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2025 Faith And Resurrection 3 15 25 2024 Where Does The Holy Spirit Reside? 3 12 24 Light Of The World 12 17 24 2023 Who Are The Magi? 1 4 23 Valuable Inheritance 3 10 23 |
2022 I Am Not A Sinner 4 12 222021 Jesus' Disciples Are Everywhere 3 12 21 I Shall Not Need 12 11 21 2020 From Crucifixion To Resurrection 5 13 20 Jesus Teaches Nicodemus And Us! 7 25 20 |
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Saturday, March 15, 2025 |
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Scriptures: Matthew 7:1–2 (NIV) – “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Matthew 25:44-45 (NIV) – “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’” Hebrews 11:1 (NIV) – “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Message: A Sunday Bible Class Question was: “How do you judge someone with weaker faith?” This brought to mind an article in Time Magazine about Sir Elton John who was asked about his faith. His answer was that he has faith, but not in God of the Bible. He did not mention whom he had faith in. It was left to the reader to determine if he had faith in a superior being, or in himself, or in some other entity? For several years, Sir Elton wore a beautiful golden cross which was personally fashioned for him. However, wearing a cross does necessarily signify that the wearer is a believer in Jesus’ Resurrection. Without Jesus’ Resurrection, Christianity would probably have developed into a cult. Would faith in Jesus have survived without the Resurrection? A Jewish rabbi commented that without Judaism there would not have been Jesus. The Jews use the Talmud1 in conjunction with the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) in their services and prayers. So, perhaps without Jesus’ Resurrection Judaism would not have survived. Christianity spread God’s Word, including the Old Testament as the precursor to the New Testament. The definition of faith is so well described in Hebrews 11.1. Jesus came as God Incarnate to show us how to live a perfect life: to love God, to love one another, to be humble and to care for others. Jesus assured us that whatever we do for the least of these (all God’s children without reservation), we have done it for Him. Prayer: Lord Jesus, our Lord and God, please make us Your instrument to care for all who need help, and give us strength and compassion never to turn our backs on Your children. Amen. Olga Shearer 1. There are two versions of the Talmud: The Jerusalem/Palestinian Talmud from 5th Century AD; and the Babylonian Talmud from 7th Century AD. Both Talmuds are a collection of rabbinic notes based on the Hebrew oral tradition known as the Mishnah. The Jerusalem/Palestinian Talmud was compiled in a Jewish scholarship center in Galilee using Western Aramaic language. The Babylonian Talmud was compiled in a Jewish scholarship center in Babylonia using Babylonian Aramaic language |
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Tuesday, March 12, 2024 |
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Scriptures: Genesis 2:7 (NIV) – “Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. Romans 8:11 (NIV) – “And if the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his spirit, who lives in you.” Message: I was born on Pentecost in Syria. Jesus, before ascending into heaven, promised his Disciples that He will send the Holy Spirit to guide them. My Father was a Roman Catholic. As children we were baptized and instructed about the Trinity and learned how to cross ourselves when we prayed. My mother was a Protestant; she registered us in a Missionary Anglican school to resume our religious education. As I was reading the Bible, I became interested in finding out where the Holy Spirit came from. In Genesis it describes how God created man by taking dust from the ground and breathed His Holy Breath (Nafas in Arabic) into the nostrils of Adam (meaning the son of red soil). After Adam and Eve (Hawwa meaning “Life” in Arabic) were expelled from the Garden, they had two sons. Abel (Habeel meaning ephemeral breath, vapor or flame) and Cain. Wow, so God’s Breath includes His Spirit and His Soul (Ruah, another word for Breath). After God breathed life into Adam (mankind), God’s Spirit resides in every human. So, when Cain slew Abel, Cain extinguished God’s Spirit in Abel. Greeks, Hebrews, Arameans and Arabs use God’s Spirit and Soul interchangeably which also means God’s Breath. In Western countries Spirit and Soul are not interchangeable in the same way; the Soul speaks to the person’s inner life elements including mind, will, imagination, morality, ethics and the awareness of right and wrong. According to the theologian C S Lewis (Mere Christianity 1952), these inner life elements are part of the human “Law of Nature” with which we are born and which comes from God. So, God’s Holy Spirit (Breath) stays within us and guides us throughout our life. Prayer: Thank You Father for giving us Your Holy Spirit to guide us through our lives, even when we make mistakes, You pick us up and still love us and keep us close to You so we become worthy of calling You our Father. Amen. Olga Shearer |
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Tuesday, December 17, 2024 |
