Genesis 2:8-9

         “And God saw that it was good.”  God created trees and was pleased with his creation.  Chapter 2 of Genesis retells the story of creation with a slightly different texture and with more details.  The story focuses in on the Garden of Eden planted in the East.  Man was created to care for this garden that had all sorts of trees.  The writer describes them as “pleasing to the eye and good for food.”  You may be thinking of an apple tree and Johnny Appleseed spreading seeds around the USA. My son and I went to Target tonight.  I grabbed dried mango for my husband in his new placement and my son spotted fresh sliced mango that we grabbed for breakfast.  Mango trees come from our background even though I never saw one till I was in my 30s.  The author goes on to say that there were two special trees in the center of the garden, the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  Trees are not just about seeds, fruit and bark for houses.  Tree can give life.

         Just for example, cinnamon bark is good for our heart.  Papaya is good for digestion.  You can probably think of other examples.  Bees build hives in trees and bless us.  Tree give life by protecting us.  Trees define our borders.  Trees function in many life giving ways.  One of my favorite moments in Minneapolis was to sit and look at all the shades of green of the tree leaves on the many trees growing along the Mississippi and think of God’s creativity.

         Can you think of five ways God brings life to you through trees?  Thank God for those special moments when special trees have brought you life.  Thank you Lord!  Blessings.

Genesis 1:11-12

This week we enter the month of September and we start thinking of Fall or Autumn.  The leaves on trees begin to change color and age.  My husband is walking the journey of Parkinson’s Disease and so the topic of aging and changing and declining in ability is “In my face.”  What was once a vibrant, producing, and my mighty oak is loosing its leaves and I grieve.

         So I am going to turn my devotionals to the topic of trees before we enter October and Halloween or Reformation month.  My sister offered me some reflections that touched me.  She started with the Garden of Eden and the Tree of Life and the Tree of Good and Evil but let me go back to Genesis 1: 11,12.

         Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants       and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their   various kinds.”… “And God saw that it was good.”

Trees are good!  Several years back we lived in Minneapolis.  We took a journey East for the graduation of our daughter-in-law.  On arrival, we received a phone call saying a tornado had touched down in Minneapolis and in six seconds, swept six miles through our area uprooting 1,000 trees.  Police were riding bikes and horses!  Sidewalks were cracked as roots broke through.  Our whole scenery was changed. Our world changed without trees to shade us.  We felt vulnerable.

         Think of one of your favorite trees.  I love the talking tree in Lord of the Rings.  What stories trees might tell of the lives lived under them.  Perhaps you hung a swing from a favorite tree’s sturdy limb.  Perhaps you enjoy its vibrant colors in fall.  Or it might be a beautiful Christmas tree that is full of grace and promise that brings joy and peace to your heart.  Can you list five words to describe your special tree?  If you were a tree, what tree would you like to be?  Take a moment to thank God for trees in your life and for people who have been like trees to you.  Blessings.

         “He Leadeth Me ” written by Joseph H. Gilmore in 1880 with music composed by William Bradbury is a Christian hymn. He was inspired by the scripture of Psalm 23 and created this renowned, popular hymn.

1 He leadeth me: O blessed thought!
O words with heavenly comfort fraught!
Whate’er I do, where’er I be,
still ’tis God’s hand that leadeth me.

Refrain:
He leadeth me, he leadeth me;
by his own hand he leadeth me:
his faithful follower I would be,
for by his hand he leadeth me.

2 Sometimes mid scenes of deepest gloom,
sometimes where Eden’s flowers bloom,
by waters calm, o’er troubled sea,
still ’tis God’s hand that leadeth me. Refrain

3 Lord, I would clasp thy hand in mine,
nor ever murmur nor repine;
content, whatever lot I see,
since ’tis my God that leadeth me. Refrain

4 And when my task on earth is done,
when, by thy grace, the victory’s won,
e’en death’s cold wave I will not flee,
since God through Jordan leadeth me. Refrain

Gilmore at age 28, a young preacher, was preaching on the 23^rd Psalm but became struck by the depth of the words, “he leadeth me” in green pastures.  That inspired his sermon.  This week we read how Paul was comforted by his vision from the Lord and continued to speak in Corinth.  Apollo, Aguila and Priscilla as budding young leaders were led by the Holy Spirit to reach out to people who only knew of John’s baptism for forgiveness of sins.  God’s leading and love touches us in a way that fear of his chastisement does not.

Gilmore scribbled the words to this hymn on a scrap of paper after preaching the sermon and stuffed it in his pocket. His wife found the paper and submitted it to a magazine for publishing.  Years later Gilmore discovered his poem set to music in a hymnal.  His wife remembered her part in the poem’s journey.  God leads in mysterious ways.  May you be comforted knowing that the Holy Spirit walks with you and leads you through the coming week!

