PRAYERFUL EXPECTANCY

Posted on March 25, 2015 by randscallawayffm

Luke and the Lost

A little boy was kneeling beside his bed with his mother and grandmother and softly saying his prayers, “Dear God, please bless Mummy and Daddy and all the family and please give me a good night’s sleep.”

Suddenly he looked up and shouted, “And don’t forget to give me a bicycle for my birthday!!”

“There is no need to shout like that,” said his mother. “God isn’t deaf.”

“No,” said the little boy, “but Grandma is.”

Mm, is that a prayer full of expectancy? The little boy is fully expecting Grandma to be led of God to come through with his request!

This morning I am in awe of two committed people, filled with the Spirit of God, and obeyed when led by Him after many years of praying expectantly.

Luke 2, The Message
Blessings
21 When the eighth day arrived, the day of circumcision, the child was named Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived.

22-24 Then when the days stipulated by Moses for purification were complete, they took him up to Jerusalem to offer him to God as commanded in God’s Law: “Every male who opens the womb shall be a holy offering to God,” and also to sacrifice the “pair of doves or two young pigeons” prescribed in God’s Law.

25-32 In Jerusalem at the time, there was a man, Simeon by name, a good man, a man who lived in the prayerful expectancy of help for Israel. And the Holy Spirit was on him. The Holy Spirit had shown him that he would see the Messiah of God before he died. Led by the Spirit, he entered the Temple. As the parents of the child Jesus brought him in to carry out the rituals of the Law, Simeon took him into his arms and blessed God:

God, you can now release your servant;
release me in peace as you promised.
With my own eyes I’ve seen your salvation;
it’s now out in the open for everyone to see:
A God-revealing light to the non-Jewish nations,
and of glory for your people Israel.
33-35 Jesus’ father and mother were speechless with surprise at these words. Simeon went on to bless them, and said to Mary his mother,

This child marks both the failure and
the recovery of many in Israel,
A figure misunderstood and contradicted—
the pain of a sword-thrust through you—
But the rejection will force honesty,
as God reveals who they really are.
36-38 Anna the prophetess was also there, a daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher. She was by now a very old woman. She had been married seven years and a widow for eighty-four. She never left the Temple area, worshiping night and day with her fastings and prayers. At the very time Simeon was praying, she showed up, broke into an anthem of praise to God, and talked about the child to all who were waiting expectantly for the freeing of Jerusalem.

39-40 When they finished everything required by God in the Law, they returned to Galilee and their own town, Nazareth. There the child grew strong in body and wise in spirit. And the grace of God was on him.

God looked down on these two people who prayed expectantly every day and allowed them to see the results of their prayers…to live long enough to see the One, the Messiah, who would set God’s people free. But as we will read further, and because we know the rest of the story, God will do even more than their prayers could express or their minds could imagine!

This passage makes us wonder how expectant are our prayers? Do we fall into a pattern of ritualistic asking without really believing that God is already working on it? Does it take too long for him to respond, so we give up? How deep do our prayers go? Praying expectantly might mean that no matter what I pray, I know God is already there with the rescue BEFORE I mutter a word! Maybe we need to talk about with God and KNOW that He will answer our wonderings in ways we cannot imagine. Believe and be sincere. That’s what God wants.

What IS the cry of our hearts? Do we fully expect God to answer?

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Dear Heavenly Father, I am in awe of these two people in Your Story who prayed expectantly without ever giving up. I am more in awe of YOU, who listens to our feeble mutterings, our crying out, our attempts to talk with you with words that don’t seem good enough, and then we remember, it’s not about the words but the cry of our hearts and the sincerity of our souls. We relax. We walk and talk with You with more expectant hearts. Thank you for Your Word that stirs our hearts. Continue to be with us and lead us by Your Holy Spirit living in us. In Jesus Name, Amen

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THIS IS WHAT YOU ARE TO LOOK FOR…

Posted on March 24, 2015 by randscallawayffm

Luke and the Lost

What peace and joy enters our hearts when a visitor we have been expecting for a long time finally arrives. We prepare the best foods, give them the best place in our homes to rest and cherish the visit. We talk and laugh together and sometimes cry over past memories. The fellowship is sweet.

