Every year we celebrate the founding of Kainon School with a special worship service. This is a great way to celebrate Kainon, because its real foundation is the Lord Himself. This year, in keeping with the school theme of “Prayer from the Heart” we will look at how prayer gives us a foundation that can carry us through even the most difficult of times.
The phrase “the writing is on the wall” comes from the story that we’re going to be exploring on Sunday. During a wild and profane party, the new king of Babylon, Belshazzar, sees a hand write a mysterious message on the wall. And the meaning of the message, as explained by Daniel, is that Belshazzar has been evaluated, found to be deficient, and so will have the kingdom taken from him. In our process of working to have love triumph over our ego, we will have times when the writing is on the wall for some aspect of our lives. Are we willing to have that part of us die?
When a person hits rock bottom, there can be a lot of shame. This is especially true if it seemed for a long time that he had everything together, only to have it all come crashing down. But shame is not where a person has to end. Every failure is an opportunity to learn and grow. When we take that opportunity, the greatest lesson we learn is that of embracing humility and rising out of shame.
This Sunday we will be working through the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego and how they were not willing to bow down to an idol that Nebuchadnezzar set up, even if it would mean that they would be burned to death in a furnace as punishment. How did they have such strength in their convictions? Would we be willing to stick to our faith if doing so could result in us facing similarly dire consequences?
This Sunday we begin our series on the Daniel story, Love Over Ego. When the story begins, Daniel is taken far away from his home to live in captivity in Babylon. But Daniel is given an opportunity to get special treatment and to move up the ladder. When we find ourselves in similar difficult circumstances it’s very easy to justify doing whatever we need to do in order to get ahead. But Daniel, instead, does not just go with the flow and take what’s given to him; he takes a stand for what the Lord teaches. Come on Sunday to hear what happens to him and to reflect on how we also can take a stand for what the Lord teaches.
God definitely wants us to be happy, but it doesn’t always feel like it. More often than not there seems to be a tension between what we want to do and what God asks us to do. The Lord understands that we go through this and so He draws our attention to the happiness that lies within keeping His commandments: “Happy are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” as just one example. Nor is this promised happiness only in the distant future. If we know what to look for, we can see in the moment how denying ourselves and following the Lord aligns perfectly with our own happiness.
A number of people online are discussing and writing articles about burnout at the moment, prompted by this article posted a few weeks ago. And so it seemed good to spend some time thinking about burnout from a New Church Christian perspective. What does the Lord teach about burning out and how can He help us to notice when we’re heading that direction and change course?
A number of people online are discussing and writing articles about burnout at the moment, prompted by this article posted a few weeks ago. And so it seemed good to spend some time thinking about burnout from a New Church Christian perspective. What does the Lord teach about burning out and how can He help us to notice when we’re heading that direction and change course?
You’re invited to join us for Love Over Ego, starting on 10 February 2019.
There’s a workbook you can buy. There will be weekly sermons on the topic. We’ve got a system for getting you connected with other people as you go through the program. Read more…
The difference between payment and a gift is that we are entitled to payment for the work we have done, while a gift is freely given. So if the Lord freely forgives and saves us, why does it seem like we have to work so hard for it? What do we get credit for and what do we have to acknowledge is the Lord’s? If we can clearly see how the Lord freely gives us what we need to work with, we’ll be able to accept that gift in every situation through the choices we make.
