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January 27, 2010
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:
January 31st Lessons and Gospel
Weekly Devotions
Quote of the Week
Chuckle of the Week
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January 31st Pastor Jim Doherty preaching: "Seeing People Through Christ's Eyes"
Lesson of the Day: 1 Samuel 16:1-13 Samuel Anoints David
The Lord said to Samuel, 'How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.' Samuel said, 'How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me.' And the Lord said, 'Take a heifer with you, and say, "I have come to sacrifice to the Lord." Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you.' Samuel did what the Lord commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, 'Do you come peaceably?' He said, 'Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.' And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, 'Surely the Lord's anointed is now before the Lord.' But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.' Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, 'Neither has the Lord chosen this one.' Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, 'Neither has the Lord chosen this one.' Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, 'The Lord has not chosen any of these.' Samuel said to Jesse, 'Are all your sons here?' And he said, 'There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep.' And Samuel said to Jesse, 'Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.' He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The Lord said, 'Rise and anoint him; for this is the one.' Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah.
Gospel of the Day: Luke 4:14-21 The Beginning of the Galilean Ministry
Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.
The Rejection of Jesus at Nazareth
When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour.'
And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, 'Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.'
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Weekly Devotions
By Laurie Christopher
Is it the lost moments that hurt the most when someone dies? Lost moments when we should have said or done something for someone we love flash before us with blinding clarity when we lose them. Perhaps that, of all, is the cruelest aspect of grief. Jesus, too, experiences this cruelty of grief. He sees moments lost; potential evaporated. And, He cries with us. But, then He gets to work. He rolls up his sleeves and makes it right. If you've ever lost a parent or spouse or a child, you know what I'm talking about. Jesus takes you in His loving arms and He doesn't let you go until you not only believe in that peace that passes all understanding, you experience it. "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." (Lu 4:21)
Fulfilling the scripture requires action that travels in two directions. Jesus actively and compassionately endured the seemingly unendurable. He empathetically suffered with Mary and Martha through the loss of Lazarus. He groped in the darkness with the blind men desperately feeling their way from one part of the city to the next, listening and hoping for someone mercifully to drop a coin into their coffer or to toss a bit of bread their way. His knees and palms bled with the lame man who dragged himself achingly and slowly back inside the city gates before nightfall. He felt and He wept and He acted. He raised Lazarus, His friend. He gave sight to ten blind men and He replaced useless limbs with strong, able legs for the one who couldn't walk. He knew their names. He their hearts and He restored what was lost to them.
He knows our names; He sees inside our hearts. And, if we let Him, He'll restore to us what's been lost. Jesus still to this day actively fulfills scripture.
Do we? It's a two-way street. Why do we need to do anything? "He has anointed me." (Lu 4:18) God the Father anointed Jesus, His only Son, to minister unto us. He doesn't stop with that, though. He also anoints us, His royal priesthood. Jesus accepted the responsibility of His anointed ministry and we must, too. How can we do what Jesus did? Are we able to raise the dead? Yes, we can. When we bring "good news to the poor" (Lu 4:18), we position them to be raised from the spiritually dead to eternal life.
Can we bring sight to the blind and heal the lame? By supporting programs such as Lutheran World Relief or Medical Teams International we enable those who are gifted with healing powers to help others. But, there's more to our calling as children of God than simply reaching into our pockets, throwing money into a plate, and then returning to our own comfortable, plush lives. "The Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart." (1 Sam 16:7) Jesus wants us to open our eyes and our ears and our hearts and crawl out of the rubble with the survivors of Haiti and weep with them over their dead. He wants us to take the sick and the starving into our arms and comfort them and feed them. He wants us to feel their plight as acutely as He does. We have a mission and it is possible.
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Quote of the Week
You will turn over many a futile new leaf till you learn we must all write on scratched-out pages. ~Mignon McLaughlin
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Chuckle of the Week
The Cowboy Boots
Did you hear about the Texas teacher who was helping one of her kindergarten students put on his cowboy boots?
He asked for help and she could see why. Even with her pulling and him pushing, the little boots still didn't want to go on. By the time they got the second boot on, she had worked up a sweat.
She almost cried when the little boy said, 'Teacher, they're on the wrong feet.' She looked, and sure enough, they were. It wasn't any easier pulling the boots off than it was putting them on. She managed to keep her cool as together they worked to get the boots back on, this time on the right feet.
He then announced, 'These aren't my boots.' She bit her tongue rather than get right in his face and scream, 'Why didn't you say so?' like she wanted to.
Once again, she struggled to help him pull the ill-fitting boots off his little feet. No sooner had they gotten the boots off when he said, 'They're my brother's boots. My mom made me wear 'em.'
Now she didn't know if she should laugh or cry. But, she mustered up what grace and courage she had left to wrestle the boots on his feet again.
Helping him into his coat, she asked, 'Now, where are your mittens?' He said, 'I stuffed 'em in the toes of my boots.'
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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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