Joy Lutheran Church Ocala, Florida

Personally, there are incense “scents” I like, or fragrant, lovely, scents in my aromatherapy vessel, but there are others that just don’t “float my boat.” Quite unpleasant. Psalm 141:2 says, “God come close. Come quickly. Open your ears, it’s my voice you’re hearing.  Treat my prayer as sweet incense rising; my raised hands are my evening prayer.” Ancient traditions used incense often as part of their worship ceremonies. Some churches still use incense in their services. Raised hands and incense are often facets of worship. In those times, when offered sacrifices were brought to the temples, sweet smelling incense was sometimes used, attendees believed the scented smoke reached the heavens. Raised hands were also a display of the offering of oneself to God.

I do not bring incense to my worship Sunday mornings but I do, at times, raise my hands in praise to my Lord. Are either of these ancient traditions required for God to hear me or see me? The answer is no. Different denominations of “religion,” have many varied …” this is the way we worship in this congregation.” My personal thoughts are the psalmist was just informing us of his way of worshiping God. God wants us, broken sinners that we are, to KNOW He is our Father, Abba, God, Omnipotent, Holy One. How ever we choose to bow before Him, lying prostrate on a floor, kneeling by our bed, in a pew at our church, raising our hands, inhaling sweet aromas of incense, He chose us! We are loved unconditionally by Him. Worship Him. Praise Him. Share the Good News of our loving Savior who was sent to die for our sins. May healing and forgiveness be yours through Him. Raise your hands and smell the sweet incense of The Gift.

Jill

While watching the news this week, I once again noticed how many times it was interrupted by Breaking News flashes. We also encounter this on our phones and social media feeds. Every hour seems to bring urgent news that focuses on disasters, scandals, or any fear-filled event. It can leave us feeling anxious, weary, and overwhelmed by the constant bombardment of negativity. But what would happen if the breaking news we received was filled with hope and faith instead!

Picture a world where instead of doom and gloom, the news flashes read “Breaking News: God’s mercy is new every day!” or “Breaking News: A prayer has been answered, a heart has been restored, a soul has been saved!” What if instead of horrible news which spreads like wildfire, people shared messages of kindness, hope, forgiveness and love? Maybe the atmosphere would begin to shift from fear and negativity to faith and peace.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the Breaking News would be “A Savior is Born”,
“God Loves You Unconditionally”, “Jesus is Alive”, “Prayer is the Answer”? In a world with breaking news, let’s not forget the best news: God is still in control and His goodness is worth sharing. Thanks be to God!

Patty

If you don’t know this about me, let me tell you clearly – I do not believe in coincidences. I believe that God has a plan for me and I don’t need to know every move in that plan. However, each event in my life happens for a reason, even if I don’t know that reason. 

While working in the garage trying to organize and put away the accumulated and neglected stuff. I had the radio on to the Joy FM station. While I was grumbling about my tasks and wondering how I would get everything done this week, a song came on which changed my attitude in one second of listening. 

The song, “More” by Matthew West, was a direct message from my living and loving God. It redirected my thoughts in a most positive direction and inspired me to stop what I was doing and come right to my computer to write about it. 

Here is God speaking directly to me and to you. All the verses are meaningful, but the Chorus struck a particularly poignant note, especially because of the on-going message of the Joy blogs. Picture Jesus speaking these words to you: 

I love you more than the sun 
And the stars that I taught how to shine 
You are mine, and you shine for me too 
I love you yesterday and today 
And tomorrow, I’ll say it again and again 
I love you more 

Now, if that isn’t the definition of unconditional love, I don’t know what it is! Treat yourself to this song. It just one more piece of evidence, not a coincidence, that God loves you unconditionally. Let it become this week’s “ear worm”! 

Terri 

In school we learned that the atom had a nucleus of protons and neutrons with electrons whizzing around the nucleus. I got that. Someone gave me the book The Quantum World which required a readjustment of my picture of the atom. It seems that both protons and neutrons are made up of even smaller particles-quarks–held together with each other by gluons. The book has 294 pages of information like that. Now it’s my brain whizzing around.

I had a similar experience when I studied theology. I thought I understood God pretty well, but in seminary we read books which made me wonder if I understood anything. I could spend 20 minutes reading one page and be no wiser.

