Friday, January 1, 2016

MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHET Daily Devotional by Oswald Chambers of Crewe, England [Great Britain], United Kingdom "Let Us Keep to the Point" for Happy New Year, Friday, January 1, 2016

MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHET Daily Devotional by Oswald Chambers of Crewe, England [Great Britain], United Kingdom "Let Us Keep to the Point" for Happy New Year, Friday, January 1, 2016
"…my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death."[Philippians 1:20]
My Utmost for His Highest.
“…my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed….” We will all feel very much ashamed if we do not yield to Jesus the areas of our lives He has asked us to yield to Him. It’s as if Paul were saying, “My determined purpose is to be my utmost for His highest— my best for His glory.” To reach that level of determination is a matter of the will, not of debate or of reasoning. It is absolute and irrevocable surrender of the will at that point. An undue amount of thought and consideration for ourselves is what keeps us from making that decision, although we cover it up with the pretense that it is others we are considering. When we think seriously about what it will cost others if we obey the call of Jesus, we tell God He doesn’t know what our obedience will mean. Keep to the point— He does know. Shut out every other thought and keep yourself before God in this one thing only— my utmost for His highest. I am determined to be absolutely and entirely for Him and Him alone.
My Unstoppable Determination for His Holiness. “Whether it means life or death-it makes no difference!” (see Philippians 1:21). Paul was determined that nothing would stop him from doing exactly what God wanted. But before we choose to follow God’s will, a crisis must develop in our lives. This happens because we tend to be unresponsive to God’s gentler nudges. He brings us to the place where He asks us to be our utmost for Him and we begin to debate. He then providentially produces a crisis where we have to decide— for or against. That moment becomes a great crossroads in our lives. If a crisis has come to you on any front, surrender your will to Jesus absolutely and irrevocably.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS:
The great point of Abraham’s faith in God was that he was prepared to do anything for God.[Not Knowing Whither]
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Philippians 1:20 It all accords with my earnest expectation and hope that I will have nothing to be ashamed of; but rather, now, as always, the Messiah will be honored by my body, whether it is alive or dead.
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Bible in One Year:
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was unformed and void, darkness was on the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God hovered over the surface of the water. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. So there was evening, and there was morning, one day.
6 God said, “Let there be a dome in the middle of the water; let it divide the water from the water.” 7 God made the dome and divided the water under the dome from the water above the dome; that is how it was, 8 and God called the dome Sky. So there was evening, and there was morning, a second day.
9 God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let dry land appear,” and that is how it was. 10 God called the dry land Earth, the gathering together of the water he called Seas, and God saw that it was good.
11 God said, “Let the earth put forth grass, seed-producing plants, and fruit trees, each yielding its own kind of seed-bearing fruit, on the earth”; and that is how it was. 12 The earth brought forth grass, plants each yielding its own kind of seed, and trees each producing its own kind of seed-bearing fruit; and God saw that it was good. 13 So there was evening, and there was morning, a third day.
(A: ii) 14 God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to divide the day from the night; let them be for signs, seasons, days and years; 15 and let them be for lights in the dome of the sky to give light to the earth”; and that is how it was. 16 God made the two great lights — the larger light to rule the day and the smaller light to rule the night — and the stars. 17 God put them in the dome of the sky to give light to the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. 19 So there was evening, and there was morning, a fourth day.
20 God said, “Let the water swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open dome of the sky.” 21 God created the great sea creatures and every living thing that creeps, so that the water swarmed with all kinds of them, and there was every kind of winged bird; and God saw that it was good. 22 Then God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful, multiply and fill the water of the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 So there was evening, and there was morning, a fifth day.
(A: iii) 24 God said, “Let the earth bring forth each kind of living creature — each kind of livestock, crawling animal and wild beast”; and that is how it was. 25 God made each kind of wild beast, each kind of livestock and every kind of animal that crawls along the ground; and God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, in the likeness of ourselves; and let them rule over the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the animals, and over all the earth, and over every crawling creature that crawls on the earth.”
27 So God created humankind in his own image;
in the image of God he created him:
male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them: God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea, the birds in the air and every living creature that crawls on the earth.” 29 Then God said, “Here! Throughout the whole earth I am giving you as food every seed-bearing plant and every tree with seed-bearing fruit. 30 And to every wild animal, bird in the air and creature crawling on the earth, in which there is a living soul, I am giving as food every kind of green plant.” And that is how it was. 31 God saw everything that he had made, and indeed it was very good. So there was evening, and there was morning, a sixth day.
2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, along with everything in them. 2 On the seventh day God was finished with his work which he had made, so he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 3 God blessed the seventh day and separated it as holy; because on that day God rested from all his work which he had created, so that it itself could produce.
(A: iv, S: ii) 4 Here is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created. On the day when Adonai, God, made earth and heaven, 5 there was as yet no wild bush on the earth, and no wild plant had as yet sprung up; for Adonai, God, had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no one to cultivate the ground. 6 Rather, a mist went up from the earth which watered the entire surface of the ground.
7 Then Adonai, God, formed a person [Genesis 2:7 Hebrew: adam] from the dust of the ground [Genesis 2:7 Hebrew: adamah] and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, so that he became a living being. 8 Adonai, God, planted a garden toward the east, in ‘Eden, and there he put the person whom he had formed. 9 Out of the ground Adonai, God, caused to grow every tree pleasing in appearance and good for food, including the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
10 A river went out of ‘Eden to water the garden, and from there it divided into four streams. 11 The name of the first is Pishon; it winds throughout the land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx stone are also found there. 13 The name of the second river is Gichon; it winds throughout the land of Kush. 14 The name of the third river is Tigris; it is the one that flows toward the east of Ashur. The fourth river is the Euphrates.
