FOR ALL THE SAINTS

ALL SAINTS DAY

For all the saints

"For all the saints, who from their labors rest,
Who Thee by faith before the world confessed,
Thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest,
Alleluia, Alleluia!

And when the strife is fierce, the warfare long,
Steals on the ear the distant triumph song,
And hearts are brave again, and arms are strong.
Alleluia, Alleluia!"
For All the Saints
William Walsham How (1823-1897)

Scripture:

So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers
and foreigners. You are citizens along with
all of God's holy people. You are members of
God's family. We are his house, built on the
foundation of the apostles and the prophets.
And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.
We who believe are carefully knit together,
becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Through
him you Gentiles are also joined together as
part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.
Ephesians 2:19-22 NLT

Reflection:

A hero of the faith

"In 1864 Bishop William How wrote this hymn
for All Saints Day. He cited Hebrews 12:1 in his
original title, but he drew on all of Hebrews 11 for
inspiration. That's the famous "faith chapter,
" which praises the faithful deeds of a score of
Old Testament heroes.

The author might be considered a hero of the faith
himself. He was a man of the people, regularly
reaching out to minister to the poor and needy in
his area. Once he listed the characteristics that a
minister should have; among them was being
"wholly without thought of self." Those who knew
him said that Bishop How was like that, selflessly
caring for others."

from The One Year® Book of Hymns by Mark
Norton and Robert Brown (Tyndale) entry for
November 1

(God's Daily Promises)

IT TAKES COURAGE

Scripture:

"You must love the Lord your God ...
you must love your neighbor"
(Matthew 22:37,3).

Reflection:

Christian love demands that we
show compassion toward those who
are hurting. But there are times when
Christian love demands that we speak
out in protest against those who are
doing the hurting. There are times
when we are called upon, as Christians,
to cry out "No!" against that which is
causing human hurt and human
exploitation. And often it requires great
courage to accept the consequences
when love compels us to raise our
voices in protest.

DO YOU HAVE THAT COURAGE?

(Sunday Sermon Outlines)

A MAJOR CONCERN

Scripture:

Luke 18:22
When Jesus heard this, he said to
him, “You still lack one thing. Sell
everything you have and give to the poor,
and you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come, follow me.”
Luke 18:21-23 (in Context) Luke 18
(Whole Chapter)

Luke 11:41
But now as for what is inside you—
be generous to the poor, and
everything will be clean for you.

Luke 6:20
Looking at his disciples, he said:
“Blessed are you who are poor, for
yours is the kingdom of God.

Reflection:

If you have been reading my blog lately, you
may have discovered a central theme. That
theme is poverty and oppression. As a
follower of Jesus Christ, poverty is a major
concern.
There are over 2000 verses in Scripture that
call upon us to show love and justice to all
those who are poor and oppressed. You
cannot call yourself a Christian, you cannot
claim to be a representative of Jesus Christ
and ignore Christ's teachings on our
relationship to the poor and the oppressed.
According to the teachings of Jesus Christ, it
is our definite responsibility to share with the
poor and to be the voice for the voiceless
oppressed. It makes no difference whether
you call yourselves conservative, liberal,
radical, or middle of the road, it is a Christian
obligation and previlage to vote for
representation and promote legislation that
turns the words and deeds of Jesus Christ
into social policy. I agree
with the words of Gandhi when he says,
"Those who say religion has nothing to do
with politics do not know what religion is."

I am so tired of "Christian" leaders who
are concerned about gay marriage, or
whether mormons are Christians, and
not concerned about the following:
Over 6 million children die each year of
starvation or diseases related to
malnutrition. That presently the United
States allocates less than four tenths of
one percent (0.4%) of its federal budget
to address world poverty. That our
national budget ranks second to last
of the 22 industrialized nations for assistance
to the world poor. They don't seem to care
that poverty is an increasing reality in our
own country. They don't seem to care that
you don't have to go to a third world country
anymore to visit the third world. Third world
conditions exist in our urban neighborhoods
in cities across America and in the hills
of Appalachia. They don't seem to care that
foreclosures on house mortgages are over the
top. They don't seem to care that over 3.5
million people, 1.5 million children among
them, experience homelessness. They don't
seem to care that 20 percent of homeless
people are veterans. They don't seem to
care that every day, thousands more of our
fellow citizens become jobless and fall
below the poverty level.

