Scripture:
Exodus 17:2-6
(NLT) - "So once more the people complained against Moses.
'Give us water to drink!' they demanded. 'Quiet!' Moses
replied. 'Why are you complaining against me? And why
are you testing the Lord?' But tormented by thirst, they
continued to argue with Moses. 'Why did you bring us out of
Egypt? Are you trying to kill us, our children, and our
livestock with thirst?' Then Moses cried out to the Lord,
'What should I do with these people? They are ready to stone
me!' The Lord said to Moses, 'Walk out in front of the people.
Take your staff, the one you used when you struck the water of the
Nile, and call some of the elders of Israel to join you. I
will stand before you on the rock at Mount Sinai. Strike the
rock, and water will come gushing out. Then the people will be
able to drink.' So Moses struck the rock as he was told, and
water gushed out as the elders looked on."
Message:
The people of
Israel spent more time in the wilderness than they wanted to.
As someone who has traveled in the Sinai Peninsula I can tell you
the conditions are rough, dry, rocky, and the sun is blazing.
The wilderness wasn't just a place for the people
of Israel. It was also their state of mind. They were
not ready to move into the promised land. After God led them
out of slavery, across the Red Sea in front of Pharaoh's army, and
on the way to their new future they still had not learned to trust
God. Without trust it is hard for a relationship to grow.
The Season of Lent can feel like a wilderness.
We are preparing ourselves to enter God's promise of the
resurrection of Jesus Christ. During this season I challenge
you to ask God for living water as the anxious people of Israel did
and to ask God for the faith of Moses who believed God is at work
even when it doesn't feel like it.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, give us
faith to trust You even when we are in the wilderness and when we
are thirsty. Lead us Lord into Your coming promise.
Amen.
Pastor Mike Luzinski
Spring of Life United Methodist Church
Orlando, Florida
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Scripture:
Genesis 32:24-30 (NIV Extract) – “Jacob was left alone, and a
man wrestled with him till daybreak…. Then the man said, ‘Let me
go, for it is daybreak.’ But Jacob replied, ‘I will not let you go
unless you bless me.’…. Then the man said, ‘Your name will no
longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and
with humans and have overcome.’…. Then he blessed him (Jacob)
there. So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, ‘It is
because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.’”
(Please read the entire text in your Bible)
Message:
When I think of Advent, I imagine a cool night, sitting wrapped in a
blanket, gazing at the stars. Maybe it is because we are told the
birth of Jesus happened at night and the shepherds were watching
their flocks and the magi followed the stars. In the season of
Advent, I imagine myself in a spiritual place of darkness. Not the
kind of darkness that is helpless and hopeless. The kind of
darkness that brings peace and tranquility… that allows us to stop
seeing for a moment, and instead focus on our other senses: feeling,
hearing, smell. Many of us are not so good at sitting still and
making peace with the darkness. We have come to fear the dark
because it is filled with unknown, rather than approach it with
curiosity about what it could birth in us.
One of my favorite
scriptures is when Jacob wrestles with God. Jacob has some inner
work to do after stealing his brother’s birthright. He wrestles
with God in the dark the night before he is to meet his brother
after decades of being apart. He probably pokes God in the eye and
grabs at God’s ear, trying to see and understand. We know after his
night of wrestling, Jacob leaves with a limp and a new name. I
wonder what it would look like to make peace with ourselves in the
dark… and how that would change who we are in the light.
Prayer:
Holy God, You were
born and so often revealed to us in the dark of night. Help us to
make friends with the dark and see it as a place of transformation,
rather than a place of shame and fear. And then, when we are ready,
draw us into the newness of light. Amen.
Pastor Madeline
Luzinski
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Scripture:
Revelation 21:1-5a (CEB) – “Then I saw a new heaven and a
new earth, for the former heaven and the former earth had
passed away, and the sea was no more. I saw the holy city,
New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made
ready as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband….. God
himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away
every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more. There
will be no mourning, crying, or pain anymore, for the former
things have passed away. Then the one seated on the throne
said, ‘Look! I’m making all things new.’”
Please read the full text in your Bible.