Acts 19:1-10

Have you ever felt like the man who met Jesus as Jesus came down from the Mount of Transfiguration?  The man’s son was possessed by an evil spirit that sounds much like we understand epilepsy today.  Jesus tells the man anything is possible for the person who believes.  The man cries out, “I believe, help my unbelief. (Mark 9:24)’ We believe but we also realize we are a work in progress and we may not know or understand everything.  I believe, but help… 

     Early Christians did not have our written Scriptures and faith was an oral process as one told another and presented truth in public places.  Some like Paul and Apollos were able to present Old Testament truths but most believed as a result of someone else’s testimony.  Today’s reading shares how some people had never heard of the Holy Spirit.  They understood faith as coming from John the Baptist, “a baptism of forgiveness for sins.”  Basically that means they understood faith as a result of works, of repenting and trying to work harder to live life to please the God to whom sacrifices were given.  Paul introduces the Holy Spirit and the reality of grace.  That’s a huge difference and reorientation.

         We would like to think if we just live a better life that the goodies of life will be showered on us.  If we only have faith, the miracle will happen.  John describes the Holy Spirit as the comforter who walks in us, leading, guiding, correcting, interceding, not  just making our life comfortable.  Today I feel like the man who met Jesus, “I believe, help my unbelief.”  Perhaps you too want to put those areas of life that challenge your existing faith to a new level into God’s hands.  The Holy Spirit interprets our prayers when we are not sure what to say.  Blessings as you pray this morning!

Acts 18:12-28

Luke now splatters his narrative with new names of followers as Paul works his way back home.  He is taken to court in Corinth but the Proconsul refuses to hear a case about religious law.  The opponents go after the head of the synagogue and beat him, not Paul.  Paul is able to continue teaching and gradually traveling to Antioch.

         I am not geographically spiff and I barely recognize names like Priscilla and Aquilla plus Apollos but leadership is forming in the new church and a network of churches.  It is not important that I recognize peple and places but we know God remembers them as they are recorded in history. From a spiritual formation point of view, we see that sharing our faith is important.  We are part of a puzzle that God is putting together.

         I love to do one of those Ipad puzzles daily.  Each piece at the beginning is a mystery unless it has a straight edge and can be moved to the frame of the picture.  Perhaps we are like that.  We become so involved in our own stories, we loose perspective on the big picture that is forming.

But God does not.  We are each important and some day we will understand.  Paul has finished his second missionary journey.  He has gone to new places, made new friends, and discipled new leaders.

         Let us take a few minutes to sit back and thank God for the journey he has us on and trust that he knows the big picture of not only our life but the masterpiece he is putting together.  Blessings.

Acts 17: 29-34

Our reading today has Paul winding up his discussion with the Epicureans and the Stoics in Athens.  Epicureans live for the joy of life’s pleasure and the Stoics cling to logic…science.  Both philosophies are alive and well in our world today.  We know we have the right to “happiness.”  My son often tells me, “You drink your Kool-Aid mom and I’ll drink mine.”  He believes there is no absolute truth so take your choice.  Paul would disagree.  Before Christ, God was distant, unknown and unseen and approached through sacrifices.  But with the coming of Jesus the Christ, God revealed his true character and  proved it by the resurrection.  “Ignorance of the law” is no excuse anymore.  God does not live in building and temples.  God is not represented by some carving by people.  Paul challenges his listeners to repent and embrace a new truth.

         Repentance is turning away from our ignorance.  I remember as a young adult being engaged in a life style that was not getting me where I wanted to go and came to a crisis.  Would I continue making the same mistake, dating the same type of guys, going to the same type of events and coming home unfulfilled?  Something needed to change in order to grow.  Spiritual discipline is that gradual struggling with choices about how we are going to live.  God does not force us to be Christians nor to abandon lifestyles that are destructive to ourselves.  Even as those people listened to Paul and then had to decide how to live, we listen to Scripture, friends, music, sermons and choose to embrace the truth being revealed to us.  There is a God who revealed himself in the life of Jesus Christ, who died and rose, and who wants to spend eternity with us.  That is hard to believe.  Like the Athenians we say “We want to hear you again on this subject.” (verse 32)  Blessings as you grapple with your choices.

Acts 17:15-34

Paul has been hustled off to Athens and is awaiting Silas and Timothy to join him.  As he waits he walks around this huge metropolis, observing the statues and evidence of worship.  He is not in the towns of Turkey now and his first steps are to observe.  He also goes to the synagogue and talks with Jews and Greeks but he seems intrigued by his new observations.  Perhaps we too would be wise to watch before engaging mouth! 

         When invited by the Epicureans and the Stoics to talk at the Areopagus, Paul is ready.  As Paul sees the statues in the city, Paul comes to realize that the statue “to the unknown God” ties into the local philosophy very significantly.  If we cannot know, cannot see, cannot hear or touch God then we best eat, drink and be happy for we know not when we will die like the Epicurians.  Likewise if God is unknowable then there is no need to try to live to please him as with the Stoics.   It is futile.  Paul starts talking here, God’s hiddenness, and that is a good place to start.  If we cannot know God then what is spiritual growth all about?

