MAC KIRK

Quinquagesima   I Corinthians 13   A More Excellent Way       This chapter of Scripture hardly needs any introduction.   Its uses are practical right now in our lives.   We need to be exhorted and encouraged to follow this way of doing things for in the end we will feel better about ourselves and God will be pleased.      Luther summed it up well when he said on this passage, “ Justification of necessity precedes love.   One does not love until he has become godly and righteous. Love does not make us godly, but when one has become godly love is the result.”      We learn first that “ nothing beats love.”   Vs 1-3   The Apostle starts out with a series of hypothetical impossibilities.   “ Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass , or a tinkling cymbal.”   And having the tongues things will not impress God either…the tongues of men and angels.   Hypnotizing people by our words is saying only and must be acco

Just found this on the Church of England web site and I like what it is saying. The formal forgiveness of sins.   In the  Book of Common Prayer , Cranmer made it abundantly clear that it was God alone who forgives sins, in explicit contradiction of the Roman catholic theological position which made it necessary for a priest to act as an intermediary.   Thus in the absolution in the 1662 prayer book, the minister says that God has “given power and commandment to his Ministers, to declare and pronounce to his people, being penitent, the Absolution and Remission of their sins: He (sc. God) pardoneth and absolveth all them that truly repent and unfeignedly believe his holy Gospel”.   Thus the minister proclaims the truth and actuality of what God is doing.   Liturgical revision has weakened this stance.   The Alternative Service Book 1930 has an absolution in which the minister simply prays for the forgiveness of the congregation (for which they have already prayed in their confession);

Septuagesima   I Corinthians 9:24-27 “ And this I do for the glad tidings ( for the gospel’s sake)”  9:23       The weeks before Lent we have an opportunity to do a bit of accounting.  I am not talking about doing our taxes.  That can be an accounting as well but we are not talking about that kind of accounting today.  (Although our Lord does want us to honestly pay our taxes and obey the government if it does not go against the commandments)  I would like for us to lay back spiritually and ask ourselves, “ Just what kind of Christian example am I setting for others anyway?”       The Apostle Paul realized in this chapter “ woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!” 9:16  But how often do we preach something other than the good news with our lives?  Our words do matter.  Our actions are a reflection of our words and our belief system.  If everything were taken from us, what would we treasure?  This gospel is our treasure.  We have been entrusted with an “administration” 9:17.

Ruth 1:1-17   “Hope itself is like a star- not to be seen in the sunshine of prosperity, and only to be discovered in the night of adversity. ” -- The Rev'd Charles Haddon Spurgeon      Such was the situation in the book of Ruth in the Old Testament.   Adversity showed forth the hope of God’s plan being shown in the descendants of our Lord Jesus Christ .   “ There was famine in the land” we hear in the time of the Judges.   Elimelech took his family from Bethelehem to Moab in the east.   The two sons of Elimelech and Naomi married Moabite women---Orpah and   Ruth.    The Moabites were descendants of Lot & their god received child sacrifices .        In the middle of adversity a star of hope appears.   This is the working of God and His providence.   Do you remember what providence is?   It is literally seeing before.   God sees before and prepares His plan to be made plain in the working of adversity but God does not see it that way.   You see He takes all