March 17, 2023– Swimming Against Cultural Impulses

“Then God spoke all these words: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or his ass, or anything that is your neighbor’s.” Now when all the people perceived the thunderings and the lightnings and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled; and they stood afar off, and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will hear; but let not God speak to us, lest we die.” And Moses said to the people, “Do not fear; for God has come to prove you, and that the fear of him may be before your eyes, that you may not sin.” Exodus 20:1-2, 16-20

“A step toward bona fide Christian stewardship concedes that our battle to obtain more and more material possessions is little worth the struggle.” (Lenten Devotional Stewardship Principles, We walk together as stewards in God’s church, ELCA, 2012, March 11)

“A step toward bona fide Christian stewardship concedes that our battle to obtain more and more material possessions is little worth the struggle.” I couldn’t have said it any better. It takes swimming against the cultural impulse to gather, hoard and covet if we are to live the Christ-like life. When Moses received the Ten Commandments, it was clear that G-d knew human nature so well –which is no surprise since G-d created us. So G-d laid out some difficult rules – do not lie, do not murder, do not steal, and do not covet, just to mention a few. We don’t have to look too far to see these being lived out in our communities, our neighborhoods, and our churches. That is why G-d didn’t just suggest these rules, G-d commanded us to live by these rules, suggesting that if we did, we would be better off as a people of faith. Of course, we also know that “keeping the commandments” becomes an impossible task – but remains a sure guide for our lives.

And so while we know that material possessions will eventually be worthless to us, yet we still wish to have them. And there is the rub. We covet, but we wish we were happy with what we already have. We hoard, but we wish we didn’t. The only way to change our ways is to know our weaknesses – and to seek the Holy Spirit’s power to help us live differently – in the name of Jesus.

Let us pray, Dear G-d, thank you for the blessings you have given me this day. Help me know that you will always provide what I need, and sometimes what I want. Amen.

Pastor Dave

March 16, 2023 — Sharing As A Spiritual Discipline

“I have been paid in full and have more than enough; I am fully satisfied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. And my God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.” Philippians 4:18-20

“Paul was a man who was characterized by sincere gratitude. He knew that the gift that the Philippian believers had lovingly sent to him had cost them dearly. And he wanted them to know that the gift had done the job. They needed to know how well the need was met by this gift; and so, he writes to tell them that indeed it was! He even speaks in very assuring terms; that he had “all”, that he “abounded”, and that he was “full”. That must have made them very happy.” (Bethanybible.org)

The discipline of sharing could also be called the discipline of giving or of charity. It means, simply, to share my financial and material resources with others, whether that’s with the needy, or with missionaries, or with the church. Sometimes the giving is within our means while other times the giving pushes us beyond them. The question we must always ask is this: do we trust the Lord that our needs will always be met?”

Make it a habit to share with someone every day – whether it is financial, it is emotional, or it is religious. When we live to share, then we live a life of sharing, and sharing then has a better chance of becoming a spiritual discipline.

Lord, You have blessed me with so much more than many people have, and I am so grateful. Help me to have faith that rests on the knowledge that you will provide for all my needs, too. Amen.

Pastor Dave