Today's Devotion: James 4:8 (New International Version)
Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

The point of this devotion is that we take the time to do a lot of things in our life, but we don't take the same time to give to God. I know a lot of people who call themselves Christians, but they often don't take the time to go to church to worship God.

The theme of James is "faith that works." If we focus on our faith, we will find that faith will generate good works in our life and in the lives of others.

Today's Comments:
Tonight, we hosted Evensong and a barbecue for the other churches in our deanery. We had approximately ten people show up from two different churches. But they showed up for dinner, not for the worship. What does that say?

Today's Devotion: Psalm 139 (New International Version)

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.

The implication here is that we are all one of a kind. God put us here for a purpose. And sometimes, like Jonah, he will lead us to places where we may or may not want to go.

Today's Comments:

Last night I received an email message from a friend with whom I am corresponding on the Internet. She is from the Philippines, but she has a son who is working on his PhD in Theology at Fuller Seminary in Pasadena. She mentioned to me that she has some property in the Philippines that she wants to donate for missionary use. And we have problems in our own church parish just making budget. In reality, we are exhorted to give to God the first fruits of our labor. Yet, so often we give what is left over. On the other hand, God has given us something unique and individual. In reality, we are his first fruits. Just think what it would be like if we weren't. Does that suggest something?

Today's Devotion: Psalm 31:24 (New International Version)
Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD.

Max Lucado interprets this passage as an exhortation to courage and goes on to say that inward character builds courage. At Blessed Sacrament, my church, there has been a lot of talk about the concept of spiritual warfare, and in class we have talked about the spiritual realm around us. The bottom line is that we must have conviction, and we must build courage to uphold those convictions.

Today's Comments:

I have been in the process of preparing for another test. Our professor decided to stick in an extra quiz before the end of the term. Part of the test is on the Pastoral Gospels, and I was reviewing notes from 1 Timothy. It is an important chapter to me, because it discusses the role of women in the church. My pastor and my professor both believe that women should not be pastors in the church. On the other hand, the Episcopal Church has made it clear that it favors the ordination of women and homosexuals to both priesthood and the episcopate.

When I first applied for candidacy as Deacon, I told my interview panels that I had not formed an opinion as to whether or not women should be ordained as pastors or bishops, but after reading 1 Timothy, I am sure that the Bible is clear on prohibiting women as bishops (or overseers). This is the conviction that at some point in my ordination process I am going to need courage to express, even though it could potentially cost my candidacy.

Today's Devotion: Romans 1:20 (New International Version)
For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

Romans tells us that even those who have never been visited by missionaries have been exposed to God's presence. Just look at a sunset, the clouds, beautiful mountains. As Max Lucado accurately states, "Nature is God's first missionary."

Today's Comments:

Today, I worked in the Long Beach Workforce Services Office training their two new veterans' representatives. One of the Long Beach EDD employees was having a birthday party: she brought the lunch and the cake for her own birthday party. As she explained, EDD is her family, and she wanted to do something that would make everybody remember her birthday and her should she decide to retire, some day. What a way to do it!!!! She is the kind of person who I think that I would like to celebrate Christmas with. Way to go, Maria!!!

Today's Devotion:Psalm 32:1 (New International Version)
Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.

While our sins are forgiven because of our faith in Jesus as our Savior, confession is an important part of our Christian life.

Today's Comments:
James advises us to confess to one another and further tells us, "if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins."

Today's Devotion: John 15:15 (New International Version)
I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

And, it is all in the Bible.

Today's Comments:

Today's verse brings to mind my ex-girlfriend. She adheres to the theological anomaly commonly known as the Prosperity Gospel. This theory says that if you ask the Lord for it, you will get it. If you don't get it, then you asked for it wrong. Ken and Gloria Copeland preach this brand of theology.

Adherents to the Prosperity Gospel like to pick and choose the books that fit their theory. If it doesn't fit, then they don't read it. For example, the Old Testament books are off limits, because they are superseded by the New Testament. This is despite the fact that Jesus, himself, preached the Old Testament on the Road to Emmaus. I am sure that the books of James and Peter will bring some discomforting thoughts to some PG believers, as well.