Message:
Sometimes there are things in our lives that happen and we wish they
had not. Maybe a friend said something hurtful and you are not sure
you can keep being friends with them. Maybe someone you know is
very sick and you want them to get better. When these things
happen, we sometimes wish that we could make things go back to the
way they were before. Often times that is not possible. Instead,
God uses the parts of our lives that feel broken and creates
something new with them. God gives us new life.
Family Activity: Supplies: 2-3
pieces of different colored paper; 1 piece of white paper; tape.
Take one piece of colored paper and tear it into small pieces. Then
try to tape it back together. You might be able to do it, but it
will never look exactly like the piece of paper you started with.
Tear up the other two pieces of colored paper. This time instead of
trying to make them look like they used to, use the pieces to make a
new picture by taping them onto the white sheet of paper. Maybe you
make a butterfly, a flower, a beach scene, or whatever comes into
your imagination. This is what God is able to do with the broken
parts of our lives. God is able to take them and make them into
something new and something beautiful!
Prayer:
God, Help us to see the ways You are taking the difficult parts of
our lives and making something new from them. Amen.
Pastor Madeline
Luzinski
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Scripture:
Jeremiah 18:1-6 (NRSV) - "The word that came to
Jeremiah from the Lord: 'Come, go down to the
potter's house, and there I will let you hear my
words.' So I went down to the
potter's house, and there he was working at his
wheel. The vessel he was making of clay
was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he
reworked it into another vessel, as seemed good
to him. Then the word of the Lord came to
me: 'Can I not do with you, O house of Israel,
just as this potter has done?' says the
Lord. 'Just like the clay in the potter's
hand, so are you in my hand, O house of
Israel.'"
Message:
Lent is a season of reflection and spiritual growth. I have
found in my life that when I am growing I am often
uncomfortable. When I read the words of the prophet Jeremiah
my first thought is, "ouch!" I t must hurt to be the clay being
reshaped. It must be uncomfortable to be one shape and then be
bludgeoned into another shape. The hands of the potter can be
forceful.
I have had seasons of my life where I felt dizzy and bruised from
being spun and shaped on the potter's wheel, 2020 was one of those
seasons. Being a follower of Jesus is sometimes an experience
of being on the potter's wheel. It requires deep hope and
faith to remember that the outcome of the banging and the reshaping
is something better than before. I've experienced, God working
through experiences of pain, grief, and conflict to make me a better
vessel of the Holy Spirit.
Being a useful vessel of the Holy Spirit is at the core of a life of
faith. May the Holy Spirit flow through us so that we can
share the life transforming Grace of God. May God use this
season of Lent to shape us if we are in need of reshaping.
Prayer:
Lord we submit ourselves to be shaped by You. We know this is
a lifelong process and we know it is uncomfortable. Lord give
us the grace to be shaped by the potter's wheel. Amen.
Pastor Mike Luzinski
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Scripture:
1 Timothy 3:16 (NRSV) – “Without any doubt, the mystery of our
religion is great: He Jesus) was revealed in flesh, vindicated in
spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among Gentiles, believed in
throughout the world, taken up in glory.”
Message:
Mystery can be fun when you’re reading a novel, watching a movie, or
in an escape room. At other times, mystery can be
demoralizing, confusing, and draining. Lent is a season of
mystery and waiting. Growing up in church, I was taught that
everything was black and white, good or bad. I confess that as
I first started to study more deeply I thought divine mystery was
just a way people tried to sound smart while saying “I don’t know”.
As I’ve grown in my faith I believe that leaning into the mystery of
God is a key part of what it means to be a follower of Jesus.
Lent is a perfect
time to contemplate the mystery of faith. After all, it
wouldn’t be faith if we understood everything. There are a lot
of things I learned about in seminary that I still don’t understand.
I confess to you that I went to seminary thinking that I would learn
the answers to all of my questions. I left with more questions
and better questions. I still don’t understand how Jesus is
totally human and totally divine. I still don’t understand how
resurrection works but I believe it to be true.
It took me a long
time to accept that not having an answer was alright. I think
I struggled with the emotional side of the question. Admitting
that I didn’t have an answer made me feel powerless and small.
