Tag: Vineyard One NYC

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Who God Designed You to Be

 

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Summer in the Psalms is a sermon and written reflection series from my church based on Psalms and associated readings from the Revised Common Lectionary.

Read

Genesis 32:22-31

Reflect

Jacob had a difficult life. Often it seemed like his problems were mostly his own doing. Born the second son in a society that awarded all property and honor to the oldest, he was still determined to take everything for himself. Jacob’s name meant “Supplanter” or “Trickster” and it fit. No matter what the consequences, he never seemed to learn to stop plotting and manipulating. He schemed, fought and tricked his way into an inheritance and prosperity.

When the Lord tells Jacob, “you have striven with God and with humans, and prevailed,” He’s telling the story of Jacob’s life. But He’s also affirming that Jacob is exactly who God made him. God told Jacob’s mother ahead of his birth that he would inherit his father’s blessing, and that God’s chosen line would flow through Jacob, not his older brother. God could have simply caused Jacob to be born first. But that’s not what He did.

Instead, God designed Jacob to be a fighter and a striver, someone who never took no for an answer, someone who would wrestle God Himself to get the blessing he wanted. It’s not that God wanted or caused Jacob to do underhanded things. But Jacob was on a path to become Israel, the father of a new and mighty nation, and he needed to be persistent, shrewd, and unafraid in the face of opposition in order to be ready for everything that entailed. Through Jacob, a lowly second son with an iron will and an unrelenting drive for more, God kept His promises to His chosen people.

Wherever you are in your life right now, it’s worth asking: Who has God designed me to be? What personality and character traits has He given me, and how do they fit into God’s plan and promises for my life?

Respond

Name a personality or character trait that you like about yourself. Thank God for making you that way. Next, name a trait that you aren’t as happy with, maybe one that’s gotten you into trouble, or has seemed to be an obstacle as you pursue your goals. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you how God has used that trait to move you in His direction for your life. Thank God for this trait. Then, thank God for who He has designed you to be and for the role He has called you to play in this world.

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Remembering God’s Promises

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Summer in the Psalms is a sermon and reflection series based on the Revised Common Lectionary. 

Guest writer: Mary Lynn Errigo

Read

Romans 8:26-39

Reflect

This week’s lectionary readings remind us that God’s faithful love for his people is present throughout Scripture. In Genesis 29, we read the story of Jacob, who was deceived by his uncle into marrying not the woman he loved, but her sister. Even in his pain and frustration, Jacob kept going. He remembered the covenant that God made with Abraham and with him (Genesis 28) and trusted in God’s promises.

In Psalm 105, we see the Psalmist give thanks to God in all circumstances. In the most difficult of times, he calls upon His name. He gives glory to God who is worthy to be praised, and he seeks the Lord and His strength.

In Romans, Paul tells a Christian community facing violent persecution that God is with them, enabling them to be “more than conquerors.” He assures them that God will never fail or abandon them.

Sometimes when we think that things can’t get any worse, we assume that God isn’t with us. We begin to lose heart and lose hope. However, even in dire situations, when our strength is gone, we can look to the promises that God has made to us throughout his Word, from beginning to end. We can remember the times that He lifted us up when we had no strength — the times when He came through for us and saved us — and know that He remains faithful to His promises.

Respond

Are you struggling today?  Are you looking for answers to situations that seem hopeless?

With the help of God’s promises in His Word, seek the Lord and His strength. Remember the promises He has kept to you in the past: the times He has lifted you up out of the mess, even when there seemed to be no hope.

Remember that Jesus is with you, defending and protecting. The Holy Spirit is also with you, giving words to your prayers even when you don’t know what to say. No matter what you are going through, it cannot separate you from God’s love.

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God’s Seeds of Life and Hope

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Summer in the Psalms is a series from the Revised Common Lectionary. Sunday sermons and written reflections are based on the Psalm and additional passages for each week.

Guest writer: Mercy Perez

Read

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Reflect

I made the decision to follow Jesus at the age of sixteen. I was at a youth conference when the invitation was extended and I accepted. I was young and had the notion that if I became a Christian my life would be problem free.

A few years into my walk as a believer, that notion was shattered. I realized that, believer or not, I was not exempt from the harshness that surrounded me. I was not exempt from the consequences of my poor decisions, nor from the consequences of others’ poor judgments and decisions.

But Jesus had sowed the good seed in me: the message of hope and life that flourished and deepened my desire to continue to follow him. That hope sown in me served as a lifeline when doubt, fear, discouragement and disappointments grew like weeds threatening to destroy me.

