St. Paul Lutheran Church
If only Jonah would have ended happily ever after in chapter 3, but instead realistically ends (sort of) in chapter 4 were Jonah reveals his real reason for not wanting to go to Nineveh. The way that Jonah ends helps all of us to take a hard look in mirror of our sin but even more so assures us of our Lord God who will never give up on his prophets or his people always inviting them to repent and receive what nobody deserves grace, mercy, and forgiveness.
When Jonah is called a second time to go to Nineveh by God he chooses to go. After delivering a very short 5 word sermon it would seem Nineveh destruction in 40 days is eminent. Yet in those 40 days God through His Word spoken by Jonah accomplishes the biggest miracle in the story of Jonah. God does not given up on his prophet, the Ninevites, or YOU! He is a God of second chances purchased and won through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ who specializes in transforming lives through the mercy, grace and steadfast love of God.
Jonah may have wanted to end his life and thereby bringing condemnation upon the people of Nineveh but God has other supernatural plans that will unfold in the belly of a great fish. In this belly Jonah will say a prayer that is pretty solid theologically but lacking in believability on the part of Jonah's true faith as he unmasks himself as the object of his worship. But God will not give up on Jonah as he continues to pursue him with his relentless steadfast mercy and love.
Jonah is not interested in God's plan for his life and will do anything he can to reassert his control over his life even if it means ending it. In the midst of a storm Jonah professes the right theology but the application of that theology is far from where God would have him be. Yet through it all God continues to pursue his prophet using even creation to call him to repentance and reception of the mercy of God.
When God calls his prophet Jonah to leave the comfort of his home and go to the city of Nineveh with words of judgement, the prophet of God without saying a word to God rebels and runs in the opposite direction. The book of Jonah begins with the audience wondering why this prophet of God is so reluctant to deliver God's word and when we finally find out the reason is quite shocking and sad, but yet if we are honest with ourselves not entirely shocking because we can so often have the same attitude toward the mercy of God.
At the baptism of Jesus as described by the Gospel of Mark we see the incredible good news that Jesus is willing to stand in the place of sinners and in doing so shows the kind of ministry and work he has come to do. In our own baptism we get the incredible good news that Jesus has chosen us personally!
No matter who you are, where you are from, what you look like, or even what you smell like, King Jesus born in Bethlehem is the Savior of the world for all people. The lowest in the land were given the highest honor that first Christmas to be the first to share. They didn’t have all the answers but they knew enough that Jesus wasn’t just for them but for the world. Let’s join them and continue to share that hope this Christmas.
There is a huge difference in life between knowledge and wisdom perhaps no better illustrated in Daniel 5 where one king who had the knowledge of the past yet did not have wisdom in learning from it. When the "writing is on the wall" in our lives do we learn from the past and especially from God's Word by both gaining knowledge of that Word and applying it in our life as the wisdom to which to live life by? After all what is at stake is not just our future but the future of those around us who God has perfectly positioned in our lives to make an eternal difference in.
There is an infection that is running rampant in our nation for which masks and social distancing can't seem to slow down. It is an election infection whose primary symptom is fear! Yet through out the pages of scripture the Lord God extends the invitation to Fear Not! It doesn't mean that there aren't fearful things in this world but instead that there is a way of living by faith that can still allow us to fear not. We cast our votes for candidates on a ballot but we do not cast our hope because our hope is put in the Lord God.
There is an infection that is running rampant in our nation for which masks and social distancing can't seem to slow down. It is an election infection whose primary symptom is fear! Yet through out the pages of scripture the Lord God extends the invitation to Fear Not! It doesn't mean that there aren't fearful things in this world but instead that there is a way of living by faith that can still allow us to fear not. We cast our votes for candidates on a ballot but we do not cast our hope because our hope is put in the Lord God.
In the final keystone habit in the Being Challenge we learn the importance of Choosing Church! When we Choose Church we are committing to be part of the body of Christ here on earth. Church can get pretty messy at times which is why forgiveness is a key to living out our faith in community with one another.
