A prayer for the homeless at Christmastide

Sheltering God,
your protection for us
is made known
in images of rock and mountain,
wings and arms,
tent and fold.
A protection that makes us
feel safe, secure, and confident -
with knowledge and assurance that removes
our vulnerability, and our loneliness,
our fears and our doubts.
You have promised to be a constant presence,
light, warmth and comfort,
never failing, always near.

And yet, within your world
thousands of people lack shelter
and cannot really call where they live
a home.
Their lives are impoverished,
living in a space put together
from whatever scraps they can gather.
The rain leaks through,
the heat of the sun is brutal,
the dust irritates
and water and airborne diseases flourish.

Yet for many this is their home
where new life is conceived,
where love is shown,
where characters are formed,
where faith is passed on
and where an understanding of your protection
Is experienced.

God, fully human, yet fully divine,
you know what it is like
to be have no real home -
born into a stable,
no vacancies in the places of hospitality,
forced to flee as a refugee
with life threatening attempts on your life.

In the seasons of Advent and Christmas
your frailty is remembered,
your vulnerability acknowledged,
your purpose for the world revered.

Come again, to give protection
and shelter.
Come again to strengthen the weak
and to subdue the proud.
Come to our own vulnerability
and enable all to offer
hope to a world in need.

Amen


--Janice Clark 

If the Nativity were to happen today instead of so long ago, many in the Religious establishment of America would call Joseph a bum, and tell him to get a job....... and they would call a young, scared and pregnant Mary all sorts of awful names. The doors would slam on them today just as surely as the doors closed on them in Bethlehem. (Others in society would be urging young Mary to get an abortion and put this all behind her.)

What would you do?

In seeing the poor and needy of today, we have the chance to do what others did not do, so long ago. We can treat the vulnerable with love and respect, we can open the "Inn" of the Christian faith, inviting all to the Lord's gracious table, instead of excluding. We can choose to see people as men and women of worth, made in God's image, and in treating them with God's graciousness, we allow the miracle of Christ's advent to be born again within our hearts, and maybe in their lives.

What will you do?

Be blessed friends, and be a blessing to someone else,

An Irish Christmas Blessing........ 

The light of the Christmas star to you 
The warmth of home and hearth to you 
The cheer and good will of friends to you 
The hope of a childlike heart to you 
The joy of a thousand angels to you
The love of the Son and
God's peace to you.

Our family is not as "ideal" as I want it to be. There is arguing and silence. Money, jobs and small differences between us add tension to our lives. I want to live more simply but I keep getting sidetracked, not just by shopping and decorating, but by envy and petty annoyances.

Jesus, let me turn and really see you and Mary and Joseph. Let me remember your ancestors as Matthew tells the story. There are kings, but not very perfect. There are women, but each of them "odd" in some way: a foreigner, a prostitute, a pregnant, unmarried mother. Yet this is your family, a sacred heritage.

Help me to love my family more freely, to find the generosity to unlock my heart and stop judging and to embrace and love to their imperfections, just as you hold my mine so closely. May the candles we light tonight, help us to remember to be the light in each other's lives.

Reflect:

With whom can I be more patient, more forgiving, more affirming, more loving?

(author unknown to me)

It is Monday, in December -- could be the start of a stress filled week...or the beginning of a fun filled, blessed and sacred week. What will you make it?

To start the week off right, pause for a moment and name five blessings in your life.

When we name our blessings, when we are aware of them and focus on them, it shapes how we live our days. A grateful heart makes life so much lovelier.

So often we entangle our faith needlessly; shall I pray this way or that way? Must I sing these hymns or those? Can I use this Bible or prayer book or only another? Can I worship thus or must I choose differently? Do I dress this way or that way? Can I eat this or that?

It should be enough that we love and trust in God and seek to love our neighbors and then act in that love. These burdens we put upon ourselves do not make us holy nor righteous, but only self satisfied or bogged down.