The point here is that He wants us to read His word. He wants us to understand. And sometimes, he wants us to make sacrifices. He doesn't always give us what we ask for. Sometimes his answers are varied:

• Yes
• No
• Slow
• Go

He knows what is best for us, and what he gives us is always the best. He is a real friend.

Bible Verse of the Week--- Titus 3:5: He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.

Today's Devotion:

1 John 3:2 (New International Version)
Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears,we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

Today's devotion and Bible verse of the week go together.

• We are saved because of his mercy
• What we will be is, for most of us, still yet to come.
• We will be like him and will see him as he is.

We should continue to pray for his guidance and try to understand his purpose for us. Even if we don't fully understand our purpose, we know that it involves loving Him and our neighbors. Right there is a good start.

Today's Comments:

I have been nursing a bad knee. It is possibly arthritis and may be pain that I will have to live with. Next Sunday night, my church is putting on a barbecue for all the Episcopal Churches in our deanery (local area). Most of those churches are liberal in view and disagree with the conservative views of my parish, Blessed Sacrament. However, we are making the effort to meet with them, and, at my request, part of the service, before hand, will focus on both individual healing and healing of the church, as we take a lesson from the Epistle of James.

Today's Devotion: Luke 5:16 (New International Version)
But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed

It is hard to pray, isn't it? I don't think that I do a very good job. Maybe that is one of the reasons that I am doing this blog. It gives me a chance just to sit and focus on God and how much he makes a difference in my life.

Today's Comments:

I got up at 4:45 AM and was not able to get back to sleep, so I thought that I would spend some quality time with my blog. It was cold tonight, I turned on the heater, which I rarely do. Even with the cat snuggled up on one side and the dog on the other, I couldn't get back to sleep. I have a lot of work to do for my New Testament seminary class. There's plenty of time for it. However, I hope that just doing this writing and thinking will help clear my mind and that I can go back to sleep. In the meantime, I will try to keep my mind open and my heart in prayer, asking the Lord to remember those who I love, the veterans that I work with, those service man who are overseas fighting the war on terrorism.

Which reminds me. It seems like almost everyday, since the massacre at Virginia Tech, there have been shootings or threats of shooting. All of a sudden, we are getting a rash of threats in our EDD call centers. I am keeping a threat database for our Division Chief, and yesterday, I drafted a memo for him to remind all of our Field Offices that no threat, whether actual or perceived, should be ignored. If there is anybody out there that is reading this blog, I pray that you keep that in mind, also. It seems like there is very little distance between thought and action, these days, no matter how evil the thought is.

Today's Devotion: Psalm 40:8 (New International Version)
I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart."
How often do we stray? More than we want to admit. This verse reminds us to listen to Him. If we do, we will know what his will for us is.

Today's Comments:
I got an email from a very close friend, and she apologized because she is so busy and does not have time to write to me. Her message made me think about what a true friend really is. I sent her back a note saying that I knew that she would jump on a plane to fly out to see me, if I called her and asked her to do so. And, I would do the same thing for her. As long as I am in her prayers, that is enough. I can wait for the emails, but I will always have her friendship.

New Testament Survey Class
Professor Ben Shin

Steve Sterry
Expositional Paper
James 5:13-20


Background
The six sources used in researching this paper fail to unanimously agree on the author of the Epistle of James (a complete bibliography is included at the end of this paper). Five point to James, the Brother of Jesus, as the only logical author, after eliminating all of the other James’s. The Interpreter’s Bible, however, begs the question all together by an admission that there is no strong case for any of the known James, thus eliminating all the biblical James’s and instead concluding that the author must be some other James that nobody had considered.

