Pastor's Ponderings: Tuesday Bible Study on Acts of the Apostles 1:12-20 (July 22, 2025)

July 22, 2025:  Tuesday Bible Study on Acts of the Apostles 1:12-20

Good morning, and good afternoon. I am starting a little late today. I had a difficult night of little sleep, so I finally really got back to sleep around 8 this morning. My news is that I am not a good solid sleeper, except that I usually get off to sleep well at about 3AM. Please keep the Middle East, both Jews and Moslems, as they continue to rain harm down upon one another. Peace there is so difficult when the peacemakers are out acted by those who want more destruction and havoc. Now it seems that the whole of the Middle East, perhaps except for Jordan, is readying itself for on-going conflict. As with all wars, as we know, there are no winners. Every nation involved loses. I can't tell you how many World War II soldiers have told me over the years that in the reality of war, everyone loses. So, please continue to pray for everyone involved for peace to fill their hearts and minds.

In our passage from chapter one of the Acts today, we see another group that has been impacted by its one misled member. And it is here that we get a fuller accounting of how things have continued to move forward after Christ's Ascension. The disciples head back to the upper room where they have been staying, and the news about Judas is that he purchased land with his ill-gotten gains where he fell to his death spoiling the land forever. A note about additional thinking on this. Some sources indicate that Judas died on pristine land owned by the priests of the Temple, which meant it could never be used as their own burial site, being considered unclean for that purpose any longer. Her we also discover the names of the Apostles, discover that there are at this time about 120 followers, that there are women in this group, and Mary, Christ's mother is with them too, which only makes good sense since she has been taken on by John as his own mother at the request of Christ as he is crucified on the cross.  So here are the chances for Christianity to spread. there were altogether about 120 disciples, most of whom had never been outside of Palestine, and who were under that direct control of the Roman government as conquered nationals of Israel. That would have been less than 1 out of 30,000 were new Christians called to share the Gospel. At least here we know the result. As we move forward in Acts, we discover that there was little success in this endeavor in Palestine (Israel). The most effective outreach of this group would be through Paul and a few others who struck out to take the Good News out of Palestine, and indeed Paul's newly started communities of faith would respond to a request for an offering to support the Jerusalem community of faith which was having little to no success.  But what we are probably most interested in is Judas, and the outcome of taking his own life in grief and guilt.

Why did Judas betray Christ?

1. It has been suggested that his name Iscariot, implied and meant man of Kerioth. So perhaps Judas was the only non-Galilean in the band of apostles. Perhaps he always felt himself the odd one out in this group of men, growing increasingly embittered causing him to strike out in frustration.

2. It has been suggested that this deal that Judas struck with the priests also had to do with him receiving a deal which would save him from some illegal undertaking in which he had taken part.

3. Maybe Judas was just greedy for money. That is certainly a common problem which we see all around us in our own 21st century world today.

4. Perhaps Judas came to truly despise Jesus during the time that they were together, a feeling that he could hide from the others in the group except for Jesus who even saw Nathaniel under that tree before calling him to answer Christ's call. Jesus knew Judas' heart.

5. It has been suggested that Iscariot was a form of Greek word which meant dagger bearer. That group in the time of Jesus was known for its radical and violent actions as zealots in Israel. Judas may have seen in Jesus a possible powerful leader for this group, but after Jesus constantly preached a Gospel of Love and Grace, he became frustrated and angry with Christ, seeing the opportunity to make some money would at least get something out of his time with Jesus to support Judas' political and violent acts against the Romans, and even perhaps the government of Israel. 

6. But most likely of all is that Judas never really understood the motives of the priests, and that his own actions would bring about the death of Jesus. Considering that Judas killed himself after Christ's death on the cross, tells us that his own grief must have been unbearable. His actions in the Scriptures place him as one of the most evil characters in history.

However, even in that, it is not Judas upon whom we focus on in this tragedy. It is the suffering, death, and subsequent Resurrection of Christ, which assures all of us of the gift of Salvation and triumph over death. How many other stories do you and I know of how small groups of people have a task before them that seems insurmountable  and then they fail, but this small group of believers has the power of the living Christ, and the everyday presence in life of Christ's Spirit guiding them on their way, and guiding us on our way to serve the Gospel of Jesus Christ too.

