2 Kings 2:1-12; Psalm 50:1-6; 2 Corinthians 4:3-6; Mark 9:2-9

 ¹ When the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were traveling from Gilgal. ² And Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, for the LORD has told me to go to Bethel.”

   But Elisha replied, “As surely as the LORD lives and you yourself live, I will never leave you!” So they went down together to Bethel.

 ³ The group of prophets from Bethel came to Elisha and asked him, “Did you know that the LORD is going to take your master away from you today?”

   “Of course I know,” Elisha answered. “But be quiet about it.”

 ⁴ Then Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, for the LORD has told me to go to Jericho.”

   But Elisha replied again, “As surely as the LORD lives and you yourself live, I will never leave you.” So they went on together to Jericho.

 ⁵ Then the group of prophets from Jericho came to Elisha and asked him, “Did you know that the LORD is going to take your master away from you today?”

   “Of course I know,” Elisha answered. “But be quiet about it.”

 ⁶ Then Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, for the LORD has told me to go to the Jordan River.”

   But again Elisha replied, “As surely as the LORD lives and you yourself live, I will never leave you.” So they went on together.

 ⁷ Fifty men from the group of prophets also went and watched from a distance as Elijah and Elisha stopped beside the Jordan River. ⁸ Then Elijah folded his cloak together and struck the water with it. The river divided, and the two of them went across on dry ground!

 ⁹ When they came to the other side, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I can do for you before I am taken away.”

   And Elisha replied, “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit and become your successor.”

 ¹⁰ “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah replied. “If you see me when I am taken from you, then you will get your request. But if not, then you won’t.”

 ¹¹ As they were walking along and talking, suddenly a chariot of fire appeared, drawn by horses of fire. It drove between the two men, separating them, and Elijah was carried by a whirlwind into heaven. ¹² Elisha saw it and cried out, “My father! My father! I see the chariots and charioteers of Israel!” And as they disappeared from sight, Elisha tore his clothes in distress.

This Sunday is Transfiguration Sunday.  On this Sunday we remember Jesus taking his inner circle up to the mountain, where his appearance was changed.  One of the men who appeared on the mountain was Elijah – the other was Moses.  Peter rashly suggested that they build a place where they could stay on the mountain top and just worship.

I think it’s interesting – Elijah is only one of two men that we know of in history who didn’t die, but went directly home to God.  The other was Enoch.  We have quite a word picture of what happened.  There is coming a day when we all will be changed – in a twinkling of an eye.  The question is…are you ready?  Can you say like the songwriter Rich Mullins…”When I leave I want to go out like Elijah?”  I know I do.

Let me leave you with an old video of Rich Mullins playing this classic song – no band, just him and the piano

Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany
February 12, 2012

2 Kings 5:1-14; Psalm 30; 1 Corinthians 9:24-27; Mark 1:40-45

¹ The king of Aram had great admiration for Naaman, the commander of his army, because through him the LORD had given Aram great victories. But though Naaman was a mighty warrior, he suffered from leprosy.^[a]

 ² At this time Aramean raiders had invaded the land of Israel, and among their captives was a young girl who had been given to Naaman’s wife as a maid. ³ One day the girl said to her mistress, “I wish my master would go to see the prophet in Samaria. He would heal him of his leprosy.”

 ⁴ So Naaman told the king what the young girl from Israel had said. ⁵ “Go and visit the prophet,” the king of Aram told him. “I will send a letter of introduction for you to take to the king of Israel.” So Naaman started out, carrying as gifts 750 pounds of silver, 150 pounds of gold,^[b] and ten sets of clothing. ⁶ The letter to the king of Israel said: “With this letter I present my servant Naaman. I want you to heal him of his leprosy.”

 ⁷ When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes in dismay and said, “This man sends me a leper to heal! Am I God, that I can give life and take it away? I can see that he’s just trying to pick a fight with me.”

 ⁸ But when Elisha, the man of God, heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes in dismay, he sent this message to him: “Why are you so upset? Send Naaman to me, and he will learn that there is a true prophet here in Israel.”

 ⁹ So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and waited at the door of Elisha’s house. ¹⁰But Elisha sent a messenger out to him with this message: “Go and wash yourself seven times in the Jordan River. Then your skin will be restored, and you will be healed of your leprosy.”

 ¹¹ But Naaman became angry and stalked away. “I thought he would certainly come out to meet me!” he said. “I expected him to wave his hand over the leprosy and call on the name of the LORD his God and heal me! ¹² Aren’t the rivers of Damascus, the Abana and the Pharpar, better than any of the rivers of Israel? Why shouldn’t I wash in them and be healed?” So Naaman turned and went away in a rage.

