Pastor's Ponderings: Monday & Tuesday Bible Study on Acts of the Apostles 24:1-21 (September 14 & 15, 2026)

September 14, 2026:  Monday Bible Study on Acts 24: 1-9

Good morning, Blessings and peace be with you this Monday morning.  Please remember that we are creating a new email and snail mail Bible Study list for members and friends of American who want to continue receiving the three times each week study on the selected study for that time.  We will begin that study in October.  I believe that we will finish the Acts study by the beginning of the month.

You may sign up at church at worship, call the church office at 520-623-3661, or drop a note to us via email at godsplaceforgrace.org.  If you are a snail mail user, then please call the office on Wednesday or Thursday in the afternoons to be sure your mail will continue.  As of our study this morning we still have not received any information about the congregational vote of Cross and Crown Church with regards to the purchase of American Lutheran's building and property.  I will let you know as soon as we receive any information.

In prayers, please continue your prayers for Camille as she begins her radiation therapy tomorrow.  Also pray for Regina who continues to have work done on her eyes over the next several weeks.  Please also pray with thanksgiving for Maggie's continuing recovery from a fall and cracked ribs last week and pray for Cathy who is battling kidney stones and sepsis as a result.  She is still in the hospital but is doing better.

Today we continue our study of the Acts of the Apostles 24:1-9.  So far, we have seen Paul threatened by the Jewish crowds at the Temple, also by the Sanhedrin, treated fairly by the Roman guard, and not so well by the Governor, Felix who had manipulated his way into leadership in Israel.  Our reading for today is brief, but it is filled with falsehoods and lies, while attempting to flatter Felix, and then to tell Felix what a threat Paul has been to the Jews all over the Roman Empire, as well as, in Jerusalem.  Of course, we know that if there is anything that the Roman appointed governor is afraid of, it is upheaval and rioting on the part of the Jews, basically a loss of Roman Peace due to poor governance.  In all of this, the witness which was brought against Paul made it sound like the Jews in Jerusalem had done many of the things which Paul had suggested, and the leaders had used them to bring change, but Paul was a pest and a threat to the authority of the religious leaders in the Temple.  He incited the people, and unlike what Tertullus had said, Paul wasn't arrested by the religious authorities, the people had threatened to lynch him!   Tertullus also said that Paul was a member, the very ringleader, of the Nazarenes who were a group constantly working for upheaval of the Roman government, and an overthrow of the Temple authorities who in too many ways supported the Romans because the Romans kept the status quo in place.  The half-truths of Tertullus, and his outright lies were dangerous for Paul as he is faced by a quite corrupt governor of the Roman empire.

All of this leaves us hanging about what is coming tomorrow for Paul.  You can read ahead if your curiosity gets you to do so.  Paul must, of course, defend himself in the face of the half-truths of Tertullus.     I will be with you tomorrow morning.  In the meantime, let us pray for one another for Christ's peace and love to carry us from day to day. 

With love in Christ.   Pastor Kim

=============================================================

September 15, 2026:  Tuesday Bible Study on Acts 24:10-21

Good morning, dear friends in Christ. 

Yesterday was quite a weather day in our part of the city.  I had taken the little car to pick up Josiah from work at St Joseph’s Hospital. We heard a little thunder when we left. By the time we got to 22nd street and Kolb the rain began like a wave, and we were unable to see the road or much more than 5 feet in front of us.  We stopped along with everyone else on Kolb.  I finally saw a left turn bay, and decided to turn into our neighborhood, but I wasn't that close yet.  We drove two blocks and stopped because the cross street was at least two feet deep in running water.  We turned around to go back out on Kolb just as the rain and wind eased up, but the water depth was amazing.  We got home just fine though.  Later in the day we found out that our daughter's home and Sharyn B's home on the west side had been hit with a storm just like ours.  Remember, stopping is always best if you can't see, and turning around is the safest move you can make if you are driving. 

The good news today is that Cathy is home from the hospital from her sepsis scare, and glad to be with her dog.  Rio, the husband of Joanna's boss, is also home after his battle with bacterial pneumonia and sepsis.  Both are doing quite well.  Thank you for your prayers, they are a powerful aid to people who are suffering with health issues.

The Church Council should have just received news that Cross and Crown Lutheran Church voted unanimously to move forward with the purchase of American's church buildings and property.  Please remember this does not include Alice's house.  That property will remain with our congregation.  Please remember that as we move forward into this purchase, there will be many questions, and probably many changes too.  May our LORD bless both of our congregations.

