The Daily Readings for SUNDAY, June 17, 2018 - Forth Sunday after Pentecost - Father's Day

Parables of the Kingdom of Heaven

The Daily Readings

SUNDAY, June 17, 2018 - Forth Sunday after Pentecost

(Revised Common Lectionary Year B)

Greeting

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

~ Phillipians 1:2

Prayer of the Day (Collect)

Keep, O Lord, your household the Church in your steadfast faith and love, that through your grace we may proclaim your truth with boldness, and minister your justice with compassion; for the sake of our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Confession and Forgiveness

Trusting God's promise of forgiveness, let us confess our sins against God and one another.

Eternal God our creator, in you we live and move and have our being. Look upon us, your children, the work of your hands. Forgive us all our offenses, and cleanse us from proud thoughts and empty desires. By your grace draw us near to you, our refuge and our strength; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Lessons

Old Testament
Ezekiel 17:22-24

Israel Exalted at Last
17:22 Thus says the Lord God: I myself will take a sprig from the lofty top of a cedar; I will set it out. I will break off a tender one from the topmost of its young twigs; I myself will plant it on a high and lofty mountain. 23 On the mountain height of Israel I will plant it, in order that it may produce boughs and bear fruit, and become a noble cedar. Under it every kind of bird will live; in the shade of its branches will nest winged creatures of every kind. 24 All the trees of the field shall know that I am the Lord. I bring low the high tree, I make high the low tree; I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish. I the Lord have spoken; I will accomplish it.

The Response

Psalm 92:1-4, 11-14 Bonum est confiteri
1   It is a good thing to give thanks to the LORD,

and to sing praises to your Name, O Most High;

2   To tell of your loving-kindness early in the morning

and of your faithfulness in the night season;

3   On the psaltery, and on the lyre,

and to the melody of the harp.

4   For you have made me glad by your acts, O LORD;

and I shout for joy because of the works of your hands.

11   The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree,

and shall spread abroad like a cedar of Lebanon.

12   Those who are planted in the house of the LORD

shall flourish in the courts of our God;

13   They shall still bear fruit in old age;

they shall be green and succulent;

14   That they may show how upright the LORD is,

my Rock, in whom there is no fault.

The Epistle

2 Corinthians 5:6-17
5:6 So we are always confident; even though we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord— 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 Yes, we do have confidence, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 10 For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense for what has been done in the body, whether good or evil.
The Ministry of Reconciliation
11 Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade others; but we ourselves are well known to God, and I hope that we are also well known to your consciences. 12 We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you an opportunity to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast in outward appearance and not in the heart. 13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. 15 And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them. 16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. 17 So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!

The Gospel

Mark 4:26-34
The Parable of the Growing Seed
4:26 He also said, “The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, 27 and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. 28 The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. 29 But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come.”
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
30 He also said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; 32 yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”
The Use of Parables
33 With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; 34 he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples.

Here ends the Lessons

Click HERE to read today's Holy Gospel Lesson message

The Apostle's Creed

We believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

We believe in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Closing Prayer

Lord God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ ore Lord. Amen.

Blessing

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.

~ Numbers 6:24-26

The Bible texts of the Old Testament, Epistle and Gospel lessons are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the USA, and used by permission. The Collects, Psalms and Canticles are from the Book of Common Prayer, 1979.
With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it?

“It All Starts With A Little Seed” - The Sermon for SUNDAY, June 17, 2018

“It All Starts With A Little Seed”

4:26 ¶ He also said, “The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, 27 and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. 28 The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. 29 But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come.” 30 He also said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; 32 yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.” 33 With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; 34 he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples.

~ Mark 4:26-34

Grace and Peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus who is the Christ. Amen.

When Jesus started to face opposition from groups like the Pharisees and Scribes, He started to address the crowds in parables. The purpose of the parable is twofold. On one hand, it is easy to understand the story as it comes from real life. Jesus used parables using farmers, fishermen, investors, and other professions to compare them to a spiritual truth He wanted to make. But the other purpose of the parable was to hide the truth from those who were not given the key to understanding the parable. In the parable in this passage, it is easy to understand what the sower is doing, and that plants grow on their own without intervention and without the farmer knowing why the seed becomes a plant. I would suppose today with our scientific understanding, it is not as much a mystery as it once was. But obviously Jesus was interested in saying something more than to observe how they grow.

Part of the key to understanding the parable is to carefully read it. One must bring two questions to a parable. One is: “What does it say?” The other question is: What does it NOT say.” Let’s use these two questions to analyze the parable.

