Posts Tagged ‘Faith’

He was sitting there by the road. Begging. As he used to do. Then they came. Pulled him up off the ground and wanted him to walk with them. He did knew them. He knew he could trust them. But what was it they wanted? And why this hurry?

He couldn’t ask, neither could he hear the answer. He was born like this. Deaf and mute. He couldn’t join his friends in much, he had trouble learning and working. Usually he sat there by the road with his head held low. Begging money from those walking by. He had to, if he wanted to buy some food for himself at the end of the day.

They made a stop by another man. He had kind eyes. They started talking to the man, sometimes they pointed back at him so he guessed they were talking about him. What was it this time? How he wished he could hear or taken part in the discussion.

The man turned and looked at him. He grabbed him by his arm and pulled him away from the others. It was just the two of them now. The man wet his fingers with spit and took on his tongue. Then he put another finger inside his ear. The man looked up at the sky.

He wasn’t afraid. Only eager to see what happen next. This could be the day he had dreamed of his whole life. He understood that the man wanted to help him by the actions he used. The man used the only language he could understand.

‘Effata’ – the man said.
He did hear it. It wasn’t something he made up. He really could hear it. The first word he ever had heard. He smiled. Moved his togue and tried to say it himself. Effata. It worked. His smile broaden. He turned to the man, wanted to thank him – but he didn’t knew how. He saw the man understood. He run back to his friends. Finally he was able to hear, not only watch, their voices. Take part in the conversations. Smile and laugh with the.

It was the best day in his life! Being brought to this man made all the difference.

People were overwhelmed with amazement. He has done everything well, they said. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.

.:Read the story in Mark 7:31-37:.

Blessed Sunday. Blessed week.

It’s not easy to believe what we haven’t seen and haven’t heard.

I’ve been thinking along these lines today on the first Sunday after Easter Day. I’ve found that sometimes it really isn’t a good idea to believe in all that we’ve told, that is at least the fact when it comes to rumors about people in our neighborhood. I tend to think that most of it isn’t true, at least not until I’ve seen it for my self, but still there might be some truth hidden somewhere. When it comes to my faith in Christ. What then? Is it a rumor placed with his followers, is it the truth? I haven’t seen it with my own eyes, but still I believe the story as told by his disciples and found in the Bible.

Thomas helps me find my faith in the resurrection. And in a way this is his Sunday. He wasn’t with the others on Easter Day. And when the others, with joy in their voices, told him that they had met Jesus. That he was alive and not dead. Thomas could not believe, he found it impossible to even think that it could be the truth, sad as he was about the death of his dear friend. But then he got to meet Him. He got to see Him with his own eyes. This Sunday (the first one after Easter Day) Thomas was together with his friends and he got to meet Jesus. He got to see, he got to touch, he got to say with joy and wonder in his voice: “my Lord and my God”. He knew now, as the others had known for a week already, Jesus was risen. It was the truth. Jesus is alive.

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29)

I’ve been there with Thomas today. Stretched out my arm, touched the wounds, feeling the joy and wonder as I too have said: my Lord and my God.

I don’t understand it all, but I do believe.

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Blessed Sunday!

My Grandpa always told me that it wasn’t really a happy easter until Easter Day. I’m not so sure if I agree, because every day – throughout the year – is a Happy Easter because of what Jesus did almost two thousand years ago. But I still tend to think about my Grandpa when it comes to this, so today I’m going to say – with my broadest smile and warmest voice:

I wish you all a Blessed and Happy Easter Day!

HE IS RISEN! He is here.

Good Friday is a sad and dark day, in many ways. Jesus was sentenced to death. He suffered and he died. In Norway we let Jesus’ sufferings influence the name. We call it Long Friday. In earlier times it was a strange holiday day. Usually the goal of any other holiday was to do as little work as possible; this was a day of hard labor. They wanted to feel the pain in the body similar to Jesus’ suffering so many years before.

Now Good Friday is a quiet day, at least in the churches. Some places there are no music, most places the candle lights aren’t lit (or they might be blown out during the service). There are fewer words spoken, but the readings from the bible is longer than usual.

The day is sad and dark. But still there is some light. What happened, that Jesus died, makes the day filled with quiet joy and thanks because he died loving us all.

Good Friday tells me how much God loves us,
you and me – and every other person on earth (past, now and present).

It wasn’t easy and it wasn’t cheap to show of this love. But it set us free.
Talk about a Good Friday!

Read more about Good Friday in John 18:1-19:30.

God Bless You!