Today, our passage from Acts is an accounting of Paul's response to the lies that have been made to Felix the Governor, by Tertullus, who was the representative of the Sadducees sent to try to get Paul released to the Jews who would have taken him back to Jerusalem, and his probable death at their hands.  When we read this passage, we discover that Paul presents himself, not as a person who had come to cause riots, but as a person who brought with him aid for the poor and needy in Jerusalem, and of course the offering for the Christian Church that was struggling so much with finances to continue their mission to the Jews (without much success).  He explains to Felix that none of the issues which Tertullus had raised about him were in any way true.  Of course, we must remember that Felix is interested more in keeping the peace with the Jews, than judging Paul as an innocent for whom the Jews wanted destruction.  There is no doubt that Paul was forceful in his self-defense, but he was also controlled and confident about his story because it was all true.  However, in front of Felix, Paul's truth held little value, so we can know that Paul, in his determination to claim his innocence, has not used every tool that he might have to use to escape being sent back to the Jews in Jerusalem.  It is very interesting to me that even though Christ has been dead for nearly a decade, the action of the religious authorities and people is the same as it was as Christ himself was tried as a heretic and subsequently murdered on the cross.  You and I have not had to defend the faith that lives in us very often, but the day may come when more subversive Christians choose to come after us because we are the community that sees Christ as the LORD of all people, not just some people.  Paul believed in all of the things which he claimed before Felix, but he also knew the power of God's Grace and Love in Jesus Christ in the face of those who were supposed to be ready to receive the Messiah, who would bring them victory and peace, but not in the way they expected.  Too many Christians today are living their lives of faith in the same way, believing that only they truly know who God loves and cares about, and in that belief, that are willing to condemn and destroy those "others" who they believe Christ cannot love or forgive.   My sermon title last week was meant to help all of us remember that we are called to be those who forgive, because we have been forgiven first.  Added to that is Christ's call to forgive 70 times 7 times, meaning always.  How are you and I doing?  Not always well with it, which is why we need His forgiveness every day.

Paul's defense is not done.  When we meet next Monday for this study we will discover more.  Having read the Acts of the Apostles isn't it hard to believe that such a heart filled with love and peace like Paul's, would meet with such destructive sin?

With love in Christ, Pastor Kim

Pastor's Ponderings: Tuesday Bible Study on Acts of the Apostles 23:25-35 (September 8, 2026)

September 8, 2026:  Tuesday Bible Study on Acts 23:25-35

Good morning fellow journeyers in the Word. 

I hope that you had a restful Labor Day and were able to take a break from your regular routine.  In prayers, please remember Maggie who fell and cracked two ribs in that fall, and pray for Cathy who is in the hospital being treated for sepsis and kidney issues.  Please pray also for Ron and Becky. Their remodeled adobe home in Tucson suffered a major water leak in the ceiling, and they are now in the process of taking care of all the damage and loss that occurred from that leak.  It may take several months to restore their home here.

It has been reported to me that some folks do not want several weekly emails from the Bible Study in their regular email.  We are going to create a new group for receiving the Bible Studies by email or print.  To that end I am asking you to let the office know if you want to continue receiving the studies three times each week.  Please sign up at church or call the office to put your name on the list for this new group.  You may also call to let us know that you prefer NOT to have this additional email from my desk each week.  If you decide not to receive the Bible Studies each week, then the only email you will receive from the church will be items which you really need to view.  That will include the Journeys newsletter and any other important information about which you should know.  Thanks for helping us get this change over done.  It is our goal to have this new distribution done by October.  If you somehow stop getting the Bible Studies, and have not opted out, just contact the office to get back on the Bible Study group. 