15 Adonai, God, took the person and put him in the garden of ‘Eden to cultivate and care for it. 16 Adonai, God, gave the person this order: “You may freely eat from every tree in the garden 17 except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. You are not to eat from it, because on the day that you eat from it, it will become certain that you will die.”
18 Adonai, God, said, “It isn’t good that the person should be alone. I will make for him a companion suitable for helping him.” 19 So from the ground Adonai, God, formed every wild animal and every bird that flies in the air, and he brought them to the person to see what he would call them. Whatever the person would call each living creature, that was to be its name. (S: iii) 20 So the person gave names to all the livestock, to the birds in the air and to every wild animal. But for Adam there was not found a companion suitable for helping him.
21 Then God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the person; and while he was sleeping, he took one of his ribs and closed up the place from which he took it with flesh. 22 The rib which Adonai, God, had taken from the person, he made a woman-person; and he brought her to the man-person. 23 The man-person said, “At last! This is bone from my bones and flesh from my flesh. She is to be called Woman [Genesis 2:23 Hebrew: ishah], because she was taken out of Man [Genesis 2:23 Hebrew: ish].” 24 This is why a man is to leave his father and mother and stick with his wife, and they are to be one flesh.
25 They were both naked, the man and his wife, and they were not ashamed.
3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any wild animal which Adonai, God, had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You are not to eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman answered the serpent, “We may eat from the fruit of the trees of the garden, 3 but about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden God said, ‘You are neither to eat from it nor touch it, or you will die.’” 4 The serpent said to the woman, “It is not true that you will surely die; 5 because God knows that on the day you eat from it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it had a pleasing appearance and that the tree was desirable for making one wise, she took some of its fruit and ate. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her; and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked. So they sewed fig leaves together to make themselves loincloths.
8 They heard the voice of Adonai, God, walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, so the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Adonai, God, among the trees in the garden. 9 Adonai, God, called to the man, “Where are you?” 10 He answered, “I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree from which I ordered you not to eat?” 12 The man replied, “The woman you gave to be with me — she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate.” 13 Adonai, God, said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman answered, “The serpent tricked me, so I ate.”
14 Adonai, God, said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all livestock and wild animals. You will crawl on your belly and eat dust as long as you live. 15 I will put animosity between you and the woman, and between your descendant and her descendant; he will bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel.”
16 To the woman he said, “I will greatly increase your pain in childbirth. You will bring forth children in pain. Your desire will be toward your husband, but he will rule over you.”
17 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to what your wife said and ate from the tree about which I gave you the order, ‘You are not to eat from it,’ the ground is cursed on your account; you will work hard to eat from it as long as you live. 18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat field plants. 19 You will eat bread by the sweat of your forehead till you return to the ground — for you were taken out of it: you are dust, and you will return to dust.”
20 The man called his wife Havah [life], because she was the mother of all living.
21 Adonai, God, made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.
(A: v, S: iv) 22 Adonai, God, said, “See, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil. Now, to prevent his putting out his hand and taking also from the tree of life, eating, and living forever — ” 23 therefore Adonai, God, sent him out of the garden of ‘Eden to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. 24 So he drove the man out, and he placed at the east of the garden of ‘Eden the k’ruvim and a flaming sword which turned in every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.
Matthew 1:1 This is the genealogy of Yeshua the Messiah, son of David, son of Avraham:
2 Avraham was the father of Yitz’chak,
Yitz’chak was the father of Ya‘akov,
Ya‘akov was the father of Y’hudah and his brothers,
3 Y’hudah was the father of Peretz and Zerach (their mother was Tamar),
Peretz was the father of Hetzron,
Hetzron was the father of Ram,
4 Ram was the father of ‘Amminadav,
‘Amminadav was the father of Nachshon,
Nachshon was the father of Salmon,
5 Salmon was the father of Bo‘az (his mother was Rachav),
Bo‘az was the father of ‘Oved (his mother was Rut),
‘Oved was the father of Yishai,
6 Yishai was the father of David the king.
David was the father of Shlomo (his mother was the wife of Uriyah),
7 Shlomo was the father of Rechav‘am,
Rechav‘am was the father of Aviyah,
Aviyah was the father of Asa,
8 Asa was the father of Y’hoshafat,
Y’hoshafat was the father of Yoram,
Yoram was the father of ‘Uziyahu,
9 ‘Uziyahu was the father of Yotam,
Yotam was the father of Achaz,
Achaz was the father of Hizkiyahu,
10 Hizkiyahu was the father of M’nasheh,
M’nasheh was the father of Amon,
Amon was the father of Yoshiyahu,
11 Yoshiyahu was the father of Y’khanyahu and his brothers
    at the time of the Exile to Bavel.
12 After the Babylonian Exile, Y’khanyahu was the father of Sh’altiel,
Sh’altiel was the father of Z’rubavel,
13 Z’rubavel was the father of Avihud,
Avihud was the father of Elyakim,
Elyakim was the father of ‘Azur,
14 ‘Azur was the father of Tzadok,
Tzadok was the father of Yakhin,
Yakhin was the father of El’ichud,
15 El’ichud was the father of El‘azar,
El‘azar was the father of Mattan,
Mattan was the father of Ya‘akov,
16 Ya‘akov was the father of Yosef the husband of Miryam,
    from whom was born the Yeshua who was called the Messiah.
17 Thus there were fourteen generations from Avraham to David,
fourteen generations from David to the Babylonian Exile,
and fourteen generations from the Babylonian Exile to the Messiah.
18 Here is how the birth of Yeshua the Messiah took place. When his mother Miryam was engaged to Yosef, before they were married, she was found to be pregnant from the Ruach HaKodesh. 19 Her husband-to-be, Yosef, was a man who did what was right; so he made plans to break the engagement quietly, rather than put her to public shame. 20 But while he was thinking about this, an angel of Adonai appeared to him in a dream and said, “Yosef, son of David, do not be afraid to take Miryam home with you as your wife; for what has been conceived in her is from the Ruach HaKodesh. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Yeshua, [which means ‘Adonai saves,’] because he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All this happened in order to fulfill what Adonai had said through the prophet,
23 “The virgin will conceive and bear a son,
and they will call him ‘Immanu El.”[Matthew 1:23 Isaiah 7:14]
(The name means, “God is with us.”)
24 When Yosef awoke he did what the angel of Adonai had told him to do — he took Miryam home to be his wife, 25 but he did not have sexual relations with her until she had given birth to a son, and he named him Yeshua.
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The Great Plains Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church in Wichita, Kansas, United States Daily Devotional for Friday, 1 January 2016

