Listen

Romans 10:8-13

Kathy Zimmerman

Have you ever prepared a meal for someone and the only comment you hear is “This tastes…interesting.”  What does that mean?  Is the diner saying “What a fascinating confluence of flavors you have prepared to create the perfect culinary delight” or “It’s curious that you chose to put these ingredients together to create this inedible mess”?

If we only hear words, we miss so very much of what is said.  We need to use all of our senses to really understand the meaning, to really listen.  If we see that the dinner plate is left essentially untouched, we know the diner meant the latter.

The same is true of our relationship with God.  “That if you confess with your mouth ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved” (Romans 10:9-10).  If we proclaim that we believe Jesus Christ is our savior but turn our backs on our brothers and sisters in need, we have spoken only with our mouths and not with our hearts.  But if we profess our love for Christ and lend a helping hand to those who need it and share with others what we have, we are saying with our hearts that Jesus is in us.  That is a statement worth listening to.

PRAYER:  Lord, please help me to be a good listener.   Help me listen to my heart.  Amen.

Feast

Luke 5:27-32

Art Evans

About three years ago, our fellow Christ the King member, Allen Wild, got me involved with Habitat For Humanity, a nonprofit, ecumenical, Christian ministry.   We were volunteering at the construction of a 12-unit condominium building, and I noticed that many of the prospective home owners had names that were African or Middle Eastern.  It was the practice of “Habitat” to put a picture and the names of the new families on the entrance to each condo.  Of course, at that time I was uncertain of the religious-affiliation of each owner.   Although I do my best to live by the words Jesus taught to us during His Sermon on the Mount, especially those written by Matthew – see Mt 5:46, I must admit I was curious why “Habitat” could not find some Christians “just like me” to support.  

Finally, it was the day of Dedication for the condominium, and each new family was presented with the keys to their new home.   I was so glad to see that in addition to a brand new home each was presented with a Bible!   Think of it; a new home and the Word of God all in one.   I knew then that the Kingdom of God is truly for everyone, and I was wrong in my perception when I first viewed those pictures on each condo entrance.  I was like the Pharisees complaining to the disciples about who Jesus was supporting by attending a banquet given at the house of a hated tax collector.  When Jesus came to Matthew’s house, he was saying to us to open our minds, eyes, and hearts to see the world the way He sees the world.   The gift of the Bible was an invitation to feast on the Bread of Life.  Jesus says, “He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty”.   It was an invitation to drink the Living Water.  Jesus says, “the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life”.    Jesus shared his love and presence with everyone, not just His friends during the feast at Matthew’s house, and it is our obligation as followers of the teachings of our Lord and Savior to do the same.  

PRAYER: Lord, help us to live by Your teachings and not just read them.  Amen

Who Do You Serve?

Isaiah 58:1-9

Lynne Roots

Christmas and Easter come once a year.  Sunday is just one day of the week.  Our Bible verse for this devotional talks about fasting.  The people are miffed because they have been fasting and following all the rules but have not been noticed.  “Why have we fasted and you have not seen it?  Why have we humbled ourselves and you have not noticed?” The response to that: “Is this the kind of day I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself?....”a day acceptable to the Lord?” Oops!  Too many of us think that going to church on Sunday, showing up for Christmas Eve or Easter morning or fasting during Lent is enough service.  Guess again.  God doesn’t want us to be part time Christians.  We are to wear our Christianity daily....feed the hungry….provide shelter for the wanderer…clothe the naked…and not to turn away from our own flesh and blood.  A very tall order. Being a Christian takes work, a concerted effort, a commitment.   We each have our own thoughts about what it means to serve and how and when.

Remember, service is an act of humility not recognition.

PRAYER:  Help me remember I am the servant.

