June 22, 2016

”Then his servants came near and spoke to him (Naaman) and said, “My father, had the prophet told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean ‘?” So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child and he was clean. When he returned to the man of God with all his company, and came and stood before him, he said, “Behold now, I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel; so please take a present from your servant now.”… 2 Kings 5:13-15

“Yan Yan is a Japanese snack food made by Meiji Seika. It comes in a package with two compartments. One side has biscuit sticks (which can be sometimes called cracker sticks), the other side has chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, or yogurt flavored frosting used for dipping. The sticks themselves may also be flavored. Some Yan Yan products are sold in rectangular containers with 9 sticks and dip.” (Wikipedia)

I have never heard of a Yan Yan product until I saw one in my Dollar Spot location. I have heard of this kind of product – I believe Nutella has something similar that is sold in the grocery store. It is a great snack for people on the go. It has the biscuit sticks, it has the dip – a container that has everything that you need in one place. It is that simple.

Naaman the Syrian was in need of healing. He suffered from leprosy. He was a great soldier, but this infirmity was a hindrance to living the best life that he could. So he found that there was a prophet, named Elisha who could heal him, and he went to see the prophet. Elisha sent a messenger out to see him and to tell him that all he needed to do was to go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and he would be healed. He just needed to go to one place and take a dip, and he would be clean. It was that simple.

There are times we wish G-d would give us a challenge so that, when we find the answer we feel as if we have earned it. It is our human nature to want to earn things. This was Naaman’s issue. He felt his status and position deserved at least some amount of “commotion” in his healing. But Naaman was given a gift – he did not need to earn it – he would not need someone to wave their arms over him and make a big deal in healing him.

You and I have also been given a great gift. Jesus died on the cross so that you and I do not need to earn our salvation – we do not need to make a big deal about it, at least so that G-d sees us. But we do need to make a big deal about it so that others know what Jesus has done for us. Jesus has everything we need. It is that simple.

Pastor Dave

June 21, 2016

“…and a woman there had been disabled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was hunched over and could not stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” Then He laid His hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and began to glorify God. But the synagogue leader was indignant that Jesus had healed on the Sabbath. “There are six days for work,” he told the crowd. “So come and be healed on those days and not on the Sabbath.”…Luke 13:11-14

Sixlets are small round candy-coated, chocolate-flavored candy made by Oak Leaf Confections, a SweetWorks company in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The chocolate centers are made from a mixture of cocoa and carob, giving them a “malted” taste. One hypothesis for the name’s origin is that the candy, when originally manufactured, was sold as a penny candy with six candy beads to a tube.

Isn’t it fascinating to learn how candies get their names? In this case, the Sixlets were named probably because only six could fit in the original packaging. Possibly it was the precursor for naming the “Six pack of beer” and the “Six pack Abs”. Nevertheless, six was the magic number.

Six was also the magic number for the synagogue leader in the lesson above. He wants to make it clear to all who can hear him, including Jesus that the Sabbath is not to be a day considered for healing. It went against Sabbath rules. Notice the leader is not particularly interested in the fact that Jesus healed a woman – right in front of him. This was not enough to get him to flinch. Would you have stopped and wondered in amazement if someone healed a person right in front of you? I sure would. But not this leader. He is only concerned with following the rules of the synagogue. “There are six days of the week to work – come on those days and be healed.” Does the leader even hear himself? Does he know he is suggesting the supernatural – the amazing work of G-d in his midst should only be done on the days that humans determine? How presumptuous of us to say G-d can only work on certain days. It would be like a pastor saying “G-d is only available on Sundays.”

The message is clear – we cannot try to put G-d in a box and presume we know when and where G-d will work. What we need to do is be prepared to respond with prayer, praise and thanksgiving when G-d does amazing things in our lives.

Pastor Dave