Category: Life in Christ

Morning Reading: Acts 20:13-38 NLT – guard yourselves and God’s people

Reading: Acts 20:13-38 NLT

Paul went by land to Assos, where he had arranged for us to join him, while we traveled by ship. He joined us there, and we sailed together to Mitylene. The next day we sailed past the island of Kios. The following day we crossed to the island of Samos, and a day later we arrived at Miletus.

Paul had decided to sail on past Ephesus, for he didn’t want to spend any more time in the province of Asia. He was hurrying to get to Jerusalem, if possible, in time for the Festival of Pentecost. But when we landed at Miletus, he sent a message to the elders of the church at Ephesus, asking them to come and meet him.

Paul's Farewell Ephesus
Apostle Paul’s Farewell
with the Elders of Ephesus

When they arrived he declared, “You know that from the day I set foot in the province of Asia until now I have done the Lord’s work humbly and with many tears. I have endured the trials that came to me from the plots of the Jews. I never shrank back from telling you what you needed to hear, either publicly or in your homes. I have had one message for Jews and Greeks alike — the necessity of repenting from sin and turning to God, and of having faith in our Lord Jesus.

“And now I am bound by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem. I don’t know what awaits me, except that the Holy Spirit tells me in city after city that jail and suffering lie ahead. But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus — the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.

“And now I know that none of you to whom I have preached the Kingdom will ever see me again. I declare today that I have been faithful. If anyone suffers eternal death, it’s not my fault, for I didn’t shrink from declaring all that God wants you to know.

“So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock — his church, purchased with his own blood — over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as elders. I know that false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock. Even some men from your own group will rise up and distort the truth in order to draw a following. Watch out! Remember the three years I was with you — my constant watch and care over you night and day, and my many tears for you.

“And now I entrust you to God and the message of his grace that is able to build you up and give you an inheritance with all those he has set apart for himself.

“I have never coveted anyone’s silver or gold or fine clothes. You know that these hands of mine have worked to supply my own needs and even the needs of those who were with me. And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

When he had finished speaking, he knelt and prayed with them. They all cried as they embraced and kissed him good-bye. They were sad most of all because he had said that they would never see him again. Then they escorted him down to the ship.

Prayer: Lord Jesus – Help us all to finish well… no regrets. Give us the courage to examine our hearts… to review our ministries… and to put right any wrongs we may have done. Give us a spirit of humility, Lord, it’s never been about us… it’s always been about you. And help us to make clear the message of help and hope you offer to all… friend and foe alike. May we not shrink back from the essential message of repentance and the forgiveness of sin made possible through your death on the cross. And may we also speak boldly of our blessed hope of eternal life and your immanent return. Raise up capable leaders who will shepherd and protect your flock when we are gone. And may you be honored in all things. Amen.

Hymn: “The Church’s One Foundation” – S. J. Stone (1866)

Please pray for Christians in Bhutan – World Watch List #28 (Open Doors)

BHUTAN (Wikipedia) – World Watch List #28 (Open Doors UK)

World Map showing Bhutan
World Map showing Bhutan

Population: 750,000 (20,000 Christians)
Main Religion: Mahayana Buddhism
Government: Constitutional monarchy
Source of Persecution: Religious militancy/tribal antagonism

Despite its transition from absolute to constitutional monarchy, Buddhism continues to play a dominant role in Bhutan. The constitution promotes religious tolerance, but parliament is still considering an amendment to the penal code aimed at prohibiting ‘conversion by coercion or inducement’. Christians can generally meet in private homes without government interference, but the authorities restrict the construction of non-Buddhist places of worship and the celebration of some non-Buddhist festivals. Although reports of Christians being arrested or physically harmed are decreasing, believers still face harassment.

Bhutan ChristiansPLEASE PRAY:

  • The media portrays Christians negatively. Pray for positive change in society’s attitude to Christianity
  • The church lacks trained leaders. Pray for training opportunities for pastors and church workers
  • That the transition to a more democratic rule would bring genuine change for religious minorities.