Maybe those feelings lead us towards humility and open us to be
better vessels of God’s grace. During this season of Lent may
we reflect on God’s mystery and be at peace when we don’t have all
the answers.
Prayer: God,
You are mysterious and You reveal Yourself to us each day.
Lord give us grace to serve You even when we don’t fully understand.
Amen.
Pastor Mike
Luzinski
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Tuesday April 21, 2020
-
"The Connection" Series
Hope In Dust
by Mike
|
Scripture:
Genesis 3:19b
(NRSV) – “you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
Message: This scripture draws our collective gaze back to Ash
Wednesday, when we courageously acknowledge the reality that we will
all face death. Reminding ourselves of the truth of our mortality
prepares us for resurrection. New life comes after death. During
this difficult season we are reminded each day of the small deaths
we are experiencing. Those small deaths hurt. We are not able to
go out or gather at church as we normally do. Some of us are
experiencing even more painful things, like not being able to be
with your family member while she in hospice. These are difficult,
dark, and painful times that we are all going through.
In
the midst of it all, may we hold on to the good news that God is
with us and death is never the end of the story. There is always
new life springing forth out of the ground, especially in this
season of spring. This resurrection truth reminds me of my
grandmother’s favorite hymn. When she was alive I never understood
why she liked it so much, but now that she is gone I am beginning to
see what she saw.
“In our end is our beginning; In our time, infinity;
In our doubt there is believing; In our life, eternity,
In our death, a resurrection; At the last, a victory,
Unrevealed until its season,
Something God alone can see.”
(Hymn of Promise: Words & Music by Natalie A Sleeth, 1982© Hope
Publishing Company)
Activity:
Today
spend time paying attention to where new life is springing forth.
Take a walk around your neighborhood and make a list of all the
places you see new life.
Prayer: Let’s pray, Lord Jesus we confess that we are suffering and
hurting. We feel it in ourselves, in those we love, and in our
world. Pour out your Holy Spirit on us so we may have the vision to
see resurrection in the midst of the ashes. Amen.
Pastor Mike Luzinski
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Scripture:
Ephesians 1:17-19 (NRSV) – “I
pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may
give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know
him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know
what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of
his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the
immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to
the working of his great power.”
Message:
Lately many people have been feeling out of control. The things I
want to change the most in my life are the things I can’t control; I
wish I could end the pandemic, I wish I could give jobs to those who
are unemployed, I wish I could bring healing to those who are sick
and scared to go to a hospital. It can be easy to feel helpless and
dejected believing there is nothing I can do. That feeling is real
but the idea behind it is a lie. The apostle Paul reminds us we
have hope in God’s power. He implores us to hold on to “the hope to
which God has called you” and rest in the “immeasurable greatness of
God’s power.” This is good news!
How do we hold
on to hope and rest in God’s power? In my experience, the first
step is admitting I am out of control. This can be done through
prayer or a conversation. I often admit my powerlessness out loud,
“God I can’t control the pandemic.” That liberates me to ask God
for help. Once I’ve given the heavy lifting over to God, I am free
to direct my time and energy on smaller things I can control.
Instead of solving the pandemic, I can lament for those who are
hurting, be a good friend who listens, and affirm the feelings of
those who need support. May we be beacons of hope for one another
shining the light of Christ in the midst of the darkness.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus give us grace to accept our feelings of being overwhelmed
so that we can place our hope in Your faithfulness and power. We
trust You are at work in the midst of everything going on. Amen.
Pastor Mike Luzinski
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Pearl Harbor Day, Monday, December 7, 2020
Incarnate Love
by Mike
79
years since the Japanese bombed
Pearl Harbor
|
Scripture:
Ephesians 3:8-10 (NRSV) – “Although
I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to
bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of
Christ, and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery
hidden for ages in God who created all things; so that through the
church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known
to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.”
Message:
This year I feel tired of waiting to enter into the season of
Advent. Why do we have to continue to practice waiting? I’ve been
waiting since March for things to get better and that experience has
been far from satisfactory. We must remind ourselves what we are
waiting for during the season of Advent, the birth of Jesus Christ! We celebrate the birth of Jesus as the precise moment of
incarnation. God’s love is made tangible in human form. Can you
think of what incarnates the love of God today?
