tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59486637766070606802024-03-19T07:03:24.015-04:00God in the OrdinaryFinding the divine in the ordinary things of life.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger395125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948663776607060680.post-57113335560839178642024-03-18T06:46:00.000-04:002024-03-18T06:47:09.344-04:00Just Like Me<p></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Mark 10:35-40</i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>“35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” 36 “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. 37 They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.” 38 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” 39 “We can,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, 40 but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”</i></span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There is a story about a preacher who, after 25 years of sermons in one particular church, began asking members of his congregation about the details of his sermons. Not one congregant could remember any of his sermons. The preacher quit that day and became an artist.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In this scripture we see James and John as they were, warts and all. Jesus had just announced to them, for the third time, that he was going to die in Jerusalem and He had actually described what was going to happen to him. As a result of hearing that, James and John asked Jesus if , when the event was over and He was in His glory, they could have the honored seats beside His throne.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is everything that Jesus had preached and taught against. Pride, arrogance, ambition, selfishness, putting oneself before others, etc., have no place in the spiritual life, according to Jesus. How he held his emotions in check while he spoke to them I will never know. How could James and John have lived with Jesus for three years, sat at His feet, heard Him teach and preach, and dared to ask this question?</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Had they not listened? Had they not heard any of His sermons?</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But then I wonder, how long have I walked with Jesus? How long have I sat at His feet? Do pride and arrogance and selfishness still rule in my life?</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maybe this is the point of the story.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The disciples were just like me.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">May the love of Christ be with you,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948663776607060680.post-77942379152239683642024-03-16T06:42:00.001-04:002024-03-16T06:43:09.098-04:00The Walk<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Matthew 20:17-19</i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>“17 Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them, 18 “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death 19 and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!”</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">This was the third time that Jesus told the Disciples of His impending death. He needed them to understand what was going to happen, to prepare them. First he told them of the darkness of it all, the arrest, the mocking, the flogging, the crucifixion. Then he told them of the light, the resurrection. My guess is that they fixated on the darkness.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jesus intentionally included the Disciples in the details of His impending death and resurrection. It seems that even Jesus needed his closest friends to help Him through this ultimate trial; at the very least he needed them to understand the intimate details of the path He would walk.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Christian community is a caring community that reaches out to those who are suffering and who are in need.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">At the very least, we are a people who can understand the walk that you walk.</span></p><p><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">May the love of Christ be with you,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)</span></p><p><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948663776607060680.post-73027006444937003322024-03-15T06:51:00.000-04:002024-03-15T06:51:56.996-04:00The Vineyard<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Matthew 20:1-7</i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. 3 “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5 So they went. “He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. 6 About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’ 7 “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered. He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’”</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I love going to vineyards or driving by vineyards and seeing all the neat rows of vines bursting forth with grapes. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I like to think of the kingdom of heaven being like a vineyard, where there is sun, fresh air, green plants and God given work to be done with your body and mind. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I also like to think that the people who do this work are full of God’s grace.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">In this parable we find that this is not necessarily so. When it came time to be rewarded for their work, many were unsatisfied with the way they were paid.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Why is it we do the work of the Kingdom? Is it for the reward? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">As Christians, our reward is our faith; our reward is the Holy Spirit dwelling within us; our reward is eternal life. We receive our reward before we do any work for the kingdom. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our work in the vineyard is done because of the love that flows from our faith.</span></p><p><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">May the love of Christ be with you,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)</span></p><p><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948663776607060680.post-62749582693557198962024-03-14T06:38:00.010-04:002024-03-14T06:39:21.796-04:00Blessed are the Children<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Mark 10:13-16</i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>“13 People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” 16 And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.”</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The disciples, always pressed by the crowds, and acting in their roles as the gatekeepers and protectors of Jesus’ time, thought that people with illnesses and disabilities should be given preference rather than parents wanting their children to be blessed. So they rebuked the parents. They saw the children as nuisances and wasters of Jesus' time and energy.