Pastor's Ponderings: Monday Bible Study on Acts of the Apostles 2:14-21 (August 4, 2025)

August 4, 2025:  Monday Bible Study on Acts 2:14-21

Blessings and peace, be with you this morning and every morning.

I know it is easy to wake up to a new day thinking that we are already overwhelmed by what that day has to offer. Now that my boys are back in school, the late sleep ins of the summer are gone. I too must be up early to be certain that Melody and I can get them ready and then drive them to school downtown every day. Some days this means three or four trips back and forth between their needs and getting to the office at church too. I really am thankful that I can work from home, though I certainly know how to tie up the dining room table. This week we added Melody's sewing machine too. Oh well, that's enough about home this morning. I pray that in this extreme heat this week that the cooling for your home or apartment is adequate. I know that if you are paying for electricity or that and water for evaporative cooling that this month's bills are going to really be high. Perhaps you understand why some days seem to be loaded before we even get out of bed. May your morning cup of coffee, or piece of toast be a time of quiet and prayer for each new day's possibilities. For me, the best time is coming to the day's Scripture reading and getting to be with you as together we consider the Word of the Lord for our lives.

Today we continue in the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles. What we discover here, and throughout this book, is the witness of those who have been with Christ in the years of His ministry. Now they have taken the direction of Christ, and gift of the Spirit to experience courage, speaking with confidence, and bringing the Good News of Jesus Life, death, and Resurrection to those who may not have ever heard about Him, or risking it all by sharing their witness with the very Jews who may have been responsible for the death of the Savior, those who may not have fully understood what the end result of their rejection of Jesus might mean.

1. These people who were with Jesus have seen it all and come prepared to share what they know and have lived over the past three or so years with Jesus.

2. They share that Jesus is the fulfillment of God's promise to send the Messiah, and that the new age of His Grace and forgiveness through Christ has arrived for everyone.

3. They also share that Jesus is a direct descendent from the line of King David, the line which must reveal the True Messiah.

4. Early on the Apostles proclaimed that Jesus would soon return to establish God's Kingdom on earth.

5. Their preaching would end with telling the people that it was only through Jesus that they could be assured in the promise of God's Love. They must come to God through faith in Christ.

We will see these messages repeatedly in the Acts. After all, this is the work which Christ has left to these twelve men and the women who were with him.

In today's reading it is Peter who stands to proclaim these messages about Jesus, but he must undo, and meet head on, the thinking of the crowd about the Pentecost event, and the way in which the disciples are sharing the message of Good News.

There must have been accusations from some present people that the disciples were already drunk, as shown by the way they speak and act. Peter must proclaim that since it is so early in the day, 9AM, they are not drunk as some of the people are trying to say. Obviously, there will always be people, in the face of the Good News, who want to discredit the enthusiasm and excitement of those who have come with joy and energy to tell God's Truth about Jesus Christ. The Jews always saw themselves as the elect of God, that they would have special privilege, and honor before any others who might claim special knowledge of God's purpose and judgement in his world. The message of the Apostles projected the thinking that Christ was an open window to the eternal Love of God, which was often misunderstood, and often misused by those who saw themselves as the elect. Even today, though Israel is ruled by an earthly government, when it is convenient, the people turn to their religion as a validation for everything that they choose to do, and all too often, that action is not about the Loving Kindness of the LORD of Heaven and Earth, but instead, filled with sin using the God of Love and Grace as their excuse for really unholy, and all too often, violent actions.  Things haven't really changed since Peter stood up to begin proclaiming the Risen Lord as the Messiah. Is it any wonder that the Jerusalem Mission of the disciples struggled so much? But Peter's words changed hearts and minds about being saved by the Messiah, and the text for today tells us that many listened, and were Baptized, accepting the Good News for their own lives. This was just the beginning, but God would also call another, Saul, a pharisee, who would be converted and be a great proclaimer for the Gospel Truth. He would move the Good News to Asia Minor and beyond. For tomorrow we continue as the revelation of Christ is proclaimed actively by those who were with Him during His lifetime. See you tomorrow.

With Love and Hope in Christ, Pastor Kim

Pastor's Ponderings: Old Testament bible study of Psalm 25 (July 31, 2025)

July 31, 2025:  Thursday Bible Study on Old Testament of Psalm 25

Good morning my dear friends. 

Today is the day that the LORD has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!   Yes, even though it is supposed to be hot today, and hotter on Saturday and Sunday, all this remains as a day that the LORD has created for His children all over the world.  I am happy to be able to say that our members in Hawaii are back home, and safe, after having to pack out due to the tsunami from the massive earthquake off the coast of Russia.  Please keep the victims of all these extraordinary events in your prayers.  I know that costs continue to rise for all of us, but there are some in our congregation upon whom these rises become quickly difficult, so along with our members, keep all the people who will be having a harder time as prices rise, aid for rents and Medicaid diminish, and the worry of how to deal with all of these changes continues to be very stressful.  Let's pray for all these folks too.  A reminder that this Sunday is Gospel Music Sunday, and we are having our "Cool and Crisp" themed carry in after worship.  I hope you will be able to join us.  If you haven't signed up yet, please call so our setting up of chairs and tables will be made for the right number of people.  On to our study now of the 25th Psalm.

