Joy Lutheran Church Ocala, Florida

When Peter wanted to walk on water, as his Lord had done, Jesus directed him to get out of the boat.  I often wonder, as much as I desire to follow Him and learn of Him and listen for His directives, would I “get out of the boat?”

I believe sometimes we are comfortable with God’s blessings. We may attend church and learn of His commands for us. We may talk about Him with friends and even encourage the “unchurched” acquaintance to come to the community of believers; BUT how eager are we to leave our comfort zone?

Peter was a fisherman. He was more than likely on his boat more than on land. He and his brother and other fishermen had fishing as their “occupation.” As Jesus’ chosen disciples, they must have eagerly “hung” on His every word. Daily they learned to trust Him more and more and helped to spread His word.  When faced with a direct command to “Get out of the boat,” Peter did not hesitate. He must have had some concerns about the tossing waves, the storm, and the sanity of going overboard to follow Jesus. Still, he did enter the water and even manage to walk a few steps before his fear and possibly doubts caused his comfort level in trusting our Lord to vanish and flounder amid the waves.

I pray that floundering is not my outcome as I “get out of the boat/comfort.” Trust me, floundering has indeed happened on many occasions in my life. Strength to follow with no fear is my prayer.

If God directs you out of your comfort zone, GET OUT OF THAT BOAT, and know with certainty, your Lord is not willing to lose you. He is holding you above water and loving you unconditionally. Let your step out be filled with wonder and not fear. You are being led and upheld.

Jill

If you have worked in an administrative office or in a management position, you know all about paperwork. In my Navy musician days, most of my band mates had a collateral duty when we weren’t out performing. Every fleet band was self-contained; we had to purchase equipment and supplies, maintain a music library, make sure all our vehicles were serviced, etc. One of my collateral duties on a couple of occasions was Administrative Petty Officer. I had to keep files of all correspondence, personnel records, regulations, anything paper that had to go out with the Bandmaster’s signature. It was stressful. Chain of custody. “Paper trail.”

Did you know that God has left us a “paper trail”? Of course, it was first delivered via two stone tablets. From the earliest days of papyrus and scrolls, we have been given The Holy B.I.B.L.E. (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth). I hope you understand it as more than a huge list of dos and don’ts. It is ongoing, continuous story. It is God’s “love letter”. It is literally life-saving. Consider how this is so: a railroad worker finds a page from John’s Gospel, finds out where the nearest church is. A turn-around event. Or a person considering suicide in a hotel room until he opens the bedside drawer and sees a Bible placed by the Gideons. We grow spiritually even if we don’t have a specific event we can point to. The “paper trail” leads us to connect with God, to grow in His grace as we embrace the relationship He offers.

You can’t explain it. You just feel it. The world tries to pull wool over our eyes to blind us from the truth. Nothing is to be added or subtracted from it. Anything else may be helpful, but it is still supplemental. Even in trouble, woundedness, grief, and brokenness, we have a constant paper trail. In it there is unconditional love.

Pastor Art

“I know that my Redeemer lives. What comfort this sweet sentence gives.”  (emphasis mine) The words are so familiar, the Easter message so full of joy, we can’t help but sing it with vigor and a heart filled with wonder.

But where did this great hymn come from?  The hymnal tells us it was composed by Samuel Medley in 1775.  That doesn’t really tell me much, except that it’s old.  So I set out exploring.  Who was this Samuel Medley and what prompted him to write this hymn that has lived through the ages?

Samuel Medley was brought up in Hertfordshire England in a very Christian household, but he himself was godless.  In his younger days he left home and joined the Royal Navy. While at sea, he was involved in a sharp fight in which a number of French vessels were destroyed.  Medley’s leg was badly wounded.  The surgeon declared that he would have to amputate the leg to save Medley’s life.  Despite his unbelief, that night Medley turned his face to the wall and prayed hard that the Lord would save his leg.  When the doctor visited the next day, he was amazed at the healing done in just twelve hours.  “You will not need to have it off!” 

After the battle, the fleet was ordered home.  Medley stayed in London with his grandfather, William Tonge, during his recovery.  It was Tonge’s custom to read religious material to him on the Lord’s Day.  The young man dreaded these times but was prudent enough to be respectful.  One day his grandfather read the sermon of Isaac Watts on Isaiah 42:6-7.  Initially indifferent, Medley experienced a spiritual awakening to these words.  He felt his guilt and appealed to God for mercy.  In this awakening, God had saved Medley for a life of preaching and hymn writing.  One of his callings was to work among the seamen at the port of Liverpool.  His non-traditional preaching and fervent faith gave him much success among these men.  His son would later say that the object of all his father’s labors was to humble the pride of fallen men, to exalt the grace of God, and to promote real holiness in heart and life.

