"Let
the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be
acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer."
....................................................................................Psalm
19:14
The
Meditation: An Expression of Faith
We understand the meaning of the Bible by the help of the
Holy Spirit, who guides the Church in the true interpretation
of the Holy Scriptures. We call them the Word of God, because
God still speaks to us through the Bible. A speaker who shares
a meditation on a life in faith through the Word, by the help
of the Holy Spirit, is a living example of the Spirit in action.
Lectionary
Meditation
Sermon Archives
The posted sermon is the most recent sermon
available. The sermon is for the 10 A.M. Sunday service at
Trinity unless a more recent Holy Day service has been scheduled,
such as during the Christmas season or Holy Week. The lectionary
is for the Sunday or Holy Day the sermon is scheduled to be
delivered. For other devotionals, prayers, articles, and other
written materials submitted by members of Trinity look in
the Index
under meditations.
The Lectionary
Year B: Proper 18
Old Testament: Isaiah 15:4-7a
Psalm: Psalm 146: 4-9
Epistle: James 1:17-27
Gospel: Mark 7:31-37
Meditation
Christianity, To Me
Sixteenth Sunday After Pentacost
September 24, 2006
~by Kara Rohweder
What does it mean to be a Christian? I'm not talking about
reciting the ten commandments like we're being quizzed in
Sunday School, but what does it mean to truly be a Christian
within your own heart and soul - to you, personally? I struggle
with this and what my Christianity stands for in my own life.
I find myself a little jealous of Christians that are open
and pure about their religion, not held back by any thoughts
of insecurity or fear. I often wonder how a Christian gets
from an insecure point A to a confident and sure point B.
I had the honor to get to know an "aunt-in-law"
if you will, over the last two years. Auntie Linda always
had a smile on her face at all the family gatherings but we
never really got to know each other until she started working
in my department. She is truly an inspiration in spreading
God's word. She's always upbeat and has a sweet yet firm tone.
If someone says, "Jesus Christ" in a bad way she
looks at them and excitedly says, "Oh, I know him!"
When we go to lunch together whether it be in the lounge or
crowded cafeteria she always says a short prayer before she
eats. I asked her one time how she got so comfortable being
open about God and her response was, "it is a little
awkward at first, but the more you do it, the more it becomes
a part of you."
For me, my journey is about 95% lack of knowledge and 5% insecurity.
I'm not shy speaking up in crowds provided I know what I'm
talking about.
I've been wanting to go to Bible Study on Wednesday nights
for awhile now but something always seemed to get in the way.
This year, I finally told myself that I NEED to do this, and
to tell you the truth, I was excited to start. September 13th
rolled around and I rode to the Church for my first Bible
Study class. We started with a great DVD during which the
gentleman saidto open your Bible to Ephesians chapter 2, verses
1-3. I looked with fear at the book laying in front of me.
I slowly took the Bible and opened it up. How do I go about
finding Ephesians? I had forgotten - I had forgotten how to
use a Bible! I realized I hadn't really touched a Bible since
confirmation. "I'm confirmed now why the heck do I need
that thing?" Well, I panicked and snuck a glance in my
mom's direction to at least get a feel to whether I should
be towards the front, middle, or back. I knew in that instant
that I needed to make some changes in my life. I come to Church
on Sundays but at what point does it become not enough?
When I looked over the readings for today there was one line
that really stood out to me. In the 2nd reading from James
the line reads, "Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend
of the world becomes an enemy of God."
I received a forward on my e-mail a few years ago and I think
it goes well with the line from James. It's titled, "Things
God Won‚t Ask For":
-God won‚t ask what kind of car you drove, He'll ask
how many people you drove who didn't have transportation.
-God won't ask the square footage of your house, He'll ask
how many people you welcomed into your home.
-God won't ask about the clothes you had in your closet, He'll
ask how many you helped to clothe.
-God won't ask what your highest salary was, He'll ask if
you compromised your character to obtain it.
-God won't ask what your job title was, He'll ask if you performed
your job to the best of your ability.
-God won't ask how many friends you had, He'll ask how many
people to whom you were a friend.
-God won't ask in what neighborhood you lived, He'll ask how
you treated your neighbors.
-God won't ask about the color of your skin, He'll ask about
the content of your character.
It is so easy to get caught up in "worldly things",
isn't it? Our society is constantly telling us that we need
to have the best to be the best and we'd better not say anything
that goes against the norm - or should we? God is calling
us to spread His word so that we can bring salvation to non-believers.
I challenge you, myself included, to go outside your comfort
zone and spread His word. Start small and remember what Auntie
Linda said, "it is a little awkward at first but the
more you do it, the more it becomes a part of you." As
for the knowledge part, I'm going to put a plug in for our
Bible Study here at Trinity at 6:30 pm on Wednesday nights.
Don't worry
about knowing how to navigate the Bible, Bob will help us.
Does God expect you to be perfect? Of course not, you're human.
He does, however, want you to step outside your box, speak
up, and let the world know you are a Christian by your love.
Amen.
Sermon
Archive
As past sermons become available
they will be saved by date
of Sunday delivered and preacher,
by name. The lectionary
by date of archived sermons is also available.
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