In a crazy, busy and loud world it is hard to find true solitude. Yet we find Jesus the busiest person to ever live chose to seek solitude time and time again to be alone with the Father. We too in our daily and weekly rhythms of grace need this same solitude for when we do God gives us a better focus in this crazy world and sends us out with his strength and power.
Jesus spends a lot of time praying and teaching about prayer and as he does so we get insight to the valuable gift in which we have the privilege to talk to our Heavenly Father.
Studying Scriptures allows us to see our true identity as it explains who God is and who we are in light of that truth! As your creator and redeemer God has naming rights over you and invites you to find your true identity in and through Him!
We are made for Community! Join us for week 2 of the Being Challenge where we will spend time seeing how even Jesus himself seeks out and creates community around himself to do life together!
We all have Habits, some good and some not so good. This week we will look at the 5 Keystone Habits of Jesus and begin to dive in to see what we need to do to make those habits our own!
We all have Habits, some good and some not so good. This week we will look at the 5 Keystone Habits of Jesus and begin to dive in to see what we need to do to make those habits our own!
Roman Christians at the time of Nero faced this dilemma that might sound familiar: How do you relate to the civil authorities when publicly they say one thing and privately do another? How do you obey, as a Christian, when it seems like the rulers you are asked to obey are obscured by propaganda, so you never know the truth? The answer that Paul gives in Romans 13 helps us better understand what God is doing in the world around as we live in the tension of being citizens of Two Kingdoms.
You are an essential worker in the Kingdom of God! The glory of God is hidden in the lives of his people and is revealed in self sacrificial service on earth. That is how Paul in Romans 11 & 12 would have Christians see themselves. Your life joined to the ministry of Christ carried out in every day ordinary ways in the various callings that God has given to us and in doing so you can make an eternal difference in the lives of those around you.
As Paul steps back from the details in Romans 11, he is ableto see the big picture and it is a vision of mercy on the part of God. As God comes into this world, he finds disobedience among all nations, but God remains faithful to his promises andworks mercy, mercy for all peoples, Jews and Gentiles, in Christ. Though the world be disobedient, God will remain merciful. Merciful to all people who believe in Jesus Christ.
We are people saved by grace! A grace that transforms and empowers us to be a part of the continual mission of Jesus in this world.
Christianity was never intended to be a private and personal belief, never intended to be lived when we cut ourselves off from everything, but daily and constantly. It was not just a relationship for you and Jesus, but a community that by God's grace is brought together in God's promises to live in them. The apostle Paul brings us to the greatest story.
What can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord? St Paul's answer is nothing! What is your's? What if there was a way we could navigate successfully through the troubles this world throws at us like COVID19, Hurricane Hanna, Cancer, Brokenness and more? Watch as we celebrate Christmas in July and rest in the assurance that Jesus is for you and with you!
Stuck in the Middle! That is what it feels like for Christians! Stuck in the middle of what were and what we are becoming as a new creation in Christ Jesus. In this world that means there is going to be a lot of groaning in the brokeness and pain but we do not do it alone, Holy Spirit groans along with us. He does not leave us in our groans but leads us toward the glory that is yet to come in the presence of Jesus. So we hold out hope with eyes focused on Him knowing the best is yet to come!
Our identity is so important to us and both Jesus and the apostle Paul want to make sure we know that when it comes to God, we can relate to him as Our Father. A Father who welcomes us into his family via adoption as daughters and sons not because of anything we did or can do but purely because of Jesus Christ alone. No matter where you've been or what you have done, there is always a place in the Father's house for you His child.
Pastor Franco continues our series in Romans with a message of Sinner and Saint
Jesus is the Lord of Life and has power over the grave! His resurrecting power impacts us not just in our resurrection some day but even today in our every day life!
In the first 30 years of the church described in the book of Acts we see that the generosity of the early church despite its poverty was incredible and was used to bless many. The persecution the church faced also began to grow but even that could not stop the work of the Holy Spirt!