The church, we the
body of Christ exist to make God’s love tangible and we are waiting
expectantly to celebrate the good news of the gospel and we are
taking the opportunity to live it out. The apostle Paul challenged
the church to embody the love of Jesus. My challenge to you during
this season of Advent is the same. Remember that you and I have a
great gift to share, “the boundless riches of Christ.” God’s love
is coming and it is worth waiting for. The healing power of love is
always just around the corner.
Prayer:
God we come to You today remembering that Your love is made tangible
through Jesus. Lord Jesus open my heart to receive Your love that I
may be a vessel of Your love to others. Amen.
Pastor Mike
Luzinski
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Friday, March 29, 2019
Vessels
by Mike |
Scripture:
1 Corinthians
1:26-29 (NIV) – "Brothers and sisters, think of
what you were when you were called. Not
many of you were wise by human standards; not
many were influential; not many were of noble
birth. But God chose the foolish things of
the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak
things of the world to shame the strong. God
chose the lowly things of this world and the
despised things and the things that are not - to
nullify the things that are, so that no one may
boast before him."
Message:
My wife would
tell you, I qualify as "not wise by human
standards" or maybe even "foolish." Maybe
you qualify too! I love this passage
because it reminds me that ministry is not about
you or me. It is about what God is doing!
We're a part of it, but it is about God's Spirit
flowing through us to bless others. In the
process, we are blessed. The best metaphor
I've heard is that we are often like a cracked
cup that has been glued back together. If
we are facing God, then we are able to be filled
up when God's Spirit is poured out (maybe we've
had times when our cup is facing upside down,
that can get messy quickly). When we
receive the gift of God's Spirit we are able to
be poured out in a way that benefits the people
around us.
Prayer:
Holy Spirit of
God, be poured out during this season of Lent.
Open our hearts to receive the gift You so
freely give, not for our own benefit but to
share with the people You have placed in our
lives. Amen.
Pastor Mike Luzinski
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Scripture: Judges 2:11, 16 (NRSV) - "Then the
Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and worshiped
the Baals"; "Then the Lord raised up judges, who
delivered thorn out of the power of those who plundered them."
Message:
How many of you have thought to yourself, "I will never do that when
I'm a parent." If you're like me, you have also realized you are
more similar to your parents than you first thought. Sometimes we
even live into family cycles whether we realize it or not. Some of
these patterns are harmless but others can be quite serious.
Sometimes we can just go through the motions of celebrating
Christmas without ever realizing that Jesus came to earth to break
our old patterns of sin and death. God came to shine light In the
middle of cyclical darkness. Christmas isn't the first time God has
disrupted a pattern of human behavior. Like any good parent, God
has done this before.
The book of Judges describes Israel's cycle of violence and falling
away from God. God raises up leaders to move them out of that dark
place, but somehow the cycle keeps repeating, Jesus came to break
the cycle of violence and apostasy permanently. When Jesus came to
earth, He experienced violence and replied with nonviolence, thus
inviting humanity into a new way of being.
This Advent Jesus Invites
us to break the harmful cycles we too easily get trapped in. What
pattern do you find yourself falling into? How can the Holy Spirit
empower you to embrace God's grace by breaking the cycle?
Prayer:
God, Your incarnation breaks the cycles of
violence. Remind us that Your Grace calls us into a new way of being,
centered on the Hope, Love, Joy and Peace of God. Amen.
Pastor Mike Luzinski
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Wednesday, March 28, 2018
Amen
by Mike |
Scripture:
Isaiah 43:18-19, (NRSV) - "Do not remember the former things, or
consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now
it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in
the wilderness and rivers in the desert."
Message: 2018 will be a year of new things for many of us
at Asbury: new neighbors, a new pastor, and many more. Some
people say a new thing is better than an old one, but I don't agree.
Sometimes, old things are preferable, like a well-worn Bible or a
vintage bottle of wine.
How do we balance the old with the new? How
do we create space to hold onto our history and be open to new
things? Lent is the perfect time to pray and reflect on these
questions.