On the other hand, all of the sources agree that this epistle was written to a Jewish audience living outside Palestine. Dr. John Hutchison believes that the letter was written with Jews in Babylonia and Mesopotamia in mind, while the Jerusalem Bible suggests those Jewish Christians in countries near Palestine, like Syria and Egypt were the likely audience. The Expositors Bible Commentary suggests that it was addressed to those Jews who were driven out of Jerusalem as a result of the martyrdom of Stephen in 35AD. The Interpreter’s Bible is careful to point out that those to whom the letter was written were, in fact, not just “God fearers,” but were practicing Jewish Christians. Finally, the IVP Online Commentary gives the most detailed explanation, suggesting that the writer was addressing people of Jewish upbringing with a fairly recently acquired Christian faith who were experiencing a severe persecution at the hands of their erstwhile leaders in Judaism. Furthermore, they were mourning deeply because of the death of their loved and respected leader, Stephen (Acts 7). In the meantime, the commentary continues, almost all the Christians (except for some apostles, including James) had been driven from their homes in Jerusalem and scattered to other places.

There is, unfortunately, no real agreement as to when the letter was written. Those sources attributing the writing to James, the brother of Jesus, cite dates that include AD 45 and 50. Obviously, if this James is the author, his letter would have been completed by AD 62, the accepted date of his martyrdom. The one source that is in disagreement with this James as the author sets the time of writing at 80 AD, or later.

Several themes are suggested by the sources listed in the bibliography, none of which totally agree with each other. They include:
§ A Manual for Christian Conduct
§ Faith that works
§ General Paraenesis (exhortation and advice)
§ Faith justified by works
§ (1) Concern for the poor and lowly and (2) Christians must do good and not be content with a faith that produces nothing.
§ A type of sermon letter, but more perhaps, to refute certain Christians who drew pernicious conclusion from Paul’s teachings.
There is just as much diversity in the suggestions for the purpose of the letter:
§ To encourage and exhort persecuted believers by demonstrating the connection between inward faith and outward works.
§ To make needed changes in one’s life and corporate relationships, because of problems that had arisen in the church.
§ A sermon against Jewish-Christian Intolerance
§ A call to serve both God and sinners.

Those commentaries which discussed source material for the letters agree that they include Old Testament wisdom literature, teaching of the Gospels, and the Interpreter’s Bible suggests additional sources attributed to another letter, one called “Jacob.”

Contents
After reviewing the various outline suggestions suggested by the research sources, this writer chose the outline suggested by The Jerusalem Bible, because it appeared to make the most sense when the book is read:
1. Chapter 1:
a. Trials a Privilege
b. Temptation (not a product of God)
c. True Religion (Listening to the Word is not enough, without doing it.)
2. Chapter 2:
a. Respect for the Poor (You cannot make distinctions between the poor man or the rich man.)
b. Faith and Good Works (They must go together.)
3. Chapter 3
a. Uncontrolled Language (Watch your tongue; Teachers are judged at a higher standard.)
b. Real Wisdom and its opposite (Real wisdom comes from God and does not include jealousy or ambition.)
4. Chapter 4/5
a. Disunity among Christians (Unfaithfulness and conflict among brothers caused by ambition and pride.)
b. A warning for the rich and self confident (We should discern the Lord’s will and not our own, which can be influenced by pride and material motivation.).
c. A final exhortation

It is the final exhortation that contains the verses that are the focus of this paper. The three major thoughts that are suggested by this exhortation are:
1. Be patient (without complaint) for the Lord’s coming, which will be soon.
2. Do not swear by oaths. Just say “yes or no.”
3. The power of prayer and forgiveness
It is this last thought, the power of prayer and forgiveness, that is addressed in the verses covered by this paper.

Structure
Each of the above suggestions of purpose, theme, and content appears to have some ring of truth. However, when one attempts to look at the actual organization (or disorganization) of the material in the letter, there is very little thematic unity that appears to tie the total contents together into a simple, neat, understandable package, unless one is willing to admit that the letter is a mere collection of general paraenesis, as suggested by The Interpreter’s Bible.