May you be blessed, my friends, and may you be a blessing unto someone else

A Prayer for Christmas Eve:

We praise and thank you, tonight, Most Loving God.

At the appointed time, after all your careful preparation, 
you fulfilled your plan to become one of us.
A young woman accepted her role as your servant.
A carpenter accepted his role to be a father on earth.

And, a child was born for us. A Son is given to us.
This night, our gloom and tears are taken away.
This night, the angels sing.
Peace on earth. Peace in every human heart.
Peace that all will see.

In a barn,
a child is born and the angels sing.
In simplicity, in lowliness,
you speak the most profound expression of your love for us,
your oneness with our lives.
Totally other before Creation began,
you have become totally with us.

Tonight we come together to give you thanks.
We gather to let your Son be born again, for us.
We open our hearts to his coming among us tonight.
So we might be at peace and share our peace with one another.

This night your Holy Spirit gathers us together to give you praise
for you have conquered all that discourages us, defeats us, divides us.
This child, who walked our life's path and taught us how to love,
gave himself into our hands to face even an unjust death --
to give himself to us as food, as nourishment for our facing every death,
so we can give ourselves to every degree of love.

Now in prayer before you, let us be like the shepherds
who hastened to see that what was promised is real.
Let us together come and adore him,
the Child, the Christ, our Lord.
And let us share our joy and gratitude this night,
by your grace, filled with the gift of his gracious mercy.

We ask this in his holy name,
blessed by your ever-present Spirit.

Amen

(Author unknown to me)

Are you grateful? Are you content? Seek peace in your own life, and help to give peace to others. If we always seek out reasons to be envious, or seek to find discord in our lives or with others, then why are we surprised when our life is not what we want it to be? A heart full of contentment will make your life all the richer, your relationships all the deeper and your burdens all the lighter.

Be blessed friends, and may you be a blessing to someone else.

A reflection for the first Sunday of Advent

In so many things, the faith of a Christian is to run counter to what society adores.

It is not the richest that have honor, but those who give freely and unselfishly.

It is not the strong who are mighty, but the gentle and meek.

It is not the glamorous and beautiful of form which is to be cultivated, but the beauty of the heart and soul.

It is not the fierce and angry who are to have sway, but rather love that is to lead.

We are told to live contrary lives to all that which the world's people have come to delight in and to be walking ambassadors, mild and merciful in the face of increasing hostility.

And perhaps it is fitting to think upon these things and remember them, for now we are in that hopeful expectation, the wordless wonder and celebration of the unthinkable news that God would choose to be born amongst us; as a helpless and small child in order that we might know, love and trust Him more fully.

God does not ask us to perform any great task that He Himself has not done. If we are called to be paradoxes in the world, both in it and outside of it, and espousing the values the world does not hold fast to, we may be comforted that the high and holy God, creator of all, chose not only to come to His creation as a weak and wailing child, but to be born to poor parents, in an occupied country, and to make His entrance in a stable.

The wonder in Advent is not only that God came to us, Emmanuel, but also in how He arrived...giving honor to the lowly and humble of heart.

And let our prayer be, "O Come Lord."

And in the darkness, the world waited for the light. In the stillness, the faithful knelt and prayed, "O Come Lord."

As we begin tomorrow to celebrate the anticipation of the first Nativity, are we still waiting and praying for the second coming of the King?

In the darkness of the gathering storm, of coldness, avarice and darkest parts of a man's nature, the world still seeks the light; let the light of Christ shine out from us, as beacons of hope in a despairing world.

And let our prayer be, "O Come Lord."

-Beth Haynes Butler

When you tear down other Christians just because of how they look, what music they listen to, or what devout prayers they love, you do the devil's work. There is nothing godly in tearing down a fellow brother or sister in the faith for superficial reasons...we shouldn't be tearing down anyone at all. We should be lifting each other in prayer, bearing each other's burdens in love, and instructing each other gently in faith. To do less is to forego the will of Christ in how we should act towards one another, and do the enemy's bidding.

