Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

Defeating Temptation

Luke 4.1-13

A recent study tracked the top temptations Americans face. 

The people surveyed said they struggled with the following temptations either “often” or “sometimes”:

  • Worrying or being anxious—60 percent
  • Procrastinating or putting things off—60 percent
  • Eating too much—55 percent
  • Spending too much time on social media—44 percent
  • Being lazy—41 percent
  • Spending more money than they could afford—35 percent
  • Gossiping about others—26 percent
  • Being jealous or envious of others—24 percent
  • Viewing pornography or sexually explicit material—18 percent
  • Abusing alcohol or drugs—11 percent

So, I now ask you:

What tempts you?

Does the snooze button on your alarm clock tempt you to stay in bed and prolong the start of your day?

Does the Playstation, Xbox, or Switch tempt you to play one more level of your current video game instead of studying for a test or preparing for your early morning work meeting?

Does the chocolate on your counter tempt you to break your commitment to eating healthier and losing weight?

Does the availability of every episode of your favorite show on a streaming service tempt you to forsake your household chores or ignore your children?

Does the promise of a new car or luxury vacation tempt you to miss important events in your kid’s life in order to at work late and go in for overtime to pay off the expense?

Does the alcohol in the restaurant tempt you to break your commitment to sobriety?

Does the instant physical gratification of pornography tempt you to break the promise you made on your wedding day to find satisfaction only in your spouse?

We are all tempted in one way or another.

And, let’s be honest, temptation isn’t something we find easy to brush off or walk away from.  Temptation, to do what we shouldn’t  do and to not do what we should do, is powerful and often seems to control and dictate our thoughts, our words, and our actions.

Today’s text, chosen for us by the lectionary for this First Sunday in Lent, comes from the Biblical book of Luke.  This pericope is focused on several temptations that strongly encourage Jesus to make decisions that will completely ruin his life and in turn completely ruin our life.

Our sermon text for today is Luke 4.1-13, which can be found on page 859 of the blue Bibles in your pews.

Let’s read and hear this piece of history together:

Luke tells us this:

[1] And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness [2] for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. [3] The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” [4] And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” 

[5] And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, [6] and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. [7] If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” [8] And Jesus answered him, “It is written,

“‘You shall worship the Lord your God,

and him only shall you serve.’”

[9] And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, [10] for it is written,

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,

to guard you,’

[11] and

“‘On their hands they will bear you up,

lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”

[12] And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” [13] And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time. (ESV)

Here in our Biblical text, we hear and see that Jesus was tempted by God’s ultimate enemy, the devil.  We often hear the Devil referred to as “Satan” which is derived from the Greek word satanas,  meaning adversary. 

This morning, we see that the devil tempts Jesus in three specific ways.

First, Jesus was tempted to find instant gratification by feeling pleasure and satisfaction through trusting in his own abilities.  The devil tempts Jesus to use his power to meet his own needs instead of trusting in God’s promise to provide for him when the time was right.

Second, Jesus was tempted to inappropriately “skip the line” in order to have power over the people and kingdoms of the earth.  Jesus was tempted to take the short cuts in life in order to get servants, authority and wealth, instead of walking the road that God put him on.  The road that God put him also promised power, but it would have road blocks and bumps along the way.  However, God’s road to power would lead him to be blessed now and forever. And, God’s road for Jesus would ultimately lead to you, hearing this today, receiving God’s blessing now and forever.

Jesus’ third temptation was to become instantly famous.  He was again tempted to take the easy way out and cheat with short cuts in order to have people look at him and want to be like him and want to be near him.  Taking the Devil’s way would lead people to speak of Jesus’ greatness without ever mentioning that God the Father in Heaven and Creator of the Universe, sent him to freely forgive sin and give out  righteousness and eternal life.  By following the devil’s temptation to walk away from God’s plan and purpose for his life, he would forsake you and me, leaving us forever separated from God in Heaven.

Jesus was on God’s mission to rescue you.  During His time on earth, Jesus was fully aware that the life of obedience that he lived be credited to you through your faith.  So, Jesus did what was right in God’s eyes for your eternal good.  

The greatest temptation that we all face is the exact same temptation that Jesus faced in our text this morning.  That temptation is the temptation to look away from God, to ignore God, and to disobey God’s plan and purpose for our life.  The temptation is to skip God’s line in order to get things that matter only in this world—instant pleasure or satisfaction, fame, and power.  

We are tempted to look only to our own personal interests and our own personal good (as we see it) and ignore everything that God has done for us.  This path of temptation causes us to live in disobedience to God’s will that we would be saved from God’s wrath on our sin and simply love Him and love others.

Even things that don’t seem like a big deal—the things we would label “little sins”—show that we are tempted to care more about ourselves than God or others.  

As an example, let’s go back to where we started. As silly as it seems, giving into the temptation to eat that piece of chocolate on the counter when you once, probably not too long ago, committed to taking better care of the physical body that you are now living in, says that you don’t care about the body that God has given you. 

What tastes good right now and for the next 3 minutes, as the residue remains in your mouth, is a sign of a much bigger problem of the inability to choose right and do right 100% of the time.

To repeat what I said a few minutes ago,

We are all tempted in one way or another.

And, let’s be honest, temptation isn’t something we find easy to brush off or walk away from.  Temptation to do what we shouldn’t and to not do what we should is powerful and often seems to control and dictate our thoughts, our words, and our actions.

There are some days where life is difficult and we want to take any short cut we can to get to where we want to be.  We will step on who we need to step on.  We will lie where we need to lie.  We will gossip where we need to gossip.  We will fix numbers where we need to fix numbers.  We will cheat where we need to cheat.  

We will do all of these things and more if it means getting what we want sooner and easier.

Several years after Jesus’ death, resurrection, and return back to Heaven, the apostle Paul wrote to the struggling church in the city of Corinth.  In his first letter to them, he encourages them with these words, found in that letter, specifically at 1 Corinthians 10:13:

Paul reminds them that:

[13] No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. [But] God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. (ESV)

It is here that the apostle Paul reminds us of two pieces of good news.

The first piece of good news is that you are not alone when you are tempted.  When distractions come your way and something inside of you tells you to turn away from doing the right thing, you are no different than any other human being that has or that will ever live.

You are not strange.

You are not weird.

You are not the only one who struggles with choosing to think, say, and do, the right thing 100% of the time.

Temptation is as old as humanity.

The second piece of good news that the apostle Paul gives in his words to the Christians in the city of Corinth is that when you are tempted, God is with you who believe in Him, and will help you and give you exactly what you need to overcome the temptation.

You may be asking, “How does God give me the ability to overcome the strong pulls of temptation to think, say, and do, the wrong thing? The text just says that he will, not how it will happen!”

Well, for that, let’s look back to Jesus in the desert.  In Jesus’ temptation in the desert, we see how God provided Jesus the strength to push away the temptations in his life.  God provided the strength for Jesus to push away temptation by giving Him the living and active words of Scripture that God had written for him and his daily, as well as, eternal, good.

For each specific temptation, Jesus knew a verse from the Bible that helped him and strengthened him to trust God when the road to doing the right and Godly thing was difficult.

So, how does this work in your life? The same way God worked in Jesus’ life now works in your life.

2 Timothy 3:16–17 reminds you of this when Paul reminds his disciple Timothy that:

[16] All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, [17] that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (ESV)

There are verses to help you and strengthen you in every single temptation you are facing now and will face in the future.  

But, they will not come into your mind out of thin air.  Part of having faith in God is knowing who he is, what he promises to do, and how he will do it for you.  And, the only place you will find all of that information and be able to store it up for a rainy day of temptation is in His Word, the Bible.

You are living in a time where accessibility to God’s Word, the Bible, is easier than it ever was.  In addition to printed Bibles and Bible Apps for our phones.  We also have search engines like Google that you can type in things like “Bible verses about worry or Bible verses about addiction,” and in milliseconds you will provided with exhaustive lists on what you are looking to know.

A Super Bowl commercial from 2013 advertised the Mercedes Benz CLA. The ad starts with thirty-something man sitting in a cafe. As the waitress serves him a cup of coffee, the man looks out the window and sees two workmen unveiling a new billboard for the Mercedes CLA. His eyes look longingly at the car when a man dressed in black sits across the table from him. The Satan-figure (played by Willem Defoe) says, “Nice car!” “Sure is,” the young man agrees.

The Devil himself then holds a gold fountain pen in his fingers with pointed and polished fingernails. He says temptingly, “Make a deal with me, kid, and you can have the car and everything that goes along with it.”

As the young man takes the pen, he visualizes himself in a series of scenes that represent all the world has to offer. In the first scene, he drives his Mercedes to a red carpet awards ceremony, exiting the car with a gorgeous woman on his arm. In the next scene, he’s at a nightclub dancing side-by-side with his good buddy singer-songwriter Usher. Then the young man is driving his car with several attractive women as passengers. In the next scene he’s a popular model being photographed for trendy magazines. Finally, as he jumps into his car to escape a mob of women, he’s suddenly driving a Formula One race course speeding past the lead car.

Then the ad shifts back to the young man is back at the table in the café. The tempter asks, “So what do you say?” Holding the gold pen, the young man’s eyes stare down at the contract and then gaze out the window where he sees the relatively low price of the Mercedes on the billboard. “Thanks, but I think I’ve got this!” Immediately, the tempter disappears in a cloud of smoke.

So, as God’s enenmy, Satan, is tempting you to look away from God, to deny God’s love for you, and do your own thing in order to get exactly what you want instantaneously by exchanging God for lies, going the wrong way down a one way road hitting everything in sight, look out the window of Satan’s automobile and see the free gift of forgiveness, restoration, and reconciliation with God that he provides for you through Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection from the grave and say to the temptation and they tempter, “Thanks, but God’s got this for me!” And, just like the tempter did with Jesus, he will leave you and disappear for a while.

The good news that you have in the face of temptation this morning is that you have a God who knows exactly what you are thinking and feeling in the moments of temptation and is therefore able to help you and rescue you by forgiving you of the times that you gave in to temptation and turned your back on Him.

Hebrews 4:14–16 tells us this:

[14] Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. [15] For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. [16] Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (ESV)

Jesus, God-in-the-flesh, was tempted with every temptation that you have been and will be tempted with.  But, Jesus never gave into any of those temptations to turn away from God and sin.  That is good news for you because He now gives you His sinless life to show to God as it is also your sinless life through faith in Him.

God knows all about your weak moments when you are being tempted. 

And, Jesus death on the cross, forgives you of your weak moments that led you to give into the temptation to think, speak, and act in a way that denies His goodness, His grace, and His love.

So, with confidence, come to Jesus today, and the next day, and the day after that, letting him know all about your struggles while asking him to lead you to the Bible to find the truth you need to strengthen you.  

He is here. He is there. He is waiting.  He is willing.

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Reverend Fred Scragg V.

March 9, 2025

Prayer:

Almighty God, 

We have come before you to worship you, but as we speak words of worship and sing songs of praise, we are reminded by your Word that we are to have no other gods before you. We have fallen woefully short of keeping this great command. Our worship of you is neither consistent nor wholehearted. You have called us to set our minds on things above, yet we habitually allow our minds to slip back toward things of earth: the fleeting pleasures that this world offers us in food, sexual immorality, and entertainment; the seeming glory it grants us in reputation, success, and money. 

Lord Jesus Christ, 

we have often doubted that you could rescue our souls. We create elaborate systems of salvation to comfort ourselves in our desperate condition. Some of us have learned to live in blindness toward the sin that so easily ensnares us, assuming that we are better than we are and smugly satisfied that we are not like other sinners. Others of us have established rituals of self-hatred to cope with the sin that we find in our hearts, hoping that if we just work hard enough, you might find it possible to forgive our insidious and constant sins. One thing we have in common is that none of us sees our own sin clearly. Instead we make too much or too little of it, and thereby obscure our view of your cross. 

Holy Spirit, 

lead us back to the good news of the gospel: that all our sin has been put to death, fully and finally, by Christ on the cross. Help us to see the reality of our justification: we have been raised with Christ, and our relationship with God has been secured as beloved children. Help us to put to death the remaining sin in our hearts, but give us the confidence to admit that our struggle with sin is ongoing, and will be so until you glorify us. Give us bold faith that lingers at the cross longer than we linger over our sins. Entice us with the good news from above, so that our worship might flow from transformed hearts enraptured by a God who loved us first. Clear our spiritual vision, we pray, that we might see our souls as hidden with Christ on high, our Savior and our God. In his name we come, amen.

Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

A Seat at God’s Table

Galatians 2.11-14

Do you practice what you preach?

Can the beliefs and morals you speak about and teach your children about be clearly known by the way you live day to day?