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Scripture: John 8:12 (NIV) – “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world, Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” Message: For the last six decades I have lived in the United States. I enjoy the Christmas season. Beautiful decorations on trees, and expensive gifts to surprise the expecting children. Driving around seeing wonderful housing displays of religious figurines, nativities, Santa and his Elves on a colorful sleigh, and lights that would brighten many towns around the world. But where is Jesus in all of this? He is the Light of the World, whom we should be anticipating. As a teenager in Syria, I was known as a “Tom Boy” and considered myself equal to any boy. I taught myself to ride a bike, and later elevated to motorcycles, riding around town scaring car drivers and pedestrians. I played sports and climbed trees. When Christmas approached, I needed a tree to decorate. I asked my brother for help, he brought Dad’s saw, climbed a pine tree and cut a big branch. I put the branch in a bucket of water, covering both with a colored sheet. I added cotton balls representing snow, tinsel representing ice, candy canes representing shepherd’s canes, and made a colored paper chain to hang on the tree. My best and final decorations were tangerines hanging from their stems. I secretly slept under the tree and enjoyed the fragrance and the taste of the tangerines! Mom came in with new clothes for the Christmas service. She was surprised to see our tree. The family was impressed. After supper when the family went to church. Mom was shrewd; she said “Papa Noel must have eaten some of the tangerines.”. I was embarrassed and rushed out of the house. But, by caring about material things, we can so easily forget that Jesus is The Light of the World. He brought joy to the world, taught us morality, empathy, humility and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Who can say and teach these principles other than God? Jesus is God who loves us so deeply. Prayer: Impatiently we await Your return, to live among us in peace, and for You to shine Your Eternal Light upon us so we can see that everyone is Your child, all born in the image of God, Your Image. Amen. Olga Shearer |
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Christmastide - Wednesday, January 4, 2023 |
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Scriptures: Matthew 2:1-2 (NIV) – “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.’” John 1:1-2 (NIV) – “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.” Message: Have you ever wondered who these strange people were that came to worship Jesus? How did they know who He was? What type of star was guiding them? Many scholars have puzzled over Matthew’s account. Well, I had to search and found a rare book with the first English translation called “Revelation of the Magi”. The author, Brent Landau, a Harvard Doctoral student, found an early manuscript deep in the Vatican Library vaults written in Assyrian (Syriac), the Aramaic language spoken by Jesus. Landau studiously translated this rarely spoken language into English. I learnt that the Magi were not magicians, neither were they astrologers, nor kings. They were descendants of Seth, Adam’s third son who gave their ancestors mysterious documents to keep secretly in a cave until the time appointed by God. Magi meant those who pray and worship in silence. They came from the East beyond Persia, perhaps China, and according to Landau, were not Zoroastrians. It was likely that more than three Magi travelled to Bethlehem to worship Jesus. The Star existed since the beginning of creation and appeared once a year in many different forms. Every month the Magi went to the Mountain of Victories and stood beside the mouth of the Cave of Treasures of Hidden Mysteries to pray silently to discern God’s will. It appears from this strange story that Jesus (the Word) appeared to different peoples and nationalities from the beginning of creation. I always wondered why people throughout history looked up to the sky to receive inspiration, asking for help and strength. Of course many resorted to nature, or objects of statues to praise, but many were seeking guidance from the Great Power (Creator). Prayer: Dear Father, Thank You for sending Jesus into the world, and in ancient times in many different forms and shapes to Illuminate us and teach us the truth and moral principles to follow and to live life acceptable to You. Amen. Olga Shearer |
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Monday, March 20, 2023 |
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Scriptures: Psalm 51:10 (NIV) - " Create in me a pure heart O God and renew a steadfast spirit within me." Matthew 5:8 (NIV) - "Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God." Message: Ibrahim, my maternal grandfather, was a faithful and righteous man. He taught his five daughters and one son everything he knew about the Bible, especially Jesus' teachings, parables and commandments. He also taught Old Testament stories, especially the Psalms. The children had to recite some verses daily. My mom's family lived in a small village called Ain Alshara (the Spring of Poets) on a mountain called (Jabal Al Sheikh), part of Mount Hermon. On that mountain many residents were of the Druze religion, an offshoot of Islam. When Ibrahim died an apparition appeared as a column of light over his grave extending to heaven with angels praising God. The Druze residents asked the family to build a shrine over his grave; the family refused since they believed that Ibrahim was a good and faithful man, but not a saint. During my childhood, my mother carried on her