An Echo of the Words of a Brother?

Once a month, the folks of Ann Street Church come together for food for their stomach and food for their soul.    After a breakfast on the church campus,  we put aside some time to study the scriptures.    A few weeks ago, we started a new study on the Book of James.  As is the case with many of the books of the Bible, there is no certainty about who wrote the book of James.   Many people believe that the Book of James was written by James, the brother of Jesus. 

I wonder as we read the Book of James if we hear in the words of the author  an echo of the words of his brother, Jesus?   Are the words from the Book  of James something the author  heard Jesus say in his relationship with him?      As James says “faith without works is dead”  (see James 2), is he echoing something he heard Jesus say?    As James speaks about the dangerous power of the tongue (see James 3), is he repeating the gest of something he heard Jesus say around the house before he officially began his ministry?   

We cannot know for sure whether the author of James was the brother  of Jesus.  What we can know for sure is that Jesus lived what he spoke and the acts of Jesus were just as important  as were the words of Jesus.  May all of us go and not just talk about Jesus, but live  like Jesus.  Have a joy-filled week.  -  Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:   O awesome God:  I thank you  for the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ our Lord.  Help us to let the  Word be seen in and through us.   Amen.   

You Are Loved Simply Because...

I am enjoying being a grandparent.  I tell folks that if I had known what fun it was, I would have become a grandparent a long time ago.   We had a long, extended visit this summer with our two youngest grandchildren,  9 month old Eloise and 2 year old Madelyn.  As I spent time with them, it occurred to me that those children do not have to do anything for me to love them.  All they have to do for this grandparent to love them is to be.  One of the major prophets in the Old Testament was Jeremiah.  In Jeremiah 1: 4-5 we hear these words to Jeremiah that say: 

⁴ The word of the Lord came to me, saying,

⁵ “Before I formed you in the womb I knew^[a] you,
    before you were born I set you apart;
    I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

⁶ “Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.”

Even as Jeremiah was in the womb,  God was working in him and calling him.     God loved Jeremiah simply because.   Your name might not be Jeremiah and your friends and family probably would not think that you were a prophet.  But you know what?  God loves you and calls you not because of who you are, but because of whose you are.  God loves you simply because.  What good news.  Have a joy-filled week.-  Randy Wall

Prayer:    O God,  thank you for your love for me and for your calling and claim on my life.  Help   you, Lord, and live for you;  through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.  

Are You Text-ing?

One of the challenges for me living in the world today  is texting with my phone.  It is challenging for me to text a message to our children (who seem quite comfortable with this form of communication).  My fingers seem too slow and too big to easily communicate in such a manner.   In recent days, I have been trying to use this feature on my smart phone that lets me talk my message till it is converted into  a text.   I suspect my phone must not be from the south as it seems to have a difficult time always understanding what I believe I am saying quite clearly. 

Perhaps texting is challenging for you also or maybe it seems as natural as walking.  Whether you are a consummate text-er or a text-er “wanna be” , I commend to you another kind of text:  the biblical text.   In Acts 8,  we hear of a Ethiopian Eunuch who is struggling not with texting a friend, but with the biblical text.  Read the story below:

²⁶ Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” ²⁷ So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian^[a]eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, ²⁸ and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. ²⁹ The Spirit toldPhilip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”  ³⁰ Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.   ³¹ “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

It is important that I struggle with texting with my children and others as I value having a relationship with them.  Well, it is also important that you and I  struggle with finding the time and understanding of the biblical text, the Bible, if we value our relationship with God and service to God.  Have a joy-filled week.-  Randy Wall

Prayer:    O God,  I give you thanks for the Bible that are a light to our feet and a guide to our path. Through the power of your Holy Spirit, help us open the Bible as you open its meaning to us;  through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.   

Thoughts about Labor Day

Labor Day is a federal holiday that is always the first Monday in September.  While school children might yearn for Labor Day for a short week at school and the some employees might relish Labor Day as a time to celebrate the un-official ending of summer at their favorite vacation spot , Labor Day is much more than that.   While some holidays are to celebrate a particular person (such as Martin Luther King Jr., Abraham Lincoln, or George Washington) or a particular event (such as Thanksgiving or Easter),  Labor Day is the day to celebrate the common man and woman whose work by the sweat of the brow and whose creativity adds to our quality of life. 

Semi-retirement has given me a differing perspective on work.  While some might yearn for work-free days,  retirement is teaching me what a joy and priviledge it is to work.   Through our work, we not only make a living, but we make a difference in the lives of others.    Work also makes a difference in our lives in that it gives us satisfaction.  It feels good when someone expresses their appreciation for “a job well done”.

Jesus knew something about work.  While we know few details,  I believe it is a safe assumption that he knew something about work by the sweat of the brow as a “carpenter’s son.”  Jesus also talked about work and labor.  In Luke 12:26-28 we read: 

²⁶ Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?²⁷ “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ²⁸ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith!

In Matthew 11: 28, Jesus says:

Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

As we mark another Labor Day in all sorts of ways, I give thanks to the countless people known and unknown who make my life better through their hard work.   I also give thanks that God is always working.    Have a great week and Labor Day.-  Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:    O God,  thank you for the gift of work and for the satisfaction it brings.  Most of all, I thank you for your salvation work in Christ Jesus and that your Spirit is still alive and working in this world.  Help me to yield my life to your Word and for your work;  through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.