Christians have debated whether we should engage in complicated theology or just keep it simple like we learned in Sunday School. But is that good enough for the rest of your life? When I taught college students, I could sometimes see that what they learning about religion was running afoul of what they had learned as a child. What they needed was their beliefs to develop just as the rest of their intellect was doing.

My advice as a pastor, not as a university lecturer, is that if your beliefs aren’t causing you any trouble, fine. But if you are having trouble fitting what you believe to this crazy modern world, maybe your beliefs have to develop. Read a book. Take a class. Talk to other people. Consult your pastor. You’d be surprised what learning can do for you.

Read James 1:5  and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Wayne

Sometimes we need to have faith in small things. I would like to illustrate this with the true story of Swedish missionaries David and Svea Flood and their daughter Aggie Hurst. I read the story in our Bible study class out of the book Grace Is Greater by Kyle Idleman, but you can read an extended version by Googling Aggie Hurst.

David and Svea went as missionaries to the N’dolera area of the Belgian Congo. The local chief wouldn’t let them have contact with any of the local people except for a boy who sold them food. Svea converted him, and he was to be the only convert they had in the years they were there.

In what should have been a joyous time, Svea gave birth to a baby girl, but unfortunately died a few days after giving birth. David was shattered, and depressed over her death and his lack of success, he went back to Sweden. He gave the baby to the care of an American missionary couple, who adopted her, named her Aggie, and raised her in the United States.

As an adult Aggie traveled to Sweden and made contact with her natural father. He had lived a less than happy life suffering from alcoholism, and was very ill. He apologized for giving her up explaining that he was depressed over Svea’s death and his failure as a missionary; he stressed that there had only been one convert. Aggie, though, had a surprise for him; she knew what had happened to that one convert. In a few years his witness had led to the conversion of almost everyone in the N’dolera region. Later, as an adult he had become the leader of a Christian association in the Congo with over 100,000 members. With the aid of Aggie’s love and message, David returned to his faith.

I love this story. I love the way this very small success, the conversion of a little boy, led to something greater. Please remember that God sometimes speaks to us through small things and that often that message is that He loves YOU and me unconditionally.

Jim

The area around where we live is growing like proverbial weeds. SW Ocala, or the Liberty Triangle, is the second-fastest growing area in Florida. The best kept secret is a secret no more. Not only does this community check all the boxes for retirees looking for 55+ developments, but those who are working in service industries, distribution centers, and construction are moving into our new rental neighborhoods. Within a five mile radius of this congregation and where we live, our infrastructure is not catching up (yet) to the growth. Can they say, “moratorium”? Please, pretty please?

It is a treasure trove of a mission field for sure. As I drive past all these new homes, I muse about the stories of the new residents. Are they looking for a church home? Would it possibly fit in with their lifestyles, their routines? Would I be a crazy person, intruding on their privacy, by knocking on their doors? We have tried prayer walks in these new neighborhoods. I wonder if we gave up too soon, after four of these walks didn’t bear fruit. I have to believe that doing something, anything, will not only be worth the effort, but is what God is hoping I (we) will do. It is easiest to invite those like us, age-wise. We rarely have the opportunity to encounter “Gen X/Y/Z” folks and reach out to them in ways that aren’t creepy. Still we realize and know what people need, which is the love of God in Christ Jesus.

Every dwelling, especially the new ones, is waiting for our invitation. Nineteen out of twenty may say, “thanks but no thanks”, politely or not. Trust that the Holy Spirit will blow when, as He-She/They will. We really can’t fail in the eyes of The One who loves us unconditionally.

Pastor Art  

In Psalm 119:26, David prays, “I’m a stranger in these parts; give me clear directions.”  (The Message)  Wherever we are in our life’s journey, we have not trod these particular steps before.  We tend to think this applies to the young, the inexperienced.  Yet even in our advanced years, each step leads into an unknown future.  With the Psalmist, I look to the Lord for “clear directions.”

This verse reminded me of an old hymn, “Heaven is My Home.”  (It was in the Missouri Synod hymnbook from 1941.)  As a child I loved this hymn, although I couldn’t have told you why.  I know it was sung at funerals, but  we also sang it in Sunday services.  I can still picture my childlike delight, when I spotted the number was on the hymn board.  (It was at the very end of the hymnal, easy to recognize).

The first stanza reads as follows.

I’m but a stranger here,
Heav’n is my home;
Earth is a desert drear,
Heav’n is my home.
Danger and sorrow stand
Round me on every hand;
Heav’n is my fatherland,
Heav’n is my home.

