Saint.

“Greet every saint in Christ Jesus.  The brethren who are with me greet you.” Philippians 4:21 (NASB)

Pastor Andrew talked about ‘Saints’ a couple of weeks ago, so I did a search on the word ‘Saint’ recently as I had read a commentary by Martin Luther that said we are both ‘saints’ and ‘sinners’.  Are we saints?  The world causes me to reluctantly identify myself with that title as it tells me that is reserved for a person with a higher spiritual level than I possess.  Identifying with the title ‘sinner’ is a given for me, but being called a ‘Saint’ is something that we may shy away from when that title is brought up in our conversations.

Roman Catholic theology indicates that "A saint is one who has exhibited unsurpassable devotion to Christ."  The Roman Catholic Church teaches that a “Saint has a special work in interceding with God for the souls of people which are captive to the pain of purgatory.”  On the day of Reformation, Luther took a stand on these teachings and we are so thankful that he did.  The saints in the attached photo attend Bon Berger Lutherienne in Caredeux and they, like us are both saints and sinners.

It is interesting to note that the Apostle Paul’s most used word for Christians is the word "Saint."  A search on the Internet indicated that he used it 45 times in his epistles and when he speaks of saints, he is referring to ordinary Christians like the children in Caredeux and you and me.  The hymn ‘Saints of God, the Dawn is brightening’ was written by Mary Maxwell in 1849 and her words seemed to be an appropriate to close this devotion.

“Saints of God, the dawn is bright'ning, token of our coming Lord; o'er the earth the field is whit'ning; louder rings the Master's word: pray for reapers, pray for reapers, in the harvest of the Lord!  Now, O Lord, fulfil Thy pleasure, breathe upon Thy chosen band, and with Pentecostal measure send forth reapers o'er our land, faithful reapers, faithful reapers, gath'ring sheaves for Thy right hand.  Soon shall end the time of weeping, soon the reaping time will come, Heav'n and earth together keeping God's eternal Harvest-home.  Saints and angels, saints and angels, shout the world's great Harvest-home.”

Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus

Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.

May God be with you,

Jay

Being hated.

“Everyone will hate you because of me.” Luke 21:17

Being hated by others is probably not something for which we attempt to attain; but being a Christian, it is inevitable as Jesus tells His disciples and us that this will happen; someday.  Have you ever given this passage much thought?  Actually, we have lived most of our lives in America during a time of religious freedom; unlike some of our great-grandparents experienced.  A small number of us actually know what it means to be hated by the world; but that is rapidly changing.  Read the news from Africa lately?

The child eating their daily meal at the Lutheran School in St. Marc is probably hated by some in the neighborhood where he lives because he follows Jesus and believes in the Triune God.  The vodou followers hate him and hate you for feeding him and have been told by their vodou priest that Jesus is dead…period.  There may be people in your family, or place of work or within your circle of friends who know that you are helping to feed children in Haiti and they think you are foolish or perhaps hate you because you are not giving your treasures to them instead of Trinity HOPE.

Stand firm.  Be reminded that your treasures are being used wisely to feed His children and also that Jesus has told us that this world will hate you because of Him.  Your love of Christ sets you apart from this world.  I close with the words of the hymn ‘I Know My Faith is Founded’ that was written by Erdmann Neumeister in 1718.

“I know my faith is founded on Jesus Christ, my God and Lord; and this my faith confessing unmoved I stand upon His Word.  Man's reason cannot fathom the truth of God profound; who trusts her subtle wisdom relies on shifting ground.  God's Word is all-sufficient, it makes divinely sure, and trusting in its wisdom, my faith shall rest secure.  Increase my faith, dear Savior, for Satan seeks by night and day to rob me of this treasure and take my hope of bliss away.  But, Lord, with Thee beside me, I shall be undismayed; and led by Thy good Spirit, I shall be unafraid.  Abide with me, O Savior, a firmer faith bestow; then I shall bid defiance to every evil foe.  In faith, Lord, let me serve Thee; though persecution, grief and pain should seek to overwhelm me, let me a steadfast trust retain; and then at my departure take Thou me home to Thee and let me there inherit all thou hast promised me.  In life and death, Lord, keep me until Thy heaven I gain, where I by Thy great mercy the end of faith attain.”

Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus

Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.

May God be with you,

Jay

Have an abundance?

“He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’” Luke 12:17

In the parable Jesus tells of a rich man who had too much.  His crops were so abundant that he didn’t have enough storage bins to hold all of the grain; a good problem to have.  The crop yields in Nebraska were good this year and many farmers still take their grain to the grain elevator for storage.  This man thought that best way for him to alleviate this problem would be to build more barns and storage bins…tomorrow.  He took care of his earthly problems but didn’t consider his Spiritual problems as the Lord came to take him home.

