New Year Focus

Genesis 5:1-7:24; Matthew 3:7-4:11; Psalm 3:1-8; Proverbs 1:10-19

New Year

New Focus

Better yet…Refocused

“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Jesus, quoting Deuteronomy 8:3 when he was being tempted by Satan.

“You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.” Jesus, quoting Deuteronomy 6:16 when he was being tempted by Satan.

“You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.” Jesus, quoting Deuteronomy 6:13 when he was being tempted by Satan.

God’s Word.

Acceptance of God’s will.

Worship God–Father, Son and Holy Ghost–alone.

Lord God, grant that in this New Year we daily feast on Your Word, humbly accept Your will for our lives, and worship You alone. May we greet each day as a gift to love you and one another; to serve and not look to be served; to listen to Your voice and heed Your call. For Jesus’ sake, Amen.

WRAPPED

Micah 5:1-7:20; Revelation 7:1-17; Psalm 135-1-26; Proverbs 30:5-6

O God, You wrap Yourself around me in Your Old Testament word
  where law and gospel point to Your righteous ways.
Your finger of condemnation points to lurid idols, subtle false gods,
  perverse practices pitting man against pure love.
Death and destruction mercifully turn hearts still beating away
  from the false to You, the only living, only true God
    Maker of Heaven and Earth.

Turn around. Repent.

The gospel comes in words of comfort–words declaring
  iniquities forgiven, tossed into the sea, thrown up higher than the heavens.
You, God, don’t hold sin against us, because of Your beloved Son promised
  in prophets’ words.

O God, You wrap Yourself around me in New Testament words.
  The law words remind me that the wages of sin is death.
“He called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given the power
  to harm earth and sea saying ‘do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees
    until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.'”

Gospel words, Your words, O God, “For the Lamb in the midst of the throne
  will be their Shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water,
    and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” 

Wrapped in truth! Thanks be to You, O God, now and forever! Amen.

“Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.” Proverbs 30:5

Perfect Love

O perfect life of love!  All, all, is finished now.

All that He left His throne above

To do for us below.

No work is left undone of all the Father willed;

His toil, His sorrows, one by one,

The Scriptures have fulfilled.

No pain that we can share but He has felt its smart;

All forms of human grief and care

Have pierced that tender heart.

And on His thorn-crowned head and on His sinless soul

Our sins in all their guilt were laid

That He might make us whole.

In perfect love He dies;  for me He dies, for me.

O all atoning Sacrifice,

I cling by faith to Thee.

In every time of need, before the judgment throne,

Thy work, O Lamb of God, I’ll plead,

Thy merits, not mine own.

Yet, work, O Lord, in me as Thou for me hast wrought;

And let my love the answer be

To grace Thy love has brought.

~Henry W. Baker

Artwork by Paulo DuqueFrade, Gilles Catelin and Alonso Cano

 

 

Serving in Love

Jesus, greatest at the table, the almighty Son of Man,

Laid aside His outer clothing poured some water in a pan;

As the Twelve lay, hushed in silence, He the servant’s task began.

Marvel how their Lord and teacher gently taught them not to vie

As He humbly knelt before them dusty feet to wash and dry,

By His tender touch expressing true compassion from on high.

Jesus took the role of servant when upon that gruesome span,

For all human sin He suffered as a vile and loathsome man;

On the cross poured out like water to fulfill the Father’s plan.

Can we fathom such deep mercy?  Do we see what God has done?

Who can grasp this great reversal;  Love that gives His only Son?

Christ, the sinless for the sinners, for the many dies the One.

Jesus gave to His disciples a commandment that was new:

“Show My love to one another, do as I have done for you;

All the world will know you love Me as you love each other too.”

Hymn “Jesus, Greatest at the Table” by Stephen P. Starke

“But He that is greatest among you shall be your servant.”  Matthew 23:11

Heavenly Father, grant us Your mercy and grace to love others even as we have been loved by You through Your Son, Jesus Christ, the greatest servant of all.  In His name we pray, Amen.

 

 

About Growing…

“But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into him who is the head—Christ.”Ephesians 4:15CSB

Boundless Love

Jesus, Thy boundless love to me no thought can reach, no tongue declare; Unite my thankful heart to Thee, and reign without a rival there!  Thine wholly, Thine alone I am; be Thou alone my constant flame.