Jesus Christ, the long awaited Savior, Messiah comes to earth in the form of a baby human. He was expected but hope in His coming was dim for it had been a long time since Isaiah, the prophet had told them he would come. So it is not surprising to know very few were given the news of his arrival. Read the birth of Jesus as if you are reading it for the first time. See and listen to what God might want us to see from Luke’s perspective of seeking the lost…

Luke 2, The Message
The Birth of Jesus
2 1-5 About that time Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Empire. This was the first census when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone had to travel to his own ancestral hometown to be accounted for. So Joseph went from the Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judah, David’s town, for the census. As a descendant of David, he had to go there. He went with Mary, his fiancée, who was pregnant.

6-7 While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in the hostel.

An Event for Everyone
8-12 There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God’s angel stood among them and God’s glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David’s town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you’re to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger.”

13-14 At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God’s praises:

Glory to God in the heavenly heights,
Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.
15-18 As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over. “Let’s get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us.” They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the sheepherders were impressed.

19-20 Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself. The sheepherders returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they’d been told!

The greatest surprise of all! God’s Son, the Messiah is born to a human, with little to no preparation for this long awaited Savior. The world had gone dark without a word from God for many centuries and now, angels are extolling the messages from God, Himself, first to Zachariah, then to Mary, Joseph and now to shepherds in a field working at their dirty daily task of spending the night watching over the sheep as they graze.

In the midst of the mundane, Jesus comes! He comes to plain, simple, ordinary people and they believe immediately. They were not to busy for this visit of God’s Son to earth. They were surprised and taken off guard from their work, but they listened. Then they obeyed immediately! They stopped life dead in it’s tracks and worshipped, “glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they’d been told!”

The shepherds returned back to their work and “let loose” telling everyone what they had seen and heard. Are we let loose to tell the story? Are we too busy to stop life and listen to God speak to us? Is the world too loud for us to hear the whisper of the Holy Spirit speak and minister to us so He can minister through us?

The greatest question of all this morning for me to think about all day long is…Have I made all the necessary heart, mind and soul preparations for the return of Jesus? He’s coming back, you know? Are we ready for the next visit as He comes in power and majesty, with no doubt it is Him? We get to go with Him next time, leaving this temporary home for life with Him forever. It will happen…EXACTLY as He said.

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Dear Heavenly Father, When we read Your Word as if it was our first time, oodles of thoughts flow into our heart. Your Word is Truth and gives hope that lifts our souls to higher places in our thinking. May Your Word spur us on to living out Your Word exactly as You taught us to live. Be with us. Guide us this day.
In Jesus Name, Amen

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SURPRISE FOLLOWED SURPRISE!

Posted on March 23, 2015 by randscallawayffm

LUKE AND THE LOST

Child dedications bring enough surprises than most parents would care to mention. The child or baby to be dedicated by the church can be sleeping peacefully until the ceremony begins…then, surprise, the baby wakes and suddenly is in complete control of the situation. It doesn’t matter how important the words, the attention is all on this baby or toddler who can do almost anything that will surprise us.Pastors take the child to pray a blessing over them, and they will scream because of all the onlookers, wet all over you, play with your face, giggle or watch with angelic faces. The latter rarely happens, but has been known to happen. All that doesn’t matter as long as the child knows he is loved and cared for and that the “church” will support the parents in training the children of knowing God, accepting His Son, Jesus Christ and following His ways.

It is the eighth day, time for the Jewish circumcision of the son of the priest Zachariah. This same priest, won his time with God in His Sanctuary, as was the custom, to come and pray before God, behind the curtain, where no one else was allowed. When told his past bearing years wife would become with child, he didn’t believe at first…so the angel closed down his ability to speak. Imagine a preacher not able to speak! Remember? Another monumental surprise occurs at this child’s ceremony of dedication…and it is awesome! Read on..

The Birth of John
57-58 When Elizabeth was full-term in her pregnancy, she bore a son. Her neighbors and relatives, seeing that God had overwhelmed her with mercy, celebrated with her.