Thanksgiving

We're feasting late, so the turkey is roasting away. The fire is going, the home is quiet, and we are blessed and thankful.

I started out the day with making Charles eggs over salmon, which he seemed to enjoy. Some cooking, some puttering, prayers and music have filled our day>

I am glad to see people posting what they are thankful for, I am glad to see people pausing to take stock of their blessings. While I love the chance to celebrate and have a feast (something I love about liturgical Churches...LOTS of feast days, lots of reasons to celebrate!)...in so many ways this is just another day to me.

For each day is a day I am thankful and profoundly grateful for the blessings the Lord has provided. It is one of the benefits of serious illness that every day becomes precious. (I would imagine people in highly dangerous jobs feel the same way, such as our military and law enforcement....and may God especially bless those men and women today!) No day can really be taken for granted, because one doesn't know how many days of this life's journey yet remain. (Which actually, should be true for everyone...as any of us could die in an accident tomorrow....but how many of us blithely go through life, taking it for granted?)

So on this day, and everyday, I am thankful to the Lord. And thankful for my husband, and family, my cherished friends and our furkids. I am thankful for the bounty of blessings around us, and I am thankful for the trials and struggles that help me become more like Christ...for though the Great Sculptor's cuts may hurt, the process is worth it. I am thankful for this day, and for everyday.

Don't let today, or even this month, be just a yearly "check off" for you...a time to momentarily remember all that you are grateful for, and to realize all that you are blessed with. Take time each day, maybe in the mornings, or perhaps before slumber, to see all you have been given, and be thankful.

Thankfulness is good for the heart and soul. 

Happy Thanksgiving friends. Thank you for making my life all the richer.

The Season of Advent draws near, this holy season begins this Sunday. Advent is not meant to be a season of rushing around, buying madly, eating too much, drinking too much, stressing too much, grousing at people who wish you "Happy Holidays," all to end on the culmination of Christmas day; where you are tired, stressed and glad the whole thing is over. If that is you- slow down!

Advent is meant to be a sacred time, of faith, family and fellowship. It is where we celebrate the coming joy of Christmas, which marks the blessed nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ. (And yes, no one knows the exact date of Christ's birth, and this was a day chosen by the Church to mark the celebration, just enjoy it and rejoice!)

Advent, which lasts four weeks, is a time to prepare our hearts and homes for Christ's birth. We're to marvel a little more at the world around us, to love a little deeper the people God has placed in our lives, to give a little more to the vulnerable and needy, and to reach out all the more in love and friendliness to those we encounter. It is a time to avoid needless conflicts (if someone says to you Happy Holidays, return it in grace, for that is what we are told to do in the Bible; to as much as possible live at peace with those around us Romans 12:18), slow down, make memories with our loved ones, delve into the Nativity story and explore the mysteries of faith.

You should arrive at Christmas Eve expectant and full of joy; not tired and stressed, weary and frazzled. After Christmas day we have 12 days in which to mark the joyous season, so pace yourself now....Between Advent and Christmastide there are 6 weeks of marking the nativity of our Lord Jesus' birth. So take your time, meander through the season; make cookies with your children, sing Christmas hymns together, watch good movies and read good stories, drink hot cocoa together, go to Church services together, light your Advent wreath and open your Advent calenders, tell your children the story of the Nativity and make your home a warm, loving, sacred place this Advent and Christmas.

-Be blessed, and be a blessing to someone else

Beth Butler

Almost a keening, wistful longing for the King's country tonight, with all the sorrows and anger that abound in this sphere. Maybe such yearnings are to remind us of our final journey's destination, and to keep us from fully being of this world. A thought to ponder into the night.....

