7-5-20 DEVOTIONS
Dear Saron Family:
I hope all is well for each of you!
Our Gospel lesson comes from Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30.Jesus challenges the people around Him and us with these words. “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Jesus is saying to us that fear, weariness, and frustration is not what God's intentions are for us! God created us and every human being to live in peace, kindness, wisdom, joy, justice, and love towards others empowered by the Holy Spirit.
We need to see and be aware of God's presence in our lives as weariness and fear will blind us from this great gift! Jesus' yoke is that which leads and guides us into living in God's Kingdom as God's gracious people here and now. We are called to scatter into the world as free, and responsible and most of all loving men and women who are bearing witness to our Risen Lord and Savior! Go in peace and in the power of God's Holy Spirit!
Pastor David
Dear Saron Family:
I hope all is well for each of you!
Our Gospel lesson comes from Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30.Jesus challenges the people around Him and us with these words. “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Jesus is saying to us that fear, weariness, and frustration is not what God's intentions are for us! God created us and every human being to live in peace, kindness, wisdom, joy, justice, and love towards others empowered by the Holy Spirit.
We need to see and be aware of God's presence in our lives as weariness and fear will blind us from this great gift! Jesus' yoke is that which leads and guides us into living in God's Kingdom as God's gracious people here and now. We are called to scatter into the world as free, and responsible and most of all loving men and women who are bearing witness to our Risen Lord and Savior! Go in peace and in the power of God's Holy Spirit!
Pastor David
6-28-20 DEVOTIONS
Dear Saron Family:
Please stay in touch with each other as it can mean so much to those who are housebound! This reminder to take care of one another shows our commitment to the third great commandment to love one another as Jesus loves us!
This week's Gospel lesson comes from just three verses at the end of the Missionary Discourse in Gospel of Matthew. It is Matthew 10:40-42.Verse 42 says “and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded. “We are all disciples of Jesus and caring for one another and all of God's good creation is part of our commissioning into the work of Jesus' Kingdom in the world! Our reward has been given to us by God's wonderful grace and we have the great honor and joy to give the gift of Jesus' love to one another and to a thirsty and hurting world!
In Jesus day water was a very important and holy gift as it is in all generations in every nation and to all people. Cool water was a very precious and wonderful gift! If a child wanted a cup of cool water it was up to a loved one and most commonly, it was mom! She would take an empty stone jar which was heavy itself and walk a long distance to the community well and drop the jar into the cool water of the well pull it back up and walk back home to her child and give him or her a cup of cold water. Moms and dads do that kind of service for love!
There are many of God's children who are thirsty for cool water but are thirsty for the one who is the Living Water! When we do anything of love unto the least of these we have done it onto our Lord.
Blessings to each of you, take care and take care of each other, in Jesus Name Amen!
Dear Saron Family:
Please stay in touch with each other as it can mean so much to those who are housebound! This reminder to take care of one another shows our commitment to the third great commandment to love one another as Jesus loves us!
This week's Gospel lesson comes from just three verses at the end of the Missionary Discourse in Gospel of Matthew. It is Matthew 10:40-42.Verse 42 says “and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded. “We are all disciples of Jesus and caring for one another and all of God's good creation is part of our commissioning into the work of Jesus' Kingdom in the world! Our reward has been given to us by God's wonderful grace and we have the great honor and joy to give the gift of Jesus' love to one another and to a thirsty and hurting world!
In Jesus day water was a very important and holy gift as it is in all generations in every nation and to all people. Cool water was a very precious and wonderful gift! If a child wanted a cup of cool water it was up to a loved one and most commonly, it was mom! She would take an empty stone jar which was heavy itself and walk a long distance to the community well and drop the jar into the cool water of the well pull it back up and walk back home to her child and give him or her a cup of cold water. Moms and dads do that kind of service for love!
There are many of God's children who are thirsty for cool water but are thirsty for the one who is the Living Water! When we do anything of love unto the least of these we have done it onto our Lord.
Blessings to each of you, take care and take care of each other, in Jesus Name Amen!
6-21-20 DEVOTIONS
Dear Saron family:
I want to wish all of our dads a blessed and wonderful Father's Day!
Our Gospel lesson for today is Matthew 10:24-39. This passage interestingly talks about the human family. Jesus is teaching the twelve before they are sent on a missionary journey in the local area. We are dealing with one of the passages of Jesus' teaching about discipleship. “A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master, it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will the malign those of his household!'' Later in this passage Jesus says “Do not think I have come to bring to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” Tough words for us to hear! One little thought came to mind about the imagine of a sword. If you stick a sword into the ground it looks like a cross!
This Sunday is filled with celebrations of dads like moms were last month and the importance of the human family and Jesus says these words in verses 35 and 36."For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter against her mother-in-law; and one's foes will be members of one's own household. Wow! These are hard words for us.
The first century church was made mostly people of the Jewish faith who were believers of Jesus being the Messiah. Emmanuel God with us! God in human flesh who came to bring salvation and reconcile all humanity to God!!Many Jewish people did not believe in Him but other family members did believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. This caused division in families and many early Christians were persecuted and ostracized by their families and the Jewish community as well as the Roman Empire. Jesus is not against family! Rather there are loyalties that arise that force a decision. God’s call upon our lives and our response to that call causes transformation.
