Joy Lutheran Church Ocala, Florida

I’m sure many of us can remember the song The B-I-B-L-E from our childhoods.  We sang it in Sunday school, in vacation Bible school and sometimes just for fun as it had a catchy tune and was easy to learn with the same words repeated as many times as you wanted to sing it.

The B-I-B-L-E, yes, that’s the book for me.

I stand alone on the word of God, the B-I-B-L-E.

Very simple in content, straight forward and easy enough for even a child to understand? We sang it loud, and we sang it proud!   But did we really understand it?  I’m quite certain I didn’t think about the real meaning of the words.  Like the kids on “American Bandstand” answered when they were asked to rate a song, “It has a great beat and it’s easy to dance to”, at a much younger age I would have said ‘It has a good tune and it’s easy to remember the words.”

As an adult, I have deeper feelings in reading the Bible and have a more meaningful understanding of it being The Word of God and not just something to sing about because I liked how it sounded. 

The Bible is our guide to a better understanding of our Lord and what He has given us and what He expects from us in return. It shares with us the wonder of God’s unconditional love for us and is a directive on how we can live a Godly existence. There is no more important book for us to follow.

In Psalms 119:105 we read these words. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path”.

The Bible gives us a model on how to live here on Earth.  It is meant to be the bread for daily living, not cake for special occasions. Thanks be to God!

Patty

Ever had that happened to you? Hear a song and it stays in your head for days. If it is a particularly annoying song with words that are offensive or nasty, that can be downright miserable. 

When I wrote the first blog with this title in 2018, I was referring to the Sunday’s choir anthem “I’ll Keep My Eyes on the Cross”. It was with me all week. A great comfort, indeed. 

This time, I am being inundated with the music and words from Beethoven’s outstanding 9^th Symphony-Ode to Joy. I had the wonderful experience of taking part in the Ocala Symphony Orchestra Chorus’ performance of this piece last Sunday. Here it is Thursday, and the words are still ringing in my head and heart. 

Beethoven had a skeptical relationship with God; however, I think that he got this one right. Written at a time of world unrest and extraordinary change, he took the unusual step of adding a choral piece to his symphony. This was a first in the musical world. And a lasting blessing for those of us who have a chance to see, hear and perform it today. 

Based on the poem written by the German poet Friedrich Schiller, Beethoven crafted the 4^th movement of the masterpiece to sing about the possibility of universal brotherhood and joy provided by a loving Father who lives above the clouds. 

There is a rousing repetition of the phrase “Alle Menschen werden Brűder.” All men will be brothers is an expression that I can agree with, not easy but a great goal. I believe that this is part of God’s plan for his children, since all of his children share his unconditional love. It is the way we were created to function, not alone, but as a team with our eyes on the Great Manager. 

Yes, yes, yes, this is the God who loves you unconditionally. Trust in Him and love Him in return.  

This short video of a “pop-up” Ode to Joy expresses visually my understanding of the music. People from all walks of life from all over the world come together to play and sing this music of universality. I cried as I watched it. I trust that God will bring this into our reality. 

Yours in Christ, Terri 

I was trying to explain why I volunteer as part of Joy’s Stewardship Team. I suppose someone could argue that churches need money to operate and somebody has to raise the money or else the church will close. That’s a pretty crass reason, and it’s not mine.

I see stewardship as encouraging gratitude, generosity, and commitment among people. It’s about the kind of people we are. It turns out there is something somewhat selfish about my working with stewardship. I find that I am happier among people who are grateful, generous, and committed. I’ve been part of groups where people are angry, negative, self-absorbed, and just plain stingy. I found that being among those people affected me. I started to become like them. It wasn’t healthy for me. I had to get away from those groups. Being a member of Joy Lutheran Church has been something quite different. It builds up rather than tears down.

Volunteering with the Stewardship team turns out to be a blessing for me. It makes a difference in me. My life is better because I’m making a positive contribution to something that benefits others.

I think that should be the case however we volunteer our time and talents to our church. It’s not a matter of keeping an institution running, but of being blessed and being a blessing. How do you volunteer at the church? What does that do for you? What difference does it make in your life? And if you don’t volunteer, maybe you’re missing something valuable. Give it some thought.

Read 1 Peter 4:10 and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Wayne

It’s spring training season! The Major League Baseball teams have gathered in Florida and Arizona. Veteran players are shaking off the rust and trying to hold off Father Time for another year. Young prospects are doing their best to get noticed. In the dugout, managers and coaches scrutinize every pitch, every play, to decide who stays, who goes to the minor leagues, and who is released. The investment that these teams put into each prospect is no small matter. Beyond paying the players, there’s the matter of lodging, meals, equipment, and paying for the best coaches they can find. Some of these players will come back year after year in hopes of showing enough improvement to be called up to the Big Show. But at some point, the team decides that a particular player has peaked and isn’t worth any further investment. The player is released.

