March 3, 2016

This Spiritual discipline may sound just a little odd, but the idea is one that Jesus mentions in his teaching in Matthew 6:16ff. Jesus is heard to say, “Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 17″But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face… so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you”

In this regard, during the season of Lent, it could be a spiritual discipline to practice doing good deeds for others and not letting anyone know you are doing them.

You see, there is always the little voice in the back of my head saying something about being recognized for the good things that I do. This, of course is not the reason I do the good deeds that I do, but the little voice never gives up. I think it is human nature for others to know the good things we do, but this is not the reason G-d wants us to do good deeds. Good deeds are to come from the heart – and done whether someone notices or not.

Recently a young man died in our congregation who, in my mind, was the epitome of what I am speaking about. This man was often at Trinity Lutheran Lemoyne to do the work of G-d, not to be recognized for doing the work of G-d. He did not want to run a committee or be part of any group, he just wanted to serve G-d as he struggled with finding Grace in his life.

As I often say to people as I leave a meeting, “Do good works”, not to earn G-d’s Grace, nor to be recognized for doing it – just do them, or as Nike says “Just to it”.

Pastor Dave

March 2, 2016

When we hear someone talk about Sabbath, we tend to think of a weekend worship service. The day of the Sabbath can be Saturday, or Sunday – where we attend worship offering up our prayers, praise and thanksgiving to G-d. But the act of Sabbath is something different, and can be done on any day.

In Jesus’ time, the Jewish religious leaders made the seventh day of rest unrecognizable from what God intended. Following what they THOUGHT was the example of the prophet Nehemiah, they decided how far a person could walk, the weight they could carry, and even whether or not they could be HEALED on the Sabbath. Jesus’ approach to the Sabbath, however, was based on common sense. He and the disciples usually totally ignored the unbiblical traditions of the Jews regarding the Sabbath because Jesus felt they were missing what was at the heart of Sabbath, and who was Lord of the Sabbath. As Jesus said, “The Sabbath was meant for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27), and as Matthew Henry said “God never designed it to be a burden to us, therefore we must not make it so to ourselves.”

When we are to remember the Sabbath, as G-d inscribed as the third commandment (yes in some denominations it is the fourth commandment), it can be a reminder to worship G-d – and it can be a reminder to find some holy time and space in your day and do nothing but reflect on your relationship with G-d – not to add more rules and regulations to it, but to use it for our benefit.

During Lent, we should be finding time to reflect on our relationship with G-d, and in that regard, it should be more than just a Sunday affair. Taking a Sabbath can happen any day of the week, any day and time we can carve out for quiet, rest and reflection.

Pastor Dave