Got up to news of Christians massacred in Kenya. Then read the 2014 "State of Homelessness" report. Connected with that was a report of a series of attacks-- vicious, horrid attacks--over the last year on the homeless. Images of the meager possessions of the homeless being seized in a city in Oklahoma, and blankets for the homeless outlawed in a city in Florida. The news here in St. Louis breaks that the Grand Jury is set to announce their findings, and protests, if not riots, are expected, and fears and tensions rise.

In my feed and in my messages are quiet prayer requests and heartbreaking personal stories of the day.

And the often repeated thought that every three seconds someone dies (usually a child) due to poverty related concerns around the world. 1...2...3.

We are so broken. Shards of shattered dreams and hopes against the brutality of the human condition; pleas for compassion drowning in an anthem of personal ambitions, greed and quests for power.

"And the hearts of many shall grow cold" (Matthew 24:12)....but what about the hearts that break and weep?

Heartsick and soul weary, it is so tempting to look away. To pretend that all is well and that the cries of the hurting are not our concern.

Where would we have been if Christ had left us to drown in our own pleadings and terrors? If God had decided our sins, the cause of all our brokenness, were our concern only?

As the sadness and bleakness of our crumbling world sticks in my throat and clogs my heart, I hold fast to this: that from heaven Christ came to walk with us, love us, suffer with us, teach us and die for us. From the Cross the time table was set that all this misery would be defeated, that all wrongs be made right, and every tear wiped from the eyes of those who love the Lord.

We're so broken, but He will heal us.

And as we wait for all to be made anew and whole, let us not look away, let us not turn. If our hearts break, then let us offer our sorrow to the Lord in passionate prayer for the lost and hurting, the martyred and suffering. As long as we have eyes to see, let us not avert our eyes and give our consent by omission. As long as we have ears, let us listen and take note. As long as we have voices, let us be witnesses and advocates. And as long as we have hands, let us help.

This world is broken, but we can do our part.

And as I long for the place where all good things are really there and true, as I long for the day we step out of the Shadowland into the King's country, I'll do my best to keep faith with my Lord, who died for love of broken people such as you and I. If He could endure the Cross...how can we look away?

-Beth Haynes Butler

There is a grace deeper than we can possibly fathom, and it is ours...if only we will live, and rest and walk in it.

So who are you in the stories you loved as a child?

I think of the high fantasy novels I loved as a child (and still adore) that have deep Christian undertones...and I compare that to what I want my walk with Christ to be...and what it really is like.

I love the Narnia books....and as much as I want (and try) to be the trusting and joyful Lucy or the brave little Reepicheep who quested for Aslan's country ...I'm really more like Edmond; sin scarred and stained, but redeemed and loved by the King most high. But it was for love of me, wretched me, that my beloved King went to the sacrifice, to shed His blood where mine was due.

And while I'd love to think I'm brave in the faith like Frodo or Aragorn in the realm of Middle Earth....I'm more like Pippin; causing havoc by getting into trouble, picking up things I shouldn't, saying the wrong things and bumbling around.... but really wanting to get it right. And...thankfully, though I am often foolish, God claims and protects me still, naming me as His.

So who are you in the stories you loved as a child?

On this day, my husband's birthday...

Soooo....almost 15 years ago I met this guy. He was smart, handsome, funny, well versed in all sorts of topics I loved to discuss, a good Christian man, an animal lover....and he could sing. Like, really sing. (And make me laugh and giggle uncontrollably.)

So I married that guy. (I'd be dumb not to have, right?) And we've had a crazy, fun, wild ride through all these years. We've shared joy and sorrow, laughter and tears (more laughter than tears), and all that life has thrown at us.

He's my best friend. He's held me when I've fallen apart (more times that I like to admit), stood by me when I could barely manage, he's made sure each and every day of our marriage that I've laughed and known that I was loved. He wakes me up with a kiss each day, and is always ready to drop everything when I want to talk (ramble) about whatever is on my mind. He has always made me feel that I am the most important person on earth to him; I can tell by the way he looks at me, talks to me and cares for me.

