MAC KIRK

Merry Christmas. Christmas – I. Isaiah 9:2-7; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-14 We pray the Christmas prayer (collect)” Almighty God, you have given your only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and to be born [this day] of a pure virgin: Grant that we, who have been born again and made your children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by your Holy Spirit; through our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom with you and the same Spirit be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.” We celebrate today , the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, born of a virgin, lowly and without sin. Jesus was born of a human mother , a devout woman who served God just as you and I and yet was called by God to serve Him in a very special way. She was not without sin and yet herself bore the One who was eternal yet human and without sin. To her troubled spirit the angel Gabriel replied, “ The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to born wil

The Annunciation beginning from Luke 1:26 is given a special day in some churches, March 25. At the heart this is a record of Mary who hears a perplexing message from an angel. He is named Gabriel. Was he the same angel as in vs. 11 when “an angel of the LORD appeared to Zechariah” announcing the birth of John the Baptist? Apparently so. He identifies himself to Zechariah in vs. 19 ,” I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news.” Gabriel is also mentioned by the way in the Book of Daniel 8:16 & 9:21. People that have trouble believing that a virgin could have a child also have to deal with angels. Mary at the heart of the message hears this encouraging word ,” For nothing is impossible with God.” 1:37. The same words are used in Genesis and Matthew. In Genesis 18:14 we hear said to Sarah who was well beyond child bearing years, “ Is anything too hard for the LORD?” Jesus uses the same words in speaking

“ Always rejoice” I Thess. 5:16 ---3rd Sunday of Advent These two little Greek words are in that order in the original language. They are to be our attitude and demeanor as Christians. The chapter begins with the Apostle’s discussion of the “ day of the Lord” and its coming will be “as a thief by night.” 5:2 This week I received a Christmas letter , thinking it was such , from a Pastor I worked together with 30 years ago . His wife who was younger than he was died. In the letter was a picture of the obituary and the service done. I did not think he would outlive his wife. She was a wonderful encouraging joyous person who had been a big help to him and to my wife and I. It was very unexpected. I thought it was a Christmas letter but it was a copy of her death. I did not know she was ill. The section of Scripture with these two words is about our Christian conduct in the light of the Advent ( coming ) of our Lord . For her this was early. Time is no more . She is in

MARK 1:1-8 Advent II “ The way of the Lord must be prepared within the heart; for great and spacious is the heart of man, as if it were a whole world. But see its greatness , not in bodily quantity, but in the power of the mind which enables it to encompass so great a knowledge of the truth. Prepare, therefore, in your hearts the way of the Lord, by a worthy manner of life. Keep straight the path of your life, so that the words of the Lord may enter in without hindrance.” Origen Today I want to talk about beginnings. Now we are in a time of preparation . The Candle of Hope has drawn us to the Candle of Preparation in today’s Gospel from Mark 1:1-8. Hope draws us to the light of Christ. In that Light we have life. We have Good News. “ The Beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Son of God …” 1:1 Good News or Glad Tidings. The Greek word here describes the effect of Good News from a distance runner who has come to the battlefield to let the warriors know that the war is

for your thinking Advent---a new start? Isaiah 64:1-9 How to begin again? How do we find ourselves caught as it were and then find a way out? The Apostle in I Corinthians 10:13 says there is “ a way of escape that you may be able to endure it.” These were the questions on the mind of the people as Isaiah wrote to them 745-695 BC . The nation of northern Israel was carried off into captivity by the Assyrians. Later Judah too fell. 46 cities were destroyed and 200,000 were taken. There was deliverance from the angel of God in 701 BC . Isaiah, literally, “ salvation of the Lord” spoke to the people about how the situation and how God was truly their only hope. Today we light the first candle of Advent, sometimes called, the candle of hope. Our nation as well today may be in captivity in some ways if we think about it….wars continue, debilitating debt continues without relief, and we look for deliverance. We look for a change, someone to help. But have we not had the

After this series I am doing in I John which is really a re-look of some older sermons, I am going to get into some new stuff. Thinking of preaching thru Jonah. Now that would be exciting. I am missing the fresh stuff that comes from daily living, but it should be relevant anyway using the older material I have on hand.