59-60 On the eighth day, they came to circumcise the child and were calling him Zachariah after his father. But his mother intervened: “No. He is to be called John.”

61-62 “But,” they said, “no one in your family is named that.” They used sign language to ask Zachariah what he wanted him named.

63-64 Asking for a tablet, Zachariah wrote, “His name is to be John.” That took everyone by surprise. Surprise followed surprise—Zachariah’s mouth was now open, his tongue loose, and he was talking, praising God!

65-66 A deep, reverential fear settled over the neighborhood, and in all that Judean hill country people talked about nothing else. Everyone who heard about it took it to heart, wondering, “What will become of this child? Clearly, God has his hand in this.”

67-79 Then Zachariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied,

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
he came and set his people free.
He set the power of salvation in the center of our lives,
and in the very house of David his servant,
Just as he promised long ago
through the preaching of his holy prophets:
Deliverance from our enemies
and every hateful hand;
Mercy to our fathers,
as he remembers to do what he said he’d do,
What he swore to our father Abraham—
a clean rescue from the enemy camp,
So we can worship him without a care in the world,
made holy before him as long as we live.
And you, my child, “Prophet of the Highest,”
will go ahead of the Master to prepare his ways,
Present the offer of salvation to his people,
the forgiveness of their sins.
Through the heartfelt mercies of our God,
God’s Sunrise will break in upon us,
Shining on those in the darkness,
those sitting in the shadow of death,
Then showing us the way, one foot at a time,
down the path of peace.

80 The child grew up, healthy and spirited. He lived out in the desert until the day he made his prophetic debut in Israel.

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After months of no words coming from his mouth, Zachariah explodes with praises for God and what He will do for God’s people. Zachariah will not doubt God again! God has let Zachariah know the mission of his newborn son through the overwhelming words of the Holy Spirit through him! He speaks directly to his son…”And you, my child, ‘Prophet of the Highest’, will go ahead of the Master to prepare his ways, present the offer of salvation to his people, the forgiveness of their sins.” What a child dedication sermon!

After six to eight hundred years of darkness, of not hearing from God, no angels coming to speak His Word to his people, until now, Zachariah proclaims, “God’s Sunrise will break in upon us, shining on those in the darkness, those sitting in the shadow of death, then showing us the way, one foot at a time, down the path of peace.”

Yes, Amen. What a message!

Dear Heavenly Father, We know your message does not stop here, for this is only the first step in the saga of our salvation from You. You have shown us more mercy and grace than we deserve. You still love us unconditionally. You are God and we are not. We cannot save ourselves, but you can save us from ourselves and our own arrogance. Thank you for saving our souls. Continue to be with us as we live our lives to show our love for You in ways others will come running to You, too.

In Jesus Name, Amen!

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SURPRISE!

Posted on March 22, 2015 by randscallawayffm

LUKE AND THE LOST

What was the greatest surprise you have ever received? How did you feel? Humbled, grateful, so surprised that there were no words, or arrogantly feeling you were entitled and it’s about time something happened? Hey, these are all human emotions that happen, depending on our life’s focus and on Whom we love with all our heart, mind and soul.

Young Mary, the mother of Jesus, gets the surprise of her life. The surprise will be the focus of her whole life. It will bring shame to onlookers. The surprise is so magnificent that God arranged a way for her to have a close family member go through it with her…Elizabeth, older, wiser and with her own child of surprise is close by to help Mary.

Mary’s cousin, Elizabeth, will have the forerunner of the Messiah they have all been waiting for for centuries. First John will be born, then Jesus a few months later. John will prepare the way for his cousin on earth, Jesus. John even leaps in the womb of Elizabeth, at the mere closeness of the One “who he is not worthy to even tie his sandals” in pregnant Mary. He knows he is close to greatness before even being born! Jesus will be the Savior of them all…Mary, Elizabeth, their families, AND all of us. Yes, those who are lost will be found by Jesus, the Christ, the long awaited Messiah.

Read with joy and see what thoughts enter as we put ourselves in the scene looking on at the surprise that will save the lost world.