Do the words that come out of your mouth match the actions of your daily life?

Now, here is the BIG QUESTION with a BIG SCARY WORD that may make you tense up:

Are you a straight-up hypocrite who says one thing but does the exact opposite?

There are many ways that hypocrisy rears its ugly head. Here are a few ways to spot hypocrisy:

Do you treat those in power differently than you treat the common man or woman?

Do you give advice but fail to follow your own guidance?

Do you promote tolerance but judge others who don’t conform to your way of thinking?

Do you volunteer others but rarely raise your own hand to offer help?

Do you live one way in public but another in private?

Do you say one thing to someone’s face but another thing behind their back?

Well, I have some bad news for you.  I know the truth that you are a straight up hypocrite from time to time and can answer with a confident, “Yes!,” to many, if not all, of the above questions.

You may ask, “How does Pastor Fred know I am a hypocrite?”

Well, I know you are a hypocrite because I, a less than perfect, broken human born into Sin, am also a straight up hypocrite from time to time.  And, because we are human, we are the same.

This morning’s Biblical text, from the next part of the Apostle Paul’s letter to the churches in Galatia during the first century following Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, shows us that the original disciples of Jesus also struggled with hypocrisy because they too were simply human.

Galatians 2:11–14 tells us this:

[11] But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. [12] For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. [13] And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. [14] But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?” (ESV)

Since this text focuses on an interaction between the Apostle Paul and the Apostle Peter, let’s first ask, “Who was Peter?”

Peter was, as we heard a few weeks ago in this sermon series, one of Jesus’ original 12 disciples.  He was an OGG (original Gospel Gansta). 

In this moment, Paul confronts Peter because Peter is a classic case of believing the right things but behaving the wrong way.  Or, as we began this morning, this is a classic case of being a hypocrite.

Peter (a Jewish man) believes and teaches that the age-old Jewish laws have nothing to do with receiving God’s love in your life.  God doesn’t just love one people group.  God loves all people in all groups around the world.

But, here, Peter gets up from a table with fellow believers and stands to the side because they are not Jewish in background like him.

How do we know that Peter knew and believed the right things but was behaving in the wrong way?

We know that Peter knew what he was doing was wrong because we have the encounter between God and Peter recorded for us in the Bible in which God directly tells Peter that separation of people based on rules and laws and dietary restrictions is wrong and ungodly.

In the Biblical book of Acts, the book that tells of the beginnings of the Christian church immediately following Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and ascension, we are told that an Italian centurion (that is, a non-Jewish man) invited Peter to his house.  Now, in the mid-first century, that invitation would have clearly meant that they would share a meal together.

Upon receiving the invitation, Peter gets nervous because, as a man with a Jewish background, he was used to having dietary restrictions in his life that were put in place by God for his people generations earlier.  This invitation, if he were to accept it, meant that he would be served food he wasn’t allowed to eat.

Knowing this struggle within Peter’s heart and mind, God graciously intervenes to let Peter know the Good News that in Jesus Christ all rules and regulations for attempting to be Holy have been cast away as they were impossible to completely fulfill, leaving one separated from God the Father in Heaven forever.

Let’s hear about the intervention of God and the new life that God was creating for Peter, for you, and for me.

Acts 10:9–48

[9] The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. [10] And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance [11] and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. [12] In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. [13] And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” [14] But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” [15] And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.” [16] This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven.

[17] Now while Peter was inwardly perplexed as to what the vision that he had seen might mean, behold, the men who were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon’s house, stood at the gate [18] and called out to ask whether Simon who was called Peter was lodging there. [19] And while Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you. [20] Rise and go down and accompany them without hesitation, for I have sent them.” [21] And Peter went down to the men and said, “I am the one you are looking for. What is the reason for your coming?” [22] And they said, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear what you have to say.” [23] So he invited them in to be his guests.

The next day he rose and went away with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him. [24] And on the following day they entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. [25] When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. [26] But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am a man.” [27] And as he talked with him, he went in and found many persons gathered. [28] And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean…

[34] So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, [35] but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. [36] As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), [37] you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: [38] how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. [39] And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, [40] but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, [41] not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. [42] And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. [43] To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

[44] While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. [45] And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. [46] For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, [47] “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” [48] And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days. (ESV)

Why did God make a point of miraculously telling Peter that age-old dietary restrictions no longer have a place in his life?  

Well, God needed Peter to understand that dietary laws that were used to keep people groups separated had been abolished, by God, so that all men and women could sit around the same table and enjoy life together.

By uniting and allowing all of humanity to sit together at the same table and eat the same foods, God was teaching that the time had come in which all of humanity, regardless of age, ethnicity, race, gender, and socio-economic status, were welcomed into God’s Kingdom.  And, they weren’t welcomed and accepted through following rules and laws like dietary restrictions. They were welcomed and accepted only through a common faith in their Savior, Jesus.

This uniting of people from all walks of life through a simple faith in God’s promised Savior, Jesus, gives Peter, Paul, and us, a picture and foretaste of Heaven.

The Old Testament Prophet, Isaiah, speaks of the world-uniting eternal table at God’s feast in Heaven when he says: 

[6] On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples

a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine,

of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.

[7] And he will swallow up on this mountain

the covering that is cast over all peoples,

the veil that is spread over all nations.

[8] He will swallow up death forever;

and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces,

and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth,

for the LORD has spoken. (Isaiah 25:6–8, ESV)

In verses from Psalm 23 that have brought many of us comfort throughout our lives, King David, the song writer says of Jesus:

[5] You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies…(Psalm 23.5, ESV)

And, in the last book of the Bible that speaks of the end of history and the in-breaking of eternity, we are told that an angel says to the Apostle John:

[9] …“Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.” (Revelation 19:9, ESV)

If Peter believed the right thing—that reconciliation with God only comes through faith in Jesus our Savior—why did Peter change his behavior to reflect the wrong belief—that reconciliation with God comes through obedience to Laws and Commands and Good Deeds?

Peter became a hypocrite and changed his behavior so that it didn’t match his beliefs because of fear.  

Peter feared being rejected by his old friends.  

Peter feared the negative and critical opinions of others about him that would be spread. 

And, Peter feared confrontation from those that believed differently than him.    

So, instead of standing strong in the truth with God on his side, Peter caved and chose the path of hypocrisy which in turn led many away from the comfort and truth of the Gospel and placed them back under the burden of trying to act the right way in order to make God happy.

Commenting on this section of Paul’s letter to the churches in Galatia, the 16th Century Church Reformer, Martin Luther said:

“[Peter] knew the doctrine of justification better than we do.  And yet how easily he could have been responsible for such a terrible ruin by his deed and example if Paul had not opposed him!  All the Gentiles would have fallen away from the preaching of Paul and would thus have lost the Gospel and Christ Himself.  And this all would have happened with the appearance of holiness.”

“For to avoid foods this way is to deny Christ, to tread His blood underfoot, to blaspheme against the Holy Spirit, against God, and against everything holy.  Therefore if one has to lose one or the other, it is better to lose a friend and a brother than to lose God the Father.”

“I am making such a point of all of this to keep anyone from supposing that the doctrine of faith is an easy matter.  It is indeed easy to talk about, but it is hard to grasp; and it is easily obscured and lost.  Therefore let us with all diligence and humility devote ourselves to the study of Sacred Scripture and to serious prayer, lets we lose the truth of the Gospel.”

How did Peter know what was right and what was wrong?  Through God’s Word speaking to him.  For Peter, God chose to speak to him in a dream.

How do you know what is right and what is wrong?  Through God’s Word speaking to you.  God chooses to speak to you through His written and preserved Word known as the Holy Bible.

Peter was told by God Word in his dream that salvation—the forgiveness of sin, including the sin of hypocrisy and leading others away from the grace and mercy of God in Jesus Christ, and eternal life—comes to you only through faith in the innocent life of Jesus sacrificed over to death on the cross and risen from the grave on Easter morning.  Good deeds and following commandments will never get you to God.  

And, you are told through God’s Word in the Bible that salvation—the forgiveness of sin, including the sin of hypocrisy and leading others away from the grace and mercy of God in Jesus Christ, and eternal life—comes to you only through faith in the innocent life of Jesus sacrificed over to death on the cross and risen from the grave on Easter morning.  Good deeds and following commandments will never get you to God.  

I give you comfort, encouragement and exhortation for today and the week ahead of you from another Biblical letter, this time to the churches in Colossae.

In Colossians 2:8–23, God says to you, through the Apostle Paul’s words,

[8] See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. [9] For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, [10] and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. [11] In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, [12] having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. [13] And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, [14] by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. [15] He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

[16] Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. [17] These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. [18] Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, [19] and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.

[20] If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations—[21] “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” [22] (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? [23] These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh. (ESV)

As the Apostle Paul demonstrated in his confrontation with the Apostle Peter, our struggle with hypocrisy doesn’t leave us hopeless.

Hypocrisy is just one sin, among countless others, that breaks God’s command to always be truthful in our words and actions.  

The sin of hypocrisy is forgivable, just like every other sin is forgivable, through confession to God the Father in Heaven, repentance, and belief in His Sin forgiving Son, Jesus Christ.

Today is a happy day because Jesus washed your sin away.  You’ll never be the same again, forever you are changed.

I invite you to sing it out, Jesus is alive;

The empty cross, the empty grave;

Life eternal, Jesus has won the day.

This morning, repent of your sin, believe the Gospel, and take a seat at God’s table, where a place has been prepared for you by Jesus.

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Reverend Fred Scragg V.

March 2, 2025

Prayer:

God of all grace, 

We are weak and forgetful people, easily distracted by the joys and sorrows of our lives. We are capable of great thoughts concerning you one moment, yet we forget your kindness and live as though we had no hope the next. Forgive us, Father, for the unbelief that clings to our sinful flesh and clouds our minds with doubt and fear. 

Jesus, 

thank you for clinging to us, even though we let go of you repeatedly. You held fast to the gospel in your living, dying, and rising again, always obeying your Father and setting your face toward the hill of sacrifice. You never forgot your mission or resisted your calling, but faithfully lived and died in our place. You endured mocking, beatings, and crucifixion for the joy set before you. Thank you that we are that joy; now fill us with your joy and cause us to find great delight in you. Though we may be quick to forget you and need reminding often, you never forget us. Instead you intercede for us daily before your Father, and you are preparing for the day when we will feast with you in heaven. Come quickly, Lord Jesus! 

Holy Spirit, 

produce in us growing faith that we may live in Christ. May all our desires rest in him constantly. Make Jesus our greatest hope and all our glory. May we enter him as our refuge, build on him as our foundation, walk in him, follow him, conform to him, rely on him, and obey him. Let us never be ashamed of him or his words. May his death comfort us, for we have been loved with unfathomable love. May his resurrection assure us that his obedience was perfect, his sacrifice accepted, and his work finished. Help us to hold fast to the gospel we have believed: to cherish it in our weakness and to profess its power when we stand strong. Deepen our faith and guard our hearts and minds with the helmet of Christ’s salvation, the breastplate of his righteousness, the shield of his faith, the sandals of his peace, and the sword of his truth. In his strong name we pray, amen.

Benediction:

Go in peace today, you have a seat at God’s table in Heaven.  Invite others to join you by living in such a way that your behavior matches your belief. 

Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

Terrorist to Evangelist

Galatians 1.10-24

One morning Mauricio Estrella walked into the office, sat down at his desk, and was greeted with the message: “Your password has expired. Click ‘Change password’ to change your password.”

You know how, when you are emotionally raw, small things can be so frustrating? This, for Estrella, was one of those times. He was running late that morning, had forgotten to eat breakfast, had a meeting to attend, and then there were those nagging frustrations with his ex. Estrella had just gone through an emotionally brutal divorce that had left him in a deep depression.

At his workplace, the server is configured to ask thousands of employees around the planet to change their password every 30 days. As the empty field with the pulsating cursor awaited his input, Estrella thought to himself, “I’m gonna use a password to change my life.” His password became: “Forgive@h3r.”

Each time he came back from a break or lunch, he typed “Forgive@h3r.” For one month, the password became a mantra. And that mantra changed his life. Estrella shared: “That constant reminder that I should forgive her led me to accept the way things happened at the end of my marriage, and embrace a new way of dealing with the depression that I was drowning into.”

Sometimes, the simplest messages can have the most impact on us. 

Sometimes, the simplest messages can be the ones that drastically change our lives forever.

In this morning’s Biblical text, we continue on in the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Galatians.

In this section of the Apostle Paul’s letter, he shares that a very simple message drastically changed his life forever and that same simple message was changing the lives of the Galatian people forever, and that simple message can change your life forever as well.

Let’s listen to the words from the Apostle Paul’s letter in Galatians 1.10-24 now.