And so, we are the benefactors of this magnificent hymn.  Oh the sweet joy and assurance!  Christ not only lives, but he reigns, he hears and he saves!

“Oh, the sweet joy this sentence gives,
I know that my Redeemer lives!”

Judy

In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, he states, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:32. In The Message version of the Bible it reads like this ^“Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.”

Do you think this is easy? Many people really struggle with forgiving. Just an FYI, forgiving someone of the misdeed does not mean that you approve of what was done, but you are letting go. Forgiveness frees you of carrying anger or pain or unending heaviness.  Practice forgiving yourself of your own mistakes, misdeeds or shame.  Give yourself grace. Be sensitive to your faults.  We all have them.  Forgive those who have wronged you. Within a court room setting, I have heard parents or families forgive a perpetrator that perhaps killed their child/family member.  How do they manage those words, “I forgive you?”  When you are able to forgive, and give grace, it is actually a spiritual moment. Christ forgives you! True healing can begin and peace can take the place of unforgiveness.

Christ never intended for us to hang on to anger or unforgiveness. Those two “pains” can begin “to eat at you” from the inside. Jesus’ death on the cross forgave us of all our sins, each and every one of them. He sacrificed Himself for us. Because we believe in Him and know that He has forgiven us, we need to follow His example. Forgive others and yourself. The burden of pain and anger will be lifted from you.  Healing can happen. Forgive sooner than later, you will be glad you did. You are unconditionally loved by Him.

Jill

How often I have slid down the slippery slope of pride.  It’s so easy.   In our thinking we lift ourselves up, by putting others down.
“I” would never say a thing like . . .
“I” would never be as pretentious as . . .
“I” never let my kids do  . . .
“I” would never do a thing like . .
And on and on it goes.   Have such thoughts ever crept into your mind?

I’ve been reading an insightful book, Didn’t See It Coming by Carey Nieuwhof.  I quote from him, “Only humility will get you out of what pride got you into.”  Humility is the exact opposite of pride.

It reminded me of these words of Jesus:  “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.”  Matthew 11:29.    If the Lord Jesus was humble, how much more should I, the least of these, also humble myself?

Repeatedly he reminded us.  “Humble yourselves before the LORD, and he will lift you up.”  James 4:10.  And again, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”  Philippians 2:3-4.

How awesome that even when we find ourselves sliding down that slippery slope of pride, our God still loves us.  He’s ready with a firm grasp to help us from the pit of pride to a life of humility.   He loves me, and He loves you, unconditionally.

Judy

So often I am caught in the cycle of petitioning God for action that I forget the importance of praising God. Praising God must start my morning. 

Saying, humming, singing Doxology is a beautiful and uplifting way to begin the day. Doxology is a short hymn of praise. There are many but the one that I learned as a child is my favorite. This particular hymn was written by Thomas Kent. If you want to learn the story behind the hymn, follow this site and listen to Luke Powell tell you the story and sing you the song. (https://youtu.be/RBz7vuJ2b1A?si=4aPSHP6ECKPOEh0e) 

The version of “Praise God From Whom …”  that I have attached below is created for a short meditation. Give yourself the gift of time with God. The melody is lovely and the words are profound. No one has to hear you sing it but Our Lord God who loves you unconditionally.  Especially when you sing. 

Have a wonderful, God-filled day! 

Terri 

I was eight years old. In my Easter basket was a novelty toy–a rubber elephant head pin. It connected to a tube with a bulb at the end. When you squeezed the bulb, the elephant’s trunk unfurled. That Easter Sunday my father attached the pin to my sports jacket, concealed the tubing and put the bulb in my pocket. As soon as I got to Sunday School, I demonstrated the toy. Everyone was delighted, except for Mrs. Sherman my Sunday School teacher. She instructed me sternly, “We must keep this very still in Sunday School.” I remember her exact words and tone of voice, but nothing else about that Easter–not the lesson nor the worship service. 

How easy it is to be distracted even at important moments. We have difficulty focusing on what is important. Mary Magdalene found the tomb of Jesus open empty. After fetching two disciples she remained at the tomb weeping. The risen Jesus spoke to here, but she didn’t recognize him. She thinks he is the gardener. This has puzzled reader for centuries. Why doesn’t she recognize him? I think it’s because her mind is focused on a dead body. But that is a distraction.