When I first read these words of Isaiah, I was
troubled. Forgetting the things of old doesn't seem like a
good strategy for moving forward. What does the prophet mean?
Here’s one possibility:
if we hold on too tightly to the former things, we won’t be able to
grasp the new. We must have free hands for the ministry God has
called us to do, because Easter is ongoing and transformative. It
occurs when an addict is set free, when miraculous healing
takes place, and when a broken relationship is restored.
As we prepare our hearts for Easter, may we make
the space to see and perceive the ongoing resurrection of Christ.
Prayer: God, You bring the dead to life.
You are the God of miracles; use me and use Asbury to bring forth
Your resurrection. Amen.
Pastor Mike Luzinski
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Scripture:
Isaiah 55:1-2
(NRSV) – ““Come,
everyone who thirsts, come to
the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk without money and without
price. Why do you
spend your money for that which
is not bread and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves
in rich food”
Message:
I love
watching a child rip through wrapping paper with a gleeful laugh and
excitement in their eyes. The pure joy of the experience is
beautiful.
On the other hand, one of my least favorite
aspects of Christmas is the rampant commercialism and chaos at the
Altamonte Mall.
In the midst of all this noise, the prophet Isaiah
speaks: "Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you
that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price. Why do you spend your money
for that which is not bread and your labor for that which does not
satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and
delight yourselves in rich food." (Isaiah 55:1-2)
Most of us are guilty of buying things that do not
satisfy. But people have been doing the same thing throughout
history. Modern Americans just found better ways to market the
purchasing of what doesn't satisfy us. So I have a
question for you: "Have you stopped and asked God to show you what
things really satisfy?"
During this season of Advent, ask God to help you
be intentional about how you spend your precious resources of time,
energy, and money- each an amazing gift.
Prayer:
God, as we
celebrate Your incarnation this Christmas, show me how I can live
more faithfully. To what might I need to say no to in the new
year? For what might I need to carve out more time in my
schedule? In Christ's name. Amen.
Mike Luzinski
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Scripture:
Romans 8:22
- "We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains
of childbirth right up to the present time."
Message: Have you been
groaning during Lent? In this season, we are working to
prepare our hearts for Easter. We are anticipating the great
change that happens when Christ comes. Yet, there is tension.
Christ already came, Christ already rose, and the world is still
really messed up.
Paul is wrestling with a deep theological question
in this passage. He asks, how can we hope in a good God who
created a good world when we see brokenness and sin all around us?
How do we make sense of the truth that God is present while also
facing the reality of intense suffering in the world around us?
Paul helps us bridge the disconnect between the
pain we see on the news and the good things we know God is doing.
Paul makes the argument that the discouraging suffering we see is
only the beginning of something new. Those things are just the
birth pangs of what God is doing. This is a source of hope
that reminds me of a conversation I had with my mother. She
told me that the hope and joy of having a child helped her cope with
the pain of childbirth. This was especially true for my
younger brother, and this is precisely what Paul is saying. We
should have hope because this present suffering is the labor working
towards a new creation.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, give us
the hope to anticipate Your resurrection when we can only see pain
and suffering. Amen.
Pastor Mike Luzinski
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Wednesday, April 5, 2017
& Thursday,
November 19, 2020
-
"The Connection" Series
Salvation Begins Today
by Mike |
Scripture:
Luke 23:42-43 (NRSV) – “Then he
[the thief on the
cross] said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’
He replied, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in
Paradise.’”
Message:
Jesus speaks these words to the thief while being crucified. Stop
and think about that. God was still listening to sinners while He
was dying. God was extending the grace of salvation in the midst of
the brutality of the cross. These actions of Jesus reveal a lot
about who God is.
The cross has
become a symbol of love. When we look at it we are reminded that
not even sin and death could come between God and us. Yet, this
story raises a fundamental question that we can meditate on during
this season of Lent. "When does salvation begin?" In this story, salvation
began “today,” before Jesus was resurrected!
I have
studied different atonement theories, and other scholarly works on
the death and resurrection of Christ. Salvation is a miracle in the
same way that the resurrection of Christ is a miracle. This miracle
is a Holy mystery, and we will never know exactly how God blots out
our sins and restores us to relationship with our Creator. I bet
the thief on the cross wasn’t thinking about atonement theory. He
was thinking about being united with God in that moment and
forevermore. Maybe that is what we should be thinking about, too.