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Throughout the scriptures we read that Jesus had a special relationship with children, but on this occasion, as Jesus was on his way to the cross, when his time on earth was short and he knew it, children and their innocence may have seemed especially precious and wonderful.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is in this moment that we find in Jesus a most human emotion.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">He took the children in his arms. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">We have a savior who, near the end of his life on earth, took children into his arms and blessed them.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is the Christ. This is the Messiah.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is who we serve.</span></p><p><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">May the love of Christ be with you,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)</span></p><p><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948663776607060680.post-83678136860023998372024-03-13T06:45:00.002-04:002024-03-13T06:47:31.600-04:00The Tax Collector<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Luke 18:13</i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’”</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Pharisee and the Tax Collector is a well known parable that Jesus told to a crowd of people who were “confident of their own righteousness” who “looked down on everyone else.” Luke 18:9.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">This means that they did all the right things, read all the right things, and said all the right things, but they did them with arrogance and pride. And in this pride and arrogance they did not acknowledge their sins.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Tax Collector was a sinner and he knew it, and he acknowledged this before God. In his remorse he begged for God’s mercy.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Holy Spirit leads us, if we are willing, into an ever deepening relationship with God. In this process comes an ever increasing sense of self awareness. We become increasingly aware, not of t</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">he sins of others, but of our sins. With this awareness comes a deep conviction that will not let us rest until we fall on our knees and beg for forgiveness.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">We don’t know if the Tax Collector changed his life after he left the temple, although Jesus said that he left being justified (made right) by God. The Pharisee left the temple still unaware of his sins, still unforgiven, and unjustified.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Let us all pray to be as self-aware and as repentant as the Tax Collector. </span></p><p><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">May the love of Christ be with you,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)</span></p><p><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948663776607060680.post-12771405261655472762024-03-12T06:50:00.005-04:002024-03-12T06:51:22.262-04:00Take the Lowest Seat<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Luke 14:7-11</i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>“7 When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: 8 “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. 9 If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 10 But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. 11 For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was once a supervisor in a large workplace. The supervisors were asked by management to rate how well they thought they were managing their work teams. After we rated ourselves, our employees were asked to rate how well they thought they were being managed. The result was that the supervisors thought they were managing their teams very well, while the employees felt they were not being managed very well at all.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">There is often a disconnect in how we see ourselves. Some people think too little of themselves and others think too much. In this scripture, Jesus was addressing those who automatically think that the empty chair at the most honored spot at the table is for them.</span></p><p>I<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">t is wrong to exalt ourselves, especially in spiritual things. As Christians, we are to remain humble, recognizing that anything we accomplish is due to the grace of God and in the name of God; that we do not serve ourselves but the one true God. However important we believe ourselves to be, we are yet sinners who are forgiven by a merciful and forgiving God.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">“So, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(1 Corinthians 10:31).</span></p><p><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">May the love of Christ be with you,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)</span></p><p><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948663776607060680.post-6487932659494609322024-03-11T06:48:00.000-04:002024-03-11T06:49:13.865-04:00The Voice of the Messiah<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>John 10: 24-28</i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>“24 The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish;no one will snatch them out of my hand.”</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Who are you? This is a question that we have to answer frequently for others and for ourselves. Most often, when we answer this question, we state our name, where we live, where we came from and what we do for a living. This seems to satisfy most people.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Jews who surrounded Jesus wanted to know who He was. “Tell us plainly,” they demanded. While Jesus may not have told them in so many words, he thought that his works spoke louder than words. After all, as he said to John the Baptist when John asked if Jesus was the Messiah, “The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.” (Matthew 11:5).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">After witnessing such miracles, why would they not believe He was the Messiah? Why did they need to hear it from his lips? Some things do not need to be put into words. Every one of Jesus’s miracles was a shout to the world that the Messiah, as foretold by Isaiah (35:5-6), had come. Maybe they did not believe and would never believe in the Messiah, no matter how loudly the miracles or the scriptures announced His arrival.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sometimes the obvious truth of God is obscured by our own prejudice and refusal to believe.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">But His sheep know His voice. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">And they follow. </span></p><p><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">May the love of Christ be with you,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)</span></p><p><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948663776607060680.post-37927146552890496912024-03-09T06:40:00.000-05:002024-03-09T06:40:42.808-05:00Which Path Do We Choose?