First of all it says that this parable describes a truth about the kingdom of God. It is like a man who threw the seed upon the ground. It does not identify what kind of person threw the seed. This detail is not important to the parable. This tells us the parable is not about the man or woman who threw the seed. It could be any man or any woman. It then says that this sower went on with life night and day. It does not say that he cultivated the field, plowed it, watered it, weeded it, or anything else other than days passed. This means that what the man did other than scatter the seed is unimportant to understanding the parable. In fact, this man seems to be somewhat ignorant of the process. He could see what was happening. The plants came up and went to the maturing process by themselves without mentioning any intervention on the man’s part. The Greek word about what happened is the same as our word “automatically.” It is something in the seed and the hand of God that makes it happen. It is in the DNA.

When the harvest is ripe, this man is fast to take the sickle to the grain to harvest it. The recognizing the proper time to harvest and then making haste to harvest it before the fowl and insects ate up the ripe grain is an important detail to the parable.

Jesus speaks a second parable about a mustard seed. Here, the detail to be observed is the tiny size of the seed. Jesus may even have plucked the seed from off the tree to show just how tiny it was. The other detail is the size of the mustard tree. It grew large enough for birds to roost in it. These are the only two important details. In is unnecessary for understanding to include detail like the use of mustard as a spice or some other details. If one were using a slogan it would be: “Great things start from humble beginnings.”

Now we have to realize that Jesus is not giving practical advice. What do these two parables say about the Kingdom of God? Let us look at the first parable. We are called to sow the seed of the kingdom. However, there is a certain humility to this. The gospel is not about us. It is our job simply to scatter the seed faithfully. We like to think that we have to control the process of evangelism. We come up with schemes to sow the seed. We try to prepare the ground, weed, cultivate, etc. We want to control the process. What we have to realize is that it is the gospel itself which causes growth. It’s not what we do but what the Gospel does. God has put the DNA in the message. It comes up of itself, and not by our effort. We don’t even have to understand why it works. We simply get to see it grow. This does not mean we simply sit back and watch. We certainly are called to nurture the seed. We are to teach them whatsoever things Jesus has commanded. What we do have to do is to do it God’s way and not our own. We must feed them the gospel itself, to tell them what Jesus began to do and to teach.

The second parable is prophetic of the growth of the church. The church began with a tiny group of disciples who followed Jesus, Days and nights passed, yet at the Day of Pentecost, the church had only 120 members which is practically nothing compared to the 100 million inhabitants of just the Roman Empire. Then there were 3000, then 5000, which is still not numerically significant. But within 300 years, it conquered the Roman Empire.

The seed is tiny but powerful. In the beginning, God speaks a little word and the entire cosmos comes into being. Jesus speaks a little word and the blind see and the deaf hear. Jesus speaks a word and the dead man comes to life. It is not the size but the power that resides in the seed.

So here we are 2000 years later. Some think that the seed has lost its power. The church seems to be declining in influence. The era is called “Post-Christian.” Is this true? Of course not! The seed of the gospel is just as lively as ever. It just needs to be scattered once more. We need to scatter the pure Gospel. The trouble is we have tried to genetically modify its DNA, thinking we know better than God who made the seed in the first place. Instead of increasing the yield, a weaker plant comes up. It might look large and healthy perhaps, but the purpose of the plant is to produce fruit. We have to stop trying to monkey with the gospel and simply to proclaim it.

It is not dependent upon the character of the preacher either. Any preacher who preaches the truth of the Gospel will do. The personality is not important. Billy Graham indeed scattered much seed in his day, and it resulted in a large harvest of souls. But those who became Christians under his ministry did not become Christians because Billy Graham spoke it. Rather it is because God used the preaching of Billy Graham. It is the word of the Gospel which Billy Graham which brought those who were dead in trespasses and sins to life. Billy Graham has gone to his reward now, but if he were here, I believe he would agree with this statement.

The one who sows the seed does not know how the seed grows and produces a large crop. He just knows that it does. Sometime the yield varies as we see in the parable of the sower. I do not know what Billy Graham has had the success he has had in ministry and I have not. But I do rejoice that people have been born into the Kingdom of God, by whose hand does not matter. We just need to keep throwing the seed and casting the dragnet.

Finally, we have to know when the harvest is ripe. We need to be able to see that the time to reap has come. This must be done by God’s help. The sickle is sharp. There is pain involved, but after the seed has matured, the time comes to harvest the wheat. It might take time for the word to come to maturity in the people we witness to. Days and nights might pass, but the day comes in which the person is ready to make a commitment to follow Jesus. Harvest too soon and the fruit will be immature and die. Harvest too late and the seed might be carried away by Satan.

Sow the pure seed of the Gospel. Be patient and trust God to make the seed grow. Then be ready to harvest. Do this enough times and the Kingdom of Heaven will grow great and God will be glorified.

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The Bible texts of the Old Testament, Epistle and Gospel lessons are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the USA, and used by permission. Sermon contributed by Rev. Dr. Mark A. Barber, McDonald United Methodist Church, McDonald, Tennessee on Jun 14, 2018.
What do these two parables say about the Kingdom of God?

