Posts by Pastor Shawn (Page 2)
Shine The Light
You are the light of the world. A city on top of a hill can’t be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they put it on top of a lampstand, and it shines on all who are in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before people, so they can see the good things you do and praise your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16 CEB) One of…
For Such a Time as This
“And who knows but that you have come to your…position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14 NIV) Throughout my life, there have been numerous times that Mordecai’s words here to Esther have seemed applicable to my own life. As a quick summary, Esther was elevated to the position of queen, leading with King Xerxes who “ruled over 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush” (Esther 1:1). Esther became aware that one of Xerxes’ noblemen named Haman plotted to…
Managing Expectations
7 Now hurry, go and tell his disciples, ‘He’s been raised from the dead. He’s going on ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there.’ I’ve given the message to you.” 8 With great fear and excitement, they hurried away from the tomb and ran to tell his disciples. 9 But Jesus met them and greeted them. They came and grabbed his feet and worshipped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Go and tell my brothers that I…
A New Creation
16 So then, from this point on we won’t recognize people by human standards. Even though we used to know Christ by human standards, that isn’t how we know him now. 17 So then, if anyone is in Christ, that person is part of the new creation. The old things have gone away, and look, new things have arrived! (2 Corinthians 5:16-17) This passage is one of the lectionary readings for this week. Here Paul reminds us that as Christ followers we…
Created to Worship
19 So then, my brothers and sisters, we have boldness to go into the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus. 20 He has inaugurated a brand new, living path through the curtain (that is, his earthly body). 21 We have a high priest who is over God’s house. 22 So let us therefore come to worship, with a true heart, in complete assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. (Hebrews 10:19-22 –…
Give and Receive
Give, and it will be given to you. A good portion—packed down, firmly shaken, and overflowing—will fall into your lap. The portion you give will determine the portion you receive in return.” (Luke 6:38) In our young adult study on Thursdays, we are slowly making our way through the Gospel of Luke. Tonight, we dig through chapter six. Here most of the narrative is teaching directly from Jesus. In a red-letter Bible, most of the words are red. Much of…
For the Love of Jesus
Christ is our peace. He made both Jews and Gentiles into one group. With his body, he broke down the barrier of hatred that divided us… When he came, he announced good new of peace to you who were far away from God and to those were near. We both have access to the Father through Christ by the one Spirit… Christ is building you into a place where God lives through the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:14, 17-18, 22 CEB) Yesterday’s…
God Sized Expectation
The people were filled with expectation… (Luke 3:15a, CEB) In the new Young Adult study, we are working our way through the Gospel of Luke. In Luke chapter three, Luke explains that as people witnessed John the Baptist’s ministry, they “were filled with expectation.” This phrase jumped out to me and resonated with how I feel about the ministry of Spokane First Nazarene in these days. Yet expectation is something that always varies from one person to another. In churches…
Everything is Naked
12 because God’s word is living, active, and sharper than any two-edged sword. It penetrates to the point that it separates the soul from the spirit and the joints from the marrow. It’s able to judge the heart’s thoughts and intentions. 13 No creature is hidden from it, but rather everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of the one to whom we have to give an answer. (Hebrews 4:12-13 CEB) I’ve heard that it is common for those who do…
The Light in You
Jesus spoke to the people again, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me won’t walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12, CEB) Some of you are aware that last weekend I was able to participate in my thirty-year high school class reunion. With that information, you can now do the math to determine my age. 😊 I graduated from a small high school, only 41 of us in my class. I…
The Battle for the Kingdom
We aren’t fighting against human enemies but against rulers, authorities, forces of cosmic darkness, and spiritual powers of evil in the heavens. (Ephesians 6:12) A quick look in just about any direction these days and conflict seems to be ruling the day. Whether we look to politics in our country or reflect on the larger world scene, we are clearly steeped in a struggle. Too often we are quick to single out individuals to whom we wish to assign blame,…
Transitions
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens… Ecclesiastes 3:1 We each process change differently. Some of us are just wired to be more adaptable, we can go with the flow, and don’t get overly anxious about unknowns. Others of us like to know exactly what is going to happen, and how and when it is going to happen. Regardless of what type of person you are, the reality is that as a…