Saturday 12/18/2004
Colossians 1.1-23 - Thank God for Jesus each time you pray for someone- Think of the person’s faith in Jesus and their love of God’s people - Spread the good news - God’s Spirit give me love - Don’t stop praying for others - Pray that God will show the other person everything he wants them to dao and that they have wisdom and understanding from the Spirit - Do good deeds - This will help me to know God even better - God’s power will make me patient and strong enough to endure anything and to be happy happy happy - Be grateful to God for letting me have a part in his kingdom of light - God rescues me from sin and darkness and forgives me and sets me free - Everything was created by Jesus- God’s first born Son- Everything was made for Jesus - Jesus existed before all else - Jesus is the head of the church - Jesus is above all others - God lives in Jesus - God is pleased in Jesus by sacrificing his blood on the cross so that all would be brought back to God - Jesus became a human and died- god made peace with me and now let’s me stand in His presence- I must stay deeply rooted in my faith - never give up hope and become a servant of God-the Greek word for servant is diakonos-deacon--hmm in the commentary I am reading - they compare the wisdom of God to the rock in the wilderness that brought water for the Chosen People and that Jesus is that rock -- he brings the life giving water to the world and through Jesus God’s wisdom is made human-this is referring to the hymn which uses wisdom language to describe Christ as the image of God
Ezekiel 25-26 - Oh-make sure we clap for the right thing! -- Ammon hated Israel so much that they clapped and shouted and celebrated when Israel was defeated - therefore God will hand that nation over to defeat - clap because your happy for God’s love and show it and be happy happy happy - don’t take revenge on others - chapter 25 is God’s prophecy through Ezekiel about the ruin and punishment of nations around Judah - Don’t celebrate someone else’s pain
Isaiah 53 - Oh how it sounds like Jesus again -- A servant grew up obeying God - He wasn’t some handsome king - nothing made him attractive to us - he was hated and rejected - his life was filled with sorrow and terrible suffering - he was despised and people said he is a nobody - he suffered and endured great pain for us - we thought his suffering and punishment was from God - he was wounded and crushed because of our sins - by doing this he made us completely well - God gave him the punishment we deserved - he was painfully abused but did not complain- he was silent like a lamb led to the butcher - he was condemned to death without a fair trial- his life was taken because of my sinfulness - he wasn’t dishonest or violent- he was buried in a tomb of cruel and rich people- God decided he would be a sacrifice to take away the sin and guilt of others- He did everything as God had planned- although he was innocent he took on the punishment for the sins of others so they will no longer be guilty - God will honor him with power for sacrificing his life- others thought he was a sinner but he suffered for our sins and asked God to forgive us- the context indicates it is a servant other than Jesus -and even the commentaries indicate that - maybe at the time it was written this was true - but now that Jesus came into the world - how can I help but see Jesus all over this one -- in my eyes it’s beauty at it’s best - it’s life, hope and salvation from God- it’s that timeless character of Words written way before their time - it’s a true message from God -- Wow!
Jesus is important - through Jesus love and grace I have something important to do - show the world Jesus acts of love, grace, healing, compassion and salvation.
Where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation
Romans 1.1-7 - I am called to belong to Jesus- None of this is about me - it’s all about Jesus - I am called to belong to Jesus - God is God
Colossians 2.6-22 - I have received Jesus - continue to live my life in him- rooted and built up in him and established in faith- I was buried with Jesus in my baptism and raised with him through faith in Jesus raised from death - God made me alive and forgave my sin - my sin was nailed to that cross - be alive in Christ - not in the Law - his hope and salvation makes me happy happy happy
Psalm 119.129-136 - The unfolding of your words gives light, it imparts understanding to the simple--hey! That’s me! - With open mouth I pant, because I long for your commandments- I love God’s name - Keep my steps steady to your promise- Make your face shine upon your servant
Prayer - God - there it is again - your salvation makes me happy happy happy - how can I help but to run out - play and spread the joy of your action - how can I help but to feel that bright light you shine on me - that warmth you give me through your Son - how can I help but to praise you - to love you- to see you in this world of mine - all over it -in it and through it- how can I help but not to understand something- even in my own simple mind you make it all so obvious - your timeless words about the salvation of your Son - you give words of hope and comfort of love and joy and happiness throughout time - even to those in exile - even to me when I am in exile to myself - I will turn to you - run to you - run with you and play like a little kid all my life - for you make all the play so fun and happy happy happy - you call me to belong to you - you call me to be on your side - like that little kid I am - you picked me and let me play on your team - how happy happy happy- even when the other team beats up on us - throws a forearm into my chin- knocks me down - teases me and hurts me- spits on the ball- taunts me -- big deal! -- I know you will come over to that pile of people where I lay and grab my hand and take me back to the huddle - you will let me regroup in your words and tell me another secret play - then I will break from that huddle and run to the line all happy happy happy - for you have given me a secret play and a job with the team to do - you may ask me to pull out to the left and run through the three hole and block that linebacker so that you can run through and behind me and around me and show the world how great you are - how you have come to save us - how you have already won the game through your pain and death and resurrection and salvation - eventually I’ll run my big ass up to the goal line behind you and we will dance in the end zone and be happy happy happy - I’m ready -- let’s play -- Thanks be to God through Jesus my quarter back! --- Amen
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