However, if the author was, in fact, James, the brother of Jesus, his purpose in writing might involve the continuance of his preaching to and his leadership of Jewish Christians that was evident during the Jerusalem Council in AD 49. In which case, James might merely be enumerating the major problems observed within the Church, discussing such specific situations that he felt were important to address, while suggesting individual and corporate healing to church members through use of the power of prayer and forgiveness. Thus, if this premise is accepted, Chapter 5, verses 13 through 20 could provide the key to solving the problems previously enumerated and might be outlined as follows:
 The elders and their responsibilities for solving problems in the church, especially through repentance and prayer
 The power of prayer
 The power of forgiveness

Interpretation
Incorporating the premise outlined above, the verses of this section might be interpreted as follows:
§ Verse 13: If anyone of you is in trouble, he should pray; if anyone is feeling happy, he should sing a psalm.
o This verse contains a general thought that opens the discussion about problem solving: If one accepts the concept of praise (or singing of psalms) as prayer, then it is a call to prayer in every aspect of life. Psalms would include hymns and spiritual songs, as well.
o The IVP Commentary suggests that “Prayer is the encompassing instruction, because it is the right course of action for the full range of life-situations.”
§ Verse 14: If any one of you is ill, he should send for the elders of the church, and they must anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord and pray over him.
o The verse, here, is asking the reader to take a specific action, based on a specific condition. Note that there is no reference to whether or not the illness is physical or spiritual.
o Elders, who also were called overseers and were later called Bishops, ran the early church with the assistance of Deacons. The office of Presbyter did not develop until later on. Therefore, it would, be normal for the elder or a group of elders to visit the sick person and provide ministry and comfort to him or her.
o Unction, or the anointing of a person with oil, is considered to be in most catholic and orthodox churches as a sacrament or quasi-sacrament, but probably originated from the idea that the oil had actual healing properties when applied to the patient for physical maladies.
o This verse appears to recommend a specific action based upon the fact that a church member is ill, and that action might be suggested here for both physical and spiritual healing.
o Prayer here would seem to be the primary process with the use of oil as part of the ritual or, perhaps, a secondary action to assist with the healing. In today’s catholic liturgy, for example, oil serves as a ritualistic symbol of healing. It is an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace.
§ Verse 15: The prayer of faith will save the sick man and the Lord will raise him up again; and if he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven.
o Verse 15 now states the effect of the action taken in verse 14. Note that prayer over the sick person not only causes the restoration of health, but it also brings forgiveness of one’s sins.
o Implicit in this thought is the concept that God could send physical illness as a disciplinary agent. In such cases, the application of prayer by the elders would then heal the underlying spiritual problem and consequently the physical sickness caused by that problem.
§ Verse 16: So confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, and this will cure you; the heartfelt prayer of a good man works very powerfully.
o Verse 15 is now stated in another way and is expanded beyond just the prayers of the elders to all the members of the Church and, perhaps, to all conditions in the Church. It is possibly the key thought of the whole segment and, perhaps, the whole book. For, if we confess our sins to one another and pray for each other, both the individual and corporate problems stated in the earlier chapters will cease to exist or will be mitigated.
o The IVP Commentary states, “Instead of judging each other, we will be driven to confess to each other. Instead of desiring to place guilt on each other, we will become eager to forgive each other. Instead of moving to criticize, we will move to intercede for each other. A spirit of reconciliation will pervade the church.” Isn’t this the thought that James might be trying to get across?
§ 17-18. Elijah was a human being like ourselves- he prayed hard for it not to rain, and no rain fell for three-and-a-half years; then he prayed again and the sky gave rain and the earth gave crops.
o Here is an example of a righteous man whose prayers were answered by God. It implies that we too might have that power, if we follow the steps outlined above.
o What better way is there to support the preceding thoughts than to cite the example of a prophet who was known and respected by all of the Christian Jews to whom James was speaking?
§ Verses 19-20: My brothers, if one of you strays away from the truth and another brings him back to it, he may be sure that anyone who can bring back a sinner from the wrong way that he has taken will be saving a soul from death and covering up a great number of sins.
o James may be referring to the flock (my brothers) that has been scattered due to the intense persecution of Jewish Christians by either the Romans or non-Christian Jews. It is, first, an exhortation to bring the wanderers back.
o The term covering up probably means expungement, and it may refer to covering up the sins of the wanderer, as well as to the one who brings the wanderer back.
o It is essentially the reward for carrying out the actions that the writer is recommending.

Conclusion
This writer believes that the Epistle of James speaks to those Christian Jews who were disbursed throughout the world as a result of persecution. While it appears to be exhortation and/or encouragement toward better Christian living, its scope is not restricted to the individual. Instead, it seeks to solve the problems of a fractionalized church, whose members have been disbursed by persecution, first by healing both physical and spiritual illness in the individual, second by corporate healing of the body of the church, and finally through the forgiveness of sins, knowing that with healing comes forgiveness, and with forgiveness comes reconciliation.