Series of meditations from the Letter of I John will appear but these are not on the blog! I am re working them from a series I did in North Dakota before I went in the Army active duty. Reading a book called " Princeton and Preaching" which is a study of Archibald Alexander's lectures for seminary students when he taught at Princeton. The Scottish philosophical realism argument introduced in Princeton by John Witherspoon is what I am looking at from that ..........

Psalm 101 Misericordiam et judicium My song shall be of mercy and judgement; unto thee, O Lord, will I sing. O let me have understanding in the way of godliness! When wilt thou come unto me? I will walk in my house with a perfect heart. I will take no wicked thing in hand. I hate the sins of unfaithfulness; there shall no such cleave unto me. A froward heart shall depart from me; I will not know a wicked person. Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I destroy. Whoso hath also a proud look and high stomach, I will not suffer him. Mine eyes look upon such as are faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me. Whoso leadeth a godly life, he shall be my servant. There shall no deceitful person dwell in my house; he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight. I shall soon destroy all the ungodly that are in the land, that I may root out all wicked doers from the city of the Lord. Godliness is a difficult thing sometimes. We may have the desire to be godly and do what God

“Trinity ---of love and Power” William Whiting wrote a hymn which was adopted by the Royal Navy as their own and eventually by ours too. In this hymn he wrote of the dangers of being a sailor and the power of the “ Eternal Father, strong to save…” William Whiting grew up around the sea and this hymn reflects that. The last verse of this hymn sums it up: “ O Trinity of love and power, our brethren shield in danger’s hour, from rock and tempest, fire and foe, protect them where ever they go, and ever let there rise to thee glad hymns of praise from land and sea.” The Scriptures today paint us a picture of the eternal Trinity, one God in three persons, all divine . Here is a question if you do not believe in the Trinity, which Person of the Godhead would you say is not necessary for the Christian life? Not even the Unitarians who deny the deity of Jesus would eliminate the Father’s divine nature. Or would you say the Holy Spirit is just a force and not divine? There have been

Hope despite our frailties , fears & failures (thru the Holy Spirit” Romans 8:14-16;22-27 We often quote the Scripture after these passages with much enthusiasm, Romans 8:28,” But we know that to those who love God all things work together for good..” . Today we will on this Day of Pentecost focus on the scriptures that come before that. They talk about the comfort and blessing/work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of those who claim to be the “children of God” 8:16 . Israel had many feasts that it observed annually--- Passover, Firstfruits, the Day of Atonement and Pentecost or the Feast of Harvest. The Feast of Pentecost or weeks is mentioned in the Old Testament . Today we celebrate the ingathering of the church in the New Testament under the authority of the gift of the Holy Spirit as seen in our Acts reading. “ And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind…and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit…” 2: 4 In many places of Europe, it is

It is the Lord who sends rain. Job 5:10 “he gives rain on the earth and sends waters on the fields” Amos 4:7---7"I also withheld the rain from you when there were yet three months to the harvest; I would send rain on one city, and send no rain on another city; one field would have rain, and the field on which it did not rain would wither” Ps 68:9English Standard Version (ESV) 9” Rain in abundance, O God, you shed abroad; you restored your inheritance as it languished” I Kings 17:1----,14,18:1 1Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe[a] in Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word." 14For thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the LORD sends rain upon the earth.'" Elijah Confronts Ahab 1 After many days the word of the LORD came to Elijah, in the third year, sayi