When I can barely move, he moves for me. When I can't tie my shoes, he bends down to do the job. When I am weary and tired, he refreshes me. When I feel like I can't go another step, he coaxes me. When I am scared, he protects and comforts me.

The only one my husband loves more than me is God, and I absolutely love that he puts God first. I have seen him fearlessly stand for God, compassionately act towards others for God, prayerfully lift people up to God, and cry out to God for those who are hurting.

He's my wonderful, sentimental, faithful guy. And he's perfect for me.

Today, Nov 23, is his birthday. If I could ask one thing from all of you, I'd like you to join me in praying for my good man. Praying that God will continue to use him. That my husband will continue to pour his heart out to people for God. That God will bless and keep him, and ever hold my husband in the palm of His hand.

I married a wonderful man. I loved him deeply when I married him, but nothing like I love him today. Each day reveals parts of his deep and caring nature, and it will take me a lifetime to discover and appreciate it all. (And because I'm selfish, probably not even a lifetime will be long enough.)

Charles Butler, son of a godly woman named Ruth and a devoted father named Charles Sr, loving father of sons you have both of blood and of your heart, wonderful husband to me, cherished son by my parents, friend to many, counselor and shepherd to all who call upon you, faithful soldier for your country and an outstanding soul....I wish you the happiest of birthdays.

You have no idea how loved you are, by me, by our friends and family, and by God.

Let's make this a wonderful year, my love. Thank you for all the blessed ones so far, I can't wait to see what the future holds.

I love you.

Always and forever yours,

In joys and sorrows, in laughter and tears, Blessed be the Name of the Lord.

I was perusing my feed and a friend had posted the meme, "Lord, I thank you for all the times you encourage me."

It is good to thank the Lord when He offers us moments of encouragement, or peace. We really feel like thanking the Lord when He gives us times of joy and refreshment. We're often very quick to thank the Lord when He provides for a need we were worried about and suddenly is taken care of.

Those are all good times to thank the Lord indeed.

But we so often choose not to thank Him in our times of struggle, in disappointment, in pain and in sorrow. Then we're often resentful of God....murmuring to ourselves, "I'm a good believer God, a faithful servant...why are you letting this happen to me?!"

Our hearts can often turn to stone against God when we feel He isn't giving us what we want, at the time we want it.

Yet....it is in those times of trial, of struggle, that our character is shaped the most, and our faith has the ability to be deepened the greatest.

When in pain we can say, "Lord, use this to Your glory," and the pain becomes an offering to the Lord.

When in struggle we can say, "Lord, I don't know how this is going to work out, but I know You do, and I will trust in You, Blessed be Your name." And the struggle strengthens our faith and dependence upon God.

When in sorrow we can say, "Lord, You give and You take away, yet in all things Your ways are good. Help me Lord, You who wept for Your friend, please hold me now," and we can feel the Lord's comfort and put our hope in the life to come....where there will be no tears, for He shall wipe them away.

Christ sent the Disciples into the storm, where they would be afraid and their faith would be tested. They would have been lost without His saving power, and His calming of the storm, showed them His glory and power.

God sends us still into storms, and into deep valleys. There are times we can see no reason for something, be it pain, an ordeal, a crisis, a heartbreak, a parting....and our choices come down to two.....to either praise God in trust or murmur against Him.

Oswald Chambers said "Faith by its very nature must be tested and tried." We must go through struggles in order for our faith to be developed and made strong. The ultimate goal of faith is to say that even when we don't understand what is going on, even when in situations of pain and sorrow we can say, "My trust is in the Lord; even should He take all from me, He is still good."

We cannot develop such faith in shallow waters, in safety and in the sunny glades of life. My deepest personal moment of worship was when we had been told I had a cancer and needed surgery quickly lest it spread, we went home, and in tears and sorrow, sang praises to God. That should He heal me now, or take me to Him, either way, He was, and is yet, good and worthy of all honor, glory and praise.