[Local Bhutanese spinning the prayer wheels at a monastery in Bumthang during a mass noviciation ceremony, as seen on a Cox & Kings holiday (www.coxandkings.co.uk)]

PERSECUTION DYNAMICS

Bhutan city streetBhutan was a Buddhist kingdom for centuries and even now, after introducing a constitutional monarchy and democracy, Buddhism plays a dominant role. The monarch is deemed to be the protector of all faiths in Bhutan, which includes Hindus and a small, albeit increasing, number of Christians. However, there is a lot of pressure on Christians from the local community, especially local administrators who deny meetings and put obstacles in the way of believers. Although the constitution of Bhutan promotes secularism and religious tolerance, it also labels Buddhism as the ‘spiritual heritage’ of the country.

Bhutan woman and childThe church in Bhutan is no longer an underground church and Christians are able to meet in private homes on Sundays, generally without interference from the authorities. Reports of Christians being arrested, physically harmed or otherwise badly treated remain on the decline but they still face harassment. The media has not helped the Christians’ case and Christianity is viewed as a religion that brings the sort of chaos and division in society that Bhutan shuns.

ANECDOTAL REPORT:

Karen*is a Christian teenager in Bhutan and has asked us to pray for her parents who are non-Christians. “My mom and dad are still orthodox Hindus,” she said. “Please continue praying for them.”

After finishing high school, Karen took a job at a beverage factory and moved out of her home town. She is staying at a cousin’s place at one of the border areas in southern Bhutan, where Hindu communities thrive. In her new surroundings, Karen’s newfound hope is tested.

Bhutan scenery“My uncle’s eldest son beat me when he discovered I was a Christian,” Karen says. “Please pray for him too; pray that he discovers the Lord Jesus Christ.” But Karen does not give up her faith. She continues attending the house church in her new village.

Karen’s steadiness in the faith has been evident also at work, and she was promoted as a result. “From the packaging section, I am now assigned to work at the counters. May God continue to grant me favor.”

Please continue to pray for Karen as she grows in her faith, despite the persecution that she faces.

*Karen’s real name and other details about her are withheld for her security. She is the only Christian in her family.

A Charism of Life – Sisters of Life (YouTube)

A Charism of Life "to lay down our lives that others might live"
A Charism of Life
“to lay down our lives that others might live”

Peanut Gallery: “What will we do with the rest of our lives?”

That was the question asked by Deacon Kandra in Sunday’s homily.

These women have found their vocation.

What’s yours?

Sisters of Life: click here for more information. 

Morning Reading: Acts 20:7-12 NLT – dropping off to sleep

Reading: Acts 20:7-12 NLT

On the first day of the week, we gathered with the local believers [in Troas} to share in the Lord’s Supper. Paul was preaching to them, and since he was leaving the next day, he kept talking until midnight. The upstairs room where we met was lighted with many flickering lamps.

sleepinAs Paul spoke on and on, a young man named Eutychus, sitting on the windowsill, became very drowsy. Finally, he fell sound asleep and dropped three stories to his death below. Paul went down, bent over him, and took him into his arms. “Don’t worry,” he said, “he’s alive!”

Then they all went back upstairs, shared in the Lord’s Supper, and ate together. Paul continued talking to them until dawn, and then he left.

Meanwhile, the young man was taken home unhurt, and everyone was greatly relieved.

Pray: Holy Spirit – I pray today for congregations around the world… the people who are listening in the pews, as it were… keep them alert and open to all that you have prepared for them.  Help them find your Word of hope and help directed to them personally… even when a barrage of words are scattered broadside at them. I pray for preachers and teachers everywhere… help them to cull through all the research and information they’ve uncovered… so that they can zero in on your transforming message of Life Change. May your word go forth with power and accomplish the purpose you intended. I ask it in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Spiritual Song: “Open the eyes of my heart Lord” – Christopher Duffley

Homily for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Deacon Greg Kandra reblog

clock and calendar

by Deacon Greg Kandra, patheos.com / August 10th 2013
The Deacon’s Bench

[Click here for readings.]