Because I live, you also will live.” John 14:19; Acts 17:22-31; I Peter 3:13-22 A few weeks ago we celebrated the Resurrection of the God-Man Jesus Christ. “ I believe in the Resurrection of the body” we say. Today in light of Memorial Day coming tomorrow and the fact that this is the 6th Sunday of Easter we have an opportunity to be re-encouraged about this wonderful truth. This gives us hope in the most difficult situations we face in this life. The hymn, “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow “written by the Gaithers was written in such a time for them: “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, All fear is gone. Because I know He holds the future, And life is worth the living just because He lives.” We can have this hope in our own lives as well despite what is going on around us or in us as well. I like what Rev. Lloyd Ogilvie said in his book, A Future and a Hope: “ But then when I was hurt, why had the Lord waited so long to send help? Even in the fog of m

“ Trouble-free Mansions” John 14 How do we limit God? I imagine we could say in many ways. Can God be limited? Well, no. The Scriptures paint a picture of God that shows Him to be with Sovereign power in all areas of the world. He created it. He sustains it. He orders it . “ Have you not known ? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not grow faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable…” Isaiah 40:28 (ESV) Yet we limit Him. But that does not mean He is limited. In John 14 , our Gospel for this 5th Sunday of Easter, Jesus tells of a Mansion that has many rooms. “In my Father’s house are many rooms..” John 14:2 Peter---- Jesus predicted He would deny him. We hear these words right before John 14 in John 13, “ truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.” (13:38) In response to this Jesus says, “ Let not your hearts be troubled.” Imagine saying

“The Continuing Acts of Jesus in the Church"Acts 2:42-47 In the last few Sundays our first lessons have all been from Acts. Acts 1:1 ,” In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.” (ESV) In one sense the Acts of the Apostles is better titled the continuing acts of Jesus in the in the Church. It may be also, “ a true prescription for church growth.” ( not a flash in the pan kind of growth) We heard one lesson from Acts 2 , a sermon from Peter, “ This Jesus God raised up, and of that we are all witnesses….those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about 3,000 souls.” (2:32,41) Another lesson was from Acts 10 , “ and we are w

“ Journey with Jesus” Luke 24: 13-35 Many people today are struggling with how life has any purpose or plan. It is easy to look at what is going on in the world and wonder this. Why do some live to ripe old age while others die in their prime? Does this life have any purpose besides what I can find on my own? Where is truth? Does God speak today? How does He do that? Why bother trying to find out what He is saying? Is there any rhyme or reason to the events of my life? Are we finding any of these questions in our lives? Suicide rates among young people are high. In fact many of the stresses in war contribute to it. The services are struggling with how to reduce suicides among their own members. The bad economy also contributes to a higher suicide rate. Why do people get depressed? I imagine that a wish unfulfilled is part of that issue. Some have unrealistic expectations. Two of the disciples of Jesus were on the Resurrection day traveling with each other and talk

Enjoyed the cool weather , the view of the Monterey bay, the quaint little town of Pacific Grove. It is hard to live so far away but now and then when able to come out and spend some money. It is expensive out here to live.

Witnesses to the Resurrection” On this Easter Day we are vividly reminded of the people who saw the empty tomb and the Lord Himself raised from the dead. The evidence of the resurrection is seen in the people who saw Jesus and told about it. If we can demonstrate this through the witnesses , then we are giving weighty evidence to those who are struggling with unbelief, doubt and despair. These are myths some say. They are not able to be proved. Today people want others to share with them what has happened and the reality of what Jesus did, is and who He proves to be is seen in the witnesses to the resurrection. We do not live in an age that enjoys the printed page. People communicate thru phones, texts, and tweets , and movies, dvds and videos. People speaking to people is more powerful to our culture than a manuscript. After 6 pm on Saturday, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James go to view the tomb. (Mt 28:1) They along with Salome “bought spices that they might

