Reflecting…
God, the Lord, is my strength. Habakkuk 3:19
What a lot of value we place on tracing things back!

• Tracing symptoms back to the cause of our pain or infection.
• Tracing syndromes back to a specific gene that set them in place.
• Tracing family lineage, even tracing DNA, to find our roots and connections.
• Tracing favorite family recipes back to Great-grandma.
• Tracing our fingertips along the strong family resemblance in the soft face of a newborn.

     When a bill seems too high, we phone the company and ask some questions. We press 1, press 4, press * for the company directory until we are able to connect with someone who can give us the answer or, at least, hear our complaint.
     When there’s a clunk in the engine, we lift the hood and take a look or find someone else to do that.
     When there’s an oversight, we follow the investigative news reports to see where things went wrong.


Tracking down evidence. Searching for clues.
Looking for some aspect that will confirm our hopes or fears.


Tracing requires us to sort important details from unimportant ones. To prioritize and keep focused on what’s important. Tracking means taking action day after day, doggedly hounding the problem until we wear it down.


All those daily choices demonstrate that we not only value the results we get when we track things down, but that we are usually capable of getting the results we need. In other words, the process of tracing things back works for us. It’s a pretty essential practice to learn if we are going to live well in our society.


Some trace wounds and frustrations back to God. Why is there no justice? Why do I have to deal with this? What else do I need to do? Where are you when I need you?


Others -- those who know him -- also trace life’s experiences back to him. But they gratefully claim that he is the source of their strength.


Strength…
To deal
With it all.


You might want to trace what Jesus teaches in Matthew 6:32-33.  I especially found "The Message" to be helpful, but perhaps you'd prefer to track it down in a couple of different bible versions.
"Much Grace,"
Pastor Shirley

Reflecting…
Some time back, when we would go camping, we didn’t bring video games or a TV. We did what we called, “entertaining ourselves.” That meant a lot of games and conversations. I soon discovered how limited I am in most trivial pursuit categories.


Here’s an easy one in the Bible category: Question: What is the Great Commission? Answer: Jesus’ words as recorded in Matthew 28: 18-20, “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’"


Like many bible verses, these are easier recited than put into practice. Before Jesus speaks these now-famous words, Matthew comments on the group who are standing there hearing them for the first time. They have been following Jesus, obeying his directives, worshipping him as the Messiah of God. Still verses 16 and 17 close with a troubling phrase: When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. They are not 100 percent convinced. In effect they are ‘followers, but…’


So what is the problem? Why the doubts? What are they doubting? They’ve been there for all the proof. Jesus has performed miracles, blessed and multiplied everything from a net-breaking catch of fish to a lunch of fish and bread. He has calmed storms, halted stonings, listened to sinners, touched and healed the diseased and unclean, ate with embezzlers and other sinners as well as arrogant leaders. He made time to bless children, to read people’s motives, always challenging whatever people substituted for a relationship with the living God. All that and so much more.


When he speaks here, he starts by claiming authority. Can that be the sticking point? What they are doubting? Outsiders have often questioned by what authority Jesus did these things. The deeper question, the very personal question is whether or not they are willing to let him take that authoritative role in their own lives.


Surprisingly, Jesus speaks to these “followers-but” as if they were “followers, therefore…” He says, ‘I have authority, therefore, go.’


You can’t really argue with “go.” It’s not like Jesus’ sometimes-confusing parables. Not a matter of opinion or deliberation. Not even a matter of timing or spiritual gifts. Just “go.”


It is mandatory for those who accept the authority of Jesus Christ in their lives to “go” in the way Jesus will describe in his next breath. Go everywhere, go to make disciples, go to baptize, go to teach. Because, make no mistake, whether or not we are campers, each of us necessarily falls into one camp or the other. Jesus goes with us toward a future that is lively, engaged with others and primed for adventure.


The follow-through question for us is whether we ourselves are ‘followers-but’ or ‘followers-therefore.’


(Now you probably can see why I don’t do well with trivia pursuit answers!)


Grace and Peace,
Pastor Shirley

Reflecting…


My lower back aches, my shoulders ache, my stomach aches and my face aches from the inside out. You know how that feels, don’t you? Just aching all over. Never mind “rest,” as the TV commercials brightly promise, I need a “so I can think medicine.” I can still do a number of things without rest, despite good advice to the contrary, but not much if my thinking is distorted or unreliable. I don’t want to argue with people who would assert that resting is essential to clear thinking. Probably true, but I can’t confirm it from my personal experience; I’ve been in bed all day and I still have cloudy thinking.


It’s probably good that I haven’t had many phone calls on this brain-cloudy day. People worry when I reply in a husky voice. However, God and I have had a good long talk. We talk about you mostly. We started by going over the prayer list printed in the bulletin last week and then I mentioned a couple of more recent prayer requests that have been brought to my attention since. A “normally healthy” day starts there so that wasn’t out of the ordinary. We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ (1Thessalonians 1:2-3).


But this day has still more time for prayer in it. After a while, I began to pray for “right now.” Wherever you are “right now.” Driving to northwest Iowa to attend a funeral. Walking into a church foyer there, looking for a familiar face, someone to hold, comfort and reassure. Or walking through an office door carrying notes from a meeting that just finished, a meeting that generated more work for you. Reaching for the telephone for any number of reasons. Twisting your locker dial and jerking up on the latch, a little frustrated by what someone just said. Or squinting into the sunshine, glad to be out for lunch. Holding a pen over the card you are about to write as you wonder what words to use to comfort Shelly, to encourage John, or to celebrate with Laurie and Bob. Listening for the break whistle. Filing a chart away in a cabinet. Boarding a plane, opening the car door. Following up on something that happened yesterday. Right now God is thinking about you.


Then I pray about nuances I’ve tucked away in this brain somewhere, little things that I wasn’t able to address at the time, but that have been waiting patiently for my attention. The look that came across a pastor’s face when I asked "how are you?" as we were walking into a meeting earlier this week. An instantaneous look that flashed like lightening before the sound of thunder. His voice was like a muted, distant rumble, “Not good. I am questioning a lot of things right now.” But the business meeting was beginning and I wasn't sure how to follow up without embarrassing him then. Today I have time to pray.


I pray for a man down the street who walks with his head down. Tired. Discouraged? A woman who is determined to do everything alone these days. Tense? In denial?


And then God brings to mind the missing. Faces that were not in worship. Voices who have not been in choir. Someone I haven't seen in a long time. The phone call that wasn't returned.


So much seems to have gone missing in this world. We fear the lack of mutual respect and peace between peoples. We search for security. We long for relief. War and famine and storm and all things empty. It's amazing how much our prayers can absorb.


This has been a good day to pray. After all, prayer doesn’t require a lot of clever thinking. Or a clear voice. Prayers are the rapid pulse of hearts drawing near to their Lord.


Much Grace,
Pastor Shirley