O grant that nothing in my soul may dwell, but Thy pure love alone; oh, may Thy love possess me whole, my joy, my treasure and my crown!  All coldness from my heart remove;  my every act, word, thought be love.

This love unwearied I pursue and dauntlessly to Thee aspire.  Oh, may Thy love my hope renew, burn in my soul like heav’nly fire!  And day and night,  be all my care to guard this sacred treasure there.

In suff’ring be Thy love my peace, in weakness be Thy love my pow’r; and when the storms of life shall cease, O Jesus, in that final hour, be Thou my rod and staff and guide, and draw me safely to Thy side!

Hymn text by Paul Gerhardt, 1703-91

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace which he lavished upon us.”  Ephesians 1:7-8

Lord God, Heavenly Father, thank you for your boundless, endless mercy and love which you poured out upon us through your dear Son, Jesus Christ!  You never stop forgiving us.  You never stop loving us even when we are at our most unloveable.  Help us to remember the gift of grace you gave to us at our Baptism that continues to bless and benefit us each and every day.  Accept our humble thanks and praise.  In Jesus’ name, Amen

 

Grace Life

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,

in which you formerly walked according

to the course of this world,

according to the prince of the power of the air,

of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.

Among them we too all formerly live

in the lusts of our flesh,

indulging the desires of our flesh and of the mind,

and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.

But God, being rich in mercy,

because of His great love with which He loved us,

even when we were dead in our transgressions,

made us alive together with Christ

(by grace you have been saved),

and raised up with Him,

and seated with Him

in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

so that in the ages to come

He might show the surpassing riches

of His grace in kindness

toward us in Christ Jesus.

For by grace you have been saved through faith;

and that not of yourselves,

it is the gift of God.”

Ephesians 2: 1-8

Lord God, thank you for making us alive through Christ Jesus our Lord!  Amen.

Alas

Photo by suzie gallagher

Alas! And did my Savior bleed, and did my sovereign die?  Would He devote that sacred head for such a worm as I?

Was it for crimes that I had done He groaned upon the tree?  Amazing pity, grace unknown, and love beyond degree!

Well might the sun in darkness hide and shut his glories in when God, the mighty maker, died for His own creatures’ sin.

Thus might I hide my blushing face while His dear cross appears, dissolve my heart in thankfulness, and melt mine eyes to tears.

But drops of grief can ne’er repay the debt of love I owe; here, Lord, I give myself away: ‘Tis all that I can do.

Hymn Text by Isaac Watts, 1674-1748

“For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” Colossians 1:19-20

 

Walked the Road

photo by Jennifer Cabrera

O Christ, You walked the road our wandr’ing feet must go.  You faced with us temptations power and fought our ancient foe.

No bread of earth alone can fill our hung’ring hearts.  Lord, help us seek Your living Word, the food Your grace imparts.

No blinding sign we ask, no wonder from above.  Lord, help us place our trust alone in Your unswerving love.

When lures of easy gain with promise brightly shine, Lord, help us seek Your kingdom first; our will with Yours align.

O Christ, You walked the road our wand’ring feet must go.  Stay with us through temptation’s hour to fight our ancient foe.

Hymn text by Herman Stuempfle, Jr. 1923-2007

“Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.  No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will  be able to endure it.  Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.” 1 Corinthians 10:12-14.

Red White Blue

Photo by Yvonne Harrison

Country lost in red white and blue

Too many walking in shades of gray to notice colors bright

Beckoning eyes to see beyond hatred

And prejudice

To see in those around them

those whom God has created.

Country lost in red white and blue

Desperately seeking peace

In the promises of men

Who stand before them

As answers to empty pockets and empty souls.

Country lost in red white and blue

Look to the One

Who alone provides for sparrows as well as kings.

Whose Wisdom reaches down from Heaven

Whose love and mercy never end.

Country lost in red white and blue

See the Cross where the Savior bled

And appeared abandoned by one and all.

The weak resignation

Belied the power wherein

The Son of God battled with sin and death and the evil one

And won

Freedom for the red white and blue

For all who believe that “greater is He who is within us

Than he who is in the world.”

Our God reigns

No matter the color of the flag

No matter the left or the right

No matter whether you believe or not

Our God reigns

And will keep the world spinning until

He comes again.

L.J.

“His delight is not in the strength of the horse,
    nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,
 but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,
    in those who hope in his steadfast love.”

Psalm 147:10-11