Joy Lutheran Church Ocala, Florida

Today, on the third Monday of January, we observe “Martin Luther King Jr. Day.”  It’s a federal holiday to honor this civil rights leader and to remember his significant contributions to civil rights and social justice.

Yes, I’m old enough to remember his speeches, to recall his peaceful protests.  What an inspiration he was to those of us who were young and certain that our tomorrows would be better.  “I have a dream,” he spoke, and we shared that dream.

Yet, all these many years later we have yet to fulfill this dream.  Still we wallow in the “valley of despair” where people are judged by the color of their skin, their ethnicity, and their religious beliefs.  We need to hear his words today as much as ever, to remember his message.  The following excerpts are quoted from his “I Have a Dream” speech.

“Let us not wallow in the valley of despair. I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.’ . .

And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, “Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”

Yes, I too have a dream, that my children and grandchildren might also be inspired by Martin Luther King Jr. That they might also have the dream that such a nation is possible, that today’s discord need not be carried into tomorrow, that hatred and division need not rule our lives. 

This is not only the dream of Martin Luther King, Jr., it is the very thing our Lord Jesus commanded of us, to “Love our neighbors as ourselves.”  Loving Lord, guide our thoughts and actions that we may step confidently in this direction.   Lord direct our lives so that we may move to make this dream a reality.  Lord we are weak, give us your strength. 

Judy

When you use the word WORSHIP, what exactly do you mean by that? Is worship a song you sing? Is it about the outfit you choose to wear? Is it only a specific day of the week? Is it your “chosen” seat to sit in at your place of worship? Is it only worship if you are singing a hymn, you heard your grandparents sing? Is it only heartfelt if your arms are raised? Is it only Holy Worship if you say your AMEN out loud? Is it only considered worship if it is an older tradition? Is it only worship if you are inside a church? Is it only worship if there are laser shows and big screens?

I personally believe worship can be private. It can be while you are driving your car. You can worship Jesus with your thoughts. Worship is defined as reverence, awe, honor, adoration. If Jesus is your Lord and Savior, then it is about HIM. How you show reverence, awe, honor and your adoration are personal choices.  It truly is not about what you are wearing or how well you sing or what song you are singing. It is not if you are seated in a pew or church chair; it is not about singing your grandmother’s version of a song, or the even if you are singing the latest rock band’s praise rendition of “Jesus Loves Me.” Does worship happen if you sway your arms?  Does worship happen on Tuesday mornings? Friday evenings? Can worship occur if you are in your jammies? The answers are YES!

We are loved unconditionally and our style of worship is and always should be just about Jesus. Your worship pathway is YOUR praise to Him. Are you in jammies or humming the latest version of Rock of Ages? Your worship is all about Jesus!  Let all the “options” for worship be about Jesus. Worship our Lord, praise His Holy Name. Bottom line: it is all about you, Jesus!

Jill

I was cleaning out some files this week and came across this little article which I have had for 16 years.  After 16 years, I think it is about time I shared it with others. It is an excellent way to remind us of who to pray for when our minds wander during times of prayer and help us focus on what is the most important.  The author is unknown.

1. The thumb is nearest to you. You begin your prayers by praying for those who are closest to you. They are the easiest to remember. To pray for our loved ones is, as C. S. Lewis once said, a “sweet duty”.

2. The next finger is the pointing finger. Pray for those who teach, instruct and heal. This includes teachers, doctors and ministers. They need support and wisdom in pointing us in the right direction. Keep them in your prayers.

3. The next finger is the tallest finger. It reminds us of our leaders. Pray for the leader of your country and the government, leaders in business and industry, and administrators. These people shape our nation and guide public opinion. They need God’s guidance.

4. The fourth finger is the ring finger. Surprising to many is the fact that this is our weakest finger, as any piano teacher will testify. It should remind us to pray for those who are weak, in any kind of need, in trouble or in pain. This would include everyone else you come across in your daily life, people who ask you to pray for them, your enemies and a stranger. You can never pray too much.

5. And lastly comes the little finger, the smallest finger in all which is where we should place ourselves in relation to God and others. “The least shall be the greatest among us.” Your pinkie should remind you to pray for yourself. By the time you have prayed for the other four groups, your own needs will be put into proper perspective, and you will be able to pray for yourself more effectively.