 ¹³ But his officers tried to reason with him and said, “Sir,^[c] if the prophet had told you to do something very difficult, wouldn’t you have done it? So you should certainly obey him when he says simply, ‘Go and wash and be cured!’” ¹⁴ So Naaman went down to the Jordan River and dipped himself seven times, as the man of God had instructed him. And his skin became as healthy as the skin of a young child’s, and he was healed!

This is another great story from the Old Testament.  Again it is a story of faith and it is a story of how God interacted with those who were not of the Hebrew faith.  This is the story of Naaman – a commander in the army north of Israel.  There had been many “border skirmishes” between Israel and Aram.  Not unlike the situation in the Middle East today.  He had a servant girl that had been captured in one of the many skirmishes.  This servant girl was a girl of faith who really believed in God and suggested that Naaman go see Elisha, the man of God.  In the passage above, we see what happened.  Naaman went to see the king of Israel.  He sent him to Elisha.  A servant tells Naaman to go dip in the Jordan 7 times.  Naaman is not happy and wonders why he had to come all the way to Israel to bathe in a river.  This is when his servants talk some sense into Naaman.  They say, just do what the servant told you to do – what could it hurt?  Naaman relents and does as Elisha has commanded – he did exactly what God told him to do.  The Bible has several stories – Noah, Moses (not at first,) Joshua and others who do as God commands — they take a leap of faith – they take the first step.  God asks us to take steps with Him–to walk in obedience and when we do it can be a grand journey.

Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany
February 5, 2012

Isaiah 40:21-31; Psalm 147:1-11, 20; 1 Corinthians 9:16-23; Mark 1:29-39

²¹ Haven’t you heard? Don’t you understand? 
      Are you deaf to the words of God— 
   the words he gave before the world began? 
      Are you so ignorant? 
 ²² God sits above the circle of the earth. 
      The people below seem like grasshoppers to him! 
   He spreads out the heavens like a curtain 
      and makes his tent from them. 
 ²³ He judges the great people of the world 
      and brings them all to nothing. 
 ²⁴ They hardly get started, barely taking root, 
      when he blows on them and they wither. 
      The wind carries them off like chaff.

 ²⁵ “To whom will you compare me? 
      Who is my equal?” asks the Holy One.

 ²⁶ Look up into the heavens. 
      Who created all the stars? 
   He brings them out like an army, one after another, 
      calling each by its name. 
   Because of his great power and incomparable strength, 
      not a single one is missing. 
 ²⁷ O Jacob, how can you say the LORD does not see your troubles? 
      O Israel, how can you say God ignores your rights? 
 ²⁸ Have you never heard? 
      Have you never understood? 
   The LORD is the everlasting God, 
      the Creator of all the earth. 
   He never grows weak or weary. 
      No one can measure the depths of his understanding. 
 ²⁹ He gives power to the weak 
      and strength to the powerless. 
 ³⁰ Even youths will become weak and tired, 
      and young men will fall in exhaustion. 
 ³¹ But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. 
      They will soar high on wings like eagles. 
   They will run and not grow weary. 
      They will walk and not faint.

This is probably one of my favorite passages in the Bible.  In fact, in worship on Sunday we are singing “Everlasting God” which quotes part of this passage.  God asks us to look to Him in this passage – when we are strong — when we are weak, because He never grows weak — He never grows weary.  What a great passage of hope.

Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany
January 29, 2012

Deuteronomy 18:15-20; Psalm 111; 1 Corinthians 8:1-13; Mark 1:21-28

 ¹⁵ Moses continued, “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him. ¹⁶ For this is what you yourselves requested of the LORD your God when you were assembled at Mount Sinai. You said, ‘Don’t let us hear the voice of the LORD our God anymore or see this blazing fire, for we will die.’

 ¹⁷ “Then the LORD said to me, ‘What they have said is right. ¹⁸ I will raise up a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites. I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell the people everything I command him. ¹⁹ I will personally deal with anyone who will not listen to the messages the prophet proclaims on my behalf. ²⁰ But any prophet who falsely claims to speak in my name or who speaks in the name of another god must die.’

Third Sunday after the Epiphany
January 22, 2012

Jonah 3:1-5, 10; Psalm 62:5-12; 1 Corinthians 7:29-31; Mark 1:14-20

Second Sunday after the Epiphany
January 15, 2012

1 Samuel 3:1-20; Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18; 1 Corinthians 6:12-20; John 1:43-51

 ¹ Meanwhile, the boy Samuel served the LORD by assisting Eli. Now in those days messages from the LORD were very rare, and visions were quite uncommon.

 ² One night Eli, who was almost blind by now, had gone to bed. ³ The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was sleeping in the Tabernacle near the Ark of God. ⁴ Suddenly the LORD called out, “Samuel!”

   “Yes?” Samuel replied. “What is it?” ⁵ He got up and ran to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?”

   “I didn’t call you,” Eli replied. “Go back to bed.” So he did.

 ⁶ Then the LORD called out again, “Samuel!”

   Again Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?”

