Wilderness Wanderings

Today is Remembrance Day. Our text comes, fittingly, from Mark 12:38-44, where Jesus invites our reflection on what the freedom to give of our sacrifices and offerings really means.

May God bless you as you hear his word today.

As he taught, Jesus said, "Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely."

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.

Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on."

This is the Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

Guide us waking, O Lord, and guard us sleeping,

That awake we may watch with Christ, and asleep rest in his peace.

May Almighty God bless, preserve, and keep us, this day and forevermore.

Amen.

Psalm 146 celebrates the compassionate reign of God. It leads us towards loving him and roots our love for neighbour in God's reign.

May the Lord bless you as you receive his word.

Praise the Lord. I will praise the Lord.

I will praise the Lord all my life. I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

Don't put your trust in human leaders. Don't trust in people who can't save you.

When they die, they return to the ground. On that day their plans come to nothing.

Blessed are those who depend on the God of Jacob for help.

Blessed are those who put their hope in the Lord their God.

He is the Maker of heaven and earth and the ocean.

He made everything in them. He remains faithful forever.

He stands up for those who are treated badly. He gives food to hungry people.

The Lord sets prisoners free.

The Lord gives sight to those who are blind. The Lord lifts up those who feel helpless.

The Lord loves those who do what is right.

The Lord watches over the outsiders who live in our land.

He takes good care of children whose fathers have died.

He also takes good care of widows.

But he causes evil people to fail in everything they do.

The Lord rules forever. The God of Zion will rule for all time to come.

Praise the Lord.

This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

As you journey on, go with his blessing:

Guide us waking, O Lord, and guard us sleeping, that awake we may watch with Christ, and asleep rest in his peace. May Almighty God bless, preserve, and keep us, this day and forevermore. Amen.

In today's reading, Micah 6:1-8, an imaginary court case revolves around the two great commandments: to love God and neighbour.

May the Lord bless you as you receive his word.

Israel, listen to the Lord's message. He says to me, "Stand up in court. Let the mountains serve as witnesses. Let the hills hear what you have to say."

Hear the Lord's case, you mountains. Listen, you age-old foundations of the earth. The Lord has a case against his people Israel. He is bringing charges against them.

The Lord says, "My people, what have I done to you? Have I made things too hard for you? Answer me.

I brought your people up out of Egypt. I set them free from the land where they were slaves. I sent Moses to lead them. Aaron and Miriam helped him.

Remember how Balak, the king of Moab, planned to put a curse on your people. But Balaam, the son of Beor, gave them a blessing instead. Remember their journey from Shittim to Gilgal. I want you to know that I always do what is right."

The people of Israel say, "What should we bring with us when we go to worship the Lord? What should we offer the God of heaven when we bow down to him? Should we take burnt offerings to him? Should we sacrifice calves that are a year old?

Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams? Will he take delight in 10,000 rivers of olive oil? Should we offer our oldest sons for the wrong things we've done? Should we sacrifice our own children to pay for our sins?"

The Lord has shown you what is good. He has told you what he requires of you. You must act with justice. You must love to show mercy. And you must be humble as you live in the sight of your God.

This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

As you journey on, go with his blessing:

Guide us waking, O Lord, and guard us sleeping, that awake we may watch with Christ, and asleep rest in his peace. May Almighty God bless, preserve, and keep us, this day and forevermore. Amen.

This week's gospel reading gives the greatest commandments: to love God and neighbour. In Romans 12:14-21 and 13:8-10, Paul explores these commandments.

May the Lord bless you as you receive his word.

Bless those who hurt you. Bless them, and do not curse them. Be joyful with those who are joyful. Be sad with those who are sad. Agree with one another. Don't be proud. Be willing to be a friend of people who aren't considered important. Don't think that you are better than others.

Don't pay back evil with evil. Be careful to do what everyone thinks is right. If possible, live in peace with everyone. Do that as much as you can. My dear friends, don't try to get even. Leave room for God to show his anger. It is written, "I am the God who judges people. I will pay them back" (Deuteronomy 32:35), says the Lord. Do just the opposite. Scripture says,

"If your enemies are hungry, give them food to eat. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. By doing those things, you will pile up burning coals on their heads" (Proverbs 25:21,22).

Don't let evil overcome you. Overcome evil by doing good.

Pay everything you owe. But you can never pay back all the love you owe one another. Whoever loves other people has done everything the law requires. Here are some commandments to think about. "Do not commit adultery." "Do not commit murder." "Do not steal." "Do not want what belongs to others." (Exodus 20:13–15,17; Deuteronomy 5:17–19,21) These and all other commands are included in one command. Here's what it is. "Love your neighbour as you love yourself" (Leviticus 19:18). Love does not harm its neighbour. So, love does everything the law requires.

This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

As you journey on, go with his blessing:

Guide us waking, O Lord, and guard us sleeping, that awake we may watch with Christ, and asleep rest in his peace. May Almighty God bless, preserve, and keep us, this day and forevermore. Amen.

This week's gospel reading gives the greatest commandments: to love God and neighbour. In Psalm 51, David shows us what to do when we fail.

May the Lord bless you as you receive his word.

God, have mercy on me according to your faithful love. Because your love is so tender and kind, wipe out my lawless acts.

Wash away all the evil things I've done. Make me pure from my sin. I know the lawless acts I've committed. I can't forget my sin.

You are the one I've really sinned against. I've done what is evil in your sight. So, you are right when you sentence me. You are fair when you judge me.

I know I've been a sinner ever since I was born. I've been a sinner ever since my mother became pregnant with me.

I know that you wanted faithfulness even when I was in my mother's body. You taught me wisdom in that secret place.

