Blog Archives - St. Michael's Lutheran Church, School, & Childcare Richville, MI

The Old and the New

4/30/2021

Then Jesus gave them this illustration: “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and uses it to patch an old garment. For then the new garment would be ruined, and the new patch wouldn’t even match the old garment. 37 “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the new wine would burst the wineskins, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. 38 New wine must be stored in new wineskins. 39 But no one who drinks the old wine seems to want the new wine. ‘The old is just fine,’ they say.” (Luke 5:36-39 NLT)

The context for this is Jesus being questioned about why He and his Disciples did not practice fasting. His told his critics that it was not the time for fasting. You don't fast at a wedding celebration.

Jesus was introducing something new, the fulfillment of God's promise. In Jeremiah 31 God promised a New Covenant with His people based on forgiveness, not the Law. Jesus brings the New Covenant. At the Last Supper Jesus called the cup of wine the New Covenant in His blood for the forgiveness of sins.

The New Covenant of Love and Forgiveness would not stay contained in the old, familiar ways practiced by Jesus' critics. Simple patches would not fix what was broken in Israel. The Gospel Message would break free to fill the whole world.

What About Fasting?

4/29/2021

One day some people said to Jesus, “John the Baptist’s disciples fast and pray regularly, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees. Why are your disciples always eating and drinking?” 34 Jesus responded, “Do wedding guests fast while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. 35 But someday the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.” (Luke 5:33-35 NLT)

Fasting is traditionally thought of as setting aside a time to go without food so that you can focus your time and energy on the Lord. Prayer and Fasting usually go together.

I don't remember a command in the New Testament telling us that we should fast. But I do know that Jesus went off by Himself to pray, often early in the morning hours. Jesus shows us how important it is to stay connected with God the Father.

The last time I tried to fast for a day was not pretty. I was at a marriage retreat and told I had to try it. My blood sugar went down and my rebellious self came up. (My wife Joan could tell you about it.)

There may be some other options when it comes to fasting. Maybe you could set aside an evening to leave the TV off and spend that time reading God's Word and praying. Or you could eat a lite lunch and go off by yourself.

I spend time in the morning reading my devotions, writing this blog on weekdays, and praying before I break my overnight fast and have breakfast. It works for me. Something else may work for you. The important thing is that we remain connected to the Lord all week long, not just when we worship Him on the weekend.

Overruled

4/28/2021

Later, Levi held a banquet in his home with Jesus as the guest of honor. Many of Levi’s fellow tax collectors and other guests also ate with them. 30 But the Pharisees and their teachers of religious law complained bitterly to Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with such scum?”
31 Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. 32 I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.” (Luke 5:29-32 NLT)

Imagine a court setting. The opposition objects to what Jesus is doing. But the objection if overruled by God's love for all people, by His desire to bring all people including the social outcast in His Kingdom.

Jesus did not just say this needed to happen, He made it happen. He ate with tax collectors and sinners. He traveled through Samaria. We need to follow His example and reach out to those others would overlook, passby or exclude. They are God's Children too, given life by God. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. No one is beyond God's love. No one should be beyond our reach, either. Who is God sending you or me to today?

Called to Follow

4/27/2021

Later, as Jesus left the town, he saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. 28 So Levi got up, left everything, and followed him. (Luke 5:27-28 NLT)

Levi, or Matthew, worked for the Roman government as a Tax Collector. Tax Collectors were despised because they not only worked for Rome, but they were notorious for overtaxing people and keeping the excess for themselves. Jesus was criticized for eating with "tax collectors and sinners."

Matthew worked for "Big Government Rome." Simon the Zealot, another one of Jesus' Disciples, would have been known as a revolutionary who opposed Rome and wanted a smaller Israeli government. Jesus had room for both extreme political views in His Disciples.

Disciples are people who are called to follow Jesus. Levi (Matthew) answered the Call and left everything to follow Jesus. Jesus Calls us to follow Him too. How do we answer the Call? Do we leave everything behind and let Jesus lead or do we try to limit our response and only follow Jesus when it is convenient? If there is room among Jesus' Disciples for a Tax Collector like Levi (Matthew), there is also room for sinners like you and me! When we answer Jesus' Call to follow Him, He leaves our sins behind on His cross and gives us a new life.

Confrontations

4/26/2021

One day while Jesus was teaching, some Pharisees and teachers of religious law were sitting nearby. (It seemed that these men showed up from every village in all Galilee and Judea, as well as from Jerusalem.) And the Lord’s healing power was strongly with Jesus.
18 Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a sleeping mat. They tried to take him inside to Jesus, 19 but they couldn’t reach him because of the crowd. So they went up to the roof and took off some tiles. Then they lowered the sick man on his mat down into the crowd, right in front of Jesus. 20 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, “Young man, your sins are forgiven.”
21 But the Pharisees and teachers of religious law said to themselves, “Who does he think he is? That’s blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!”
22 Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you question this in your hearts? 23 Is it easier to say ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up and walk’? 24 So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!”
25 And immediately, as everyone watched, the man jumped up, picked up his mat, and went home praising God. 26 Everyone was gripped with great wonder and awe, and they praised God, exclaiming, “We have seen amazing things today!” Luke 5:18-26 NLT)