<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Luke 13:10-14</i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>“10 On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, 11 and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” 13 Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God. 14 Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue leader said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.” 15 The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? 16 Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?”</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rules and regulations are necessary. Without them there would be chaos. People would act in the way they saw fit and pay no attention to their neighbors needs. The problems with rules and regulations come when they are misused, used without mercy, or used to oppress people. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">In this case we see where the rules of the synagogue were being enforced by the synagogue leader to the detriment of those who had come to be healed by Jesus. The rules and regulations were more important to the synagogue leader than the needs of those who were suffering.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">We all have to decide whether to follow the path of mercy and compassion or the path of the world; to open our doors to the suffering or to close them; to offer the love of Christ or the strict interpretation of a rule or regulation.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Which do you choose?</span></p><p><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">May the love of Christ be with you,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)</span></p><p><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948663776607060680.post-35815863051649374872024-03-08T06:50:00.000-05:002024-03-08T06:50:23.414-05:00Lazarus Raised<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>John 11:38-43</i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>“ 43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”</i></span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">45 Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. 46 But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.“What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.”49 Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all! 50 You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”51 He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, 52 and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. 53 So from that day on they plotted to take his life.”</i></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The religious elite were threatened by Jesus. He was performing many miracles. Crowds of people were following Him. The raising of Lazarus was the last straw. They knew that if they let Him continue unchecked that all of Israel would soon follow Him. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The members of the Sanhedrin knew that Rome would not allow a popular leader to emerge. Rome selected all kings and governors. If Rome had to intervene, the role of the Sanhedrin might be diminished or eliminated. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">They told themselves that by killing Jesus, they were saving the nation. They told themselves that they were patriots, preserving their nation. They told themselves that their actions were justified, that they were doing something good. But there was also a reason they wanted Jesus killed that they would not admit; they felt personally threatened by Jesus. He was doing too many good things.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lazarus had been in the tomb for three days. Jesus called him from the tomb and raised him from the dead. A wonderful, unheard of, never seen before, miraculous event.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">And from that very day, they plotted to kill Jesus.</span></p><p><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">May the love of Christ be with you,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)</span></p><p><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948663776607060680.post-3300872269997531242024-03-07T06:31:00.006-05:002024-03-07T06:32:15.288-05:00Jesus Wept<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">John 11: 32-34</i></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>“32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34 “Where have you laid him?” he asked.”Come and see, Lord,” they replied. 35 Jesus wept. 36 Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">As a youth in Sunday School, the teacher would periodically ask each of us to quote a bible verse by memory. Everyone in the class wanted to be the first to be called upon so that we could quote John 11: 35, “Jesus wept.,” the shortest verse that we knew by memory. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">At the time, we did not stop to think what this meant; that the Son of God wept. Even today, we read it and the words sort of roll over us. But, think of it; the Son of God was so moved that he wept.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jesus brought us the good news that God cares, and cares enough to send His son to earth to walk among us, to share our joys and our hardships, to weep with us in our sorrow, and then to die for us.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mary fell at His feet and wept. The people wept all around her.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">And Jesus, the Son of the one true God, divine yet human, stood among them...</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Weeping.</span></p><p><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">May the love of Christ be with you,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)</span></p><p><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948663776607060680.post-23218212382979968022024-03-06T06:40:00.007-05:002024-03-06T06:42:09.529-05:00The Resurrected Life<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>John 11: 21-27</i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>“21 “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Martha was a woman of action. She was the woman who was in the kitchen complaining that Mary wasn’t helping her when Jesus visited their home earlier. Now, as soon as she hears that Jesus has arrived, she is out the door greeting Him, and Mary lingers behind.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Martha’s greeting was one of reproach and one of faith. She believed that Jesus could have saved Lazarus but she also believed it was too late for anything to be done. She believed in the resurrection, but a resurrection that would occur at the culmination of time.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jesus told her that the resurrection she believed in was standing in front of her; that He was the resurrection. Through Him people would have new life; through Him people would become new; through Him people would have eternal, everlasting life.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">And Martha believed. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Faith is the key to a resurrected life in Christ.