Sprinkle me with hyssop, then I will be clean. Wash me, then I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear you say, "Your sins are forgiven." That will bring me joy and gladness. Let the body you have broken be glad.

Take away all my sins. Wipe away all the evil things I've done. God, create a pure heart in me. Give me a new spirit that is faithful to you.

Don't send me away from you. Don't take your Holy Spirit away from me. Give me back the joy that comes from being saved by you. Give me a spirit that obeys you so that I will keep going.

Then I will teach your ways to those who commit lawless acts. And sinners will turn back to you.

You are the God who saves me. I have committed murder. God, take away my guilt. Then my tongue will sing about how right you are no matter what you do. Lord, open my lips so that I can speak. Then my mouth will praise you.

You don't take delight in sacrifice. If you did, I would bring it. You don't take pleasure in burnt offerings. The greatest sacrifice you want is a broken spirit. God, you will gladly accept a heart that is broken because of sadness over sin.

May you be pleased to give Zion success. May it please you to build up the walls of Jerusalem. Then you will delight in the sacrifices of those who do what is right. Whole burnt offerings will bring delight to you. And bulls will be offered on your altar.

This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

As you journey on, go with his blessing:

Guide us waking, O Lord, and guard us sleeping, that awake we may watch with Christ, and asleep rest in his peace. May Almighty God bless, preserve, and keep us, this day and forevermore. Amen.

This week's gospel reading is from Mark 12:28-34.

May the Lord bless you as you receive his word.

One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well he asked Jesus, "Which commandment is the first of all?"

Jesus answered, "The first is, 'Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'

The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbour as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."

Then the scribe said to him, "You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that 'he is one, and besides him there is no other'; and 'to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength' and 'to love one's neighbour as oneself' --this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."

When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." After that no one dared to ask him any question.

This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

As you journey on, go with his blessing:

Guide us waking, O Lord, and guard us sleeping, that awake we may watch with Christ, and asleep rest in his peace. May Almighty God bless, preserve, and keep us, this day and forevermore. Amen.

A Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings! The text Genesis 32:22-32; Luke 11:1-4. Dive In discussion questions are below for further reflection!

To see this sermon in the context of the worship service it comes from, find it here on YouTube. Or, head to our website to connect with the worshiping community of Immanuel CRC: immanuelministries.ca

1. How would you describe prayer in one sentence? On a scale of 1-10, how satisfied are you with your prayers? Do you want to improve?
2. Where have you learned to pray? Who has taught you?
3. Name some of the reasons why you struggle to pray. How will you do to continue learning how to pray? What will you do differently in order to develop different practices of prayer?
4. Have you ever wrestled with God? Who won? Are you limping?

Today our text in this week of reflections on how God works through our senses and perceptions comes from 1 Peter 2:1-10. Today also marks "All Saints Day" in the church calendar and lectionary: a day to remember that we belong to a church that spans the ages, standing on the shoulders of the faith of the saints who have gone before us. As the old hymn, "O for a Thousand Tongues" put it, "To God all glory, praise, and love be now and ever given by saints below and saints above, the Church in earth and heaven"

May God bless you as you hear his word to the saints—even us—today.

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says:

"See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame."

Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,

"The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,"

and,

"A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall."

They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

This is the Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

Guide us waking, O Lord, and guard us sleeping, That awake we may watch with Christ, and asleep rest in his peace. May Almighty God bless, preserve, and keep us, this day and forevermore. Amen.

Today our text in this week of reflections on how God works through our senses and perceptions comes from Luke 10:25-37. May God bless you as you hear his word.

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

"What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"

He answered, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"

"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."

But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'

"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"

The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him."

Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."

This is the Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

Guide us waking, O Lord, and guard us sleeping, That awake we may watch with Christ, and asleep rest in his peace. May Almighty God bless, preserve, and keep us, this day and forevermore. Amen.

Today our text in this week of reflections on how God works through our senses and perceptions comes from 2 Kings 6:8-23. May God bless you as you hear his word.

Now the king of Aram was at war with Israel. After conferring with his officers, he said, "I will set up my camp in such and such a place."

The man of God sent word to the king of Israel: "Beware of passing that place, because the Arameans are going down there." So the king of Israel checked on the place indicated by the man of God. Time and again Elisha warned the king, so that he was on his guard in such places.

This enraged the king of Aram. He summoned his officers and demanded of them, "Tell me! Which of us is on the side of the king of Israel?"

"None of us, my lord the king," said one of his officers, "but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom."

"Go, find out where he is," the king ordered, "so I can send men and capture him." The report came back: "He is in Dothan." Then he sent horses and chariots and a strong force there. They went by night and surrounded the city.

When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. "Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?" the servant asked.

"Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them."

And Elisha prayed, "Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see." Then the Lord opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

As the enemy came down toward him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, "Strike this army with blindness." So he struck them with blindness, as Elisha had asked.

Elisha told them, "This is not the road and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will lead you to the man you are looking for." And he led them to Samaria.

After they entered the city, Elisha said, "Lord, open the eyes of these men so they can see." Then the Lord opened their eyes and they looked, and there they were, inside Samaria.

When the king of Israel saw them, he asked Elisha, "Shall I kill them, my father? Shall I kill them?"

"Do not kill them," he answered. "Would you kill those you have captured with your own sword or bow? Set food and water before them so that they may eat and drink and then go back to their master." So he prepared a great feast for them, and after they had finished eating and drinking, he sent them away, and they returned to their master. So the bands from Aram stopped raiding Israel's territory.

This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

Guide us waking, O Lord, and guard us sleeping, That awake we may watch with Christ, and asleep rest in his peace. May Almighty God bless, preserve, and keep us, this day and forevermore. Amen.