Luke 1, The Message
A Virgin Conceives
26-28 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to the Galilean village of Nazareth to a virgin engaged to be married to a man descended from David. His name was Joseph, and the virgin’s name, Mary. Upon entering, Gabriel greeted her:

Good morning!
You’re beautiful with God’s beauty,
Beautiful inside and out!
God be with you.
29-33 She was thoroughly shaken, wondering what was behind a greeting like that. But the angel assured her, “Mary, you have nothing to fear. God has a surprise for you: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and call his name Jesus.

He will be great,
be called ‘Son of the Highest.’
The Lord God will give him
the throne of his father David;
He will rule Jacob’s house forever—
no end, ever, to his kingdom.”
34 Mary said to the angel, “But how? I’ve never slept with a man.”

35 The angel answered,

The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
the power of the Highest hover over you;
Therefore, the child you bring to birth
will be called Holy, Son of God.
36-38 “And did you know that your cousin Elizabeth conceived a son, old as she is? Everyone called her barren, and here she is six months pregnant! Nothing, you see, is impossible with God.”

And Mary said,

Yes, I see it all now:
I’m the Lord’s maid, ready to serve.
Let it be with me
just as you say.
Then the angel left her.

Mary’s reaction to this grand surprise, her “calling” if you will? “Let it be with me just as you say. When we KNOW without doubt it is God, we do not question.

Luke 1, The Message
39-45 Mary didn’t waste a minute. She got up and traveled to a town in Judah in the hill country, straight to Zachariah’s house, and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby in her womb leaped. She was filled with the Holy Spirit, and sang out exuberantly,

You’re so blessed among women,
and the babe in your womb, also blessed!
And why am I so blessed that
the mother of my Lord visits me?
The moment the sound of your
greeting entered my ears,
The babe in my womb
skipped like a lamb for sheer joy.
Blessed woman, who believed what God said,
believed every word would come true!
46-55 And Mary said,

I’m bursting with God-news;
I’m dancing the song of my Savior God.
God took one good look at me, and look what happened—
I’m the most fortunate woman on earth!
What God has done for me will never be forgotten,
the God whose very name is holy, set apart from all others.
His mercy flows in wave after wave
on those who are in awe before him.
He bared his arm and showed his strength,
scattered the bluffing braggarts.
He knocked tyrants off their high horses,
pulled victims out of the mud.
The starving poor sat down to a banquet;
the callous rich were left out in the cold.
He embraced his chosen child, Israel;
he remembered and piled on the mercies, piled them high.
It’s exactly what he promised,
beginning with Abraham and right up to now.
56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for three months and then went back to her own home.

God took very awkward moments, a very old woman suddenly with child and a virgin who is now pregnant, and gave them each other until they were strong enough to handle the onlookers of the world. God does that for us, too. It’s called peace. It’s called depend on Me and not others to validate who you are in Me. It’s a “I will take care of you no matter what” kind of peace.

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Dear Heavenly Father, So many thought enter our head about the birth of John and the Messiah, Your Son, Jesus. Thank you for those thoughts. Thank you for peace. Thank you for seeing us through our own life stuff. Thank you for surprises in our lives that take our breath away…like the birth of our own children! Thank you, most of all for saving us, ALL of us. Forever. Be with us, still.
In Jesus Name, Amen

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ONCE IN A LIFETIME!

Posted on March 21, 2015 by randscallawayffm

LUKE AND LOST

What does it feel like to win the lottery? How would you react?What does it feel like to be chosen, from all the hundreds of other priests, to have your once in a lifetime chance to enter the Holy of holies, the sanctuary of God, and burn incense. THAT is a win in and of itself! You, over all the other priests waiting to have their once in a lifetime turn, have your chance to come before God and offer prayers for God’s people. You have a blessed opportunity to offer a life-long prayer for yourself and your loving wife, a longing you have had for years. And then…

Luke 1, The Message

A Childless Couple Conceives
5-7 During the rule of Herod, King of Judea, there was a priest assigned service in the regiment of Abijah. His name was Zachariah. His wife was descended from the daughters of Aaron. Her name was Elizabeth. Together they lived honorably before God, careful in keeping to the ways of the commandments and enjoying a clear conscience before God. But they were childless because Elizabeth could never conceive, and now they were quite old.

