Resurrection Lutheran Crown Point, IN

Resurrection Lutheran Crown Point, IN A congregation of the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod, whose goal is to grow in faith to shone for Ch

10/14/2024

"Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee; Take my moments and my days, let them flow in ceaseless praise.

"Take my will and make it Thine, it shall be no longer mine; Take my heart, it is Thine own, it shall be Thy royal throne."

"If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple" (Luke 14:26). With these startling and serious words, Jesus describes the total commitment of discipleship. It is the call to complete devotion we hear in the First Commandment: "You shall have no other gods before Me" (Exodus 20:3). No other worship, no earthly love, not for family, not even for our own lives, can take first place in our hearts.

Jesus challenged His listeners to consider the cost involved. A man planning to build a tower must first decide if he has enough money to complete the task. Before a king goes to war against an army twice the size of his own, he needs to decide if he can win. If not, he had better discuss terms of peace. Jesus continued, "So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be My disciple" (Luke 14:33). Our hymn uses equally challenging words to pray, "Take my life ... my moments and my days ... my will ... my heart." This is what it means to follow Jesus, as the Holy Spirit moves us to devote every last bit of self to the love and service of our Lord. We present our bodies "as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God" (Romans 12:1b).

In this sacrifice, we follow in the footsteps of our Savior. Jesus considered the cost and paid the price of our salvation with His precious, innocent blood. His life, His moments, His days, His will and heart were consecrated, dedicated, to that single saving purpose, to die on the cross to save us. Now we follow in His steps of sacrifice. Jesus said, "If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me" (Matthew 16:24b). When we pray and sing "Take my life, my days, my will, my heart," we are offering up the sacrifice of faith. We will worship no other gods before our God and Savior, no wealth, no power or popularity, not even our own selfish desires. Just as Jesus put our needs ahead of His own, so we deny ourselves and put the needs and interests of others ahead of our needs. There is great cost in such self-denial, and we pray for the strength of faith to pay it.

WE PRAY: Take what is already Your own, Lord, my life, my moments and days, my will and my heart. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler. It is based on the hymn, "Take My Life and Let It Be," which is number 783 in the Lutheran Service Book.

Reflection Questions:

1. What are you devoted to? How do you keep that devotion strong when faced with distractions?

2. How does Jesus' level of disciple commitment compare with our ideas of commitment?

3. What does taking up our cross and following Jesus look like in our day-to-day lives?

10/08/2024

Amos 5:6a, 10-15 - Seek the LORD and live, lest He break out like fire .... They hate him who reproves in the gate, and they abhor him who speaks the truth. Therefore because you trample on the poor and you exact taxes of grain from him, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not dwell in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine. For I know how many are your transgressions and how great are your sins—you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and turn aside the needy at the gate. Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time, for it is an evil time. Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the LORD, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said. Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the LORD, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

I feel for Amos. There he was, an ordinary man that God somehow called to be a prophet—and he was horrified by what he saw going on around him. Oh, there was a lot of religious talk in those days, in Israel. Plenty of people were claiming that God was with them, on their side—but that wasn't what their behavior said.

These were people who went after the poor and needy like vultures; they overtaxed them and refused them justice "in the gate"—that is, in the court system. They took bribes to pervert justice, and hated honest men who told the truth. Anyone opposing them was in danger, and knew it; as Amos says, "Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time, for it is an evil time."

But Amos couldn't take his own advice—after all, God had called him to be a prophet! It was his job to say to these people, "You are wrong." They were in danger of being wiped out by their enemies as a result of the evil they did. And so he said to them, "Seek good, and not evil, that you may live ... it may be that the Lord ... will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph."

We can't deny that the same sorts of evil are going on in our world, too. People exploit and betray one another, pervert justice, and attack those who tell the truth. And the temptation for us is to keep quiet also, and avoid attention. But who wants to be the next victim?

But that's not an option for Christians who follow Jesus. Though He is God Himself, He came into this world to offer Himself up as the true Victim whose suffering, death, and resurrection would break the power of evil and death over us. Now everyone who trusts in Him will live as He did—helping the poor and needy, not exploiting them; telling the truth, not breaking it; and speaking up for those in danger of death. We can do that, not through our own wisdom and courage, but because Jesus' Holy Spirit lives in us.

WE PRAY: Lord, I am afraid. Help me to trust You, and to live the way You want me to, even in a dangerous world. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Reflection Questions:

1. Do you think our world is better or worse than in Amos' day?

2. When have you seen someone stand up for what is right?

3. How does Jesus give us courage to do right and help others?

10/06/2024

"They suffer with their Lord below, they reign with Him above, Their profit and their joy to know the myst'ry of His love.