Years ago, a song asked the romantic question: “What are you doing the rest of your life?”

Last week, an item in the New York Times put that into sharp focus.  It was a story about a website called “DeathClock.com.” At the site, you enter your birth date, your general personality type – optimistic or pessimistic – and a few other details.  And in a matter of seconds, it will tell you, exactly, the date you can expect to die.

For those who are interested, according to the website, I’m scheduled to check out on Sunday, April 21, 2052.  I’m free that day, if anyone wants to make dinner plans. I’ll be happy to make plans for the following night, as well, but no guarantees.  I’ll be 92 years old.

Now, this is hardly scientific. And the point of it seems to be to get you to change habits in your life that might be shortening it: lose weight, exercise, stop smoking.  We don’t have forever. Time is limited—and fleeting.

Which brings us back to the musical question: “What are you doing the rest of your life?” … I think the gospel readings we’re encountering right now pose a similar question and raise the stakes.

Last week, you’ll remember, we heard of the man who accumulated lots of stuff in his barn, only to learn that he was about to die.  “You fool,” God said to him.This week, Jesus underscores that idea again, telling his disciples to be prepared.“Be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding,” he says, “ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.”

Be prepared. You do not know when the Son of Man will return.

Be prepared.

They are words of caution to us all.  We need to be ready, anticipating, waiting in  “joyful hope.”  That means nothing less than a constant and daily call to conversion.

We tend to think of conversion as a one-time event, like Paul blinded on the road to Damascus. But no.  Conversion is ongoing.  To take one example, there is a reason why we call RCIA a “process.”  It’s not a program, or a class, or a study plan.  It’s a process.  What begins in the rectory basement on a weeknight in September continues all the way through the scrutinies, through that moment at the baptismal font during the Easter Vigil. But then it goes on.  Every day.  It is the work of a lifetime.

And not just for those in RCIA.  But for all of us.  Conversion of heart demands our constant attention, and our prayer.

In the 13th century, an English bishop, St. Richard of Chichester, wrote a simple prayer about daily conversion that all of us know, thanks to Stephen Schwartz, who set it to music in 1972.

“Day by day, dear Lord, three things I pray. To see thee more clearly, love thee more dearly, follow thee more nearly.  Day by day.”

That, quite simply, is conversion.  That is the way we are called to live.

Conversion is a daily choice, a daily prayer. A daily state of readiness. Ready to greet the master at the door at any moment, even without warning.

Part of that readiness involves a change in focus, a shift in priorities.  Early on in this gospel passage, Jesus offers words that serve as a challenge, especially in our own age:

“Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach nor moth destroy. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.”

What do we treasure?  What do we treasure?

What means the most to us?

The rich man last week learned the hard way that you can’t take it with you, that you “need to be rich in what matters to God,” as the gospel put it.

That means being rich in compassion.  In mercy.  Rich in love for the poor, the weak, the marginalized, the small.  Rich in love and respect for life, from its beginning to its end.

Because none of us, after all, knows exactly when it will end, no matter what a clever website may try to tell us.

So, as Jesus tells us this week: be prepared. Be watchful.

And be open.  God is calling us, every one of us, to draw near to him.What are you doing the rest of your life?

The lyrics to that song are by Marilyn and Alan Bergman, who may be best known for “The Way We Were.”  Like that song, this one is also a love song. But listen closely. It could also be heard as God’s love song to a fallen, searching world—God’s invitation to each of us:

What are you doing the rest of your life?
North and south and east and west of your life?
I have only one request of your life
That you spend it all with me.
All the seasons and the times of your days.
All the nickels and the dimes of your days.
Let the reasons and the rhymes of your days.
All begin and end with me.

My friends: What are we doing with the rest of our lives?

Are we making ourselves ready to greet God, whenever he comes to the door?

That should be our great work of our lives, for the rest of our lives.