Delight, Refuge, Trust, Holy

Finding delight, refuge, and trust in the Holy. Seriously?

“But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.” (Luke 6:27-28)

People used to say: “That isn’t worth a wooden nickel,” or “I wouldn’t give a plug nickel for that.” Frankly, I don’t know what a plug nickel is, so if you want to explain it to me, feel free. But I do know that neither one is worth much, at least in this life. But the sacred? Do the words and teachings of Jesus always make sense? What are they worth in this life?

Sometimes, often, the way, the truth and the life of Jesus just fall a little flat when I’m making my way through each day. You know what I mean -real life- where the competition is quick, and people can be costly and sometimes dangerous.

The challenge may come from our view of life, what we value and what we don’t. That covers a lot of ground, but so does Jesus.

Sometimes, actually I’ll say too often, Christian’s treat the wisdom of God in Christ seriously only when it makes us feel good or sound good. Grace and forgiveness are great when we are on the receiving end. But what about the giving end? And how about judgment, the critical condemning kind that is often associated with Christians? I admit, I am a little tired of hearing “You’re a Christian? Don’t judge me!” Okay, fair enough. How about you not judging me? It doesn’t matter.

The Christ we follow has repeatedly made it clear that love is not partial, and judgement is up to Almighty God. Jesus was, is, and always will be relevant. His teachings and offering of eternal life are not “wooden nickels,” something to play with but not take seriously in the “real world.”

Join us this Sunday as we consider the teachings of Jesus from Luke 6:27-38 and ask what it means to find our delight and refuge by trusting in the Holy.

May the Peace and Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you!

Pastor Rick