</span></p><p><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">May the love of Christ be with you,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)</span></p><p><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948663776607060680.post-21853749240936367762024-03-05T06:52:00.000-05:002024-03-05T06:52:36.610-05:00Abundant Life<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>John 11: 14-16 </i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>14 So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, 15 and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16 Then Thomas (also known as Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the story, “A Christmas Carol”, Charles Dickens writes, “There is no doubt that Marley was dead. This must be distinctly understood, or nothing wonderful can come of the story I am going to relate.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">In this scripture, Lazarus was dead. For us to understand the rest of the story, we have to understand that Lazarus was dead. Jesus first tried to explain Lazarus’ death to the Disciples in a soft way, saying “Lazarus is sleeping and I am going to awaken him.” This confused the Disciples and they wondered why they were going back to Judea, where people had recently tried to stone Jesus, just to wake Lazarus up.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, Jesus bluntly said, “Lazarus is dead”. He then explained that this was a good thing because it would result in an event that strengthened and increased their faith.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Disciples must understand that Lazarus is dead so that the wonderful fact of his resurrection can be understood. And when they understood that, then they would understand who Jesus is.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">However, Thomas, instead of focusing on Lazarus, focused on the possibility of the death of Christ and the Disciples.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">As Christians, our focus is too often on the disaster and not the miracle; too often on death and not life. But Jesus told us , “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come so that they [His sheep] may have life, and to have it in abundance.” (John 10:10)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is through His death </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and resurrection</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> that we have abundant and eternal life.</span></p><p><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">May the love of Christ be with you,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)</span></p><p><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948663776607060680.post-28328181684467550782024-03-04T06:48:00.011-05:002024-03-04T06:49:25.054-05:00And Then There Was Light<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>John 9: 24-25</i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>“24 A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God by telling the truth,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.” 25 He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jesus healed a blind man who had been blind since birth by spitting on the ground and putting mud on the man’s eyes. In performing this miracle, Jesus chose to use the methods of healing that were common during this period of time. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Pharisees were not pleased that the healing had occurred on the Sabbath and they decided that Jesus was a sinner and was not from God. They summoned the healed man twice to testify before them. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The first time they asked, “What is your opinion of him?” He answered, “He is a prophet.” The second time they were more direct. They expressed their view that Jesus was a sinner. The healed man was caught in a trap. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">He dared not contradict the learned and pious Pharisees with his opinion of Jesus. So, he testified to what could not be questioned- the facts. “Once I was blind and now I see.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">For all believers, everywhere, this sentence resonates with our hearts. Once we were all in a state of blindness. Once we all stared at the darkness. Once we were all without hope. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">And then there was Jesus. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">And then there was light.</span></p><p><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">May the love of Christ be with you,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)</span></p><p><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948663776607060680.post-38299963836456845552024-03-02T06:48:00.000-05:002024-03-02T06:48:54.947-05:00Learning to Pray<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Luke 11:1</i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>11 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Early in my life I remember being taught to pray the blessing before a meal. My mother showed me how to put my hands together, then she told me what to say. It was the “God is great, God is good, let us thank Him for our food.,” prayer that almost every child has said at one time or another.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">At some point, when I was older, my mother stopped me from saying this familiar prayer, and said, “You are older now and you should say your own prayer.” My younger siblings could continue praying the “God is great” prayer but I now needed to pray my own prayer; a prayer from my heart. My mother had given me a model to follow and so I structured my own prayers around it.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jesus gave His disciples a model to follow when they prayed. We call it the Lord’s Prayer and we pray it together in church. It unites us in prayer as Christians. We normally repeat this prayer after the Pastoral Prayer as a way to close that prayer.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Prior to giving His disciples this example of prayer, Jesus warned them of rote, repetitive prayers that were meaningless (Matthew 6:7). His intention was to give them this model of how to pray, but they were to use it to form their own, personal prayers that came from their hearts.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am forever grateful to those who have taught me to pray.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">“By His hands we all are fed, give us Lord our daily bread.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Amen.</span></p><p><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">May the love of Christ be with you,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)</span></p><p><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948663776607060680.post-58818506180396809262024-03-01T06:54:00.001-05:002024-03-01T06:57:33.386-05:00The Most Important Thing<p> <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Most Important Thing</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Luke 10: 38-42</i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”</i></span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It takes a lot of people, a lot of planning, and a lot of work of all sorts for a church to function effectively. A lot of committees meet, a lot of emails are sent and a lot of phone calls are made. Zoom meetings are held and discussions are conducted. Boards meet and votes and minutes are recorded.