When I was at my weakest I heard the Holy Spirit whisper to me, telling me how much I was loved and that no matter what assailed me or where I turned, God would always be there.

Respond

Reread Psalm 139 for a reminder that no matter where you go, God is always guiding and holding you. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you receive and meditate on God’s love. Let the experience of being loved by God wash away any anxiety or feelings of being overwhelmed.

Thank God for having fearfully and wonderfully knit you together in your mother’s womb (Psalm 139:14) and for being with you every day since.

 

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“The World is Charged with the Grandeur of God”

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A sermon and reflection series following the Revised Common Lectionary. Sunday sermons are based on the Psalm for the week. Written reflections are based on selected Scriptures from the same week.

Read

Genesis 28:10-19a

Reflect

The world is charged with the grandeur of God. / It will flame out, like shining from shook foil – Gerard Manley Hopkins*

At the beginning this passage, Jacob is fleeing for his life. He’s just lied to his blind, dying father. He’s cheated his older brother out of his rightful inheritance as the firstborn son. That brother (quite understandably) now wants to kill him. Jacob has no reason to expect God to show up in a dream, give him a glimpse of angels carrying out God’s work, and leave him a blessing. But God does all of these things.

Most of us have never had a dream even close to Jacob’s. But, as the poet and Jesuit priest Hopkins writes, God’s glory and beauty shine through all creation. And through Jesus and the Holy Spirit, God’s presence is always available to us. We don’t have to wait for God to reach us in a dream or go to a faraway holy place – although those are also options. We can see God, now, through every blade of grass or summer rain. Or, if nature doesn’t speak to us, in science, human interactions, architecture, or the arts. We can hear Him speak to us in our prayers and through the Word. We can feel the Spirit’s presence in our bodies, hearts, and minds.

We can also trust that if God wants to get our attention, He will. Both Jacob’s story and Psalm 139 tell us that God’s love can reach us anywhere, even if we’re running from it or unaware it exists. Whatever our present feelings towards God – shame, sadness, anger, weariness, indifference – God will literally move heaven and earth to reach out to us and assure us of His love.

Respond

What are your feelings towards God right now, positive or negative? Talk to God about them, and ask Him to be with you as you experience those feelings.

How would you like God to show His love today, both to you and to a specific person who doesn’t know Him yet?

 

*Full text of poem available here.

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“Our Hearts Are Completely His” (Romans 8, Psalm 119)

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A sermon and reflection series from my church, based on the weekly Psalm and linked readings from  the Revised Common Lectionary. 

Guest Writer: Mary Lynn Errigo

Read

Romans 8:1-11

Reflect

There is no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus. This is truly “Good News.” And not only Good News, but Great News!

As followers of God, we live each day trying to walk according to His ways. But everyday trials and our own sinful natures get in our way, and we fail in spite of our best efforts.

This is where the Good News of Jesus Christ comes in. Jesus took all our sins and died on the cross for us. Because He paid a price we could never have paid on our own, we are not condemned to suffer in guilt and shame for our mistakes. When we go to Him in repentance, He holds us in His arms and forgives us. He sets us free from the power of sin and death so our hearts can belong fully to God.

Jesus breathed life into us. He knows us better than we know ourselves. He will never abandon us or leave us to face our pain and trials alone.

Respond

God knows that our hearts are completely His. He has called us to be His very own. As we walk in His ways, holding each of His words close to our hearts, we know God will never abandon us. In Psalm 119, the Psalmist cries out, “I have sworn, and I will confirm it, that I will keep Thy righteous ordinances . . . O accept the freewill offerings of my mouth and teach me Thine ordinances . . . I have inherited Thy testimonies forever, for they are the joy of my heart.”

As you read God’s words this week, allow them to fill your heart with joy. Thank Him for His Good News. Spend time talking with God and trusting in Him. He will give you the strength you need to walk in His ways.

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Faith = Risk: Lessons in Leaving Our Comfort Zones (Genesis 24)

unnamedDay 26 of my 30-day writing challenge / Summer in the Psalms

A summer sermon and reflection series from my church, based on the weekly Psalms and associated readings in the Revised Common Lectionary. 

Read

Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67

Reflect

On Sunday, our church hosted a guest speaker who shared how God led him and his wife to make a life-changing move. With each step of the process, God seemed to require them to show more faith and take bigger risks. In the same way, the Israelites were continually asked to demonstrate their trust in God in new ways as they traveled to the Promised Land. Our speaker reminded us of the best-known saying of the founder of our denomination: faith = risk. In other words, faith is lived out in actions that take us out of our comfort zones.

