Rev Shadi Diale

Mystry That Is God
1.Corinthians.2:6-8

We will never understand the mind of God. I love a good mystery. My favorite books and television shows are mysteries. These always have a problem that can be solved before the end of the book or the end of the show. I have heard that those of us who love mysteries are people who have a sense of law and order and like having good triumph over evil. God is a mystery in the true sense, a mystery that we will never solve. The Trinity is a mystery; Jesus' as both divine and human is a mystery. The incarnation of Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit is a mystery. These are mysteries that we cannot solve or even understand. One of the ways that we know that God exists is because we cannot replicate what God has done. We cannot create from nothing. Can we manipulate what is already created? Yes, but that all we can do. We have seen the power of God in our lives as well as in nature. There is so much we don't know. Faith is based on what we can't see, or understand. We believe based on what others have told us down through the generations. We believe based on our inmost feelings that this world is not all there is. One of passages we have reviewed talks about the spark of immortality that God placed within us. That yearning for something or someone that can only be satisfied by the presence of God! Although we might get frustrated because God doesn't always do what we think he should do, we can be confident in his existence by all the times God has been there when we needed him and we can always call on him in our hours of need.

Faith In God Banishes Fear
Psalm.56;10-13

When we place our trust in God, we can live without fear. Now, that doesn't mean that we can walk across a street without looking, or take any unnecessary chances with our lives. What it does mean is that God is watching over us and will be with us no matter what happens during the course of our day. He will be there helping things go right and he will be there to help us when things go badly. When we trust in him and in his word, fear of death is removed. We all know that we begin to die the moment we are born. We don't like to think about it, but it's a reality. When we've lost someone at an early age, it becomes even more apparent that death comes without warning and at any age. The most important thing we can do is keep our minds and hearts of God. When we follow Jesus and pay attention to the ways in which he leads us, our fears diminish even further. God does not want us to live in fear. As I have mentioned before, Jesus' death redeemed us, and if he hadn't risen from the dead, we would still be redeemed. But God wanted us to know about our salvation. He wanted us to live in hope and not fear. For this reason he made sure that Jesus appeared both to his disciples and to others so that we would be confident in our beliefs. Enjoy today, and don't worry about tomorrow, as God has everything under control!

Keep My Feet On The Path To God
Psalm.17:3-5

Can you or I say the same to God as the psalmist? Can God look into the deep recesses of our hearts and say that he is pleased with what he finds? If you are anything like me the answer is yes and no. Some days, he would find me worthy and other days not so much! Even though my words are not violent, I can't always say the same for my thoughts. Most days my actions are in line with Jesus' law of love and then there are the days when I slip up. There are times when I have not done the things that I might have done. I find that the times I don't take advantage of the opportunities that God sends my way bother me. Someone's name pops into my head and I forget to call them or pray for them depending on what their situation is. A friend calls and I am in the midst of something – maybe as unimportant as watching television, and instead of shutting it off, I only give half an ear to the friend. I don't want God to give me half an ear, so I shouldn't do the same to someone I call a friend. It is often easier to avoid intentional sinning. It's harder to avoid sinning by omission. But, let's look at the intentional sinning.. Are we always honest; or do we sometimes hedge a little by not telling the whole truth? Is our speech always kind; or do we sometimes voice our problems with another person a little too often? Unfortunately, it is often our bad habits that trip us up. Sometimes we are too willing to believe that if "everyone is doing it" then if must be okay. Well, there are too many people who believe that prejudice and immoral behavior is okay. If we want God to try us and find nothing, then we need to reexamine our behavior and fix whatever we find.