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The Great Plains Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church in Wichita, Kansas, United States Daily Devotional for Friday, 1 January 2016

Nan Kaye-Skinner
Lincoln Trinity UMC
Blue River District
Dennis Wheeler
Wahoo First UMC
Blue River District



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This Week's Lectionary
1st Sunday after Christmas Day – White or Gold
1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26
Luke 1:47-55
Hebrews 10:5-10
Luke 1:39-45
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Lectionary Texts:
1 Samuel 2:18 But Sh’mu’el ministered in the presence of Adonai, wearing a linen ritual vest even though he was only a child. 19 Each year his mother would make him a little coat and bring it when she came up with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice. 20 ‘Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “May Adonai give you children from this woman because of the boy you have loaned to Adonai”; then they would go home.
26 The child Sh’mu’el kept growing and gaining favor both with Adonai and with people.
Luke 1:47     and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior,
48 who has taken notice of his servant-girl
    in her humble position.[Luke 1:48 1 Samuel 1:11; 2:1]
For — imagine it! — from now on, all generations will call me blessed!
49     “The Mighty One has done great things for me!
Indeed, his name is holy; 50 and in every generation
    he has mercy on those who fear him.[Luke 1:50 Psalms 103:17; 111:9]
51 “He has performed mighty deeds with his arm,
    routed the secretly proud,
52 brought down rulers from their thrones,
    raised up the humble,
53 filled the hungry with good things,
    but sent the rich away empty.
54 “He has taken the part of his servant Isra’el,
    mindful of the mercy
55 which he promised to our fathers,
    to Avraham and his seed forever.”
Hebrews 10:5 This is why, on coming into the world, he says,
“It has not been your will
to have an animal sacrifice and a meal offering;
rather, you have prepared for me a body.
6 No, you have not been pleased
with burnt offerings and sin offerings.
7 Then I said, ‘Look!
In the scroll of the book
it is written about me.
I have come to do your will.’”[Hebrews 10:7 Psalm 40:7–9(6–8)]
8 In saying first, “You neither willed nor were pleased with animal sacrifices, meal offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings,” things which are offered in accordance with the Torah; 9 and then, “Look, I have come to do your will”; he takes away the first system in order to set up the second. 10 It is in connection with this will that we have been separated for God and made holy, once and for all, through the offering of Yeshua the Messiah’s body.
Luke 1:39 Without delay, Miryam set out and hurried to the town in the hill country of Y’hudah 40 where Z’kharyah lived, entered his house and greeted Elisheva. 41 When Elisheva heard Miryam’s greeting, the baby in her womb stirred. Elisheva was filled with the Ruach HaKodesh 42 and spoke up in a loud voice,
“How blessed are you among women!
And how blessed is the child in your womb!
43 “But who am I, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For as soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy! 45 Indeed you are blessed, because you have trusted that the promise Adonai has made to you will be fulfilled.”
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John Wesley's Notes-Commentary for 
1 Samuel 2:18-20
Verse 18
[18] But Samuel ministered before the LORD, being a child, girded with a linen ephod.
Ministered — That is, performed his ministration carefully and faithfully.
Before the Lord — In God's tabernacle.
Ephod — A garment used in God's service, and allowed not only to the inferior priests and Levites but also to eminent persons of the people, and therefore to Samuel, who, though no Levite, was a Nazarite, from his birth.
26
Luke 1:47-55
Verse 47
[47] And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
My spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour — She seems to turn her thoughts here to Christ himself, who was to be born of her, as the angel had told her, he should be the Son of the Highest, whose name should be Jesus, the Saviour. And she rejoiced in hope of salvation through faith in him, which is a blessing common to all true believers, more than in being his mother after the flesh, which was an honour peculiar to her. And certainly she had the same reason to rejoice in God her Saviour hat we have: because he had regarded the low estate of his handmaid, in like manner as he regarded our low estate; and vouchsafed to come and save her and us, when we were reduced to the lowest estate of sin and misery.
Verse 51
[51] He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He hath wrought strength with his arm — That is, he hath shown the exceeding greatness of his power. She speaks prophetically of those things as already done, which God was about to do by the Messiah.
He hath scattered the proud — Visible and invisible.
Verse 52
[52] He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.
He hath put down the mighty — Both angels and men.
Verse 54
[54] He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;
He hath helped his servant Israel — By sending the Messiah.
Verse 55
[55] As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.
To his seed — His spiritual seed: all true believers.
Hebrews 10:5-10
Verse 5
[5] Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:
When he cometh into the world — In the fortieth psalm the Messiah's coming into the world is represented. It is said, into the world, not into the tabernacle, Hebrews 9:1; because all the world is interested in his sacrifice.
A body hast thou prepared for me — That I may offer up myself. Psalms 40:6,etc.
Verse 7
[7] Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.
In the volume of the book — In this very psalm it is written of me. Accordingly I come to do thy will - By the sacrifice of myself.
Verse 8
[8] Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;
Above when he said, Sacrifice thou hast not chosen — That is, when the Psalmist pronounced those words in his name.
Verse 9
[9] Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.
Then said he — in that very instant he subjoined.
Lo, I come to do Thy will — To offer a more acceptable sacrifice; and by this very act he taketh away the legal, that he may establish the evangelical, dispensation.
Verse 10
[10] By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
By which will — Of God, done and suffered by Christ.
We are sanctified — Cleansed from guilt, and consecrated to God.
Luke 1:39-45
Verse 39
[39] And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda;
A city of Judah — Probably Hebron, which was situated in the hill country of Judea, and belonged to the house of Aaron.
Verse 41
[41] And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:
When Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary — The discourse with which she saluted her, giving an account of what the angel had said, the joy of her soul so affected her body, that the very child in her womb was moved in an uncommon manner, as if it leaped for joy.
Verse 45
[45] And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.
Happy is she that believed — Probably she had in her mind the unbelief of Zacharias.
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The Upper Room Ministries
PO Box 340004
Nashville, Tennessee 37203-0004, United States
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Sermon Stories "Children in Ministry" by Gary Lee Parker for Sunday, 27 December 2015 with Scripture Text 1 Samuel 2:18 But Sh’mu’el ministered in the presence of Adonai, wearing a linen ritual vest even though he was only a child. 19 Each year his mother would make him a little coat and bring it when she came up with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice. 20 ‘Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “May Adonai give you children from this woman because of the boy you have loaned to Adonai”; then they would go home.
26 The child Sh’mu’el kept growing and gaining favor both with Adonai and with people.
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We have come to the time when Hannah released your son, Samuel, to the service of God after God gave her the promised son w\she so requested. Children in ministry for and to God with adults is unlike the child labor that we have had in the past and even today where the children are denied their rightful education, nourishment, love, and chance to grow as a child into adulthood the way God has create His people to do in emotional, physical, and spiritual ways. Here we have Samuel who was dedicated to God before he was even conceived by his parents serving in the Temple or Tablenacle under the guidance of Eli the Head Priest. Eli too care of Samuel's education, physical nourishment, and spiritual growth while his mother still took care of his emotional growth through providing for his clothing as he physically grew. Today, we become so scared about the child labor laws or the abuse of children that we do not understand that children are able to minister to God and others as children while they mature emotionally, physically, academincally, and spiritually. We see a little of this when Jesus was found listening to and questioning the religious leaders of His day when he was left in Jerusalem by his parents accidentally. We see that there are all children are able to inister with adults no matter what their abililties may be. I have seen children with down syndome minister with their ability to love unconditionally or even autistic children minister with their presence and ways to praise God or even children who are slow learners begin to allow others the ability to slow down and see who God really is. Where we seek God's ways to allow all children minister for the growth of God's KIngdom we come with them in taking the Body of Jesus and eating it and taking the Blood of Jesus and drinking it through the Holy Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. We come with our children to receive from God His blessings singing the Hymn "JESUS LOVES THE LITTLE CHILDREN" by C. Her­bert Wool­ston (1856-1927)
1. Jesus calls the children dear,
“Come to me and never fear,
For I love the little children of the world;
I will take you by the hand,
Lead you to the better land,
For I love the little children of the world.”
Refrain:
Jesus loves the little children,
All the children of the world.
Red and yellow, black and white,
All are precious in His sight,
Jesus loves the little children of the world.
[Alternate refrain:
Jesus died for all the children,

