Sunday Morning - Rising Up!

Mowed my lawn for the last time of the season. I hope! Edged the lawn, trimmed the bushes, raked the leaves. Wrapped up my yardly duties for the winter.

Well, almost. Will definitely need to rake more leaves in a few weeks. Those dang things keep falling until Christmas it seems. 

But that's okay. It feels good to get out in the yard on a warm and sunny fall day (or even winter day) and get things done!

Sense of accomplishment. Satisfaction. Homeowner pride. Work well done. Pictures taken!

When we moved to our first home, I didn't consider yard work work. Know what I mean? It was an enjoyable and refreshing activity. It wasn't my full time job. My actual work was being a pastor of a church in a small town in western PA. 

So on Saturday or Sunday, I would mow our lawn. Or rake. Or garden. My wife and I and kids would get outside and pile up the leaves, jump in the leaves, scatter the leaves, then rake more leaves. We'd clean up the yard and enjoy the outdoors together.

Now we lived in the parsonage. Right next door to the church building. Five second commute. But did you catch what I just said? On the weekend, we'd do yard work. Work! On a Sunday, even.

One Sunday afternoon, after lunch and a nap, I fired up the lawnmower and enjoyed a beautiful day 'working' in our yard. We had a garden, so I probably picked some weeds, too.

But like I mentioned earlier, during those early days of having a home, yard work wasn't work. It was a refreshing and enjoyable hobby. It reenergized me since a lot of my work was indoors or visiting parishioners.

Well, at one deacon meeting, it was brought up that some people in the church were 'concerned' that I was seen mowing my lawn one Sunday afternoon.

I asked what the issue was. The issue was that I was working. On a Sunday. I said I'd just finished working that morning. Preaching on a Sunday. Mowing wasn't work. It wasn't what I did full time. It was a hobby.

They didn't see it that way. I didn't see it their way. It wasn't really a problem, though. I just kept mowing when I could - Saturdays mostly, but sometimes Sunday afternoons. We all learned to get along.

I even preached on observing the Sabbath. The necessity of breaking from your regular routine to rest and appreciate God's creation. To honor God by giving thanks for what he's given us. 

An illo: I made a point that if you're a professional tennis player, maybe it would be a good idea to cease from tennis one day a week and do something different. But for the rest of us, tennis might be a great option on a Sunday afternoon after worship.

Or if you're a professional lawn maintenance guy... (wink wink)

Now, thirty-mumble years later, I am not quite as enamored with yard work as I once was. It feels more like real work to me nowadays. But yesterday was my Sabbath. It was a day of refreshing rest mowing, raking, cleaning up. 

And today, Sunday, I can rest from my labors and enjoy God's handiwork, giving thanks (it's Thanksgiving this week, after all) for all his blessings. Including the blessing of being able to take care of the yard. 

Hope you can enjoy this day of rest as well, engaging in activities that encourage your soul and enlarge your heart for God and others. Have a wonderful Sunday.

Proclaiming the Year of God's Favor

Citizens of a New Kind of Country

A reflection on the life and politics of Jesus by Lyndon Perry

I’d like to tell you about a man who was born in Palestine a number of years ago. He was seen by more than a few as a revolutionary figure. A Yassar Arafat, if you will; a polarizing figure who spoke of a new government for Israel. This really disturbed the higher-ups, of course, but excited many of the common people who had been living like refugees in their own country – occupied territory! – for many years.

It’s strange, the story of this man. Predictions about him becoming a kind of prime minister, king even, of Israel began when he was born. His mother Mary, for instance, believed God was going to throw princes from their thrones so that her son could reign. His uncle, Zechariah, called him a political savior - like King David of old. When he was born he was even named Yeshua, or Joshua, which means “God will save.” (Of course, we know him by way of his Greek name, Iesous, or Jesus.) It was prophecy fulfilled: this Yeshua was destined to save his people from their oppressors. At least, that is what so many people believed.

You see, foreign armies had occupied the Eastern Mediterranean Seaboard for nearly 400 years. The enemy’s presence was a constant reminder of their once free nation. And the people were bitter, some were divided. All anticipated a day when things would be better.

Yeshua grew up with much the same anticipation, but he was not bitter or alone. There was his cousin, John. They were likely good friends. They must have played together, talked with one another, dreamed of the future – a future where God would rule through one person chosen especially for the task. A messiah. They yearned for this future and had a feeling that they were going to be a part of it somehow.

 As John and Yeshua grew they saw the political climate of Israel change. Revolutionary groups sprung up, died away, and sprung up again. Would-be saviors were killed and their cause humiliated. Yet one loosely organized underground resistance force gained strength and numbers. They were known as the Zealots. Their purpose was to overthrow their oppressors and reestablish a government by the people, for the people - the chosen people!

Neither John nor Yeshua joined the Zealots but each knew the day was coming when they would have to act, when God would call upon them to fulfill their destinies as agents in the new government. So they continued to talk and dream and prepare. For they would have to be ready; one day they would have to act.

One day John did.

Holy Week Meditations

I'd like to share three devotional sermons for you to read and reflect upon during these final days of Lent. You can purchase them at Amazon via the links below, or if this is a hardship, simply email me and I'd be happy to send you a meditation of your choice. Blessings to you as we enter Holy Week.

Word from the Cross: "I Thirst" is a 10 page reflection from John's Gospel.

As you may be aware, Jesus spoke "7 Last Words" from the cross. This ebook is a meditation on the 5th word from the cross: After this, knowing that all things were now accomplished and that the scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I thirst.” (John 19.28)






Journey to the Cross: Servanthood is a 10 page reflection from Mark's Gospel.

On his way to Jerusalem to die for the sins of the world, Jesus told his disciples that to follow him was to follow in the way of service. This ebook is a meditation on the the new rules of servanthood that Christ shares with his disciples as he journeys to the cross as recounted in Mark 10:32-45.

Journey to the Cross: Faith is a 10 page reflection from Mark's Gospel as well, a followup to Christ's message on servanthood.

As Christ continues to Jerusalem through Jericho, he encounters the faith of blind Bartimaeus, who "sees" the Messiah and who follows his new Lord as a disciple. Let us follow along as Jesus journeys to the cross as recounted in Mark 10:46-52.

Living East of Eden

Living East of Eden

A Sermon from Genesis 3 and 4 from Lyndon Perry

One of the most disturbing lines from scripture, for me at least, is from Genesis 4.7, when God says to Cain, right before Cain kills his brother Abel, “Sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you.”

That’s a scary bit of dialog, don’t you think?

The image that comes to my mind is of a rabid dog, hiding, crouching, growling behind a door, ready to pounce, ready to bite, ready to devour the next person who walks through.

It’s scary because this bit of dialog is also directed at each one of us – at me, at you. Sin is crouching and its desire is for us. From the time of Adam and Eve, sin has been waiting at the door and has not given up its post.

In the garden, sin took the form of a serpent.

The serpent knew of the two trees at the center of the garden – both representative of a good and right relationship with God. The tree of life symbolized humanity’s life-giving walk with God; the tree of the knowledge of good and evil symbolized the path of obedience that led to the good life with God verses the evil that would result from trying to live a life apart from God.

Simple parameters – walk with God and live, depart from God and die.

My New Storefront on Lulu

Hey, I finally figured out how to open my storefront at Lulu.com

Drop by and visit it at http://stores.lulu.com/lynperry

Right now I only have a free sermon to download, but hey, it's a start.