Tag Archives: G*d

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:44 am on December 20, 2015
Tags: G*d, ,   

A Christian Museum? — Rev. David J. Schreffler

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December 20, 2015
Sunday

“When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Luke 1:41 – 42

“Christmas is G-d at work with rescue. Joseph was told to name the baby “Jesus” because He would be the Savior, the one chosen by G-d to redeem His people. Dimly but surely in the faith of the earliest people was this ingredient: that G-d had rescue in need, help from death. Above all, this was the hope of that faith: that G-d whom men might cast aside would not cast them off, that He might return and forgive, that He would have mercy. He (G-d) has done what He could, the Lord of heaven and earth, in order to rescue us: He has given His own Son!” Richard R. Caemmerer, Sr. (1904 – 1984) A Sermon: “In Advent, Wait for Rescue” “For All The Saints” volume III, (p. 125 – 126)

There is the old story told about the Life Saving Station that was built along a long strip of coastline far away from civilization. The station was famous for their quick action in the midst of a calamity. The station was a crude building housing just the basics needed for the rescue of those lost on the sea. But soon, members of the rescue station began to question their surroundings. If they were to be the first rate saving station everyone talked about, they should have a first rate building. So the people went to work to build a new life saving station building. While they were in the midst of their building campaign, the saving of lives continued in earnest. But those who were responsible for the rescue of strangers said they needed first rate equipment if they were to be housed in a first rate building. So the effort was put forth to secure first rate equipment, while the saving of lives continued. But over time,while the efforts to update their building and their equipment was utmost on their minds, it allowed less and less time to rescue strangers. And those who built the new building said “We do not want the building being ruined by these strangers who come in wet and soiled – they will ruin these first rate facilities.” And those who rescued the strangers said “All of these rescues of strangers are damaging our new equipment, or at least they are taking away their luster, and if we have a shiny new building, we want shiny new equipment.”

In time, the people of the area boasted of the first rate Life Saving Station, and they showed people the new shiny equipment housed in the first rate Life Saving Station. People were still being lost on the sea, but few people were rescued any more.

G-d wants us to be in the business of rescue. Our G-d, who rescues us from sin, death and the devil through Jesus Christ, asks us to do the same. We are to be the hands and feet of Christ. Yes, we all want to have first rate buildings, and first rate life saving equipment. But, if we focus only on protecting our building and facilities, rather than inviting strangers into our midst, we will have a beautiful building filled with shiny life saving equipment, but it will serve only as a museum for those who want to know what Christianity used to be about.

Pastor Dave

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:44 am on December 3, 2015
Tags: Chosen, G*d   

We Are A Royal Priesthood — Rev. David J. Schreffler

 

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December 3, 2015

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9

“The miracle of the church assembly lies in that it is not the “sum” of the sinful and unworthy people who comprise it, but the body of Christ. How often do we say we are going to church to obtain help, strength or consolation? We forget, meanwhile that we are the Church, we make it up, that Christ abides in his members and that the Church does not exist outside us or above us, but we are in Christ and Christ is in us.” Alexander Schmemann (1921 – 1983) Eucharist: Sacrament of the Kingdom, “For All The Saints” volume II, (p. 1247)

I remember the first day I talked to my wife at the church we were attending. At the time we both sang in the choir, and of course she was beautiful and I was the luckiest man in the world to have her attention. Anyway, in the course of time, we married, and soon were introduced to other young couples, with and without children, and these couples became part of our church and social reality. Over the years I have observed the changes that have happened to all of us, all of the couples. They were changes I never thought would happen when we first met, changes that none of us would ever imagine would happen to us. The changes were unimaginable because we thought we were in control of our futures. And in some ways we do have some control. You see, our choices, both individually, and as couples, lead us all down certain roads – but not the same roads.

We will never know where our choices will take us in life, but, as I said in my devotion on December 2, our choices make the future “us”. In the process of making our choices, we should be asking the Holy Spirit to guide us in our choices. And, in the choices we make, we choose who will be in the sphere of our social circles. The church is filled with people, and they are not all righteous yet, and they are not perfect, and they have their flaws, and they have their influence. Remember, as I have said many times this year in my devotions, our collective identity as Christians comes in the fact that G-d has first chosen us through our baptisms. This alone, not the people we socialize with, not the people we worship next to, and not the family we come from, but our chosen-ness by G-d is what marks us as G-d’s people, and we will remain G-d’s people no matter what happens to us along the way of life.

Pastor Dave