[The orchard’s owner] said to the gardener, ‘For three years now I have come in search lf fruit on this fig tree but have found none. So cut it down. Why should it exhaust the soil?’ Luke 13:7

This parable puts fear into me. Do I bear enough fruit, or am I in danger of being cut down like an unproductive fig tree? God invests an awful lot in us, and He would be well within His rights to cut us off if we don’t bear fruit. God, please give me more time! I promise to do better! And indeed, in His infinite patience, He does. The owner in the gospel reading says he’s been checking on that fig tree for three years, and he’s given up on it. But I did a little research: Fig trees on their own root systems begin bearing fruit at 3 to 4 years of age. So, God is like the gardener in this story. He knows fig trees. He ought to; He created them!

[The gardener] said to him in reply, ‘Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future. If not you can cut it down.’ Luke 13:8-9

God continues to cultivate the ground around us and fertilize it, year after year, to give us every opportunity to grow and ultimately produce. In baseball terms, instead of being cut, we’re being sent to the minors where the team will invest time and effort in coaching us and showing patience for another year. But unlike baseball, we can trust that He’ll continue to cultivate and fertilize us until we bear fruit. And unlike baseball, God will never release us!

We pray:
O Master of all Orchards, we do not always produce for You in the way that we should. When we fall short, cultivate us with Your word and fertilize us with Your body and blood. As long as we follow Your perfect teaching, we cannot help but make it to the Big Show some day. We ask this through Your Son, who gives us our own spring training — Lent — to practice and get better. Amen

Jeff
A Lecturer from Colchester, CT
Shared by permission of the author

Not that it happens often with me, but here is one worth sharing and commenting on.   I went to Biggby’s Coffee in the new Publix at Cherrywood center. A gentleman with a ponytail told me he wasn’t in Iine. So I placed my order and stood next to him as we waited. I told him that three men in my church also sported his hairstyle. I added that he reminded me very much of my best friend from childhood. With eyes downcast, he said he hoped that his character was worthy of them. I also noticed on the other side of him was another man who had a deformed (half of a) left arm, also waiting. When his coffee order came up, the two of them left together. Clearly “ponytail” was caring for “arm”. I thought to myself that he most assuredly had a worthy character.

You never know what encounters will come to you. Are they mere coincidence or are they orchestrated from heaven? Divine angelic intervention? I do believe they are opportunities to witness and receive witness, or messages we can take on board. When I reflect on too many missed opportunities, or not pushing an encounter further, my heart breaks a little. In one of many paradoxes of faith, it is not up to us. But it is. God empowers and equips us to bear witness. But if we don’t, maybe it wasn’t our place or time. Maybe we just plant a seed for the Holy Spirit to work in whoever else that person might encounter or have in their life. We don’t do this alone; that’s my takeaway, not an excuse.

May your daily encounters reveal glimpses of the kingdom of God, who loves unconditionally.

Pastor Art

Watching a television show on genealogy recently, I heard this phrase:  “Be the answer to your ancestor’s prayers.”  It caught my attention, first because it seemed unlike our typical reminder to do as Jesus would have us do.  Yet after thinking about it, I wondered if there was valid point being made.  Now I suppose it depends on your ancestors;  who they were and what they believed, and what their hopes for you might have been.

Personally I found it relevant.  One grandmother left Germany alone at sixteen, her rosary in her pocket, looking to be a servant girl in Connecticut.  Through early widowhood, a less than ideal second marriage, and seven children, she never lost her faith.  Her children were baptized and went to church.  I believe that her prayers for her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren would include that they keep the faith that she so bravely brought from her homeland. 

A grandfather left Saxony at five with his mother and siblings.  Bringing just one trunk, they came to meet their father and oldest brother who were already in Connecticut working.  Life was not easy, but there were mills; men and boys soon were employed bringing home wages to support a family.  Family was of prime importance and his children carried on this thinking.  In my last visit with him as he lay in the hospital, he gave me this advice.  “Find a good man and start a good family.”  Well Grandpa, I did as you said.

In some cases our ancestors provide a work ethic that is admirable.  In others it may be a loving heart that reached out to one and all.  It may be a special talent that they used to the fullest, in hopes that their children would also utilize whatever talents they were given.   In many cases, we can indeed do well to “Be the answer to our ancestor’s prayers.”

May the God who loves you unconditionally guide you follow in His Way.

Judy

Did you ever play video/electronic games? Some of those games used to have a joystick, that was your controller.  Different games now have a hand-held push button controller and there are games able to be played on your cell phones too.  The common thread is CONTROL. You are the mastermind behind the controls.