We certainly don’t need a map to pray, but this is a great prompt to not forget anything in the midst of our daily devotions and prayer meditations. Remember that God loves us unconditionally. He listens to our prayers and He will never take you where the grace He gives will not protect you. Maybe making the five-finger pray a part of your life with offer you an aid in your prayer life. Thanks be to God!

Patty

Here’s an interesting quotation from Saint Thomas More: 

The things, good Lord, that we pray for,  
give us the grace to labour for… 

It does give you something to think about. If I regularly have world peace on my prayer list, what do I do that constructively adds to that goal? Can I be kinder to those around me? Even those whom I dislike and disagree with? Can I be more helpful to those physically in need around me? Can I welcome the stranger running from the violence in their nation? 

If I regularly pray for those who are hungry in the world, can I provide food and a meal for the local shelter with a smile on my face and joy in my heart? Can I assist in bringing food from church to the area food shelf? Can I volunteer to staff the food shelf? 

How about those in need of clothing? How many unused clothing outfits do I have in my closet that I could bring to a shelter or non-profit thrift store for the benefit of those in need of good clothes? And shoes! Those can go, too. 

I think that you get my point. There are so many things that we ask God to provide that we can also assist with providing. I don’t mean to imply that we are working our way into heaven, but we are asking God for the grace to aid in solving some of the world’s very large problems. All with the goal of sharing an eternity of happiness with God, who loves us all unconditionally. 

There was an old joke going around a couple of years ago about a man who wanted to win the lottery. He prayed and prayed and prayed to win but never did. Finally, he got angry at God for not answering his prayer, asking “What do I need to do to win the lottery?” God replied, “Child, buy a ticket.”  Sometimes we need to buy a ticket. Whatever the ticket may be. 

Love to all, 

Terri 

The progress Martin Luther King Jr. made transforming society in his tragically short life amazes me. He worked to overcome inequality of rights where the color of a person’s skin might determine where they could sit on a bus, if they could eat at a certain restaurant, what school they could go to, and in some places whether they could vote.

When I taught religious analysis, I had students read part of Dr. King’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail, one of the most impressive arguments for equality ever made. This is my favorite part:

“How does one determine whether a law is just or unjust? A just law is a man made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. . . . Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust. All segregation statutes are unjust because segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality. It gives the segregator a false sense of superiority and the segregated a false sense of inferiority.”

I think his most impressive words come from the I have a Dream speech given in Washington, D.C. Aug. 28, 1963.

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.”

Pray and work that the dream may come true.

Read Micah 6:8 and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Wayne

A while ago Paulette and I watched a PBS special on the life of Mark Twain, and I was struck by one of the many humorous quotes attributed to Twain. He said that the Pony Express could have made the Israelites forty-year desert trek to the Promised Land in 36 hours. This prompted me to reread the account of Moses and the Israelites in the desert that is given in Exodus and Numbers.

The Israelites were great whiners and complainers, who often forgot how God had delivered them from slavery in Egypt by the miraculous parting of the waters of the Red Sea. They complained about possibly dying in the desert, saying that there were plenty of good graves back in Egypt. After God provided manna for them to eat they complained that there were melons, cucumbers, onions and garlic back in Egypt. Maybe we should sympathize some about the boring diet, though, since we all get tired of eating the same thing over and over; we even complain about leftovers. My father, who didn’t talk much about his European service in WWII, did mention how overjoyed he was when a local resident gave him an onion. The Israelites even whined about the lack of wine, once again noting that there were vineyards back in good old Egypt. I didn’t find this in the Bible, but I bet Moses got tired of hearing, “Are we there yet?”
I’ve heard several women, probably including Paulette, say that the reason they wandered for forty years was that Moses was a man, and he refused to ask for directions. I think that this is unfair to Moses. He did ask for direction, and he talked with God “face to face.” He even took notes! Admittedly, they were a little hard to carry. And God did give them directions; physically, he gave them a pillar of smoke by day and a pillar of fire by night. More importantly, He gave them a guide for living – the Ten Commandments and their 603 relatives. Finally, we should note that under His guidance they reached the Promised Land.

Sometimes when we face confusion, uncertainty, or adversity it can seem as though we’re wandering in the desert. Other times it can seem as though we’re only making snail-like progress on solving our problems. The story in Exodus should help us realize that whining and complaining does no good, and that neither does dwelling on embellished memories of the past. We should follow the lead of Moses and look to God for guidance, and then be patient as he guides us. We are helped by remembering His unconditional love for YOU and me.