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Martha thought it was more important for Mary to be in the kitchen than sitting at the feet of Jesus. But the one thing that absolutely had to be done that day was to listen to the words of Christ.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When we are doing the work of the church, let’s not forget that we are hosting Jesus. While the committees, and planning and votes, etc., are important and involve many talented people, let’s not forget the most important thing: to sit at the feet of Jesus, listen to Him speak, and take His words into our hearts.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">May the love of Christ be with you,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948663776607060680.post-10162356173400293182024-02-29T06:44:00.000-05:002024-02-29T06:45:25.451-05:00The Great Blessing<p></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">John 7:1-5</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“After this, Jesus went around in Galilee. He did not want to go about in Judea because the Jewish leaders there were looking for a way to kill him. 2 But when the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles was near, 3 Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do. 4 No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” 5 For even his own brothers did not believe in him.”</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">By this time Jesus had already fed the 5000, walked on water and healed many people, but Jesus’ brothers did not believe in Him as the Messiah. They urged Jesus to go to the festival “so that your disciples may see the works you do.” They thought that Jesus sought to become a worldly, public figure and they told Him to show himself to the world if he wanted to become famous. </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This has always sounded very similar to me to Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness, except this time the temptation came from His brothers. </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Of course, Jesus was not seeking fame or fortune, and did not like a public display of his works. He told many that he helped or healed not to tell anyone. Jesus eventually did go to this festival but he went in secret. He did not go seeking human approval, but seeking to do the work of God.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If we desire the world to recognize us when we do the work of God, then we are in conflict with the life and teachings of Christ. </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But…. it is a great blessing for the world when it recognizes Christ in us.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“And, having become man, he humbled himself by living a life of utter obedience, even to the extent of dying, and the death he died was the death of a common criminal.” (Philippians 2:8)</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">May the love of Christ be with you,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948663776607060680.post-6788695574246988092024-02-28T06:48:00.003-05:002024-02-28T06:48:37.553-05:00Ask Your Questions<p></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Mark 9:30-32</i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>“30 They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, 31 because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.”32 But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.”</i></span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Were you ever afraid to ask a question because you thought you might look stupid or unprepared? Or, maybe you thought the teacher might think you don’t know what you should know. So, you sat there, with that question rattling around in your head and missed whatever else was said in class.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Disciples were afraid to ask Jesus a question. I have often wondered why. According to the picture that is painted of Jesus in the scriptures, Jesus appears to be one of the most approachable people; willing to talk about and discuss any subject. Why were they afraid? It could have been an ego problem that kept them from asking. They may have been afraid that Jesus or the other Disciples would think less of them.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the spiritual life, we must ask questions and then pursue the answers until we get them or come close to getting them. Spiritual growth and our relationship with God depend upon our constant pursuit of truth.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ask your questions. God will continue to love you.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">May the love of Christ be with you,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948663776607060680.post-72451337515303717292024-02-27T06:43:00.001-05:002024-02-27T06:44:28.431-05:00Come Down the Mountain<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Mark 9: 2-9</i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“2 After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. 3 His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. 4 And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">5 Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.) 7 Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” 8 Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.”</span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Have you ever been on a vacation and had such a good time that you hated to leave? In fact you may have toyed with the idea of staying an extra day or two? And you may have done it, but you still had to come home. You still had to “go down the mountain” to the real world.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jesus and three of His disciples had a wonderful experience on the mountain. You might say it was a mountain top experience. Peter wanted to build shelters and stay on the mountain for a longer period of time. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">But, they had to go back down, where people were waiting for them; where they put into practice what they had learned on the mountain top.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">In our spiritual lives, God will call us to the mountain top, where we will have a keen awareness of God’s presence; where we will learn things about God we never knew. And, God also calls us to go back down the mountain to live out our faith.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Go up the mountain. Have a wonderful spiritual experience that changes you in some way. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">But then come down the mountain... and change the world. </span></p><p><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">May the love of Christ be with you,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)</span></p><p><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948663776607060680.post-37606193473665217532024-02-26T06:48:00.000-05:002024-02-26T06:49:41.273-05:00God’s Will<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Mark 9:1</i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>And he said to them, “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.”