July 16, 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 20^th Lessons

Weekly Devotions

Quote of the Week

Chuckle of the Week

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Sunday, July 20^th Pastor Eric Burtness preaching: “The Deep Roots of Faith”

Lesson: Jer 17:5-10

Thus says the Lord:
Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals
   and make mere flesh their strength,
   whose hearts turn away from the Lord.
They shall be like a shrub in the desert,
   and shall not see when relief comes.
They shall live in the parched places of the wilderness,
   in an uninhabited salt land.

Blessed are those who trust in the Lord,
   whose trust is the Lord.
They shall be like a tree planted by water,
   sending out its roots by the stream.
It shall not fear when heat comes,
   and its leaves shall stay green;
in the year of drought it is not anxious,
   and it does not cease to bear fruit.

The heart is devious above all else;
   it is perverse—
   who can understand it?
I the Lord test the mind
   and search the heart,
to give to all according to their ways,
   according to the fruit of their doings.

Gospel: Luke 6:17-26

Jesus Teaches and Heals

He came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them.

Blessings and Woes

Then he looked up at his disciples and said:
‘Blessed are you who are poor,
   for yours is the kingdom of God.
‘Blessed are you who are hungry now,
   for you will be filled.
‘Blessed are you who weep now,
   for you will laugh.

‘Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.
‘But woe to you who are rich,
   for you have received your consolation.
‘Woe to you who are full now,
   for you will be hungry.
‘Woe to you who are laughing now,
   for you will mourn and weep.

‘Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.

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Weekly Devotion

By Laurie Christopher

They were able to rescue some but most of the illegal aliens perished. Destitute and hopeless, living in Mexico – a country where only the select are able to get an education, make a living, or receive healthcare – these people were startled at the sudden hope that beckoned them from their poverty. When someone appeared out of nowhere offering a shimmering glimpse of a brighter future they could, at first, only look upon this stranger with tentative longing unable to grasp fully the meaning of his words. To imagine a day when you awoke to more than just cardboard and discarded tin panels surrounding you for shelter, when you didn’t ache from sleeping on hard, dusty ground, when your stomach didn’t grumble from lack of food, when you knew for once you wouldn’t be sending your five year old out on the streets to sell Chiclets to tourists was beyond their comprehension.

So when this stranger offered them an escape, they gladly followed. They eagerly gave him every bit of cash they could possibly scrape together and trusted this would be savior to lead them to paradise; the United States.

He did, indeed, lead those trusting souls out of Mexico into the United States. But, paradise? Well, he abandoned those people in the middle of the Sonora desert and fled with all of their money; all they had in the world. With temperatures that frequently soar above 130 degrees, few deliberately choose the Sonora desert as their destination. Except for a few hearty creatures like scorpions, the desert is virtually uninhabitable. “The heart is devious above all else; it is perverse – who can understand it?” (Jer 17:9)

Sometimes we’re tempted to believe in the false saviors of this world. We read with alarm that stocks are plummeting, prices are skyrocketing, and jobs are disappearing. Along with these frightening facts comes the sobering reality that all of the things in which we placed our trust – our portfolio, our bank accounts, our jobs, even our country – seem to be crumbling beneath our feet. Jeremiah promised us that this would happen. “Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals…they shall be like a shrub in the desert.” (Jer 17:5, 6)

Jesus echoed Jeremiah’s warning in Luke 6:25, “But, woe to you who are rich.” Jesus wasn’t condemning rich people, but He was warning us not to put our faith in earthly wealth because earthly wealth vanishes. Heavenly riches last an eternity and those are what we should be seeking to acquire through placing our trust in the real Savior; Jesus Christ. “Blessed are you who are hungry now.” (Lu 6:21) Who are the hungry? Those who seek spiritual fulfillment are the hungry and they will be filled.

While there is nothing wrong with making a good living and enjoying the abundant blessings given to us by God, trusting in that is like trusting a charlatan to lead us from a spiritual wasteland into eternal paradise. We will only be left thirsting in a dry desert, eventually to perish. But, trusting in Jesus Christ to quench our thirst and satiate our hunger is to accept the only lasting reality in our existence. Even when everything around us in a shambles, our “leaves shall stay green” and our lives will “not cease to bear fruit.” (Jer 17:8)

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Quote of the Week

We rarely think people have good sense unless they agree with us.

Francois de La Rochefoucauld

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Chuckle of the Week

The Test

Two men, Robert and James, applied for an engineering position. Both applicants having the same qualifications were asked to take a test by the department manager.

      Upon completion of the exam both men only missed one of the questions. The manager went to Robert and said, "Thank you for your interest, but we've decided to give James the job."
      
      Robert replied, "Why? We both correctly answered nine questions. I believe I should get this job, especially since I've grown up in this town and James just moved here."
      
      The manager said, "We made our decision not on the correct answers, but on the question you missed."
      
      "How could one incorrect answer be better than the other?," asked Robert.
      
      "Simple," said the manager. "James put down on question #5, 'I don't know', and you put down, 'Neither do I.'"

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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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