“ Could you not watch with me one hour?” Mt 26:40 Palm Sunday . The Gk Church uses the names “ Sunday of the Palm Carrying” & “ Hosanna Sunday” , “ Blossom Sunday “ in England or “ Flowering Sunday” . The official title is the “ Second Sunday of the Passion” and usually the account in Matthew is read. The Ukranians and Poles strike each other gently with the palms which they call “ God’s Wounds” as the scourging of Christ. In Italy people offer palms as a token of reconciliation and peace to those who they have quarreled with . In Austria and the Slavic countries they walk through fields and buildings on the afternoon of Palm Sunday with the palms to draw God’s blessings on the harvest. In the passion we did not read the whole today. 26:40 tells of Jesus in the Garden of Gethesame meaning “oil press”. Here Jesus would be pressed . Jesus wonders credulously why Peter, James and John could not watch with him one hour. The fisherman who stayed up all night fishing could

Romans 8:6-11; 5th Sunday in Lent Christ Jesus, think on us, and purge away our sin; from earthborn passions set us free, and make us pure within. Christ Jesus think on us, amid life's joys and stife; through every day, through every way, you are our health and life. Christ Jesus, think on us, we would not go astray; through darkness and perplexity, point to the heav'nly Way. Words: after Synesius of Cyrene (5th C) Martin Luther has said that human nature is like a drunkard trying to ride a horse. He gets on and falls off on the left side. He resolves not to make that mistake again, so he remounts, careful to avoid falling off on the left, and promptly falls off on the right. I like the illustration about the farmer who had two horses, one lean and one well fed. The lad asked, “ Why is one horse fatter than the other?” The farmer said, “ the one grows the most who I feeds the most!” Matthew Henry said in commenting on Romans 8:6 , “ a carnal soul is a dead soul, de

Communion Meditation---Psalm 23 Of all the Scripture in the Bible this section is the most well known of them all. It is often read at funerals . Today we read this Scripture as the Psalm for today. The difficulty or problem that this Scripture addresses is one we all struggle with. Is God there? Is He watching over me? Are all the haphazard occurrences and people I meet in my life’s journey in His timing ? Does there seem to be any one in charge? How do I know that He is near when it is dark outside and there is no light? While we do not see Shepherds walking around today we can get this picture in our mind of such a person. “ The LORD is my Shepherd”. We are the sheep of His pasture. Psalm 95 . “For he is the Lord our God, * and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. ” In the Doubter's Dictionary by Frederick Buechner. A wise and wry theologian, Mr Buechner writes that ‘faith is a kind of whistling in the dark because, in much the same

Passion Burnt Out- Thirst Quenched- John 4:5-42 During this time of approach to Easter we are on a journey with Jesus to the Cross. You would think that the temptations that we normally deal with would not be a problem. We have gotten in the car, and are on a road trip! But they seem worse. Would it be we could find our way in this world of sin to the Cross where we find relief. But the way is treacherous and the slippery. The world beckons us to take our fill of its delights, the lust of the flesh, the pride of life . (I John 2:16) These things are only temporary. In fact John says in his letter that “the darkness is passing away” 2:8 The world is in a state of decay . The flowers are here but they shall not last. Today we go to the woman at the well and look at her encounter with Jesus. (we have looked at this before in seeing a method of evangelism in the pattern of Jesus) Today I want to focus on the woman herself and how obviously our Lord talks with her and sees the

" Crisis, Trouble, Disaster -What Should We Do?" Psalm 121 Overwhelmed? Troubled? Has the situation been more than we can handle? In the last few weeks in The Great Physician in our evening studies we have seen people who were helpless. There was Jairus from Luke 8 , a ruler of the synagogue whose only daughter was dying. He implored Jesus to come to his house. The woman who touched, literally grasped the tassel of the robe of the teacher , Jesus , who suffered from a disease for 12 years and had spent all she had on doctor’s bills came trembling to the Master. Even a Soldier came because he had a servant who he dearly loved and valued who was gravely ill. ( Luke 7) This week we have been overwhelmed as a people for the nation of Japan. Some of us have even been to that country at one time or another. Thousands have lost their lives and even more have now the nuclear radiation to fear and to fight from the reactors that are melting. And I imagine with these things we