Roger Rose, a retired Episcopal Priest and the leader of a Bible study group in which this writer participates describes the philosophy of member relationships in the African Anglican Church. It is, in this writer’s opinion, the same simple philosophy that reflects the purpose and motivation of James in writing this Epistle:
I am because We are because He is.

Bibliography

§ A Survey Of The New Testament, Fourth Edition, Robert H. Gundry, published by Zondervan, Grand Rapid, MI, 2003
§ Matthew – Revelation, TTBE 520, Dr. John Hutchison, Talbot School of Theology, published by Biola University Bookstore
§ The Jerusalem Bible, Alexander Jones, General Editor, published by Doubleday and Company, Inc., Garden City, New York, 1966
§ The Interpreter’s Bible (in Twelve Volumes), Volume XII, Published by Arlington Press, New York, NY and Nashville, TN, 1957
§ The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 12, Frank E. Gaebelein, General Editor, published by Zondervan, Grand Rapid, MI, 1981
§ IVP New Testament Commentaries, Series Editor Grant R. Osborne, Consulting Editor D. Stuart Briscoe and Haddon Robinson InterVarsity Press (http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/index.php?action=getBookSections&cid=13&source=)

Today's Devotion: Matthew 1:23 (New International Version)
"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"—which means, "God with us."

Today's devotion talks about how much God cares for us. He cares so much for us that even when we stray, He is still with us.

Today's Comments:

Today's devotion is an appropriate place for me to post the paper on James that I did for my New Testament survey class. In my opinion, James is exhorting all of us to live a life that honors Him who came to be with us. As you can also see, I am of the opinion that James is talking about both individual and corporate living, as members of Christ's Holy Church.

Today's Devotion: John 14:6

While Jesus was tolerant of all those who persecuted him, those who doubted him, and those who misunderstood, he was very firm about the path that leads to our salvation. Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." There is no other way to salvation.

Today's Comments:
On April 11, I wrote about my new friend who is working at a hospice in the Sacramento area. I got a note from her tonight thanking me for the comments that I made. I wrote back to tell her how much I admire what she is doing and that I should thank her for what she is doing. Her ministry is a good example of what I believe the book of James is talking about. Although we are not saved by our works, our works should reflect the salvation that Jesus Christ has given to us. Jesus is the way, and we must travel that way with the best intentions of showing others the light that he brings to our life.

Today's Devotion: Matthew 28:1

When the two Mary's went to the tomb, they went out of duty and devotion to our crucified Lord. Service is prompted by duty, and this is the call to discipleship.

Today's Comments:

The concept of duty is understood by those who serve or have served in the military. It sometimes involves things that are unpleasant and things that we don't want to do. Yet, we are willing to do them out of duty. Unfortunately, there are many others who never learned the concept of duty or do not understand it. Our duty to God (as well as to ourselves) is to listen and to try to discern his will and our purpose. Only then will we be able to achieve our potential as a Christian and His servant.

Today's Devotion: 1 Thessalonians 4:14 (New International Version)
We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.

The Resurrection of Jesus is the keystone to Christian Faith. We believe that Jesus died and then rose from the dead. The Bible tells us that we also who are Christians will join him in heaven. Nothing more, nothing less.

Today's Comments:
I missed my blog last night, because today was State Military Reserve drill day. I had to get up at 5AM, take my four apple pies, two ice chests, and buy three bags of ice for my contribution to our SMR picnic. Except for the picnic, I spent all day yesterday and today representing the SMR at a job fair on base at Los Alamitos. It wasn't a very good one. In fact, it was pretty poor. There were maybe eight or nine companies (including the Westminster One-Stop Center), and there were very few job seekers. What a shame, considering the fact that there are so many soldiers out there that need help. There is no question that we have to start doing more for our veterans.

Today's Devotion:

John 19:30 (New International Version)
When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

What Jesus finished was a new beginning for man. Without his sacrifice, we would have to live by the Law that God gave to Moses. Without His death, we would be damned. For, without Christ, man is incapable of the total obedience that the Law demands.