There are at least three confrontations in Luke's report of Jesus' miracle.
First is the confrontation between Jesus and religious elite who were watching Jesus and accused Him of blasphemy. They refused to believe what they could see. Are we ever like that, refusing to believe what God says to us?
The second is the confrontation between paralysis and healing. The man can't walk on his own. He has to be carried by friends who had faith that Jesus would heal him. When Jesus told the man to pick up his mat and go home, he did. Jesus has the power to heal.
This healing was proof that Jesus has the power to deal with the final confrontation. Jesus met the man's greatest need first by forgiving his sins. Jesus has the power to forgive our sins too.
We can be confronted for our faith more often that we realize. When that happens we need to believe Jesus and His words, trust in Him to help us, and rely on His love and forgiveness.

Alone to Pray

4/23/2021

But despite Jesus’ instructions, the report of his power spread even faster, and vast crowds came to hear him preach and to be healed of their diseases. 16 But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer. (Luke 5:15-16 NLT)

Jesus made it a point to go someplace where He could be by Himself to pray. His ministry was growing. His popularity was on the rise. People were coming to hear Him preach and to be healed. This was the start of a great ministry. But it was just the start. Jesus could have settled for the praise of the people. That was one of the Temptations Jesus faced in the wilderness after His baptism. He did not. His mission was greater and would take Him to the cross.

Jesus used prayer power to fulfill His purpose. He prayed on the night of His arrest. He prayed from the cross. He prayed for His Disciples. Jesus shows us that prayer is important.

Jesus' example is so clear. Why don't we follow it? It took me a long time to learn how important it is to spend time with the Lord every day, reading the Bible and praying. Studying the Bible for a sermon or to teach a class is not the same as reading it for myself. Praying in church, at a meeting, with someone in the hospital is not the same as personally talking with God. I need to make time to do that every day.

Since Jesus made time to be alone in prayer, we should try to do that to. Prayer can be power for our Christian lives.

Whose Law?

4/22/2021

Then Jesus instructed him not to tell anyone what had happened. He said, “Go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy. This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed.” (Luke 5:14 NLT)

His enemies accused Jesus of breaking the Law. But whose Law? Jesus kept God's Law perfectly. He did not follow or keep all of the additional laws added by the religious leaders of Israel. Touching the man with leprosy would have made Jesus "unclean" in the eyes of the legalist, but Jesus was clean. Healing people on the Sabbath was against their laws, but Jesus' compassion moved Him to help and heal people on the Sabbath.

When it came to allowing the man cured of leprosy back home and into his community, Jesus told him to obey the Law of Moses. Jesus came to fulfill the Law for us. Jesus also teaches us that we should obey God. But we should not obey human laws that violate God's Law.

Jesus' Touch

4/21/2021

In one of the villages, Jesus met a man with an advanced case of leprosy. When the man saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground, begging to be healed. “Lord,” he said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.”
13 Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared. (Luke 5:12-13 NLT)

People with leprosy were untouchable. Because the disease was so contagious, people with leprosy had to live outside of their village, away from their families. No one ever touched a leper. But Jesus did. Jesus touched the man before He healed him. Jesus reached out in love to touch the untouchable and healed him so that he could return home and be hugged and loved by his family and friends.

We all have the incurable, highly contagious disease of sin. Sin cuts us off from God and from the people we love. Jesus reaches out to touch us with His love. He heals us of our sin. He reaches out to touch us with His love. We are free to follow Him, to love and be loved by family and friends.

A Different Kind of Fishing

4/20/2021

When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m such a sinful man.” 9 For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him. 10 His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed.
Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” 11 And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus. (Luke 5:8-11 NLT)

Life does not always work out the way we expect it to. Peter, James, John and Andrew had a fishing business. They thought they would be doing that for a long time. Then they met Jesus and He told them, “From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” They left their fishing business behind and probably the largest catch of fish they ever had to follow Jesus.

We don't know how life will turn out for us. But we do know that the Lord invites us to follow Him and to join Him in the fishing for people business. Jesus wants us to connect people with Him. It's time to go fishing.

Amazing Catch

4/19/2021

One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God. 2 He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. 3 Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there.

4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.” 5 “Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” 6 And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! 7 A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking. (Luke 5:1-7 NLT)

Did you ever have one of those days when nothing went right, when everything you tried went wrong? That was the kind of day Peter (James, John, and Andrew) had fishing. They were shut out and did not catch a single fish until Jesus told Peter to try again. He did and caught so many fish that they filled two boats.

What happened before the amazing catch? Peter and his partners listened to Jesus. What do you do when you have a bad day? Have you ever thought about listening to Jesus? Did you ever stop to think about what God says to you in His Word and then ask God to help you get through this tough day? It just might give you a better outlook on the day or help you through a rough night.

Author

My name is Larry. Right now I am serving as the Intentional Interim or Transitional Pastor at St. Michael's Lutheran Church, Richville, MI. This blog is part of my daily personal time reading the Bible and talking with God. It is more of my personal thoughts than a deep theological discussion. Thanks for taking the time to join me in reading and thinking about what God has to say to us today.

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