With love in Christ, and by His Grace and Compassion, Pastor Kim

Pastor's Ponderings: Monday Bible Study on Acts of the Apostles 1:9-11; The Ascension of Christ (July 21, 2025)

July 21, 2025:  Monday Bible Study on Acts of the Apostles 1:9-11; The Ascension of Christ

Blessings and Peace to you this morning. Melody and I have been away for a brief vacation up in northern Arizona with our youngest son. In our travels we were reminded of the amazing beauty of our state especially on the Navajo reservation which covers northeast Arizona, southeast Utah, and the northwest of New Mexico.

One amazing fact is that we never went through a border patrol check point on our 1200 plus mile journey. We visited Canyon De Chelly, a beautiful Navajo park at Chinle, drove through blowing sand and dust from high winds pulsing through the Mesas with great force on our way to Canyon Lands and Monument Valley 30 miles north of Kayenta, and drove in rain, clay, sand, and plenty of sweet smelling smoke from the fires on the north rim of the Grand Canyon.  On our way south we drove through Sedona, coming south from Flagstaff. One should never underestimate the wonderful beauty of Arizona canyons. I know that we will return at least one more time through some, or all, of the places where we were this past week, especially as we are reminded of the peoples of the First Nation, the Dine, the Navajo tribe. We also drove past the Lutheran Navajo Mission School at Rock Point north of Many Farms. I hope that you will take this trip at some time in your life, to be renewed in the glory of God's creation, and to remember the more than questionable treatment of these beautiful historic peoples.

Today we move on to a historic event in the lives of the disciples and in our own faith. As Luke begins to share the Gospel outreach of the disciples, we have come to name the Apostles, we need to remember that there had to be some way for the Glory of Christ to be defined as He ends His 40 days of caring for and teaching his closest followers.  After the Resurrection, it was almost as if things were going to continue as they had been before Christ death. We can certainly imagine the desire of the disciples for that to be exactly what they expected. However, Christ needed to be restored to His Glory at the right hand of His Father. As we hear from Paul, Christ had humbled Himself to come into the midst of God's children, to preach the Truth of the Gospel, to show the power of God's Grace and Mercy, and to show to God's children that there must be a consequence, a blood price, for sin.  He came to pay that price through His very perfect life. But now, with His disciples, Jesus must prepare them for the work that lies ahead for them, a time when Christ will not be physically present with them as they preach the Gospel with compassion and grace. I do not mean here to infer that Christ will be absent once He ascends. No, He gifts His Spirit and promises Himself to be with those who love Him to the end of the age. I don't know what that means exactly, but it has to do with the second part of this passage, Christ's return. We will get to that. The traditional conception of Heaven comes from the actions of the disciples, as they look up as Christ ascends. Today we understand in a more theologically sophisticated way, that Heaven is the state of being with God eternally after death. We don't know where it is, but we know that we will be in God's constant care and presence when we are there. God will be with us in the fullness of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit! So back to where we were. The Ascension takes place so that the Kingdom work can move on from Jesus' earthly presence. So, according to Luke, both here, and in his Gospel (see Luke 24:50-53) Christ departs in, and to, His Glory with His Father in Heaven. Here this departure of Christ seems to have an abrupt end, but in his Gospel, Luke tells us that the disciples returned to Jerusalem with Great Joy. That tells us that Jesus had assured them of His second coming at some time in the future, a time unknown even to Christ, and only known by His Father. So, it is a great waste of time to speculate. We know, in faith, that God is steadfast in His promises for all of creation, and so here we can be just as confident in the words of Christ about His Second Coming, as Savior and as Judge over the living and the dead.  I don't think that perfection is the answer in our lives for whether we will be carried into Christ's time, but we are to always be working toward that state throughout our lives. After all, that is exactly why Christ came. We are called to confess our sin, regret its consequences on others, learn from the experience of forgiveness of sin, and accept the Grace of Christ's flawless Love for us all. Our merit is only complete when we have faith in the Savior' merit, becoming right before God. In His own singular perfection, we get to live immersed and surrounded by our Savior. We must always trust that no matter what happens The Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are in charge as the LORD'S plans for all of creation, including our participation as His children in this life and the next, continue to the fulfillment which our LORD has planned all along! 

God bless and keep you today and always, 

In Christ's Love, Pastor Kim

Pastor's Ponderings: Prayer Break & Old Testament bible study of Psalm 23 (July 10, 2025)

July 10, 2025:  Thursday Bible Study on Old Testament of Psalm 23

May the blessings of God's Grace surround your life every day.