Today's Comments:

We discussed the Epistle of James at our Bible Study tonight. Father Roger expressed this wonderful thought. The Anglican Church in Africa views our relationship to God in this way:

• I am, because
• We are, because
• He is

4/11/2007 Devotion and Comments

Today's Devotion: John 3:16 (New International Version)
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

What have we given to God?

Today's Comments:

I have another friend whom I just met. She is semi-retired and volunteers her time at a hospice in the Sacramento area. Is this giving back to God? I think so. It is both honoring God and loving our neighbor. I have had two experiences working with veterans during their last days of life. I can't say that I enjoyed it. However, I felt a sense of accomplishment and peace in the knowledge that I was doing something that was genuine and out of love.

Today's Devotion: Matthew 9:36 (New International Version)

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. That passage reminds me of the piece in Handel's Messaiah, All We Like Sheep. All we like sheep have gone astray,we have turned ev'ry one to his own way. Of course, Handel takes his piece from Isaiah 53:6.

Have we gone astray? It sure seems like we have. Everyone to his own way: secularism, the "prosperity gospel, " what next? We need to get back to firm biblical teaching. We can't just reject a passage or a book, because we don't like it. Thank God every day that He has compassion on all of us!

Today's Comments:

My paper on James is coming along fine. I have come to believe that James is not completely about exhortation and diatribe, as one of my research sources puts it. It is also a formula for personal and corporate problem solving through prayer and repentance.

Today's Devotion:
Ephesians 3:19 talks about the love of God. His love for us was so strong that he was willing to send his own son to suffer for us. We owe to him everything that we are, everything that we have, and everything that can be. Pray that we can be our best for him.

Today's Comments:
I finished my research on my expositional paper for James and started to work on the first draft. I already have four pages, the paper is to be a maximum of 8 pages. I will probably have to do a lot of trimming.

James is an interesting book. There doesn't seem to be anything that ties it together in one neat, understandable package. I will probably get to the commentary portion of my paper tomorrow and may have some interesting thoughts to write about. Stay tuned.

Today's Devotion:
Imagine yourself looking into a mirror. Your reflection is of a sinner, with all the ugly things that come with sin. However, because of our faith in the salvation of Jesus, when we look into the mirror, our reflection is of the robed prodigal, who despite all our transgressions, is welcomed home with joy and love.

Today's Comments
I had a wonderful Easter morning and an enlightening Easter afternoon and evening doing research on a paper for class. It is an expositional paper on the Epistle of James and focuses on Chapter 5, verses 13 through 20. I was able to complete most of my research using three commentaries. I will probably start writing the paper either tomorrow night or Tuesday.

Unfortunately, to many people, the concept of Easter is a rabbit that goes around hiding Easter Eggs. Of course, much the same could be said about Christmas, except that the Easter Bunny is now a fat guy in a red suit that drops down peoples chimneys leaving presents for everybody. The reality is that eggs and presents don’t come anywhere near the gift of eternal life, do they?

Today's Devotion:

Today's devotional reading talks about the Garden at Gethsemane and the instrumental players in the drama. Yet, there were only two that really counted. Christ and Satan. Once the events of the crucifixion were put into play, Satan was no longer a threat to mankind. As we wait on this Holy Saturday, a day of mourning for those who hovered in fear, inside that cold, dark room, in shock over the death of their leader and in waiting for what next would come, we know that out of death, eternal life for all believers was just around the corner. Let us look forward in joyful anticipation to the Sunday of the Resurection.

Today's Comments:

The Epistle of James is an interesting book. I am doing a paper on the last seven verses of this letter. It appears to be a composite of proverbs and exhortations on Christian Living. The section on which I am doing my paper talks about healing through prayer. How many of us need healing but are not asking for it? The elders of the early church were charged with saying prayers over the sick and anointing them with oil. When was the last time that happened to you?

