Follow Me

John 21:19 Common English Bible (CEB) 19 He said this to show the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. After saying this, Jesus said to Peter, “Follow me.” Those two simple words, Follow Me, have such meaning in our lives and in our faith.  Jesus is saying, right now, to each and every one of us, each and every day, “Follow Me.” How will you answer? Holy Lord, Those two simple words, Follow Me, can be pretty scary sometimes.  Help us to set aside our fear and to answer your call. Amen.

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Feed My Sheep

John 21:15-17 Common English Bible (CEB) Jesus and Peter 15 When they finished eating, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” Simon replied, “Yes, Lord, you know I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 Jesus asked a second time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Simon replied, “Yes, Lord, you know I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Take care of my sheep.” 17 He asked a third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was sad that Jesus asked him a third time, “Do you love me?” He replied, “Lord, you know everything; you know I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Jesus calls us all to care for those that he loves.  He calls each one of us to this.  Jesus says if you love me than love and care for all those whom I love. All of them.  I have a question for you.  Can we truly love Jesus if we don’t love all his people? Gracious God, Help us to show our love for you through loving and caring for all those who you love.  Amen.

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Attention Getting

John 21:12-14 Common English Bible (CEB) 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples could bring themselves to ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came, took the bread, and gave it to them. He did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead. Each time Jesus presented himself to the disciples after his resurrection, the disciples didn’t immediately recognize him.  He had to do something familiar to them, say their name, break the bread, and in this case a miraculous catch (read in Luke where this happened to them before at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry).  They needed something familiar to get their attention to see what was right in front of them.  Aren’t we all like this sometimes?  Too preoccupied that we can’t see what is right in front of us? Maybe we can’t see Jesus at work right in front of us because we just don’t expect him to show up. Take time to today to notice Jesus moving in your life and all around you. Thank you, Lord, for showing up. Help us to see you and recognize your work. Amen.

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Catching Fish

John 21:3-7 Common English Bible (CEB) 3 Simon Peter told them, “I’m going fishing.” They said, “We’ll go with you.” They set out in a boat, but throughout the night they caught nothing. 4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples didn’t realize it was Jesus. 5 Jesus called to them, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?” They answered him, “No.” 6 He said, “Cast your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” So they did, and there were so many fish that they couldn’t haul in the net. 7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard it was the Lord, he wrapped his coat around himself (for he was naked) and jumped into the water. The disciples didn’t catch any fish that night.  I bet they were disappointed and felt like they had wasted their time.  How often do we as the church feel this way, disappointed that we can’t get new members?  How often do we get frustrated by the fact that people took advantage of our outreach, but we weren't able to ‘reel them in’ so to speak?  It can be quite frustrating to fish and never get a bite let alone catch any.  I wonder if we need to lower our nets again without expectation, without prerequisites for entering our nets, without prejudices as to who we want in our nets and just allow all God’s children, in whatever manner they present themselves, with all their differences and similarities to just come and let us serve them, let us love them, and let them serve and love us too without expecting anything at all. Just simply being with them, simply loving them. Loving Lord, Help us to cast our nets wide offering your love without any prerequisites, without any expectations at all. Just love for all.  Amen.

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Psalm 150

Psalm 150 The Message (MSG) 150 1-6 Hallelujah! Praise God in his holy house of worship,     praise him under the open skies; Praise him for his acts of power,     praise him for his magnificent greatness; Praise with a blast on the trumpet,     praise by strumming soft strings; Praise him with castanets and dance,     praise him with banjo and flute; Praise him with cymbals and a big bass drum,     praise him with fiddles and mandolin. Let every living, breathing creature praise God!     Hallelujah! Amen.

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Made a Kingdom

Revelation 1:6 Common English Bible (CEB) 6 who made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father—to him be glory and power forever and always. Amen.   We were made a kingdom and priests at that!  All of us! We are to worship God, to live for him and show his love to ALL, to live in a way that shows others we are His and that is a testament to our faith each and every day. In doing so we bring a little bit of the Kingdom of God right here on earth. Gracious God, Help us to live for you.  To live for you is to believe in you and to actively participate in your kingdom.  Amen.

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They will not be swayed

Acts 5:27-32 The Message (MSG) 27-28 Bringing them back, they stood them before the High Council. The Chief Priest said, “Didn’t we give you strict orders not to teach in Jesus’ name? And here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are trying your best to blame us for the death of this man.” 29-32 Peter and the apostles answered, “It’s necessary to obey God rather than men. The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, the One you killed by hanging him on a cross. God set him on high at his side, Prince and Savior, to give Israel the gift of a changed life and sins forgiven. And we are witnesses to these things. The Holy Spirit, whom God gives to those who obey him, corroborates every detail.”   I love this story.  I love how the apostles couldn’t keep from sharing God’s message, Jesus’ story, his good news!  They had been placed in prison and yet, here they are teaching again as they were told to do by the angel who set them free.  It’s hard for the Chief Priest to understand. To understand one, how they got out of the prison and two, that they didn’t flee to safety!  Instead, they are preaching and in the temple, right out in the open!  I love the apostles' reply.  They answer to God, not man.  They answer their call to ministry wholeheartedly!  They will not be swayed. Almighty God, Help us to be brave.  Fill us with your spirit and give us the words and life to share and the courage to do so.  Amen.

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