Letting Go

Luke 9:22-25

Trudie Goff

It was fortuitous that I would randomly select the theme of “letting go” as my Lenten devotion to write this year.  For me personally, the year of 2009 was a year of letting go of so much…people both in body and spirit, and really, letting go of my own will and finally letting God lead my life.  This exercise of writing has honestly has helped me to reflect and see God’s handiwork in guiding my spirit back in alignment with His vision for my life.  The by-product has been peace to my weary soul and a sense of purpose in the many avenues of my life as a wife, mother, teacher, friend, only child and daughter to my aging mother, and counterpart to society.  I feel reconnected to God and am asking daily for Him to allow me to be his disciple in all I do.

The verses from Luke 9: 23-24 say, “Then He said to them all, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For those of who want to their save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it.”  I can’t think of two more important verses that help me to reflect on the essentialness of giving our lives over to the one who wonderfully made us and to live our lives for His purposes.

But it is easier said than done because real life steps in and rears its’ somewhat ugly head and can knock us off the course and path we walk upon.  Life happens…losses too many to count, tragedy, sorrow, and sadness. We all have been there in one way or another.  

I questioned it many times…where was God in the midst of all of my heartache and confusion?   Of course He was there. I had been through so much in years prior being dealt a healthcare crisis in my own life several years prior.  God remained more than faithful in saving my physical life and guarding my family as we went through the darkest nights of our souls. 

My father died of cancer on New Year’s Eve last year.  Less than one week later, a dear friend of nearly 22 years died a horrible death to cancer as well.  I also had been experiencing many challenges both professionally and personally.  My peace of mind was challenged and I was washed over in a sea of grief and total confusion. 

God continually was whispering to me literally, “Let go.”  And at times, I did and other times, I clung to my own understanding of situations and it got me nowhere very quickly. 

It reminded metaphorically of my college summers of working at Lutherdale Bible Camp in Elkhorn, WI.   We had a “ropes course” that the junior and senior high campers would spend time in teams doing various activities like scaling walls, climbing trees, and doing the “trust fall.”  For me, the “trust fall” was truly the hardest of the ropes course challenges.  Each of us took a turn to stand on an old log backwards with all of the counselors standing behind us with outstretched arms for us to fall into.

You simply were to let go, trust and fall into their arms.  There was no danger of being dropped. These were trusted and kind friends.  Yet, I was completely petrified.  When I finally allowed myself the courage to actually fall, it was an amazing feeling.  It was like all the heaviness in my heart had melted away. Peace and trust abounded.  I often go back to that moment as a 20 year old young woman and remember looking up at all of my friends and smiling. They cheered because they knew how very difficult it was for me to go off of that old log.   God must smile at us when we finally just fall off the old logs of our lives and allow him to replace that mistrust with trust.

My good friend Margie always called this “letting go and letting God” a “freefall into grace.”  My own faith journey has been many ups and downs of letting go.  But this time, at nearly 47 years old, I decided to surrender and “take up my cross for Christ.”

A book I can highly recommend that really aided my thinking and transformed how I got through this difficult period in my life is called How Can I Let Go If I don’t Know I’m Holding On?  Setting our Souls Free.  Written by a Christian writer named Linda Douty, I found myself drawn to her Godly words and insight.  

I would like to end this with a prayer she uses in her book from Kenya, United Methodist Hymnal:

PRAYER:“From the cowardice that dares not face new truth,

From the laziness that is contented with half-truth,

From the arrogance that thinks it knows all truth,

Good Lord, deliver us….AMEN”

May God give you the courage to examine your hearts and spirits and to “let go”. Let Him bind up your wounds, dry your tears, and give you a better way to live.   Fall off of that log and into those loving arms of God’s grace.

Ash Wednesday

Matthew 6:1-6,16-18

Dave Whelan

As Lent begins today, God wants us to quietly listen to the words of his son.  What does that mean “quietly?”  Jesus says in the gospel “Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness before men, to be seen by them.  If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in Heaven.”  He goes on by saying “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men.”   During this Lenten period, there are so many opportunities for us to perform “random acts of kindness” that can be done without a lot of celebration or fanfare.  Look no further than provide some type of assistance for those in need down in Haiti.  The survivors will be in need for a period much longer than the next 40 days.  We at Christ the King have already been sending our first fruits from the Silver to Gold campaign to Haiti, but certainly now is the time for each of us to step up that effort.  During the pastoral transition period here at CTK, many programs can be sustained as well as enhanced through several additional hours of your time each week.  Rather than sit back and wait for a new “leader,” take charge of a program, committee or service activity and make it the best it can be.  Let’s not make this just a good place for a new Pastor to join, but a great place to share God’s word and to help those truly in need.  Be quiet about your mission, from whatever pulpit works for you, but do it enthusiastically. 