I am uncertain of when David penned this Psalm, but it becomes clear that whatever is going on, he is feeling threatened and overwhelmed.  The alternating sections of this Psalm cause the ready to have to move quickly from Praise of God, to all of the things that the LORD does for the faithful, to David's confession of the issues of his youth, which in all likelihood is what happened with Bathsheba when David coveted and possessed an already married woman, while her soldier husband was away fighting David's war.  So, this morning, let's look at the benefits that the faithful received that brought them, and us, the comfort, courage, and faith to move forward in our life's journey with the LORD.

1. Enable me (us) to follow God's ways and path in life.

2. God gives direction (through the Spirit) for our journey of faith

3. God is compassionate with the faithful who have stayed life's journey in His presence.

4. God is reminded of His mercy, which means the forgiveness we all need every day.

5. Assurance of our personal relationship with the LORD.  This brings honor to God!

   1. Forgive our sin, which is greater than we know.

   2. Life guidance for the believers who endure all of life's difficulties faithfully. 

      1. Goodness and Mercy are the home of the faithful in God.

      2. The children of these faithful ones will continue to hold God's promises as their guide in their lives which will be filled with the blessings of a place identity, and more!

      3. The hearts and minds of the faithful look to the LORD for all things.

Toward the end of this Psalm David is encouraging God to do all the things which David needs.  Obviously, David's life, just like ours, has been filled with reliance on God.  David here lets the ready know that he is far from perfect, and yet he remains faithful and relies on God's integrity and uprightness.  Here we know that David is waiting on the Lord for his future endeavors as king and trusting that God will be with him in all these things, but David also looks back to his mighty failures in his relationship with God in the past.  So, here we have a blending of past, present, and future as David sees it, all in God's presence.  We too always need to remember that the LORD has always been in our lives.  We need to do what David does here, and reveal our trust in the always present, always truthful, always forgiving, always Grace filled LORD of Hosts who never abandons His children to despair or hopeless no matter what is going on!

Thanks for being with me today.  With the Love of Christ our Lord - Pastor Kim

Pastor's Ponderings: Tuesday Bible Study on Acts of the Apostles 2:1-13 (July 29, 2025)

July 29, 2025:  Tuesday Bible Study on Acts of the Apostles 2:1-13

Blessings and Peace be with you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Good morning.

It has been a quiet week for prayer requests, but that never means that there are not plenty of folks we know who need prayers regularly, and we always have reason to offer prayers of thanksgiving to God for His many blessings. So today, lets pray with thanksgiving for the Universal Church of Christ, designated by using a Capital C at its beginning, pray too for our local congregation, we are small but mighty in the paths of the Gospel, and pray also for the leaders who serve the Gospel in our midst, pastors, council members, staff, and others who serve the Gospel quietly in word and deed.  American is really an extraordinary congregation, filled with love, hope in our Savior, and the power of the Spirit's presence in what we do. Pray for God's forgiveness for the times when we, as members of the Body of Christ, fail to be the bearers of the Gospel Truth in the lives of everyone we meet, most especially our brothers and sisters in Christ. The "more" that we always must do is to be the Love of Christ in everyone's life. This is a good place to move to our study of the second chapter of Acts.

In our reading for today from the second chapter of the Acts of the Apostles we find the Apostles doing what Christ had told them to do. They are waiting in that upper room, waiting for the coming gift of the Spirit of Christ to empower them for the ministries that lie ahead for them in their lives. I can only imagine that they had failed to realize the power of the Pentecost Event that was about to take place. I certainly have many "a ha" times in my life, especially when it comes to sharing the powerful message of the Gospels in my preaching. When I sit at my desk working on meaningful sermon titles based on the texts for coming Sundays, or am working through hymns at the piano, I am frequently overcome by the beauty of Christ's presence, and that is truly the presence of the Spirit.  However, I have never heard any wind blowing through the sanctuary, other than some creaks and moans of our building, and as for tongues of flame, certainly not that I am aware of, but the Spirit's fire still comes to me in other ways, just as She did for the Disciples after that powerful first day.  The list of nations and geographic names which is in this reading is the nightmare of every lector on Pentecost Sunday. They are names that are unfamiliar to us in modern times. But what is most significant here is that not only did the Spirit empower the disciples, but She also moved in the lives of those who heard the message of our Savior in the languages with which they were familiar. We are not told that this ever happens again, except when a person of faith receives the gift of tongues, which I have come to understand as the language of the angels. It is a very personal gift… one that is not meant to be used with others unless there is a person there who has been given the gift of interpretation. If there is no one who has that gift, then the gift of speaking in tongues should be held in private for the edification of the one who has that gift. Evidently, on this amazing day, the entire gathered community is given the gift of interpretation, and they hear it in their own languages. Apparently, there were some in the group who did not understand, who had not received the gift of the Spirit, and they made an interesting, almost silly, accusation about the Disciples, that they were drunk with new wine. How many times have people tried to explain some wonderful spiritual experience in common human terms? The joy that the Disciples now knew overcame them in every part of who they were. Sometimes others don't get it! This fullness and joy prepared them for what lay ahead in their lives, both the good and the truly difficult things that would come to them as they served the Gospel in Jerusalem, and for those who headed out and headed into Asia Minor carrying this Spirit-joy to sustain them.

With Joy and Hope and Love in Christ, Pastor Kim