Is your life in order?  How have the pages of your legacy been unfolded?  There are over 67,000 children enjoying a school feeding program in Haiti today, and the number of children waiting to receive this blessing is to date unknown.  These five girls in the photo were from Bon Berger in Caredeux and are extremely happy as they have received this blessing; their meals cost a donor about two dollars. 

Like the rich man in the parable, we don’t know when the Lord will call us home.  As we look around us for opportunities to use our talents, treasures and lives we turn to Him, the Lord of the harvest and seek His directions.  I close today with the words to the hymn ‘Almighty Father, Heaven and Earth’ that was written by Edward A. Dayman in 1867.

“Almighty Father, heaven and earth with lavish wealth before Thee bow; those treasures owe to Thee their birth, Creator, Ruler, Giver, Thou.  The wealth of earth, of sky, of sea, the gold, the silver, sparkling gem, the waving corn, the bending tree, are Thine; to us Thou lendest them.  To Thee, as early morning's dew, our praises, alms, and prayer shall rise as rose, when joyous earth was new, faith's patriarchal sacrifice.  We, Lord, would lay, at Thy behest the costliest offerings on Thy shrine; but when we give, and give our best, we give Thee only what is Thine.  O Father, whence all blessings come; O Son, Dispenser of God's store; O Spirit, bear our offerings home: Lord, make them Thine forevermore.”

Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus

Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.

May God be with you,

Jay

Praying for you.

“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Matthew 18:20

“You are in my prayers.”  Has somebody told you that recently?  It doesn’t matter to me if one person, three people or a congregation is praying for me; it is still a comforting and rich blessing.  The young boy in the attached photo attends the school at Bois Marchand located in Gonaives and he prays for you; his school gives thanks in prayer for you. 

Our Lord Jesus is present when His people gather together to pray.  The common prayer and fellowship is so important to their spiritual lives.  When this young child prays before going to sleep on the mat on the floor in his house, his relationship with our Heavenly Father is precious.  When you and I pray for the children attending Christian schools in Haiti our common requests to feed these sheep is heard, daily.  The hymn ‘What a Friend We Have in Jesus’ was written by Joseph Scriven in 1865 and his words seemed like a very good match for this devotion.

“What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!  What a privilege to carry ev'rything to God in prayer!  Oh, what peace we often forfeit, oh, what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry ev'rything to God in prayer!  Have we trials and temptations?  Is there trouble anywhere?  We should never be discouraged, take it to the Lord in prayer.  Can we find a Friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share?  Jesus knows our ev'ry weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer.  Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care?  Precious Savior, still our Refuge; take it to the Lord in prayer.  Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?  Take it to the Lord in prayer; in His arms He'll take and shield thee, thou wilt find a solace there.”

Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus

Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.

May God be with you,

Jay

Seek first...

"Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" Matt. 6:33

In all that we do on this side of Heaven, we should always first seek His direction for our plans.  North American mission teams should not build Churches on ground that is not already owned by the congregation; the local congregation should purchase the land first and then construct the foundation before a mission team leaves North America.

These children attending school at Merrotte were not blessed with a Trinity HOPE feeding program until the Arcahaie District President, the school principal, teachers and parents fully understood what was expected of them to make the program work.  The prayers of those attending this school were not answered overnight; it came about in His time and in His way.

Too often we imagine that we are the ones in control and that generally provides satan with an opportunity to stir up a mess.  It can be a humbling experience to call upon Him when we have move forward relying upon our own wisdom and abilities.  Trinity HOPE is currently feeding over 67,000 children in Haiti daily in 301 schools; this didn’t happen overnight.  He continues to bless this program.  I recently heard the hymn ‘Seek where ye may to find a way’ that was written by Georg Weissel in 1623 and I thought that its words are a fitting way to close this devotion.

“Seek where ye may to find a way that leads to your salvation; my heart is stilled, on Christ I build, He is the one Foundation.  His Word is sure, His works endure; He doth o'erthrow my every foe; through Him I more than conquer.  Seek whom ye may to be your stay; none can redeem his brother.  All helpers failed, this Man prevailed, the God-man, and none other.  Our Servant-Lord did help afford; we're justified, for He hath died, the Guiltless for the guilty.  Seek Him alone, Who did atone, Who did your souls deliver; yea, seek Him first, all ye who thirst for grace that faileth never.  In every need Seek Him indeed; to every heart He will impart His blessings without measure.  My heart's Delight, My Crown most bright,
Thou, Jesus, art forever.  Nor wealth nor pride nor aught beside our bond of love shall sever.  Thou art my Lord; Thy precious Word shall be my guide, whate'er betide.  Oh, teach me, Lord, to trust Thee!  Hide not from me, I ask of Thee, Thy gracious face and favor.  Though floods of woe should o'er me flow, my faith shall never waver.  From pain and grief grant sweet relief; for tears I weep, Lord, let me reap Thy heavenly joy and glory.”

Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus

Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.

May God be with you,

Jay

His great love.

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!  And that is what we are!  The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” 1 John 3:1

What comes to your mind when you think about the ‘great love’ that our Heavenly Father has lavished upon us?  The twelve smiles in the attached photo bring a smile to my face as I have hugged each one of them; each one of His children attending school at Caredeux.  This fallen world does not understand the reason for their smiles as these children live in a Third World country.

They know Jesus.  I smile when I think about being so blessed that I can buy lunch for these twelve kids for about five dollars.  As John Hall used to say, “ain’t God good?”  The hymn ‘Hail, Thou source of every blessing’ was written in 1810 by Basil Wood and seems to express the joy we have when we fully realize all that is lavished upon our lives each day.
“Hail, Thou Source of every blessing, Sovereign Father of mankind!  Gentiles now, Thy grace possessing, in Thy courts admission find.  Grateful now we fall before Thee, in Thy Church obtain a place, now by faith behold Thy glory, praise Thy truth, adore Thy grace.  Once far off, but now invited, we approach Thy sacred throne; in Thy covenant united, reconciled, redeemed, made one.  Now revealed to Eastern sages, see the Star of Mercy shine; mystery hid in former ages, mystery great of love divine.  Hail, Thou all-inviting Savior!  Gentiles now their offerings bring; in Thy temples seek Thy favor, Jesus Christ, our Lord and King.  May we, body, soul, and spirit, live devoted to Thy praise, glorious realms of bliss inherit, grateful anthems ever raise!”

Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus

Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.

May God be with you,

Jay

Who is important?

“So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.” Ephesians 4:11-12

There are those in this fallen world, who will tell you that this little girl at the Bon Berger Lutheran School in Caredeux is not important, she is too small and lives in a Third World Country; the thinking of our sinful world is wrong.

She is being brought up with the knowledge that she has a Savior who loves her and has conquered death and the devil; she will learn that the Holy Spirit has much more power than the evil spirits from the vodou priest.  She is being fed daily at one of 301 schools in the Trinity HOPE school feeding program and will grow up to be a strong witness of Christ, equipped to do His service.  Samuel J. Stone wrote the words to the hymn ‘The Church’s one Foundation’ in 1866 and these words seem to be a fitting way to close this devotion.

“The Church's one foundation is Jesus Christ, her Lord; she is His new creation by water and the Word.  From heaven He came and sought her to be His holy bride; with His own blood He bought her, and for her life He died.  Elect from every nation, yet one o'er all the earth, her charter of salvation one Lord, one faith, one birth. one holy name she blesses, partakes one holy food, and to one hope she presses, with every grace endued.  The Church shall never perish!  Her dear Lord, to defend, to guide, sustain, and cherish, is with her to the end.  Though there be those that hate her.  False sons within her pale, against both foe and traitor she ever shall prevail.  Though with a scornful wonder men see her sore oppressed, by schisms rent asunder, by heresies distressed, yet saints their watch are keeping; their cry goes up, "How long?"  And soon the night of weeping shall be the morn of song.  Mid toil and tribulation and tumult of her war she waits the consummation of peace forevermore, til with the vision glorious her longing eyes are blest and the great Church victorious shall be the Church at rest.”

Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus

Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.

May God be with you,

Jay

Hey...be kind.

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32

Be kind and compassionate are two qualities that seem to be in short supply these days in this fallen world of ours.  When our world tells us to look up to our sports stars, movie stars, political commentators and musicians it becomes more evident that we are holding up the wrong people to idolize as the world tells us that if we are kind and compassionate instead of mean and always being number one than we are weak and not strong. 

To forgive as God forgave us requires great courage and great strength; the world tells us otherwise.  The attached photo of a young girl at Labodrie, seems to scream out the words ‘kind and compassionate’ when you look into her eyes.  Serving His children in Haiti is a humbling experience and the fruits of your labor and their labor will bring more children and adults into the Kingdom.  The hymn ‘All Depends on Our Possessing’ was written by an unknown author in Germany in 1673 and then translated by Catherine Winkworth in 1858 and words seemed like a fitting way to close this devotion.

“All depends on our possessing God's abundant grace and blessing, though all earthly wealth depart.  He who trusts with faith unshaken in His God is not forsaken and e'er keeps a dauntless heart.  He who hitherto hath fed me and to many joys hath led me, is and ever shall be mine.  He who did so gently school me, He who still doth guide and rule me, will remain my Help divine.  Many spend their lives in fretting over trifles and in getting things that have no solid ground.  I shall strive to win a treasure that will bring me lasting pleasure and that now is seldom found.  When with sorrow I am stricken, hope my heart anew will quicken, all my longing shall be stilled.  To His loving-kindness tender soul and body I surrender; for in Him alone I build.  Well He knows what best to grant me; all the longing hopes that haunt me, joy and sorrow, have their day.  I shall doubt His wisdom never, as God wills, so be it ever,  I to Him commit my way.  If on earth my days He lengthen, He my weary soul will stengthen; all my trust in Him I place.  Earthly wealth is not abiding, like a stream away is gliding; safe I anchor in His grace.”

Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus

Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.

May God be with you,

Jay

Joy from tithing.

“You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little.  What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the LORD Almighty.  “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house.”  Haggai 1:9

Back in the day while living in Haiti, the favorite part of my job was visiting the Lutheran schools and congregations in the nine Districts in Haiti.  And while doing that, I was frequently asked by the District Presidents to give a message on Sunday morning to their congregation on the topic of tithing; not a great way to make friends but a wonderful way to plant seeds and share in the joy of tithing and the realized blessings that always came following.

I live on the second floor in this assisted living facility and there is this one man who shall remain nameless; always seems to be angry at the world, angry at our country and angry at God; never seen him smile.  He doesn’t go to vespers, watch services on TV and certainly wouldn’t give a dime to a mission.  He doesn’t understand that what he is withholding from God is preventing him from enjoying a fuller relationship with our Heavenly Father and more abundant blessings.

The attached photo was taken at Bon Berger on a Sunday morning; this was my home congregation while living in Haiti.  The average person in Haiti had an annual income of roughly $350 at that time, and I would try to sit in the rear of the Church on Sunday, not because that is how I was brought up, but I was curious to see what their offering plate looked like when it reached the last pew.

These people who had literally nothing to live on placed a few coins into the plate and to them, it must have been like you or I placing $500 in our offering plate.  Our Heavenly Father's sovereign ways can cause our endeavors to succeed beyond our wildest dreams or they can defeat our plans to our own dismay and leave us looking for somebody to blame. 

With a simple touch of His hand, God can steer our vessel into a profitable channel or He can allow it to run aground in poverty and bankruptcy.  The Scriptures teach us that the Lord enriches the generous but leaves the miserly to discover that withholding their money only leads to poverty.

Over the years, the offering plate at Bon Berger got fuller and fuller and even had paper money becoming more prominent than coins; the congregation is being blessed.  To the man that I spoke of earlier there is a verse in Matthew that says “Selfishness will always look first to its own home, but godliness will seek first God's kingdom and his righteousness."  May your tithing be a joy and not a hindrance as you return a portion of your daily blessings to the One who gave it to you.  William How wrote ‘We give Thee but Thine Own’ in 1854 and its words seemed like an appropriate way to close this devotion.

“We give Thee but Thine own, whate'er the gift may be; all that we have is Thine alone, a trust, O Lord, from Thee.  May we Thy bounties thus as stewards true receive and gladly, as Thou blessest us, to Thee our first-fruits give!  Oh, hearts are bruised and dead, and homes are bare and cold, and lambs for whom the Shepherd bled are straying from the fold.  To comfort and to bless, to find a balm for woe, to tend the lone and fatherless, is angels' work below.  The captive to release, to God the lost to bring, to teach the way of life and peace, it is a Christlike thing.  And we believe Thy Word, though dim our faith may be: whate'er for Thine we do, O Lord, we do it unto Thee.”

Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus

Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.

May God be with you,

Jay

Back in the day...

“For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near.  I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.  At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them.  But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it.  And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth.  The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom.  To him be glory for ever and ever.  Amen.” 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18.

I read a devotion from the Lutheran Hour, by Dr. Kari Vo a few weeks ago that really has been working on me.  Take another look at what Paul wrote in this scripture and then think where you have been…back in the day.  Paul is looking back over the years he has served Jesus, and he is content.  For the most part, I am content, but there were those when I was way off the road.  In Paul’s mind, the true sacrifice is the faith and love of the churches he has been able to plant for Jesus during the years of His service; and his own life is the drink offering that goes along with that much greater gift.

Today, for me and Job here in the Assisted Living facility, the more weeks I spend here with the older generation, the more I am looking back in the day where I have been and what I’ve been able to accomplish through the Lord.  Do you ever catch yourself looking back over your journey?  I hope that we are moved to look back over our shoulder once in a while, because we love Jesus, who willingly suffered and died to make us children of God; and so in love, we do what we can to serve Him andto thank the One who loves us so much.

As I look back, like Paul and other saints in the Bible, I can recall several scenes not fit for a PG film.  But as we read here in 2 Timothy, Paul is content to let Jesus cover His former sins with His own blood, and take what we’ve done and make it better; something He can use and rejoice in.  Last week, we learned that Trinity Hope began feeding over 67,000 children in 301 schools in Haiti.  That miracle is happening because our Triune God is working through a group of His children to feed an even larger group of His children.  Can I get an AMEN?

Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus

Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.

May God be with you,

Jay