</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The religious leaders of Jesus’ day wanted to kill Jesus. They hoped that by doing this the movement that he started would fade away. But, in the verse above, Jesus is telling his followers that some of them will be alive to see the flourishing of what came to be known as Christianity.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">A little more than thirty years after the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, Christianity had spread through most of the known world. His life, death and resurrection was the power and glory that fueled it all.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Some today say that Christianity is fading away. But it is the same kingdom, the same power, the same glory that began it all and it will be this same power and same glory that ends it all.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">And when it ends, it will be in God’s time and in God’s will.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">God’s will be done.</span></p><p><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">May the love of Christ be with you,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)</span></p><p><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948663776607060680.post-73464371070665855972024-02-24T06:47:00.003-05:002024-02-24T06:47:53.768-05:00The Good News<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Matthew 16:21-23</i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>“21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.</i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” 23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Some things are hard to hear and we don’t want to hear them. Bad news carries with it a certain amount of pain. We don’t want to believe that it is true. But suppose the bad news that is too horrible to believe is actually the good news?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Peter did not want to believe what Jesus was telling the Disciples was true. He had given up everything to follow Him and had spent the last three years of his life witnessing the miracle of His life and words. He had seen many miracles and many people healed by Him. And now, this good man, the Messiah, the Son of God was saying that He was to die a horrible death at the hands of the religious leaders of the Jews.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Even though Christ had healed the blind, the crippled, and the lepers; had raised the dead and walked on water; even though people had seized him to make Him their king; even though He had asked him, “Who do you think I am?”and Peter had answered, “You are the Messiah, Peter could not believe what he was saying about His impending death and resurrection.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I think the only part that registered in Peter’s mind was the part about Christ’s death. I don’t think he heard the part about being raised to life on the third day. Jesus was actually telling the Disciples that He would survive death. But all they heard was the word “death”, which to them was bad news. What they did not know was Christ’s death was an important part of the good news.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Christ’s life, death, and resurrection are the good news. And all are waiting to be heard.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hear the good news.</span></p><p><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">May the love of Christ be with you,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)</span></p><p><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948663776607060680.post-41697617244181717022024-02-23T06:43:00.000-05:002024-02-23T06:43:47.772-05:00This is What I Believe<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Mark 8: 27-30</i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>“27 Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?” 28 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” 29 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”30 Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.”</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I once had a political theory professor who would ask, “And what are your thoughts on this?” If we answered with information that was in the textbook, he would say, “But that is what the author thinks. What do you think?” If we answered with information that was in our lecture notes, he would say, “No, that’s what I think. What is it that you think?” </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">On the subject of Christianity, we must all eventually decide for ourselves, in our own hearts and minds, who Jesus is. We cannot say this is what my parents believed, or this is what I have been told. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Peter said Jesus is the Messiah.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The question, “Who do you say I am?” is a question for all who would be a disciple of Christ. We cannot borrow Peter’s answer. It is a question whose answer lies within us.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is a question that has to be answered... by each of us.</span></p><p><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">May the love of Christ be with you,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)</span></p><p><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948663776607060680.post-50366023327932713962024-02-22T06:26:00.004-05:002024-02-22T06:27:22.027-05:00The Yeast of the Pharisees<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Matthew 16:5-12</i></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>“5 When they went across the lake, the disciples forgot to take bread. 6 “Be careful,” Jesus said to them. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 7 They discussed this among themselves and said, “It is because we didn’t bring any bread.” 8 Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, “You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? 9 Do you still not understand? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 11 How is it you don’t understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 12 Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">You can understand why the Disciples had bread on their minds after the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000. When Jesus mentioned the word yeast, they automatically assumed it had something to do with the fact that they had come across the lake with no bread.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">But Jesus said to them, in effect, “Listen, didn’t you just see 5,000 people fed with little or no bread. Don’t worry about bread. I was talking about the teaching of the Pharisees and the Sadducees”. According to Jesus, the Pharisees and the Sadducees were misguided in their teachings about the law and they did not live what they taught.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jesus was warning the Disciples about the possibility of being corrupted by the world; of being more concerned with rules, rituals and regulations than with the true worship of God.