father's message teaching us about Jesus and the Bible, especially reciting some Psalms. Psalm 51 was a favorite. All five daughters, competed to recite verses accurately without mistakes. Psalm 51:10 stuck in my memory giving me some advantage in catching out any of my sisters who were trying to justify their behavior such as fibbing and trying to hide their embarrassment. With a smirk on my face, I pointed my finger at them and recited Psalm 51:10 while trying to keep a straight face. At times in my life, I found myself unreasonably trying to justify my embarrassing behavior. Sometimes I remembered Psalm 51:10 and changed my ways by telling the truth; other times I let it pass disregarding feelings of guilt. Jesus said "unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven" (Matthew 18:3 (NIV)). Jesus told Nicodemus that he should be born again to enter the Kingdom of God (John 3:1-5 (NIV)); what Jesus meant was for Nicodemus to change his heart and live as a child with a pure heart, without any malice. Prayer: Thank You dear Lord for being born into a faithful family who left us a precious legacy of praising God and teaching us how to keep our thoughts and hearts pure, truthful and without malice. Amen. Olga Shearer |
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Tuesday April 12, 2022 |
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Scripture: John 8:1-11 (NIV Extract) – “At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?’ They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’ Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ ‘No one, sir,’ she said. ‘Then neither do I condemn you,’ Jesus declared. ‘Go now and leave your life of sin.’”Message: Do we ever sin, do we think evil thoughts, do we gossip or hate? Do we repent and ask forgiveness? Well, sometimes. Does it make us sinners and stigmatize us all our lives? Throughout the Gospels Jesus taught us to abide by His moral principles and quit our evil ways. In His teaching and counseling, He used ancient Old Testament stories, He spoke in parables and in proverbs. He wanted to remove our sin and reconcile us with God. Jesus was willing to die, even on the cross in order for us to follow His road to righteousness. He knew we would make many mistakes, intentional or not. He never called the adulterous woman a sinner, He did not judge her but simply asked her to leave her life of sin. Calling the followers of Jesus’ teachings “sinners” is a “STIGMA”. There is no purpose for Jesus’ death on the cross, if we continue to be called sinners. Sometimes I attend different churches, and listen to sermons on news media. I cringe on hearing people labeled sinners, and asked to repent through lighting a candle, to be exorcised by a religious leader, or to donate money for their sins to be forgiven. I feel like shouting aloud “PLEASE DO NOT STIGMATIZE ME'', “I AM NOT A SINNER”. My Lord shed His blood on the cross to atone and take away the sins of the world. Prayer: Thank You dear Jesus for allowing Your life to be sacrificed on the cross, and to make me a worthy human, struggling to keep your lofty principles. Forgive me for my mistakes, and for evil thoughts that I try to overcome. Amen. Olga Shearer |
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Friday, March 12, 2021 |
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Scripture: Luke 9:1-6 Extract 1-2 (NIV) - "When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick." (Please read the entire text in your Bible)Message: I take pride in being careful. Since the coronavirus pandemic hit, I followed instructions: wear a mask, wash your hands. Regardless of taking precautions, the virus caught me by surprise. For two months, I battled COVID-19. Self-quarantining, prescriptions, and no in-person visitors became my norm. The symptoms were difficult to endure: fever, body aches, lost sense of smell and taste, and shortness of breath; far worse than any flu I'd experienced. I didn't have the energy to walk from my living room to my front door. I asked Jesus for mercy and healing. At one point, I was sure someone was knocking at my door - was I hallucinating? Jesus and His disciples were there to heal me, but I didn't want to let them in because I was afraid they'd catch the virus. The ringing telephone jolted me from my dream state. A dear friend called to check up on me; when she heard about my illness, she offered to pray with me. Later, my friend explained that after her call she went to church asking for more prayers. Members of my book club also prayed for me. For weeks, friends called daily to check on me. I received get well cards assuring me of people's prayers. I found food, cookies, and drinks on my doorstep. Whenever someone called, they always prayed with me. The love of Jesus was shown through all of these small yet significant acts. I believe that I was able to fight off the virus with the love and support of the community. Within a few weeks, I started feeling better and the symptoms started to clear. I'm grateful that God's healing power came calling through the kindness of others. Prayer: Thank You dear Jesus, at every age and time, you have left earthly disciples who have great faith that you are listening to our pleas for help. You told us that you will never leave us, or forsake us; you sent the Holy Spirit to help us and inspire us. Thank You for always delivering on your promises. Amen. Olga Shearer |
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Saturday, December 11, 2021 |