After all of this what if we change the
statement, "They don't seem to care" to
"We don't seem to care".

All of us, who claim to be Christians, must
now, at this very minute, commit ourselves
to press for social policies that meet the
needs of the poor.

Prayer for the Homeless:
O God, as Naomi and Ruth journeyed from
one land to another seeking a home, we ask your
blessing upon all who are homeless in this world.
You promised to your chosen people a land flowing
with milk and honey; so inspire us to desire the
accomplishment of your will that we may work
for the settlement of those who are homeless in
a place of peace, protection, and nurture, flowing
with opportunity, blessing, and hope. Amen.

STILL HE LOVES US

Scripture:

Before the Passover celebration, Jesus
knew that his hour had come to leave
this world and return to his Father. He
had loved his disciples during his
ministry on earth, and now he loved
them to the very end.
John 13:1, NLT

Reflection:

Jesus knew he would be betrayed by
one of his disciples, disowned by
another, and deserted by all of them
for a time. Still he "loved them to the
very end." God knows us completely,
as Jesus knew his disciples. He
knows the sins we have committed
and the ones we will yet commit. Still,
he loves us

HOW DO YOU RESPOND TO THAT
KIND OF LOVE?

THE GOOD LIFE

Scripture:

Then he said, "Beware! Guard against every
kind of greed. Life is not measured by how
much you own." Luke 12:15, NLT

Jesus says that the good life has nothing
to do with being wealthy, so be on guard
against greed (desire for what we don't
have). This is the exact opposite of what
society usually says. Advertisers spend
millions of dollars to entice us to think
that if we buy more and more of their
products, we will be happier, more
fulfilled, more comfortable.

How do you respond to the constant
pressure to buy? Learn to tune out
expensive enticements and concentrate
instead on the truly good life--living in a
relationship with God and doing his work

(from Life Application Daily Devotion)

GREED TAKE NOTICE!

It's time for you and I to talk!
Not about meaningless things,
but about something that means
everything to you and I. Let's
talk about all these people who
are demonstrating in some of the
bigger cities of this country.

LET'S TALK ABOUT GREED!
THAT'S RIGHT .....GREED!

To all of you, especially my
"Christian" brothers and sisters,
THIS IS A MORAL ISSUE!

This is a moral issue that has been
made into a political issue. The
greedy are in control. Wall Street
is ruining our lives. As Christ
threw the "money changers" out
of the temple, we need to throw
the "money changers" out of our
government, not by violence, but
buy peaceful demonstrations, and
most of all....by voting. Many of the
people who are running for political
office and control of our lives are
they themselves controlled by the
"money changers"! Not since the
Great Depression have we seen
and have been affected by such
greedy people. People who care
only for themselves and for their
self indulgent lives!

Please, Please, don't be fooled!
They will call themselves good
Americans, they will call themselves
good Christians, and they will call
themselves good and decent
people. THEY ARE NOT!! THEY
ARE FOR ONLY THEMSELVES.
This is directly opposite of the life
and teachings of the "One" of
whom they claim to have faith.
This is the very opposite of Jesus
Christ. You cannot, I repeat
cannot, care about your neighbor
and only love yourself. You cannot
make other lives better when you
only care about the betterment of
your own life. Isn't that why we go
through this process of voting, to
place control on people who care
about the betterment of all our
lives.
So please get out into the streets,
talk to your friends and neighbors,
and most of all, "VOTE FOR
PEOPLE WHO CARE!"

Pastor Kim

THE POOR

Scripture:

Their only suggestion was that we
keep on helping the poor, which I have
always been eager to do.
Galatians 2:10, NLT

Reflection:

The apostles were referring to the poor
of Jerusalem. While many Gentile converts
were financially comfortable, the Jerusalem
church had suffered from the effects of a
severe famine in Palestine and was
struggling. So on his journeys, Paul had
gathered funds for the Jewish Christians.
The need for believers to care for the poor
is a constant theme in Scripture. But often
we do nothing, caught up in meeting our
own needs and desires.
Perhaps we don't see enough poverty to
remember the needs of the poor. The world
is filled with poor people, here and in other
countries.
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP?