In Genesis 24, Abraham’s servant is on a journey of faith, sent by Abraham to find a wife for his son, Isaac, from among his extended family. Abraham doesn’t allow Isaac to take the trip with his servant, making the task even more difficult. However, Abraham has faith that God will send an angel ahead of the servant to help.

When the servant arrives at his destination, he is desperate for God’s guidance. He asks God for a very specific, detailed series of signs that will show him the woman God has chosen for Isaac. God does exactly as he asks, revealing Rebekah as Issac’s future wife. Rebekah and Isaac eventually become the parents of Jacob, the founder of the nation of Israel.

God’s plans for his chosen people required great faith and risk from everyone in this story. First from Abraham and his servant, and then from Rebekah, who agreed to leave her hometown and family behind to marry a man she had never meet.

What’s your story? How is God inviting you to step out in faith?

Respond

Spend 10 minutes each day this week listening to God, asking him if there is something he is leading you to do. Is there a decision you’ve been struggling with, or are you sensing God asking you to make a change somewhere in your life?

Ask the Holy Spirit to come and help you listen to God’s promptings. Ask Jesus to give you courage to risk everything to follow his will for your life.

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Psalm 45, Bad Husbands, and Biblical Wedding Songs: Foreshadowings of Christ and the Church

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Day 25 of my 30-day writing challenge / Summer in the Psalms

A summer sermon and reflection series from the Psalms and linked readings in the Revised Common Lectionary.

Read

Psalm 45:10-17

Reflect

Psalm 45 is a wedding song in honor of an unnamed king and princess. Commentators believe it points to the eventual union of the church and Christ, and to the eternal reign of Christ as King. The poetry in the Song of Solomon falls under the same tradition.

The wedding songs in the Psalms and in the Song of Solomon are undeniably beautiful and romantic. But they are also idealized. They don’t reflect what life was probably like for the women who had to live with their kings past their wedding night.

We don’t know which princess and king are being celebrated in this song, but we do know that both David and Solomon, the two most powerful kings of Israel, fell far short of being ideal husbands. Solomon, who today would be referred to in polite circles as a man whore of epic proportions, had 300 wives and 700 concubines. David was comparatively restrained, with at least eight wives and 10 concubines that we know of.

David showed genuine love to some of his wives, but the Bible also shows him rejecting one of his wives after she displeased him. (Reading between the lines, he may have refused sexual relations with her for the rest of her child-bearing years, if not for the rest of her life.) But even a well-loved wife could likely expect only limited attention from a husband who had dozens, if not hundreds, of other women to warm his bed, not to mention a kingdom to run.

Biblical wedding songs may not paint a realistic picture of marriage – but we could say the same about almost any book, tv show, or movie. However, they do point us to an ideal and truth beyond anything we could possibly achieve in our human relationships. Christ really does love the church with an undying, unselfish, faithful, passionate love. As the body of Christ, we are always beautiful to him, always welcome in his arms. It’s the kind of love that most people can only dream about, and it belongs us, forever, as a free gift from the King whose reign will know no end.

Respond

What are your favorite words or images of love from fiction or poetry, other art forms, or popular media? In what ways do they reflect Christ’s love for the church?

Think of a time when you felt loved by God. Spend some time remembering that experience and feeling, and carry it with you throughout your day and week.

 

 

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Freedom in Christ: Psalm 13 and Romans 6

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Day 23 of my 30-day writing challenge / Summer in the Psalms

From my church’s preaching and reflection series on the Psalms and associated readings in the Revised Common Lectionary. 

Guest writer: Mary Lynn Erigo

Read

Psalm 13

Romans 6:12-23

Reflect

David writes Psalm 13 because his soul is in deep anguish. He cries out to his God: How long will it be until you help me? You know my situation. You know it’s a matter of life and death. You know my pain and my anxiety. I’m crying out to You and yet I hear no answer. Why are mean and uncaring people free from pain and sorrow, while mine are never ending? How long will you let me be hurt by people who hate me?

Isn’t this a prayer that we all cry at times?

David is likely talking about physical enemies, those who would keep him from the throne that God gave him. In Romans 6:12-23, Paul tells us that sin is also our enemy and a matter of life and death. It enslaves us, taking us away from relationship with God and His loving design for our life.