8-12 It so happened that as Zachariah was carrying out his priestly duties before God, working the shift assigned to his regiment, it came his one turn in life to enter the sanctuary of God and burn incense. The congregation was gathered and praying outside the Temple at the hour of the incense offering. Unannounced, an angel of God appeared just to the right of the altar of incense. Zachariah was paralyzed in fear.

13-15 But the angel reassured him, “Don’t fear, Zachariah. Your prayer has been heard. Elizabeth, your wife, will bear a son by you. You are to name him John. You’re going to leap like a gazelle for joy, and not only you—many will delight in his birth. He’ll achieve great stature with God.

15-17 “He’ll drink neither wine nor beer. He’ll be filled with the Holy Spirit from the moment he leaves his mother’s womb. He will turn many sons and daughters of Israel back to their God. He will herald God’s arrival in the style and strength of Elijah, soften the hearts of parents to children, and kindle devout understanding among hardened skeptics—he’ll get the people ready for God.”

18 Zachariah said to the angel, “Do you expect me to believe this? I’m an old man and my wife is an old woman.”

19-20 But the angel said, “I am Gabriel, the sentinel of God, sent especially to bring you this glad news. But because you won’t believe me, you’ll be unable to say a word until the day of your son’s birth. Every word I’ve spoken to you will come true on time—God’s time.”

21-22 Meanwhile, the congregation waiting for Zachariah was getting restless, wondering what was keeping him so long in the sanctuary. When he came out and couldn’t speak, they knew he had seen a vision. He continued speechless and had to use sign language with the people.

23-25 When the course of his priestly assignment was completed, he went back home. It wasn’t long before his wife, Elizabeth, conceived. She went off by herself for five months, relishing her pregnancy. “So, this is how God acts to remedy my unfortunate condition!” she said.

What does it feel like to finally receive what your heart has ached for over a lifetime? Are we speechless? Or do we immediately say thank you, Lord and praise him forevermore? Yes, fear took over Zachariah’s senses at seeing an angel appear in the sanctuary of God, standing right next to him, a place where NO ONE was to enter but a priest assigned to the work of atonement for God’s people.

Lesson? When God acts, believe. Don’t question the outcome and ways of God. Just believe. Don’t mess with God. His timing is impeccable. His thoughts higher. His ways are perfect. John, the new priest, preaching in a new way, helping lost people find their way back to God, will prepare the way for God’s Son! Believe.

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Dear Heavenly Father, We love how You work! We must learn to always live expectantly and when You act upon Your promises, we must be ready to follow You and do as You say. We believe Your ways are perfect. You are God and i am not. I believe. There are still lost people who need You. May they be found by You, through us in necessary, and follow You forevermore.
In Jesus Name, Amen

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RELIABILITY

Posted on March 20, 2015 by randscallawayffm

LUKE AND THE LOST

What can we really rely on? People? No, we are too human and make mistakes, not matter what, because we are a work in progress, forgiven, but not perfect. Things we buy? No, the milk went sour BEFORE the date was up. Wow. I always counted on the date. Now, I always take a whiff before taking a big gulp. Transportation? Nope, we build in more time in scheduling knowing full well that delays will happen. So, what CAN we rely on? Luke begins telling THE story with setting the stage of reliability. This word reliability jumps on the page for me today. There is comfort in a story that is Truth, a relationship that is unchanging on God’s part. He will always and forever be the same. We can count on it…forever.

Luke 1, The Message
“1-4 So many others have tried their hand at putting together a story of the wonderful harvest of Scripture and history that took place among us, using reports handed down by the original eyewitnesses who served this Word with their very lives. Since I have investigated all the reports in close detail, starting from the story’s beginning, I decided to write it all out for you, most honorable Theophilus, so you can know beyond the shadow of a doubt the reliability of what you were taught.”

