my burg

But I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter. I did not know it was against me they devised schemes, saying, "Let us destroy the tree with its fruit, let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name be remembered no more." But, O LORD of hosts, who judges righteously, who tests the heart and the mind, let me see your vengeance upon them, for to you have I committed my cause. (Jeremiah 11:19-20) The people of Jeremiah's home town, Anathoth, have conspired against him. They do not like his message from the Lord and have planned to kill him, so that "his name be remembered no more." It's a futile scheme ultimately. Jeremiah will continue in faithful ministry for many more years and the people of his home town will die in the warfare and famine that will come when the Babylonians invade the land. I have often thought one of the worse things that can happen to a person is to pass away and be forgotten. It's bad enough when people don...

"And now this Good News has been announced to you by those who preached in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen." (1 Peter 1:12 NLT) The angels intently watch the advance of the gospel in the world. They know that the suffering of God's son, his resurrection, and the growth of God's kingdom through the Spirit is the cosmic drama of all time. This story line involves risk and danger, the opposition of dark powers, suffering, the need for courage, the arrival of unexpected miracles, the presence of unsolved mysteries, and the blessings of faith, friendship, and humility. I believe that God has built within us an awareness that life is, or should be, a story-- not just a succession of meaningless days. We feel this when we are captivated by a good story line. We get caught up with Jack Bauer, or the characters of LOST, or Aragorn and the Fellowship of the Ring. We need to ...

“Faith is a living, bold trust in God's grace, so certain of God's favor that it would risk death a thousand times trusting in it. Such confidence and knowledge of God's grace makes you happy, joyful and bold in your relationship to God and all creatures. The Holy Spirit makes this happen through faith. Because of it, you freely, willingly and joyfully do good to everyone, serve everyone, suffer all kinds of things, love and praise the God who has shown you such grace.” (Martin Luther, Introduction to Romans ) "If I were to go to heaven, and find that Christ was not there, I would leave immediately, for heaven would be hell to me without Christ." (Thomas Goodwin, 1600 -1680) "All that we call human history--money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery-- is the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.... God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is n...

A young boy at church made this observation to his mother (in the context of watching people spend money for Valentines gifts): “love will do that to you…make you lose all your money”. This reminded me of 2 Corinthians 8:9 "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich." Love enriches others at the cost to oneself.

"We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us!" (President Abraham Lincoln, in declaring a national day of humiliation, fasting, and prayer , March 3, 1863)

"Faith is not what some people think it is. Their human dream is a delusion. Because they observe that faith is not followed by good works or a better life, they fall into error, even though they speak and hear much about faith. 'Faith is not enough,' they say, 'You must do good works, you must be pious to be saved.' They think that, when you hear the gospel, you start working, creating by your own strength a thankful heart which says, 'I believe.' That is what they think true faith is. But, because this is a human idea, a dream, the heart never learns anything from it, so it does nothing and reform doesn't come from this `faith,' either. Instead, faith is God's work in us, that changes us and gives new birth from God. (John 1:13). It kills the Old Adam and makes us completely different people. It changes our hearts, our spirits, our thoughts and all our powers. It brings the Holy Spirit with it. Yes, it is a living, creative, active and powerfu...

"Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive." (C. S. Lewis)

...like this, and also human portraits...

This poem by Milton came up in a discussion today, related to expectations that we have on the form our service to the Lord will take... "When I consider how my light is spent Ere half my days in this dark world and wide, And that one talent which is death to hide Lodg'd with me useless, though my soul more bent To serve therewith my Maker, and present My true account, lest he returning chide, "Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?" I fondly ask. But Patience, to prevent That murmur, soon replies: "God doth not need Either man's work or his own gifts: who best Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best. His state Is kingly; thousands at his bidding speed And post o'er land and ocean without rest: They also serve who only stand and wait." (-- John Milton, 1673)

Isaiah called him “the man of sorrows”. Isaiah 53:3-4 "He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows…" • He was born on the road, in a stable, and into poverty (his dedication offering was the minimum required for the poor of the land). • Raised in a backwater town. Trained as a man of labor in a hard-working profession. Did not attend rabbinic school or have a life of studied ease. • At some point he did not have the benefit of an earthly father figure. (Joseph may have died during Jesus' youth.) • He gave up a home to live on the road. • He was tempted and opposed by the devil himself. • He was single, not married. If he filled out a census, he would have been listed as single, homeless, and beneath the poverty line. • As far as we know he walked everywhere, over the len...