REGAINING THE HEART
If you believe that every human being is made in the image
of God — imago dei; if you believe that every individual
person represented in economic statistics is a child of God;
if you believe that in nearly all religious traditions, loving
your neighbor as you love yourself follows directly after
loving God; and if you believe, regardless of your conception
of God, that human beings are all brothers and sisters tied
together, then income inequality is a spiritual issue, a moral
issue, and a religious test of our belief.
A great example of this from my own Christian religious
tradition is the story of the Good Samaritan. Here's a man
robbed and mugged, left by the side of the road — just as
so many today are "mugged" and left behind by the global
economy. Various religious leaders pass him by on the other
side of the road, refusing to lend their aid. But then a person
from a different culture, ethnicity, and race does stop and
does help. He risks his security, his resources, and his time
to lift this beaten man up to a new life. That Samaritan
exemplifies what a neighbor does, says Jesus.
WHAT DO YOU EXEMPLIFY NEIGHBOR?
(sojo.com)
HE CARES
Has God calmed your fear?
In my distress I prayed to the Lord and the Lord answered
me and rescued me. The Lord is for me, so I will not be
afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? Yes, the Lord is
for me; he will help me.
Psalm 118:5-7 NLT
Prayer offers us a way out of our fear. It is all a matter of
calling upon Jesus' name. Only in His name is there help.
The more we call upon His name, the more we will
experience this truth.
Mother Basilea Schlink (1904-2001)
You can know and rest assured that just as God was for
David, he is for you! And because the all-powerful Lord who
is on your side is your shield and defender, you do not have
to be afraid. The Lord is greater than any problem, greater
than any fear, greater than any person opposing you. Thank
him for his help in past situations when there seemed to be
no way out, and trust him and thank him for being "for you"
today.
Prayer:
LORD, thank you for answering me and helping me in my
distress. Thank you for being for me! That truth is amazing
to me and assures me of your concern for me. Help me to
resolve not to be afraid because the Lord of the universe is
on my side!
Adapted from The One Year® Book of Praying through the
Bible by Cheri Fuller, Tyndale House Publishers (2003),
TRUE DISCERNMENT
Verse
In the morning, while it was still very dark, [Jesus] got up
and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.
Mark 1:35
Voice
To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising
against the disorder of the world. Karl Barth
Prayer
God of peace, keep us from confusing peace with submission
in the face of injustice. Keep us from confusing patience with
tolerance in the face of oppression. Grant us true discernment
for the sake of your kingdom. Amen. Common Prayer
WELCOMING A STRANGER
Matthew 7:12
[ The Golden Rule ] "In everything do to others as you
would have them do to you; for this is the law and the
prophets.
We’re still processing Pope Francis’ incredible visit to the
United States, particularly his unequivocal call to welcome
the stranger. Pope Francis addressed many important
issues of social justice during his trip, but none more
directly or more forcefully than immigration.
He spoke to Congress "as a son of immigrants," reminding
them that the U.S. itself is a nation of immigrants. With
regard to the Syrian refugee crisis, he told them to follow
the Golden Rule. He urged the U.S. Catholic Bishops not
to be afraid to welcome immigrants, but instead to "offer
them the warmth of the love of Christ." And speaking
directly to immigrants in Philadelphia, he offered words of
hope: "Do not be discouraged by whatever challenges and
hardships you face…I ask you not to forget that, like those
who came here before you, you bring many gifts to your new
nation. You should never be ashamed of your traditions."
At a time when anti-immigrant politicians across the country
are ratcheting up their xenophobic rhetoric and policies, the
pope’s words about treating immigrants with compassion and
humanity could not have come at a more important time.
Now is the time for us to redouble our efforts to stand with our
immigrant brothers and sisters—and to counter hate with love.
In faith,
The Sojourners Immigration Team
THEY ALL COME FOR VIOLENCE
They all come for violence, with faces pressing forward;
they gather captives like sand. At kings they scoff, and
of rulers they make sport. They laugh at every fortress,
and heap up earth to take it. Then they sweep by like
the wind; they transgress and become guilty; their own
might is their god! Habakkuk 1:9-11
Voice
Until the lions have their own historians, the history of
the hunt will always glorify the hunter.
Chinua Achebe
Prayer
Though the self-styled gods of the world claim victory
through violence, we know that no violence is too great,
no power too strong, no darkness too deep to overcome
you Lord. We praise you, Almighty God of Hosts, that you
have chosen the weak and powerless as friends.
THE ONE WHO CAN HELP
When He (Jesus) came down
from the mountain, great crowds followed Him. And behold,
a leper came to Him and knelt before Him, saying, "Lord, if
You will, You can make me clean." And Jesus stretched
out His hand and touched him, saying, "I will; be clean."