   “I didn’t call you, my son,” Eli said. “Go back to bed.”

 ⁷ Samuel did not yet know the LORD because he had never had a message from the LORD before. ⁸So the LORD called a third time, and once more Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?”

   Then Eli realized it was the LORD who was calling the boy. ⁹ So he said to Samuel, “Go and lie down again, and if someone calls again, say, ‘Speak, LORD, your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went back to bed.

 ¹⁰ And the LORD came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!”

   And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.”

 ¹¹ Then the LORD said to Samuel, “I am about to do a shocking thing in Israel. ¹² I am going to carry out all my threats against Eli and his family, from beginning to end. ¹³ I have warned him that judgment is coming upon his family forever, because his sons are blaspheming God and he hasn’t disciplined them. ¹⁴ So I have vowed that the sins of Eli and his sons will never be forgiven by sacrifices or offerings.”

 ¹⁵ Samuel stayed in bed until morning, then got up and opened the doors of the Tabernacle as usual. He was afraid to tell Eli what the LORD had said to him. ¹⁶ But Eli called out to him, “Samuel, my son.”

   “Here I am,” Samuel replied.

 ¹⁷ “What did the LORD say to you? Tell me everything. And may God strike you and even kill you if you hide anything from me!” ¹⁸ So Samuel told Eli everything; he didn’t hold anything back. “It is the LORD’s will,” Eli replied. “Let him do what he thinks best.”

 ¹⁹ As Samuel grew up, the LORD was with him, and everything Samuel said proved to be reliable. ²⁰And all Israel, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the LORD.

What a powerful story from the book of Samuel.  It takes us back to Samuel’s boyhood days.  Remember that Samuel was a promise from God to Hannah, who to the point of Samuel’s birth was barren.  She told God that she would dedicate the child to the Lord’s service if he would only grant her a child.  The boy was born and was serving under Eli the priest.  The writer of Samuel gives us a good idea of the culture of Israel at the time.  Eli’s sons were blaspheming God – really they were in contempt of all God’s promises and laws.  The boy Samuel, doesn’t realize at first that God himself is speaking, but through the wise priest Eli, he listens.  Eli knew what was about to happen.  I’m sure he was expecting a message from the Lord.

So here we find that little Samuel obeyed God and God walked with him and Samuel walked with God.  I love the last two verses.  Wouldn’t it be great that everything we say would prove to be reliable.  As believers that should be our goal — it should be more than our goal.  Are your words proven to be reliable?  Pray that the Lord would help each one of us speak reliable words.

January 8, 2012
The Baptism Of Our Lord

Genesis 1:1-5 • Psalm 29 • Acts 19:1-7 • Mark 1:4-11

 ¹ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ² The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

 ³ Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. ⁴ And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. ⁵ God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.”

   And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day.

While running this morning, I ran past a church that regularly preaches from the lectionary.  I was surprised to see the text for this coming Sunday and then saw the title of the sermon, which is the title of my post today.

The words that begin today’s passage are arguably the most famous words in the Bible…”In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”  In verse two we see that the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.  This Sunday is known as the Baptism of our Lord.  In the gospel reading for this Sunday, we have the account of Jesus being baptized.  We often think of Jesus being plan B.  God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit were all there from the beginning.

I have an interesting Reader’s Theatre that juxtaposes the first 5 verses of John with the first 5 verses of Genesis.  It is amazing at the similarities.  Jesus came into the world to bring light to the world.  In the beginning…he brought light to the world.  His baptism symbolized the beginning of his earthly ministry.  Jesus came to the world to spread the light of God.  He came to bring Good News to the world.  That is what these weeks between Epiphany and Ash Wednesday are about.  We focus now on the mission of the church — the mission to bring light and life to the world.  In the beginning, God…

Epiphany of the Lord
January 6, 2012

Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14; Ephesians 3:1-12; Matthew 2:1-12

 ¹ “Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all to see.
      For the glory of the Lord rises to shine on you.
 ² Darkness as black as night covers all the nations of the earth,
      but the glory of the Lord rises and appears over you.
 ³ All nations will come to your light;
      mighty kings will come to see your radiance.

 ⁴ “Look and see, for everyone is coming home!
      Your sons are coming from distant lands;
      your little daughters will be carried home.
 ⁵ Your eyes will shine,
      and your heart will thrill with joy,
   for merchants from around the world will come to you.
      They will bring you the wealth of many lands.
 ⁶ Vast caravans of camels will converge on you,
      the camels of Midian and Ephah.
   The people of Sheba will bring gold and frankincense
      and will come worshiping the Lord.

Today we celebrate the coming of the Wise Men to see the baby Jesus.  It is interesting because I have read this passage before, but have never seen its connection to the Wise Men until today.  Today let us remember that the Wise Men came bringing gifts – gifts fit for a king – gifts fit for a priest – gifts fit for a Savior — Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh.