What is Perceived and what is Believed: Riots, Recklessness and Righteousness

What is Perceived and what is Believed:  

Riots Recklessness and Righteousness 

5/31/20

 

Some things in life are not easy to sort out. when it comes to justice and injustice.  The recent death of George Floyd and the ensuing riots, reminded me, of my own experience as a young teenager in high school where I faced two tragic race riots.   It is a tragedy to have to face the hate, bitterness, and destruction from these violent forces. Some perceived this violent outburst to be just but in the minds of most innocence bystander these riots are unjust. . 

 

Believe or not the Bible has over 15 incidents of riots and injustice by unruly mobs.   Let’s look at:

“And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things; and they got up and drove Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to throw Him down the cliff. But passing through their midst, He went His way.  Luke 4:28-30” Was this just or unjust?  This was an incident of a mob action who perceived that Jesus was discriminating against their ancient Jewish beliefs.

It is never easy to take a serious incident like our national race riots and attempt to relate it to the Bible.  Sometimes preacher can interject their opinions and fail to preach it in a truly just manner.  However, God is never absent from any of our crisis in life.    What does God genuinely want from us peaceful demonstrations heartfelt apologies or  angry protests, hateful rhetoric, and looting and burning,   One young man in Minnesota, was asked why resort to looting? he said I am getting mine and besides this is not theft or looting this is predatory lending!

 

Eccl. 3:16 Furthermore, I have seen under the sun that in the place of justice there is wickedness and in the place of righteousness there is wickedness.  

I do not agree with the incident surrounding the tragic death of George Floyd that ignited hated, bitterness and looting.  I will say it again this man did not have to die and many of us mourn his loss.   I am sure that retaliation against innocent people is not right.  I am not sure that I can ever comprehend the ransacking and burning police precinct’s and stores, stealing TVs and designer handbags in the name of justice.

 

Whoever has the greatest influence in your life will have the greatest impact in what you do and how you behave.  When things get tough and we are forced to response to a “social justice crisis” Who do you form alliance with and what are your intentions?   Some of us get involved in well indented crusades for a good cause, but deep within our inner being we hope to see change. 

Romans 5:2-7   through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance. Perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die.

Gal 6:9 “Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”

 

When Causes/Crusades become Chaos:

The death of Jesus was incited by Jewish leaders who felt discriminated against and asked for his death and they convinced an unruly mob to violent action.  

 

Matthew 27 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed.²¹ “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor. Barabbas,” they answered.²² “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” Pilate asked, they all answered, “Crucify him!” ²³ “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!” ²⁴ When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!”  In this incident the mob was influenced by outside sources to Crucify and perfect and just man. 

Chaos causes confusion and separates us from our faith and our trust in God.

I Corinthians 14:33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.”   The things that happen every day in our lives can be chaotic and confusing. We all need direction, but as Christians we can rest assure that the Holy Spirit is living inside of us and He is able to guide us and keep our mind at ease.   We can be stricken by emotions on both sides that can cause us to lash out, but as Christians we should we find our peace and hope.

 

My heart goes back to a funeral of Jane Hughes, I see the personal injustice of losing this beautiful lady. The loss of Jane Hughes to this community was sad, many said she gave so much to Effingham County; she was a gentle and graceful woman who spoke not in words but in action, actions of love and compassion.   The idiom to know her was to love her was so true of Jane.   Her son Tripp said he does not remember in his lifetime that Jane ever argued or said hateful things to any of them.  Jane is an unheralded loss to all of us.  Many may not have known her, but she was a woman who was consistent in business and in life.  In my heart I sense an injustice because so many of us could have gained so much from her life and her spirit. Today the question is who among you will stand up and be a replacement here on earth.

Does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth I Corinthians 3:16

I Peter 1:3-6 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 

In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.

Playing the Blame Game Devotional May 28, 2020

Playing the Blame Game

 Devotional May 28, 2020

 

 Whose fault is it anyway? When things don't go the way we expect, we are quick to blame others or even our current circumstance for our problems. Unfortunately, when we blame others, we eliminate the possibility of change. Playing the blame game is as old as Adam and Eve The Adam said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”  Genesis 3:12-13

 

The Blame game never has any winners and only leads to negative thinking here are some examples ;  people did us wrong, the company laid us off, my business didn’t make it,  I couldn’t get the testing I needed, there wasn’t enough medical supplies during this pandemic . It's easy to go through life blaming others, blaming ourselves, even blaming God, because we're always looking back, reliving the negative, we end up carrying around all this baggage that weighs our faith down.

 

 We will not live a victorious life if we always recall what did not work out, or who hurt us. I often wonder why we shift blame, maybe in part out of guilt, shame, bitterness or even pride.   Notice the bitterness Job’s wife harbored as she watched Job deteriorate from his mysterious and incurable disease “Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!”   Job 2:9 

 

Martha blamed Jesus for the death of her brother Lazarus in John 11:21 Martha then said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.

 

We should not have the “Poor old me, look what I've been through" attitude. I've heard it said you can be pitiful or you can be powerful, but you cannot be both, and you may have made a lot of mistakes, you have a lot of regrets, you blew your marriage, didn't raise your children right, but you can't do anything about yesterday.  When we blame others, we avoid taking responsibility for our actions and when we do that, we will never grow. and when we blame God, we see Him incorrectly and we fail to see Him for who He really is-a loving God whose desire is to see us stop blaming and start living a blameless life.

 

Blame often shuts down the opportunity to see faith conquer the impossible.   There is a new beginning in front of you, but God will not release new opportunities if we are holding on to negative things in your past.   We are not defined by our past; we are prepared by our past.  We may not realize it, but we will come out stronger, with more confidence, greater experience. If this event had not have happened, we would not be prepared for the new heights that are coming your way.  

 

If you would like to comment on this devotional or any other contact Pastor Al at supreme1955@yahoo.com

How to Overcome Worry

How to overcome Worry

Beginning in the late 1920,s, a character called the “Worry Wart,” drawn by J.R. Williams, appeared in Dell comics. This tyke was not a worrier at all with his actions he caused others to worry.  In other words, calling someone a “worrywart” is accusing them of being over stressed.   Can Christians become worrywarts whereby their worries cause others to worry? 

As Covid 19 panic alarm sounds, our worry seems inevitable: questions about our jobs our health our children’s safety and our financial security.  We be an example to our children by showing our confidence over our worry  “Worry is like a good rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn’t get you anywhere.” Another way to think of the futility of worry is to imagine someone carrying around a suitcase of old junk that he does not use. If he complained to you about his aching back, wouldn’t you suggest he drop the suitcase?

  “A day of worry is more exhausting than a week of work”.                                                

“We tend to do the same thing, feeling troubled, tired, and pulled off-balance. We hang on to our burden because (we think) something bad might happen if we let it go. But the answer is so easy. If we simply let go—if we trust in the Lord—we suddenly feel lighter”.   (David Roth New Church Issue 5)

 Here is what the bible says “Do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them.... Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these” (Luke 12:22–24).

 Worry can be contagious too !

We are so worried about getting covid 19, we wear masks and gloves, we are careful when we go out and who we come in contact, social distancing is constantly on our minds.    As we practice health and safety practices to avoid contagious people, we should also practice a spiritual strategy and avoid contagious people.   In other words, 1) watch what we say 2) Avoid the language of worry to others, which can affect our children, family and friends 3) Avoid people who are critical and cause worry which can be spiritual contagious.   

 

 “Worry, doubt, fear, and despair are the enemies which slowly bring us down to the ground.”    

Philippians 4:6 says Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made unto God.   The apostles Paul says we should turn our anxiety into prayer.  For those things you worry, turn them into prayer (make your worry list into a prayer list). 

 

Store this verse in your heart: Psalms 94:19   When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.      

If you would like to talk contact me Pastor Al supreme1955@yahoo.com

Devotional "With a Heavy Heart" May 19, 2020

Devotional “With a Heavy Heart”           May 19, 2020

It is with a heavy heart that we remember the life of Jane Hughes.   Jane was a faithful and compassionate witness; her soft voice and endearing smile drew all of us to her.  

It is not length of life, but depth of life. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Jane Hughes went to be with the Lord on Monday morning around 3:30 am.  We were blessed to have known her and during her illness, we prayed for her every Sunday for the past three years   Jane told her son Tye that she loved her little church (Wingard Lutheran) because she felt close to the Lord every time she went.  We see life as fleeting, and it fills our minds with many questions. The question always resonates within us, Why God! would you take this beautiful woman?  What is life that should be reduced to an obituary, a casket, a headstone, a cemetery, and flowers.  There is more to life and death than memorials we have an everlasting promise from God of life and an eternal promise of heaven. Life is a process of living to love and loving to care. I thought of the lyrics of George Harrison song “What is my life”

What I feel, I can't say
But my love is there for you, any time of day
But if it's not love that you need
Then I'll try my best to make everything succeed

Tell me, what is my life without your love
Tell me, who am I without you, by my side?

What I know, I can do
If I give my love now to everyone like you
But if it's not love that you need
Then I'll try my best to make everything succeed

Tell me, what is my life without your love
Tell me, who am I without you, by my side
Tell me, what is my life without your love
Tell me, who am I without you, by my side?

The video to this song What is my Life has a beautiful young ballerina pirouetting and spinning in the forest and then in the next scene the ballerina is in a cemetery continuing her ballet in front of rows and rows of white graveyard headstones.   Looking at the video, I could only think how Jane in her youth, had never given a second thought to getting old yet alone of dying.   Life can be a dance of love and memories or a bitter short cut to death.  The choice is yours.

Jane was a woman filled with love and life, willing to share her love with anyone who needed it.  Jane had a heart of compassion and was willing to help and teach others along the way.

 Death is nothing else but going home to God, the bond of love will be unbroken for all eternity. Mother Teresa

 

How do we approach death, how do we explain it to our Loved ones?

 

 We look at the Psalms 23

The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want, he makes me to lie down in green pasture He leads me beside still waters.    He restores my soul.  He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil, for you are with me your rod and your staff, they comfort me.   Notice those words “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for you are with me.

Death is only a shadow; A shadow needs a light source.  And our light source is Jesus Christ.  If we follow Jesus as the light, the shadow of death will never overwhelm us.   In him was life,^[a] and the life was the light of men. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it  John 5

Death held no fear for Jane at all. Jane had her death all worked out when she first got cancer, she spiritually prepared her heart and life for this moment.  She knew her final resting place was not of this earth where there is pain, suffering and tears.  Jane was real about her salvation she knew she was going to a better place, a place prepared for her. She did not want people to grieve and feel this was the end, but only the beginning.   

 

John 14:1-6 Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many Mansions . If it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you?and if I go to prepare a place for you,  I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.

Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?  Jesus said I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life no one comes to the Father except by me.

 Jane was a brave independent woman who fulfilled her mission, raising her children Tye, Tripp and Hope, loving her husband David, building her own business International Mortgage and sharing her beautiful outlook on life.     To be absent from this body is to be present with the Lord.  We love you Jane and we will miss you    

Country Church Devotional 5 -19-2020

As a young boy I loved to fly kites, to see the power and wonder of the wind. The wind is a beautiful part of nature and many of us have sit outside enjoying its power as it rushes through the trees. A sense of wonder comes over us as we think of the winds power in nature. I hear the wind among the trees Playing the celestial symphonies; I see the branches downward bent, Like keys of some great instrument. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

One of the many symbols for the Holy Spirit is the WIND. It is a powerful symbol that we need to recognize and accept. Let the wind blow and be blessed. The study of the Holy Spirit is called pneumatology comes from two Greek words, namely, pneuma meaning “WIND” or “spirit” and logos meaning the study of.
In Genesis. 2:7 says, “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul”. In the Greek, it is the word Pneuma "breathed" = like the wind, or divine inspiration. In the beginning, the Holy Spirit was present at the creation of man. So little is known by the average Christian about the power and influence the Holy Spirit has in our everyday life. When Nicodemus confronted Jesus by night, searching for the meaning of life and Salvation. Jesus gave him an illustration about the Holy Spirit when he said. “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So, it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” John 3:8
The wind speaks of the Power of the Holy Spirit and it speaks of CHANGE. When the Holy Spirit breathes/blows, something is going to change. Salvation changes us in soul and spirit, we become a new creation in Christ. (Craig Benner S.C. 11/2012)

Elijah ran from God and Queen Jezebel, fearful for his life he hid in a cave. God spoke to him through the wind, a fire, and an earthquake. The wind God sent was not just a gentle breeze. It was something to be reckoned with. The Holy Spirit is Sovereign you cannot and you will not govern Him. Such is the wind, there is no way to capture it or control it, conquer it, or command it to do what you want. The only One who was able to do that is Christ. When He said, "Peace be still", the winds immediately calmed down.

Finally, notice the energy that came from the rushing wind of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Acts 2:2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. As we struggle to find our spiritual energy in this time of crisis The Holy Spirit can generate power in our lives at the time, we need Him most.

The Holy Spirit illuminates the minds of people, makes us yearn for God, and takes spiritual truth and makes it understandable to us.” – Billy Graham

Welcome to the Country Church Chronicles

to Clyo Lutheran Parish 

Country Church Chronicles

Joint Council has concluded that church services will be returning on May 17th.  Wingard will have service at 9am, followed by a 10:15 service at Laurel Hill.  We have set some guidelines on how service will be conducted so that we keep everyone safe.  There will be no Sunday School until further notice. 

Guidelines for Church services:

-No communion until June at the earliest.

-Offering Plates will be in the back of the church, offering will not be part of the service.

-No children sermon until further notice.

-No choir until further notice.

We are thankful to be returning to having church services.  With that said, we want to keep the health of our members top of mind.  Please remember to follow social distancing.  We expect members to sit in family groups and keep plenty of spacing in pew's.  We ask anyone feeling under the weather to please stay home.  Do not feel obligated to come to church services.  We will continue to stream services on our online platforms, so if you dont feel comfortable coming in person, you will still have an opportunity to worship.  Any concerns should be directed toward one of the council members.  We will continue to meet and make changes as we go.