All the children of the world.
Red and yellow, black and white,
All are precious in His sight,
Jesus died for all the children of the world.]
2. Jesus is the Shepherd true,
And He’ll always stand by you,
For He loves the little children of the world;
He’s a Savior great and strong,
And He’ll shield you from the wrong,
For He loves the little children of the world.
Refrain:
Jesus loves the little children,
All the children of the world.
Red and yellow, black and white,
All are precious in His sight,
Jesus loves the little children of the world.
[Alternate refrain:
Jesus died for all the children,
All the children of the world.
Red and yellow, black and white,
All are precious in His sight,
Jesus died for all the children of the world.]
3. I am coming, Lord, to Thee,
And Your soldier I will be,
For You love the little children of the world;
And Your cross I’ll always bear,
And for You I’ll do and dare,
For You love the little children of the world.
Refrain:
Jesus loves the little children,
All the children of the world.
Red and yellow, black and white,
All are precious in His sight,
Jesus loves the little children of the world.
[Alternate refrain:
Jesus died for all the children,
All the children of the world.
Red and yellow, black and white,
All are precious in His sight,
Jesus died for all the children of the world.]
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Gary Lee Parker
4147 Idaho Street, Apt. 1
San Diego, California 92104-1844, United States
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The Upper Room Daily Devotion in Nashville, Tennessee, United States "The Shrinking Yard" for Friday, 1 January 2016 - Scripture: 1 Corinthians 2:4 and neither the delivery nor the content of my message relied on compelling words of “wisdom” but on a demonstration of the power of the Spirit, 5 so that your trust might not rest on human wisdom but on God’s power.
6 Yet there is a wisdom that we are speaking to those who are mature enough for it. But it is not the wisdom of this world or of this world’s leaders, who are in the process of passing away. 7 On the contrary, we are communicating a secret wisdom from God which has been hidden until now but which, before history began, God had decreed would bring us glory. 8 Not one of this world’s leaders has understood it; because if they had, they would not have executed the Lord from whom this glory flows. 9 But, as the Tanakh says,
“No eye has seen, no ear has heard
and no one’s heart has imagined
all the things that God has prepared
for those who love him.”[1 Corinthians 2:9 Isaiah 64:3(4), 52:15]
10 It is to us, however, that God has revealed these things. How? Through the Spirit. For the Spirit probes all things, even the profoundest depths of God. 11 For who knows the inner workings of a person except the person’s own spirit inside him? So too no one knows the inner workings of God except God’s Spirit. 12 Now we have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit of God, so that we might understand the things God has so freely given us. 13 These are the things we are talking about when we avoid the manner of speaking that human wisdom would dictate and instead use a manner of speaking taught by the Spirit, by which we explain things of the Spirit to people who have the Spirit.
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Paul wrote, “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways.[1 Corinthians 13:11 (NRSV)]
“When did this place shrink?” My grandfather laughed at my question as we stood in his backyard. I could remember where the swings, toys, and basketball goal once stood. As a child, I felt that this land of play was the widest in God’s creation. Even the fence enclosing us once seemed taller than the trees.
Now there is only one porch swing and a small shed where we stored our bikes. The fence and I are the same height. Fifteen steps are enough to take me across the widest part of the lawn. I already knew the answer to my question before I asked it. The yard was the same size that it had always been. I was the one who had grown.
Our perspective changes as we grow up. As we learn to look at the world from God’s perspective, “big” problems become as small as that backyard. Many things in the world do not change, but how we view t"e world can change. With God’s help, we can seek to have the mind of Christ and see things from his point of view.
Read more from the author, here.
"More from Darian Duckworth"
The story that I share in “The Shrinking Yard” occurred shortly after I graduated from seminary. I had moved to Mississippi to pastor my first church, where I served for five years. During that tenure, I was ordained as an elder in full connection in The United Methodist Church. I now serve two churches in Cleveland, Mississippi: St. Luke United Methodist Church and Shipman Chapel. Cleveland is also the home of Delta State University, whose unofficial mascot is the “fighting okra.” Yes, a green vegetable wearing boxing gloves is a common sight in the Mississippi delta!
When I’m not preaching the Word in this corner of God’s creation, I enjoy writing and teaching Christian yoga. One of the highlights of my week is writing a blog entry on my website, www.darianduckworth.com. I began the blog under a different website as a way to improve communication with the congregation I served. Now, the blog has become a personal site where I write a weekly reflection. The blog has helped me to maintain a writing discipline, which I think is so important for pastors. It is a joy to share some of that writing with readers of The Upper Room, and I am grateful for this opportunity. As I say in the signature of my posts… “all good things to each of you."[Darian Duckworth]
The Author: Darian Duckworth (Mississippi, USA)
Thought for the Day: Today, I will try harder to see my world as God sees it.
Prayer: Loving God, open our hearts to change as we grow in our relationship with you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Prayer focus: MY HOMETOWN
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Contact Information:
Great Plains Episcopal Office
9440 E Boston, Suite 160
Wichita Kansas 67207, United States
316-686-0600
800-745-2350
info@greatplainsumc.org
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The Upper Room Daily Reflections, daily words of wisdom and faith of Nashville,Tennessee, United States "God of Tomorrows" for Friday, 1 January 2016

The Upper Room Daily Reflections, daily words of wisdom and faith of Nashville,Tennessee, United States "God of Tomorrows" for Friday, 1 January 2016
Today’s Reflection:
Daily Reflections
GOD OF TOMORROWS, we thank you for the gift of a new year.
Morning by morning new mercies we see. We bring our joy and anticipation.
We also bring our still-fresh pain as we remember the ones we lost in the past year.
We bring the sting of disappointment as we ponder over the relationships
that have been broken in the year past.
We bring the burden of sadness as we struggle to recover from losing jobs.
And we bring our hope that you will help us.
Free us, right now, from being identified only by the events of our life.
May the God Event in our life mark our life, so that we might worship you this day in the beauty of your holiness. Amen.[The Africana Worship Book: Year B]
Prayer by B. Kevin Smalls. From page 135 of The Africana Worship Book: Year B, edited by Valerie Bridgeman Davis and Safiyah Fosua. Copyright © 2007 by Discipleship Resources. All rights reserved.Used by permission. http://bookstore.upperroom.org/ Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Question:
Pray today’s prayer. GOD OF TOMORROWS, we thank you for the gift of a new year.
Morning by morning new mercies we see. We bring our joy and anticipation.
We also bring our still-fresh pain as we remember the ones we lost in the past year.
We bring the sting of disappointment as we ponder over the relationships
that have been broken in the year past.
We bring the burden of sadness as we struggle to recover from losing jobs.
And we bring our hope that you will help us.
Free us, right now, from being identified only by the events of our life.
May the God Event in our life mark our life, so that we might worship you this day in the beauty of your holiness. Amen.
Today’s Scripture:
All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.[John 1:3-4, NRSV]

