Why is the Kingdom of God so far away? Why is it that we must wait for eternity? When did God ever give us the impression that we must wait, with our teeth ground to nubs for his Kingdom to arrive? Many times Jesus himself refers to the Kingdom of God in the present. Many of the authors view it the same way. Did Abraham believe Gods Kingdom was anywhere other then Israel? Did Noah believe the land left after the flood, to be given to man forever, was anything other then the Kingdom of God? Was Gods Creation in the begining anything other then his Kingdom? Too many men and women have spent to much time looking for gratification in the after life, looking beyond the here and now for an escape. The Kingdom of God is no pleasure cruise and he never said it would be when he cast Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. Gods Kingdom, his original creation, is as much his gift to us as heaven is. Was man turned loose on earth just to wait for heaven, or the second coming? Is it really that bland, is that all we can hope for? Or is it more, can it be more? Can it be that man was put here to look after one another and all Gods creation with equal care and respect? Do we trip over peace and salvation,trying to pickup words and versus hoping for the next step to salvation? Do we want to corner the market so bad on salvation that we are willing to look over the simplest and most basic of the things God has given us?
In a rush to hope the Rapture is the next blockbuster hit we miss the fact that Jesus the Son of man, Gods own Son told us to see God in everyone, see hope in the littlist of children to the oldest of men and women. Jesus wants us to know this because we are living in the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom and glory are all around us. These versus from Deuteronomy 30:11-14 explain it best
Now what I am commanding you today is not too dificult for you or beyond your reach. It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, "Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?" Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, "Who wil cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?" No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Friday, November 9, 2007
More, more, more
In a world so full of more, more, more, don't let yourself get caught in the undertow. To establish a belief and a set of morals that stem from that belief is important. To get caught in the more, more, more of society is to weaken those morals not just in thought but in deed as well. When we were given the Ten Commandments they were not meant so much as restrictions as they meant peace could be established for all humanity. The ideals and thoughts brought about in the Commandments as well as other writings are there to keep man honest amongst each other while we meander through life trying not to botch it. If we compromise these things by letting ourselves be caught in the undertow of more, more, more we lose sight of keeping our neighbors well being ahead of our own. We stop thinking of the importance of our families and more of what we can have outside of it. Most of all we lose sight of the man upstairs who keeps everything together. Next time you reach that impasse where you want more or "need" more think of others you put out because of it, and if you want to look at it another way everyone you step on going up the ladder will wave at you on your way back down.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Faith is not a weapon
Since I can remember faith of almost all kinds have had to fight with the idea of power and violence. Christians have had the Crusades not to mention a smattering of other less glorious violent routes in the name of God and Jesus. Islam has had its share of wars not only with Christians but with Jews and any number of non-believers. The Jews despite many episodes of torment have become a people well versed in the strength it takes to overcome adversity with faith, yet recently(circa 1948) feel the need to use force against those who have "invaded" their home land. Why is it that we must use our beliefs as weapons against each other not only between faith but within faith. Either their is room for movement in belief or their is no movement in belief. There is no middle ground, period end of story. That is what many would have you believe. They would have you believe that the answers are here, whether they are in the Bible, the Koran, or the Torah. Why is there no room for movement? Why is it that a God we believe is so powerful wouldn't want us to find what we need from different faiths or different creeds within a certain faith? It is my hope that one day it may be possible for my children or children's children to understand not just Christianity but other religions as well so that they may appreciate what they have to offer not only in belief but in history. Most all faiths that I can think of are based on the idea for the betterment of society as a whole no just the singleness of the individual. We need to take a close look at our faiths and examine why it is that we must be self centered as a faith, instead of outgoing to others whether like minded or not. That is what we are called to do whether it be via God through Jesus, Abraham, Mohamed, Buddha, or any other figure. Our focus should be on what makes us the same rather then what makes us different. If you float along the river of love God has given us you will begin to understand the love and comfort that comes from helping others float rather then struggling against them.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
COSLC Newsletter September 2007
What makes us Spiritual, Christian, Lutheran? What makes us Humble, Dedicated, Loving? What gives us Strength, Passion, Faith? Is it all even understandable? These are huge concepts to digest and understand. These aren’t things that just happen as we get older. These aren’t things that just one day manifest themselves. These are traits, beliefs, and attitudes that make us who we are. If one brick could make a house, then we would be at ease, but it takes more than that to keep us safe, dry, and warm. Just like life can’t be built on any one principle alone it takes many principles and understandings to build a solid individual.
What does make us Spiritual, Christian, and Lutheran? From birth we constantly want to seek knowledge and understanding. This is the reason we ask why the sky is blue, and other similar questions. It is this need to understand more that gives us our spirituality, our need to identify further then what can be seen, to comprehend and understand the heavens. For most of us our spirituality is cultivated via our parents into belief. For some it is a belief that Jesus died for our sins, and that no matter how bad we mess-up or stumble God will always be there, watching out for us. As we grow older we then begin to ask questions inside our faith. For some, such as Lutherans, this is encouraged. This is what our Denomination thrives on; it is why Martin Luther separated from the Catholic Church. It is Luther’s understanding of faith by grace that fuels us to ask questions because we know that if a question leads to a fall, God’s Grace will always be there as our safety net.
How then do we become Humble, Dedicated, and Loving? The mere idea of faith by grace opens the doorway to humbleness. To put ourselves in front of others can be an act of faith as large as jumping from ten stories into a safety net. Making a mistake in front of that group whether it is the church, our colleagues, our family, or a group of complete strangers can be an incredibly humbling experience. It is humbling of ourselves before others and God that can give us our Dedication. When we are humbled we realize that our fears of inadequacy and failure melt away because others are not judging us as hard as we judge ourselves. This is the doorway to understanding that God does not judge us as we judge ourselves. This in turn breeds a Dedication to others and God that is based not on our fears and inadequacies but on a humbled Love. This Love is steadfast and endearing and is willing to be open to others in a way we did not know when we were consumed in the fear of being humbled.
