Monthly Archives: December 2015

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:44 am on December 31, 2015
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This Is The End, Or Is It??? — Rev. David J. Schreffler

 

December 31, 2015

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let everyone who hears say, “Come.” And let everyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift. I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book; if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away that person’s share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. The one who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.
Revelation 22:17 – 21

“End is not an event but a person. We have good reason then not to try to calculate the date of the end, for he has been, is, and will be. He has come, is here and will come soon. Thirty-three years of humble life in Palestine serve to focus his life for us, but that is a very small slice of who he is, has been, and will be. It is very important for us, but there is much more than we yet know of him. The name Bright Morning Star serves to tie the human and the divine together for us. He comes from the heavenly world but he is also the ruler of Judah (Num 24:17).
This is the one who is coming soon. It would not be good news to be able to say there once was a Jesus, a martyr, a Shoot of David. It is good news to know that he is now alive and coming soon. Those who wash their robes in his blood, who are made clean by his atonement, can enter the Holy City to be with him. There they will find the tree of life, transplanted from Eden (Gen 2:9) from which humanity has been forbidden access by angels (Gen 3:24). Now it is available for all whom the guardian angels permit to enter the city. Life can be prolonged forever by eating of this tree. The olive orchard at Gethsemane was outside the walls, but this one is inside the city where the Lamb is. And access to him is perpetual, since the gates are forever open.” (God’s Song of Revelation: From Easter to Pentecost in the Apocalypse, WENDELL W. FRERICHS, 1986, Luther Northwestern Theological Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota)

I began these devotions as a spiritual exercise and a promise. I made a promise that I would write a devotion every day for a year, and post them on our Facebook page for the church. I have come to the end, the last devotion, and I reach the end of these efforts with a dilemma to face. I would like to take a break from writing, but writing is a devotional exercise for me. I find that I learn more about scripture as I write about a passage. Therefore, I must discern if taking a break is for your benefit, so you seek other places to be fed with G-d’s word, or for my benefit so that I can be fed by others to strengthen my devotions.

The end of the year is a time for beginnings, and endings. When I think about these devotions, I actually began in the middle of December 2014. I have already moved beyond my commitment of a year’s efforts. As you face the challenges that a new year brings into your life, I covet your prayers about my own discernment. Come tomorrow, you will know what my answer will be. If there are no more blogs, no more devotions, no more comments, then my work is done here. And if that is the case, I beg you to continue your own devotions. We all must exercise our spiritual muscles each and every day. Spiritual muscles, and the power of the Holy Spirit are what allow us to face each and every day with faith, with trust, with hope, and with strength. Happy New Year – Blessings to you on the year to come. So, is this the end…?

Pastor Dave

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:44 am on December 30, 2015
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Avoiding Spiritual Decay — Rev. David J. Schreffler

 

December 30, 2015

“Now that day was a sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who had been cured, “It is the sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your mat.” But he answered them, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your mat and walk.’ ” They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take it up and walk’?” Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had disappeared in the crowd that was there. Later Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you have been made well! Do not sin any more, so that nothing worse happens to you.” The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.” John 9:5 – 15

“When I was a child I often had a toothache, and I knew that if I went to my mother she would give me something which would deaden the pain for that night…But I did not go to my mother—at least, not till the pain became very bad. And the reason I did not go was this. I did not doubt she would give me the aspirin; but I knew she would also do something else. I knew she would take me to the dentist the next morning. I could not get what I wanted out of her without getting something more, which I did not want. I wanted immediate relief from pain: but I could not get it without having my teeth set permanently right. And I knew those dentists;I knew they started fiddling about with all sorts of other teeth which had not yet begun to ache. They would not let the sleeping dogs lie…Our Lord is like the dentists. If you give him an inch, He will take an ell (an ell is a former measure of length from the textile industry – about 45 inches). Dozens of people go to him to be cured of some particular sin which they are ashamed of…or which is obviously spoiling daily life…He will cure it all right: but He will not stop there. That may be all you asked; but if once you call Him in, He will give you the full treatment.” (Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis (1898 – 1963) “For All The Saints” volume III, (p. 163 – 164)

I remember, when I was about eight years old, having a visit to the dentist. I went because one of my older brother or sisters could not attend. I went knowing I had a few loose teeth. When I returned home, my mouth was minus eight teeth. Not only did the dentist find loose teeth, he found some that he believed were “in the way” and he removed them with his pliers. I did not allow my mother to send me back to the dentist until I was twenty-three years old, and then I went only because I could not open my mouth because my wisdom teeth were coming in at such a bad angle they were impeding the function of my jaw. I needed to stop seeing the dentist only when there was a problem, and more regularly to avoid problems.

We cannot run to G-d only when our lives have gone bad or we have run into problems, and then wait to return to G-d in similar circumstances. Yet this is how many people treat Jesus. They stay away when everything is fine. But as soon as something happens that severely impairs their life’s functioning, they run to Jesus looking for a fix. Once the fix is in, or not, they run away either complaining about the cost, complaining about the intrusiveness, or complaining about the fix. This is no way to treat your relationship with G-d, or your dentist. Your dentist wants to see you twice a year, and asks you to do certain things daily to avoid seeing him or her more than twice a year. G-d doesn’t want to see us twice a year (like many do) but wants to see each and every one of us every day. G-d doesn’t want to see us only when there is a problem, but gives us daily activities to strengthen our relationship with G-d. And, G-d doesn’t only want to see us twice a year, but asks that we go to G-d daily in prayer, and weekly in bible study, and weekly in worship. We may not be able to avoid problems, but we will have a scheduled appointment daily and weekly to help us with all of our spiritual decay.

Pastor Dave