A fried from San Diego called me the other day and wanted me to contact a friend of hers who lives in Whittier. He is a Deacon in the Presbyterian Church and spends most of his time ministering to the sick in convelescent homes and hospitals. What a wonderful thing to do. It seems that, as I walk down my road to ordination, I am meeting a lot of new people who care about a lot of people who need caring about. I hope that I can be as good as they.

Today's Devotion:

Today's devotion talked about the incredible gulf that existed between Christ's dream for mankind and the reality of making it happen. Was the crucifixion inevitable, or could Jesus have backed out? I don't think that question will ever be answered to everybody's satisfaction in my lifetime. But, in my opinion, if Jesus was in every way human, he certainly had the freedom of choice. Yet, he made the right choices and remained the perfect sacrifice for mankind so that he could bridge that gap between his dream and reality.

On this Good Friday, I pray: Father, thank you for sending your Son to be a perfect, holy and living sacrifice for our transgressions. Thank you for his sacrifice so that we may have eternal life. Thank you for the undeserving love that you have given to us, your creation. While we were created perfect, in your image, our perfection included the gift of free will, and in making our choices, we denied you and opened the door to our sinful nature. Thank you, by the sacrifice of Your Son, for closing that door to evil and reconciling us to your Kingdom.

Today's Comments

Good Friday is the most solemn day of the Christian year. I participated in our service at Blessed Sacrament as the Sub-Deacon and read the part of Pilate in John's Gospel. After Communion (which was pre-sanctified last night at the Maunday Thursday celebration), Father David asked me to put out the sanctuary light, signifying the bodily death of Jesus. Now we wait out the rest of the day and tomorrow until we finally celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord on Easter. I wonder what the disciples were feeling, as they waited and wondered.

Tonight, our Bible Study Group attended services at Holy Trinity and Saint Benedict Episcopal Church in Alhambra. It was an ecumenical service, and the Epistle lesson from Colossians was read in English, Mandarin, Tagalog, and Spanish. This afternoon, we focused on Christ's death and sacrifice. Tonight, we focused on the community of all Christians and what the nails of the cross mean to us.

4/5/2007 Devotion and Comments

Today's Devotion:

Today's devotion talks about worship. We all have different styles and different ways. We worship the same God, but our liturgy, prayers, and music aren't necessarily the same. Nor should they be. We need to be in the place where we feel the closest to God. Father, I pray that when I come into your house and to your altar that I can put aside all my earthly concerns and focus on You. Please help me to give you the attention that You deserve. After all, you sent your dearly beloved son to focus his whole life and soul upon freeing us from sin. You deserve as much attention as we can give to you.

Today's Comments:

I attended Maundy Thursday services at Blessed Sacrament. To me, Maundy Thursday is one of the five most important days of the Christian year.

• It is the day that Jesus washed the feet of his disciples as an example to prepare them for ministry through servanthood.
• He instituted the Blessed Sacrament at the Last Supper.
• Finally, he was handed over to the authorities when Judas betrayed him with a kiss.

Maunday Thursday brings also, I believe, the most moving service of the church year at Blessed Sacrament. This year, the service was made even more moving with JAC Redford's music. What a wonderful person to have in our church. A composer who is willing to give his work to the Lord. Some people are turned off by the "smells and bells" at Blessed Sacrament. They want praise teams, loud music, and contemporary words. But, Blessed Sacrament is where I certainly feel closest to God. I feel a peace and reverence that I find nowhere else.

4/4/2007 Devotion and Comments

Today's Devotion:

Today's devotion still focuses on the cross. When we pray the Lord's Prayer, we ask God to forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. In Christ's case, He has already payed our debts. And now, it is we who owe Him everything. Yet, he does not send us a bill.

Today's Comments:

What does that imply? The answer is quite simple. If He is willing give us everything, including his life, we need to think about giving something back to him. Now, we ask, what do we have to give him? Simple, we have time, talent, and treasures.

