In this week’s gospel reading, Jesus challenged his disciples not to pursue power as the world pursues it. Rather, we are called to put our trust and hope in God as illustrated in this reading from Nehemiah 1.

May the Lord bless you as you receive his word.

These are the words of Nehemiah. He was the son of Hakaliah.

I was in the fort of Susa. I was there in the 20th year that Artaxerxes was king. It was in the month of Kislev. At that time Hanani came from Judah with some other men. He was one of my brothers. I asked him and the other men about the Jews who were left alive in Judah. They had returned from Babylon. I also asked him about Jerusalem.

He and the men with him said to me, “Some of the people who returned are still alive. They are back in the land of Judah. But they are having a hard time. They are ashamed. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down. Its gates have been burned with fire.”

When I heard about these things, I sat down and wept. For several days I was very sad. I didn’t eat any food. And I prayed to the God of heaven. I said,

“Lord, you are the God of heaven. You are a great and wonderful God. You keep the covenant you made with those who love you and obey your commandments. You show them your love. Please pay careful attention to my prayer. See how your people are suffering. Please listen to me. I’m praying to you day and night. I’m praying for the people of Israel. We Israelites have committed sins against you. All of us admit it. I and my family have also sinned against you. We’ve done some very evil things. We haven’t obeyed the commands, rules and laws you gave your servant Moses.

“Remember what you told him. You said, ‘If you people are not faithful, I will scatter you among the nations. But if you return to me, I will bring you back. If you obey my commands, I will gather you together again. I will bring you back from the farthest places on earth. I will bring you to the special place where I have chosen to put my Name.’

“Lord, they are your people. They serve you. You used your great strength and mighty hand to set them free from Egypt. Lord, please pay careful attention to my prayer. Listen to the prayers of all of us. We take delight in bringing honour to your name. Give me success today when I bring my request to King Artaxerxes.”

I was the king’s wine taster.

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 this week’s gospel reading, Jesus challenged his disciples not to pursue power as the world pursues it. In today’s reading, Jesus models for us how he expects power and authority to be used in his kingdom. Here is John 13:1-17.

May the Lord bless you as you receive his word.

It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world. It was time for him to go to the Father. Jesus loved his disciples who were in the world. So, he now loved them to the very end.

They were having their evening meal. The devil had already tempted Judas, son of Simon Iscariot. He had urged Judas to hand Jesus over to his enemies. Jesus knew that the Father had put everything under his power. He also knew he had come from God and was returning to God. So, he got up from the meal and took off his outer clothes. He wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a large bowl. Then he began to wash his disciples’ feet. He dried them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

He came to Simon Peter. “Lord,” Peter said to him, “are you going to wash my feet?”

Jesus replied, “You don’t realize now what I am doing. But later you will understand.”

“No,” said Peter. “You will never wash my feet.”

Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you can’t share life with me.”

“Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet! Wash my hands and my head too!”

Jesus answered, “People who have had a bath need to wash only their feet. The rest of their body is clean. And you are clean. But not all of you are.” Jesus knew who was going to hand him over to his enemies. That was why he said not everyone was clean.

When Jesus finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes. Then he returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord.’ You are right. That is what I am. I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet. So, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have given you an example. You should do as I have done for you. What I’m about to tell you is true. A slave is not more important than his master. And a messenger is not more important than the one who sends him. Now you know these things. So, you will be blessed if you do them.

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 this week’s gospel reading, Jesus challenges his disciples not to pursue power. In today’s reading, Israel does not heed the warning that a king will misuse his power.

Here is 1 Samuel 8:4-18.

May the Lord bless you as you receive his word.

So, all the elders of Israel gathered together. They came to Samuel at Ramah. They said to him, “You are old. Your sons don’t live as you do. So, appoint a king to lead us. We want a king just like the kings all the other nations have.”

Samuel wasn’t pleased when they said, “Give us a king to lead us.” So, he prayed to the Lord. The Lord told him, “Listen to everything the people are saying to you. You are not the one they have turned their backs on. I am the one they do not want as their king. They are doing just as they have always done. They have deserted me and served other gods. They have done that from the time I brought them up out of Egypt until this day. Now they are deserting you too. Let them have what they want. But give them a strong warning. Let them know what the king who rules over them will expect to be done for him.”

