Joy Lutheran Church Ocala, Florida

I loved dancing with my father. I have many memories of Daddy in my life, but this week, I am remembering our dances.  Dad took pride in his ability to feel the rhythm of the music and dance accordingly. He loved to jitterbug, so all of his daughters had to know how to dance it as well. 

I looked forward to the dances he would attend. I would pester him to dance.  He would gently hold me in his arms and lead me through a waltz or a foxtrot. When the music would change, we would twirl around at great speed. He loved to dance and all of us children loved to dance with him. These events could be family weddings, school dances or the local dances which parents would attend.  

While Dad influenced our love of music and dance, he also influenced our love of God as shown in his actions. No matter what the weather was going, we were all up and dressed for church every Sunday. My father said his prayers on his knees by his bed before he left for work. He showed us that God was an important part of his life and consequently, ours. 

A father’s love should always be constructive, instructive and unconditional. My father’s love was. Just as our heavenly Father loves you unconditionally and always. Even if you can’t do the jitterbug. 

Happy Father’s Day to all who assume the role of a loving father. 

Terri 

As a kid I particularly enjoyed watching The Bell System Science Series on TV. There were only nine of them between 1956 and 1964, so it was a rare experience. I watched them again a while ago and noticed that the four written and directed by Frank Capra have religious elements woven into them. 

Capra told his science advisors, “If I make a science film, I will have to say that science research is just another expression of the Holy Spirit that works in all men. Furthermore, I will say that science, in essence, is just another facet of man’s quest for God.” Capra would never have gotten away with that today. Now even a hint of religion in a mainstream TV production would be avoided unless the topic was specifically religious. I think that’s a mistake.

For me, the spiritual life is not something separate from the whole of life. It can’t be crammed into a small compartment of life isolated from everything else. I can’t study science without marveling at God’s work. There are tiny muscles in our bodies that control blood flow to the capillaries, the itsy-bitsy blood vessels around 0.008 millimeters wide. That’s amazing! It makes me marvel about God’s design of life.

My spiritual life gives me a direct connection to God and forms my moral sense, but it is not something in conflict with the wonders of science. Maybe those old Bell science programs helped shape the way I think about things. Thanks, Frank Capra, for letting God be reflected in my learning science.

Read Psalm 8:3-5 and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Wayne

Round 1: Fear nudges you.

Round 2: Fear begins to take up space in your mind and thoughts.

Round 3: Fear chomps down and takes hold of you.

Where is your faith? Remembering the story from Matthew 8 about Jesus in the boat with His disciples when the storm raged, the disciples seemed to be terror stricken with fear. Jesus chastised them, commenting on their “little faith” and He rebuked the storm, so the seas and wind were calm.

When life is rolling along pleasantly, it seems so easy to speak “faith.” When a hurdle is placed before us (storms, illness, lack, loss etc.), how quickly does faith disappear?
Fear is powerful. Fear can consume you and take your mind, body and spirit into a deep plunge. A panic/anxiety/fear disorder consumed my oldest son at one point in his life. This “fear take over” debilitated him to the point of agoraphobia and being housebound for twelve years.

God, who loves him unconditionally, broke through the doors of that fear and allowed faith to take its place. Just as Jesus broke the grip of fear in His disciples and showed them the power of faith, so it has been for Tim.

I watch in awe, as our loving Father, continues to bless Tim with a renewed strength and fortitude that is God-filled and faith-based.

Is fear powerful? Yes, it can be very powerful, but our God’s unconditional love and caring spirit can restore our faith to a power mightier than any “fear” that threatens to invade.

Round 4: Faith WINS!

Allow faith to be in your Round 1 and save yourself the knock down from fear.

Trust God’s unconditional love for you. Do not let fear be your sparring partner, rope faith into the ring of life with you.

Jill

This man was a friend and colleague of Billy Graham. When Charles was eighteen, after a night of (ahem) frivolity, he knelt beside his bed. As he recalled later, it felt like “a black blanket was draped over me. Guilt consumed my whole mind and body. The only words I could manage were

‘Lord, come down…’” and then,

“Slowly, a weight began to lift, a weight as heavy as I. It passed through my thighs, my torso, my arms and shoulders, and lifted off. I felt warm. It seemed like a light had been turned on in my chest and that it had cleansed me…I hardly dared breathe, thinking I might alter or end the moment. And I whispered softly again and again, ‘Thank you, Lord. Thank you’”.

