During this week’s Children’s Sermon we read “Going Home” from the Jesus Storybook Bible. It’s based on stories from Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, and John 14.
(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)
“Yokes and Life Jackets” by Pastor Nate
Last Friday, I shared a devotion about the time I wore a Jersey all week while working at Lake Chautauqua Lutheran Center. This week, I’d like to talk about the summer (several years after the infamous Jersey Sunburn summer) when I served as the chaplain to the summer camp staff. During that summer I used Matthew 11:28-30 as a theme verse for my work with the staff this summer. Here’s what that passage says:
“28 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Here’s what we need to know, when Jesus talks about a yoke here he’s not talking about a physical yoke like this:
Jesus was talking about of his teachings. Jesus is a Rabbi and in His day a Rabbi’s yoke referred to the teachings of the Rabbi. Each Rabbi had a unique way of interpreting the Scriptures and so the followers of different Rabbi’s would subscribe to different “yokes”.
A friend of mine compared the yoke in this passage to a life jacket. I really like this analogy. If you’ve ever spent time on a lake (and this friend is from Minnesota, so we can assume that she has spent time on 10,000 different lakes) you know that you always have to put on your life jacket. Even if you are an expert swimmer, or even if you’re just sitting in the boat with no intention of going in the water, you wear a life jacket.
And if you’ve ever worn a life jacket, you know how awkward and cumbersome they are. But despite all these inconveniences, you wear a life jacket because it can save your life.
It’s much the same with the yoke of Jesus. We follow Jesus and listen to his teachings because it saves our life. At times Jesus’ yoke might seem awkward, or out of place. At times following Jesus certainly won’t be the popular or easy choice. But, the truth is that following Jesus is the way we were meant to live, it is the yoke that saves us from ourselves and guides us away from our own dumb decisions. And also, have you ever noticed that some life jackets look like a lot like that yoke image I posted above?
It’s interesting that in this passage Jesus says that his yoke is easy. Personally, I don’t think the message of Jesus is always easy. For example (and there are many examples), Jesus tells his followers to sell everything they own and follow him. Not easy.
But when Jesus says that His yoke is easy and burden light He is inviting us to understand His ways as blessings. He is inviting us to find rest in His teachings; to discover that His way of life is the best way to live, it’s the way we were created to live.
So, yeah, the teachings of Jesus are kinda like a life jacket. Maybe they seem a little awkward and cumbersome at first, but you get used to it. And not only that, but these teachings they can save your life.
May we find rest and blessing in The Way of Jesus Christ. Amen.
#FaithIntoPractice Week 4 – Listen
Day 5 – We pray that you might discover all the ways that God is still speaking in our world and in your life. And we pray that in listening to God your life would be transformed for the better.
The Practice Explained: Take 10 minutes each day to reflect on what has transpired over the last 24 hours. Review the entire day and ask God to reveal the different ways God was speaking to you. Where has God been calling to you that you might have overlooked?
Part 2 of our “Fundamentals” small group Bible study series. In this video the pastoral staff shares stories about their understanding of Jesus Christ and his importance to our life of faith.
If you’d like to participate in a small group discussion and Bible Study (via Zoom) related to the themes of this video contact the Bethany Lutheran Church office.
Questions about the Video
- In Pastor Nate’s reflection
he shares a modern-day parable that aims to help people understand God’s desire
to be human. How did this parable help
you think about the mission of Jesus differently? What do you think the parable leaves out in
terms of understanding Jesus’ mission? - Intern Rachel talked
about the humanity of Jesus and the ways that the human nature of Jesus helps
create a deeper connection. Why do you think it is important for
Christians to believe that Jesus was both fully human and fully divine? What would be lost if we said Jesus was just
human or just divine? - Pastor Gary’s video
focuses on Jesus as Rabbi and Messiah, when you think about what Jesus means to
you, which of these titles do you find more important? Why? Pastor Gary speaks
about Jesus the Savior making everything right.
How does this idea affect and influence the way you approach your life?
