Pastor's Ponderings: Old Testament bible study on Nehemiah 1:11b-2:10 (May 2, 2024)

May 1, 2024:  Thursday Bible Study on the Old Testament book of Nehemiah 1:11b-2:10

God's blessings and peace be with you on this desert spring day.

I want to thank our prayer chain at American, and any of the rest of you who were aware of my health issue with my blood pressure yesterday. I have battled high blood pressure for 18 years, sometimes with it at dangerously critical levels. Yesterday was one of those days. Ultimately, after having little success in bringing my pressure down with my regular rescue medication, I ended up in the emergency room for 5 hours.  My pressure lowered without any added medication, but it is still higher than it should be. I will be headed to a cardiologist in the next several weeks to get assessed for any cardiac issues that may have developed recently. I am working from home today again due to my need to try to catch up on the exhaustion of having a full day of really high blood pressure. Please continue to pray for me that my pressure goes down to its more normal lower level, and that this feeling of begin wiped out stops.

Nehemiah bible study

Today we continue in Nehemiah 1:11b (this means the second half of verse 11) thru 2:10. It is almost ironic that I spent all of my emergency room time praying to God with thanksgiving for every one of you who are so faithful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Here in this passage of Nehemiah we know that after Nehemiah heard some devastating news about his homeland of Judah and the condition of the wall and gates of the settlement being destroyed and burned, he turns to the "the God of the Heavens", the God who you and I worship and accept as the only One True God of all things,  and in his distress for the people, he prays to God to be a part of the solution for the problems in Judah.  Having worked for 18 years as Artaxerxes' faithful butler, during which time it was his responsibility to keep the king safe through his oversight of the wine and food being served. In this passage we see Nehemiah as one who has been faithful in his service to the king, and whose work on the king's behalf has been appreciated. Though Nehemiah has prayed for God to use him, he understands how difficult it will be for him to come to the king with this ask, but with uncertainty about how Artaxerxes will respond, Nehemiah approaches the king with a face that is apparently feeling pretty certain about the danger and trouble he may be in as he approaches the king.  Obviously from the text, we discover that Artaxerxes truly cares for this long-time servant butler. The king wants to be certain that his trusted butler will return after this journey to help fix Jerusalem. IN this circumstance between king and servant, there is a miracle of reversal. Now Nehemiah is doing the asking for privilege that should belong only to the king in this relationship. I think that our relationship with God is exactly like this. We know that God's call rests on every one of us, and yet, on a day like yesterday, we sought God's service at our request, and when God chooses to respond to us, we really need to count every one of these actions from God as a certain miracle.  But how about this different approach from faithful exiled Nehemiah? He asks God to be the solution to a problem. Usually in our prayers, we are asking God to act, but here, the ask is to become the solution that God may use to complete His desired action. How long has it been since you have offered that prayer to God? I think that we all know that God uses us to be His solution to needs of the world, but how often do we actually ask to be the tools of God's successful work in our world?  Like Nehemiah we may have some fear about what we may face if God chooses to answer out prayer. Perhaps that makes us more unlikely to be a knowing instrument of God's work when we have asked God to use us.  The surprising thing here is that in His answer to Nehemiah God also works in the life of Artaxerxes to cause him to respond positively to this unusual request. 33 years ago I prayed to God to make me an instrument of His Gospel here in Tucson,  I can tell you that I received God's blessing and answer to serve at American Lutheran Church through both really great times, and in times of questions, thru joys and sorrows, and in times of celebration or despair.  And at that call meeting on the weekend of October 1990, Tucson Meet Yourself, God moved the people of American just like He did Artaxerxes. If we learn anything from Nehemiah's encounter with the king, it should be that The God of all things answers prayers that work His Will in the world in which we live. As we read to the end of this passage we learn that the king does more than send Nehemiah, he sends a large contingent of support, which is a good thing, because there are always those who oppose God's action just as they did when Nehemiah arrived to begin his work, and for another time,  just as some did at American.

May the Lord grant you joy in His Easter. With Love in Christ, Pastor Kim

Pastor's Ponderings: Meandering through Mark 9:36-37 bible study (April 30, 2024)

April 30, 2024:  Tuesday Morning Bible Study on the Gospel of Mark 9:36-37

Good morning and may these closing days of the Church Year Season of Easter find you still excited and filled with joy because Jesus has been resurrected and has now ascended to our Father in Heaven.

This morning, I woke up to being ill, but I will later catch a nap, and of course, Pastor's family transport service will still go on because Melody is only able to drive short distances until her knee replacement is more healed. This next Sunday at American is Gospel Music Sunday. We hope that you will join us for worship, and then come to the carry-in lunch after worship. The theme is Southwestern. If possible, let us know that you will be with us by calling the church office at 520-623-3661. For our regulars and members, we are already planning on most of you being with us. The other quick news is that after having one car die last week, (it needed a new battery) our van blew a radiator hose after I picked up the boys after school, so it is in the garage getting repaired. We hope that it will be back late today, or tomorrow.