Guess what? Even after that powerful conversion, Mr. Templeton had doubts. He was no greater human than you or I. Too much reasoning, too much “stinkin’ thinkin’” prevented Charles from doing what Billy Graham did. What happened? Mr. Templeton didn’t allow for the power of the Holy Spirit.

(You can read more about this man in Lee Strobel’s book “The Case for Faith”, introduction).

Regardless of whether we accept Christ through adult baptism or have a supernatural experience that grabs our attention and turns our life inside-out, we will still have moments of uncertainty. I have found this especially when a prayer seems unanswered. Remember that God never says “no”. The answer might be “yes”, or “I have something better in mind. Trust and believe”. The love that is unconditional understands, even when we fail to grasp how phenomenal He is.

Pastor Art

We have the privilege of visiting a friend in a nursing home every week or two.  Her family is all living “up north,” so as friends of theirs, we gladly offered to visit her in their stead.  We were happy to make these visits and hoped we might bring cheer to her.

Oh Father God, you must have been laughing to see our serious selves head out.  The visit was clearly written on our calendar; we were conscientious about keeping our commitment.  We debated about little things like whether to bring a cup of coffee. 

Clearly our Lord had bigger ideas, and Miss Barb was on his side.  You see, she is already happy!  We may be her only visitors, but she is happy!  She is grateful!  If she finds cream cheese on her tray for her bagel, she is grateful!  She is a joy to all around her.  If she wins a BINGO game and the prize is a toothbrush, she finds joy in that moment.  If we push her wheelchair so she doesn’t have to wheel it herself, she feels like a queen.  These visits to the nursing home are quite literally fun!

Today she proudly showed us her new beads, purchased from a Dollar store sale.  When I asked about the crucifix hanging from them, she began to tell me.  That’s Jesus and they hung him on that cross.  They put nails in his hands, and it really hurt.  He cried out.  When He died, his body was put in a tomb.  But when Mary and Mary Magdalene came back, he wasn’t there.  They were really worried but when they started to walk away, they saw him.  He was alive!  Jesus told them to go and tell everybody else, so that’s what they did.

Oh Miss Barb, you couldn’t have said it better.  She loves worship – they sing, and they pray.  She tried Bible study, but that was too hard.  Finding places in the Bible was beyond her capacity.  I asked if she’d like a Bible with pictures.  With a great smile, she answered yes, that would be great!  So it may be a children’s bible, but it will be hers on our next visit. 

Lord, you have so much to teach us, and we have so much to learn.  We just didn’t know that so much of it was waiting for us in the nursing home.  We speak loudly, so she can hear us.  But, we listen carefully, we have much to learn.

Judy

While you are thinking and a myriad of thoughts are going through your mind, your friends don’t know your thoughts. Your spouse might think they can read your mind, but they also don’t know your thoughts. The person next to you on the bus, your boss, your opponent, no one EXCEPT our Lord God knows your every thought. Psalm 139: 23-24 “²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart; test my thoughts. ²⁴ Point out anything you find in me that makes you sad, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” Nothing is hidden from our Lord. Isn’t that mind-boggling? Knowing that Jesus can read my mind and thoughts, encourages me to make those “thoughts”…good ones.

Paul, while imprisoned in Rome, wrote to the Philippians. Philippians 4:8-9 ^“Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.” What encouraging words from Paul! We will not always have positive, tossing-rose-petal kinds of thoughts.  Some will be dark, some worrisome, some confused, but we are encouraged to get off that “train of thought” and redirect our thoughts to all that is true and good.

My personal go-to for redirecting my thoughts is to say the name of Jesus out loud, even if it is a whisper. When I hear the name of Jesus, CHANGE happens from within. My thoughts become less jumbled, less negative and I know Jesus is guiding my thoughts to the positive, healthy and good. His love for me and you is so very unconditional. There is power in His Holy Name. Think about that!

Jill

We love because he first loved us.  1 John 4:19.

God’s love for us certainly isn’t a response to our actions because if that were true, He would have plenty of reasons not to love us. We are not always loveable. Our general sinful natures and some of the decisions and choices we make are not conducive to being loved.

In spite of all that, God does love us. He loved us before we were born. Before we did anything right or wrong, He loved us. He gives His love freely; we don’t earn it. God loves us because of His goodness and mercy. He models and exudes love in everything He does. This gift of love in turn gives us the capacity to love God, to love others and to love ourselves.