A Word for the Road
Group members are encouraged to recite and memorize the theme
verse below throughout the week as a way of keeping the Conversation with God
going throughout the week.
17 Christ himself is before all things, and in him all things hold
together. 18 He is the head of the body, the church; he is the
beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first
place in everything. – Colossians 1:17-18
(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)
#FaithIntoPractice Week 4 – Listen
Day 4 – Prayer is simply a conversation with God and so therefore includes both speaking and listening. Often times, what we perceive to be God’s absence is actually just our own impatience.
The Practice Explained: Take 10 minutes each day to reflect on what has transpired over the last 24 hours. Review the entire day and ask God to reveal the different ways God was speaking to you. Where has God been calling to you that you might have overlooked?
“Patience” by Jack Lindsey
Jack Lindsey is the current “Past-President” at Bethany. He has graciously agreed to share some of his past devotional writings on this site.
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” – (Colossians 3:12)
I was driving between appointments recently and saw a marquee on a small church with the message, “Yes, many people are self-centered. Love them anyway.” Easier said than done, I thought. After all, people can be exasperating. They take too long, don’t notice us when we need them to, and turn away before we are finished with them.
For many of us, January is a time that our patience may have worn thin. All the activities of the holidays, travel, and shopping in mega herds at the mega malls can leave us pretty weary. And even more trying, if you provided room and board to visiting relatives (or lived within their walls and rules for a few days) that experience can strain even Paul’s scriptural ideal of compassion, kindness, humility and gentleness. So, have you lost your patience?
It’s interesting that we use the terms “lost” and “found” in talking about patience. It implies that patience is something that is built into our human condition or taught to us, but that we sometimes can’t hold on to it. So then we have to search and find it again. Another thing we search for in life is happiness, and if we are going through a period where life does not favor us, we seek endurance. Endurance, of course, is a synonym for patience.
Webster’s traces the origin of the word “patient” to Latin and Greek roots that imply suffering. That sure explains a lot. To paraphrase web author Karen Wolff, the problem with finding patience is that you have to look for it in situations that require it. Long lines. Heavy traffic. Teenagers. It means that finding opportunities for patience may not be fun. And, of course, we don’t have to go looking – it seems that opportunities to find patience often find us.
As Yente, the matchmaker in Fiddler on the Roof, says as the villagers endure eviction from their homes, “Sometime, maybe we’ll meet on a happier occasion. Meanwhile, we suffer.” If we think about patience as a gift from God, we see that it has the potential to help us to bridge those small and large chasms between other, happier emotions.
There are a lot of sources and information on finding patience. But, as scripture reminds us, there are also some pretty sterling examples of patience we can look for in the testament of the disciples. “Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.” (2 Peter 3:15) So when you don’t know how you are going to find the patience you need, maybe that is a clue.
Losing patience is challenging to our emotional and spiritual health, and thus, as we know, to our physical well being also. And we are not perfect, so sometimes we will not find the patience required. But the search for it certainly moves us in the direction of health. Patience is sometimes necessary to show love to those around us, and as children of God we find wholeness when we are able to connect with God through our expressions of love.
Peace and health – JL
© 2010 Jack Lindsey, Denver, Colorado – Used with permission
#FaithIntoPractice Week 4 – Listen
Day 3 – The St Ignatius Examen is an ancient Christian practice that invites individuals to look back on their day and to notice God’s activity in one’s life. The audio file above is a guided Examen that moves through a series of questions as you look for God’s presence in your day. (Special thanks to Rev Matthew Nickoloff from South Wedge Mission for the recording!)
The Practice Explained: Take 10 minutes each day to reflect on what has transpired over the last 24 hours. Review the entire day and ask God to reveal the different ways God was speaking to you. Where has God been calling to you that you might have overlooked?
Affirmations have been proven to provide great emotional and psychological benefit. The Bible is filled with hundreds of powerful passages that can be read as God’s affirmation of you. Take a quiet moment to read the above passage several times. Imagine God sitting with you and speaking the words directly to you. Let this affirmation rest in your heart and mind today. Return to these words from God again and again throughout your week.