I’m probably the worst example of one who concentrates on what is important, but I encourage you to concentrate in the Easter season on what is important–Jesus is risen from the dead. Sin, death, and the devil have lost. Human life can never be the same.

Focus on Jesus. Don’t let yourself be distracted by trivialities. Christ is truly risen! Alleluia.

Read 1 Peter 1:3 and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Wayne

I’ve always liked the Breton’s Fisherman’s Prayer, and there have been a number of times in my life when I’ve felt the need to pray it. There are several versions and proposed sources for the prayer, but they contain the same core plea: “Dear God be good to me. The sea is so wide, and my boat is so small.”

Admiral Hyman Rickover served for many years as the head of the U. S. Navy’s nuclear submarine force. Whenever a new captain was appointed for a nuclear submarine, Rickover would give him a plaque engraved with the prayer. He also gave one to President Kennedy, who kept it on his Oval Office desk.

There are times when we feel battered by the huge waves of the sea of life. We think that we can’t survive the seemingly crushing problems we face. The Breton’s Fisherman’s Prayer seems perfect for these times. First, it is a humble plea that acknowledges that our own efforts are not enough. Second, by asking God’s help, it is a statement of faith. Praying it will give us comfort, but I would like to suggest that we extend it by the last line of the wonderful hymn “You Have Come Down to the Lakeshore” (ELW #817): “On the sand I have abandoned my small boat; now with you, I will seek other seas.”

When we face overwhelming problems, praying this little prayer can help us remember that God loves YOU and me unconditionally.

Jim

The Easter resurrection story features an angel. Like all who came before and have come since, his message was one of reassurance. “Do not be afraid.” “Everything’s going to be okay.” Along with the momentary fright there is a longer, lingering feeling of JOY! We are never the same. It’s a powerful connection between heaven and earth.

The witness to the resurrection took off as if launched from a rocket pad (how about the ongoing Artemis II space mission?!) At once it was thrilling and terrifying, immediately replaced with the JOY! And peace. From two women to the disciples to all of Jerusalem and Galilee came the testimony: “Our Lord is risen!” Hundreds, then thousands in the next fifty days. Fifty days. That’s it, but so much more from the initial igniting message. The fact, the truth, could not be contained! Our faith takes care of the rest, if we are bold enough to let it.  Do not disparage anyone who tells you an incredible story of an angel encounter. God always finds powerful ways of getting our attention. He delivers amazing, sometimes unexpected answers to prayer.

Sunday afternoons and evenings are often a bit of a letdown for me. Church is over, and the oftentimes tediosity of Monday morning creeps in. The overriding peace and JOY! That is what gets me through. The reality that is the ongoing, continuous Easter event. Even as the last of our “snowbirds” are departing and church attendance will also dwindle from the 300+ we had last Sunday. The whole reason it happened on that glorious resurrection dawn was the cornerpiece of God’s perfect plan for us and our salvation. It is nothing other than an unconditional love poured out for us.

Pastor Art

Yesterday we celebrated Easter, the resurrection of our Lord Jesus, a day of joy and new beginnings.
“He lives, he lives who once was dead!”  The greatest news we could receive.   Because he lives, we too can live. 

How fitting that the date of Easter falls in the springtime.  While it may not be so evident here in Florida,  you who have come from a more northern part of the country, have experienced the joy of new beginnings in the spring.  Trees show buds that will bring forth green leaves.  Purple crocus push through the earth.  Bright yellow daffodils burst from their bulbs beneath the ground.  Colorful tulips are soon to follow.  Forsythia bushes are aglow in yellow. 

Spring brings signs of rebirth.  Easter brings evidence of new life.  What an amazing time of the year.  What a perfect time for us to lift up our heads, to reach out to the promise of new life, to begin anew to serve our Savior in our best way. Jesus didn’t promise just survival, he promised abundance:  a life marked by peace, a joy that runs deep, freedom from the weight of sin.   

There’s a hymn by composed by John W. Peterson in 1963 called, “New Life in Christ.”  The lyrics to the chorus follow:

“New Life in Christ! Abundant and free!
What glories shine, what joys are mine,
What wondrous blessings I see!
My past with its sin,
The searching and strife,
Forever gone, there’s a bright new dawn!
For in Christ I have found New Life!”

May the unconditional love of our God spur us on to a New Life of living in his love.

Judy