Our passage for today is from Acts 23:25-35.  It is an opportunity to get a handle on how all this crisis for Paul's mission is being handled by the Roman Guard, and by Felix, who is the governor who oversees this part of the conquered Roman Empire.  Claudius Lysias is the Roman commander who has pulled Paul away from the Sanhedrin's rage over what Paul has told them about their role in the death of God's Son, the promised Messiah.  Claudius is so concerned about the plotting against Paul's life, that he calls out a large contingent of the Roman army to protect Paul as he is moved to the seat of Roman government, where Caesarea is the center, but the governor's home, is instead in the Praetorium some 25 miles from Caesarea, where Felix lives in a castle built by Herod.   Evidently the route there is "infested" with Jews who would be more than happy to murder Paul.  Part way there was the community of Antipas, and up to that point the journey was dangerous for Paul and the soldiers who accompanied him, but after Antipas, the land was open and flat, and primarily the home of many gentiles.   So, part of the Roman guard left Paul at Antipas, and a much smaller contingent of soldiers remained with Paul as he was being taken to Felix.  Now Felix is a whole story on its own.  Felix' brother, Pallas, was a favorite of Nero.  So, although Felix had been a slave, his brother's friendship with Nero, gave Felix the opportunity to become a free man, and eventually receive his position as governor of Palestine under the Roman rule.  So having been a slave, and now the reigning power for all people in the conquered area of Palestine, Felix often used his power to punish anyone who came to him, who may have been in a position of power before Felix's ascent to power by appointment.  He wielded the power of a king from the mindset of a slave.  According to Tacitus, a Roman historian, Felix was completely unscrupulous, brutal, and capable of arranging for thugs and murderers to carry out his rule over this Roman province.  Going back to the letter of the commander, we see the honesty and genuine firmness of this Roman Soldier.  He protected Paul, arranged for soldiers to accompany him, and wrote a genuinely truthful letter to Felix about what had been going on between Paul and the Jewish authorities.  We get two very different pictures of the people who now had Paul, a Roman citizen, in their care, and for judgement.

Thanks for taking the time today to participate in our Bible Studies on the Acts of the Apostles.  

With love in Christ,  Pastor Kim

Pastor's Ponderings: Monday & Tuesday Bible Study on Acts of the Apostles 23:1-24 (August 31 & September 1, 2026)

August 30, 2026:  Monday Bible Study on Acts 23:1-10

To my dear great friends in Christ who are a part of this study on Mondays and Tuesdays each week.  I hope that you enjoyed, and survived, for those of you on the west side of Tucson, the wonderful rain that we had in town at about 5AM.  I drove the van to get our son to work at 5:40AM, and we did that because of its clearance and heavy tread tires which cut through the heavy water accumulation on the city streets.  Please continue to keep Camille in your prayers as she starts her new chemotherapy on the 15th of September.  Please pray too for Teri as she continues to deal with pain and limited mobility after her doctor's use of a new hip replacement technique.  For me, I am still battling allergy issues and headaches, but it seems to be slowly improving, and I am getting full night’s sleep without having to medicate in the middle of the night.  I am going to go see my primary care this week to see what else can be done.  If you were not at church Sunday, you missed the opportunity to meet Carson Lanning and his father Scott.  Carson will begin playing for us starting on Gospel Music Sunday.  That means that I will be able to sing once again, allergies permitting.  This Sunday is our carry-in meal after worship, and the theme is food that you would have liked to have had for your school lunches but instead ended up with things that you didn't care for.

Our passage for today is found in Acts 23:1-19.  In a light read, it seems that Paul has a death wish and is inadvertently causing upheaval as he attempts to speak to the leaders of the Temple in Jerusalem.  In this passage there are a number of things which the reader might not know, unless they have done some in-depth study.  So, what is Paul about here?  Remember that he has been brought here by the Roman commander due to the fact that Paul is a Roman citizen by birth, which grants him certain rights, but when he continues to speak before the Sanhedrin, it is obvious that Paul has some plan in place for how he will move what is about to happen.  The very first thing that Paul does is to address the Sanhedrin as an equal by using the word brethren as he addresses them.  In the tradition of the leaders and Jewish rules, the men in the Sanhedrin should be addressed instead in this way.  "Rulers of the people and Elders of Israel."  However, that is not what Paul has in mind.  Here we discover that Paul is from a multi-generational family of Pharisees, which is why he places himself before this judgement group as their equal.  And when the chief priest calls for Paul to be stuck on the mouth for his words, Paul uses his citizenship as an Israelite to put the high priest in his place, by reminding him in his anger with Paul that " to strike an Israelite man is the same as striking the Holy God of Israel Himself."  This angers the high priest, but then Paul takes it even further and calls the high priest a white wall!  You and I might not understand this as such a massive insult, but what Paul is saying here is that the high priest, who is noted for his lack of holiness and abuses of the people and of his power, is just like the burial site which has been whitewashed, so that no one might touch it and become ritually defiled and unclean.  For us it seems like Paul is digging himself an even deeper hole which he must climb out of or become entrapped.  However, Paul is just getting started.  It is at this point that Paul places into the discussion of the Sanhedrin a topic which was bound to cause upheaval and heavy arguments between the Pharisees and the Sadducees to get into one of their great, heated arguments about who knew what they were talking about.  The Pharisees believed in angels, and the tiniest detail of the Law, and predestination, and the really big one, RESURRECTION!  The Sadducees would have none of it and really thought that the Pharisees had lost their way, and were completely mad to believe in such things, The argument which followed was so violent that the Roman commander was certain that Paul, a Roman citizen by birth, would be torn apart in the midst of what was happening, so he removed Paul to the Roman barracks.  It was indeed Paul's plan to undo the Temple leaders and the high priest because their corruption was publicly evident.  Paul witnessed to their brokenness, and at the same time, made it clear what he personally was about in his mission and ministry.  What you and I need to realize is that Paul's plan worked!  However, this is just the beginning for Paul's proclamation.  In our reading for tomorrow, the very first word, from Christ Himself to Paul, was "courage".   Tomorrow we will take the time to hear what more Christ has to say to Paul about what was coming in Paul's future.

