Tag Archives: Discipleship

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:44 am on October 26, 2015
Tags: , Discipleship, ,   

Wrestling With G*d — Rev. David J. Schreffler

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October 26, 2015

“The rabble among them had a strong craving; and the Israelites also wept again, and said, “If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we used to eat in Egypt for nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; but now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at. Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, all at the entrances of their tents. Then the Lord became very angry, and Moses was displeased. So Moses said to the Lord, “Why have you treated your servant so badly? Why have I not found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me? Did I conceive all this people? Did I give birth to them, that you should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries a sucking child,’ to the land that you promised on oath to their ancestors? Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they come weeping to me and say, ‘Give us meat to eat!’ I am not able to carry all this people alone, for they are too heavy for me. If this is the way you are going to treat me, put me to death at once—if I have found favor in your sight—and do not let see my misery”. Numbers 11:4-6, 10-15

There is a painful hunger among the people for meat and fish – a hunger among the rabble, those who have joined the wanderings . There was a craving for the old diet. They were tired of the manna. In fact they were so despondent that they “craved” their slavery in Egypt — freedom has brought them a “bland” diet. And, incredibly, Moses agrees. And Moses is harsh with G*d: “Did I conceive these people? Did I give birth to them?” Moses is trying to remind G*d that they are G*d’s responsibility. G*d must be a part of the caring for these people.

First it was Moses who wrestled with G*d when he was called to lead the people out of Egypt. Then it was the people who were wrestling with G*d: “We have no water. We have no meat to eat.” Now it is Moses again wrestling with G*d over these people who cannot make up their minds. They try to commit completely to G*d, but fear holds them back. Is it fear now that drives Moses to confront G*d?

G*d wants to remind Moses that it is G*d who has given he and the people their gifts. And when G*d gives you more, G*d may demand more. Have you ever thought about that? When G*d has heaped upon you blessing after blessing, does it not make sense that G*d has the right to demand more from you? In fact it is in Luke 12:48 where it reads “From everyone who has been given much, much will be required, and from the one who has been entrusted with much, even more will be asked.”

Moses says “If I have found favor in your sight, put me to death now and do not let me see my misery.” It appears that Moses is trying to own the responsibility, and yet he feels helpless, and so is seeking any way through – even death. And so G*d arranges for Moses to get help from the people – 70 elders, men of authority.

There will be times in our lives where we feel helpless and where complaining or even death seems to be the only recourse. And then there are times where we feel helpless and realize that we cannot bear the burdens all on our own. G*d is always there to help us bear our burdens, and there will be others placed into our midst to whom we can reach out for assistance. It is our responsibility to ask G*d for help, and our responsibility to realize that G*d may ask more from us. Either way, we need only trust G*d to help us through.

Pastor Dave

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:44 am on October 22, 2015
Tags: Discipleship   

Models of Discipleship — Rev. David J. Schreffler

 

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October 22, 2015

“Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” I Peter 3:3-4 NIV

“Voluptuous blonde actresses and famous well-built athletes: What do they have in common besides million dollar salaries? One common denominator I observe is the illusion of perfection, modeled by their outward appearance. This philosophic thought came to me at the post office. Long lines of impatient customers and rows of tiny post boxes do not usually produce an atmosphere of contemplation. But today I gazed at the stamp designs, enlarged and framed. The splashy illustrations showed perfectly formed bodies. The drawings ignored inborn flaws of ordinary people. As I inched forward to mail my package, I pondered the committee’s choice of stamp heroes. Did a special stamp commission or maybe a government bigwig vote from a list of persons whom they emulated and revered? Let me describe a person they should have chosen. She is not a glamorous blonde, but has been a beautiful redhead for her 47 years. Or, she did have red hair, before radiation and chemotherapy. She has had brain surgery and a bone plate removed from her skull. She now sports a large hollow spot, her scalp sinking in a four-inch wide circle on the side of her nearly bald head. A large U-shaped scar surrounds that indentation.

This description doesn’t match the images on those postage stamp portraits. But I am certain my sister is more beautiful than any Hollywood legend. She is better qualified to be honored on a stamp than any big-name athlete. My sister Marilyn has inner beauty that a scalpel cannot mutilate. Radiation may destroy her hair follicles but they cannot destroy her soul. She models her life as a Christ-follower and has her eyes fixed on a crown. She gives glory to God in all her circumstances. Her earthly tent may be stricken with brain cancer, but the core of her being has not changed. In the face of terminal illness she has strong faith—even on the hard days. In spite of physical misery, she remains motivated to help others. She’s wheelchair bound, so she phones: Ordering gift books, giving words of encouragement; words of witness that everyone can be made whole and forgiven through Jesus Christ.” (Kathleen Grimm Welty, CBN website)

We often look for models of “something” — a person or a picture that models what it is we are selling, or proclaiming. For example, Jesus one day was talking to his disciples, trying to teach them what discipleship in the “Kingdom of G*d” looked like. His disciples had just finished arguing amongst themselves about who was greater than whom, and Jesus was desperately trying to teach them about his own suffering, death and resurrection. So, Jesus took a child and placed the child in among them and said “Anyone who welcomes this child welcomes me.” Or in other words, the child was Jesus’ model for discipleship — someone who has the purity, the innocence, the willingness and the openness to join in with his mission. This was Jesus’ model, but it didn’t fit the disciples’ model for discipleship. They wanted to be “rulers”, “leaders”, “kings” along with the power and prestige that would come with it — Jesus was trying to tell them they had the wrong model in mind.

The church and the world are filled with people who want to be first, who want to be leaders, who want to be held in great esteem, who seek glory and power. Jesus says that unless we strip away these “models” of greatness in our hearts, minds, and churches, our striving to be first will only lead us to last place.

Pastor Dave