What was he thinking?! Getting down on his knees with water and towel in hand. They all looked at him with astonished faces. What was this? Not a part of the Easter meal that they were supposed to start at any moment; remembering the exodus from Egypt. Sure their feet could use the washing, the streets they had walked in were dusty as any, but not by him; that was just not right!

But he carried on, washing like he was their servant. Until he came to Peter, that was. “No, never shall you wash my feet!” Peter almost screamed to Jesus; this wasn’t how it was supposed to be between a master and his pupil. Peter had to make it stop.

But Jesus simply answered: “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me”, and Peter knew right away that he needed this, he even wanted Jesus to wash his hands and face and all. He so wanted to be tight with Jesus, even though some of his actions might seem a bit odd he didn’t care no more. Peter and Jesus were friends and he truly believed that Jesus was something far more than a normal man – he was the one that should set things right between God and man.

A few years ago I told this story for a children Sunday school group. I had brought a towel and a basin and looked forward to (fake) wash their feet to make them feel how it was back then when Jesus did it to his disciples. But they got disappointed; I didn’t use water and they didn’t have to remove their shoes. They didn’t feel very much like the disciples at all.

It got me thinking; how can we ever live after the word of Jesus about doing as he did on Maundy Thursday?! It’s not like it’s very dusty around here – and it’s not like we are laying at the table when we eat any more either. What did Jesus want us to repeat?

Maybe not so much the actual washing, but the thought about the leader being the servant?! I think that’s it and it’s a huge challenge. It’ll be so much easier just to poor some water in my basin and let them take off their shoes.

…..

Read more about Holy Thursday in John 13.

Wish you all a blessed Holy Thursday!

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A post from the files. Recycling the good words.

NOTE! My comments doesn’t work. I’m working on figuring out why..
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Lately I’ve been thinking a bit about why it is that I believe in the impossible. Yea, because I do! And sometimes I wonder why that is. Because, in a way, it would be so much easier to just don’t believe – to just say “well, I don’t think it is that possible to be raised from the grave” or “I’m sure the disciples just missed him so much that they started to believe he had resurrected, even though it all just happened in their minds”  (just to take a few of the many reasons not to believe).

But, you know what? I still believe. I can’t use these (or other) sentences because I do think the impossible is possible, I do believe that God is bigger than my understanding of him is. And I can’t find any reason for the change that occurs in the disciples behavior and attitude, other than in believing they tell the truth.

Thomas helps me find my faith in the resurrection. And in a way this is his Sunday. He wasn’t with the others on Easter Day. For some unknown reason  he wasn’t there when Christ came visiting. And when the others, with joy in their voices, told him that they had met Jesus. That he was alive and not dead. Thomas could not believe, not until he could see it with his own eyes. The next Sunday (as in this Sunday, the first Sunday after Easter Day) Thomas was together with his friends and he got to meet him. He got to see, he got to touch, he got to say with joy and wonder in his voice: “my Lord and my God”. He knew now, as the others had known for a week already, Jesus was risen. It was the truth. Jesus is alive.

I’ve been there with Thomas today. Stretched out my arm, touched the wounds, feeling the joy and wonder as I too have said: my Lord and my God.

I don’t understand it all, but I do believe.

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read more in John. 20:16->

We’ve reached the last Sunday in our church year in my Lutheran church of Norway.

When Advent rolls around we’ll start the new church year, with it’s new beginnings and Christmas story unfold.

But first we have to get by the Last Sunday of the Church Year. And as you might have guessed the theme and texts are from the Last Day, the Day of Judgment. There are so many different approaches to this; some thinks that this is more important than life on earth and spend their whole life thinking about how they are going to be judged – others thinks that this is the most unimportant thing to worry about and spend their whole life living in and of the world.

Most of us is somewhere in between.

I know I am, and even though I love living my life knowing there is a heaven and hoping for the future beyond my life here on earth, I’m also a very down-to-earth kind of person. So for me the most important about this day in our church year isn’t to prepare for Judgment Day in it self; I know Christ died on a cross for me and payed my dept and in him I’m free – no matter what!

Still I think it is important to let the texts and the theme inspire me to do good – not for my own sake, but because other people needs me and my help; big or small.

Yesterday I found this challenge to be nice – Operation Nice. I’m not always nice, but I try to be – so I’m putting this in my sidebar (later today) hoping that it’ll inspire me to do better, make it a priority. Imagine how the earth would be if everyone tried to be nice each and every day.

Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

Scripture from Matt 25:39-40.

Have a blessed Sunday – remember you are loved by God!

This Sunday was all about keeping two thoughts in our head at the same time.