The Gospel of Luke is about life and God’s plan. It is a story written to a man, Theophilus, who in all likelihood was a believer who needed reassurance (1:4). A Gentile in the midst of what had originally been a Jewish movement, he seems to have been asking whether he really should be a Christian. Had God really called all nations to enter into life with God? Was a crucified Messiah the beacon of hope for both Jews and Gentiles? Would God really save through a ministry that ended with crucifixion? What about the endless obstacles the church was suffering in getting its message out into the world? Might the obstacles not be a sign of God’s judgment on a message gone awry, rather than evidence of blessing? Questions like these probably haunted Theophilus. They are not unlike questions we might raise as we contemplate what God has done and imagine how we might have done it differently.

Luke wishes to make clear how Jesus is Lord of all, so the gospel can go to all. He also wishes to explain the journey that is salvation. To be saved involves coming to Jesus in faith, but the act of faith is only a first step in a journey that many others do not understand. How does the salvation-traveler face life in the midst of great opposition? In sum, Luke’s Gospel, as his preface makes clear, is a reassurance that through Jesus one can know God and experience life as God designed it.

Yes, Luke, the doctor, the devoted follower of Jesus wants to assure Theophilus (and us) of who God is, what Jesus did for us so there is no longer any doubt. This is the longest gospel written of the four New Testament witnesses. It is detailed and comes alive with reassurance and hope. I am excited to begin and listen to God speak to us as we read.

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Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for being ALWAYS and FOREVER unchanged. Your love is forever. Our relationship, bought at a price is forever. Thank you, Lord. We rely on that, without a doubt. In Jesus Name, Amen

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WITH GOD THERE ARE NO OUTSIDERS!

Posted on March 19, 2015 by randscallawayffm

LUKE AND THE LOST

We begin the book of Luke with a feeling of “coming home”. Have you ever traveled for a few days or weeks away from home? Can you remember what it is like to finally come home to your own bed, your family, with all your comforting, familiar things around you? You come home to where you know you fit in, are welcomed and can finally relax. This is the book of Luke to me.

Luke reminds us that even though the world might treat us as misfits, with God there are no outsiders. We are accepted. Equally. “Most of us, most of the time, feel left out–misfits. We don’t belong. Others seem to be so confident, so sure of themselves, “insiders” who know the ropes, old hands in a club from which we are excluded.” –Eugene Peterson

“One of the ways we have of responding to this is to form our own club, or join one that will have us. Here is at least one place where we are “in” and the others”out”. The clubs range from informal to formal in gatherings that are variously political, social, cultural, and economic. But the one thing that have in common is the principle of exclusion. Identity or worth is achieved by excluding all but the chosen. The terrible price we pay for keeping all those other people out so that we can savor the sweetness of being insiders is a reduction of reality, a shrinkage of life.” Peterson

“Nowhere is this price more terrible than when it is paid in the cause of religion. But religion has a long history of doing just that, of reducing the huge mysteries of God to the respectability of club rules, of shrinking the vast human community to a “membership.” But with God there are no outsiders.” –Peterson

Luke is a most vigorous champion of the outsider. He was a Gentile, an outsider, himself, in an all-Jewish cast of New Testament writers. “He shows how Jesus includes those who typically were treated as outsiders by the religious establishment of the day: women, common laborers, shepherds, the racially different Samaritans, and the poor. He will not countenance religion as a club.” –Peterson

As Luke tells the story, all of us who have found ourselves on the outside looking in on life with no hope of gaining entrance (and who of us hasn’t felt it?) now find the doors wide open, found and welcomed by God in Jesus.

Welcome home!

Road-Sign-Lost

Dear Heavenly Father, Over the next few weeks as we read what You told Luke to write, illuminate and lift the words from the page that YOU know we need to hear with open ears and see with unblinded eyes. Open our hearts, minds and souls to receive You and all You have for us. Help us to really understand what “coming home” means, what being found by You, accepted and loved unconditionally by You. Only then can we love others like you love us. Be with us, Lord. Be with us. In Jesus Name, Amen

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AND HERE’S THE REST OF THE STORY…

Posted on March 18, 2015 by randscallawayffm

The Good News!