The latest Prayer and Study podcast is now available on all popular podcast platforms or just follow the link below!
“Spending time with the Teacher” Luke 10:38-42 by Bethany Prayer and Study • A podcast on Anchor
#FaithIntoPractice Week 4 – Listen
Day 2 – In Matthew 4, Jesus quotes a passage from Deuteronomy that states that our lives are intrinsically tied to the words of God. How might closer attention to the words that God is speaking to us infuse our lives with a great sense of vitality?
The Practice Explained: Take 10 minutes each day to reflect on what has transpired over the last 24 hours. Review the entire day and ask God to reveal the different ways God was speaking to you. Where has God been calling to you that you might have overlooked?
“Will You Follow Me?” By Justin March
Justin March leads the Bethany Lutheran Church Men’s Ministry and sends a weekly email message to the Men’s group every week. Justin has generously permitted us to post his weekly reflections here.
“Will you follow me?”
We seem to live in a world where we are always following something. We follow roads, trails, and paths to reach our destinations. We follow rules that are set by our parents, government, schools, employers, and police forces. And in these days of social media, we even find ourselves following others to keep up with their lives and latest happenings.
But what happens when Jesus comes to us and says, “Will you follow me?” Do we throw everything else aside? Do we accept his invitation knowing it may upset the way we live our lives? Or do we want to follow him but find it difficult to fit anything else into our busy schedules?
I hear you loud and clear when you tell me life is hectic. I understand how the days can get away from you when work, family, and everything else this world throws at you consumes the day. And I empathize with you when many days seem to be so draining that all you want to do is lie down and let it all go.
“Will you follow me?” Jesus continues to ask us this question no matter how busy we are and push him aside. He longs for our friendship, love, and devotion. He wants us to walk with him, converse with him, and share everything we are doing with him. Yet, we seem to ask for his patience, his forgiveness, and his understanding when we just don’t have time. We make him wait. We cry out in times of sorrow and pain, but we get comfortable when things are going well. And sometimes it becomes easy to forget about Jesus as we bury ourselves in our busy schedules.
We are fortunate to have a gracious God that allows us the freedom of choice. We are fortunate to have a patient God that is willing to wait. And we are fortunate to have a loving God that has, is, and will do anything to save us all. So, as you start your week and the schedule gets hectic, try to take a few moments each day to follow Jesus. Take some time to pray, take some time to enjoy his presence, and take some time to listen to what he has to offer. You will find your life enriched, empowered, and enabled with every step. You will find yourself to be more forgiving, loving, and gracious to those around you. And you will find that the path Jesus is asking you to follow leads to things this world cannot offer.
“Will you follow me?” Jesus is calling. The question is, how will you answer?
#FaithIntoPractice Week 4 – Listen
Day 1 – This week we invite you to Listen to God. Often times our life of faith can become all about reading, writing, speaking, and asking. But God is still speaking and there is great value in taking time to listen for the subtle messages of God in our lives.
The Practice Explained: Take 10 minutes each day to reflect on what has transpired over the last 24 hours. Review the entire day and ask God to reveal the different ways God was speaking to you. Where has God been calling to you that you might have overlooked?
Affirmations have been proven to provide great emotional and psychological benefit. The Bible is filled with hundreds of powerful passages that can be read as God’s affirmation of you. Take a quiet moment to read the above passage several times. Imagine God sitting with you and speaking the words directly to you. Let this affirmation rest in your heart and mind today. Return to these words from God again and again throughout your week.
Pastor Nate’s Children’s message this week looks at a collection of stories from Isaiah and thank you notes!
(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)
“Jersey Sunburn” by Pastor Nate
When I was much, much younger, I used to love wearing basketball jerseys. I had a whole collection of jerseys from my favorite college and NBA players and during the summer months in particular, I would wear jerseys all the time.