Bible Study: exploring scripture together

Today we have a small two verse passage to consider from Mark 9:36-37.  Here we find Jesus still speaking with the disciples in that Rabbinical mode. He is trying to get them to understand what is important, as well as, what makes the followers of Christ so different from the world in how they live their lives and serve others as their ministry unfolds. I believe that we know that Jesus is fond of children.  After all, according to Mark He had younger siblings.  However, in this case of bringing a child into the midst of His teaching the disciples, he is making an example of what it meant to serve others. A child has little value in terms of its ability to produce to support the family, or to offer its wisdom in difficult to understand circumstances. A child is dependent on those who love him or her. They need their food, clothing, opportunities to be cleaned up, a shelter in which to live and rest, and to learn about life by teaching and/or by example. All of this being said, at least in our culture children are treasured and cherished above almost every other thing in a family's life!  A number of years ago, singer Ray Stevens sang a song which I have shared in prelude form, Jesus Loves the Little Children. This is most certainly true, but Jesus was speaking about the child He was holding as He taught, as a model of the kind of individuals that the disciples were meant to serve. They were called by Christ, and so are we, to bring the Gospel Good News as a gift for those who lives seem to be lost to the rest of the world. Yes, I know, the Gospel message is for everyone. But the reality is how we show Christ's love to those who we may really not want to have to spend any time. We know who these folks are. They stand on corners, their lives are usually between a rock and a hard place, they are unkept, unwashed, homeless, and more. These are the ones with whom we are called to present the Good News of Jesus' love for them. In this passage Jesus speaks more clearly about worthy and unworthy ambition. He tells His disciples to stand carefully in the purity of the Gospel when the relationship is reciprocal. Share the Gospel instead with those who are unable to give anything in return. Let their time with you be their gift and blessing. There should be no gain because we have chosen the relationship where that is possible, and it benefits us with status blessings in return. We must remember that we cannot earn Christ's gifts for our lives by anything that we say or do. We come with nothing to give that Christ does not already know. Our humble faith in Christ's Love comes when we know how little we deserve what Jesus brings for us, and we are sinners who He has given His life for! We know the words. Inasmuch as you have done it for the least of these, you have done it for me. It is in this way of loving all people, that we receive Christ, and through Him, our Father in Heaven. God bless you and keep you every day. With Love in Christ, Pastor Kim

Pastor's Ponderings: Meandering through Mark 9:32-35 bible study (April 29, 2024)

April 29, 2024

Monday Morning Bible Study on the Gospel of Mark 9:32-35

May the blessings of the Easter season be with you today and each day of your life. In His Resurrection Christ has broken the burden of sin and death. We no longer need to be burdened by the brokenness in our lives, nor by death at our life's end. God has answered our every concern and given to us healing and hope in all circumstances. Please continue prayers for Pastor David, Jeff, and Kandice, all who are battling cancer. Pray for their comfort, peace, and hope in Christ to sustain and keep them each day of their journeys with this difficult disease. Pray for Katie too as she begins her physical therapy to regain her strength, and to continue her healing. Continue to pray for her as she faces coming health concerns from her extreme dehydration. May our Lord be with each of these people, surrounding them with comfort and hope in these tough times in their lives.

Bible Study: exploring scripture together

Today we continue on in the 9th chapter of the Gospel of Mark, verses 32-35.  In this passage we are confronted with the lack of understanding which the disciples are carrying in their lives, even after several years of experience, and teaching from their Master. Here they argue in a most human way, which of them is the greatest. They are seeing the coming death of the Master like any great person would see it. Someone must be handed the lead position to carry on. We know that Peter is named the Rock on which the future church must be built, yet we come to understand the frailty of Peter who still has human fears for his own life, and then Christ undoes their conversation by indicating to them in their thoughts of greatness, that it will be the one who is humble of heart, and whose life is given in service to others, not because of assignment, but because such humility and a caring, compassionate heart is who they have become through the teachings of Jesus.

We can see how seriously Jesus took all of this conversation that the disciples were having. Jesus often taught the disciples on the run, so to speak. They took a walk, or moved away from the crowds in some way, as difficult as that was to do. They spoke around meals, and the disciples listened as Christ taught the masses of people who gathered around Him. However, in this passage it becomes obvious that Jesus needs to nip this conversation in the bud. He sits down, taking precious time, to confront the disciples, and to teach them immediately what true greatness is really about. The signal to the disciples that this was really important was in Christ taking the rabbinical style. He didn't need to tell them how important this was, the physical style of the space was a complete indication for them that this message was to be regarded with the strictest importance.  We must also remember where Jesus and the disciples were at this moment. They have left the relative safety of the north and are now in the places in which the detractors and enemies of Christ had power. Jesus needed to be certain that the disciples understood how important their lives were with regards to continuing Christ's ministry truly were. It is important that those who are humble of heart are able to acknowledge others in their community who are greater than they are. As the pastor of our congregation, I am constantly amazed at the many gifts of the Spirit that are shared by our members. There are those who are amazing at speaking the Truth of God, others whose gifts for discernment certainly outshine mine, some have courage and faith strength that is quietly, yet powerfully present in their lives every day, those who can teach the Gospel to a variety of age groups effectively, those whose lives shine with the hospitality of the Spirit,  and more.  Jesus knew that He must draw on these amazing gifts of the disciples, that they might be shared after His death. He just needed the disciples to know, and in what mode, their gifts would be most successful for the work of the Church. And above all, they must be used with humility, providing for God's in-breaking love for all people.

I will be with you tomorrow to offer my thoughts on Mark 9:36-37.

 In Christ's love, Pastor Kim