When we prepare our hearts during this season of Lent, may we begin by
finding hope and strength in the promise that our salvation has
already begun. When we celebrate the resurrection at Easter we are
celebrating once again God’s promise that salvation begins here and
now.
Prayer:
Jesus, remind us that our relationship with You starts here on
earth and so does our salvation. Amen.
Pastor
Mike Luzinski
(first published in 2017)
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Scripture:
Genesis 15:8-10 (ESV) -
“But he [Abram] said, ‘O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall
possess it?’ He [God] said to him,
‘Bring me a heifer three
years old, a female goat three years
old, a ram three years old,
a turtledove, and
a young pigeon.’ And he brought him all these, cut them
in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he
did not cut the birds in half.”
Genesis 15:8-10, 17-18a
(ESV) -
“When
the sun had gone down and
it was dark,
behold, a
smoking fire pot and
a flaming torch passed between these pieces. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, ‘To your
offspring I give this land,’”
Message:
God promises
Abram descendants
and land,
but Abram has a question as recorded in
Genesis 15:8 “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall
possess it?” After Abram carried out God’s instructions,
God made a covenant with Abram. This is one of my favorite Bible
stories because it shows
us just how much God
loved Abram,
and how much God
loves us, as Abram's descendants.
Why does God make this covenant? Surely, He knows
the most likely outcome is
that Abram, and his descendants, will let Him down. And that makes
God’s promise—and His faithfulness—all the more marvellous.
God confirms this ancient contract with
Abram by essentially agreeing to pay the price if we fail to
hold up our end. In other words, God says, “I’m willing to suffer
and die so that I can be in relationship with you, even if you
don’t want to be in
relationship with Me.” This story is the purest articulation of
the gospel I can find in the Bible.
During this season of Advent, may we revel and
rejoice in the perfect
love God extends to us. The perfect love that was born humbly into a
manger.
God was willing to leave heaven and become fully
human to be in relationship with us. And that love is something to
celebrate!
Prayer:
God, Your love
for us extends
beyond our capacity to receive it.
Draw us deeper into relationship with You this Advent. Amen.
Pastor Mike Luzinski
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Scripture:
Genesis 12:1- "Now the
Lord said to Abram, 'Go from your country and your kindred and your
father's house to the land that I will show you.'"
Message: God called Abraham to
go. To leave the comfort of his life. He was 75 years
old when God called him to leave the land of Haran, the land where
he lived for a long time. God made a covenant with Abraham and
through him blessed every person on earth. I bet it was hard
for Abraham to leave, but look at what God did in and through his
obedience.
As we anticipate Jesus Christ leaving
heaven and taking on human flesh, it is good to remember that God
has been working to restore human relationship with God for a long
time. God worked when Abraham went. What is God calling
you to go and do?
Prayer: Redeeming God, we pray
that you would empower us to answer the calling you place on each of
our lives so that we might be faithful like Abraham. Amen.
Reverend Mike Luzinski
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Scripture: Luke 4:16-19 - "He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
'The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.'"
Message: The God who is coming into the world comes with a purpose. When Jesus reads the words of Isaiah, He is making a statement of intent. Jesus didn't come to make us feel good.
Jesus came to change the world. As the anointed one, He is God's chosen instrument of change. The change taking place through Jesus' ministry is the liberation of those who are oppressed, the relief of those who are suffering, the humanization of those who have been dehumanized. When we anticipate Jesus' coming in this season of
Advent, we must keep in mind the purpose behind His arrival. Through the relationship with Jesus, we are changed and so is the world. As we celebrate the arrival of Jesus, we must ask ourselves, are we proclaiming good news to the poor, recovery of sight to the blind, freedom to the oppressed and the prisoners, and the year of the Lord's favor? Being ready to celebrate Jesus' birth entails carrying on His mission. Let's pray.
Prayer: Living God, we thank you for your mission, and we pray that you would focus us so we can carry on the holy work of your Son. Amen.
Mike Luzinski
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