1. we are loved by God and are free to live with joy
2. we are different from God and do (or don’t do) things that mess up our relationship with God

In our service today we had both this aspects clearly with us: 4 children where there to be baptized and we had a special liturgy focusing on our need to repent and pray for mercy (we called the day bots- og bededag in Norwegian). I think we managed to give both these aspects weight through music, words and actions, but it took some preparations and thoughts throughout the week.

If we speak the truth about our selves – God will speak His truth.

When we realize just how much we are loved, when we realize just how much effort God took to make the wrongs right between himself and us, when we realize what we have in Jesus Christ – our life will change. We will not become perfect human beings doing nothing wrong to God or the people around us, but we will dare to go to our God with our life; the good and the bad. We can do that because through Jesus we are forgiven, still sinners – but forgiven sinners.

So speak the truth and receive Gods grace and forgiveness. There is nothing like it (and to be honest we need it more than once a year!).

Blessings

Today I’ve been thinking about the man that got lowered down before Jesus while he (Jesus) was preaching the word of God inside a friends house. Someone thought that bringing their friend to there were more important than keeping up with the normal rule about not breaking anything that doesn’t belong to you (like a roof…). I’ve been thinking about the man laying on the stretcher; what was he thinking about it all and how did he felt when everybody was looking at him – the intruder.

I guess a myriad of thoughts and feeling went through him, but one might have struck him as something new. He got to experience that he was loved by God, maybe for the first time ever. Back then they believed that there was a reason for being sick; someone (he or his parents) must have done something really bad for him to be this sick. They thought the sickness was God’s way of punishing people for their sins. So naturally most people kept a distance to the sick people,  they couldn’t go against God’s punishments; so to speak. It’s not an easy burden to carry, in addition to being sick he also felt that God didn’t like him very much. I’m so glad we don’t think like this any more (or do we??!).

I’m so glad Jesus is by our side for the good as well as the bad days. I’m so glad that I everyday can know that Jesus loves me more than I know – he loves you too; all of us!!

The man got his life back, he got forgiven and he got his health. I’m not sure what he would say was most important if I asked him, but I know that even though life doesn’t always show it’s good side – through it all we are loved by God. We can live our life knowing that that never goes away. This week I will think about the blessing in that; even though I see sickness and hard times so many places – God does see it too.
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PS: you can find the text in Mark 2:1-12

a faith scrap – from the bible; psalm 17:8
credits: paper and element from unconditional love by late night scrap

I’m working on a couple of sermons today and I thought I might check my archive here to see if I found something interesting. And I did. So this is a link to some thoughts I had in late May 2005 about the text for coming Sunday. Nice!!

In June 2006 I found some other thoughts that help me find the words for the service today. I wished I placed all my sermons and faith thoughts here – but sometimes it’s just too much work to translate it to English. Sorry.

I do, however, plan to bring my favorite pillow to church today.

And I do plan to tell them about an old movie (from the 70s?!) – I can’t remember what it’s called in English, but the Norwegian is Korset og springkniven (it’s a well known book as well). I found it, the English title is the same: The Cross and the Switchblade. It’s about David Wilkerson (or some more from him here) and his meeting with the gangs of New York city. I never forget the passage where one of the gang members tell David to shut up: -  if he tells him one more time that God loves him he will cut David into small pieces. David is afraid, but still manages to say:

If you do that, every tiny bit of me will shout out to you that God loves you!

The gang member goes away, but later he finds his way into believing in Christ. (Note, I don’t have the book in front of me, so this is the happening as I remember reading it….. Should really dig out the book and read it again, it’s been years since last time I looked in it).

And there you have it, a real blog post from me Great! I love writing blog post – and it helps me gather my thoughts Now if I only could do it more often……

Anyhow, it’s a rainy day at my place – hope there is sun where you are. Remember God loves you no matter what the day is like – or how good or bad you are – he just loves us!!

Today under the Holy communion I really got a sense off being a part of a big family kneeling. There was the old trusty visitor that always comes, the sick and handicapped who needed some extra help receiving the gifts, the first timer and slightly unsure teenager, the been-her-lots-of-times-and-know-how-to-do-it 5 year old, me – the pastor – and several more. It spoke to me, and it felt great to share this together.

The photo is from a Confirmant Camp; we don’t usually have this kind of bread.

The communion is so not a price table where anyone that’s been good can come and receive the reward. It’s a gift table with something for everyone that wants to know Jesus. No matter if we’ve been good or bad, are young or old, understand a lot or just a tiny bit or can use or legs or need a wheel chair – this is for all of us. We don’t get a whole lot of food as this table, but what we get is enough to give strength, love and forgiveness (- and more!).

When I think about all the churches coming together for services all around the world today – and about all the other people gathering together for Holy communion – I feel so blessed for being a part of this great big family of faith.