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Butterflies, Jesus, and You

Butterflies, Jesus, and You

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LEAD STORY – TRANSFIGURATION

After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them.” 

(Mark 9:2 NIV84)

One of the wonders of the created world is the process of metamorphosis. When God called into existence the creatures that swim in the sea and fly in the air (on creation day five), He gave to some the amazing ability to change from one form into another as part of their life cycle. One example is the monarch butterfly, which has four stages in its life cycle: egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, and adult butterfly. A truly remarkable change!

Each year, on the last Epiphany Sunday, the Christian Church recalls the biblical account of the remarkable metamorphosis of Jesus (also known as the “Transfiguration”). One day while He was walking with three disciples on a mountain in Galilee, His lowly appearance was changed. His clothes started to dazzle with whiteness. His face began to shine as bright as the sun.

Jesus’ metamorphosis was, of course, far different from the change that occurs with creatures like the butterfly. For one thing, it happened instantaneously, not gradually. Then, too, Jesus’ metamorphosis did not involve changing into something He wasn’t previously. Rather, it was a revelation of what He already was: God’s all-glorious Son! Whenever Jesus preached a sermon or performed a miracle, people could sense this. “There is something special about Him not visible to our eyes” (Matthew 7:28-29, Luke 8:25). That something “special” was that He was their Messiah in Whom all the fullness of the Deity was living in bodily form (Colossians 2:9, Philippians 2:6-8). It’s just that, during the period of His life on earth, He chose (for the most part) to conceal His divine majesty from their view so that He might live in lowliness, serve them in love, and offer His life as a ransom on the cross.

“Hat in Hand”

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DEVOTION – ASH WEDNESDAY

An office worker named Bill had had just about enough. He was tired of the management’s incompetence. Most of all, he was tired of his immediate supervisor, Mr. Sanders. He had to vent about it somewhere, so he walked over to his co-worker’s desk and said “Sylvia, can you believe that Sanders guy? He never gets the work schedule done on time, and I think he deliberately ignores my requests for time off! A fourth grader could do a better job than he does. What a dimwit!” By this time, Sylvia was looking over Bill’s shoulder with surprised horror. Sure enough, Mr. Sanders was right behind Bill the whole time. The manager spun on his heel, stomped into his office, and slammed the door. What could poor Bill do now? There was only one thing he could do, of course. He humbly went into Mr. Sanders’s office to plead for his job. Though he wasn’t wearing a hat, I guess you could say that Bill went to his boss with his “hat in his hands.” He had no excuses–nothing to offer but a heartfelt apology.

The Value of Rest and Quietness

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GEMS FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

“Don’t just sit there—do something!”

This familiar adage applies in many situations. The crops won’t plant themselves in the spring. The cereal spilled all over the floor isn’t going to clean up itself. “If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.”
(2 Thessalonians 3:10)

This axiom, however, does not apply at all to our being saved. Our ego finds that hard to swallow. This goes beyond the commendable inclination to be responsible and clean up after ourselves; it’s also a sinful pride thing. We would like to be able to take at least a little credit for saving ourselves—or perhaps more than just a little.

In the challenges they faced with their enemies, Israel sought security through making alliances with other nations. Maybe swift horses would be the answer!

True Contentment

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STUDIES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we may… 

Is This Worm an “Easter Egg?”

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DEVOTION – LENT “But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people.”  (Psalm 22:6) When the term “Easter egg” is applied to a movie or other such… 

Rosicrucianism

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UNDERSTANDING THE CULTS – ROSICRUCIANISM In this twelve-part series we are taking a brief look at some of the major cults, past and present, that have found adherents in the United States. Your pastor can… 

The Athanasian Creed

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“THIS WE BELIEVE” In ongoing observation of the 500th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation, we are presenting a brief overview of the Book of Concord. The series will survey the three ecumenical creeds and the… 

Pastor Kossi Blewu of the MELC-Togo

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NOTES FROM THE FIELD In this series, thoseinvolved with CLC foreign missions profile one aspect of our overseas endeavors. Pastor Kossi Blewu is forty-eight years old. He is married, has seven children, and—along with his… 

A Faithful Spokesman. A Loving Shepherd

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IN MEMORIAM Rollin Arthur Reim was born on September 11, 1922, in Fox Lake, Wisconsin, to Edmund and Selma (Schaller) Reim. He was baptized on October 1, 1922, at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Fox Lake,… 

June Schmid

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IN THE PIPELINE This series profiles the men and women who are in their final year of preparation for the public teaching or preaching ministry at our Immanuel Lutheran College and Seminary in Eau Claire,…