Jim

The Baptism of our Lord was observed last Sunday. It reminds us how blessed we are to be included in a spiritual community. We are united with Jesus, who lives to please our Heavenly Father. So fitting that we join His prayer in saying the “Our Father,…” When Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan River, the Father’s voice affirmed His good pleasure. Signs and wonders ensued from the beginning in Jesus’ ministry. We were baptized into a death like his, and we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.

I try not to envy those who claim that they get audible messages from God, actual words. We can all rejoice that the voice of God speaks from the words of Holy Scripture. It is like plump, juicy apples falling from Paul, Moses, David, Luke, et al. I remember a Harry Potter movie in which there was an animated book that seemed to come alive in Harry’s hands.

The voice of the Lord may shake the mighty cedar trees in Lebanon (Psalm 29) or it may be so still and silent that it is barely perceptible. Like the wind, maybe. I like to think that God has a voice of approval as He did for His Son. Thanks to His unconditional love, we have the seal of approval from the promised Holy Spirit. There is nothing the world or anyone in it can do to separate us from His love. Jesus includes us in his life, yes, and in his death, and most importantly his resurrection.

Pastor Art

Sitting here poised to write, I hear my office clock bonging the hour.  Yes, some of my old clocks chime melodiously, but some (this one included) simply bong.  I dutifully count the bongs; five o’clock is almost time for supper.  Do I give myself a reprieve or ask the Holy Spirit to work quickly this afternoon?  It’s hard to be creative in this time-bound state.

Yet so much of our life is bound by the hours of the clock.  Time to eat, to get up, to go to bed, to keep an appointment, to go to church.  Time to close the blinds, time to reopen them.  Do we put our worship and prayer life into our time-bound schedule?  Well, yes and no.  I would like to think I do make specific time to worship, to read my Bible devotionally, to pray.  But I would hate to think that this excludes Jesus from the my other time blocks.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18   “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

There’s the answer – always, in all circumstances.   It’s time for prayer no matter what I’m doing.  It’s time to include Jesus in even the most mundane aspects of life.  He’s there anyway, we just have to acknowledge his presence, thank him and praise him.

Judy

Is this a word you are familiar with? Snarky is a newer adjective meaning sarcastic or mocking. A service repair man was just at our house giving an estimate. Sadly, I found him rather snarky. He seemed rather put off that we wouldn’t entertain his offer of thousands of dollars for a minor repair. His tone changed, his comments became rather snarky and for me that confirmed the NO we were giving him.

I certainly could have dwelled on the situation and his unprofessional attitude, but rather have chosen to follow Proverbs 4:23. “Be careful of what you think about because your thoughts control your life.” Sage advice. I won’t over-think someone else’s unpleasant sarcasm.

Jesus made many points during His ministry by creating stories/parables. He was teaching his followers how to live wisely and have kind thoughts and caring responses. Why? I believe He was trying to help those who love and follow Him to choose their thoughts wisely….as your thoughts control your life.  Leave the snarky thoughts behind you.  Allow anger to dissipate.  Throw worry to the curb. Snarkiness, if said mean spirited, will not bring you any benefits. God loves you unconditionally, allow that truth to control your life.

Jill

Many of you who read this are no longer what my mom and dad used to call “Spring Chickens”.  This was sent to me by one of my friends, who just like me just like me is no longer a Spring Chicken. I decided I would share parts of it with you. I also added some of my own suggestions. These suggestions work especially well for seniors as we usually can’t do all the things we used to do,  but it can help everyone.

-Hang up expectations for what should be and find happiness in what could be.

-Shake up your own routines or traditions and try something new.

-Reach out to the kind of people you love and try to help the kind of people with which you have issues.

-Wrap yourself in words of encouragement and wrap words of encouragement to those around you.

-Rejoice in positive progress you have made in some aspect of your life.

-Sit with your feelings, even the tough ones and turn them over to God.

-Add uplifting, fun activities to your schedule.

-Create opportunities for rest and relaxation.

-Brighten up your mood with acts of kindness.

-Reconnect with nature by spending time outdoors.

-Indulge in moments that bring cozy comfort.

-Shine a light on what is working well.

-Reflect on sweet memories of your past and do not dwell on negative ones.

Last but not least…

-Thank God for all the wonderful things He has done in your life and remember, He loves you and everyone else unconditionally. 

Thanks be to God!

Patty