Joy Lutheran Church Ocala, Florida

About 20 years ago Popular Mechanics had some forensic scientists develop a portrait of Jesus. This is what they came up with.

The Portrait of Jesus

About 20 years ago Popular Mechanics had some forensic scientists develop a portrait of Jesus. This is what they came up with.

https://s.hdnux.com/photos/42/60/02/9109666/5/0x960.webp

They don’t claim this is exactly what Jesus looked like, but it is supposed to represent a first century Galilean Jewish man around age 30. I posted the picture on a forum I follow and got a nasty response from another pastor that the picture looked like a cave man and couldn’t be at all what Jesus looked like. I think the truth of the matter was he was disturbed that Jesus was shown looking like a typical man from the Middle East rather than a European.

The Bible doesn’t describe Jesus, but one of the Suffering Servant Songs from Isaiah which Christians have long believed refer to Jesus says: “he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him” (Isaiah 53:2).

The reaction to the depiction of Jesus goes deeper. So often people would like to create Jesus in our own image. He would favor the things we like and oppose those things we don’t like. For example, most people would favor the Jesus who commands us to love God. But the Jesus who tells us to love our enemies can be a problem for many.

So, who is the Jesus we follow? We need to grasp the real Jesus, the Jesus revealed in Scripture to be true disciples.

Read Matthew 16:13-16 and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Wayne

Have you ever been poked by the Spirit? I can only imagine that it is like the pokes and kicks that an expectant mother feels from the new life growing insider her. We try to disregard, to shrug off that feeling. We might often dismiss that stirring of the Spirit by assuming that God is just too busy worrying about the universe to be giving this insignificant mortal the time of day. Yet we know that to be so untrue. The Spirit is so very in sync with our every breath and heartbeat. The closer our walk with Thee, the more we are urged, prompted, including an uneasy feeling.

It might surprise us when we feel the Spirit steering us away from things that might seem fun yet would ultimately frustrate and waste our time. There are some astonishing stories that bear this out: when a couple thinks they’re due for a date night, even though each one silently wishes the other would beg off the idea; when even a well-intended venture turns into a frustrating, time-wasting nightmare. Yes, it’s okay to experiment with this a little; to trust the little “shove” inside us (the pregnancy metaphor again). God’s voice is never the one tempting us into something sleazy, impure and hurting another. That is Satan’s voice of trickery. If it blatantly goes against the Bible? Prrrrrobably not God’s voice! Trust the inner voice, that innate “Jiminy Cricket” conscience that is embedded in us. Who knows? Our time might be saved from an ill-advised, trivial pursuit. Delays and power outages (“what?!? No cell service?)” can be glorious, holy moments of opportunity to feel the Spirit stirring us. We will experience anew and afresh the unconditional love that The Father lavishes upon us, that the Spirit fill us with, and that the Son befriends us with.

Pastor Art Previously posted February 2019

If you, like me, have been or are still, in a supervisory position, you may have been asked to be a reference. To give an employment recommendation. But here’s a new one for you…

A man asked a friend for a reference. Not uncommon. Glad to help out, the man thought. The man asked, “a reference for what?” His friend replied, “we’re on a waiting list for an adoption”. But it’s not what you might expect. They wanted to adopt a registered Rhodesian Ridgeback. This dog breed offers the best of both worlds: aggressive in appearance to provide protection, yet very gentle around children.

Would anyone approve you for adoption? Are you worthy of being used as a reference on a job application or to vouch for personal character and integrity? Even if the answer is no, it does not mean that you are not worthy – in the eyes of God. We are given a spirit of adoption, according to St. Paul. He would know, after the radical conversion he was given by our Lord. In the redeeming waters of baptism, we are washed anew. We are given new life, the ultimate second chance. Jesus vouches for us as our defense attorney. We are called by name, claimed by the Holy Spirit, marked with the seal of sanctification and also the cross of Christ.

May the thought and the reality of being adopted in the unconditional love of God be all the reference you need.

Pastor Art

 Artificial intelligence is a fairly new idea to many of us.  As amazing as it is, it’s still scary to think that what we hear and/or read may come from artificial intelligence and not the thinking of any human.  With the help of the younger generation in my family, I discovered that even these blogs could be written by artificial intelligence. 

So, I tried it, inputting spiritual blog, 350 words, Lutheran.  It was only a matter of seconds before the blog appeared before my eyes.  Since I had mentioned “Lutheran,” the blog emphasized Luther’s teachings of salvation by grace alone.  What it said was well written and true, but I found it rather boring.  So I entered that I wanted the blog more casual and shorter.  Once again, there it was!  Just as I asked. 