David is led out of his despair by turning to his Lord and reflecting on God’s loving kindness and compassion towards him, every day of his life. He trusts that God has been good to him in the past and will be again. Paul’s words for us are even more encouraging. Christ has delivered us from our slavery to sin and made it possible for us to have eternal freedom with God. As we choose to obey God, rather than our sinful desires, His life continues to grow in us.

Over and over, God rescues us, both body and soul. Lean on Him, wait for Him, trust Him. His love for you is great.

Respond

Take the time now and go to God. Know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that He will not abandon you.You are so important to Him that he sent his Son to rescue you.

Whether you are burdened by circumstances, another person, or your own struggles with sin, leave this heavy load at the cross and trust that God will set you free from it when He knows it’s time.

Show Him how much you trust Him in this. Let Him hold you in His arms and bring you through.

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God’s Unrestrained Love

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Day 18 of my 30-day writing challenge / Summer in the Psalms

Guest writer: Mimi Otani

This post from my church’s summer sermon and reflection series links Psalm 13 and Genesis 22:1-14, two lectionary readings from Sunday, July 2, 2017.

Reflect

God himself calls Abraham a righteous man (Genesis 15:1 – 6). Nevertheless, God commands him to slaughter his own son, Issac. Yet Abraham does not ask questions, but simply prepares to sacrifice Isaac.

Ultimately, God did not require Abraham to complete the sacrifice of his only son. He allowed Abraham to demonstrate faith through his willingness alone. Issac’s sacrifice foreshadows the sacrifice of Jesus, for Isaac was Abraham’s son and Jesus is God’s Son. However, God did not spare his only, beloved Son, sending Jesus to die in atonement for the sin of all humanity.

It would be outrageous for us to sacrifice our children as a token of faith in God or in exchange for someone else’s life. Humans are limited by God’s physical laws, by time and space; and our love also has boundaries and limitations. But God’s love is unrestrained and he shows it in ways that are beyond our ability to fathom.

What can we learn from Abraham? We, too, can place our faith in the boundless love of God, even when things don’t seem to make sense or while we’re waiting for God to act. As David sang in Psalm 13:5, we can choose to trust in God’s steadfast love and rejoice in his outrageous gift of salvation.

Respond

Listen to “Stand in Awe,” a song about God’s atoning love for us through Jesus.

Take some time to stand in awe before the Father who loves you more than you can fathom. Give your adoration to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

 

Note: Mimi Otani’s nonprofit, Crazy4Jazz, brings live jazz shows and other art performances to residents of nursing homes, hospices, hospitals and other institutions while also providing performing opportunities and modest compensation to New York City’s artists.

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The Sower and the Seed: Jesus’ Invitation to Intimacy

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Day 15 of my 30-day writing challenge / Summer in the Psalms

Guest writer: Mercy Perez

Summer in the Psalms is a sermon and reflection series from my church, Vineyard One NYC. There was a mix-up with coordinating readings from the Revised Common Lectionary, so today’s Biblical passage, Matthew 13:1-9, is from a different week than Psalm 69. I think it still works!

Reflect

He sat by the lake and large crowds gathered around him – Matthew 13:2
Jesus, wherever he went, seemed to gather large crowds. They may have been curious, seeking healing for a loved one or themselves, or just yearning to hear him speak one more time.

On this day, Jesus begins to teach in parable form about a sower and his seeds. The seeds represent Jesus’ message about the Kingdom of God. While many people received these seeds —  heard the message — not all of them took Jesus’ words to heart.

The sower in this case is the messenger. His task is to spread Jesus’ message: the invitation to experience the love and intimacy of God. Jesus’ desire is for all to hear, believe, and enjoy an eternal relationship with God. However, as shown by the parable of the seeds, not everyone who hears the message can receive it and remain in relationship.

As hearers and messengers of the words of life, our task is to continue to offer the message of life. We know that not everyone will believe, but all can hear how much they are loved. We are only the messengers; God alone can reach the heart.

We saw something similar in Psalm 69, where David, who did everything right —  fasted, prayed, wore sackcloth — did not have the outcome he expected and hoped for. Instead, he felt isolated, a foreigner among his own family.

As we live day to day and year to year, our plans and desires do not always turn out how we imagine or expect. But we can be encouraged because we are cared for by someone who knows us better than we know ourselves.

Respond

When your plans don’t go as you had hoped for, or when people don’t respond to God’s love as you would wish, be encouraged by God’s love for you. Continue to share Jesus’ message, knowing that it’s God’s task to change hearts.

We are amazingly loved. Share this with someone today. Ask the Lord to come and have his way.