         Paul does not start with Abraham as he does with the Jews but he starts with creation.   If the unknown God is the creator then he cannot live in a building or a thing.  He is greater.  We need to seek him and allow him to reveal himself.  Hence he comes to us in Jesus who came to reveal the character of this unseen, untouchable God.  The proof is that Jesus resurrected pointing to the eternal and the truth of his message.

         So where do we start with our faith story?  Many track their journey back to a relative like Abraham or a mother who led them to the Lord.  Others try to build a logical theology of God to explain the chaos of life.  Some go to the emotions of a transforming experience and experiencing the love of God.  Paul went to the hiddenness of God that can only be revealed in Jesus Christ and Scripture.  Core to this idea is that God wants to be known by his creation and worshipped as such.  God wants to be known by you and me!   Amazing!  Blessings on your journey to get to know him better.

by Ralph Carmichael, 1964

The early Christian models we have looked at this week seem to be going through a series of preaching with some listening and believing while others are angered and riot.  Paul, Silas and Timothy are often well received and jailed.  We don’t hear those stories today unless there are political agendas.  I am intrigued by their experience in Philippi where they are jailed and singing songs at midnight when a great earthquake occurs.  If I, or you, were jailed what song would I be singing at midnight?

         I woke about 3 am this morning and realized I would be singing, “In the stars his handiwork I see…”  “Til by faith I met him face to face…”  According to the internet, Ralph Carmichael is credited with writing that song that was so popular.  He shot to fame as music director for Billy Graham and composed music for singers like Nat King cole, Perry Como and Bing Crosby! And for TV shows like I Love Lucy and Bonanza.  In the 60s he felt he was seen as old fashioned so he composed music with a more contemporary beat to communicate with the youth – me back then!  The words are based on Philippians 3:7-9 (were Paul was jailed and sang!) and are timeless.  Enjoy.

Acts 17:10-15

Luke gives a short little story here about Paul, Silas and Timothy’s next stop, Berea.  It would be easy to skip over except many adult Sunday School classes call themselves the Bereans after this town.  Our men arrive in Berea and go to the synagogue.  Paul seems to want to talk to the religious Jews first.  So we are not surprised when they meet resistance.  The conflict seems almost predictable.  %he difference in this city is how Luke describes the Bereans.  They are people of “noble character” and search the Scriptures to double check what Paul is preaching.  The Living Bible translates this as “more open minded.” Many translations use the word “noble.”

         The Oxford dictionary gives one definition of noble as “having or showing fine personal qualities or high moral principles and ideals.”  We might say a person is fighting for a noble cause.  To me, it implies a certain amount of open mindedness, yes, but also impartiality or slowness to judge and be critical without first examining the situation from all sides. 

         As we think of spiritual growth, having the ability and patience to search Scripture and not just believe something because a pastor says it is so or a famous voice in the media, the thoroughness of the Bereans is an admirable quality.  Perhaps we need to ask ourselves if we are people who are swayed by public opinion, by certain “experts”, or the majority.  Do we search the scriptures to discover truth for ourselves?  Perhaps a fun exercise would be to take a spiritual discipline like “meditation”, look in a concordance and then read all the listed references.  It is one way to start to think about a question you may be grappling with.  Studying with another person can raise good conversation and sharing on the topic.  Blessings as you engage and grow and may we be slow to critique another’s spiritual journey.

Acts 17:1-9

Paul and Silas are on the move again along the Mediterranean Sea towards Rome.  They stop at Thessalonica (the people in the epistle Thessalonians).  Predictably they go to the Jewish synagogue to present their spiritual experience. Paul preaches from the Scriptures, showing that the prophesied Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead.  Many people believe including Gentiles and women.  Are we surprised to read that opposition arose?  The opposition goes to the streets, inspiring a riot, and the crowd marches to Jason’s house where Paul and Silas were presumed to be staying.  The crowd focuses on Jason who has welcomed questionable people.  Jason is made to post bond and then he is released.

     Jason is guilty by association, because he offered hospitality to Paul and Silas.  I ponder how many times our associations may be impacted by appearances and what others might think.   People or kids might feel awkward associating with a person with a handicap, a person of a different ethnicity, or a person of a different socio-economic level.  It is so easy to draw a line to differentiate between who’s “in” and who’s “out.”  It cost Jason to house Paul and Silas, not only the entertainment but also the bail he had to pay.

         Stop and ponder for a few minutes this morning.  Can you name the social groups in your church?  Are there people who don’t seem to fit in?  Perhaps you have held a critical attitude towards someone who does not worship spirituality like you do.  Ask God to speak to you about whether you avoid someone for fear of how it will affect your reputation.  Think of one person you could reach out to at church this Sunday.  Spiritual maturity may be the ability to stand with the questionable.  Blessings.