“But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler – not even to eat with such a one” (1 Corinthians 5:11).

You will become like those you
hang out with.  If you walk with Jesus,
you will become like Him.  We have been
created in such a way that we do not think it true, but we do conform to our
surroundings and to those with whom we associate.  This is not a cause for shunning others, but
of recognizing that we need to protect our boundaries.  Be on your guard that you remain faithful.

Lord, show me how I am influenced by those around me.  Guide me to see clearly that I need to
protect myself from some.  Guide me to
always be gracious, but to realize that I need not accommodate everyone who
wants my attention.  Help me to continue
faithfully walking with You amidst all the noise of this world that I would be
conformed to the image of Christ.

Lord Jesus, You are the One who
has come to save us.  We need what You
alone can give.  Help me to understand
how to walk in a world that is filled with sinners like me.  Help me to walk the narrow path You have
planned before me.  Guide me to walk with
You always knowing that You alone have the words of eternal life.  Lead me into faithfulness, Jesus, that I
would always walk beside You.  Amen.

“I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I did
not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and
swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world”
(1 Corinthians 5:9-10).

The idea is not one of isolating
oneself from the world, for we are born in a specific time and place, but one
of seeking to have the fellowship be one that is safe, filled with those who
are not double-minded, but of the same mind concerning things of the Lord.  We are influenced by those whom we
trust.  Trust carefully and do not be
caught up in wickedness through the wanton behavior of others.

Lord, help me to see clearly those who do not repent and are unwilling
to work on their own salvation.  Lead me
according to all that is right to hold fast to Your Word of truth and to be
uncompromising in those things which are essential.  Lead me according to Your purposes to abide
richly in the grace You have given, sharing that grace with all whom I meet,
but also holding fast to what is true.

Lord Jesus, You know all that lies
ahead of me.  Guide me according to Your
purposes that I may live humbly in the circumstances You have placed me in.  Lead me to walk the narrow way in a world
filled with wickedness that I may reach out to others without accepting their
behavior as my own.  Guard my mind and
heart that I would always be focused upon You and the truth You have
revealed.  Amen.

“Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed.  Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Corinthians 5:7-8).

Reread Exodus twelve and thirteen and when you know that this is a type to the arch-type Christ, you know that all of this fits together, just as the Lord intended.  You have been given the insight and so celebrate, not as one without hope, but as one who knows that all hope has been fulfilled.  Let your praise and worship be pure and without malice.  Let you inward life reflect the change Christ has made in you.

The Lord desires that we be rid of the old habits of the old Adam.  The building up of the fellowship is not
about feeling good about ourselves, but about learning how to be like
Christ.  We are to seek the rising of the
new man who seeks after the Lord always. 
Look for the Lord’s character in His Word and have that be your character,
caring for the other as the Lord conforms you to His image.

Lord, grant me a heart of charity
that I may be a willing vessel who lives out Your Gospel of truth.  Lead me by Your grace to know that all I do
is nothing compared to all that You do, which is the salvation of souls.  Yet, I have my part.  Lead me in that part that I would be guided
by Your Spirit to do those things which need to be done.  Grant a willing heart that I may do these
things.  Amen.

“I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of
his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.  Your boasting is not good. Do you not know
that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough?”  (1 Corinthians 5:5-6)

Pay attention carefully, for
this is the purpose of all shunning and excommunicating of members.  Some have thought that no matter what, we are
to tolerate bad behavior.  There comes a
time and place where one is separated out but only for the express purpose that
whatever they are doing may run its course until they reach the end of
themselves and turn to the Lord.  We are
to always seek for repentance.

Lord, I do not want to confront and often ignore bad behavior.  Help me, O Lord, to see that I too have my
part.  I am not the judge, you are, but I
do know bad behavior when I see it.  I
also know when there is no repentance. 
First, help me to willingly repent of my sins and second, help me to be
bold when another is destructive to the fellowship that I may be one who
confronts bad behavior.

Lord Jesus, You are the only One
who perfectly walked this earth.  Help me
to follow Your example in loving all whom I meet and understanding that the
objective is salvation.  Lead me, O Lord,
in the way of truth that I would be quick to repent, quick to forgive, and
always loving of all whom I meet.  Guide
me in all of Your ways, Lord, that I would become more like You each day.  Amen.

Joseph
must have been a wonderful man.  I would
like to have known Joseph and to have had him as a friend.  Matthew 1: 18-25 – the Gospel reading for
December 22, the fourth Sunday in Advent this year – has this to say about
Joseph.  “Joseph, being a righteous man
and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her
quietly.” (verse 19)

But
then, after the angel appeared to him, it says, “When Joseph awoke from sleep,
he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him.” (verse 24)

If
Joseph were with us today to tell his story, I could imagine his saying
something like this –

“I
am a righteous man.  I try to live
according to the Holy Scriptures.  I had
a reputation to maintain in our community. 
As soon as people found out that Mary was pregnant, they would assume
that I was the father.  My reputation
would be ruined.  I was furious.  I was going to make it public.  I was going to go before the elders at the
town gate and sever this relationship, after explaining to them that I was not responsible.