"The cross He bore is life and death, though shame and death to Him: His people's hope, His people's wealth, their everlasting theme."

Many tourist destinations have an area designated as a scenic overlook, a place where travelers can pull over, get out of their cars and admire the view. The overlook allows a wide view of God's beautiful creation, of lakes and forests, or deep canyons with rivers and waterfalls. As the travelers continue along the road they arrive at that scenic area, but this time at ground level. The sight is still beautiful, but the view may be marred by crowded parking lots, souvenir shops, and overflowing trash cans. It is the same landscape viewed from a very different and less attractive vantage point.

Christians "suffer with their Lord below" and, at the same time, "they reign with Him above." These statements about suffering below and reigning in heaven describe our life in Christ from two different perspectives, above and below, in heaven and on earth. God saved us by grace "and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:6). In Baptism we die with Jesus, and we are raised to reign with Him as sons and daughters of our King. Seen from the mysterious and eternal vantage point of heaven, we live and reign, right now, with Jesus. His victory over death is our victory, and we are clothed in His righteousness. Yet even though we reign with Jesus, for now we see things from our earthly point of view, and it is not always pretty. We suffer with our Lord below. As followers of Jesus, we may be ridiculed for our beliefs. In this earthly life we still struggle against sin and endure sorrow and pain.

The full, eternal glory of our new life in Christ is hidden for now; although the joy of that life shines in us as God works through our words of witness and works of love and service. On the day Jesus comes back, we will fully experience the glory that Jesus won for us through His death and resurrection. In Baptism we died with Christ, and we were raised to reign with Him. But for now, as the apostle Paul writes, that glorious life is "hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory" (Colossians 3:3b-4). On that great day, we will be raised to life, and we will see ourselves as God has always seen us, shining in the reflected glory of Jesus' victory.

WE PRAY: Lord Jesus, You are my life, my hope, and my eternal joy. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler. It is based on the hymn, "The Head That Once Was Crowned with Thorns," which is number 532 in the Lutheran Service Book.

Reflection Questions:

1. Have you ever visited some place and it turned out better than you expected?

2. What do you think the "heavenly places in Christ Jesus" will be like?

3. How has Jesus' victory of death become our victory?

08/30/2024

Genesis 24:12-15 - "And he [Abraham's servant] said, "O Lord, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham. Behold, I am standing by [this well], and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. Let the young woman to whom I shall say, 'Please let down your jar that I may drink,' and who shall say [to me], 'Drink, and I will water your camels'—let her be the one whom you have appointed [to be the bride of] your servant Isaac. By this I shall know that you have shown steadfast love to my master." Before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah ... came out with her water jar on her shoulder."

This devotion pairs with this weekend's Lutheran Hour sermon, which can be found at lhm.org.

"You see kids ... the universe has a plan." It's a line from the TV sitcom, How I Met Your Mother, a story of how a guy named Ted meets the love of his life, the mother of his children—"the one." In the show, you learn that Ted and his friends have a deeply religious, yet sometimes conflicted faith in "the universe." In the nine seasons of the show, there are, by one count, over 60 references to the universe. There are prayers to the universe, laments over the universe, and supposed signs from the universe. And yet, at most, the universe is a minor character in the sitcom—something like a matchmaker in Ted's mythic quest for self-fulfillment, searching for his "soulmate."

At first glance, Genesis 24 depicts the God of Abraham like a matchmaker, with God leading the servant of Abraham to find a bride for Isaac, Abraham's son. And we might be tempted to filter this story through our culture's myth of the soulmate. The "soulmate myth" is the idea that there's this "one"—one romantic interest out there who will complete you. And to find her or him, you need to cycle through any number of others, using them in your quest for self-fulfillment. But, in the Bible, God is no minor character, and Genesis isn't a romcom about the universe's plan to help two soulmates complete each other. No, the Bible is the account of God working to complete us, because we've been trying to find fulfillment without Him. And it's killing us. At best, we're still trying to write our own stories with God as a minor character, or maybe we cut Him from the cast altogether.

