Claimed, gathered and sent

Some relish the sound of the alarm in the morning, but I am not one of those people. But what about the sound of the Lord's voice through the word calling us to awake? Once again, I was challenged by the words of Bonh0effer. Awake! For Christians the beginning of the day should not be burdened and haunted by the various kinds of concerns they face during the working day. The Lord stands above the new day, for God has made it. All the darkness and confusion of the night with its dreams gives way to the clear light of Jesus Christ and his awakening Word. All restlessness, all impurity, all worry and anxiety flee before him. Therefore, in the early morning hours of the day may our many thoughts and our many idle words be silent, and may the first thought and the first word belong to the one to whom our whole life belongs. "Sleeper, awake! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you" (Eph. 5:14). - Dietrich Bonhoeffer - from Life Together 51-52 from A Year with Dietri

Not being a morning person, I was challenged by this writing of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. See if you too aren't stirred. Joy in the Morning What do we, who today no longer have any fear or awe of the darkness or night, know about the great joy that our forebears and the early Christians felt every morning at the return of the light? If we were to learn again something of the praise and adoration that is due the triune God early in the morning, then we would also begin to sense something of the joy that comes when night is past and those who dwell with one another come together early in the morning to praise their God and hear the Word and pray together. We would learn again of God the Father and Creator who has preserved our life through the dark night and awakened us to a new day; God the Son and Savior of the World, who vanquished death and hell for us, and dwells in our midst as Victor; God the Holy Spirit who pours the bright light of God's Word into our hearts early in the mor

It is always good for us to be reminded of Christ, our Good Shepherd. We easily look to our pastor as our shepherd, forgetting he/she is undershepherd to the THE GOOD SHEPHERD. Here is the text of today's gospel. 4/29/2007 4th Sunday of Easter John 10:22-30 (NRSV) Jesus promises life to his sheep At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly." Jesus answered, "I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name testify to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. What my Father ha

I had the privilege of preaching on Sunday. The gospel was from John where Jesus asks Peter three times, "Do you love me more than these?" He then charges him to feed my lambs etc. On the heels of that, Sunday night we got word that our pastor was resigning and taking a call in CT. Then Mon. morning I read this post, written by Henri Nouwen which seems so timely. Laying Down Your Life for Your Friends Good Shepherds are willing to lay down their lives for their sheep (see John 10:11). As spiritual leaders walking in the footsteps of Jesus, we are called to lay down our lives for our people. This laying down might in special circumstances mean dying for others. But it means first of all making our own lives - our sorrows and joys, our despair and hope, our loneliness and experience of intimacy - available to others as sources of new life. One of the greatest gifts we can give others is ourselves. We offer consolation and comfort, especially in moments of crisis

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Unholy Sinners The grace of the gospel, which is so hard for the pious to comprehend, confronts us with the truth. It says to us, you are a sinner, a great, unholy sinner. Now come, as the sinner that you are, to your God who loves you. For God wants you as you are, not desiring anything from you - a sacrifice, a good deed - but rather desiring you alone. "My child, give me your heart" (Prov. 23:26). God has come to you to make the sinner blessed. Rejoice! This message is liberation through truth. You cannot hide from God. The mask you wear in the presence of other people won't get you anywhere in the presence of God. God wants to see you as you are, wants to be gracious to you. You do not have to go on lying to yourself and to other Christians as if you were without sin. You are allowed to be a sinner. Thank God for that. - Dietrich Bonhoeffer - from Life Together 108 from A Year with Dietrich Bonhoeffer Carla Barnhill, Ed., HarperSan Francisco, 2005