Like Paul Harvey did many years ago, we close the gospel of Mark with “the rest of the story”…after the Resurrection of Jesus, our Savior. Most people think the “good news” ends with the resurrection, but this is where it BEGINS for believers who trust Jesus as their LORD as well as their Savior. He came to earth to seek and to save lost people. He died and rose again for lost people, paying off the debt of sin forever. But the story does not end there. He is ALIVE in us, giving us a similar mission, in His Name and by His power working in us….to tell the story.

9-11 [After rising from the dead, Jesus appeared early on Sunday morning to Mary Magdalene, whom he had delivered from seven demons. She went to his former companions, now weeping and carrying on, and told them. When they heard her report that she had seen him alive and well, they didn’t believe her.

12-13 Later he appeared, but in a different form, to two of them out walking in the countryside. They went back and told the rest, but they weren’t believed either.

14-16 Still later, as the Eleven were eating supper, he appeared and took them to task most severely for their stubborn unbelief, refusing to believe those who had seen him raised up. Then he said, “Go into the world. Go everywhere and announce the Message of God’s good news to one and all. Whoever believes and is baptized is saved; whoever refuses to believe is damned.

17-18 “These are some of the signs that will accompany believers: They will throw out demons in my name, they will speak in new tongues, they will take snakes in their hands, they will drink poison and not be hurt, they will lay hands on the sick and make them well.”

19-20 Then the Master Jesus, after briefing them, was taken up to heaven, and he sat down beside God in the place of honor. And the disciples went everywhere preaching, the Master working right with them, validating the Message with indisputable evidence.]

Note: Mark 16:9-20 [the portion in brackets] is contained only in later manuscripts.

The women go back to tell the story to their friends. They didn’t believe. The women then go tell the disciples. At first the ones who had been with Jesus, heard Him SAY out loud that He would rise up from the dead, and they did not believe until He appeared to them. Jesus “took them to task” for their unbelief. Imagine being face to face with our Lord while he task us to task for OUR unbelief! This is followed by our mission, as true believers and behavers of God’s Word, to GO and TELL, don’t leave anything out, don’t hold back, don’t water it down, don’t put a spin on it thinking you can make the story better…Just tell the TRUTH, tell and show others JESUS!

They might not believe at first, but keep telling it. Most importantly, keep showing it with our lives. Jesus will show up in their lives just like He showed up in ours.

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Dear Heavenly Father, You do take us to task in our hearts when we miss opportunities to tell Your story and declare Your glory in all that we are and do. We repent. Go with us this day. Help us live the “rest of the story” out loud to the world around us. Give us power to see opportunities and the right words to say, in the right time and in the right way. In Jesus Name, Amen

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“EXACTLY AS HE SAID”

Posted on March 17, 2015 by randscallawayffm

The Good News!

Do you worry…outloud? At times, does fear overtake all your senses and you wonder if life is worth all the trouble, pain and sheer annoyances? Do your finances play a part in this fear and worry? Do family or friend relationships gone sour play a part? Is there a challenge you are working on that seems to be just too much? This is not just a “woman thing”, men worry, too. Their worry might not be outloud but at times, we all worry.Worry comes from a fear of loss. Loss of control.

What displaces worry, depression and fear? Coming face to face with Jesus Christ, our Lord and realizing He IS exactly Who He said He is and does what He says He will do. The women who had followed Jesus throughout his ministry on earth, sat in horror as he was lifted up on the cross. They could not leave. They stayed with Him until he was declared dead. They “watched from a distance” as the stone rolled over the tomb where they laid the body of their Lord. These women served Jesus in life, loved and respected Him deeply and now they were ready to perform one last humbly deed…embalm Him with expensive spices….or so they thought. With Jesus, life is never quite as we merely see it.

Mark 16, The Message
The Resurrection
16 1-3 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so they could embalm him. Very early on Sunday morning, as the sun rose, they went to the tomb. They worried out loud to each other, “Who will roll back the stone from the tomb for us?”

4-5 Then they looked up, saw that it had been rolled back—it was a huge stone—and walked right in. They saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed all in white. They were completely taken aback, astonished.