PRAYER: Dear Lord, as we enter into this Lenten season, please allow each of us to quietly yet enthusiastically provide for the needy, pray for the sick and the lonely, and act in so many ways that can assist those less fortunate than us.  Amen

Lenten 2010: Give Up 5 Minutes of Stress, Receive 5 Minutes of Community

Many of the daily devotions that you will read this Lenten Season reflect the troubled economic times in which we live. Troubled times in which many people seek community. Challenging times in which the Church seeks guidance and leadership.  While many seek community via face-to-face contact, others seek community via means that they practice daily. And, to many that means realizing community with others around the world using Internet technologies.

Internet technologies present an interesting set of challenges and opportunities to the Christian Church. At Christ the King, we see cyber technologies as a means to further evangelize the Gospel of Christ. Responding to Christ’s direction – “as the Father has sent me, so I send you” – we go forth into cyber space proclaiming the His glory. We provide devotions at this site as witness to the Word. We hope you find the devotions spiritually interesting and rewarding.

When Ash Wednesday arrives in a few days, we invite you, in the tradition of Lent, to give up 5 minutes of stress each day and give yourself 5 minutes of Christian peace, reflection, and community. In those 5 minutes, join us - the members of Christ the King Lutheran Church and others from around the world - as a community, dare we say a family, of Christian believers come together for spiritual renewal and growth through commitment to Christ and each other.

Here is how you can receive the cyber edition of the 2010 CTK Lenten Devotions:
>Go to the devotions page and bookmark the site now - come back often!
>Or, you can go to the devotions page and subscribe by clicking on "Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)" at the bottom of a daily post
>If you received the devotions via email last year, you will continue to receive the devotions via email
>Remember, you are always welcomed to join us for worship (Sunday at 8:30 AM and 11:00 AM) or visit us at www.Christ-the-King-Lutheran.org

The Fine Print: All scripture in our devotions is linked to the oremus Bible Browser. We thank Simon Kershaw for his permission to link to this site. We thank the National Council of Churches USA for allowing us to provide scripture text. This blog carefully follows the copyright permission as specified by the NCC USA.

'New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.’

‘New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.’

Easter Sunday

Mark 16:1-8

Pastor Scott McAnally

In my life there have been many moments where I have felt like those gathered around the tomb on that Easter morning as Mark’s Gospel reports. I have felt alone and been afraid, not knowing what’s going to come next. I’m sure that all of us at one time or another have felt this way. With challenges facing us as a society today in the economic and political spectrums, it’s easy to get ourselves down and to lose hope. The world wants us to look at the empty tomb and ‘be afraid.’ (vs. 8)

But that’s not the end of the story. Here we stand some 2000 years later because those disciples refused to let fear ‘seize’ them. They went and they told the story…

Christ is Risen! Christ is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!

Today is the day we celebrate that amidst the fears and uncertainties in our lives, there is one certainty that we can proclaim, that Christ has risen from the dead! “This is the feast of victory for our God! Alleluia!” Amidst your doubts, your fears, and your sorrows, Christ comes to you, risen and alive…and raises you up to a new creature in Christ, alive, forgiven, and comforted. Today you are not alone, you are Christ’s and have been named and placed in Christ’s care and love. So…on this day…on the day of Resurrection, know that no matter where you are, where you might be, what challenges might be facing you, and no matter what is ailing you, Christ is with you…Christ is present…and Christ will be with you always! Hallelujah!

PRAYER: God of mercy, we longer look for Jesus among the dead, for he is alive and has become the Lord of life. Increase in our minds and hearts the risen life we share with Christ, and help us to grow as your people toward the fullness of eternal life with you, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.