And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. Matthew 8:1-3
It was good number of years ago that a 1 a.m. phone call
was made to the bedroom of Dr. Leo Winters.
The respected Chicago surgeon was quickly awake. "A
young boy has been severely hurt in an accident" was what
the voice on the other end of the line said. A few questions
convinced the doctor his sleep for the night was at an end.
His skilled hands might be able to save the boy. Dr. Winters
got out of bed, quickly dressed, and was soon plotting his
route to the hospital.
Time was short, so he decided to risk taking a shortcut, a
shortcut which had him driving through one of the meaner
areas of town. He almost made it too. But, at a red light, his
door was jerked open by a man wearing a gray hat and a
worn flannel shirt.
"Give me your car!" the man demanded, dragging Winters from
his seat. Winters tried to explain.
Winters's words of warning were drowned out by the roar of the
car's engine speeding down the street.
Looking for a phone, the doctor wandered for close to an hour.
Another hour passed by before a taxi arrived and delivered him
to the hospital. At the nurse's station the doctor was told the boy
had died 30 minutes earlier. Indeed, the lad's own father had
arrived, only a short time before his son's death.
The nurse suggested the good doctor might want to see the father.
She added, "He's awfully confused. He doesn't understand why
you didn't come earlier."
The doctor went down the hall to make the visit no doctor ever
wants to make.
Entering the dimly lit chapel, the physician went to the only person
there, a dejected, weeping man. The doctor went to the man who
was still dressed in the same gray hat and old flannel shirt he had
worn when he had pulled the life-saving doctor from his car.
Too many people do that to Jesus.
Confronted by difficult times and tragic situations, they try to take
matters into their own hands. In doing so, they push Jesus to the
side. I can't think of a bigger mistake. In Jesus, we have been given
the only Person who cares enough about us and has the credentials
to do something about our difficulties.
Rather than trying to take command of our lives, we would do better
to kneel in front of the Savior, and like the leper, make the humble
request: "Lord, if You want, You can help me." Then, if the Holy
Spirit has given us faith, we can wait to hear the Savior, say, "Most
certainly, I am willing to help you."
Indeed. To help us, to save us is why Jesus came into this world. His
every act, thought and word were an expression of His love and desire
to complete His mission, which would rescue us. Indeed, so strong
was Jesus' commitment to save us from sin, death and the devil, the
Savior allowed His enemies to nail Him to the cross. There, on
Calvary's cruel gibbet, the Son of God disposed of our sins and --
three days later -- conquered death.
By faith we should know the Redeemer, who has taken care of our big
problems, will do the same with our small ones.
THE PRAYER:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for having had mercy on me. In Your Name.
Amen.
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour®
Lutheran Hour Ministries
WWJD
LAST YEAR, HANDGUNS KILLED 48 PEOPLE IN JAPAN,
8 IN GREAT BRITAIN,
34 IN SWITZERLAND,
52 IN CANADA,
58 IN ISRAEL,
21 IN SWEDEN,
42 IN WEST GERMANY,
10,728 IN THE UNITED STATES.
STOP HANDGUNS BEFORE THEY STOP YOU!
WWJD (WHAT WOULD JESUS DO)
REMEMBER THIS TODAY
Let’s all be encouraged to trust our God in times of difficulty.
With God by our side, the winds may blow and the rain may
pour, but we will remain standing. If we are weak, He will
strengthen us; if we are tired, He will invigorate us; and if we
should fall, He will catch us. Just as He always has.
With prayers for peace,
THE POPE
I have to honestly say that the gospel was proclaimed last
week by Pope Francis much more clearly than it usually is
in most U.S. churches, including his own Catholic church,
the evangelical church I grew up in, and in most of the
congregations Americans attend each week. The gospel we
heard last week was clearly one that could and should
transform a culture, rather than the services and sermons
we hear week after week that are so conformed to the culture.
Pope Francis proclaimed the gospel to me again and again,
all in ways that were confronting, humbling, and renewing.
Hearing the gospel preached every day with such eloquence
and power — while seeing it lived with such authenticity and
integrity — showed me how far I fall short of the things I most
dearly and deeply believe.
It often drew me to the prayer: "Lord, have mercy on me, a
sinner." The greatest blessing of the week was how mercy
was at the core of Pope Francis’ message to America. Mercy
and the grace of God was the homily last week, more than the
political soundbites too many of the media pundits were looking
for. Millions of us walked forward, in person or in spirit, to receive
the bread and the wine from Pope Francis and said,
"Thanks be to God."
(from Jim Wallis of Sojourners)
