Virtue #5 – Giving Generously – 10 Short Scripture Readings

/
Virtue #5 – Giving Generously – 10 Short Scripture Readings

As Christians, we commit to “faithfully participate in the ministries of the Church by our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service, and our witness, that in everything God may be glorified” (Methodist membership vows).

Elevating the practice of giving means we live into the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1–12): We will give our time, our talents, and our treasures so that the hungry will have food, the naked will have clothes, the homeless will have shelter, the lonely will have friends, the sick will have care, and so on.

As we co-labor with God to love and serve others, let’s keep asking, “How can we elevate our giving – in all its many forms – so that more people can experience the joy, the peace, and the excitement of God’s Kingdom?”

Read More

John 1:1-18 – Called to Be Light in the Darkness

/
John 1:1-18 – Called to Be Light in the Darkness

2,000 years ago, God poured Himself into human flesh and became a source of light and life in a time and place dark with corruption, abuse, neglect, and suffering. Jesus focused on and shared the joy of a profoundly personal relationship with God. Through His words and actions, Jesus was light in dark places.

Today’s verses press us to ask questions that may make us uncomfortable.
How ARE we light for others?
How CAN we be light for others?
How can we be “full of unfailing love and faithfulness, full of grace and truth” to others?

As we share our faith with others through word and actions, like Jesus, we too can be light in dark places. Like Jesus, we too can be signs of the new life God offers all humanity. This is what it means to be the hands and feet of Jesus in our community. This is what it means to grow the Kingdom of God.

Read More

Genesis 12:1-9; 15:1-6 – Abraham’s Call Story

/
Genesis 12:1-9; 15:1-6 – Abraham’s Call Story

firmly believe that God has positioned and equipped us with everything we need to get to the next step. We need to be using all of our senses to detect God’s leadings. We need to trust that, as a loving creator, God wants the best for us and for our community. We need to share our life and faith stories with each other so that we can be encouraged, we can encourage others, and we – working and talking together – can more clearly understand where God is leading us next.

Two weeks ago, we sang Amy Grant’s, Thy Word, a song inspired by Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” We can take only one step at a time. Even the great Jesse Owens ran and jumped one step at a time. When we make ourselves available to God and seek God’s leading, we also need to muster the courage to trust God’s leading light and take that next step. If we do so, if we emulate Abram’s unwavering faith in and commitment to God, then we allow God’s life-changing, world-changing Spirit to move in us and through us. When God’s Spirit is freely moving, our lives and our community will be forever transformed and thus better able to accept the Good News of God’s love and experience the Kingdom of God here and now.

Read More

Flexing the Forgiveness Muscles – Genesis 45:1-15

/
Flexing the Forgiveness Muscles – Genesis 45:1-15

Joseph’s emotional (and spiritual) maturity gave him the capacity to forgive the wrongs of the past so he could embrace a future that would be better for everyone involved.
Jesus tells us to stretch our muscle of forgiveness 490 times. The natural consequence of doing anything 490 times is that 1) you’ll get better at it, 2) you’ll increase your capacity to do it, and 3) you’ll develop “muscle memory” so that you can flex your “forgiveness muscles” instinctively.
Like Joseph, we are all works in progress. Out of our free will, when we let God work with us and in us, we can live happier lives and be greater blessings to our families, friends, and communities.
I encourage you to look for opportunities to flex your forgiveness muscles, regardless of their size.
Working together, we can become known as an overflowing cup of forgiveness, healing, and joyful living.

Read More

Rejected but not Abandoned – Genesis 37:1-28

/
Rejected but not Abandoned – Genesis 37:1-28

When you feel rejected by family or friends, know that God is still with you.
When you lose your social status or prized possessions, know that God is still with you.
When your wellbeing is threatened by others, know that God is still with you.
When your life dramatically changes from what you had expected or hoped for, know that God is still with you.

And when we begin to get a grasp of how much God loves us, of how God will never reject us, of how God’s arms are always reaching out to us, of how God is working in and through us, we may well ask, “God, why me?”

And God replies, “Because I made you; you are my child; I love you, I adore you, and I will do whatever it takes to share the journey of life with you. That’s why!”