• Time: Do we attend church on a regular basis? Oh yes, we sometimes use the excuse that we worship him alone, in our own way. But that is not what the Church is about. Read the Epistles of Paul. Everything there is about the Church and the community of people who came together for worship and fellowship.
• Talent: What do we do for ourselves that we can do for others? 1 Corinthians, Chapter 12 through 14 talks about gifts of the spirit. We are all endowed with spiritual gifts, and each of us is different. I have a new friend who has used her talent to build an organization which helps protect children from adult Internet predators. What a wonderful talent! And what honor to God! What dormant talents do we have that could be used for the good of others or to enhance our relationship with God?
• Treasures: It is our gift of money that allows the Church to finance its work. $5 or $10 a week is not enough, if we consider the love that Jesus showed us on the cross. Think again about Paul. How was Paul able to keep the early Church going? He depended upon the faithful for financial support of both himself and the weaker Christian brethren who, at the time were being persecuted by both the Jews and the Romans.

Let us pray that we can learn to become more giving, as our life and our Christian discipleship continues. Let us pray that we can learn to use our time, talent, and treasures to love the Lord Our God, as well as our neighbor.

4/3/2007 Devotion and Comments

Today's Devotion:

Today's devotion talks about decision making and specifically the decision that Jesus made to endure the pain of the cross for us. We are forced to make decisions everyday at work, at home, with friends, while shopping, etc. But, there was only one really big decision that we had to make in our life that sealed us for all eternity: that was the decision to accept Jesus Christ as our savior. All of life's other decisions, by comparison, then become small.

Today's Comments:

I am attending two days of EDD's four day Veteran Services Conference. This morning, we talked about the Real Lifelines program. It is a program designed to prepare our returning severely disabled veterans for civilian life and employment while they are undergoing their hospital rehabilitation. While I doubt that many of the current EDD veterans' services specialists have the capability to work with those who are severely disabled, this program is a step in the right direction, if the proper people are utilized for the program and given the proper training.

Our lunch speaker was former Sergeant Major of the Army, Jack Tilley. He ate lunch at my table and he mentioned that, in our lifetime, there are very few coincidences. The more I look at my life and the path that it is taking, I totally agree. Please pray for me that the direction that I have chosen is the one that God wants me to take.

4/2/2007 Devotion and Comments

Today's Devotion:

The theme of the Shadow of the Cross continues. Palm Sunday was the Death March of Jesus. It set the stage for everything that happened up through the Resurrection. As we ponder on this Easter week, let us be reminded that everything that He did was for us and out of pure love. Lord, grant me the ability to love and care for all men, including my enemy. May we follow your example and do your will. Thank you for the cross and the redemption that your sacrifice brought to us. Amen.

Today's Comments:

I spent the day in the Long Beach EDD field office. I am in the process of training both of their new veterans' representatives. Tomorrow and Thursday, I attend a vet training conference in Garden Grove, but I am taking Wednesday and Friday off - Wednesday to study for a class exam and Friday, so that I can participate in our noon Good Friday Services at Blessed Sacrament. I was pleased to get a message from my Pastor, Father David Baumann, regarding his impression of this blog. He likes it. Thank you.

4/1/2007 Devotion and Comments

Bible Verse of the Week -

Colossians 1:15-16: He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.

Today's Devotion:

Today's devotion points out that, "The moment the forbidden fruit touched the lips of Eve, the shadow of the cross appeared on the horizon." In our Episcopal Church service, we start remembering the triumphant procession of Jesus into Jerusalem on that fateful Palm Sundays. Palm leaves and crosses are distributed to the congregation. As the services progresses, we are reminded of Isaiah's prophecies and then the Gospel of the crucifixion is read. The rest of this week, we will reflect on that one act, on which Our Lord Jesus Christ took all the sins of the world upon himself to free us from Satan's grasp. Lord, though we are not worthy of your love, you were willing to hang on that terrible cross for us. Help us to understand and help us to love you and each other. Thank you for your love and sacrifice.

Today's Comments:

After church today, I attended a vocationer's meeting (vocationers are those who are in preparation for ordination or who are in the process of seeking ordination). Father David, our Priest, will be leaving on a sabbatical, and we will be preaching while he is gone. Believe it or not, the thought scares me. My date is July 29th, so I have plenty of time to prepare. I have a project due at the end of this semester, so maybe I can tie it in with my sermon or tie my sermon in with the project. We will see what develops. In the meantime, I have been studying for another test and then have a six page expositional paper due in a couple of weeks. Nobody can say that I'm not busy enough.