On this Mother's Day weekend when many of us are still staying home for the good of others we hear from a story in the book of Acts about Philip. Philip was called by the Holy Spirit to proclaim the message of hope in Jesus to a man from Ethiopia. By the power of the Spirit the man is converted and baptised and while it was just one person the impact of his conversion impacted an entire nation.
Prayer. we do it all the time. especially now. but sometimes we need to shake up our prayer life to wake up to who it is we are praying to and what it is we are really asking for as well as what we are really wanting out of our prayer life.
There is a lot to be afraid about in the world around us. Yet Jesus invites us to fear less by reminding us of our worth and value in comparison to the birds we see all around us every day. We are known by God and assured by him that He is still in control. We are loved. We are chosen. We have hope because we are following the One who has overcome the world.
Covid-19 has taken over the collective thoughts of the world. In the midst of the fear and uncertainty that is over taking over our lives Jesus has words of hope, comfort and encouragement with the assurance that He is with us even now and the confidence that He has already overcome the world.
When Jesus is tempted by Satan to turn stones into bread in the midst of his 40 days of fasting, the temptation is real for His hunger is real. Yet Jesus knew more was at stake in the moment than his ability to turn stones into bread but rather His trust in the plans of the Father. He withstood this temptation so that when we given into temptation His death and resurrection could make us whole while at the same time by His power we can stand in the midst of temptation.
When Jesus is tempted in the wilderness He is able to withstand the temptation by trusting in the promises and word of God the Father. We don't always realize what's at stake every time we are tempted but if we can pause and take a step back and know that we aren't facing it alone we can begin to face temptation in a better way. Even when we fail and give into temptation we are reminded that Jesus didn't just resist temptation to show us how to do it, but to do it in our place so that we might receive forgiveness for those times we do fail.
As we begin the season of Lent we recognize our great need for forgiveness.
When Jesus tells a story one day about two sons and their father he describes for us what our Heavenly Father feels towards us. Our performance for bad or good does not determine our place in the family, the father does. And his gracious and loving invitation is for all!
The believer in Jesus Christ is rich for his identity is not in external things but is in Christ Jesus! Ephesians 1:7 in Him we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.
The gospel transformed Lydia and her skill set into gifts used for expanding Christ’s kingdom from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth.
Tears. We hide them. We avoid things and people that cause them. And in general we just wish they would be gone. When John is given a vision of the return of Jesus one of the most beautiful scenes that unfolds is that of God himself wiping every tear from the eyes of those who have been welcomed into his presence through the work of Jesus Christ. The same Jesus who unites himself to us through baptism and making us his beautiful bride. When we cry tears in this world may those tears remind us of the promises that God has made to us in our baptism and the promise that a day is coming when those tears will be no more.
As we celebrate Confirmation we recognize that the stories of our faith happen in community with one another, your story of faith matters and can have an incredible impact on another person. Sometimes we see that impact right away and sometimes the Holy Spirit works through our testimony and witness over many years. Even Saul turned Paul was impacted by a man who is only mentioned in one chapter of the Bible, but the impact of Ananias witness was world changing by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus is sent, the disciples are sent, the church is sent, and the church sends! The message of Jesus and the Resurrection continues to be one that sends people out to share and to tell of the forgiveness and life that Jesus gives!
If you have the opportunity to meet someone who was dead and came back to life and the person who made that happen you would want to meet them! That's exactly what happened on Palm Sunday with Jesus and Lazarus. So many people were believing in Jesus because of Lazarus that he was deemed a threat to those who were against Jesus. Like Lazarus we continue to point people to Jesus with the stories of our lives wherever we are and wherever we go and when we share Jesus we are being used by Jesus to bring dead people back to life!
It is day 36 of the Red Letter Challenge and this week is all about Going! His Story is Our Story too!
Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also said Jesus. While we may trust Jesus with our salvation we have a harder time trusting him with our wallet and stuff and if we are not careful our stuff can rob us of our faith. Instead of holding tightly to our stuff we can be people of generosity because of the overwhelming generosity of Jesus towards us that we can help but to share knowing that living generously is not about what God wants from you but for you.
Giving Thanks during Red Letter Challenge Week 4 midweek message
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