“But
as I thought about it I realized that I could not do that, because I loved
Mary.  Even though she had broken my
heart and had shattered my trust, and I knew I could not marry her, still I did
not want to expose her to public shame. 
So I decided that I would just call the whole thing off quietly and make
up some sort of a story.”

After
the angel appeared to him, I can imagine his saying something like this –

“I
was elated.  I had received a message
from heaven.  I knew for sure that Mary
had told me the truth.  I was filled with
joy.  I apologized to Mary for doubting
her.”

Regarding
the circumstances of the birth of Jesus, I can imagine his saying something
like this –

“I
lit a fire to keep us warm.  When the
baby came, I did the best I could to be a midwife.  But remember, I am a carpenter.  I severed the cord, cleaned the child as best
I could, and then wrapped him in strips of cloth.  I laid him in a manger, because that was the
only place where I could put him where he would be off of the filth of the
floor.

“I
had all kinds of questions, like: If Mary is supposed to be highly favored of
God (as the angel had told her), and if this is something that God had been
planning on doing for a long time, then how do you explain the cave?  How do you explain the dirt and the
cattle?  How do you explain the
loneliness?  For no one came to celebrate
the birth of our son except some lowly shepherds.  They came smelling like sheep.  They said they had heard an angel choir.  They came looking for our baby boy.  Except for them, we were totally alone.” 

Looking
back on the whole Christmas experience, I can imagine Joseph saying something
like this –

“When
I was young, I figured that if even once in my life I were to see an angel, I
would never doubt.  I would always
believe.  Well, I saw an angel.  But still there have been times when I have
doubted.

“Maybe
you have a strong faith like Mary’s.  If you
do, then you are a special person, chosen by God.  But maybe you are more like me – a more
practical person.  You like things you
can touch, feel, and measure.  You find
it hard to believe.

“After
I met the angel, there were times I thought I would never doubt again.  But there were also times when the whole
thing did not make sense to me.  It all
seemed like such a strange way to save the world. 

“Well,
God used me.  I, Joseph, put my thumbprint
on Jesus.  I taught him how to be a
carpenter.  And he was such a good
carpenter.  He could make oxen yoke that
were so easy.  They would fit just
perfectly.  In fact, the folks in our
village called him ‘the carpenter.’  I
felt so proud whenever I heard him being called that, because I was the one who
had taught him how to be a carpenter.  I
put my thumbprint on him.

“But
then he also put his thumbprint on me, for he is the Savior of the world.  It was not easy.  But still – every time whenever I thought
that I knew what God wanted me to do – I would do it.  I had faith enough to do it.

“When
God sent his Son to earth, he put him in my care.  A carpenter, who sometimes believed his
doubts and sometimes doubted his beliefs. 
But who tried with all his heart to remain faithful throughout.”

Joseph
is not the main character of the story. 
But the Gospel reading for December 22, the fourth Sunday in Advent this
year, is primarily about Joseph.  As we once
again celebrate the birth of Jesus, let us also remember Joseph.  When God wanted someone to take care of his
Son, he chose Joseph.  May we strive to
be like Joseph, who was both righteous and compassionate.  Who believed, obeyed, and did the best that
he could.  

Wishing you a blessed Advent and a joyous Christmas,

Dennis D. Nelson
Executive Director of Lutheran CORE
dennisdnelsonaz@yahoo.com

“For I, on my part, though absent in body but present in spirit, have
already judged him who has so committed this, as though I were present.  In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are
assembled, and I with you in spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus” (1
Corinthians 5:3-4).

The judgement here is not to
eternal condemnation, but a determination that demands an action.  A person who perpetrates evil must not be
allowed to remain amongst the faithful lest they be led astray.  The congregation must always be diligent
against those who would lead some astray by behavior that harms and does not
build up.  We all are called to
faithfulness in the Lord.

Lord, teach me where I am to stand firm and confront what is evil.  Help me to never do this in anger or with
retribution, but do teach me to stand firm. 
You know all that is needed and You allow circumstances such that we
together may learn and grow.  Hold me
fast to the truth of Your Word that I may now and always abide in the life You
have given me and do so with grace and mercy.

Lord Jesus, You turned over the
tables of the money changers.  You stood
the good ground many times.  Help me to
never lose my temper or combat with anger, but to be able to graciously stand
firm against the onslaughts of the wicked one. 
Lead me in the way of faithfulness that I may now and always live a life
that is godly according to Your Word, standing firm against those who do
otherwise.  Amen.