This Week: pray for someone beginning a good habit.
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Did You Know?
In need of prayer? The Upper Room Living Prayer Center is a 7-day-a-week intercessory prayer ministry staffed by trained volunteers, call 1-800-251-2468 or visit The Living Prayer Center web site.
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Saints, Inc.:
This week we remember: Melania the Younger (December 31).
Melania the YoungerMelania the Younger (named for her grandmother, Melania the Elder) was born to a wealthy Christian family in Rome in 383. She was a pious child who only wanted to give herself to God, but was married when she was thirteen to Pinianus. When their second child died, Melania convinced her husband of her vocation as a celibate. Pinianus and her widowed mother joined her in giving away their riches, setting free slaves, and working with the poor.
Melania, her mother and Pinianus left Rome around 406, traveling to Italy and North Africa. Melania and Pinianus met many Christian leaders such as St. Augustine, St. Paula and St. Jerome. She founded a monastery for women, and another for men in Numibia before continuing her pilgrimage to Jerusalem where she worked in a hospice for pilgrims. After contact with the Desert Fathers and Mothers, she wanted to live a quiet life of prayer, so lived many years at a hermitage on the Mount of Olives.
Melania the Younger was fifty-six years old when she died on December 31, 439.
If Melania the Younger had taken the Spiritual Types Test, she probably would have been a Sage. Melania the Younger is remembered on December 31.
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Lectionary Readings:

Sunday, 3 January 2016
(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)
Jeremiah 31:7-14
Psalm 147:12-20
Ephesians 1:3-14

John 1:(1-9), 10-18
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Lectionary Texts:
Jeremiah 31:
7 (8) Look! I am bringing them from the land in the north,

gathering them from the far ends of the earth;
among them are the blind and lame,
women with children, women in labor,

all together, a vast throng
returning here.
8 (9) They will come weeping and praying
as I bring them back.
I will lead them by streams of water
on smooth paths, so that they won’t stumble.
For I am a father to Isra’el,
and Efrayim is my firstborn son.”
9 (10) Nations, hear the word of Adonai!
Proclaim it in the coastlands far away. Say:
“He who scattered Isra’el is gathering him,
guarding him like a shepherd his flock.”
10 (11) For Adonai has ransomed Ya‘akov,
redeemed him from hands too strong for him.
11 (12) They will come and sing on the heights of Tziyon,
streaming to the goodness of Adonai,
to the grain, the wine, the olive oil,
and the young of the flock and the herd.
They themselves will be like a well-watered garden,
never to languish again.
12 (13) “Then the virgin will dance for joy,
young men and old men together;
for I will turn their mourning into joy,
comfort and gladden them after their sorrow.
13 (14) I will give the cohanim their fill of rich food,
and my people will be satisfied with my bounty,” says Adonai.
14 (15) This is what Adonai says:
“A voice is heard in Ramah,
lamenting and bitter weeping.
It is Rachel weeping for her children,
refusing to be comforted for her children,
because they are no longer alive.”
Psalm 147:12 Glorify Adonai, Yerushalayim!
Praise your God, Tziyon!
13 For he strengthens the bars of your gates,
he blesses your children within you,
14 he brings peace within your borders,
he gives you your fill of the finest wheat.
15 He sends his word out over the earth,
his command runs swiftly.
16 Thus he gives snow like wool,
scatters hoarfrost like ashes,
17 sends crystals of ice like crumbs of bread —
who can withstand such cold?
18 Then he sends his word out and melts them;
he makes the winds blow, and the water flows.
19 He reveals his words to Ya‘akov,
his laws and rulings to Isra’el.
20 He has not done this for other nations;
they do not know his rulings.
Halleluyah!
Ephesians 1:3 Praised be Adonai, Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, who in the Messiah has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heaven. 4 In the Messiah he chose us in love before the creation of the universe to be holy and without defect in his presence. 5 He determined in advance that through Yeshua the Messiah we would be his sons — in keeping with his pleasure and purpose — 6 so that we would bring him praise commensurate with the glory of the grace he gave us through the Beloved One.
7 In union with him, through the shedding of his blood, we are set free — our sins are forgiven; this accords with the wealth of the grace 8 he has lavished on us. In all his wisdom and insight 9 he has made known to us his secret plan, which by his own will he designed beforehand in connection with the Messiah 10 and will put into effect when the time is ripe — his plan to place everything in heaven and on earth under the Messiah’s headship.
11 Also in union with him we were given an inheritance, we who were picked in advance according to the purpose of the One who effects everything in keeping with the decision of his will, 12 so that we who earlier had put our hope in the Messiah would bring him praise commensurate with his glory.
13 Furthermore, you who heard the message of the truth, the Good News offering you deliverance, and put your trust in the Messiah were sealed by him with the promised Ruach HaKodesh, 14 who guarantees our inheritance until we come into possession of it and thus bring him praise commensurate with his glory.
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word,
    and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
2     He was with God in the beginning.
3 All things came to be through him,
    and without him nothing made had being.
4 In him was life,
    and the life was the light of mankind.
5 The light shines in the darkness,
    and the darkness has not suppressed it.
6 There was a man sent from God whose name was Yochanan. 7 He came to be a testimony, to bear witness concerning the light; so that through him, everyone might put his trust in God and be faithful to him. 8 He himself was not that light; no, he came to bear witness concerning the light.
9 This was the true light,
    which gives light to everyone entering the world.
10 He was in the world — the world came to be through him —
    yet the world did not know him.
11 He came to his own homeland,
    yet his own people did not receive him.
12 But to as many as did receive him, to those who put their trust in his person and power, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 not because of bloodline, physical impulse or human intention, but because of God.
14 The Word became a human being and lived with us,
    and we saw his Sh’khinah,
the Sh’khinah of the Father’s only Son,
    full of grace and truth.
15 Yochanan witnessed concerning him when he cried out, “This is the man I was talking about when I said, ‘The one coming after me has come to rank ahead of me, because he existed before me.’”
16 We have all received from his fullness,
    yes, grace upon grace.
17 For the Torah was given through Moshe;
    grace and truth came through Yeshua the Messiah.
18 No one has ever seen God; but the only and unique Son, who is identical with God and is at the Father’s side — he has made him known.
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John Wesley's Notes-Commentary for Jeremiah 31:7-14
Verse 9
[9] They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.
With weeping — Some think that it had been better translated, they went weeping; for though the verb be the future tense in the Hebrew, yet that tense has often the signification of the preterperfect tense, thus it answereth, Psalms 126:5,6. He that goeth forth weeping, bearing precious seed, shalt doubtless come again rejoicing. There is a weeping for joy, as well as for sorrow, and thus the text corresponds with that, Zechariah 12:10. I will pour upon them the spirit of grace and supplications, and they shall look upon him whom they have pierced, and mourn.