Tom Long a well-loved pastor, theologian and author gives us some insight into these challenging words of Jesus concerning what it means to be his disciple. He writes that four things will be seen. First, the Holy Spirit will surely be present and will never abandon us. Second we will come to recognize that our suffering is not wasted, but is a testimony to faith. Even in the midst of our hardships, nothing can eradicate the Gospel or destroy God's loving and watchful care over all of the faithful. Finally, while family disruption will take place, Jesus is not against family. There will be times when allegiance to Jesus causes a crisis of loyalty and forces a decision. The Gospel shakes up values, rearranges priorities, and reorients goals, “Finality, Rev. Long says “To give one’s life away in the name of Christ is to be given all that makes life free, holy and good”.
May our Lord bless you and keep you in the gracious care of Jesus' ever present love!
Pastor David
Dear Saron family:
I want to wish all of our dads a blessed and wonderful Father's Day!
Our Gospel lesson for today is Matthew 10:24-39. This passage interestingly talks about the human family. Jesus is teaching the twelve before they are sent on a missionary journey in the local area. We are dealing with one of the passages of Jesus' teaching about discipleship. “A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master, it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will the malign those of his household!'' Later in this passage Jesus says “Do not think I have come to bring to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” Tough words for us to hear! One little thought came to mind about the imagine of a sword. If you stick a sword into the ground it looks like a cross!
This Sunday is filled with celebrations of dads like moms were last month and the importance of the human family and Jesus says these words in verses 35 and 36."For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter against her mother-in-law; and one's foes will be members of one's own household. Wow! These are hard words for us.
The first century church was made mostly people of the Jewish faith who were believers of Jesus being the Messiah. Emmanuel God with us! God in human flesh who came to bring salvation and reconcile all humanity to God!!Many Jewish people did not believe in Him but other family members did believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. This caused division in families and many early Christians were persecuted and ostracized by their families and the Jewish community as well as the Roman Empire. Jesus is not against family! Rather there are loyalties that arise that force a decision. God’s call upon our lives and our response to that call causes transformation.
Tom Long a well-loved pastor, theologian and author gives us some insight into these challenging words of Jesus concerning what it means to be his disciple. He writes that four things will be seen. First, the Holy Spirit will surely be present and will never abandon us. Second we will come to recognize that our suffering is not wasted, but is a testimony to faith. Even in the midst of our hardships, nothing can eradicate the Gospel or destroy God's loving and watchful care over all of the faithful. Finally, while family disruption will take place, Jesus is not against family. There will be times when allegiance to Jesus causes a crisis of loyalty and forces a decision. The Gospel shakes up values, rearranges priorities, and reorients goals, “Finality, Rev. Long says “To give one’s life away in the name of Christ is to be given all that makes life free, holy and good”.
May our Lord bless you and keep you in the gracious care of Jesus' ever present love!
Pastor David
6-14-20 DEVOTIONS
Dear members of Saron church:
I hope all is well with and your loved ones. We are going through a very challenging time in our nation's history with the C-19 virus and the social upheaval we are now experiencing. This difficult time reminds me of a book written by Charles Dickens entitled A Tale of Two Cities. The opening lines start by saying “It was the best of times and it was the worst of times. It was an age of wisdom. It was the age of foolishness. It was the epoch of belief and the epoch of incredulity. It was the season of Light it was the season of Darkness. It was the spring of hope, and the winter of despair, and we had everything before us,"
The reality of what we are facing can cause a great amount of anxiety for all of us. I am also reminded that the 23rd Psalm tells us that even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we need not fear evil, for our Lord is with us; God's rod and staff they comfort us. The prophet Isaiah in the 40th chapter of his book says this “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and the young stumble and fall, but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, and they will walk and not be faint “verses 29-31.
We can be encouraged by some of the stories of people reaching out to others! People they know and people they had never met. Children dancing with older people and neighbors talking to neighbors. First responders helping those in need and communities coming together to help people with food or rent due to unemployment.
We might be seeing God's Kingdom in our midst! When we do these loving acts we are doing them unto to Jesus. Do we have eyes to see or the ears to hear? Jesus has promised to be with us in good days and in difficult ones as well! We have our families and our church family to be supported and to support one another. We are the visible expression of God's presence on earth! Be encouraged Christ has Risen! He has Risen Indeed! May our Lord's Spirit Bless you all.
Pastor David
Dear members of Saron church:
I hope all is well with and your loved ones. We are going through a very challenging time in our nation's history with the C-19 virus and the social upheaval we are now experiencing. This difficult time reminds me of a book written by Charles Dickens entitled A Tale of Two Cities. The opening lines start by saying “It was the best of times and it was the worst of times. It was an age of wisdom. It was the age of foolishness. It was the epoch of belief and the epoch of incredulity. It was the season of Light it was the season of Darkness. It was the spring of hope, and the winter of despair, and we had everything before us,"
The reality of what we are facing can cause a great amount of anxiety for all of us. I am also reminded that the 23rd Psalm tells us that even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we need not fear evil, for our Lord is with us; God's rod and staff they comfort us. The prophet Isaiah in the 40th chapter of his book says this “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and the young stumble and fall, but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, and they will walk and not be faint “verses 29-31.
We can be encouraged by some of the stories of people reaching out to others! People they know and people they had never met. Children dancing with older people and neighbors talking to neighbors. First responders helping those in need and communities coming together to help people with food or rent due to unemployment.
We might be seeing God's Kingdom in our midst! When we do these loving acts we are doing them unto to Jesus. Do we have eyes to see or the ears to hear? Jesus has promised to be with us in good days and in difficult ones as well! We have our families and our church family to be supported and to support one another. We are the visible expression of God's presence on earth! Be encouraged Christ has Risen! He has Risen Indeed! May our Lord's Spirit Bless you all.
Pastor David