The Morning Prayer for SUNDAY, June 17, 2018 - A Father’s Day Prayer

We give our thanks, Creator God, for the fathers in our lives.

Fatherhood does not come with a manual, and reality teaches us that some fathers excel while others fail.

We ask for Your blessings for them all – and forgiveness where it is needed.

This Father’s Day we remember the many sacrifices fathers make for their children and families, and the ways – both big and small – they lift children to achieve dreams thought beyond reach.

So too, we remember all those who have helped fill the void when fathers pass early or are absent – grandfathers and uncles, brothers and cousins, teachers, pastors and coaches – and the women of our families.

For those who are fathers, we ask for wisdom and humility in the face of the task of parenting. Give them the strength to do well by their children and by You.

In Your Holy name, O God, we pray.

Amen

Verse of the Day for SUNDAY, June 17, 2018 - Father's Day

Malachi 4:6 (ESV) And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”

Read all of Malachi 4

Listen to Malachi 4

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

Un dia a la Vez - Sencillez de la vida (segunda parte)

Sencillez de la vida (segunda parte)

Tú das la victoria a los humildes, pero humillas a los altaneros

~ Salmo 18:27 (NVI)

Es muy importante que la sencillez y la humildad las apliquemos a la vida de nuestros hijos. Esto es una función de nosotros como padres que debemos cultivar.

En mi caso, me ha dado resultados. Desde mi niñez, mi padre, el señor Carlos Pinzón, pionero de la radio y la televisión en Colombia, famoso y reconocido, nunca mostró ser una persona prepotente. Por el contrario, siempre se destacó por su sencillez y su humildad, y con un don de gente increíble. Incluso, después de retirado de los medios y con ochenta años de edad, la gente lo encuentra y lo reconoce. Es más, cuando se expresan de él, lo hacen de una manera muy amorosa. Ese ha sido un bello ejemplo a seguir para nosotros como hijos y como profesionales. Ahora, como adulta y profesional, lo he aplicado pidiéndole siempre a Dios que me mantenga humilde y asequible a las personas.

Durante años, también he aprendido algo en lo que pienso de vez en cuando: «TODOS SOMOS REEMPLAZABLES, NADIE ES IMPRESCINDIBLE».

Con ese pensamiento, día a día doy lo mejor de mí como si fuera el último y no lo hago para complacer a nadie, sino que lo hago para DIOS.

Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón
Es muy importante que la sencillez y la humildad las apliquemos a la vida de nuestros hijos.

Standing Strong Through the Storm - HAS GOD FORGOTTEN HIS CHILDREN?

HAS GOD FORGOTTEN HIS CHILDREN?

How long, LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?

~ Psalm 13:1-2 (NIV)

If any believers can identify with this cry of David, it is those in North Korea. Today we hear from our co-worker, Jan Vermeer:

Looking at the desperate condition of the scattered North Korean church is a test of faith. Was the church meant to be underground or to be a bold witness? Should the name of Jesus Christ be proclaimed or whispered in silence? And if Jesus is King, why doesn’t He come to the rescue of his followers? Why do hundreds or even thousands perish in prisons or death camps each year?

An Open Doors contact in North Korea talks about their prayer meetings. “If you could attend one of those rare prayer meetings, your hearts would break,” he says. “We cover the portraits of the leaders on the wall and then we kneel down in a circle. We pray for strength and endurance. We pray that God will keep our country. ‘Father,’ we say, ‘The Israelites sinned and you made them wander in the wilderness for forty years. But for us, Lord, after more than fifty years we are still being punished. However, we have sinned and You are just. We bowed before the idols of Kim Il-Sung and before that to the idols of the Japanese. Forgive us. Please Father; restore the churches of past times in North Korea.’”

Feeling that sense of guilt in the North Korean believers is utterly painful. It makes you cry out with them the words of David, “How long, oh Lord? Will you forget me forever?” It’s a heartfelt cry, but is it the truth? Has God forgotten His children in North Korea? For that answer we have to investigate the spiritual life of North Korean Christians.

The Open Doors contact adds, “If you do that, you’ll find North Korean Christians are very mature. They know how to approach unbelievers and how to train new Christians, including their children once they are old enough. The Christians don’t mind to be tested. In fact, they are determined to sacrifice themselves for the Kingdom of God. They see trials as purifying.”

North Korean Christians know that when they pray earnestly, God will answer. The contact continues, “Whenever we do a project with Open Doors, first we fast for seven, sometimes ten days. Only when God tells us separately that we can continue with the project do we give the green light and carry out the project. Sometimes we have a very vivid dream in which God tells us what to do and sometimes we all just feel exactly the same about the project. Our believers are bolder and stronger than before, even though the persecution is also stronger.”

Where people love and follow Jesus, there is always hope!

RESPONSE: Today I bask in the sunshine of this hope. God does not ever forget His children!