Thank you for taking the time to be with me this morning.  God bless you and keep you safe on this stormy day. 

In Christ's love, Pastor Kim

=============================================================

September 1, 2026:  Tuesday Bible Study on Acts 23:11-24

Good morning, dear friends in Christ. 

Thank you for being here to share with me this morning on this next text from Acts.  Remember that Gospel Music Sunday is coming up this next Sunday.  That means lots of good music, our new piano player, and great food afterward.  The theme is what you would rather have had for school lunch when you were young.  Please remember that hot dishes need to have an electric heating device if you need to keep them warm (crock pot or warming tray).  Please continue to pray for Regina as she has cataract surgery on the eye that had retinal surgery a few weeks ago.  It will be tomorrow.  My special thanksgiving to God for Debbie taking time out of her busy day to get Regina to her surgery, and then back home afterwards.  I know that Regina is most appreciative.  Melody and I attended a housewarming for Gabriel and Bianca in Rio Rico on Sunday afternoon.   May God bless their lives and their home as they get settled in. 

Today our passage begins where we stopped yesterday.   Paul had to be protected by the Roman soldiers after he confronted the corruption and misuse of the Temple by its leaders.  He also talked about his faith, it many years of missionary success, and then intentionally got a great argument started between the members of the Sanhedrin.  Pharisees and Sadducees didn't agree on much of anything except their authority to judge others, and to take advantage of the benefits of the power they had in their positions leading the faithful in Jerusalem and persecuting the new Christian cult no matter where it showed up.  My last words to you yesterday were Christ's first words to Paul.  "Courage, you have witnesses in Jerusalem, and now you must take your message and faith to Rome to proclaim me there."  This happened a short time after the confrontations in the Temple.  But the continuing wrath of the people in the Temple as they were after Paul, and then the leaders who held a sham trial for Paul. did not seem to be enough in terms of Jewish outrage, an outrage that caused the anger of the Jews to settle in a plot to kill Paul.  Some forty Jews gathered, planned, and reported their intentions to the leaders of the Temple.  None of the forty would eat until they had killed Paul.  You and I need to know that Christ had, and still does have, not only the will to save His faithful children, but the means to make his protection take place.  It was certainly mor than irony that a relative of Paul's happened to overhear the plans of that murderous group of men.  What strikes me so strongly about all of this is that there must not have been even one righteous leader in the Temple.  The leaders heard the plan and made it clear that they would help by calling for Paul to come before them again for a further consideration of his claims and ministry for Christ.  However, Paul's young relative told him about the plan, Paul sent him to the Centurions, and in turn, they sent Paul's young relative to the Commander of the army stationed in Jerusalem to tell him too.  The result was the commander calling together an army of men to accompany Paul to his trial before Felix, the Roman governor of the area.  There is real irony that the leaders of God's elect are filled with wrath and take a position to support the murder of Paul, while the "brutal Romans" are gentile and working hard to keep Paul safe.  I sometimes wonder when the conservative Christians want to destroy people that they deem as unworthy of Christ's love and forgiveness but want it and claim it for themselves.  God's children can certainly get things wrong! It is no wonder that Christ had to come for our redemption.

Thanks for being here with me this AM. 

With Love in Christ, Pastor Kim