Today is the 7th Sunday after Pentecost.
We continue to gather around Word and Sacrament as the churches have done for over 150 years combined! Pentecost is the gift of the Holy Spirit moving in, with and through us as God guides and leads our lives.
Today we pick back up with our Summer Sermon Series on the book Just Like Jesus from Max Lucado. Today it is the "Focused Heart", and we meet Peter in the Gospel story. Jesus is walking on the water (because He can) and calls Peter to come to Him. Peter steps out of the boat and moves toward the Lord. When Peter takes his eyes off Jesus, he looks down at the waves and begins to sink! Jesus reaches out and lifts him up saying "Oh, you of little faith!"
By faith, we keep our eyes on Jesus. This is what it means to be focused. Max talks about playing a game of golf and accidentally playing the wrong hole! It's easy to get out of focus. God wants us to be Just Like Jesus and be focused on loving others and sharing the Good News.
When we are overwhelmed by life, we keep our eyes on Jesus. The storms will still come, the waves will rush in. However, we stay focused on Jesus, as Hebrews 12 says, "The pioneer and perfecter" of our faith. Let us now focus our worship on the service of the Lord Jesus.
Introduction
When Amos reports his vision of God judging Israel for its mistreatment of the poor, he becomes a threat to the power of the priests and the king. John the Baptist also speaks truth to power, and Herod has him killed. In Herod’s fear that Jesus is John returned from the dead, we may hear hope for the oppressed: all the prophets killed through the ages are alive in Jesus. We are called to witness to justice in company with them, and to proclaim God’s saving love.