When we finally understand this simple truth, it can change us. Our love becomes pure and real. We are not trying to impress someone or gain something for ourselves. We love because we feel His overwhelming love in every aspect of our lives. We are loved unconditionally and eternally. This love empowers us to love others because He first loved us.

Presbyterian Pastor Timothy Keller gave us these words: God’s love is not a response to your love. Your love is a response to His.

Thanks be to God for His everlasting love!

Patty

Have you ever experienced a poke from God, while engaging in less than wise behavior? Oh, I don’t mean bad or sinful behavior. I get those all the time. I mean things like questionable eating decisions or watching movies into the middle of the night. Unwise choices.

Well, I do. I had one last night, in fact. While binge watching The Crown, the battery on my tablet started to fade. I had to switch from ear buds to wireless ear phones, so that I could charge the tablet and continue watching. Quietly getting out of bed, I looked for the ear phones and looked and looked and looked.

Picture this foolish woman tiptoeing around the bedroom with a flashlight, so she would not disturb the household, searching for a pair of earphones at 2:00 in the morning! Looking high and low. I made three circuits around the room. And I could not find them anywhere. I was sure that they were in plain view, but I could not locate them.

Then it hit me. This is a soft message from my heavenly Father, gentle Savior and Blessed Dove: “Go to bed. It is two o’clock in the morning. This entertainment will still be here in the morning. And you, my child, will be able to find the earphones in the light of day.”

I went to bed, quite tired at that hour of the morning and slept soundly. When I awoke, I found the missing earphones lying quietly on the floor next to my chair where I had left them.

Some might say that it is a stretch to say the God sent me this message. But I choose to believe that these messages do come from a loving God who wants only my best interest, my happiness in this world and the next.

I say this because I know that God loves you (and me) unconditionally! Sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite.

“In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety.”
Psalm 4:8

Terri

It is said if you really want to learn something you should teach it. That’s how I learned about Boniface (675?-754), an Anglo-Saxon missionary to what is now approximately the areas of the Netherlands and western Germany. The lesson about Boniface in the book Great Christians featured a two-page color picture of him chopping down a huge oak tree supposedly sacred to the god Thor. According to legend, when Thor didn’t strike him dead the local inhabitants were persuaded to become Christians. The wood of the tree was used to build a chapel. 

Boniface eventually became Archbishop of Mainz and work to establish Christian churches through Germany. He was martyred when non-Christian tribes attacked. He held a book of the Gospels over his head as they slashed at him with swords.

I am always amazed by the bold Christian missionaries like Boniface. It would have been a lot easier for him to have stayed in the monastery church in England where he was a monk and wonder why the Germans and Frisians weren’t crossing the channel to come to church. I’m being facetious, of course, but it strikes me that the issue for people like Boniface was never how do we get people to come to our church, but how do we bring the church to people.

I once posed this question to a group of people: “What wold you tell a stranger about your church?” One person answered, “I wouldn’t tell them about my church. I’d tell them about Jesus.” Absolutely right.

Be like Boniface. Tell people about Jesus.

Read Romans 10:15 and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Wayne

I was with my father at the National Gallery when he got to see one of his favorite paintings, “The Sacrament of the Last Supper” by Salvador Dali.

It’s a striking work. At first you know what your are looking at, the Last Supper, but then you aren’t so sure. The room opens to the outside through a strange, polyhedral window. A male torso floats eerily above. What’s going on?

Jesus gestures to himself with his left hand and upward with his right. This has generally been taken as a reference to John 14:9 where Jesus tells Philip, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” Dali shows us the mystical connection between Jesus and the Father.

But there is one more curiosity. Two of the disciples appear to be kneeling on our side of the table. The light marks off a square like a corporal on an altar holding the bread and wine.

This painting is a complex symbol. When we celebrate the Holy Communion with the earthly elements of bread and wine Christ is truly present. In one and the same moment we are at his table, with him at the Last Supper, and anticipating sharing with him in the Heavenly Banquet. There is so much more at work than our earthly senses can perceive. What joy that we are invited to this mystic feast.

Thanks be to our Lord Jesus Christ for the gift of eternal life brought by his death and resurrection and presented to us in his Body and Blood.

Read Matthew 26:26-29 and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Wayne Originally posted May 2018