It is in such storms that you find out what your faith is worth.

Yes, it is good and right to thank the Lord for our blessings, our encouragements, our joys and pleasures. It is better to develop the faith that in your times of pain and toil, sorrow and struggle, you can lift your eyes and praise the God who gives.... and the God who takes away, and trust that no matter what is happening, that He is good and His will is best.

If you are in a crisis of life now, listen carefully for your Shepherd's call, and praise Him that He is with you in this moment, He will not let you go alone. He loves you too much for that. He will guide you, shelter you and give you the strength, through Him, to endure and emerge on the other side, if you will but trust Him.

And if you are in a quiet moment of life, in a peaceful patch, then thank the Lord for your comforts and joys, but know that sooner or later, you too will be going into the storm. Look at your friends and family who are in the midst of their own tempests, and pray for them, help them, love them...for this life brings joy and pain to us all.

"Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:18

In joys and sorrows, in laughter and tears, Blessed be the Name of the Lord.

"I'm Offended!"....The new magic phrase

"I'm Offended!"....The new magic phrase

The conversation starts (pick a topic, any topic)....and one person decides that they don't like the topic, or who they are talking with, or have become uncomfortable trying to support their position on the issue at hand. So they say, in their most shocked yet haughty tone, "I'm offended!"

And the conversation stops, leaving the other party (who very well didn't do or say anything worth being offended over) feeling vaguely guilty, as if they had committed some heinous crime.

Because society tells us we must not offend anyone, at any cost, anywhere. If you do, it is your fault for causing real or perceived injury to someone else's worldview.

Which is total and utter nonsense.

I'm all for civil discourse and friendly debate; I tend to stay away from most arguments (not good for physical, mental or emotional health) and I pretty much stop paying any attention to someone who resorts to name calling and belittling the moment that the verbal vomit begins. But good conversation, thoughtful debate, vigorous discussion and defense are good for people to engage in. It helps stretch the mind, open us up to new ideas, and shows us just how strongly we hold, or believe in, a position.

Good friends should be able to discuss, in a respectful manner, a whole range of topics that they may or may not agree upon, and both come apart the richer for shared knowledge and ideas.

We're shying away from that in our "new and improved" technological society. We post to each other more than we talk to one another, and it feels very safe to say whatever one wants from behind a keyboard. And if you don't like what the other person says, just pull out that trusty trump card, "I'm offended."

I've had that said to me a few times of late, today being the most recent. Someone didn't like my position that a community has to work within itself, with outside help, to turn around, the change cannot be all from the surrounding region. I got called a name or two, and then those most dreaded words, "And you know what? I am OFFENDED (it was all in caps, in case I couldn't understand...or maybe they're just concerned for my eyesight?) that you think that!!"

And my response was, "I don't care."

A moment later, "You don't care you offended me?"

"No."

"Why the h$ll not? What's wrong with you?"

"I didn't say anything to personally attack you, your faith, your family or attempt to make you live by the rules I set for myself, therefore I have done nothing offensive to you other than not agree with you."

That ended the conversation.

Because often, when the magic phrase of "I'm offended" doesn't work, the person waving it around is left without adequate reasoning to defend their position.

I'm not that easy to offend, which is probably why I have friends of multiple faiths, differing political opinions, vastly different cultures and heritages and I get along, for the most part, quite well with the majority of them. And when I do get offended, usually it is of the mild variety that just makes me sigh, purse my lips and count to ten before simply moving on.

If you are a jerk, and go around trying to hurt people's feelings, by attacking them on issues you know are dear to their heart, then someone has just cause to say you are offensive. That doesn't mean you don't have the right to continue being a jerk, but they then have the right not to deal with you any further. Which is why so many offensive people are rather lonely, sooner or later people stop giving them the attention they desire. It's very understandable to tell a jerk you are offended, but that is just giving them the fight they were looking for in the first place.