Samuel told the people who were asking him for a king everything the Lord had said. Samuel told them, “Here’s what the king who rules over you will expect to be done for him. He will take your sons. He’ll make them serve with his chariots and horses. They will run in front of his chariots. He’ll choose some of your sons to be commanders of thousands of men. Some will be commanders of fifties. Others will have to plough his fields and gather his crops. Still others will have to make weapons of war and parts for his chariots. He’ll also take your daughters. Some will have to make perfume. Others will be forced to cook and bake. He will take away your best fields and vineyards and olive groves. He’ll give them to his attendants. He will take a tenth of your grain and a tenth of your grapes. He’ll give it to his officials and attendants. He will also take your male and female servants. He’ll take your best cattle and donkeys. He’ll use all of them any way he wants to. He will take a tenth of your sheep and goats. You yourselves will become his slaves. When that time comes, you will cry out for help because of the king you have chosen. But the Lord won’t answer you at that time.”

In spite of what Samuel said, the people refused to listen to him. “No!” they said. “We want a king to rule over us. Then we’ll be like all the other nations. We’ll have a king to lead us. He’ll go out at the head of our armies and fight our battles.”

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 this week’s gospel reading, Jesus challenges his disciples not to pursue power. Psalm 37 is a mediation on trusting in the Lord rather than our own power. Today’s scripture is verses 23-40.

May the Lord bless you as you receive his word.

The Lord makes secure the footsteps of the person who delights in him,

Even if that person trips, he won’t fall. The Lord’s hand takes good care of him.

I once was young, and now I’m old. But I’ve never seen godly people deserted. I’ve never seen their children begging for bread.

The godly are always giving and lending freely. Their children will be a blessing.

Turn away from evil and do good. Then you will live in the land forever.

The Lord loves those who are honest. He will not desert those who are faithful to him.

Those who do wrong will be completely destroyed. The children of sinners will die.

Those who do what is right will be given the land. They will live in it forever.

The mouths of those who do what is right speak words of wisdom. They say what is honest.

God’s law is in their hearts. Their feet do not slip.

Those who are evil hide and wait for godly people. They want to kill them.

But the Lord will not leave the godly in their power. He will not let them be found guilty when they are brought into court.

Put your hope in the Lord. Live as he wants you to. He will honour you by giving you the land. When sinners are destroyed, you will see it.

I saw a mean and sinful person. He was doing well, like a green tree in its own land.

But he soon passed away and was gone. Even though I looked for him, I couldn’t find him.

Consider honest people who are without blame. People who seek peace will have a tomorrow.

But all sinners will be destroyed. Those who are evil won’t have a tomorrow.

The Lord saves those who do what is right. He is their place of safety when trouble comes.

The Lord helps them and saves them. He saves them from sinful people because they go to him for safety.

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.

Our gospel reading for this week is from Mark 10:32-45

May the Lord bless you as you receive his word.

They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again, he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him. “We are going up to Jerusalem,” he said, “and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise.”

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”

“What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.

They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”

“You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?”

“We can,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”

When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

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 Acts 17:24-28; Hebrews 13:1-3. 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. When have you been so deeply received that the welcome touched your soul?
2. When have you been wounded because you were not welcomed and received? How has the welcome of Jesus touched your life and your wounds?
3. How comfortable are you with being the host or hostess?
4. How does today’s theology of hospitality invite you to change your perspective and practices?
5. Who models hospitality and welcome for you?
6. How do you feel about having guests come to visit? Where do you struggle with doing everything perfectly?
7. How might Jesus want to use your heart and home as a shelter for others?

Today our text comes from Luke 16:19-31.
May God bless you as you hear his word.

“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

“The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’

“But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’

“He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’

“Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’

“‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

“He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”

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 comes from Genesis 14:17-24.
May God bless you as you hear his word.

After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley).

Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying,

“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
Creator of heaven and earth.
And praise be to God Most High,
who delivered your enemies into your hand.”

Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people and keep the goods for yourself.”

But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “With raised hand I have sworn an oath to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, ‘I made Abram rich.’ I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share that belongs to the men who went with me—to Aner, Eshkol and Mamre. Let them have their share.”

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.