Our way might be dreary with danger and sorrow, and indeed it is.  We face danger, division, and discrimination.  We can’t ignore these; we need to deal as best as we can.  We give our best effort at applying God’s love in each situation.  It’s not easy.  But we need not despair; something wonderful is coming. 

Judy

“Heaven is My Home”  Text, Rev. Thomas Rawson Taylor 1835, Music Arthur Seymour Sullivan 1872

From the Message version of the Bible, Romans 12:1 gives us sage advice: “So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”

The Apostle Paul, writing to the Christians in Rome, was sharing “easy” wisdom.  We need to realize that our functions of every day life: sleeping, eating, going to work, walking are exactly what God wants us to lift up to Him.  As you open your eyes each morning and stretch in bed, before your feet touch the floor, thank God for your rest.  As you head to the kitchen for your power shake or coffee or Cheerios, lift your ability to eat and drink to Him. These are such quick, easy thanks to transmit to our Heavenly Father. Because of Him, we can rest our bodies.  Because of Him we can awaken.  Because of Him we can feel hungry and then nourish our bodies. Give Him an offering of YOU.  We ARE, because of HIM.  God is well aware; we have no problem rushing to Him with the “big” stuff.  Major problems have many of us scurrying to Him in prayer and pleading. Remember: We ARE, because of HIM.  He wants 100% of us, each moment of your ordinary life can be placed before God as an offering. When you take your everyday life to God as an offering of YOU to HIM, you will begin to grow. Each “thank you” you extend, strengthens your connection to our omnipotent God, who loves us so unconditionally. Grow in Him!

Jill

I think it’s time for another blog about State Road 200. Those of you who don’t live near this road will still appreciate what I am talking about if you happen to live and drive in a congested city or country. Twenty years ago, this road was a quiet two-lane road that ended as an unpaved dirt road after about 20 miles.  

In rolled civilization in the form of retirement communities. First one, then another and another, soon the country road was on the way to being expanded to accommodate all the new residents. It is now a six-lane highway with multiple traffic signals and many cars, trucks and emergency vehicles. It is often at capacity. 

Now, why, you are wondering, am I writing about a road in a “spiritual” blog? Well, for the whole time that I have been writing this blog, I have been driving on this road back and forth to church several times a week. It used to be a painless trip. It is now an adventure into chaos.  

Several year ago, I resolved to use that crazy time in the car for a useful purpose. I decided to pray while on the go. Since I am a fault full human, I forget and sometimes when I am driving, I become another person using words that would embarrass the devil. Yesterday, I reminded myself of my resolution to use this time for prayer. 

I must never underestimate the value of time spent in prayer-even a tiny prayer. There are several items and people on my prayer list currently, me included. By the time that I arrived at church for choir practice, I felt relieved and ready for interaction with others. I must also remember to pray for those other drivers on that road because it is very dangerous and some drivers think that they are immortal. 

Dear Lord Jesus, as you watch over us today, give us a lot of wisdom as we drive the roads of the world. I feel that this task will keep you very busy. However, knowing that you love us unconditionally you want us to use caution as we make our way in the world. Thank you. Amen.

Terri 

This past week our church choir sang an anthem, and I can’t get it out of my head. It has been an ear worm for me since we began rehearsing it a few weeks ago.  It is entitled “I Go to the Rock” written by Dottie Rambo and Mary McDonald. Like in the old days of American Band Stand, “it had a good beat and it’s easy to dance to” (in this case fun to sing to) but more importantly, the message is one we can take with us every day of our lives. The beginning phrases of the song set the tone:

Where can I go when there’s no one else to turn to?
Who can I talk to when no one wants to listen?
Who do I lean on when there’s no foundation stable?
I go to the Rock, I know he’s stable, I go to the Rock.

This song shares the message of God offering us a place of safety unlike we can find any where else. In His presence, we are reminded we are never alone. Psalm 91:2 gives us these words of assurance: “I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust.”

God’s presence is not a physical place but a spiritual shelter where His unconditional love covers us and His strength holds us firm. No matter what battles we face in life, the Rock (God) reminds us we are never alone. He is our refuge and fortress, our safety in every storm, our shelter in every trial and our comfort in every sorrow. He is The Rock of our Salvation as we sang last week and what a wonderful gift He has given us.  Thanks be to God!

Patty