Galatians 1:10–24 says this:

[10] For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

[11] For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. [12] For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. [13] For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. [14] And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. [15] But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, [16] was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone; [17] nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.

[18] Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. [19] But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother. [20] (In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!) [21] Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. [22] And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. [23] They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” [24] And they glorified God because of me. (ESV)

In this section of the Apostle Paul’s letter to the churches gathering in the region of Galatia (modern day Turkey), we are given insight into two things.

The first piece of insight we receive is the origin of Paul’s message.

Some were accusing Paul of being brainwashed by what other people were telling him to think, believe, and preach.  These opponents of the Good New of Jesus Christ were saying that Paul met with the disciples and listened to them and learned from them and is now just parroting what he heard in those meetings.

However, as we saw two weeks ago, Paul’s received the truth that Jesus is God-in-the-flesh, who stepped out of Heaven to come to earth to rescue us and be our Messiah—our Lord and Savior, directly from Jesus.

Jesus appeared to Paul on the road to Damascus and confronted him in his unbelief and his active ungodly opposition to the message of the cross and resurrection for the forgiveness of sin and eternal life.  

Jesus shared the truth of sin and salvation through God’s grace alone and in that moment, Paul believed and began his traveling and preaching.  It was only after 3 years that Paul went to Jerusalem and met with Peter (the text calls him Cephas) and James.  After that, Paul went back to traveling and preaching the message that he received directly from Jesus for another 11 years.  Then 14 years after coming to faith, he finally when back to Jerusalem and met with the other disciples and apostles.  

So, Paul is making it very clear that the Good News of Jesus Christ which calls for repentance of sin and faith in God’s freely given grace is not a message invented by and man or woman.  

In fact, no man or woman would invent such a message because the message says that humans are weak and helpless and only have hope by admitting their need for a Savior.  Any message invented by a man or woman says the exact opposite.  Human theologies and philosophies don’t like to say we are weak and helpless.  Instead, they promote the idea that human strength, commitment, and determination can eventually get you to God and possibly turn you into a god.  But, we all know that when we sit quietly and alone, our thoughts actually dwell and obsess on our failures and inability to officially and finally crawl out of despair because there is always something we could have done better or more of.

For more information on Paul’s conversion to Christianity through faith in the crucified and resurrected Jesus, you can return to Acts 9 this week.

The second piece of insight we receive in this morning’s Biblical text from Galatians that there is always a transformation of life that occurs after one rests in God’s grace and gives up the striving to get to God.

In verses 23 and 24, the Apostle Paul points out that the grace of God changed his life to the point where he could not help but live by loving God and loving others. 

And, because of the dramatic change in his life—going from persecutor of Christians to a Christian and preacher of Jesus Christ alive, dead, and resurrected for the forgiveness of Sin and eternal life—people took notice of the 180 degree turn that his life took (for the good of God and the world) and some of them also came to believe in Christ and give thanks to God for His grace and mercy toward them as well.

When confronted with the grace and mercy that Jesus Christ had for him, despite his past of denying God’s love in a completely ungodly lifestyle, 

Paul quickly turned from a terrorist to an evangelist.

It is no wonder people took notice of the change in Paul’s thinking, speaking, and acting!

Once we find ourselves comforted by faith in Jesus’ work for us, we, just like Paul, find ourselves responding to God and the people around us differently.

In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, found in the book of Matthew, Jesus speaks of the 180 degree turn that each of our lives takes once faith and trust in God’s grace makes it’s home in our heart.

In Matthew 5:14–16, we hear Jesus speaking of the new creation we become through faith in Him.

Jesus says:

[14] “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. [15] Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. [16] In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:14–16, ESV)

Paul, in other letters to other churches, encourages us to be the light in the world that causes others to recognize and praise God by responding to Jesus’ forgiveness and life when he says:

[10] … walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; [11] being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; [12] giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. [13] He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, [14] in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:10–14 ESV)

And, then Paul says:

[23]…be renewed in the spirit of your minds, [24] and…put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

[25] Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. [26] Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, [27] and give no opportunity to the devil. [28] Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. [29] Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. [30] And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. [31] Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. [32] Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:23–32, ESV)

In this moment, I want to ask you to reflect on your life.

Has God’s grace and mercy changed the way you think, act, and speak? 

Do people notice a difference in you because of your faith in Jesus?

Or, do you sit in church on Sunday morning confessing your sin and confessing your faith only to return to your old way of life once you walk out the doors?

Do you praise Jesus with your mouth in church and then use your voice to take out your frustration and anger with people and places by typing out rants and slanderous comments on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram?

Have you experienced love, grace, and mercy, but forgotten to speak and act with love, grace, and mercy?

Do you use your hands to pray in church and hold the body and blood of Christ in Communion and then use those same hands to give the middle finger to another driver on the way home in a fit of road rage?

Do you praise Jesus for all he has given you and then refuse to give or just give leftover scraps to his church and people in need around you?

In the days of the Russian revolution, the Soviet state tried to stamp out Christianity and convert everyone to atheism. A popular Russian comedian developed a stage act in which he played a drunken Orthodox priest. Dressed in wine-stained robes, he did a comic imitation of the ancient but beautiful liturgy.

Part of his performance was to chant the Beatitudes. But he used distorted words—such as “blessed are they who hunger and thirst for vodka” and “blessed are the cheese makers”—while struggling to remain more or less upright. He had done his act time and again and been rewarded by the authorities for his work in promoting atheism and in making worship seem ridiculous.

But on one occasion things didn’t go as planned. Instead of saying his garbled version of the Beatitudes in his well-rehearsed comic manner, he chanted the sentences as they are actually sung in a real Liturgy. His attention was focused not on the audience but on the life-giving words that were coming from the Bible, words he had learned and sung as a child. He listened to the memorized words and something happened in the depths of his soul.

After singing the final Beatitude, he fell to his knees weeping. He had to be led from the stage and never again parodied worship. He was sent to a labor camp, but even so it’s a story of a happy moment in his life. He had begun a new life in a condition of spiritual freedom that no prison can take away. Whatever his fate, he brought the Beatitudes and his recovered faith with him. Truly, the Bible can change one’s life.

The message of the Bible, which was given directly to the Apostle Paul from the one that the Bible is all about, Jesus Christ, changed Paul’s life.  Paul went from a murderous hatred of Jesus and His followers immediately to the most well known church planter and preacher of his day.

If the following lyrics were written when Paul was alive, I am sure he would have sung them as loudly as he could as he traveled and preached:

I love to tell the story

of unseen things above,

of Jesus and his glory,

of Jesus and his love.

I love to tell the story

because I know it’s true;

it satisfies my longings

as nothing else can do.

Christ Jesus, pure and holy,

without a spot or stain,

by wicked hands was taken,

was crucified and slain!

And now the word is finished,

the sinner’s debt is paid,

because on Christ the Righteous

the sin of all was laid.

I love to tell the story;

’twill be my theme in glory

to tell the old, old story

of Jesus and his love.

The message of the Bible, the message that continuously speaks to you and tells you that Jesus Christ lived, died, and was resurrected for the forgiveness of your sin and your eternal life in Heaven, changes your life as well.  Jesus Christ comes to you this morning with nothing but grace and mercy.  

This simple message that changes your life is this:

[16] “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. (John 3:16–17, ESV)

Today, set your daily password for daily life to, “I Am Forgiven!”  (Don’t forget the exclamation point for security purposes!)

This is the simple message that changes your life forever.

This morning and this week repent of your sin, place your trust in Jesus alone, be transformed from a terrorist to an evangelist, and take the message of Jesus Christ into all of the places that you go. 

Do so while singing as loudly as you can with full joy and assurance of your salvation:

I love to tell the story

of unseen things above,

of Jesus and his glory,

of Jesus and his love.

I love to tell the story

because I know it’s true;

it satisfies my longings

as nothing else can do.

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Reverend Fred Scragg V.

February 9, 2025.

Prayer:

Blessed Lord God, 

Your Word searches our hearts and condemns us. We are not poor in spirit: we are proud and self-dependent. We do not mourn over our sin and the sin of others: we hide and excuse our sin, while judging others for their sin. We are not meek but are eager to defend our own rights and reputations, while caring little for your good name and the name of others. We hunger and thirst far more to get our own way than for your righteousness. We easily forget the mercy that we have received, and as a result feel little mercy toward others. Our hearts are not pure but are divided between serving you and serving our idols. We have jealous thoughts that promote strife in our words and actions, instead of loving and pursuing your peace. We flee from the smallest hint of persecution, eagerly protecting our own comfort and security, instead of boldly proclaiming your truth like the prophets. Lord God, we confess before you that we deserve your eternal curse for all these things. 

Thank you, Father, for Jesus Christ, in whom we are blessed with every spiritual blessing. His dependence, mourning, meekness, hunger for righteousness, mercy, purity, peacemaking, and faithfulness even to death are the righteousness that enables us to receive your blessing. Because of his obedience, our reward is great in heaven. 

Lord, teach us to live as those who are blessed in Christ. Help us to proclaim to others the mercy we have received and to live lives that are in line with that mercy and holiness. Help us to love the righteousness that redeemed us and to long for the day when you will work that righteousness in fullness in our hearts. Purify our hearts and cleanse our minds increasingly, so that we may endure hardship as good soldiers for Jesus Christ, and may delight to bear the burdens of those whom you place around us. Amen.

Benediction:

Go in peace today.  Jesus has made you a new creation, created after God in righteousness and holiness. This week, walk in manner worth of Jesus Christ, bearing fruit in every good work.

Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

Providing Wine

John 2.1-11

Have you ever committed a faux pa?

A faux pa, is a fancy way of saying that you did something embarrassing or culturally insensitive.

Have you ever done something so embarrassing that you still think about it today and cringe when you relive that moment in your mind?

Well, there are many ways to be involved in faux pas, especially if you take your ingrained Western ways to another country.

In China, if you keep your shoes on inside someone’s home, you are disrespecting their family.

In the United Arab Emirates, it is disrespectful to wear revealing clothes.  Women are to wear clothing that covers their body from their shoulder to their toes.  And, men are not to wear tight fitting clothes, such as cycling shorts or under armor, unless you are on a sports team participating in that sport.

In the U.K., the peace sign that you make with your hand here in America is the equivalent of flipping someone the middle finger and asking them to fight you.

In Brazil, raising a fist in the air, as you would do at a sporting event or concert in America, is a signal that a man’s wife is cheating on him.

In Iran and Irag, giving the thumb’s up, that commonly shows someone that they did a good job in America, is actually one of the worst non-verbal insults you can give another human being.

I am no stranger to faux pas.

A few years ago, I did one of the most embarrassing things that I think you could ever do.  I congregated a woman on being pregnant when in fact she was not pregnant.

In this morning’s text, we are going to hear about a wedding party, a wedding celebration, a wedding feast, where the groom who was responsible for providing for the needs of his guest ends up in the middle of a faux pa, doing the most embarrassing thing that a groom can do at a wedding he is hosting.

Let’s hear about this wedding and this faux pa as recorded for us in John 2.1-11.

John 2:1–11 tells us this:

[1] On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. [2] Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. [3] When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” [4] And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” [5] His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

[6] Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. [7] Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. [8] And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. [9] When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom [10] and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” [11] This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him. (ESV)

This text begins the public ministry of Jesus when he is somewhere around the age of 30.

What a strange beginning to Jesus’ ministry!

Jesus goes to a wedding.

The wine runs out.

Jesus’ mother puts Jesus on the spot.

Jesus somewhat reluctantly listens to his mother and helps out the one throwing the party by miraculously changing jars full of water into jars full of wine.

Let’s begin by asking, “What is this text NOT about?”

Well, this text is not about Jesus approving drunkenness.  Even though Jesus served more wine after the initial batch of wine ran out, no where in the text does it say people were over drinking or were drunk.  Drunkenness is an assumption made by many who approach this text.

How do we know that the people were not being over served alcohol? We know that because drunkenness is a sin and Jesus would never lead anyone into sin.

The Apostle Paul, gave this command in Ephesians 5:18–21:

[18] And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, [19] addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, [20] giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, [21] submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. (ESV)

And, the Apostle Paul lists a life of continual unrepentant drunkenness as something that separates you from God the Father in Heaven.

Writing to the Christians gathered in the city of Galatia during the 1st Century A.D., Paul said:

[19] Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, [20] idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, [21] envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. [22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. [24] And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5.19-24, ESV)

This morning’s Biblical text has also been used to prove that Jesus simply supports the drinking of alcohol.  Although that is not what this text is about, drinking in moderation that does not lead to drunkenness is allowed.  That allowance is for you who are not what Alcoholics Anonymous would label one of the “hopeless variety” (meaning you can have one drink and be done).

