July 9, 2008,

SMLC Midweek Devotions

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Our Mission

Invite others to hear the gospel and together grow as faithful followers of Jesus Christ.

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In this issue:

July 13^th Lessons

Weekly Devotions

Quote of the Week

Chuckle of the Week

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Sunday, July 13^th Pastor Jim Doherty preaching: “Disturbing the Peace”

Lesson: Jer 27:1-9 The Sign of the Yoke

In the beginning of the reign of King Zedekiah son of Josiah of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord. Thus the Lord said to me: Make yourself a yoke of straps and bars, and put them on your neck. Send word to the king of Edom, the king of Moab, the king of the Ammonites, the king of Tyre, and the king of Sidon by the hand of the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to King Zedekiah of Judah. Give them this charge for their masters: Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: This is what you shall say to your masters: It is I who by my great power and my outstretched arm have made the earth, with the people and animals that are on the earth, and I give it to whomsoever I please. Now I have given all these lands into the hand of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, my servant, and I have given him even the wild animals of the field to serve him. All the nations shall serve him and his son and his grandson, until the time of his own land comes; then many nations and great kings shall make him their slave.

But if any nation or kingdom will not serve this king, Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, and put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, then I will punish that nation with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence, says the Lord, until I have completed its destruction by his hand. You, therefore, must not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your soothsayers, or your sorcerers, who are saying to you, ‘You shall not serve the king of Babylon.’

Gospel: Matt 10:32-42

Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven.

Not Peace, but a Sword

‘Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.
For I have come to set a man against his father,
and a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household.
Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.

Rewards

‘Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.’

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Weekly Devotion

By Laurie Christopher

My dad wasn’t among the soldiers who came marching by in the parade that day because he was in Vietnam. Although I was only in second grade and didn’t fully understand the circumstances, I was proud of my dad for choosing to serve our country. But, I’ll never forget the acute disappointment at the fact that he wasn’t there. As the years passed, I learned more about the war in Vietnam and what it meant to be an “Army brat”. To a Christian “Army brat” it meant knowing hymns like “Onward Christian Soldiers” and “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” by heart. It meant a lot of new places and being welcomed into the kitchen of new friends for a hearty dinner of macaroni and cheese or spaghetti and a salad of iceberg lettuce and cellophane packaged tomatoes purchased from the commissary. It meant learning names of new teachers and learning how to connect with the children of new neighbors on the walk to school. It meant exciting new challenges and opportunities and it meant loneliness for old friends and old ways deep in the pit of your stomach.

Along with the frequent moves and the abundance of new friends, we “brats” also lived with the knowledge that our dads could be called away from our families at any moment never to return. Nevertheless, we held a belief so strong that it was actually knowledge. We knew that our country was worth the fight because of the American values. Freedom of choice is a gift from God; the United States stood for that freedom. We were a nation under God and God was behind us, ensuring freedom of speech, freedom of religion – a freedom that allowed all of the citizens of the United States to live their lives peacefully.

Sounds like an oxymoron, doesn’t it? Fighting for peace? How could a nation that stood for freedom and peace ever condone war? Yet many years before the United States was even born, our Prince of Peace, Jesus, said, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace but a sword.” (Matt 10:34) It’s hard to imagine our loving, sacrificial Lamb setting “a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.” (Matt 10:35)

I don’t believe that Jesus ever intended to wage a war on this earth that would set members of families and communities against each other. He did intend to wage war against the evil of complacency and the tolerance of wickedness. We can choose whether we will follow Jesus’ lead and join Him in the fight against a dangerous comfort that so easily misleads us into thinking that all is right in the world. With that choice comes the discovery of what it means to be Jesus’ disciple. It means that we stand ready to battle against the very real evils of our world. For some of us, it may mean enduring conflict between family and friends. For some of us, it may mean literally marching off to war to stop genocide and other unthinkable atrocities. For all of us, it means that we will lose our lives for Jesus’ sake. It means that we will no longer lay claim to our selves. It means that we will be marked with the cross of Jesus forever. And, for all of us who are marked with that cross, it means that we will find life in abundance and for eternity.

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Quote of the Week

“Most people would succeed in small things if they were not troubled with great ambitions.” - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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Chuckle of the Week

A Little Airsick 

A little guy gets on a plane and sits next to the window. A few minutes later, a big, heavy, strong mean-looking, hulking guy plops down in the seat next to him and immediately falls asleep.

      The little guy starts to feel a little airsick, but he's afraid to wake the big guy up to ask if he can go to the bathroom. He knows he can't climb over him, and so the little guy is sitting there, looking at the big guy, trying to decide what to do.
 
      Suddenly, the plane hits an air pocket and an uncontrollable wave of nausea passes through the little guy. He can't hold it in any longer and he pukes all over the big guy's chest.
 
      About five minutes later the big guy wakes up, looks down, and sees the vomit all over him.
 
      "So," says the little guy, "are you feeling better now?"

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Invitation for a Friend ~ Please clip & deliver!

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                      St. Matthew Lutheran Church

                      10390 SW Canyon Road

                      Beaverton, Oregon 97005

                      (503) 644-9148                                                                                              

                      Sunday Services at 8:30, 9:45, and 11:00 a.m.

                      Childcare available during all three services.

                      Visit us at: http://www.stmatthewlutheran.org/

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