(Life Application Daily Devotion)

A NEW YEAR'S STORY

For any who feel wordless, even in their
attempt to pray, I offer this story.

A young boy, age five or six, was impressed
by the Russian Army, As he grew older, he
retained a simple cognizance of his
Jewish heritage, despite Russian urging to
forget. In his teens, the spark in his soul
ignited, filling him with the desire to
return to Jewish tradition. He found a synagogue,
in which men wrapped in prayer shawls cried
out to God even into the late afternoon.
Childhood memories returned, and reflecting over
his years of separation, the adolescent began to
weep. He entered the synagogue and opened
a prayer book, The letter seemed familiar, but he
couldn't put them together into words. Turning
his eyes toward heaven, he cried, "God, all I
remember is the Hebrew alphabet. I will read
the letters; You put them into words. And
forgive me," AND GOD DID.

Didn't St. Paul say something like this to us?

"Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness;
for we do not know how to pray as we ought,
but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too
deep for words". (Romans 8:26)

(C. John Weborg)

HOW ABOUT YOU

Scripture:

"I was hungry and you gave Me food. I was thirsty
and you gave Me drink. I was a stranger and you
welcomed Me. I was naked and you clothed me.
I was sick and you visited Me. I was in prison and
you came to Me ... I tell you solemnly, as you did
it to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you
did it to Me" (Mt. 25:35-37,40).

Reflection:

The weak and the helpless and the lonely and the
disenchanted and the dispossessed are His brothers
Can you even imagine that? These are the people
who are his brothers and sisters? This Jesus Christ
is the person that so many claim to love and believe.
This is the Son of God! Then why DON'T WE CARE?

HOW ABOUT YOU! ARE THEY YOUR BROTHERS
AND SISTERS? .

Paul tells us "Give courage to those who are
apprehensive,care for the weak and be patient with
everyone," the Apostle Paul exhorts us (1 Thes. 5:14).

ASK YOURSELF, DO YOU CARE FOR THE WEAK?
ARE YOU PATIENT WITH EVERYONE?

Their are so many people in need. You and I need
to love them, we need to serve them, we need to
help our brothers and sisters NOW!

Prayer:

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.
Where there is hatred . . . let me sow love
Where there is injury . . . pardon
Where there is doubt . . . faith
Where there is despair . . . hope
Where there is darkness . . . light
Where there is sadness . . . joy
O, Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled . . . as to console
To be understood . . . as to understand,
To be loved . . . as to love
For it is in giving . . . that we receive,
It is in pardoning, that we are pardoned,
It is in dying . . . that we are born to eternal life.

BE STRONG!

Ephesians 6: 10-17

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his
mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of
God, so that you can take your stand
against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our
struggle is not against flesh and blood,
but against the rulers, against the authorities,
against the powers of this dark world and
against the spiritual forces of evil in the
heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full
armor of God, so that when the day of evil
comes, you may be able to stand your
ground, and after you have done everything,
to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt
of truth buckled around your waist, with the
breastplate of righteousness in place,
15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness
that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In
addition to all this, take up the shield of faith,
with which you can extinguish all the flaming
arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of
salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is
the word of God.

18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with
all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in
mind, be alert and always keep on praying for
all the Lord’s people.

BE STRONG!

REMEMBERING CHRIST

Scripture:

In the same way, he took the cup
of wine after supper, saying, "This
cup is the new covenant between
God and his people--an agreement
confirmed with my blood. Do this
to remember me as often as you
drink it."
1 Corinthians 11:25, NLT

Reflection:

Jesus said, "Do this to remember
me as often as you drink it.'' How
do we remember Christ in the Lord's
Supper?
By thinking about what he did and
why he did it. If the Lord's Supper
becomes just a ritual or a pious habit,
it no longer remembers Christ, and it
loses its significance.
AND CHRIST IS SIGNIFICANT,
REMEMBER HIM!

(Life Application Daily Devotion)