Instead of being a treatise on alcohol, this is an amazing text that tells us about God’s goodness and God’s grace in our lives.

So, this morning, we have to set all of our preconceived thoughts about drinking, serving, and making alcohol aside to receive the good news that God wants to give us.

At this wedding, the wine is just a means by which Jesus reveals a great truth about who He is and what He is here on earth to say and do.

So, with all of that said, I now give you the message that this text gives you, and that message is this:

Jesus is the Messiah, Jesus is the One Anointed by God to forgive your sins, give you His righteousness, and give you eternal life in Heaven.

The message is that here, in His first public miracle, Jesus proves that he is both fully man and fully God by doing what is impossible for man to do.

And, in addition to do for you what you can’t do for yourself—provide the forgiveness of sins, righteousness before the throne of God, and eternal life in Heaven—God enters into your life in the person and work of Jesus Christ to meet your daily needs.

Let’s briefly examine our text.

In the ancient Hebraic world, the marriage celebration lasted seven days.  During that week, the groom was responsible for providing enough food and wine for all of those in attendance.  The groom’s responsibility was taken seriously by all and there were even laws set up to protect the invited guests.  If the groom failed to meet their party needs, the bride’s family could sue to groom for reparations.   

In addition to the legal regulations weighing down upon the groom, he also lived in a shame based culture.  Running out of wine was a major social faux pa and could ruin his reputation in the small village which he lived and worked.  

Cana was a small village approximately 10 miles from Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth.  Due to the closeness of the village and the guest list which included Mary, Jesus’ mother, Jesus, and his associates, the disciples, we can deduce that this celebration was for a close family relative or friend.  Therefore, when the wine runs out, Mary feels a responsibility to help remedy the situation.  

Jesus being aware of the needs of this close acquaintance and the consequences of those needs not being met, Jesus steps in to help meet the current needs of the groom.

Jesus cares about the groom and his everyday needs, no matter how big or small that they are.

And, that means that Jesus cares about your everyday needs, no matter how big or small that they are.

I often forget that God cares about the everyday needs that I have—especially those that I deem small and relatively insignificant, like a lost stuffed animal that helps my younger son peacefully sleep at night, or a lost book that helps calm the thoughts of my older son before bedtime so he is able to enter a period of rest.

However, my mother often reminds me that God cares about the needs we have on a daily basis by telling me, “I am glad you found that stuffed animal and that book, I was praying for that.”

Later on in Jesus’ life, he ends up in a conversation with a man who is name in the text as a ruler, and who has become known as the rich young ruler throughout church history.

Luke 18:18–30 records this conversation between the rich young ruler and Jesus.

The conversation goes like this:

[18] And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” [19] And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. [20] You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’” [21] And he said, “All these I have kept from my youth.” [22] When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” [23] But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. [24] Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! [25] For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” [26] Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” [27] But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” [28] And Peter said, “See, we have left our homes and followed you.” [29] And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, [30] who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life.” (ESV)

What is impossible for man is possible for God.

It was impossible for the groom at the wedding to provide more wine for his guests.  But, for God in Christ, it was possible to rescue the groom from the guilt and shame of running out of provisions for those celebrating with him.

It is impossible for you to provide a way to be forgiven for sin before the throne of God. But, for God, it is possible to provide you with the forgiveness you need through the death of His One and Only Son, Jesus, the perfect, unblemished, sacrificial, once-for-all, Lamb.

It is impossible for you to get to Heaven by yourself.

But, with the help of God, it is possible for you to have eternal life.

Jesus does what is impossible for you.  Did you hear that?  Jesus  does what Jesus does—lives, dies, and resurrects—FOR YOU!!!

Jesus lived a life that perfectly met God’s standards of life and love for you.

Jesus died on the cross to provide forgiveness for your sin, you ungodliness, your faux pas, and your embarrassingly insensitive moments.

Jesus rose from the dead on the first Easter morning to defeat the power of sin and death for you.

Jesus gives you his perfect record of righteousness…

And, Jesus brings you into God’s eternal kingdom of Heaven and gives you eternal life.

In sin, you have performed the ultimate faux pa and you find yourself guilty and embarrassed in front of God due to your failure to think, speak, and act in a godly way.

However, in Jesus Christ, every failure in your life up to this point and every failure in your life after this point has been forgiven and will be forgiven simply through faith in Jesus who can do the impossible and turn water in wine, and who can turn a sinner into a saint.

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Reverend Fred Scragg V.

January 19, 2025.

Prayer:

Holy God, 

We are people who cannot wash ourselves or make ourselves clean. Even as your children, we love evil and resist what you have said is good. We demand justice for ourselves, but fail to pursue it vigorously on behalf of others. We are indignant about the oppression we read of in faraway lands, yet blind to the oppression taking place right here before our eyes in our families, homes, and work places. We feel good when we give money to feed orphans in foreign countries, but we often don’t know or care about the widows and orphans who need your love right around us. Father, forgive us. 

Redeeming God, we praise you that you have washed us clean in the blood of your Son. You placed all our evil on him so that it could be removed from your sight forever. Jesus suffered profound injustice for our lukewarm apathy, and was fatally oppressed for our continuing failure to love and help the oppressed, here and abroad. He became fatherless to pay for our careless disregard for the fatherless and widows in our own towns. We crucified your precious Son, and instead of hating us, you have given us his perfect goodness and welcomed us to your feast. We are left undone by your extravagant love and complete salvation. 

We ask you to wash our minds and hearts clean, moment by moment. Make our hearts good so that works of kindness and mercy flow from us to the needy people you have placed in our lives. May we love them as you have loved us in our great need. Cause us to love justice and, like your Son, to suffer joyfully great injustice on behalf of others. Help us to love extravagantly, as we have been loved by you. Amen.

Benediction:

Go, in peace, today.  Jesus has proven that He is the Messiah, God-in-flesh, and saves you from being ashamed and embarrassed before God because of the guilt of your sin.  

Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

Money Talks

Mark 12.41-44

Tailored suits, chauffeured cars

Fine hotels and big cigars

A French maid, foreign chef

A big house with king-size bed

Hey little girl, you want it all

The furs, the diamonds, the painting on the wall,

Come on, come on, listen to the money talk

These lyrics, highlighting a luxury lifestyle that is all up for grabs if you have enough money, come from AC/DC’s 1990 hit song, Money Talks.

In a Westernized world, dominated by capitalism, we all know that money talks.  If you want it or need it, you have to flash the cash.

However, as the Bible warns us several times over, money is an addiction.  We can become so engulfed in wanting that new car or that next vacation, that we are willing to throw away and sacrifice, time with our spouse and kids, time building supportive relationships with our friends, and leisure time for stimulating our brain.

In Biblical terms, money can very, very easily become an idol.  An idol being something that we chase after and trust more than God our Father in Heaven who has created us and promised to provide for our every need.

In this morning’s text, we hear how two different people handled their money when it came to giving a financial gift to the Temple and how their money talked and what it said about their beliefs.

Mark 12:41–44 says this:

[41] And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. [42] And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. [43] And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. [44] For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” (ESV)

In this story, recorded for us by the disciple Mark, we see that Jesus was in the temple and observed people as they came to put their monetary gifts in the offering box.

If people were giving money at the temple, we have to ask questions like, “why were they giving money at the temple?, and “what was that money being used for at the temple?”

Well, the Jerusalem Temple had 13 trumpet-shaped offering boxes in the Court of Women, where people could place contributions for specific purposes: 

Offering boxes 1 and 2 were where you paid the temple tax. One chest was for the current year and one chest was for the previous year.

Offering boxes 3 through 7 were for turtledoves, pigeons, wood, incense, and golden vessels.

Offering box 8 was for money left over from sin offerings.

Offering boxes 9 through 12 were for money left over from guilt offerings.

And, offering box 13 was for voluntary contributions.  In today’s church language, we would call this a “free-will offering.”

The boxes were shaped liked trumpets so that coins could easily be dropped in while making a noise signifying the act of giving.

To sum all of this up, people would give money at the temple so that the temple had the resources it needed to continue operating and doing the work of God in the world.  

So, with all of that historical context, we can easily transfer the question and answer about financial giving to our monetary gifts at the church today.

Why do we give money at the Church on Sunday Morning?  Why do we bring money and put it in the offering box in the foyer?

We give money at the Church so that the Church has the resources it needs to continue operating and doing the work of God in the world.  To be more specific, the Church uses the money to share the love of God in the Good New of Jesus Christ alive, dead, and resurrected for the forgiveness of sins, the gift of righteousness, and eternal life in Heaven.

To be very specific, to do that work of God here at Bethel, the money given as an offering to God is used to provide Bibles and teaching curriculum to Children’s Church, Women’s Bible Study, Confirmation, Youth Group, Bethel Kids, etc.  

The money given as an offering to God is also used to make donations to people doing the work of God in our community and nation.  We are currently making monthly donations to Helping Hand Rescue Mission (a Huntington Station mission that provides food, clothing, and various other daily resources to those in need) as well as a chaplain at Urban Sky (who brings Bibles and teaches Bible Study at a women’s prison in Denver Colorado).

And, the money given as an offering to God is used to pay the utility bills, maintenance bills, the pastor’s salary, as well as other operating expenses, to ensure that the church is ready daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly to welcome people in to hear the proclamation of the Good News and be comforted by the grace and mercy of God for them in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Our text shows three reasons why people give financial gifts at the Temple and Church. Those three reasons are (1) Showing Off, (2) Obligation, and (3) Thankfulness.  

Let’s begin with giving money at the church to show off and increase our pride.

In our text, Jesus sees the rich putting large sums of money into the offering box.  By comparing them to the giving of the poor widow, Jesus illustrates that they weren’t using their financial donations as an act of thanksgiving and worship, but instead they were using their financial giving to put on a show and gain praise from others for being generous.

Jesus speaks about this wrong way of making a financial offering in His Sermon recorded in Matthew 5-7.  

In Matthew 6:1–4, Jesus says:

[1] “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

[2] “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. [3] But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, [4] so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (ESV)

Let’s move on to the idea of giving money to the Church because you feel like you have to and are being forced to.

Over the Christmas break, I was having a conversation about God’s command for us to financially give in the Church.  Those that I was having this conversation with shared that they did not like the part of the Church Service when the offering was taken.

They shared feelings of forced obligation.

The forced obligation would often cause them to scramble in their pockets and purses for something to put in the offering plate or box in order to save themselves from embarrassment.  

My conversation partners are not alone.  I am sure we have all felt those feelings (and maybe still do) when it comes to supporting God’s Church with our money.

However, when God commands financial giving to the church, He does not do so to embarrass us or strong arm us.  

Those feelings only come out of our sins of greed, pride, and showmanship.

We think things like:

“Who is the Church to request my hard earned money?”  

“I work so that I can do the things I want to do and buy the things I want to buy!”

And, “If I am going to give, I am going to make sure people see me give and talk about my giving and generosity to others.”

These selfish and self-centered thoughts, words, and actions, fly directly in the face of God’s design for money.

Deuteronomy 8:18 says:

[18] You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day. (ESV)

And, since God has given you the means to receive money for your daily needs, Proverbs 3:9 says:

[9] Honor the LORD with your wealth

and with the firstfruits of all your produce; (ESV)

Finally,

[6] The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. [7] Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:6–7, ESV)

So, that brings us to the poor widow who gave all that she had to live on.

Several years ago, there was a homeless man who came to Bethel on a regular basis.  Social services had placed him at one of the motels nearby on Jericho Turnpike and he would walk here on Sunday mornings and sit in the front pew.

Back then, before the COVID pandemic when we passed offering plates around, I would watch him every Sunday morning, reach into his pockets and pull out a few coins to place in the offering plate.  At one point, after a service, he said to me, “I don’t have much, but that will never stop me from giving an offering because I am so thankful for what God has given me and I want to make do my best to make sure other people will know that He has given them Jesus too!”

To say I was humbled to the very core of my being would be an understatement.  

Just like the poor widow in this morning’s text, this homeless man was giving money to God’s Church out of pure thanksgiving with joy.

This morning, are you concerned with,

Tailored suits, chauffeured cars

Fine hotels and big cigars

A French maid, foreign chef

A big house with king-size bed

The furs, the diamonds, the painting on the wall,

Or, are you concerned with,

The cross of Christ, forgiven sin

Righteousness, eternal livin’

Being generous, sharing love,

The will of God, in Heaven above?

The poor widow, in our Biblical text, was concerned and consumed by,

The cross of Christ, forgiven sin

Righteousness, eternal livin’

Being generous, sharing love,

The will of God, in Heaven above.

Hearing all of this, we know that we have not been faithful mangers of our money or good stewards of the money that God has given us.  We have been greedy, selfish, and stingy.  So, what do we do?  

We do what we do with every other sin, we confess it, repent of it, and place our faith in Jesus who always treated money in a God honoring way.

When asked about paying taxes by people who didn’t want to pay taxes, Jesus said, 

[21] …render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (Matthew 22:2, ESV)

Through faith in Jesus, which fully unites to Jesus, we are given Jesus’ perfect record of always using money for God honoring purposes. 

The poor widow joyfully and thankfully realized that God gave to her more than she could ever give to God.  She realized that she could never out-give God.

The poor widow knew this because her Savior, Jesus, was standing before her in the temple.  She knew that she was wretched and sinful, separated from God.  But, she also new that God’s desire was to reconnect her back to Himself.  So, God gave His One and Only Son, Jesus Christ, to forgive her sin, cleanse her of her lifetime of disobedience to God’s commands for life and love, and reconciled her relationship with Him eternally.

You can imagine her singing these words as she was placing her offering in the box:

Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!

  Morning by morning new mercies I see;

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—

    “Great is Thy faithfulness,” Lord, unto me!

God is the greatest giver.

He doesn’t give you nonsense.  He gives you want you need.

After providing for your ultimate need—forgiveness—God also promises and fulfills his promise to give you what you need on a daily basis.

The poor widow’s generously giving all of what she had financially shows her absolute trust in God’s daily provision as well.  

Continuing on in 2 Corinthians 9.8-15, we are told this:

[8] And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. [9] As it is written,

“He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor;

his righteousness endures forever.”

[10] He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. [11] You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. [12] For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. [13] By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, [14] while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. [15] Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift! (ESV)

When your God-given money talks, does it say, “Look at me, I am so generous!,” or, does your money say, “I have to pinch and store up and watch every penny because deep down I don’t really trust God to provide for me?”

Or, when your money talks, does it say, “Look at the Grace of God for you in Jesus Christ!”

This morning and this year, put your money where your mouth is.

Joyfully and with thanksgiving, let your money talk and say, “There is Power in the Blood!”

Joyfully and with thanksgiving, let your money talk and say, God’s love for me is so great that it is actually fully, “Indescribable!”

Joyfully and with thanksgiving, let your money talk and say, “To God Be the Glory!”

I exhort you and encourage you, like the poor widow in this morning’s Biblical text, respond in thanksgiving to God’s giving of Jesus to you by honoring God with your money and give generously to His Church and her ministries that allow other people to hear, receive, and believe, the Good News of forgiveness and eternal life that comes through faith in Jesus Christ.

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Reverend Fred Scragg V.

January 12, 2025.

Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

Jesus Never Forgets You

Luke 2.40-52

Here we are.  

12 days after Christmas morning.

Have you scrubbed your house clean of all traces of the holiday?

Have you put away the lights and mistletoe?

Have you dragged the tree to the curb to be picked up by the garbage truck?

Have you waited on return lines to exchange the gifts that you didn’t want?

Are some of the toys (that your children begged for) already in the trash because they were quickly broken?

Have you put the manger scene, with baby Jesus, away in the closet, basement, or attic, to be out of sight and out of mind for the next 11 months?

Many of us have let out sighs of relief that the planning, organizing and executing of “holiday cheer” is over.

Many of us have already lost the memories of the laughs and the love, the hugs and the tears, and the hellos and goodbyes.

Christmas is close; It happened less than two weeks ago. 

But Christmas also seems far away.

As a Church, we spend a lot of time focusing on all that God has done for us in the Christmas event.  

The four weeks leading up to Christmas morning have us hearing about the wisdom of God and the favor of God that gave us the hope, peace, joy, and love in the gift of Jesus for Christmas.

However, a week after Christmas, we turn the corner into a New Year Celebration that usually takes the focus off of God.  We forget about God and focus on New Year’s Resolutions which are about self-promotion, self-help, and self-improvement.  

Now, that Christmas is over, it’s just back to the grind of everyday life with the self-inflicted burden of trying to forge a path forward on our own.

In this morning’s Biblical text, chosen for us by the lectionary for this Second Sunday After Christmas, we hear about Jesus’ parents who also struggled with forgetting about Christmas.  

Let’s hear what happened as recorded for us in Luke 2.40-52.

Luke 2:40–52 says this:

[40] And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.

[41] Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. [42] And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. [43] And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, [44] but supposing him to be in the group they went a day’s journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, [45] and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. [46] After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. [47] And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. [48] And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” [49] And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” [50] And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. [51] And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart.

[52] And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man. (ESV)

In this piece of history from Jesus’ tween years, Jesus’ parents leave the city of Jerusalem, after the Passover Feast, to travel back to Nazareth.  Somewhere along the 90 mile/30 hour walking journey, they realize that Jesus, their son, who is also the Son of God, was not with the group.

The busyness and distractions of organizing, planning and traveling, the talking and celebrating with family and friends, along with the urgency to get things done for the day, week, and month, cause them to forget about Jesus.

Just like Mary and Joseph, Jesus’ earthly parents, 

We forget about the existence of Jesus, the Son of God the Father in Heaven.

We forget that Jesus is living and active in the Father’s House — the Church.

We forget that Jesus is all about doing the business and work of God which is the work of salvation.

1 Timothy 2:4–6 tells us:

[4][God] desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. [5] For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, [6] who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. (ESV)

We forget that Jesus is the wisdom of God.

We forget that the favor of God is upon Jesus.

We forget that in Jesus, the favor of God is upon us.

We forget that in Jesus we have a Savior in who has forgiven us of our sin and made it possible to be fully accepted by God now and forever.

We forget about God’s love for us in Jesus Christ.

And, we daily forget that we have been made a new creation, filled with God’s presence through the Holy Spirit, empowered and strengthened to walk in good works so that the people that God lets us come into contact with will also experience the care and concern of God for them through us.

Even though we get distracted by the busyness of life and forget about God, the Bible tells us the good news that God never forgets about us.

When the apostle Paul was giving instruction and encouragement for ministry to his disciple Timothy, Paul encourages Timothy to,

[8] Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, (2 Timothy 2:8, ESV)

But, Paul also gives Timothy the comfort of knowing that even when he fails to remember Jesus Christ, God will not fail to remember him.

A few sentences later Paul says,

[13] if we are faithless, [God] remains faithful—

for [God] cannot deny himself. (2 Timothy 2:13, ESV)

The idea that Jesus grew in wisdom with the favor of God upon Him acts as a bookend at the beginning and end of our Biblical text this morning.

There is also a nod to this idea of Jesus possessing wisdom and the favor of God when those he is talking to in the temple find themselves “amazed at [Jesus’] understanding and his answers” to their questions.

Why is Luke, the 1st century doctor who wrote this biography of Jesus, telling us that Jesus grew in wisdom?

Well, Jesus was fully God and fully man at the same time.  This is a mystery that we will just have to trust by faith for now with our finite minds unable to grasp how this infinite truth is possible.

The fact that Jesus was born and grew up, having toddler years, adolescent years, and adult years, gives him the full human experience.

We are told that Jesus, being God in the flesh, always had full access to totality of eternal wisdom and power.  However, He willingly gave up access to all of that wisdom and power for a set period of time to meet us where we are at, understand our every thought and feeling, and do life on earth perfectly as we could never do.  

After doing the human life perfectly in every way, Jesus and ONLY Jesus was qualified, as the lamb without blemish, to be the only eternally acceptable sacrifice for our sins. 

Because of God’s love for you, His wisdom and favor rested in and upon Jesus  to take on the pain, suffering and death for every fear and failing that you experience. 

Just like Mary and Joseph, when we come to our senses with a gracious wake up call made by God’s Holy Spirit through God’s Holy Word and we realize things are not right in our life, we will always find Jesus where he belongs, alive and working in His Father’s House, the Church.

And, we will find Jesus still doing what Jesus does, sharing the truth of sin and salvation, offering forgiveness and eternal life to all who repent and believe.

When are eyes are opened and we wake up from forgetting Jesus and instead find ourselves in His presence once again, we recognize what those at the temple were beginning to realize when Jesus was with them…

God is with us!

God is in our midst!

In a book I read this past week, Swedish pastor and theologian, Bo Giertz summed this up beautifully for us.

GOD IS IN OUR midst! All Christian life is characterized by this overwhelming truth, the whole existence of the church is carried by this jubilant certainty: God is present here! God who is invisible, unreachable and incomprehensible has descended to us. His incorruptible and imperishable glory has entered this world marked by death, has become embodied in the only begotten Son, has overcome death, and has established that community of victory, redemption and salvation, which is named God’s Holy Church. 

God is in our midst! At one point the wall of separation is broken. All glory of heaven is now flowing into our existence. The morning has dawned and the Good News is now resounding on earth: 

We have seen His glory! The eternal life which was with the Father was made manifest to us! That which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and touched with our hands, this we proclaim. The light has come into the world, the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining (see John 1:14; 1 John 1:1–2; John 3:19; 1 John 2:8). 

Even more: From His fullness have we all received grace upon grace! In Him we have redemption, the forgiveness of our sins. In Him we are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. In Him we are partakers of the fullness of deity, of the unspeakable, incomprehensible and incorruptible glory of the heavenly realm (see John 1:16; Eph 1:3,7; Col 2:10).

God is in our midst! Also today. Because what happened once in history is not only something in the past. The connection that was then opened between earth and heaven has never since been broken. The same Lord, who came to dwell among us, also built His Church among us. He is still active there through His Spirit, in the external forms of the word and the sacraments. The new life still descends into this world of corruption. The eternal light is still being revealed. Christ is still doing the work for which He was made man.

I encourage you to go into this new year prayerfully asking God to help you remember that in Jesus, He is with you every moment of every day.

Don’t put Jesus away for 11 months only to be brought out into the light every December.

In Jesus, God is present with you everywhere you go until the end of time.

We often forget Jesus throughout our day or our week.

However, Jesus never forgets you!

Jesus is always at work in God’s Word (the Bible), through God’s Church, bringing God’s forgiveness, righteousness and eternal life to you!

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Reverend Fred Scragg V.

January 5, 2025.

Prayer:

Faithful God, 

We come to you today as deeply forgetful people. You have been so much better to us than we deserve, faithfully fulfilling your commitment to give us good things in Christ. Yet we quickly forget all the wonderful gifts that you have already given us, and feel angry and bitter when you won’t answer our prayers the way in which we want you to. Instead of remembering your deliverance and running to you daily as our shield of refuge, the anchor of our souls, we prefer to remain in bondage to our idols, because we love our sins and it seems too hard to fight against them. We doubt your goodness and power many times each day and resent the race of obedience that you call us to run. Father, forgive us. 

Jesus, thank you for remembering the truth faithfully on our behalf. You worshiped your Father daily, with unwavering faith and unshakable hope in his goodness. Cherishing the Father’s unchangeable character, you submitted to his perfect wisdom and trusted him completely in all the circumstances of your life, even when it was most painful. You took refuge in him often in your times of need and never turned toward false gods. Now your obedience becomes our strong encouragement to hope in the midst of continuing weakness, and you continue to advocate our cause as our heavenly High Priest. We have no other hope, nor do we need one. 

Holy Spirit, we need your power at work in us to stir up our hope. Help us to know and worship our God as he is, the unchangeable, sovereign King, who has sworn by himself to save us in spite of our perverse foolishness. Cause us to know the certainty of God’s great love for us, until we are transformed into people who love him deeply, and are able to run the race with strong confidence and joyful hope in Christ. Open our lips to join the heavenly worship service, and help us look forward to the triumphant coming of our heavenly King. Amen.

Benediction:

Go in peace today.  In Jesus, God never forgets you!

Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

Love: God’s Christmas Gift to You

Luke 1.39-56

How do you feel loved at Christmas time?

Do you feel loved when you spend quality time with family and friends?

Do you feel loved when you receive a well thought out gift?

Do you feel loved when you hear words of appreciation for all your planning and execution of the holiday?

Or, do you feel loved when people come alongside of you to help you with all of planning and execution of holiday?

Today is the Fourth Sunday in Advent.  The liturgical calendar tells us that this is the Sunday that we celebrate LOVE.

During this season, we have continually heard about

Waiting for Jesus to come to us during Advent;

Jesus’ coming to us on Christmas morning;

And, Jesus’ coming to us again at the end of history.

So, what’s love got to do with it?

Well, in this morning’s Biblical text from the Good News of Jesus according to the doctor and research scholar Luke, we enter into a piece of history that records for us an encounter of two pregnant women.  One is pregnant with the Lord and Savior Jesus.  And, the other is pregnant with John the Baptist, the cousin of the Lord and Savior Jesus.

This encounter tells us that Jesus’ coming to us is all about love.  

Specifically, it is about God’s unconditional love for each one of us.

Let’s here about what happened when Elizabeth and Mary met up during their pregnancies and how it relates to love.

Luke 1:39–56 says this:

[39] In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, [40] and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. [41] And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, [42] and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! [43] And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? [44] For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. [45] And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

[46] And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord,

[47] and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

[48] for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.

For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

[49] for he who is mighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his name.

[50] And his mercy is for those who fear him

from generation to generation.

[51] He has shown strength with his arm;

he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;

[52] he has brought down the mighty from their thrones

and exalted those of humble estate;

[53] he has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent away empty.

[54] He has helped his servant Israel,

in remembrance of his mercy,

[55] as he spoke to our fathers,

to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

[56] And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home. (ESV)

Elizabeth, Mary, and even unborn baby John, tell us what Christmas is about.

They all know and believe that Christmas is about God’s love causing him to pour out His favor upon us.

To say that we have God’s favor is to say that we have God on our side.

In Romans 8:31–39, Paul speaks of the confidence we can have in life, regardless of our moment to moment situations and feelings.  In this passage, that is labeled in our English Bible’s as, “God’s Everlasting Love,” the apostle Paul says to us:

[31] What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? [32] He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? [33] Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. [34] Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. [35] Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? [36] As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;

we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

[37] No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. [38] For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, [39] nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (ESV)

Christmas is about sharing and proclaiming the Good News that God is always for us. That means God is always fulling his promises to us in the gift of a Savior, a forgiver of sins, and a giver of righteousness and eternal life.  This occurs for us in the birth of Jesus (and the life, death, and resurrection that follow).

First, Elizabeth recognized God’s love come to her as she shared and proclaimed that Jesus was Lord and Savior the moment that pregnant Mary entered her presence.

Many think that Peter was the first person in the Biblical narrative to publicly proclaim Jesus as Lord, but it was actually Elizabeth, Jesus’ aunt, as we hear in this morning’s text.

Second, the unborn baby, still growing and maturing in the womb, recognized God’s love come to him, and also shared and proclaimed Jesus as Lord and Savior by leaping and dancing with joy, inside Elizabeth, the moment that pregnant Mary entered his presence.

And, third, Mary, the mother carrying God’s Lord and Savior, Jesus, recognized God’s love come to her and the whole world, when the angel spoke to her and gave her the Good News.

Luke records this event for us earlier in Luke 1:26–38.

Luke says:

[26] In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, [27] to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. [28] And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” [29] But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. [30] And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. [31] And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. [32] He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, [33] and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

[34] And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

[35] And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. [36] And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. [37] For nothing will be impossible with God.” [38] And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. (ESV)

Mary is so overwhelmed with God’s love for her and for the world and that Mary sings a song, in this morning’s text, that praises God for taking care of the lowly and humble through doing what He said He would do for thousands of years—save people from their sin.

This text gives us something very interesting to note.  

Here in this Biblical text we are shown clearly that knowing God’s love for you in the person and work of Jesus, and understanding God’s love for you in the person and work of Jesus for you , and believing God’s love for you in the person and work of Jesus, is not something that is limited to age, gender, or socio-economic status.

Here in this short text, we see a baby in the womb, a poor elderly woman (who lives off people’s donations at the temple), and a poor unwed but pregnant teenage girl, all believing and rejoicing in God’s love for them in the Christmas gift of Jesus Christ.

When it comes to believing and rejoicing in God’s love for you, there is no age of accountability, there is no level of wealth or charitable giving, and their is no biologically determined body part that makes you more lovable in the eyes and arms of God your Father in Heaven or in the eyes and arms of Jesus Christ your brother and Savior.

These facts are important to note, because there are many that will tell you that you have to be a certain age or have a certain mental capacity before you can know and believe God’s love.  And, there are many that will tell you that because you struggle financially, the love of God isn’t active in your life.

Those that teach these things are nothing but false teachers who have no Biblical basis for the things they are saying.  This morning’s Biblical text disproves all of those false teachings.

Later on in the Gospel of Luke, Luke records this encounter between Jesus and the religious teachers of His day.

[1] Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. [2] And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

[3] So he told them this parable: [4] “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? [5] And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. [6] And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ [7] Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. (Luke 15:1–7, ESV)

Do you know what the religious leaders were complaining about?

They were complaining about Jesus loving the people around him.

You see, the religious teachers of Jesus’ days believed the exact opposite of what God teaches about love.

The religious teachers of Jesus’s day believed that you had to get your life in order before God would love you.

But, as God speaks and shows, He has come to you in the person and work of Jesus because you cannot get your life in order without His help.

Only through faith in Jesus do you receive the forgiveness of your sin, as well as the indwelling Holy Spirit to daily help you choose to think, speak, and act in ways that are Godly.

In this deeply touching parable, there is no note of scolding or recrimination directed at the wayward sheep.  The shepherd doesn’t lecture the lost lamb: “Do you realize how much I worried about you?  Did you even think about the danger you were in?  Or how I had to leave your 99 bothers and sisters to come all this way to find you?? I mean, what were you thinking?! Believe, me, there are going to be consequences for your actions, young man.”

Instead, He joyfully puts the sheep on His shoulders and carries it home.  The consequence? A big party.

Preaching on a Christmas morning almost five hundred years ago, Martin Luther reminded his congregation that the proper response to the Christian story is not mere rejoicing or casual interest but faith. Beyond this, Luther understood that this faith has two important dimensions. 

Luther argued that most persons know how to rejoice when they are given a Christmas gift. “But how many are there who shout and jump for joy when they hear the message of the angel: ‘To you is born this day the Savior?’ Indeed, the majority look upon it as a sermon that must be preached, and when they have heard it, consider it a trifling thing, and go away just as they were before. This shows that we have neither the first nor the second faith.”

As Luther understood, to hear the Christmas story and respond with mere interest is an indication of faith’s absence. 

Furthermore, Luther helpfully reminded his congregation that a mere affirmation of the fact that the incarnation occurred is not saving faith. “We do not believe that the virgin mother bore a son and that he is the Lord and Savior unless, added to this, I believe the second thing, namely, that he is my Savior and Lord.” 

In other words, the message of Christmas is received when Jesus Christ is not merely affirmed as the baby in Bethlehem’s manger but as one’s own Savior and Lord. 

“When I can say: This I accept as my own, because the angel meant it for me, then, if I believe it in my heart, I shall not fail to love the mother Mary, and even more the child, and especially the Father,” Luther continued. “For, if it is true that the child was born of the virgin and is mine, then I have no angry God and I must know and feel that there is nothing but laughter and joy in the heart of the Father and no sadness in my heart. For, if what the angel says is true, that he is our Lord and Savior, what can sin do against us?” 

With those words, Luther articulated the majestic faith of Christmas—the faith that saves. When Christmas is rightly understood, we know that God loves us, even as we are sinners who deserve no love. We also understand that this love is demonstrated in the gift of the Son, who would die for our sins and would be raised by the Father in order to secure our salvation. 

Thus, a true Christmas is celebrated when we come to understand, to know, to celebrate, and to receive the fact that Jesus Christ is not merely a Savior but our Savior–even my Savior and your Savior.

Because of Sin, we often get love wrong.  But, God in his grace and mercy for you always gets love perfectly right.

Christmas is about God’s love for you; a love that gives you peace and joy and allows you to hope in the wrongs being made right and the dark things being made light.

God’s love, shown to, known by, and believed by Elizabeth, John, and Mary, comforted their anxious hearts that were burdened by sin and therefore separated from God.  

In Jesus, God came to Elizabeth, John, Mary, and you so that you could rejoice in the comfort of God’s concern and care for you.

In Jesus’ coming to you, in His birth, in His life, in His death, and in His resurrection, you are rescued from the suffering and disappointment that life in a broken body in a broken world can often cause.

And, you like Elizabeth, John, and Mary, can jump for joy, sings songs of thanksgiving and praise for God’s love that actively sought you out, and you can share and proclaim the rescue mission of Jesus to the people and world around you.  

Go, tell it on a mountain, that Jesus Christ is born.

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Reverend Fred Scragg V.

December 22, 2024

Prayer:

Faithful Father, heavenly Husband, Your love for us is changeless and unending. We confess that our love for you is weak, flickering, variable, and laced with selfish ambition and desire. Your love is like a mighty ocean that rushes toward us each day and envelops us with kindness, mercy, and steadfast faithfulness. Our love for you is like a fleeting mist: a vapor that rises from time to time and quickly evaporates in the heat of life’s pain and suffering. Father, forgive us for loving so many other gods and giving our lives to them, while failing to notice your hand of love at work for us each day. You govern the entire universe and work all things together for our good, but we are quick to blame you, to turn away from you, and to give our worship and love to many other husbands. Lord, forgive us for our many sins. 

Jesus, thank you for your changeless and unending love. You loved us before the foundation of the world and entered history in order to redeem us. As a human being, you loved God and your neighbor perfectly, loving and serving God and keeping every one of his statutes and commandments. You did this because you knew that we never could, and so you gave us the gift of your spotless perfection. 

Holy Spirit, fill us with gratitude for the love we have in Christ that will never let us go. Though our sins are many and increase in number every day, lift up our heads and show us the cross. We thank you that we cannot close our hearts to you, for your love is relentless, and in faithfulness you pursue us and draw us back to you time and time again. Show us the beauty of our beloved husband, Jesus Christ: his wounds that paid our ransom and his faithful obedience that makes us perfect in him. Help us to love and cherish him in growing obedience until we bow before him at last and sing his praises for all eternity. Even so, come quickly, LORD Jesus. Amen.

Benediction:

Go in peace.  God’s love is poured out upon you as Christ your Savior is born.

Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

Joy: God’s Christmas Gift to You

Luke 7.18-28

Joy to the world! The Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the earth! The Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

Joy is defined as a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.

As we know, joy and happiness are the theme of many traditional and contemporary Christmas songs.  We are often commanded by lyrical content to be, “Merry and Bright!” 

So, I ask you this morning, “What does your Christmas feel like?”

How’s your Christmas season going this year?

Does Christmas feel merry and bright?  

Are you overflowing with feelings of great pleasure and happiness?

Or, are you dealing with feelings of exhaustion, depression, and dread because of everything you have done and still have to do in the next 9 days before Christmas morning arrives?

The truth is, that for many of us, Christmas isn’t merry and bright and we don’t feel like “repeating the sounding joy.”

Because of the brokenness caused by what the Bible calls Sin, the holiday season just highlights how wrong and dark life can actually be.

However, even in the face of what seems to be insurmountable trouble, the Biblical song found in Psalm 30:4-5 tell reminds us to:

[4] Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints,

and give thanks to his holy name.

[5] For his anger is but for a moment,

and his favor is for a lifetime.

Weeping may tarry for the night,

but joy comes with the morning. (ESV)

The purpose of Advent and Christmas is to remind us that even though life has it’s sadness, it’s tears, and it’s pain, joy still comes on Christmas morning when God’s gift of Jesus, your Savior, arrives in your life.

Let’s hear a little more about how Jesus brings joy into our lives from this morning’s Biblical text from the Good News of Luke, or, in other words, Luke’s biography of Jesus.

Luke 7:18–28 says this:

[18] The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John, [19] calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” [20] And when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’” [21] In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. [22] And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. [23] And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

[24] When John’s messengers had gone, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? [25] What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who are dressed in splendid clothing and live in luxury are in kings’ courts. [26] What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. [27] This is he of whom it is written,

“‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face,

who will prepare your way before you.’

[28] I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” (ESV)

In this Biblical text, we enter into a scene where John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin, sends some of his disciples to get assurance from Jesus that He is actually God’s promised Savior.  

And, Jesus sends them back to John with the message that they can all be filled with joy because He is in fact God’s promised Savior.  

Jesus gives John and his disciples three specific reasons, from what they have already seen and heard, why His coming from God to mankind can make them joyful.

First, joy comes from being healed by Jesus.

Isaiah 53:5 says:

[5] But he was pierced for our transgressions;

he was crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,

and with his wounds we are healed. (ESV)

And, in Luke 5:31–32, Jesus says:

[31] And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. [32] I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” (ESV)

What do we need Jesus to heal us from?

Why do we need Jesus to be our Great Physician?

Well, as King David tells us, from the moment of conception, we are all sick from Sin (Psalm 51).  And, as the apostle Paul later points out, “No one is righteous, no not one; all have turned aside; no one does God; no one naturally seeks after God” (Romans 3).

We are all dying and dead because of Sin.

However, Jesus heals us from the sickness of Sin when He dies on the cross and walks out of the grave fully alive 3 days later.  

Through His death and resurrection, Jesus comes to you and I in order to defeat the power of sin and death that enslaves us and keeps us separated from God.