We. Have Been Saved By Life ,Death And The Resurrection Of Jesus.
1.Corinthians.15:1-4

This is the primary message of the Good News; the basis of our faith. Paul is telling the Corinthians that this is the teaching that they must hold fast to. We have been saved to the death and resurrection of Jesus. What does "being saved" mean to you? When I read the Gospels and the letters from the apostles to the churches, I understand that being saved means that the gates of heaven have been opened to me; but that I must choose to enter them. Many doors and gates are open to us each day of our lives. Some of these we choose to enter and others we walk past, some of them we walk past quickly! If we accept the fact that we are saved by Jesus, it comes with the responsibility to share the Good News and to work with Jesus to bring a message of love and the need for justice to a world that is not always open to it. Christianity is more than a belief system; it is a way of life. We can walk through the doors of prayer, compassion and forgiveness, or we can walk through the doors of envy, discrimination and indifference. It's not enough to claim Jesus as your Savior if you don't let him lead you to the gates of the Kingdom. If Jesus is your Savior, he is also your Lord and King and that demands loyalty. Remember the Israelites who claimed Yahweh as their God. Things didn't work out so well when they were unfaithful and worshiped idols. We are not immune from worshiping idols either. We may not build altars to Baal, but some may build shrines to their favorite sports "idol." Others might put money in first place in their lives. Walking through these doors leads us away from the gates of Heaven, not toward them. We believe; now we need to follow the road to the open gate.

God Is Love
1.Corinthians.13:4-8a

If you ever wonder what love is, this will answer the question. Love is patient. This can be a difficult one for me as I have mentioned in the past, but there are so many times when love calls us to be patient. New babies take a lot of work and when it's the first one, we need to be patient with ourselves as well as with this little bundle of squirming, crying, being who can't tell us what they want or need. We need to be patient all through the years of raising a child because we will be challenged at every stage. Love is kind. We shouldn't say unkind things to a spouse or child or friend no matter how much they have upset us. There's a saying and a song that says, "You only hurt the one you love." This is so true! Love doesn't envy; isn't jealous. If a friend has more than we do, we are happy for the friend we love, not upset because of what we don't have. As we age, and our spouses and friends age, we learn that we must bear all things. Love doesn't turn in a husband or wife for a younger model when the grey hair shows up or the waistline increases, or the bald patches begin to spread, or the memory fails. And then there's illness and sometimes incapacitation. Love endures all these things. Love grows stronger as the years go by. Love is honest and trustworthy. You would never lie to the one you love. Love of God includes all of these things, as well as believing in the love of the other, and trusting in him or her. We believe that God loves us as we love God and we trust in his promises. The world lets us believe that love is based on attraction and when the attraction ceases, we fall out of love. The reality is that lust and attraction is not love. If you think that you are in love, the test is to read the above and see if you pass.

We Are Called To Be Generous With What We Have.
1.Corinthians.11:19-22.

In the beginning days of Christianity, the people would still gather in the synagogues on Saturday, the Sabbath, to listen to the reading of the Torah and the prophets. On Sunday, the first day of the week, they would assemble at the homes of the leaders for a celebration of the Lord's Supper and to share the Gospel stories as well as any letter of instruction or other news. Paul is telling the Corinthians that their behavior at the Sunday gathering is inappropriate. They were not supposed to be coming for a free meal, but to break the bread and drink the cup in remembrance of Jesus' command at the Last Supper. Many denominations have a Eucharistic service either every Sunday or once a month to remember the Last Supper, and to break the bread and drink the wine. This service is very similar to the bread and wine that are blessed at the Friday night Shabbat services in Jewish homes and is also part of the Passover service at the Seder. The Corinthians were abusing this practice and Paul was calling them out. He warned those who were to blame that God would not be happy with their behavior and that if they were eating and drinking in an unworthy manner they were bringing judgment upon themselves. I'm sure that you are offended, as I am, if someone makes a mockery of a sacred religious rite. If we are offended, imagine God's affront at those who were making a mockery of the Lord's Supper. May we show respect to all forms of worship and not mock them.

May,We Be As Humble As,Jesus Was Humble
Phillipians.2:5-8

In the Common Lectionary, today is dedicated to the Triumph of the Cross. We don't necessarily think of this as a triumph, but Jesus' death on the cross was our salvation. For us, this was a triumph. This passage from Philippians is an old Christian hymn and seems to be based on an Old Testament hymn showing the belief of the early Christians that Jesus is the promised and long awaited Messiah. From the beginning of creation and the entrance of sin into the world, the world was waiting for that moment on the cross when Jesus joined his will to the will of the Father in full confidence that his Father would not desert him. His death opened the gates of heaven to all of us. As Paul says, through one man sin entered the world and through the actions of one man, all are redeemed. Only Jesus, true man and true God could accomplish this. Crucifixion was a terrible way to die; so terrible that only non-Romans were crucified. This is why Paul was beheaded since he was a Roman citizen. The actual cause of death was suffocation. The weight of the body hanging on the cross eventually made it almost impossible to breathe and the lungs filled with fluid. In Jesus' case, the beatings he had sustained earlier had weakened him considerably and he died sooner than was normal. This is why the soldiers broke the legs of the two thieves hanging with him, but they didn't break Jesus' legs seeing that he was dead. However, just in case they were wrong, they pierced his chest with a sword. He was willing to die for us; what are we willing to do to say thank you?