How then in this Love do we find Strength, Passion, and Faith? A Love that pours from us to others gives Strength not just to ourselves but to those we interact with as well. This isn’t a Strength of domination or power over others, but is a Strength of Loving and caring to see another succeed. As our ability to truly Love increases, so does our Strength giving us the Passion and drive to help others. Our Passion then doesn’t act on the whims of our wants and needs but acts to provide for the needs of others. Passion as we know it changes from a physical desire to a spiritual longing. A Spiritual longing that increases the Love, Strength, and Passion of others so that they may be able to go out and do likewise. This Passion not only gives us willingly to others, but also increases our Faith. It increases our Faith because if it were not for our Faith we would not be on this journey. Then as our Faith increases through Love, Strength, and Passion so to our Love, Strength, and Passion increase because of our Faith.
Go forth then and grow In Love, Strength, Passion and Faith.
Respectfully given with Love, Strength, Passion, and Faith,
Nick
What does make us Spiritual, Christian, and Lutheran? From birth we constantly want to seek knowledge and understanding. This is the reason we ask why the sky is blue, and other similar questions. It is this need to understand more that gives us our spirituality, our need to identify further then what can be seen, to comprehend and understand the heavens. For most of us our spirituality is cultivated via our parents into belief. For some it is a belief that Jesus died for our sins, and that no matter how bad we mess-up or stumble God will always be there, watching out for us. As we grow older we then begin to ask questions inside our faith. For some, such as Lutherans, this is encouraged. This is what our Denomination thrives on; it is why Martin Luther separated from the Catholic Church. It is Luther’s understanding of faith by grace that fuels us to ask questions because we know that if a question leads to a fall, God’s Grace will always be there as our safety net.
How then do we become Humble, Dedicated, and Loving? The mere idea of faith by grace opens the doorway to humbleness. To put ourselves in front of others can be an act of faith as large as jumping from ten stories into a safety net. Making a mistake in front of that group whether it is the church, our colleagues, our family, or a group of complete strangers can be an incredibly humbling experience. It is humbling of ourselves before others and God that can give us our Dedication. When we are humbled we realize that our fears of inadequacy and failure melt away because others are not judging us as hard as we judge ourselves. This is the doorway to understanding that God does not judge us as we judge ourselves. This in turn breeds a Dedication to others and God that is based not on our fears and inadequacies but on a humbled Love. This Love is steadfast and endearing and is willing to be open to others in a way we did not know when we were consumed in the fear of being humbled.
How then in this Love do we find Strength, Passion, and Faith? A Love that pours from us to others gives Strength not just to ourselves but to those we interact with as well. This isn’t a Strength of domination or power over others, but is a Strength of Loving and caring to see another succeed. As our ability to truly Love increases, so does our Strength giving us the Passion and drive to help others. Our Passion then doesn’t act on the whims of our wants and needs but acts to provide for the needs of others. Passion as we know it changes from a physical desire to a spiritual longing. A Spiritual longing that increases the Love, Strength, and Passion of others so that they may be able to go out and do likewise. This Passion not only gives us willingly to others, but also increases our Faith. It increases our Faith because if it were not for our Faith we would not be on this journey. Then as our Faith increases through Love, Strength, and Passion so to our Love, Strength, and Passion increase because of our Faith.
Go forth then and grow In Love, Strength, Passion and Faith.
Respectfully given with Love, Strength, Passion, and Faith,
Nick
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Is it about Jesus or God
As Christians do we worship Jesus or do we worship God? It seems to me that we focus too heavily on Jesus and not enough on God. Was Jesus Important? Sure, as a Teacher and the Grace his death brought. But as the dictionary describes it, Christianity is based on the religious principles taught by Jesus. So is it right to raise the teacher above the subject matter? It's like asking if a math teacher is above his subject. You love and admire the teacher for the way they teach and the warm feeling you get when you begin to understand why a parabola can be graphed from an equation that consists of more letters then it does numbers. Is that going to help you when it comes time, in the real world to figure out your taxes, or calculate a food budget? Probably not. Now, Jesus and Math teachers may not have much in common to you, but the principal is the same. What Jesus was trying to teach was a belief in God that was loving and giving not only from God to human but then from human to human. It wasn't a love that could only be transferred from God to Jesus to human to believing human. It was a belief and love that transcended borders and cultures not through wrath and force of belief but through love and compassion for all mankind. A math teacher's gift to a student is knowledge and how to apply it in the real world, just as Gods gift to us through Jesus is Grace and Love, not Jesus himself.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
For those of you who think you know God because you can quote scripture: Ask yourself why Mother Theresa spent so much time with the less fortunate.
For those of you who think wars and violence will lead to the end of disputes: Ask yourself why the Mahatma was able to end British occupation with out lifting a hand in violence.
For those who feel that monetary wealth is the only way to happiness: Ask yourself why the Buddha gave up a life as Monarch to live a life of poverty.
And for those of you who think you know “suffering” because you have seen the Passion of the Christ: Ask a Holocaust survivor how life can continue after suffering.
For those of you who think wars and violence will lead to the end of disputes: Ask yourself why the Mahatma was able to end British occupation with out lifting a hand in violence.
For those who feel that monetary wealth is the only way to happiness: Ask yourself why the Buddha gave up a life as Monarch to live a life of poverty.
And for those of you who think you know “suffering” because you have seen the Passion of the Christ: Ask a Holocaust survivor how life can continue after suffering.
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