By rivers — And they shall have no want as they had when they came out of Egypt, through the wilderness, where they often wanted water.
Verse 11
[11] For the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he.
Hath redeemed — God will as certainly do it, as if he had already done it. In their deliverance as well from Babylon as Egypt, they were types of the deliverance of God's people, by Christ; as well as in their entering into Canaan, they were types of the saints, entering into heaven.
Verse 12
[12] Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the LORD, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all.
And sing — All the phrases in this verse signify one thing, the happy state of the Jews, after their return from captivity. The height of Zion means the temple.
A watered garden — They shall be a beautiful, flourishing, and growing people. Soul seems here to be taken for the whole man.
Not sorrow — In that manner they have been. But under these expressions is also promised the spiritual joy which the true Israel of God will have under the gospel, and the eternal joy they shall have in heaven.
Psalm 147:12-20
Verse 13
[13] For he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates; he hath blessed thy children within thee.
Thy gates — Thy strength consists not in thy walls, and gates, and bars, but in his protection.

Verse 14
[14] He maketh peace in thy borders, and filleth thee with the finest of the wheat.
Borders — In all thy land, even to its utmost borders.
Verse 15
[15] He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth: his word runneth very swiftly.
Commandment — Which is sufficient without any instruments to execute whatsoever pleaseth him.
Swiftly — The thing is done without delay.
Verse 16
[16] He giveth snow like wool: he scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes.
Like wool — Not only in colour and shape, and softness, but also in use, keeping the fruits of the earth warm.
Ashes — In colour and smallness of parts, as also in its burning quality.
Verse 17
[17] He casteth forth his ice like morsels: who can stand before his cold?
Ice — Great hail-stones, which are of an icy nature, and are cast forth out of the clouds, like morsels or fragments.
Ephesians 1:3-14
Verse 3
[3] Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us — God's blessing us is his bestowing all spiritual and heavenly blessings upon us. Our blessing God is the paying him our solemn and grateful acknowledgments, both on account of his own essential blessedness, and of the blessings which he bestows upon us. He is the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, as man and Mediator: he is his Father, primarily, with respect to his divine nature, as his only begotten Son; and, secondarily, with respect to his human nature, as that is personally united to the divine.

With all spiritual blessings in heavenly things — With all manner of spiritual blessings, which are heavenly in their nature, original, and tendency, and shall be completed in heaven: far different from the external privileges of the Jews, and the earthly blessings they expected from the Messiah.
Verse 4
[4] According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
As he hath chosen us — Both Jews and gentiles, whom he foreknew as believing in Christ, 1 Peter 1:2.
Verse 5
[5] Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Having predestinated us to the adoption of sons — Having foreordained that all who afterwards believed should enjoy the dignity of being sons of God, and joint-heirs with Christ.
According to the good pleasure of his will — According to his free, fixed, unalterable purpose to confer this blessing on all those who should believe in Christ, and those only.
Verse 6
[6] To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
To the praise of the glory of his grace — His glorious, free love without any desert on our part.
Verse 7
[7] In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
By whom we — Who believe.
Have — From the moment we believe.
Redemption — From the guilt and power of sin.
Through his blood — Through what he hath done and suffered for us.
According to the riches of his grace — According to the abundant overflowings of his free mercy and favour.
Verse 8
[8] Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
In all wisdom — Manifested by God in the whole scheme of our salvation.
And prudence — Which be hath wrought in us, that we may know and do all his acceptable and perfect will.
Verse 9
[9] Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
Having made known to us — By his word and by his Spirit.
The mystery of his will — The gracious scheme of salvation by faith, which depends on his own sovereign will alone. This was but darkly discovered under the law; is now totally hid from unbelievers; and has heights and depths which surpass all the knowledge even of true believers.
Verse 10
[10] That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
That in the dispensation of the fullness of the times — In this last administration of God's fullest grace, which took place when the time appointed was fully come.
He might gather together into one in Christ — Might recapitulate, re-unite, and place in order again under Christ, their common Head.
All things which are in heaven, and on earth — All angels and men, whether living or dead, in the Lord.
Verse 11
[11] In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
Through whom we — Jews.
Also have obtained an inheritance — The glorious inheritance of the heavenly Canaan, to which, when believers, we were predestinated according to the purpose of him that worketh all things after the counsel of his own will - The unalterable decree, "He that believeth shall be delivered;" which will is not an arbitrary will, but flowing from the rectitude of his nature, else, what security would there be that it would be his will to keep his word even with the elect?
Verse 12
[12] That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
That we — Jews.
Who first believed — Before the gentiles. So did some of them in every place. Here is another branch of the true gospel predestination: he that believes is not only elected to salvation, (if he endures to the end,) but is fore-appointed of God to walk in holiness, to the praise of his glory.
Verse 13
[13] In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
In whom ye — Gentiles.
Likewise believed, after ye had heard the gospel — Which God made the means of your salvation; in whom after ye had believed - Probably some time after their first believing.
Ye were sealed by that Holy Spirit of promise — Holy both in his nature and in his operations, and promised to all the children of God. The sealing seems to imply, 1. A full impression of the image of God on their souls. 2. A full assurance of receiving all the promises, whether relating to time or eternity.
Verse 14
[14] Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
Who, thus sealing us, is an earnest - Both a pledge and a foretaste of our inheritance.
Till the redemption of the purchased possession — Till the church, which he has purchased with his own blood, shall be fully delivered from all sin and sorrow, and advanced to everlasting glory.
To the praise of his glory — Of his glorious wisdom, power, and mercy.
John 1:(1-9), 10-18
Verse 1
[1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
In the beginning — (Referring to Genesis 1:1, and Proverbs 8:23.) When all things began to be made by the Word: in the beginning of heaven and earth, and this whole frame of created beings, the Word existed, without any beginning. He was when all things began to be, whatsoever had a beginning.