But God is not a mere cosmic wedding planner but a loving Father and a wise Creator. He loves what He created. So, God sent His Son to be born into that family, the family of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekkah, to be the Promised One, not the universe's sign, but God's sign of His love for us. And when Jesus was crucified on the cross, He showed us where our myths of self-fulfillment will ultimately lead us—not just feeling incomplete, but cut off from God, separated from each other, and suffering in hell. But Jesus rose from the dead to save us from that fate, to write a new life for us. His story includes and redeems romance and the life-long union of a man and a woman and, along with marriage, children and family, home and country, because these also are God's gifts to us. But they can't complete us. Only Jesus can do that. Genesis and the rest of the Bible is the story of how—how the Messiah made His way to us through one human family. Today, ours is the story of how the Messiah makes His way to all families. And He invites us to be His matchmakers, to bring more people, body and soul, into the Messiah's family, so that they would know that God is the One—the only One.

WE PRAY: Dear Father, lead Your servants so that people would know Your steadfast love through us. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Rev. Dr. Michael Zeigler, Speaker for The Lutheran Hour.

Reflection Questions:

1. Where have you heard versions of the "soulmate myth," or other stories of self-fulfillment?

2. Read Genesis 24. Where do you find yourself in this narrative?

3. Trusting in God to complete you, how does that help you more patiently await His gifts, and gratefully receive them?

08/09/2024

Philippians 4:6-7 - Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

This devotion pairs with this weekend's Lutheran Hour sermon, which can be found at lhm.org.

Troublemakers, peacemakers. One of U.S. history's most infamous feuds was between the Hatfields and McCoys. Speculations abound as to how the feud erupted. Some maintain it was a family killing connected to the Civil War; others point to a stolen hog. Regardless, tensions were fever pitch between the two families during the 1880s in rural Kentucky and West Virginia where they lived in the Tug Valley. Their history is scarred by revenge, fighting, murder, and tragedy upon tragedy.

Unfortunately, life is still full of tension in our day. Do you feel like you're ready to snap, fed up with the stress, the noise, the worries? Are you worn out by anxiety in relationships, in your church, where you work, in your home?

Do you need help? A stressed-out and anxious psalm writer said it this way: "When I thought, 'My foot slips,' Your steadfast love, O LORD, held me up. When the cares of my heart were many, Your consolations cheer my soul" (Psalms 94:18-19).

You see, friend, God has a different vision for your life than the simmering stress you feel. Instead of veering into life as a troublemaker, Jesus calls you to be a peacemaker—one who receives and shares the gift of His peace with others in the midst of this very broken world.

In October 2006, a man walked into a Pennsylvania Amish schoolhouse. He shot ten schoolgirls, killing five. The murderer died in this horrible attack. In a remarkable display of forgiveness, the people of that Amish community—including family members of the slain children—attended the murderer's funeral, comforted his widow, even offered financial support to help her. These wounded families overcame unconscionable heartbreak by tenaciously pursuing God's peace.

How did these people become peacemakers after this atrocity? The way God's people have always done it. They embraced God's peace in their heartache; they were empowered to share what they had received by grace; and they remembered the words of the apostle Paul: "I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance .... I can do all things through Him who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:12a, 13).

Remember the Hatfields and the McCoys? Well, William Anderson Hatfield, patriarch of the violent and troublemaking Hatfield family, was changed by a power greater than himself. On September 23, 1911, Hatfield was baptized into the Christian faith. He was seventy-three years old. This former troublemaker became a peacemaker. He even helped plant a new church in his community.

Do you know that the price of our troublemaking has been paid in full? Jesus gave His life for you. And now, in all the things you face, in all the trouble and pain that come your way, you can forgive as you have been forgiven, and you can love as you have been loved by Christ. He is the One to whom we are all accountable, the One who alone gives you and me strength to become peacemakers in this troubled world.

WE PRAY: Heavenly Father, teach us to be peacemakers with others like Your Son Jesus was and is for us. Amen.

This Daily Devotion is based on the sermon, "God's Peacemakers for a Troubled World," by Rev. Dr. Gregory Seltz, former Speaker of The Lutheran Hour.

Reflection Questions:

1. Bitter feuds (wars) like that between the Hatfields and McCoys are common in our world. How does Jesus' words to His disciples offer us peace in our lives? (See John 16.)

2. What has God done to cheer our souls in this tense, worrisome world?

3. How we can be peacemakers in our day-to-day lives? Please provide some examples.

08/05/2024

Psalm 34:4-6 - I sought the LORD, and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to Him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.