Read More

Face to Face with God – Genesis 32:22-32

/
Face to Face with God – Genesis 32:22-32

Look for God’s nature. Look in the likely and unlikely places and people.
Look with anticipation and with a receptive heart.
Look with a desire to engage with the Divine Presence.
It’s human nature to find what we’re looking for. Every single one of us, has the opportunity to encounter God’s presence face-to-face, essence-to-essence, in our families, in our friends, and in the people of Susanville and beyond.
When we look at people – including ourselves – anticipating the possibility of seeing God’s presence through them, we are more likely to see God’s presence in them – and in us.

Read More

Broken Together – Genesis 29:15-30

/
Broken Together – Genesis 29:15-30

Left to our own devices, we remain broken, unable to function to our fullest abilities, unable to find a way to move from where we are to where we want to be, to being the people we want to be.
But when we invite our relationship with God into our human relationships, then we give God the freedom to work in us, with us, and through us to change our hearts and minds. That’s the Good News of our faith – that we are not broken and without hope. Rather, we are broken with hope and with direction.

Read More

Waiting, Hoping, Anticipating – Genesis 28:10-22

/
Waiting, Hoping, Anticipating – Genesis 28:10-22

What was true 4,000 years ago was true again 2,000 years ago and is true today. God knows each of us by name, knows what’s going on in our lives, knows our joys and stresses… in every way, God is ever-present in our lives and reaches out to us. But how should we respond?
Today’s story reminds us that God can and will use anyone. We are reminded that our past should not define our future. And we are reminded that if God continues to love and see potential in the imperfect, the shattered, the selfish people around us, we too must work to do the same.

Read More

Conflict and Character – Genesis 25:19-34

/
Conflict and Character – Genesis 25:19-34

If you remember nothing else from today’s text and my comments, remember how verse 21 starts: “Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife…” Married or not, we are all in relationships with people – family, friends, and acquaintances. Prayer connects us with God and with each other. When we pray for each other – including our enemies – we create opportunities for forgiveness, for healing, and for growth.

Each week our worship service starts with a “Peace Quote” to encourage us to have peace in our lives and create peace for others. Prayer is where that peace starts, grows, and bears fruit – first within us, and then for others.

Read More

Honoring All, Keeping the Peace – Genesis 23

/
Honoring All, Keeping the Peace – Genesis 23

The freedoms and liberties God’s grace offers us also includes responsibilities. For 4,000 years, the story of Abraham burying Sarah has taught us how to honor the bodies of our loved ones who no longer have God’s Spirit stirring within them. It’s a beautiful and moving story of attitudes and values: respect and generosity. When we hold each other and every part of our community with the same degree of care, concern, and respect that Abraham showed, THAT is when we usher in the Kingdom of God, a kingdom where everyone can enjoy the freedoms and liberties we hold dear.

Read More

Here I Am! A Life of Obedience – Genesis 22:1-19

/
Here I Am! A Life of Obedience – Genesis 22:1-19

Today’s text is an ancient Bible story – the legend of Abraham obeying God’s command to sacrifice his son Isaac. It’s a troubling story that challenges how we understand our relationship with God. It challenges how we approach Scripture and how we let it guide our thinking. And it challenges us to reexamine our desire to follow God’s lead while also using our God-given common sense. In today’s case, the main point is that when God speaks to us, we need to listen and follow God’s lead. And when we do, God provides what we need.

Read More

Trusting Our Creator – Genesis 21:1-21

/
Trusting Our Creator – Genesis 21:1-21

Some of the best advice ever given to me is this: “Don’t worry about the details; focus on learning the concepts. When you understand the concepts, you’ll be able to figure out the details regardless of the situation.”
The concepts in this week’s story are: 1) God is the Creator of All, 2) God is Approachable, 3) Do not be Afraid, 4) God Never Abandons Us
Actively LOOK for ways to include people who are marginalized or rejected. WORK to include them in... everything. If we do that, if we reach out to others the way God reached out to Hagar, we will be beacons of hope, we will be light in the darkness, and we will certainly create the “Peace on Earth” we pray for each week!

Read More

Extraordinary Living – Genesis 18:1-15

/
Extraordinary Living – Genesis 18:1-15

When we do what is possible – what is ordinary, God can do the impossible – the extraordinary through us. If all of us take just one step forward each week in our efforts to love God, love ourselves, and love others, I am convinced that we will personally experience extraordinary moments of emotional and spiritual growth which will lead to our community being transformed before our very eyes. And we can do this knowing that God is taking those steps with us.

Read More