6-7 He said, “Don’t be afraid. I know you’re looking for Jesus the Nazarene, the One they nailed on the cross. He’s been raised up; he’s here no longer. You can see for yourselves that the place is empty. Now—on your way. Tell his disciples and Peter that he is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You’ll see him there, exactly as he said.”

God in heaven, Our Father, does EXACTLY as He says. Believe it today. Exchange worries and fears, earthly challenges and difficult situations, troublesome circumstances with the promises of God, Our Savior, Our Lord. God with us, Emmanuel, will not abandon us. Believe and be saved. Then live in peace knowing that God is right beside us. And, for the life of others, go tell…exactly what He said!

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Dear Heavenly Father, My heart shudders with the “joy in the morning” feeling and my faith is anchored in Your Word that tell us exactly what You have done, are doing and will do. We trust and rely on Your daily promises. I believe. You have me. All of me.
In Jesus Name, Amen

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THE ONE WHO LIVED EXPECTANTLY

Posted on March 16, 2015 by randscallawayffm

The Good News!

There is a famous joke about a child who wakes up on Christmas morning and is surprised to find a heap of horse manure under the tree instead of a collection of presents. Yet, the child is not discouraged because he has an extraordinarily optimistic outlook on life. His parents discover him enthusiastically shoveling the manure as he exclaims, “With all this manure, there must be a pony somewhere!” That is optimism!

To live expectantly, fully devoted to Christ goes much deeper than optimism. Living expectantly means bowing down low to our most High God, the Father, ready for what comes next and not questioning the ways of God. It means moving with the unforced rhythms of His love, mercy and grace. It means extending grace to others because it was extended to You. Joseph of Arimathea, was one from the the Jewish council who believed and respected the ministry of Jesus, the Christ. He carefully and reverently took the body of our Lord down from the cross, wrapped him in a new shroud he had purchased, and placed him in a tomb that was freshly cut. He rolled the gigantic stone in front. Others watched.

Mark describes him as “one who lived expectantly, on the lookout for the kingdom of God.”

I stop to think about this today. I am usually the optimistic one in our household. But do I live expectantly? Do I live always on the lookout for the kingdom of God? These are questions for self examination and meditation for today.

Mark 15, The Message
Taken to a Tomb
40-41 There were women watching from a distance, among them Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of the younger James and Joses, and Salome. When Jesus was in Galilee, these women followed and served him, and had come up with him to Jerusalem.

42-45 Late in the afternoon, since it was the Day of Preparation (that is, Sabbath eve), Joseph of Arimathea, a highly respected member of the Jewish Council, came. He was one who lived expectantly, on the lookout for the kingdom of God. Working up his courage, he went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Pilate questioned whether he could be dead that soon and called for the captain to verify that he was really dead. Assured by the captain, he gave Joseph the corpse.

46-47 Having already purchased a linen shroud, Joseph took him down, wrapped him in the shroud, placed him in a tomb that had been cut into the rock, and rolled a large stone across the opening. Mary Magdalene and Mary, mother of Joses, watched the burial.

What courage! Joseph went to the one who sentenced Jesus to death to ask for the body of Jesus. Led of God, the Father? Probably. Where did his courage come from? God, our Father?
Most likely. THIS is living expectantly!

As we read on, the mission is not quite complete. The kingdom we all expect to come begins with Jesus’ victory over death! His resurrection is the basis of our Christianity. We live, because HE LIVES! More tomorrow!

Live EXPECTANTLY! He’s coming back, you know…

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Dear Heavenly Father, You stopped me in these few Words today. Even though Jesus death brought darkness over his followers, Joseph was the one who lived expectantly. He was the one You chose, with courage and trembling to take down Jesus’ body and put him to “rest” in the grave. We who live expectantly fully believe You orchestrated every detail. Tomorrow we will meditate on a new day that will dawn with the resurrection and Light of Jesus beaming to those who believe. Help us all to live more expectantly and not fall for losing hope. Help us all to be “on the lookout for the Kingdom” of You in us. Be with us this day.
In Jesus Name, Amen

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