Second, joy come from hearing and believing the good news that Jesus Christ brings.

The Old Testament prophet Isaiah is known for his very clear descriptions of the Messiah/Savior many years before that Messiah/Savior would come to humanity.  

God used Isaiah to paint a very clear picture of Jesus so that His coming and His presence in your life couldn’t be easily denied.  This is nothing but another example of God’s grace to you.  God wants you to know the good news of the forgiveness of sin and eternal life and has continued to make that Good News as clear as possible to you throughout history.

In Isaiah 61:1–2, Isaiah describes Jesus, the Messiah/Savior.

He prophetically says, in the 1st person voice of God in Christ:

[1] The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,

because the LORD has anointed me

to bring good news to the poor;

he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

to proclaim liberty to the captives,

and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

[2] to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor,

and the day of vengeance of our God;

to comfort all who mourn; (ESV)

And, we see that description come to life in Jesus as recorded by the Good News writer, Luke.

Luke 4:42–43 says:

[42] And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them, [43] but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” (ESV)

And, returning to Isaiah, Isaiah records his reaction to believing the Good News that God gives us in His Savior.

In Isaiah 61:10, Isaiah says:

[10] I will greatly rejoice in the LORD;

my soul shall exult in my God,

for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;

he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,

as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress,

and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. (ESV)

Finally, joy comes from being made great in the Kingdom of God by faith in and friendship with Jesus.

John 1:9–13 tells us:

[9] The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. [10] He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. [11] He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. [12] But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, [13] who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (ESV)

What’s it like to walk free again after years behind bars? Lee Horton and his brother Dennis know the feeling. They were convicted of robbery and murder in 1993 and sentenced to life in prison without parole. They always maintained their innocence. Earlier this year, after being locked up for a quarter of a century, they were granted clemency and released.

Here’s Lee Horton’s story:

I’m going to tell you honestly. The first thing that I was aware of when I walked out of the doors and sat in the car and realized that I wasn’t handcuffed. And for all the time I’ve been in prison, every time I was transported anywhere, I always had handcuffs on. And that moment right there was … the most emotional moment that I had. Even when they told me that the governor had signed the papers … it didn’t set in until I was in that car and I didn’t have those handcuffs on.

And I don’t think people understand that the punishment is being in prison. When you take away everything, everything becomes beautiful to you. … When we got out … we went to the DMV to get our licenses back. My brother and I stood in line for two and a half hours. And we heard all the bad things about the DMV. We had the most beautiful time. And all the people were looking at us because we were smiling and we were laughing, and they couldn’t understand why we were so happy. And it just was that – just being in that line was a beautiful thing.

I was in awe of everything around me. It’s like my mind was just heightened to every small nuance. Just to be able to just look out of a window, just to walk down a street and just inhale the fresh air, just to see people interacting. … It woke something up in me, something that I don’t know if it died or if it went to sleep. I’ve been having epiphanies every single day since I’ve been released.

One of my morning rituals every morning is I send a message of ‘good morning, good morning, good morning, have a nice day’ to every one of my 42 contacts. And they’re like, ‘how long can (he) keep doing this?’ But they don’t understand that I was deprived. And now, it’s like I have been released, and I’ve been reborn into a better day, into a new day. Like, the person I was no longer exists. I’ve stepped through the looking glass onto the other side, and everything is beautiful.

This world and its history are prelude and foretaste; all the sunrises and sunsets, symphonies and rock concerts, feasts and friendships are but whispers. They are a prologue to the grander story and an even better place. Only there, it will never end. J. I. Packer said it so well: “Hearts on earth say in the course of a joyful experience, ‘I don’t want this ever to end.’ But it invariably does. The hearts in heaven say, ‘I want this to go on forever.’ And it will. There can be no better news than this.”

Philippians 4:4–9 has the apostle Paul leaving us with this exhortation:

[4] Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. [5] Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; [6] do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. [7] And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

[8] Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. [9] What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. (ESV)

Entrepreneur Walt Disney said, “After the rain, the sun will reappear. There is life. After the pain, the joy will still be here.”

Theologian Oswald Chambers said, “Happiness depends on what happens; joy does not.”

And, author, disabilities advocate, and political activist, Helen Keller said, “As selfishness and complaint pervert the mind, so love with its joy clears and sharpens the vision.”

This Advent and Christmas, ask God to clear away the sin of selfishness and complaint that pervert your mind so that you focus on the work of holiday season instead of the work of God in Jesus on your behalf. 

This Advent and Christmas, ask God, in his love for you, to restore you to the joy of your salvation so that your vision is sharpened to rejoice in the Lord always.

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Reverend Fred Scragg V.

December 15, 2024.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, 

We confess that, like little children, we hate to wait. We fuss and fret about our difficult circumstances until we are weary of crying, instead of resting in you and trusting your unmatched wisdom. We grasp for the things that our wisdom and appetites demand right now, rather than waiting patiently to receive the good gifts that you have planned for us in your perfect timing. Even good things regularly become the object of our over-desires. We persuade ourselves that we need riches, relationships, sex, children, food, or possessions to be happy and fulfilled, instead of recognizing your wisdom and perfect plan for our lives. You have given us exactly what we need, in perfect measure, with perfect love. Your Word exposes the perverse foolishness and ingratitude of our hearts. 

Jesus, we desperately need to have the filthy, sin-stained rags of our wrong desires and over-desires removed, and our nakedness covered by your holy purity. While you lived among us, you always waited patiently for your Father’s timing. You were never rushed or late, never out of step with the Holy Spirit’s leading. You never pined for the things that your Father withheld from you, nor drew back when he handed you the cup of suffering. Clothe us in your holy purity and perfect patience, we pray. 

Holy Spirit, renew our minds with your perfect holiness. Teach us how to wait patiently for the Father to answer us and how to endure without those things that we think we must have. Show us even how to survive our repeated failure and sin, by making Christ’s beauty shine all the more clearly in the light of our own spiritual brokenness and ugliness. Grow within us daily a greater longing and eager expectation, as we await the day of Christ’s appearing, when we will finally see him with our own eyes and all our purified desires will finally be fulfilled in him. Amen.


Benediction:

Go, in peace, this morning.  Jesus has come to you and is coming to you again.  Rejoice that God’s has given you His Savior!

Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

Peace: God’s Christmas Gift to You

Luke 3.1-14

Can you put a price on peace?

Peace sells, peace sells

Peace sells, but who’s buying?

In 1986, Heavy Metal legends, Megadeth, growled these lyrics in their chart dominating hit that monopolized airtime on MTV.

In their aggressive poetry set to face-melting riffs, Megadeth was alluding to the fact that the idea of peace is popular, but the actual seeking out and making of peace isn’t as attractive as philosophically talking about it.

For example, how many Miss America contestants contestants answered, “World Peace,” when asked the question, “What is one thing you hope for in your lifetime?”

Or, John Lennon’s 1969 musical exhortation for everyone to “Give Peace a Chance,” and two years later in 1971, asking the world to join him to,

Imagine all the people

Livin’ life in peace

Imagine no possessions

I wonder if you can

No need for greed or hunger

A brotherhood of man

And, then, admitting,

You may say I’m a dreamer

But I’m not the only one

I hope someday you’ll join us

And the world will be as one

Many people throw the word peace around but very few commit to practice what they preach.

However, this ideological using of the word peace is not new to 20th and 21st Century America.

Thousands of years ago, God the Father in Heaven, used his prophet Jeremiah to confront and convict leaders with misusing the idea of peace to give false hope to the people whom they served.

In Jeremiah 6.14, the prophet, through God’s inspiration, says this:

[14] They have healed the wound of my people lightly,

saying, ‘Peace, peace,’

when there is no peace. (Jeremiah 6:14, ESV)

Again, people like the idea of peace, but not the path that leads to having peace on earth.

Peace calls for action, not just talk.

The dictionary defines Peace as freedom from disturbance or tranquility.  The secondary definition of Peace is a state or period in which there is no war or a war has ended.

This morning, if you could choose one place in your life to have peace, what place would you choose?  Where would you choose to eliminate tension and conflict?

Would you choose to have peace in your home—with your spouse, children, and extended family?

Would you choose to have peace in your place of employment—with your co-workers, clients, and boss?

Would you choose to have piece in your friend group?

Or, maybe, you would choose to have peace in church—with God and with other parishioners?

During the Advent season, the four Sundays leading up to Christmas, we annually explore the themes of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. 

This morning, we will focus on the peace we have while waiting for Jesus’ coming to us and through Jesus’ coming to us.

With that being said, let’s hear from the lectionary text chosen for this Second Sunday in Advent.

Luke 3.1-14 says this:

[1] In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, [2] during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. [3] And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. [4] As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:

‘Prepare the way of the Lord,

make his paths straight.

[5] Every valley shall be filled,

and every mountain and hill shall be made low,

and the crooked shall become straight,

and the rough places shall become level ways,

[6] and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”

[7] He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? [8] Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. [9] Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

[10] And the crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?” [11] And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.” [12] Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” [13] And he said to them, “Collect no more than you are authorized to do.” [14] Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.” (ESV)

In this morning’s Biblical text from the Gospel of Luke, or Luke the physician’s biography of Jesus, we encounter a man named John who was out in the desert baptizing people that came from the surrounding towns to hear his message and who believed in his message.

As a reference point, John, also known as John the Baptist, was Jesus’ cousin.

John’s message went like this, “Listen to and follow God the Father in Heaven. Be baptized while repenting of your sin and God will forgive your sin.”

However, as mentioned in the text, the baptisms that John performed were only effective to bring peace between God and man because they were fulfilling the promises that God made earlier in history and recorded in Scripture.  These promises that God the Father in Heaven made to humanity make it clear that baptism, repentance, and forgiveness were made possible through the Savior’s, Jesus’, coming to us and by His living perfectly according to all of God’s commands, dying on the cross as the innocent lamb without blemish, and defeating the power of sin and death through His resurrection from the dead.

As today’s Biblical text from Luke chapter 3 tells you,

Jesus comes to you and brings peace.

The metaphor used to illustrate this is the evening out of creation or the elimination of difficult travel in life. For example, the crooked road will be made straight, the valleys will be lifted up to ground level, and the mountains will be brought down to ground level.  

Jesus comes to you and brings you peace with God.

Jesus comes to you and brings you peace on earth and in Heaven.

The metaphor used to illustrate this point is the cutting down and burning of all the trees that don’t grow properly and produce bad fruit.  That is, God will remove all of the false teachers who give false hope wth their false teaching.  This false hope comes from telling people that their good works will earn them God’s favor and the reward of eternal life in Heaven.

Jesus comes to you and brings you peace with God through offering you the opportunity to repent of your sin, be forgiven of your sin, and see the salvation of God.

Why is there peace with God through repentance?

Well, another word for repentance is honesty.

So, to repent is to be honest with God about your Sin.

Honesty always brings peace to our lives because we stop holding in the lies, the secrets, and the misinformation.  We stop worrying about being caught, being found out, being exposed, and covering our tracks with more lies. Instead, through repentance, we have a chance to move forward with the freedom.

To repent is to be honest with God about doing your own thing.

To repent is to be honest with God about your denying of His existence in you daily routine.

To repent is to be honest with God about your active disobedience to His rules for life and love.

To repent is to be honest with God about your inactive disobedience to His rules for life and love.

Overall, to repent is to be honest with God and admit that because of the internal brokenness of your thoughts, and the external brokenness of your words and actions, life has been hard, that there have been struggles for you along way, that you haven’t always done the right thing, and that you know you need God’s forgiveness, love, and strength to carry on and choose the good part of every hour moving forward.

And, here is the Good News for you today:

Your repentance is always met with grace from God.

Following Megadeth’s question filled lyrics, Advent and Christmas offer the answers the band is seeking.

Here goes:

God put a price on peace.

And, that price was the life of His One and Only Son Jesus Christ.

Eternal peace with God has been bought for you by God Himself in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

John 3:16–21 tells us about the price of peace with God.

[16] “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. [18] Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. [19] And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. [20] For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. [21] But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” (ESV)

1 Corinthians 6:19–20 tells you that Jesus bought peace with God for you by paying the price for your peace with God with his own life.

[19] … You are not your own, [20] for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. (ESV)

Our Biblical text from this morning doesn’t end with the good news that when Jesus comes to us, he brings peace with God.

Our Biblical text for this morning goes on to let us know that God expects us to be peace makers in this world to show that true and lasting peace is possible.

So, now that we have peace with God through Jesus’ death on the cross, how do we live with peace on a day to day basis?

Well, our Biblical text from Luke’s biography of Jesus tells us how we will experience peace in this world.