We Must Forgive As God Forgives
Matthew.18:21-23

I'm sure you are familiar with the parable of the unjust servant. The servant in this story owes the king a lot of money but when he begs the king for mercy and promises to pay it all back if he will just give him a little more time, the king forgives the debt. Then the servant sees another servant who owes him some money – nowhere near the amount he owed the king! – and he demands that the servant pay him back immediately. When the servant begs for more time, he refuses and has him put into prison until he can pay back the full amount. The other servants are horrified at his behavior and tell the king what has happened. The king calls in the servant and has him turned over to the "tormenters" until he can pay back the full amount. Any offense against God is a major offense, and yet God has forgiven us, and forgives us over and over again. We pray in the Our Father asking God to forgive us AS we forgive others. I'm not sure we mean it. Is there someone we still can't forgive? I'm not saying anything about forgetting. Have we asked God to help us forgive? The problem here, is that a lack of forgiveness does nothing for the person not forgiven, but it can keep us from moving on. In families it can keep brothers and sisters apart; parents and children, and can cause problems for generations. Let us be more like the King and less like the unworthy servant.

Thank You Lord For Your Mercy
Psalm.106:1-3

We are so grateful that God listens to us and is merciful to us when we cry out for help. I am especially grateful when I know that I am in trouble through my own fault. Don't you hate it when you don't listen to people who are trying to help you and you go off and do your own thing anyway? When this happens, I am also happy if they don't say, "I told you so!" God gives us good advice all the time. Sometimes it comes through another person and sometimes it comes from Scripture. When we are unsure, what do we do? Do we pray, do research, and ask for help? Or perhaps, do we just rush in and act first, think later? Whether or not our problems are from outside or of our own making, God doesn't judge, he helps. The psalmist here feels threatened, in danger of being killed and helpless to save himself. He calls on Yahweh and is saved. This psalm is one of thanksgiving for God's help. What is our response when God saves us from ourselves or from circumstances beyond our control? Is the first thing we do is say a prayer of thanksgiving like the psalmist? Do we take God's help for granted? We need to remember that the Israelites took God for granted too, and it made them complacent and then lazy and they didn't keep the commandments as they should. The more we pay attention to our Lord and his commands, the less apt to be in trouble we will be, and the more apt to turn to God first and be grateful for his help.

Root Out All The Bitterness And Hatred From Our Hearts
James.3:14-18

Hijacking planes and killing innocent people does not make anyone sympathetic to a cause. Today we remember the day that two planes destroyed the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York as well as the one that hit the Pentagon and the one that was also aimed at Washington, D. C. and was stopped by the heroic actions of the people on that plane. If we want the world to come together and work together for peace, terrorism is not the way to go. Just think about your own family. If you want a peaceful family, you don't go out of your way to cause problems, fighting with one another and destroying one another's property. Peaceful people sit down and discuss their differences and try to work out a compromise. Jealousy and ambition are a deadly combination for anyone. We see how they contribute to problems within families, within neighborhoods, and between businesses. There are different forms of "wisdom" as we know. Jesus gave us the example of the corrupt steward who got caught and went back to those he had been swindling and had them rewrite the amount of goods they owed so that they would take care of him when he lost his position. Jesus praised him for his worldly wisdom. But that is not the wisdom that God gives us in the gift of the Holy Spirit. This wisdom is given to us so that we will be more able to follow his way of love and to see the best ways to bring justice to an unjust world. This is the wisdom that brings peace and not discord. If we begin to feel stirrings of jealousy, may we count our blessings and not what we lack. Remember, someone will always have more than you have and someone will always have less.