You can put your mind at ease; Joy’s blogs will continue to be written by our very human blog writers.  While AI may have more facts immediately accessible, only very human persons can relate the gospel message from their own experience.

Times change, what’s new soon becomes old.  When the Bible was first translated into German so the people could actually read it, it was amazing!  Not so long ago with the help of our computers and search engines, we were able to quickly locate bible passages that related to any specific topic.  I appreciated that!   And now AI offers to take our thoughts and write them out in clear format for us.  I don’t know about this last one.   The verdict is still out for me.

But through it all one thing is perfectly clear.  Our God has been unchanged:  all powerful, all knowing, and ever present.  And, he is still relevant, perhaps I could extend that to all-relevant!  What he was to the Germans first reading their bibles in the vernacular, or the Americans reading the bible on their computers, or to those who now create AI – God has not changed.  He is our Father, our Savior, our Comforter.   Praise be to God, that this will never change.

Judy

Sometimes I just chuckle out loud when I am taking my daily walk.  The Holy Spirit floats into my mind at times with blog suggestions and I am always surprised! I do follow through, as best as I am able.

On the walking path yesterday, I was shuffling through the last of the leaves to fall. Deciduous trees shed their leaves annually, usually in the fall. Bare limbs on the tree are conserving their energy for new leaves in the spring. Deciduous trees many times are the trees producing the beauty of fall.

How in the world are those trees like me? (The thought popping into my mind from the Holy Spirit.) Trees are planted, form and sprout, much like us. For us a seed is planted, we are born and growth begins. With God as our gardener, we go through spurts of strength and times where He prunes us. A new year ahead reminded me that the past is gone and the future hasn’t arrived, so I must be still and embrace the present moment, a gift from my Lord. If this is the season of my “leaves” falling away, or the season of sprouting new strength, I am loved unconditionally.  Are my efforts, like beautiful fall leaves?  Are they love-filled and enriching to others? If my leaves are falling and pain or suffering have befallen me, am I clinging to my God? Am I able to “let it go and let God” be in control? Thank you, Holy Spirit, for the reminder that I am one of God’s creations and blessed to be on Your earth, seeing you in so many of your Wonders. Feeling blessed in this season.

Jill

We are a world that loves to sort people into groups. This has been happening for thousands of years. The people in biblical times were sorted by race, creed and sex. Men were superior to women in many cultures and were therefore sorted into two groups.

The caste system has been in place for hundreds of years in India. Individuals were assigned (sorted) into groups depending on their birth family and lineage which in turn had dire consequences for their future lives and opportunities.

People continue to be sorted by the way they look, the talents and abilities they have and the things they say. Society has always been sorted into the haves and have nots. We see this in the school system where students are assigned into reading groups depending on their reading levels determined by another sorting tool, the standardized tests. Young people get sorted into groups for college admittance based on their GPAs, their SATs or ACT scores.

Even in works of fiction like the Harry Potter reading series, a mechanism was used to place the students. It was a sorting hat that posited the students into the group which they would represent during their time of study at Hogwarts School.

Some sorting is based on formal measures and some is purely judgmental. Whatever type of sorting it is, it is a very real part of our world and will undoubtedly continue to be so.

As Christians, we are indeed fortunate that we believe and follow a loving God that does not sort us into groups based on any perceived standards. Our God loves us all unconditionally and equally, not based on the way we look, the family we came from or what our IQ might be. He loves us because He is a God of love. God is love. He wants us to be people that love others as we love ourselves.

In 1 John 4:16 we read these words. We know how much God loves us and we have put our trust in his love. God is love and all who live in God live in love and God lives in them.

God loves us, wants the best for us, and wants us to follow His teachings and love each other. I read this quip recently and I think it fits well with this blog. “Love everyone and I’ll sort it out later.” God

Patty

This little quote by Pope Francis in his interview about youth was printed as translated by Anna Milano Appel in a book titled God Is Young. (© 2018, Random House, New York) I was tickled by both the quote and the title of the book. 

How can it be that God is Young? He has been in existence forever and ever! Oh, where to start?  

Let me deal with the quote first. Mainly because I was thrilled to read what the Pope wrote about old age. On page 3 of the book, he states: “When I say “old” people, I don’t mean it as a bad word. It is a beautiful word. We must be joyful and proud of being old, just as we are proud of being young. Old age is a privilege. It means having experience, being able to know and recognize our faults and our merits; it means the ability to be potentially renewed, just as when we were young; it means having acquired the understanding necessary to accept the past and, above all, to have learned from the past.” 

What a hopeful lesson for me. I have noticed that recently that I remember events from a long time ago, in many cases, events that occurred when the people that I am speaking with were not even born. I do feel empowered by these memories because they allow me to translate my learning into today’s world.  