Have you thought about the possibility that your prayers could sound “controlling” to God. “You must do this or make that happen.”  Eye-opener…YOU are not in control of God.  A piece of advice straight from His Holy Word, Jeremiah 10:23: “People’s lives are not their own, and it is not for them to direct their steps.” Isaiah 45:5-7: “God is the Lord and there is no other, and he does all things.” Proverbs 19:21: “The Lord’s purpose prevails over the many plans in a person’s heart.”

Certainly, do not stop praying. God wants to hear you; He loves you unconditionally. Be cognizant of the reality that you are not holding the joystick or control device to “win” God’s attention. The Almighty, all powerful, sovereign God above all things, wants you to turn over the “control” and allow Him to guide your ways. Psalm 139 reminds you God has known you since you were in your mother’s womb.  He knows what you are thinking and your words before you speak them. Let God, BE God. Release your control.

Jill

This is a story I recently read on Facebook, and it is perfect as we get closer to Easter.

A rattlesnake bit one of my sheep in the face. Around these parts it is the deadliest snake.

The sheep’s face swelled up and the bite hurt her terribly.

But the old rattlesnake didn’t know the kind of blood that ran through the veins of the sheep. Anti venom most often comes from sheep’s blood. The poor sheep swelled up for two days but the blood of the lamb destroyed the venom of the serpent.

I was worried but the sheep didn’t care. She just calmly kept on eating and drinking and kept on climbing because she knew she would be all right.

Often the serpents of this life will reach out and put their poison into us but they cannot overcome the blood of the lamb of God that washes away the sin of the world. Don’t worry about the serpents that try to push their way into our lives. God has taken care of that for us.

First of all, I marvel about the things God has created for us to help us survive, even in very dangerous times. Secondly, I am in awe of the fact the sheep instinctly knew she would be okay. But the most wonderful gift of all is because of God’s unconditional love for us, He gave His only son Jesus, the lamb of God, to give His blood and die on the cross so save our souls from the devil, the most evil serpent of all. We are so blessed to know this love and live in Him who created us. Thanks be to God!  

Patty

This quote from Pastor Art’s homily Wednesday night got me thinking. Lent is tough! Here we are more than halfway through it and I’m wondering if I have done it right.  

When I was a child, I had a great attitude about Lent. I took time to seriously think about what I would give up as my penance and sacrifice. Would it be candy or cake? I was very organized about it, allowing myself to indulge in the item on Sundays because Sundays weren’t counted in the 40 days of Lent.  

I had a child’s version of what Lent was meant to be.  As I matured, my understanding changed, and I began to see more clearly what my goals are. Now Lent means a time of reflection, repentance and change. There are no Non-Lent Sundays for the mature Christian.  

Decisions made during this time of reflection are not just for the 40 days of Lent. They may not always be 100% successful, but they are meant to be permanent. They are not always easy. 

Pastor used verses from Luke’s Sermon on the Plain. (Luke 6:17-26) Like the Sermon on the Mount, these passages contain beatitudes but also add the “woes”. Then Luke goes on to admonish his listeners: “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. V27-28” 

These are the instructions that make Lent tough; that make being a Christian tough. It takes a lot of prayer and courage to turn the other cheek.  To pray for the mean people in my life; in my world. However, I have learned that it takes a lot of energy to keep hate alive in my heart. Rest in the Lord. 

Follow His direction and trust that He is much wiser than we are.  This doesn’t mean complacency or disinterest in matters of the world or daily life. It does mean practicing kindness and keeping my own life in order; not endlessly winding myself up to keep my discontent alive.  

So, while Lent is tough, it is also rewarding and at the end, we have Easter- a grand Resurrection and Redemption. I won’t get it completely right, but I will enjoy the results.  (And, maybe even some candy and cake!) 

Terri 

I was attacked by a goose recently. A pair of geese with five goslings took up residence at the pond by my home.  I was intrigued. I stood on the sidewalk watching the goose family while the gander watched me. Papa goose decided I didn’t belong there watching. Maybe he sensed I am fond of goose as Christmas dinner. In any case, he suddenly took flight straight toward me. I backed away, and papa went past me. I’ve since learned that geese are very protective of their young and get aggressive in chasing off strange intruders.

The geese show a trait present in many animals including humans. We protect our own against those who don’t belong and who might be a threat. The problem with this powerful defense mechanism is that can also work against us. It keeps us from approaching people who might be beneficial to us, but who appear different in some way. Think about how little kids react to a doctor in a white gown and mask.

Our natural instincts sometimes get in our way. This was a problem for early Christians. For example, it took effort to regard people who spoke Greek instead of Aramaic as brothers and sisters. So Jesus taught: “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34).

We have to be aware that our natural tendency to be suspicious of those who are different can be a problem. Our goal is to be like Christ and not like a goose. Love one another.

Read 1 John 4:7 and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Wayne