Pastor Scott's Musings

Deleted Scenes (Eph 3:14-19; 6:4) 14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. 16 I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, 17 and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. 18 I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. In the year 2000, the film Gladiator won the Academy Award for best picture. The screenplay basically came from two previous Hollywood films, 1960’s Spartacus and 1964’s Fall of the Roman Empire. Both of these early 60s ...

Last Words (Dt 31:30-32:14) The Song of Moses 30 Then Moses recited the words of this song, to the very end, in the hearing of the whole assembly of Israel: 32 Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak;     let the earth hear the words of my mouth. 2 May my teaching drop like the rain,     my speech condense like the dew; like gentle rain on grass,     like showers on new growth. 3 For I will proclaim the name of the Lord;     ascribe greatness to our God! 4 The Rock, his work is perfect,     and all his ways are just. A faithful God, without deceit,     just and upright is he; 5 yet his degenerate children have dealt falsely with him,     a perverse and crooked generation. 6 Do you thus repay the Lord,     O foolish and senseless people? Is not he your father, who created you,     who made you and established you? 7 Remember the days of old,     consider the years ...

Read Luke 6:27-38 (NRSV) Love for Enemies 27  “But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,  28  bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.  29  If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt.  30  Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again.  31  Do to others as you would have them do to you. 32  “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.  33  If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.  34  If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again.  35  But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return....

Who Are You? (John 10:22-30) Any fans of the television show CSI?   The theme song for CSI, Who Are You, happens to be a song by The Who, written by Pete Townshend, the genius spokesman for rock and roll. To quote my favorite movie, Almost Famous , “No one can really explain rock ‘n’ roll, except for Pete Townshend!” Like many of his peers in the 1960s, Townshend abandoned his Christian roots and followed the teachings of an Indian guru by the name of Meher Baba. His disciples think of him as the avatar, the earthly manifestation of God. Pete Townshend went on a spiritual retreat at the Meher Spiritual Center near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. While walking about the ocean side retreat, he had a significant spiritual experience. Townshend reflects on this experience of God in his song Who Are You . I know there's a place you walked Where love falls from the trees My heart is like a broken cup I only feel right on my knees I spit out like a sewer hole Yet still ...

They were to be educated for three years, and at the end of that time they were to stand before the king.  ~Daniel 1:5b As I read these words this morning I remembered stories of how early Christians were tutored in the faith. The story goes that by the 4th century proselytes were taught the Christian faith through bible study and catechesis. The catechetical training was a form of memorization. Each student memorizes the questions and the corresponding answers to the major teachings of the faith. Here is an example from the Pictorial Catechism of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 1852. 1. Who Made you?            A: God 2. Who is God?                 A: The creator of all things 3. What is God?                A: An uncreated spirit 4. Where is God?              A: God is everywhere The questions can be more complex ...

According to an annual survey by Chapman University, 73.6 percent of Americans report being "afraid" or "very afraid" of government corruption, more than any other fear. Number 2 on the list is global warming. Half of the top ten fears have to do with the environmental degradation like water and air pollution, or the extinction of animal and plant species. What’s interesting about the survey is that in 2016 only one category frightened more than 50% of Americans, that being government corruption. But in 2018, just 2 years later, every category in the top ten fears frighten more than 50% of the 1,190 people surveyed. The conclusion: Americans are increasingly afraid. On the evening of that first Easter Sunday, the disciples were hiding behind locked doors for fear of the Jews. They were afraid that the same thing that happened to Jesus would happen to them.   They feared for their very lives! We may not be able to identify with this fear. Religious freedom is...