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">This warning has as much meaning today as it did when Christ spoke it. Think of all the things that get in the way of our spiritual lives. Little by little they gain a foothold and soon they occupy all of our time and all of our attention.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">These things are the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.</span></p><p><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">May the love of Christ be with you,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)</span></p><p><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948663776607060680.post-38222090331779421042024-02-21T06:45:00.006-05:002024-02-21T06:46:20.619-05:00Feeding the 5000 (Part 4: The Passionate Disciple)<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Luke 9:10-17</i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>“10 When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then he took them with him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida, 11 but the crowds learned about it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing. 12 Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here.” 13 He replied, “You give them something to eat.” They answered, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.” 14 (About five thousand men were there.) But he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” 15 The disciples did so, and everyone sat down. 16 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. 17 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.”</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have a friend who came back from a conference, related to the issues of recycling, very excited. What made him so excited was the fact that the people involved in recycling were passionate in their presentations, and looked forward to each session so much that they literally ran to the meetings. My friend changed his career and entered the field of recycling after that conference.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The crowd that followed Jesus into the isolated, solitary place we read about in the scripture above, must have been a motivated, excited group of people. These people knew that they were going into the wilderness to meet Jesus. It is not like they stumbled upon Jesus and His Disciples by mistake. And without any food, without any thought of their own physical needs, they followed Jesus.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">What would it be like if our members ran to church and vied for seats at the front of the sanctuary? What would it be like if they were so eager to hear the Word that they abandoned all thought of their physical comfort?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Are we hungry? Do we believe that Christ can feed us and satisfy our hunger? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Will we follow Him to that solitary place?</span></p><p><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">May the love of Christ be with you,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)</span></p><p><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948663776607060680.post-31048461520376336532024-02-20T06:38:00.003-05:002024-02-20T06:38:51.114-05:00Feeding the 5000 (Part 3:The Eternal Question)<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Mark 6:35-44</i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>“35 By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. 36 Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”</i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>37 But he answered, “You give them something to eat.” They said to him, “That would take more than half a year’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?” 38 “How many loaves do you have?” he asked. “Go and see.” When they found out, they said, “Five—and two fish.” 39 Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. 41 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. 42 They all ate and were satisfied, 43 and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. 44 The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.”</i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Disciples told Jesus that the number of loaves they had was five; plus two fish- for 5,000 people. Just by the tone of the words, we know that they thought they did not have enough to feed such a crowd.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">How many loaves do you have? That is the eternal question.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">In ministry, our resources always seem to be far shorter than the need. The harvest is plenty, but the workers are few, so to speak. In spiritual things, if we always weighed resources against the need, we would never accomplish anything or help anyone. We would fold up our tents and go home.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Christ taught His followers that the Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed. It always starts very small but soon grows and spreads exponentially. A small resource can be multiplied many times over by the hand of God.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">He divided five loaves and two fish among them all. They all ate and were satisfied. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">And the number who ate that day were 5000.</span></p><p><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> May the love of Christ be with you,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)</span></p><p><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948663776607060680.post-59763982718224605452024-02-19T06:46:00.005-05:002024-02-19T06:47:06.642-05:00Feeding the 5000 (Part 2)<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Matthew 14:15-21</i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>“15 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.” 16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” 17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. 18 “Bring them here to me,” he said. 19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.”</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">When the Israelites followed Moses into the wilderness, Moses was probably worried about how he and Aaron were going to feed a million people in a place where one person had trouble surviving. We now know that Moses did not feed them, but God did.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the same way, the job of feeding the 5000 in the wilderness was too large for the Disciples, so Jesus fed the crowd, and he fed them in abundance. The hunger of all who ate was satisfied and there were twelve baskets of food remaining.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Followers of Jesus may, at times, find themselves in the spiritual wilderness. When this happens, remember that Jesus can give you the living water, and is himself the living bread of heaven</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” (Matthew 5:6)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Satisfied in abundance.</span></p><p><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">May the love of Christ be with you,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)</span></p><p><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0