“It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and
immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, that
someone has his father’s wife.  You have
become arrogant and have not mourned instead, so that the one who had done this
deed would be removed from your midst” (1 Corinthians 5:1-2)

Humans have a way of looking the
other way in the face of the obvious. 
For whatever reason, we do not want to confront what is wicked and evil
in our midst.  Fight against ignoring
what is wrong and stand firm on what is right. 
Mourn for those who do evil and pray the Lord to lead them in a
direction toward repentance.  In all
cases look to the Lord and uphold what He declares as true.

Lord, where I have ignored the truth and gone my own way, help me to
repent and be led by You in the right way. 
Guide me, O Lord, that I may be both bold and firm, yet always gentle
and gracious.  Guide me in the way of
truth that I may now and always live the life You have called me to live.  Guide me by Your grace that I would not be
tossed about by the wickedness of this world.

Lord Jesus, You know what it is
to see wickedness.  You knew Your cousin
John would be beheaded amidst a similar circumstance.  That fear of retaliation for standing firm
can be debilitating.  Help me, Lord, that
I may abide in You such that I have strength amidst fear to hold my ground and
do what is right.  Lead me to always be
faithful amidst the troubles of this world. 
Amen.

“For the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power.  What do you desire? Shall I come to you with
a rod, or with love and a spirit of gentleness? (1 Corinthians 4:20-21)

We convey the Kingdom of God
with words and sometimes make the mistake that all we are delivering are
words.  God spoke into existence all
things with words, but Christ Jesus is the power of God that created all
things.  Come into the power of God.  Walk in the Holy Spirit and know that it is
God at work in you.  He is the One who is
maintaining all things and He invites us to live in Him and He in us.

Lord, it is not my power, nor my ability, but yours that makes all the
difference.  Help me, I pray, to see
through the fog of this age that I may now and always walk in Your will and
Your way.  Lead me according to Your
purposes and for Your sake that I may abide in Your power now and always.  Lead me, O Lord, according to the plans You
have for all of creation now and forever.

Lord Jesus, You came humbly and
walked among us.  Many confused the use
of Your words as a lack of power.  You
did many miracles and even raised the dead, yet they would not believe.  Help me, Lord, to see more clearly that I may
also walk humbly and see Your power flowing through all I say and do.  Guide me by Your Spirit, O Lord, in the ways
that are pleasing to the Father.  Amen.

“Now some have become arrogant, as though I were not coming to
you.  But I will come to you soon, if the
Lord wills, and I shall find out, not the words of those who are arrogant but
their power” (1 Corinthians 4:18-19)

There are always those in our
midst who do not believe what the Lord says. 
He even spoke of them when He instructed believers to leave the tares amongst
the wheat.  They act as if they had immunity.  But neither cater to them, nor empower
them.  Be diligent to do what the Lord
gives you to do knowing that it is You who is in relationship with Him.  He is always the final authority.

Lord, help me to learn how to walk the fine line in this world that I
may remain faithful amongst those who are not faithful.  Let me not be carried away with the nonsense
of those who will not listen, but obediently look to You for all things.  You have given me the words of eternal life.  Let them richly dwell within me that I would
now and always abide in the truth of Your eternal presence.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, that You
have given all the instruction I need. 
Guide me in the way of living my life here and now that I may abide with
You and walk in Your presence.  Give me
instruction when those who will not listen arise that I may live into the kind
of relationships You are developing within me knowing that I am always in Your
presence.  Be my guide always, Lord.  Amen. 

“Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me.  For this reason I have sent to you Timothy,
who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, and he will remind you of my
ways which are in Christ, just as I teach everywhere in every church” (1
Corinthians 4:16-17).

Be an imitator of Paul if you
are unable to begin being an imitator of Jesus. 
But ultimately, be an imitator of Jesus, for Scripture tells us that we
will be like Christ.  The point is to
learn and grow, preparing for the eternity into which you are being guided by
the power and grace of Christ.  In Him is
the true hope into which you were baptized. 
We need all the help that has been given.

Lord this is an age that believes we are fine just as we are: clean up
a little and then live life.  Help me to
see the greater purpose that I may pursue preparation for the eternity that You
have promised.  Guide me in Your goodness
to daily increase in Christ-likeness whether it be by imitation of another
faithful person, under the tutelage of a mentor or by simply following Christ.

Lord Jesus, You are the model of
the godly life.  Help me, I pray, to see
that in You is the hope of glory.  Guide
me according to the Father’s will to walk today and every day with my eyes upon
those things which are right and fitting and help me to not compromise.  Grow in me the character You know I need to
possess that I may fulfil Your will on earth as I shall in heaven.  Amen.