April 9, 2011

4-9-11 Saturday, 7:59 am Springfield, 69 degrees, mild thunderstorms overnight.

Its beginning to look a lot like Spring, everywhere you look! Flowering trees, greening grass, even leaf buds on my blackberries, which yesterday Rochelle showed me how to prune and train to the wires. Bill and Peggy are visiting from Kansas City, and we are having a wonderful time.

Luke 13

Jesus refers to some people from Galilee that Pilate had murdered and asked “do you think those Galileans were worse sinners than all the other people from Galiliee? … Not at all! And you will perish too, unless you repent of your sins and turn to God.” (verses 2-3) It seems he was making the point that when bad things happen to people, it is not necessarily directly because of their sin, and that each of his hearers has the opportunity to repent of their sin and turn to God to escape eternal death. I am pondering how these examples and statements of Jesus relate to the topic of free will and predestination (my topic for the sermon tomorrow).

Jesus heals a woman who was doubled over for 18 years, “crippled by an evil spirit”. The “leader of the synagogue was indignant that Jesus had healed her on the Sabbath day.” Jesus commented that people will untie their ox or donkey on the sabbath day and lead it out for water. He asked “isn’t it right that this dear woman, a daughter of Abraham, be released, even on the sabbath?

The final section of this chapter involves Jesus teaching about the Kingdom of God – how it is like a mustard seed, planted in a garden which becomes a tree, or like yeast used in making bread, how just a little permeates every part of the dough. These teachings inspire within me great hope, that even as the kingdom of God is almost invisible, it is real, overcoming and my opportunity in this age is to work in the Kingdom of God, even when it is not evident nor obvious to most people. One benefit of studying church history is to see how small movements have become powerful forces in shaping the world.

Guide my small steps today, Lord, and my joy of family and preparation of sermon as your kingdom comes, and permeates all of creation.