So, why does Pope Francis say that God is young? You may think that I am taking the easy way out here, but the best way to explain what he means is to quote his words-otherwise, I would just be rearranging what he said. This quote is preceded by a discussion of God’s love in which Pope Francis refers it that love as “visceral.” He gives several biblical examples. Then he goes on the add the following: “But I would like to add something more about God. In the book of Apocalypse (Revelation 21:5) there is this phrase: “The one who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’” God therefore is He who always renews, because He is always new: God is young! God is the Eternal One who has no time but is able to renew and rejuvenate Himself and all things continually.” 

The passage from Revelation is one of my favorites. It expresses such hope for the future and now it presents a new aspect of God for me to rejoice in.  

In referring to God’s love as visceral, Pope Francis tells us that God’s love is that of Father and Mother as our Creator. That parental love that will sacrifice anything for their children. Just as Jesus Christ did for us. That love is unconditional and for all of God’s children.  

This little book was written/translated from an interview that was aimed at the youth of the world, but there are lessons held within for all of us. Pope Francis asks the world’s young to consider a cure for world problems with a “revolution of kindness.” That’s a topic for another day. 

Please keep Pope Francis in your prayers as he is currently ill and in hospital with pneumonia. A difficult disease for anyone, much harder for one who has compromised lungs and is a blessed old person. 

Terri 

My Father always said I had the memory of an elephant–a dead one. It’s true I don’t remember things well. I read a great deal, but I don’t remember a lot of what I read. A few years ago my sister gave me a small journal and I began writing down things I read that struck me as interesting. I wish I had done that many years ago. From time to time I go through the journal and think about the quotations there. Sometimes that’s where an idea for a blog comes from. I commend this to people as a spiritual practice.

Here’s the most recent quote by the Alice in Wonderland author Lewis Carroll (The Rev. Charles L. Dodgson in real life). “Would it be so very irreverent to let your child have a storybook to read during the sermon?” It seems to me good advice because most little kids don’t get much out of the torrent of words that makes up a sermon. It’s not that there’s something wrong with the sermon, at least not the ones we hear at Joy, it’s just that children have short attention spans and they can’t digest the churchy vocabulary that isn’t used anywhere else.

That says something about how we share the Christian faith with others. It needs to be simple, plain language, a sharing of our own personal experience. How has Christ made a difference in my life? What story can I tell that illustrates that? If story telling works for kids, it probably works for adults as well.

Read Psalm 66:16 and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Wayne

Felix Mendelssohn used parts of Psalm 55 for his anthem “Hear My Prayer.” My favorite section is the soprano solo:

“O for the wings, for the wings of a dove!
Far away, far away would I rove!
In the wilderness build me a nest,
and remain there for ever at rest.”

It seems so calming. I really understand the desire to fly away to some safe place. Life is tough. Reading the whole psalm, however, is troubling, especially verses 12-14:

“My enemies are not the ones who sneer and make fun.
I could put up with that or even hide from them.
But it was my closest friend, the one I trusted most.
We enjoyed being together, and we went with others to your house, our God.” (CEV)

The Psalmist agonizes over betrayal by a friend. Is that an experience you can identify with? Part of the power of the Scriptures is that they aren’t just about “dead people who lived a long time ago,” but are about the experiences and challenges of our everyday lives.

When the Son of God took on flesh in Jesus, he took on all of our woes. Jesus knew what it was to be betrayed by friends. Judas sold him out, Peter denied knowing him, most of the disciples abandoned him. When we pray to our Lord, we pray to one who intimately understands us. We can pray in confidence as the psalmist says: “Our LORD, we belong to you. We tell you what worries us, and you won’t let us fall.”

Read Psalm 55 and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Wayne Previously posted February 2019

 Our history as God’s holy people is laden with countless individuals who failed at life. Even the so-called greats in Bible had their mishaps and misteps. They were afflicted with crises of doubt. Considering St. Paul, he went from being “enemy #1” of The Way to planting congregations and being the most significant apostle of the early age of Christianity. He did not toot his own horn, but gave credit where it was due. “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow” (I Cor. 3:6). We seek not our own pat on the back, but simply to be obedient.

The words of Jesus in his “Sermon on the Plain” in Luke were the Gospel text in yesterday’s worship. When we act out of vain ambition, truly we have received our reward; that’s all we will get. When our hearts are humble and penitent before God, that is when the Father smiles approvingly.  The unconditional love is always a given, and our attempts to achieve that or win that are pointless and useless. Is that bad news or good news to you? Thanks be to God that His is no graded system. Nothing we can do to earn the life that is truly undeserved, because the one who did NOT deserve to die, did so that we may have life in him

Pastor Art