The Word — So termed Psalms 33:6, and frequently by the seventy, and in the Chaldee paraphrase. So that St. John did not borrow this expression from Philo, or any heathen writer. He was not yet named Jesus, or Christ. He is the Word whom the Father begat or spoke from eternity; by whom the Father speaking, maketh all things; who speaketh the Father to us. We have, in John 1:18, both a real description of the Word, and the reason why he is so called. He is the only begotten Son of the Father, who is in the bosom of the Father, and hath declared him. And the Word was with God - Therefore distinct from God the Father. The word rendered with, denotes a perpetual tendency as it were of the Son to the Father, in unity of essence. He was with God alone; because nothing beside God had then any being.
And the Word was God — Supreme, eternal, independent. There was no creature, in respect of which he could be styled God in a relative sense. Therefore he is styled so in the absolute sense. The Godhead of the Messiah being clearly revealed in the Old Testament, ( Jeremiah 23:7; Hosea 1:6; Psalms 23:1,) the other evangelists aim at this, to prove that Jesus, a true man, was the Messiah. But when, at length, some from hence began to doubt of his Godhead, then St. John expressly asserted it, and wrote in this book as it were a supplement to the Gospels, as in the Revelation to the prophets.
Verse 2
[2] The same was in the beginning with God.
The same was in the beginning with God — This verse repeats and contracts into one the three points mentioned before. As if he had said, This Word, who was God, was in the beginning, and was with God.
Verse 3
[3] All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
All things beside God were made, and all things which were made, were made by the Word. In John 1:1,2 is described the state of things before the creation: John 1:3, In the creation: John 1:4, In the time of man's innocency: John 1:5, In the time of man's corruption.
Verse 4
[4] In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
In him was life — He was the foundation of life to every living thing, as well as of being to all that is.
And the life was the light of men — He who is essential life, and the giver of life to all that liveth, was also the light of men; the fountain of wisdom, holiness, and happiness, to man in his original state.
Verse 5
[5] And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
And the light shineth in darkness — Shines even on fallen man; but the darkness - Dark, sinful man, perceiveth it not.
Verse 6
[6] There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
There was a man — The evangelist now proceeds to him who testified of the light, which he had spoken of in the five preceding verses.
Verse 7
[7] The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
The same came for (that is, in order to give) a testimony - The evangelist, with the most strong and tender affection, interweaves his own testimony with that of John, by noble digressions, wherein he explains the office of the Baptist; partly premises and partly subjoins a farther explication to his short sentences. What St. Matthew, Mark, and Luke term the Gospel, in respect of the promise going before, St. John usually terms the testimony, intimating the certain knowledge of the relator; to testify of the light - Of Christ.
Verse 9
[9] That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
Who lighteth every man — By what is vulgarly termed natural conscience, pointing out at least the general lines of good and evil. And this light, if man did not hinder, would shine more and more to the perfect day.
Verse 10
[10] He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
He was in the world — Even from the creation.
Verse 11
[11] He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
He came — In the fulness of time, to his own - Country, city, temple: And his own - People, received him not.
Verse 12
[12] But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
But as many as received him — Jews or Gentiles; that believe on his name - That is, on him. The moment they believe, they are sons; and because they are sons, God sendeth forth the Spirit of his Son into their hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
Verse 13
[13] Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Who were born — Who became the sons of God, not of blood - Not by descent from Abraham, nor by the will of the flesh - By natural generation, nor by the will of man - Adopting them, but of God - By his Spirit.
Verse 14
[14] And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Flesh sometimes signifies corrupt nature; sometimes the body; sometimes, as here, the whole man.
We beheld his glory — We his apostles, particularly Peter, James, and John, Luke 9:32.
Grace and truth — We are all by nature liars and children of wrath, to whom both grace and truth are unknown. But we are made partakers of them, when we are accepted through the Beloved. The whole verse might be paraphrased thus: And in order to raise us to this dignity and happiness, the eternal Word, by a most amazing condescension, was made flesh, united himself to our miserable nature, with all its innocent infirmities. And he did not make us a transient visit, but tabernacled among us on earth, displaying his glory in a more eminent manner, than even of old in the tabernacle of Moses. And we who are now recording these things beheld his glory with so strict an attention, that we can testify, it was in every respect such a glory as became the only begotten of the Father. For it shone forth not only in his transfiguration, and in his continual miracles, but in all his tempers, ministrations, and conduct through the whole series of his life. In all he appeared full of grace and truth: he was himself most benevolent and upright; made those ample discoveries of pardon to sinners, which the Mosaic dispensation could not do: and really exhibited the most substantial blessings, whereas that was but a shadow of good things to come.
Verse 15
[15] John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.
John cried — With joy and confidence; This is he of whom I said - John had said this before our Lord's baptism, although he then knew him not in person: he knew him first at his baptism, and afterward cried, This is he of whom I said. etc.
He is preferred before me — in his office: for he was before me - in his nature.
Verse 16
[16] And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
And — Here the apostle confirms the Baptist's words: as if he had said, He is indeed preferred before thee: so we have experienced: We all - That believe: have received - All that we enjoy out of his fulness: and in the particular, grace upon grace - One blessing upon another, immeasurable grace and love.
Verse 17
[17] For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
The law — Working wrath and containing shadows: was given - No philosopher, poet, or orator, ever chose his words so accurately as St. John. The law, saith he, was given by Moses: grace was by Jesus Christ. Observe the reason for placing each word thus: The law of Moses was not his own. The grace of Christ was. His grace was opposite to the wrath, his truth to the shadowy ceremonies of the law.
Jesus — St. John having once mentioned the incarnation { John 1:14,) no more uses that name, the Word, in all his book.
Verse 18
[18] No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
No man hath seen God — With bodily eyes: yet believers see him with the eye of faith.
Who is in the bosom of the Father — The expression denotes the highest unity, and the most intimate knowledge.
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The Upper Room Ministries
PO Box 340004
Nashville, Tennessee 37203-0004, United States
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Sermon Story "The Gathering" by Gary Lee Parker for Sunday, 3 January 2015 with Scripture Text Jeremiah 31:7 (8) Look! I am bringing them from the land in the north,
gathering them from the far ends of the earth;
among them are the blind and lame,
women with children, women in labor,
all together, a vast throng
returning here.
8 (9) They will come weeping and praying
as I bring them back.
I will lead them by streams of water
on smooth paths, so that they won’t stumble.
For I am a father to Isra’el,
and Efrayim is my firstborn son.”
9 (10) Nations, hear the word of Adonai!
Proclaim it in the coastlands far away. Say:
“He who scattered Isra’el is gathering him,
guarding him like a shepherd his flock.”
10 (11) For Adonai has ransomed Ya‘akov,
redeemed him from hands too strong for him.
11 (12) They will come and sing on the heights of Tziyon,
streaming to the goodness of Adonai,
to the grain, the wine, the olive oil,
and the young of the flock and the herd.
They themselves will be like a well-watered garden,
never to languish again.
12 (13) “Then the virgin will dance for joy,
young men and old men together;
for I will turn their mourning into joy,
comfort and gladden them after their sorrow.
13 (14) I will give the cohanim their fill of rich food,
and my people will be satisfied with my bounty,” says Adonai.
14 (15) This is what Adonai says:
“A voice is heard in Ramah,
lamenting and bitter weeping.
It is Rachel weeping for her children,
refusing to be comforted for her children,
because they are no longer alive.”
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We come to realize that is going to gather all His people or as Jeremiah says all of Israel. The greatest thing about these ords is that the people who are differently abled will be fully included into His Kingdom. This sounds as though this is a mandate for His church to begin to fully included people who are differently abled in the church as God has been calling His people to do. We listen to the words of Jeremiah in the final verse we have about Rachel weeping for her children because they are no more. This could almost be the case with the people who are differently abled being abent from His church even though part of this prophesy was fulfilled in the killing of all the children 2 years old and younger in and around the vicinity of Bethlehem after Jesus was born and the people from the east did not come back to tell King Herod where he could find the baby King of Israel. How would you have responded to the prophet's words? How do you respond to them in today's world? How are you able to see the connection to the missing people who are differently abled and Rachel weeping for her children who are no more> As we come to seek God in reviving the need to ful include the people who are differently abled into the church we take and eat the Body of Jesus and drink His Blood through the Holy Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist to receive God's power, strength and blessing to include people who are differently abled into the church. We come to receive singing the Hymn "TTHE HYMN FOR CONQUERING MARTYRS RAISE" by From Cassander’s Hymni Ecclesiastici (Cologne, Germany: 1556) (Hymnum canentes martyrum), where it is attributed to the Venerable Bede (673-735). John M. Neale translated it from Latin to English in Mediaeval Hymns, 1851
1. The hymn for conquering martyrs raise,
The victor innocents we praise,
Whom in their woe earth cast away,