But if someone just says or posts something that isn't quite to your liking, so you try and automatically shut them down by calling out "Offended, offended!"....you're just being petty.

If something truly offends you, especially on social media, I have a couple of quick tips:

a) If you really like the person and you want to understand their position, and share yours, then have a respectful, civil conversation about the topic. It can work wonders. You may not end up in agreement, but if handled the right way, most of the time you'll both come away knowing more about each other and having a more open mind to the issues.

b) If you really like the person, but don't want to argue, for fear of a greater divide (which is when you are realizing the person is more important to you than the issue)...then keep scrolling. I see a lot of posts I disagree with (not many that I'm offended by, but do disagree with)...but I don't want to cause ripples over a minor issue with a person I value. So I keep scrolling. This works WONDERS for me during political seasons.

c) Hide the post. I do this with posts from pages that friends share, that often put up half truths and inflammatory rhetoric...I just click "Hide all from "insert name of page". For individual posts I find distasteful, I simply hide those as well.

d) If the person continues in offending you, being really negative, attacking your positions or whatever....unfriend them. If we know someone is constantly stirring up drama, only then to shout about how unfair you are being because you don't agree with them...then shut the door on the drama.

I try and be relatively sensitive about what I post, because I know so many people hold certain causes and stances as sacred. I don't like being unnecessarily divisive....one reason I don't post political views. I don't relish conflict, so I start out trying not to cause it.....that said, if you don't like what I post, or what my faith is, or what issues are dear to my family and I....don't start out by telling me you're offended. It won't win you any points.

Are there things worth being offended over?

Yes.

When someone attacks your family, faith, the things they know you hold sacred. That is offensive and juvenile behavior...but to me, there are bigger things to be truly offended over.

Starving children, people sold into slavery, massacres of people over matters of faith or race. Things like that....that's what offends my soul the most.

The sophomoric cartoon someone put up on facebook? Not even in the same realm as those atrocities.

Someone having a differing political or social viewpoint? Can't compare with people being beheaded or the fact someone dies every three seconds due to a poverty related cause.

I guess, to me, it's all about perspective.

But don't worry, I'm not offended if you don't agree. 

a chosen race and royal priesthood

I was doing a little Bible reading a moment ago, in the book of Malachi, and came across this passage where God is speaking to the Priests.

Now...I would think this same message would hold true today for all Priests, Pastors, Reverends, Ministers, Teachers of the Word.....which should scare the heck out of the ones that choose not to preach the Gospel.

"And now, O priests, this command is for you. If you will not listen, if you will not lay it to heart to give glory to my name, says the LORD of hosts, then I will send the curse on you and I will curse your blessings; indeed I have already cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart. I will rebuke your offspring, and spread dung on your faces, the dung of your offerings, and I will put you out of my presence. Know, then, that I have sent this command to you, that my covenant with Levi may hold, says the LORD of hosts. My covenant with him was a covenant of life and well-being, which I gave him; this called for reverence, and he revered me and stood in awe of my name. True instruction was in his mouth, and no wrong was found on his lips. He walked with me in integrity and uprightness, and he turned many from iniquity. For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts. But you have turned aside from the way; you have caused many to stumble by your instruction; you have corrupted the covenant of Levi, says the LORD of hosts, and so I make you despised and abased before all the people, inasmuch as you have not kept my ways but have shown partiality in your instruction." Malachi 2:1-9

There are too many people that send a distorted view, and teaching, of God through their ministries, and think they are getting away with it. Yes, maybe they are getting some wealth from teaching a prosperity gospel, or maybe they have some temporary power by holding people in abject terror of God (and of course of them, as God's "appointed spokesman.") But I don't think they've thought this through....I'm pretty sure invoking God's curse on you isn't the wisest thing to do. They may think that wealth and power, glory and fame are wonderful now......