When Adam and Eve heard God walking in the Garden of Eden, they "hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden" (Genesis 3:8b). Adam and Eve had disobeyed their Creator's command. They were not to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but instead they listened to the tempting serpent and ate the fruit forbidden to them. They knew they were guilty and they were ashamed. They tried to hide their shame by covering themselves with fig leaves, but that plan failed. Then they blamed each other, the serpent and even God for their sin. Those excuses did not work either. Like Adam and Eve, we know what it is to feel guilt and shame. We too sin against God and disobey His commands, enjoying the forbidden fruit of gossip, hateful words, and loveless actions. We try to blame others or make excuses for ourselves, saying, "Everyone else is doing it" or "What I did was not really that bad." Those excuses are no more effective than fig leaves. We cannot cover up our sin. We cannot cleanse ourselves from the guilt and shame.

God had mercy on Adam and Eve and He has mercy on us. In Eden He promised that a Child of the woman would come to bruise the head of the tempting serpent, to crush the power of the devil. God gave our first parents better clothing than their useless fig leaves, clothing them with the skins of animals (Genesis 3:20-21). He has better clothing to cover our shame, too. Sin brought death into God's good creation, but God gave a promise of life and hope. Sin and guilt have been washed away through the blood of Jesus, the woman's Offspring. Now, instead of trying to hide behind our own pathetic excuses, our sins are forgiven. We are clothed in the bright robes of Jesus' righteousness.

Jesus died a shameful death on the cross to free us from our guilt and shame. Our sins are washed away in His blood. By God's grace through faith in Jesus, we are dressed in Jesus' righteousness; our shame is covered and hidden forever from the sight of God. The Lord heard our repentant cry, and in mercy He reached down to save us. As we look in faith to our Savior we are radiant, reflecting His love in the world. We are delivered from fear because "whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame" (Romans 9:33b).

WE PRAY: Jesus, You have delivered me from guilt and shame. Help me to reflect Your love to others. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler.

Reflection Questions:

1. Why did Adam and Eve want to hide from God after they ate the forbidden fruit?

2. How does Jesus' life, death, and resurrection deal with the original sin of Adam and Eve?

3. What makes it possible that we, though sinners, can live victoriously over sin and the devil?

08/03/2024

2 Corinthians 12:9 - But He (Jesus) said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Do you need an upgrade? Whatever device you use, upgrades are part of life. If you are online, your computer and your software need to be up to date. If you are on your smartphone, the operating system needs to be up to date as well. The necessity for updates is not simply derived from the desire for better things. No, in our world, they are a necessity.

Upgrades and updates are important because there are people who want to steal your data. Sadly, there are people who like to destroy your computers for fun. In order to stave off cyber threats, companies must constantly update their software. In order to use the internet or anything connected to the cloud, we must update our devices or upgrade our technology in order to be safe.

But wouldn't it be great if what we had for our software, spyware, and hardware was totally sufficient—for all time—and not just adequate for the moment? Wouldn't it be nice if our computers and phones no longer issued upgrade or update notices?

Well, that's the tension in our lesson for today. The apostle Paul thought he needed an upgrade for his life. He had a thorn in his flesh. He had a condition that made him feel insufficient. He prayed to the Lord to remove it. But Jesus did not address the insufficiency in Paul. Instead, He reminded Paul that His grace is sufficient for the apostle in all things.

In a world in which everything is in constant need of a better solution, a fresh idea, or the "next big thing," God teaches us to rest securely in His grace. Psalm 46:10a says it this way: "Be still, and know that I am God." Stop. Think. Remember. His grace is sufficient for you.

We can rest in God because He has accomplished all that we need. Jesus, on the cross, said, "It is finished" (see John 19:30). Elsewhere, Paul reminds the Corinthians that no matter how many promises God has made, they are all Yes! in Christ (see 2 Corinthians 1:20). Your sins are forgiven. Eternal life is yours.

And, incredibly, this God who provides for all our spiritual needs is with us every day as well. He invites us to trust in Him for daily bread. He encourages us to trust that He will care for us more than He does the sparrows and the plants.

Updates, upgrades ... for your computers, for your phones, yes, but for your life with God, no! God tells us that His grace for us in Christ is sufficient. Period! Think about what this word from God to you really means, for life today, tomorrow, and forever.

WE PRAY: Heavenly Father, grant me the confidence to believe that Jesus is all I need. Amen.

From "Sufficient Grace for Our Glaring Deficiencies," a message from Rev. Dr. Gregory Seltz, former Speaker of The Lutheran Hour

Reflection Questions:

1. What do you do to refresh your perspective when you're in a rut?

2. What are three promises of God you hold especially near and dear?

3. In what ways can you be a source of refreshment to others?

Address

Crown Point, IN
46307

Opening Hours

9am - 10am

Telephone

+12199426604

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Resurrection Lutheran Crown Point, IN posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category