My apologies for missing the Wednesday Prayer List yesterday. So here it is today at the beginning of the Psalm Study:

• Pray please for Trixie, a 4-pound dog who is headed to Mexico for surgery this AM. Trixie's surgery would be too expensive for her family if done by a vet in the U.S.

• Pray for Jeff and Rachel and Jonah and Caleb. Their much loved and treasured Pit Bull had to be put to sleep yesterday. This was a tough one for our whole family.

• Pray for the continuing success of the ELCA's Disaster relief program, as they aid in the relocation of people fleeing war and disaster, both nationally and internationally.

• Pray for all the uncertainty about cuts to Medicaid and SNAP food programs for those in need of extra aid with their expenses. These cuts also include reduced cost housing where we have members living, like the Council House.

• Pray for peace in the Ukraine, Russia, Israel, the Palestinians, over the whole earth. God's intervention may be the only answer to humankind’s proclivity toward violence.

• Pray for our community, and all who are out traveling around town in the heat. Pedestrians, motor cyclists, drivers of cars and trucks, all need to be more diligent in taking care of themselves and the people around them.

• Pray for people who experience violence in their homes and places of work.

• Pray for the leaders of our denomination, that they might find the courage to truly become the conscience of the government in our country. The loss of compassion today in our nation is staggering and unholy.

• Pray for change in the whole world, that we might all become advocates for those who Jesus would have been reaching out to. He spent little time with the well to do people in His own time, and instead, called His disciples to spread the Good News of God's love to every corner of their known world. How are you and I doing this today?

• Pray for Lisa Kartchner who is having a number of tests and procedures done for her own health care needs, all as she cares for Kandice and carries the load of being a full-time caregiver.

• Pray for families who are having a hard time with commitment, that the forgiveness of Christ might guide them to healing and hope.

• Pray for the victims of the floods, and their families, in Texas, New Mexico, and the southern state as all battle to come back from grief and loss from massive rainfall totals.

• While we are at it, let’s pray for rain in the desert and the entire Colorado River Basin.

I hope you will take some time, perhaps a half hour, or forty-five minutes today, or over several days to be aware of the importance of your prayers, offering prayers from the above list.

Today we are on the 23rd Psalm. It is the most widely known, and much-loved Psalm. We even have a hymn that encompasses this Psalm. For many years, when American had a large contingent of youth, we attended the Pine Canyon Methodist Bible Camp in the mountains south and east of Willcox. It was beautiful, with a stream coursing through the center of the camp, relatively cool temps most of the time, and plenty of opportunities to wander and hike, both through the valley where the camp was located and up to the rocky peaks of the surrounding mountains.  However, there were some complications with this pastoral place. It was loaded with rock rattle snakes, and with bears, and who knows what else. In orientation we always received information about how to manage either one of these run-ins with nature. The snakes were so prevalent that Steve Irwin even did a part of one of his popular shows on how many could be easily found. What I am trying to say here is that the camp counselors knew how to manage these wild animal encounters, just like the shepherd in the 23rd Psalm. The shepherd, our Lord, always knows about all these dangers that lie in wait for our very lives, and instead of turning us loose to run into all this tough stuff, prepares us by assuring us that we are being cared for, even watched, as we plow ahead in life.  The shepherd is with us to help us remember that our lives can indeed be full of difficult times, yet with the shepherd's accompanying presence, we are able to find that comfort, that place of experiencing God's Grace. And perhaps the greatest reality of the first half of this Psalm, and this is critical in our relationship with God, our shepherd is always and forever faithful, knowing just what we need to make it through the trials and tribulations of our lives. We must always remember that we are in a reciprocal relationship with our Shepherd. When we live with our trustworthy Shepherd, we must trust in our Shepherd's care for us, even when we might question how things are going. The best good news is that our Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, have always had a place prepared for us. In Christ we have what the enemies of God's Grace want, but with our Shepherd, though those enemies can see in and know how peaceful the Shepherd's safety can be, how well provided for we are, and our journey which always holds us in the fullness of Christ's Grace, they are unable to experience it themselves!  Every one of us will walk through the valley of the shadow of death, but the care of our loving God will always be there to hold us safe in His care. No wonder we like this Psalm so much at the time of our victory over death itself. Our Shepherd's gate is always open for us to come into the abundance and life which Christ has promised for us eternally with Him in Heaven.

God bless you today. Stay safe in this heat. Pray with Thanksgiving for our Shepherd, Jesus Christ.

In His Love. Pastor Kim