Religious things

Something I found stuffed in my Bible cover;

Subject: ReligiousThings

AMEN:

The only part of a prayer that everyone knows.

BULLETIN:

Your receipt for attending Church.

CHOIR:

A group of people whose singing allows the rest of the congregation to lip-sync.

HOLY WATER:

A liquid whose chemical formula is H2OLY.

HYMN:

A song of praise usually sung in a key three octaves higher than most people can sing.

INCENSE:

Holy Smoke!

JONAH:

The original 'Jaws' story.

JUSTICE:

When your kids have kids of their own.

MAGI:

The most famous trio to attend a baby shower.

MANGER:

Where Mary gave birth to Jesus because Joseph wasn't covered by Obamacare.

PEW:

A medieval torture device still found in many churches.

TEN COMMANDMENTS:

The most important Top Ten list not given by David Letterman.

USHERS:

The only people in the parish who don't know the seating capacity of a pew.

Little known facts about the Catholic Church in Las Vegas :

There are more churches in Las Vegas than casinos. During Sunday services at the offertory, some worshippers contribute casino chips as opposed to cash. Some are sharing their winnings - some are hoping to win. Since they get chips from so many different casinos, and they are worth money, the Catholic churches are required to send all the chips into the diocese for sorting. Once sorted into the respective casino chips, one junior priest takes the chips and makes the rounds to the casinos turning chips into cash. And he, of course, is known as The Chip Monk.

Seek and Save

Seek and Save

    In the first two parables, we have a picture of God who actively seeks that which is lost. In both cases the thing that was lost had to be sought after with great effort. The shepherd didn’t wait for the lost sheep to wander home and the woman didn’t sit around and wait for the lost coin to turn up.  In our Christian lives, and in the church, it sometimes seems that we do the opposite. We tend to wait for the lost to come to us. We’re passive rather than active. We’re waiting for people to come to Christ instead of putting effort into bringing them to Christ! I know that I have been guilty of doing this. I want people to be saved but I haven’t gone out searching for the lost with great effort. We need to seek out those who have wandered away.

    In the third story, we see God as the father who watched and waited for his son to come to his senses and realize that you reap what you sow…Yet the father’s love and patience were coupled with a readiness to forgive.

    The sheep perhaps foolishly wandered away. The coin was perhaps lost because of negligence; and the sons were lost because of selfishness and rebellion. The great love that God has for all people - seeks - forgives - and saves - no matter who they are or why they are lost!

   Just a couple of chapters later in Luke chapter 18, Jesus tells a story of two men who went to the temple to pray; one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. In verse 9 of that passage it says; “To those who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable”;

“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collec-tor. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ “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 tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

    I guess the real message is really one we have heard before, but bears repeating…and must always be on our minds, that is, we must never think that we belong to some exclusive club of wonderful people, who get together on Sundays to celebrate the fact that we are “not like other men - robbers, evildoers, adulterers, or even like this tax collector”… But rather, that we would beat our breast and say; “God have mercy on me, a sinner!”

    Jesus pointed out that the one thing that matters most to God is the lost. They matter so much to God that when the lost are found, even only one of them, “all of heaven rejoices”. 

    If we then, are to become Christlike, we are to seek out those who have wandered away; we are to look for the one who is lost; and we are to watch and wait patiently for those who have rebelled and gone their own way. And, we are to rejoice with all of heaven over one who repents and “comes home”.

    The love of God can defeat the foolishness of man in wandering away, it did for me…. The love of God can overcome the indifference and neglect of others, it did for me…. and the love of God can certainly forgive the deliberate rebellion of man… it did for me!

    I want to ask a rather bold and thought provoking question; Is there anyone in your community who is not good enough to be a part of your church?…If someone popped into your mind - for whatever reason - I want you to jot their name down. Is there someone out there that you just don’t like or can’t get along with for some reason?...Jot their name down. Is there someone you would never think of witnessing to because of their occupation or their lifestyle or their background?…Just jot their name down. Is there a friend or neighbor or co-worker or maybe even a family member that you would like to see come to know the Lord and join a church? Then, jot their name down.

    Next week I will tell you why I have planted these little seed thoughts in your mind;

That Which Was Lost

    This started out to be a journey in prayer. But, it seems God has turned the focus of my mind just a bit… and, He has put upon my heart that we really need to get a better understanding of many of those for whom we have been praying. In one of my sermons years ago, I spoke of the three big questions in life that everyone - Christian or not - needs to have answered; Where did I come from? … Where am I going? … And, why am I here?

    Where did I come from is found in the first Book of Genesis…Where am I going is found in the last Book of Revelation… where it talks about both eternal heaven and hell.  It’s the third question most of us are still trying to understand; why we are here? The answer to that one is found in all the rest of the Books in between Genesis and Revelation.

    Jesus is our great intercessor and High Priest before God…. And, He does not want us to leave even one behind on the battlefield. “It is God’s will that not one should perish.” (Matthew 18:14) What we need is for God to give us a view and a better understanding of those whom we are trying to reach…. A better understanding of where they are at…Why they do and say what they do…and so on. If we have a better handle on where they are coming from, it helps us to know how to approach them and help them from where they are in their life. In order to gain that perspective, let’s look at some parables of Jesus concerning “That Which Was Lost” from the Book of Luke;

    When it comes to seeking the lost, I am reminded of something Lowell Lundstrom, an evangelist from South Dakota, once said; “Jesus comes with a full guarantee”… “Try him out for 60 days, and if you’re not satisfied, you get all your sins back!”