PRAYER: Pray today for isolated believers in North Korea who do not have the warmth of Christian fellowship and group prayer.

Standing Strong Through The Storm (SSTS), a daily devotional message by SSTS author Paul Estabrooks. © 2011 Open Doors International. Used by permission.

LHM Devotion - June 17, 2018 - "Weighing the Children"

Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries

"Weighing the Children"

He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers to teach to their children, that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments.

~ Psalm 78:5-7 (ESV)

Glen Adsit was a missionary to China.

Accompanied by his family, Adsit tried to share the Savior's story of salvation as quietly and secretly as was possible. Apparently, he was not quiet or secretive enough. Adsit was caught and he, along with his family, were placed under house arrest. After some time, soldiers told him he was being deported. They also informed him he could take 200 pounds of stuff.

But how do you pick 200 pounds of stuff?

For years they had been in China and during that time they had collected precious things, things connected with memories. How to decide what would be left behind? Everything precious was sorted and weighed and then sorted again. Eventually, they managed to reduce the pile of stuff to 200 pounds. Adsit and his family were ready when the soldiers arrived.

"Are you prepared to leave?" the soldiers asked.

"Yes."

"Have you weighed everything?" an officer wanted to know.

"Yes."

"Did you weigh the children?"

Weigh the children? Of course, they hadn't weighed the children!

For Adsit and his wife, the children had been a given -- the children had been taken for granted. In a split second, the officer's question realigned everything. The new typewriter, the valuable vase, the precious picture instantly became trash and were set aside. Bringing their children with them, making sure the children were safe, became the parents' single priority: their chief concern.

Fathers, today I'm asking, have you weighed the children?

Now I know you have many things which weigh on your mind, which call for your attention, which must be accomplished before the sun sets. But the question is "Have you weighed the children?" The truth is, everything else on your calendar, every goal you have set for yourself, pales in comparison to your God-given duties

1. to share the Savior's story of salvation with your little ones;

2. to set an example of how a Christian should conduct himself in an unchristian world.

Now you may be blessed to have a Christian wife, a pastor who is a most remarkable man for the Lord, and your church may be equipped with a multitude of dedicated teachers determined to do all they can to shape your little ones.

But the truth is this: the Lord has placed into your children a desire to emulate you, respect you, be like you. You can't stop it; you can't prevent it. And they will follow a good example or a bad example. In words and living, it is my hope and prayer that you point them to Jesus who gave His life, so they might be forgiven, so they might be saved, so they might spend an eternity in heaven with their heavenly and earthly fathers.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, for fathers who have followed the Savior and shown how Jesus can live in the heart and actions of a man, I give thanks. Raise up many more examples. In Jesus' Name, I ask it. Amen.

Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
Fathers, today I'm asking, have you weighed the children?

Notre Pain Quotidien - Notre lieu sûr

Notre lieu sûr

Lisez : Psaume 91

La Bible en un an : Néhémie 7 – 9 ; Actes 3

Je dis à l’Éternel : Mon refuge et ma forteresse, mon Dieu en qui je me confie ! (V. 2)


J’ai occupé mon premier emploi dans un restaurant rapide. Un samedi soir, un gars flânait alentour et me demandait quand j’allais finir de travailler. Cela m’a mise mal à l’aise. Tandis que l’heure avançait, il a commandé des frites, puis une boisson, pour que le gérant ne le mette pas à la porte. Même si je ne vivais pas loin, j’avais peur de rentrer seule chez moi en passant par quelques parkings sombres et un bout à travers un champ sablonneux. Finalement, à minuit, je suis allée dans le bureau pour passer un appel.

Et la personne qui m’a répondu – mon père – est sortie sans la moindre hésitation de son lit douillet et est passée me prendre cinq minutes plus tard pour me ramener chez moi.

Le genre de certitude que j’avais, que mon père viendrait à mon aide ce soir‑là, me rappelle l’assurance au sujet de laquelle on parle dans le Psaume 91. Notre Père céleste est toujours avec nous, à nous protéger et à prendre soin de nous lorsque nous sommes confus, craintifs ou dans le besoin. Il déclare : « Il [celui qui se confie en Dieu] m’invoquera, et je lui répondrai » (V. 15). Il n’est pas qu’un lieu où nous mettre en sécurité. Il est notre abri (V. 1). Il est la forteresse où je peux m’abriter (V. 2).

Dans la crainte, le danger ou l’incertitude, nous pouvons nous fier à la promesse de Dieu, selon laquelle, si nous l’invoquons, il nous entendra et nous délivrera de notre détresse (V. 14,15). Dieu est notre lieu sûr.

Le Dieu vivant sera toujours notre abri.

par Cindy Hess Kasper

© 2018 Ministères NPQ
J’ai occupé mon premier emploi dans un restaurant rapide...