world. It may not be for three score or more — it may be tomorrow. And if we delude ourselves into thinking that we always have enough time to establish a relationship with Jesus Christ, that there is always plenty of time to get the “G*d Thing” down in our lives, it is a continuation of the delusion. As the parable of the man who built bigger barns to keep his stuff teaches us, G*d may come tonight to demand our presence in the Heavenly realm. So, if we believe that we have plenty of time to wait to work on justice and peace in this world, or if we believe that we have plenty of time to take obedience seriously, obedience to the ways that Jesus calls us to live, we had better begin to change our thinking now. There is no better time than right now to consider the “Great and Terrible Day of the Lord” — for it may be here before you know it.

Pastor Dave

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:44 am on August 14, 2015
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The Holy Spirit is Calling, Will You Answer? — Rev. David J. Schreffler

 

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August 14, 2015

“He said to me: O mortal, stand up on your feet, and I will speak with you. And when he spoke to me, a spirit entered into me and set me on my feet; and I heard him speaking to me. He said to me, Mortal, I am sending you to the people of Israel, to a nation of rebels who have rebelled against me;” Ezekiel 2:1-3a

“Have you ever felt God calling or leading you to something that you weren’t sure how you were going to do? Perhaps it’s to start a food bank at your church or to share your faith story. It can be terrifying when God calls us to come and follow. That’s what God did to Ezekiel. “Stand up on your feet. I am sending you.” But here’s the interesting part. Ezekiel didn’t stand on his feet by his own volition. The Spirit entered him and set him on his feet. I find courage and strength in knowing that even as God calls me, I do not go alone. God will always send the Spirit to lead me.”   Luther Seminary devotions, June 29, 2015
Jennifer Beil — St. Timothy Lutheran Church, Portland, Ore.

There are many people in the church who often feel that trying to start something new at the church is so impossible that they quit before they even begin. They don’t try for several reasons usually including, but not limited to: push back from those who say “we tried that before and it just didn’t work”; others who say “we don’t have the money to do that”; and still others who say “we don’t want “those” people in our church”.

It is a daunting task to take on a new ministry, to volunteer for something you are scared to try, or to serve on a committee, but remember, when you answer the call “to follow”, you do not go it alone. The Holy Spirit is always there not only to confirm your calling, but to support you when the “nay sayers” begin to throw up road blocks. And there will be those who try to stop you — out of what they believe are “reasonable words of advice”. But, remember, G*d calls us to comfort the afflicted, and to afflict the comfortable. Anything new, a new ministry, a new program, a new group to serve, a new direction will afflict those who do not like change.

Remember, Ezekiel did not stand up on his own, the Holy Spirit entered into him, stood him up, and said “Off you go”. If you have the Holy Spirit, nothing can or will stand in your way. Oh you may get a lot of push back from those who fear change, but trust the Holy Spirit to fight your battles for you.

Pastor Dave