    In chapter 15 of the Book of Luke, the entire chapter speaks of “lost” things; a lost sheep; a lost coin; a lost rebellious son; and a lost older son and brother who stayed at home. This older brother personifies the attitude of the Pharisees and religious leaders toward sinners…they were jealous, critical, unforgiving, and had a lack of compassion. The very beginning two verses reveal - not only the attitude of the religious leaders, but that of Jesus at the same time! “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Then Jesus tells three great stories, straight from the heart of God, by which he pleads “guilty” to their charge. Jesus didn’t worry about their accusations nor his reputation, and in Luke 19:10 he states why… “For the Son of Man came to SEEK and to SAVE that which was lost!”

    I want you to notice that Jesus gives two things that have not changed as far as the mandate to the church; SEEK and SAVE. He didn’t say “I have come that they might have padded pews!” …or “that they might have the right worship style… or belong to the right denomination… But, that they may have life!  The truth is that the great love God has for all people, that he has for you and I,  SEEKS and SAVES no matter why we are lost or how we got there!

    In these parables, one thing that stands out to me is that all three things that were lost had great value…the sheep, the coin, and of course, the son.

    I don’t know if this has ever happened to you, but I can remember a time when our son Mark was about four years old; we were at the local carnival and there were hundreds of people there, and somehow – in a split second - Mark wandered off and we lost him. I know of nothing that strikes greater terror in the heart of a parent than a missing child. Well, believe me, we quickly began to SEEK and to SAVE that which was lost!

    Now, if God is our Father, and we are his children, do you suppose he says, “O well, I have lots of other children…I have lots of sheep, that one will just have to stay lost? – I don’t think so!

    Here is another view of the church that I can see in the attitude of Jesus toward tax collectors and sinners…(it’s just the way my mind works) I want you to consider this question as to why people gathered around Jesus…What was it that attracted them to him?

    When there is a crisis situation; an accident, there are usually three groups on the scene; the first group is the bystanders and onlookers. They are curious and watch to see what happens but have little, if any, active involvement. The second group is the police officers, whose response is to investigate the cause of the accident, assign blame, and give out the appropriate warnings and punishments. The third group is the paramedics. They are the people usually most welcomed by those involved in the accident or crisis. They could care less about whose fault the accident was, and they do not engage in lecturing about bad driving habits, their response is to help those who were hurt! They bandage wounds, free trapped people, and give words of encouragement to those who are in pain. Three groups - one is uninvolved, one is assigning blame and assessing punishment, and one is helping the hurting. Which group are we in?

    When it comes to reaching the lost and hurting, we’re going to be in one of these three groups.

We will be uninvolved bystanders, and let others do the work; or we will condemn people for their foolish behavior and bad habits, saying things like, "It’s your own fault that you’re in this mess. If you had been going to church and living like you should this never would have happened!" Or we will have compassion and be concentrating on helping those who are trapped, lost, and hurting. I hope we will be found in the last group!  No wonder they followed Jesus.

It'a all about "us".

    “Forgive us our trespasses” - A driver placed a note under the windshield wiper of his illegally parked car which read: "I’ve circled the block for 20 minutes. I’m late for an appointment, and if I don’t park here I’ll lose my job. “Forgive us our trespasses.” When he came back he found a parking ticket and a note from a police-man: "I’ve circled the block for 20 years, and if I don’t give you a ticket, I’ll lose my job. “Lead us not into temptation."

    A Sunday School teacher asked her class, "What must you first do before you can be forgiven?" A child answered, "Sin."

    We have an obligation to extend forgiveness to others. People who are unforgiving cannot understand or accept the forgiveness God offers. Anyone who is not willing to forgive another has not experienced God’s forgiveness. When we refuse to forgive others, we are asking God not to forgive us.

    There are many people who refuse to forgive; they harbor resentments and hold grudges. People often claim, "I forgive - but I’ll never forget!" When I hear this, I do something unexpected - I urge that person not to forget. I say, "I want you to remember! Every time you remember the offense and feel the hurt, I want you to remember your forgiveness." Amnesia isn’t the goal!

    “Lead Us Not into temptation” …The word "temptation" in the Greek is a neutral word--it can mean, based on the context, either temptations, testing’s or trials. A trial is adversity, suffering, or affliction. It’s been said, "Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger." Trials build character; they can transform common Christians into exceptional saints. Trials are part of God’s plan for us. They aren’t especially welcome, but they can - and do - increase our faith. This petition forces us to our knees. It makes us admit how weak and vulnerable we really are without God’s help. Temptation carries a two-fold meaning in most of Scripture (testing or trial.)

    “But deliver us from evil” - We battle an enemy who knows our weak points. He knows that often it is when we think we are invincible that we are the biggest targets. He delights in taking us down at the very points we think we are the strongest. “When I am weak, then I am strong,” was the cry of Paul. That was the heart of man who knew he needed protection as well as direction through the maze of temptation.

    Temptation is inevitable. Sin is not. Weakness is certain. Failure is not. But it will be for one who does not seek God’s direction and protection from temptation and Satan.

    It is worth noting again that each of these petitions is in the first-person plural. Give us. Forgive us. Deliver us. We are not in this alone. We are together like it or not. That’s good. We not only need to learn to pray. We need to learn to pray for one another. So, remember that when you pray the Lord’s Prayer it is not about you and it’s not about I/me/or my, it’s about “us.” We are all in this together.