One summer, I was working outside quite a bit. Thankfully, my job was more than supportive of my preferred attire. I was a summer camp counselor, so nearly everyday, I threw on a different (hopefully clean) basketball jersey and then proceed about my day on camp.
Unfortunately, during one particularly hot and sunny week, I didn’t apply enough sunscreen and I ended up with a bad sunburn.
When I finally took my jersey off for the first time all day, my co-counselor burst out laughing. My arms, neck, and parts of my shoulders were bright red, but the rest of my upper body was a pasty white. Even though I wasn’t wearing a shirt, my sunburn made it look as if I still was. It was the most glorious Jersey Sunburn you could ever imagine.
While the sunburn was a little painful, I thought the jersey sunburn was one of the coolest things to ever happen to me. As I’ve said, I love wearing basketball jerseys, and this new jersey sunburn meant that whether or not I wore a jersey, it still looked as if I was wearing one! Even when I took off the jersey, you couldn’t take the jersey away from me.
Stay with me on this, but I think that this Jersey Sunburn is a lot like our baptism.
Our baptism is this joyous welcome into God’s family. We are doused with water and even though we’re quickly dried off, the power of that event still remains.
During High School, I went through some difficult times. At night, before I would go to bed, I would spend some time in prayer, talking with God about all of my struggles. At the end of my nightly prayers I would go to the bathroom and wash my face with water. Three times I would splash my face, reminding my self of my baptism. Then, I would make the sign of the cross on my forehead and say out loud, “I am God’s Child, and nothing can take this away from me.”
Regardless of what jersey we put on next, regardless of what we do or don’t do, regardless of whatever struggles we might face, or success we might have– no matter what, we are God’s beloved child, and nothing is going to take that away from us.
#FaithIntoPractice Week 3- Embodiment
Day 5 – The scriptures continually point out that Jesus rose from the dead in a physical body thus reinforcing the message that these human bodies are holy and important. We pray that you would continue to discover ways to explore the connection between your physical body and your relationship with God.
The Practice Explained: This week we invite you to link a time of prayer with a physical movement or posture. For example… carry on a conversation with God while walking and imagine God walking beside you. Pray for God’s presence in your life by interlacing your fingers and placing them on top of your head imagine the pressure on your head to be the hand of God resting on you. When asking God for something place your hands open and palms up in front of you, open to receive the blessings of God.
Affirmations have been proven to provide great emotional and psychological benefit. The Bible is filled with hundreds of powerful passages that can be read as God’s affirmation of you. Take a quiet moment to read the above passage several times. Imagine God sitting with you and speaking the words directly to you. Let this affirmation rest in your heart and mind today. Return to these words from God again and again throughout your week.
#FaithIntoPractice Week 3- Embodiment
Day 4 – Connecting our spirituality to our body provides wisdom that informs our understanding of both our body and soul. Just as our body needs healthy food and exercise, so too does our soul. And just as our soul is something sacred that should never be disrespected, so too is our body. The two are intrinsically linked.
The Practice Explained: This week we invite you to link a time of prayer with a physical movement or posture. For example… carry on a conversation with God while walking and imagine God walking beside you. Pray for God’s presence in your life by interlacing your fingers and placing them on top of your head imagine the pressure on your head to be the hand of God resting on you. When asking God for something place your hands open and palms up in front of you, open to receive the blessings of God.
Pastor Nate shares a brief teaching about the understanding of Holy Communion.
(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)
#FaithIntoPractice Week 3- Embodiment
Day 3 – Thanks to Rev Matthew Nickoloff of the South Wedge Mission for this Body Scan meditation. Meditations like these can help to bring awareness and connect you to your body. Sometimes, there is deep wisdom and insight stored in our bodies that we did not realize was with us all along.
The Practice Explained: This week we invite you to link a time of prayer with a physical movement or posture. For example… carry on a conversation with God while walking and imagine God walking beside you. Pray for God’s presence in your life by interlacing your fingers and placing them on top of your head imagine the pressure on your head to be the hand of God resting on you. When asking God for something place your hands open and palms up in front of you, open to receive the blessings of God.