But Heav’n with joy received today;
Whose angels see the Father’s face
World without end, and hymn His grace;
And while they chant unceasing lays,
The hymn for conquering martyrs raise.
2. A voice from Ramah was there sent,
A voice of weeping and lament,
When Rachel mourned the children’s care
Whom for the tyrant’s sword she bare.
Triumphal is their glory now,
Whom earthly torments could not bow,
What time, both far and near that went,
A voice from Ramah there was sent.
3. Fear not, O little flock and blest,
The lion that your life opprest!
To heavenly pastures ever new
The heavenly Shepherd leadeth you;
Who, dwelling now on Zion’s hill,
The Lamb’s dear footsteps follow still;
By tyrant there no more distrest,
Fear not, O little flock and blest.
4.And every tear is wiped away
By your dear Father’s hands for ay;
Death hath no power to hurt you more,
Whose own is life’s eternal store.
Who sow their seed, and sowing weep,
In everlasting joy shall reap,
What time they shine in heavenly day,
And every tear is wiped away.
5. O city blest o’er all the earth,
Who gloriest in the Savior’s birth,
Who are His earliest martyrs dear,
By kindred and by triumph here;
None from henceforth may call thee small,
Of rival towns thou passest all:
In whom our Monarch had His birth,
O city blest o’er all the earth!
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Gary Lee Parker
4147 Idaho Street, Apt. 1
San Diego, California 92104-1844, United States
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The Luther Seminary of Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Happy New Year, Friday, 1 January 2016 "God Pause Daily Devotional" John 1:(1-9) 10-18

Students sitting outside Bockman
The Luther Seminary of Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Happy New Year, Friday, 1 January 2016 "God Pause Daily Devotional" John 1:(1-9) 10-18 
John 1:
1 In the beginning was the Word,
    and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
2     He was with God in the beginning.
3 All things came to be through him,
    and without him nothing made had being.
4 In him was life,
    and the life was the light of mankind.
5 The light shines in the darkness,
    and the darkness has not suppressed it.
6 There was a man sent from God whose name was Yochanan. 7 He came to be a testimony, to bear witness concerning the light; so that through him, everyone might put his trust in God and be faithful to him. 8 He himself was not that light; no, he came to bear witness concerning the light.
9 This was the true light,
    which gives light to everyone entering the world.
10 He was in the world — the world came to be through him —
    yet the world did not know him.
11 He came to his own homeland,
    yet his own people did not receive him.
12 But to as many as did receive him, to those who put their trust in his person and power, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 not because of bloodline, physical impulse or human intention, but because of God.
14 The Word became a human being and lived with us,
    and we saw his Sh’khinah,
the Sh’khinah of the Father’s only Son,
    full of grace and truth.
15 Yochanan witnessed concerning him when he cried out, “This is the man I was talking about when I said, ‘The one coming after me has come to rank ahead of me, because he existed before me.’”
16 We have all received from his fullness,
    yes, grace upon grace.
17 For the Torah was given through Moshe;
    grace and truth came through Yeshua the Messiah.
18 No one has ever seen God; but the only and unique Son, who is identical with God and is at the Father’s side — he has made him known.
[Complete Jewish Bible]
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"From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace." What does John mean by that? On one level he means that you cannot exhaust God's grace. Receive it today, use it right now and there's still more for tomorrow. Looked at from another perspective it is also true that grace builds upon grace.
That was the central plot line of the movie "Pay it Forward," in which a middle school teacher gives his incoming class of seventh graders the assignment to design an experiment that will change the world. Surprisingly, one student accepted the challenge, designed his experiment, implemented it in real life and did indeed change the world. A kindness received results in a kindness shared. When those acts of goodness are experienced between strangers, they truly become parables of grace. That is what grace does. It changes our world.
As the pastor in a church, I constantly witness people who enact their own parables of grace. An act of kindness, one sacrificing time or money to do something on behalf of another--such graceful gifts make an impact. And often we see lives are changed. It is truly difficult to receive grace and not be moved to gratitude. Often the only form of thanks that seems appropriate is to pay it forward to someone new. You are a recipient of this grace right now. To whom will you pay it forward? Is there any way you might build a New Year's resolution around the very idea of receiving and sharing grace? Go ahead, give it a try, there is grace in abundance!
(I challenge you to name three blessings, large or small, that you have received this Christmas season.) Lord, all gifts are ultimately from you, but I give you thanks for those who have touched my life with help, with encouragement, with love and with grace. Make me sensitive to the people I will meet in the coming days, so that I might see those opportunities you present through which I might share with others the love and grace with which I have been gifted. Amen.
Sherman Bishop
Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Westlake, Ohio
Master of Divinity, 1980
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being
4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.
5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.
8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.
9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him.
11 He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him.
12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God,
13 who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth.
15 (John testified to him and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, "He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.' ")
16 From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.
17 The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
18 No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father's heart, who has made him known.
[New Revised Standard Version]
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