But the day will come that they face a reckoning, and it will be harsh.

God does not view it lightly when His holy word is distorted for another's gain. Notice He says in the verses above that He will curse the Priests that do not do His will, for His glory. " But you have turned aside from the way; you have caused many to stumble by your instruction; you have corrupted the covenant of Levi, says the LORD of hosts, and so I make you despised and abased before all the people, inasmuch as you have not kept my ways but have shown partiality in your instruction."

Ouch. Just my layman reading here, but God sounds pretty serious...and pretty mad. It's almost as like He has a higher calling and job for a Priest/Pastor/Minister to do.....

The Lord says that " For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.." That would be that higher calling.

To be a messenger of the Lord of hosts. That has to be a weighty responsibility, and one that should not be taken on casually. That would mean that every time you went to speak as a representative of God, you had to take it seriously, give glory to God, and to accurately state what God teaches. Not for your own glory, but for God's. Not for your gain, but to reach people who desperately need to hear the Word of the Lord.

And there are a lot of pastors out there that aren't doing ministry in the right way. Using their role to gain wealth, take sexual advantage of others, to inspire fear or hatred, or to be a political pulpit instead of being a marked and holy servant of God.

But you and I, my friend, we can't get too smug just yet.

For we're accountable too.

While it is true that only some are called to preach and to teach, we are all called to be Christ's ambassadors, and to take part in the worshipful nature of the priesthood.

"Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God." 2 Corinthians 5:20

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." 1 Peter 2:9

We believers, born of faith and trust in Christ Jesus, called to live and walk in the light and love of God, have a responsibility too.

We are a walking witness to our faith. Our words and deeds need to reflect that faith, to show that our hearts, minds and souls belong to Christ. If we claim to be of Christ, yet use our lives to mock Him...through how we treat people, what we say, what we indulge in (that we know is sinful)....then don't you think we will be held accountable too?

The fruit of our lives will show whether we are a new creation in Christ, and if we have been living for Him, and trusting in Him. Just as the Priests of old were chastised by God, and the Priests/Pastors/Ministers of today face the same wrath if they teach a false message, so will we.

We are either in Christ, or outside of Him. We can pretend to the world that our faith is genuine, but our words and deeds will eventually give us up as frauds. And God is not even momentarily fooled by the image we put out into the world; He's not impressed by whatever role or title we give ourselves....He looks deeper. He sees the heart.

God knows we will stumble, He knows we are frail. And if our trust is in Him, and we love Him and seek to walk with Him, He will not fail to continue to reach out to us, forgive us, and love us. But He will also know if we are just pretending, or using our faith as a leverage in society, a weapon to hurt other people with, or a casual part of our cultural makeup.

How wonderful it is for God to see you as His child, covered by the blood, grace and righteousness of Christ; to rest in that love and surety.

How awful it would be to hear, "I know you not."

We need to be careful, my friends, that our words and works honor the Lord, that our lives are lived for Him, to show His light to the world. We need to listen to make sure we're hearing our Shepherd's call (and I'm a dense little lamb, so I need to listen extra carefully at times!)...and then to follow where He leads.

And we need to double and triple check that the ministers that we listen to in this life reflect the teachings of God, to bring the Lord glory, and the Lord alone. There are snares and pitfalls all around us.....from worldliness, to false teachings, to the myriad of sinful temptations....we can so easily slip to the side.

But if we call to Christ, ever putting our trust in Him, He will not fail us. He will guide us through life's traps, safely onto the other side.

So let's pray for our priests and pastors, teachers and ministers, that they ever hold firm to the truth of God's word. And let's pray for each other, that we may be good ambassadors for Christ, and conduct ourselves well as a members of a chosen race and royal priesthood. Let's be lights for Christ in a world wrapped in shadow.

Be blessed, my friends, and may you be a blessing unto someone else,

-Beth Haynes Butler