Looking at verses 10-14, we hear this:

[10] And the crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?” [11] And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.” [12] Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” [13] And he said to them, “Collect no more than you are authorized to do.” [14] Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.”

After attaining peace with God through faith in Jesus, according to Jesus’ words, daily peace comes from sharing, caring, honesty, truth, and contentment.

Here, Jesus is telling you that in order to experience peace everyday, prayerfully ask God to work in and through you by the Holy Spirit to bear fruit.

You may be saying, “Pastor Fred, does Jesus mean that I am supposed to give out apples and bananas?  What does it mean to bear fruit?”

Well, elsewhere in the Bible’s Scriptures, specifically in Galatians 5.22, we hear the apostle Paul encourage the Christians in the city of Galatia by defining what God’s Spirit will produce in the life of those who have faith in Jesus.

Paul says:

[22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. [24] And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

[25] If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. [26] Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. (Galatians 5:22–26, ESV)

These words of Paul follow exactly what Jesus is commanding in verses 10-14 of this morning’s Biblical text.  Once you find yourself believing in Jesus, you find yourself being a new creation with new hope, new peace, new love, and new joy.  And, all of that comes from being empowered by the indwelling Holy Spirit which strengthens you to see the world with the eyes and mind of Christ.

So, the new you has a new desire to become a peacemaker.  

Now, due to the ongoing battle with the sinful flesh, you won’t always get this right, but the knowledge of what is right will drive you to prayer to do what’s right and to repentance when you do what is wrong.

In 1 Corinthians 10:31, the apostle Paul, again, gives similar encouragement when he says to you:

[31] So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (ESV)

The Christmas season can easily turn into a time to dwell on perishable gifts. Children are especially prone to the unceasing wave of advertisements that feature the latest toys and games. Any parent can testify to the noticeable uptick in the phrase “I want that!” from toddlers and young children during the Christmas season. Yet adults, too, can buy into the temptations of materialism that come during the Christmas season. In doing so, we forget that “our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly wait for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil. 3:20). Christmas reorients our focus on the mission of Jesus to make all things new by his incarnation. It reminds us that this world will one day give way to the glorious inheritance that awaits all those who believed in Jesus—the eternal life he secured by being born in the manger. 

When Jesus took on flesh, God declared that the creation he had made would be made new. The world he created—indeed, the bodies of believers—would not be obliterated but remade, refashioned in the new heavens and the new earth. 

Christmas, therefore, brings with it an eschatological—an end-time—hope for the world. The fear of death no longer holds power, nor can it enslave those who belong to Christ. Why? Because Christ has come. He was born in a manger for us. He lived for us. He died for us. He paid the eternal price of God’s wrath for us. He came so that we might live forever. This, however, he could not do unless he became like us in every way. 

Not only do we announce in this season the coming of the Savior, but we also proclaim a day when sin will be no more, when death will have no power, when Satan will forever be silent, and when all tears will be wiped away. Our Christmas carols ring with the message of the birth of the Son of God who dwelt among his people in the flesh, who radiated grace and light, and who secured through his ministry the city of heaven. As we celebrate Christmas, meditate on this particular aspect of why Jesus came. He came so that we might inherit the new Jerusalem, a new earth, where God will dwell with his people forever and ever. He came as the fulfillment of all God’s promises.

The Huntington Station poet, Walt Whitman, said, “Peace is always beautiful.”

Peace with God, through faith in Jesus Christ alone, is beautiful because it gives us the hope of peace that comes from knowing that God is no longer against us but for us every moment of everyday.  And, one day there will be complete peace when Jesus comes to us again to completely and fully eliminate sin and death from our experience ensuring that there will never again be pain, suffering, or tears.

Today, rest in the peace you have with God through Jesus’ coming to you.

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Reverend Fred Scragg V.

December 8, 2024. Second Sunday in Advent.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, 

Our hearts are constantly storm-tossed by our varied circumstances. When life is going well, we are elated and feel infinitely strong. When we face problems and frightening situations, we are cast down and feel sure that we will drown. Instead of thankfulness and peace, our hearts are often ruled by forgetfulness and fear. We imagine ourselves to be abandoned because of our sin and cut off. We feel isolated from one another as well as from you. We know that you have overcome this world, but our peace is fleeting and is built upon flimsy things, and we are not comforted by your strength and love. Father, forgive us. 

Jesus, thank you for your perfect peace in all life’s deepest trials. You were able to rest in the midst of the storm, because you knew that you were the Father’s priceless treasure, whom he would not allow to see destruction. Even when the Father’s wrath was poured out upon you for our sake, you rested in his sure promises and trusted in him. Thank you that this peace is now given to us as a free gift. Because of you, we are the Father’s priceless treasure, his beloved children, whom he will never give up. 

Holy Spirit, quiet our unruly hearts. Banish our fear and sadness with your truth. Give us the peace that we so often lack by reminding us of the rich word of Christ. Teach us to find solid hope in Christ’s blood, which is shed for us. Thank you that even when nothing feels well with us, all is well with you—the gospel is true in spite of our feelings. Help us to celebrate this when our hearts are cold, our will is weak, and you do not remove our fear as we wish you would. May we encourage one another joyfully and boldly with this great news. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Benediction:

Go in peace today.  Through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, you have peace with God and are strengthened to daily live in peace with man and woman.

Posted on by Fred Scragg 5

Hope: God’s Christmas Gift to You

Luke 21.25-36

This time of year, the Advent and Christmas season, we are often brought into Charles Dickens’ classic piece of literature, A Christmas Carol.  

Whether it is a direct read of his text or a visual representation of his work with Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, or comedian Jim Carrey, playing the famed characters of Ebenezer Scrooge, Jacob Marley, and nephew Fred, we are left encouraged at the end of the story by changed hearts and reconciliation summed up by these words of Dickens:

“It’s always something, to know you’ve done the most you could. But don’t leave off hoping, or it’s of no use doing anything. Hope, hope to the last.”

In our American culture, we have many cliches about hope.

Some of those sayings go like this:

“Where there’s life, there’s hope.”

“Every cloud has a silver lining.”

“Hope springs eternal!”

“Never give up hope!”

Or, ”I am prepared for the worst, but hope for the best.” 

Hope has also been the theme of many hit songs.

For example,

Journey’s 1981, Don’t Stop Believin’.

The Beatles’ 1969, Here Comes the Sun.

Tom Petty’s 1989, I Won’t Back Down.

Bill Withers’ 1972, Lean on Me.

As well as, Louis Armstrong’s 1959, What a Beautiful World.

And, hope has been a talking and writing point for theologians, politicians, authors, and philosophers.

Pastor and Civil activist Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”

Current best selling fantasy author Sarah J. Maas said, “We need hope, or else we cannot endure.”

However, I believe Ms. Mass borrowed that idea and reworked a quote from the prolific 19th Century Russian writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky who famously said, “To live without hope is to cease to live.”

The dictionary defines Hope as a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.

During the Advent season, the four Sundays leading up to Christmas, we annually explore the themes of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. 

This morning, we will focus on the hope we have while waiting for Jesus’ coming to us.

With that being said, let’s hear from the lectionary text chosen for this first Sunday in Advent.

Luke 21:25–36 records these sayings of Jesus:

[25] “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, [26] people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. [27] And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. [28] Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

[29] And he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. [30] As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. [31] So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. [32] Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. [33] Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

[34] “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. [35] For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. [36] But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” (ESV)

Here, the physician and biographer, Luke, writes down what ended up being the final words that Jesus spoke at the temple before his crucifixion.  

And, Jesus’ words on that day were words that instilled hope in all who heard and believed him.

Jesus’ words point out that the world will seem to be falling apart, almost everyday, but God is still in control and God is still fulfilling His promise to the world and to you—a promise for eternal safety and security though the rescue of salvation.

When you turn on the news and see images of floods devastating North Carolina, rockets flying between Russia and the Ukraine, and political riots and protests across the globe, you are given a very clear picture that something is not right out there.  However, as many of those disturbing images and words tell us, the actions and consequences driving those sad realities are propelled by the human race and therefore there is also something not right inside the human being.

Psalm 51:5 tells us what is wrong on the inside of the human being when the author, King David admits,

[5] Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,

and in sin did my mother conceive me. (ESV)

And, as Paul the apostle writes in his letter to the Christians in the city of Rome,

[12] Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned…(Romans 5:12, ESV)

And,

[18] For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. [19] For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. [20] For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope [21] that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. (Romans 8:18–21, ESV)

Because of sin, both the human being and the created order are corrupted and falling apart and falling away from God.

The good news we have, despite the brokenness of humanity and creation that followed the Fall in the Garden of Eden, is that God still promises us that one day He would fix and restore all things through a Savior who would right every wrong, and reconcile every wreck to God.

That is the hope Jesus gives us in today’s Biblical text.  Jesus is pointing to the end of the world as we know and tells us that we will be fine if we stand strong with faith in him as the One who was always Faithful to God for us.  

In these three pericopes, or passages, Jesus tells us that there are three reasons to have hope in Him and God the Father today.

First, there is hope in Jesus’ coming to us because his presences signals redemption is drawing near.

Ephesians 1:7:

[7] In [Jesus] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, (ESV)

Second, there is hope in Jesus’ coming to us because his presence with us means His Word is true.

2 Corinthians 1:20:

[20] For all the promises of God find their Yes in [Jesus]. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. (ESV)

And, third, there is hope in Jesus’ coming to us because his presence with us means we will have strength to stand before the Son of Man — meaning God — at the gates of Heaven.

Isaiah 54:10:

[10] For the mountains may depart

and the hills be removed,

but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,

and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,”

says the LORD, who has compassion on you. (ESV)

Through Jesus’ perfectly lived life, when measured against God’s commands for life and love, Jesus death on the cross to forgive you of the falling away and falling apart that happens when you sinfully and selfishly love yourself more than God and others, and Jesus resurrection from the dead to defeat the power of sin and death that separates you from God forever, you are able to stand strong, even as the world falls apart around you, because you are safe and secure today, tomorrow, and forever in God’s loving arms.

One of my favorite theologians of this era is Albert Mohlher Jr. Mohler is the current President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.  This week he wrote about the hope of Christmas, meaning the hope of Jesus coming to us in response to John 1.4-5 which says:

[4] In him was life, and the life was the light of men. [5] The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:4–5, ESV)

Mohler’s following commentary is this:

The need of this Light points to the harrowing reality of the darkness. All humanity lives under the black shadow of sin and shame. The darkness which blanketed the world inhibited everyone from seeing and knowing God. Darkness befell the creation all the way back in Genesis 3 when Adam and Eve, through a display of high treason, disobeyed God and subsequently plunged the creation and the cosmos under the shadow of sin. God, however, promised a day of redemption. Indeed, in Genesis 3, God cursed the serpent, pronouncing, “I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel” (Gen. 3:15). From that day forward, God continually spoke of a day when the curse would be reversed, when the light would break through the darkness, when redemption would rescue people from their sin. 

That is what happened at Jesus’s birth. The birth of Christ marked the culmination of all God’s promises. God incarnate had come as “the true light that gives light to everyone” (John 1:9). This marks the glory of Christmas.

Speaking about hope being an integral part of the human condition’s ability to focus and carry on day to day comes from 20th Century South African Anglican Bishop who spent his days an anti-apartheid and human rights activist.  Tutu said:

“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.”

The sin of humanity has done what it has always done best — turned away from the glory of God to stare intently and intensely in the mirror admiring the glory of the self.

We live in a time where materialism has replaced the Messiah and Santa has replaced the Savior.

We, therefore, live in a time where hope is both misplaced and lost altogether for many.  Maybe even you. 

This Advent season, on this Sunday of Hope, live with a changed heart, being reconciled to God through His gift of Jesus.

And, like a child who stays awake on Christmas Eve because of the overwhelming excitement of hope they have for presents on Christmas Morning, I encourage you, with Jesus’ words to, “Stay awake at all times, praying” being overwhelmed by the joy of Jesus’ coming to you so that you won’t be faithless in fear, and won’t be distracted by debauchery.  But, instead, be strengthened by God to stand strong through the joys and trials of life always prepared to give an answer for the hope that you have — Jesus your Savior who has come on Christmas and who is coming again at the final trumpet to lead us into our eternal home of Heaven.

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Reverend Fred Scragg V.

December 1, 2024.

Prayer:

Almighty God,

You alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners: Grant us grace to love what You command and desire what You promise; that, among the quick and many changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; 

Give us grace to cast away the words of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which Your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when He shall come again in His glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to life immoral;

through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Benediction:

Go, in peace today.  Live in the hope that is yours when Jesus comes to you.  You are redeemed from sin.  God’s promises always come true in your life.  And, you will stand strong before God until the end and in the end.