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Scripture: Psalm 23 (NIV) - "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Message: When we were children living in Damascus, Syria, my mother used to teach us the Psalms in Arabic. Psalm 23 was my favorite. In the Arabic language the first verse, the word "want" is translated into "need" as "I shall need nothing". My needs are provided by God. My daughter was three years old when my husband died, he provided for our needs and wants. It was now time for me to see to my daughter's needs and my needs. Funds were limited, but I never feared. I knew that God always provided us with whatever we needed. In growing up, my daughter always had many needs and lots of wants. Almost every day she asks me if I had money to give her so she could buy the things she needed for school and other activities. My answer was always: "Don't worry, God will provide". That went on for many years and we always managed to satisfy our needs and some of our wants. As an adult, my daughter came to visit me, we talked about the subject of needs; I told her God always provides. She said: "Well Mom, when I used to ask you for things, you always said God will provide, and it was you who provided and not God." I told her not to forget that everything came from God who works through other people. Prayer: Dear Lord, You are our Shepherd. Thank You for being with us through the good times and the hard times and for supporting our needs often through others who are Your hands and feet. You also provided us with things that may be of help to others. It is Your will that we help each other with whatever we can. Amen. Olga Shearer |
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Wednesday, May 13, 2020 - "The Connection" Series |
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Scripture: Matthew 28:5-6 (NRSV) – “But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.’” Message: Christians in the Middle East consider Easter as the greatest feast of the year and, more so than Christmas. Without Jesus' resurrection, Christianity may have been considered as an ancient cult. Easter was celebrated for several days with new clothes for the Holiday, parades, music, dancing and cracking of the eggs. In 1980 I joined Asbury Church and participated in Sunday, School and a small study group for the Lenten season. We studied the book, "He Chose The Nails" by Max Lucado. For an assignment, the leader asked us to write a poem about Jesus' death and have it ready for the next week. How could I write a poem in English when I have not even written a poem in Arabic, my native language? I struggled with it the whole week. When the study was finished that week, he did not ask us about our assignment. With a sheepish look and low voice, I asked whether I could read my poem, thinking that the class may laugh at my attempt. He agreed.
With tears in my eyes,
With trepidation and loss,
When I saw the stone removed,
I
stuck my face inside Your tomb,
Your shroud was set aside without any care,
Your absence gave me mixed feelings with fear and suspicion.
You are alive my Lord, hovering above. You took my sins and my guilt
away PRAYER: Thank you Lord Jesus for sacrificing your life, to reconcile me to your Father, to teach me how to live a moral, truthful, happy and selfless life, full of love for all. Amen Olga Shearer |
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Saturday, July 25, 2020 - "The Connection" Series |
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Scripture: John 3:5-6 (NIV) – “Jesus answered, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.’” (Please read John 3:1-6 in your Bible)Message: Jesus spoke in Northern Aramaic (Galilean). "Born again" to Jesus meant to change one's thoughts and habits. Nicodemus spoke Southern Aramaic (Jerusalem), so he did not understand what Jesus said. At 26, I came to the United States full of hopes and dreams, and I furthered my education. Life was just beginning for me. Last month, I read about Ahmaud Arbery; I was the same age when I came to America to live out my dreams. He didn’t get the chance. Shortly after, I visited Atlanta and witnessed a multi-racial demonstration against police brutality. The demonstrators were also incensed by the killing of George Floyd. When I saw how George Floyd was killed, I cried for him and many others, for their lost hopes, lost dreams, and their families’ losses. The demonstrators held “BLACK LIVES MATTER” signs. Others responded “All Lives Matter”; I felt this response was dismissive of a group of people who desperately need our love and attention and who are begging for us to open our eyes and see and feel their pain. In 1963, the civil rights movement continued what had begun 100 years before, and it was my first taste of American political and social culture. Sadly, people of color continue the same fight today as they are discriminated against in every aspect of their lives. We have struggled throughout history to free the slaves. We’re being asked now to listen, to have conversations, and to understand. It’s my belief that we must do more, and we must be better. Changing the law and having difficult conversations is not enough. To solve the problems of racism and discrimination, we must do as Jesus instructed Nicodemus: Change our ways – change our habits, our minds, and our hearts. We must be born again! Prayer: Dear Jesus, help us to follow Your instruction to love one another. Show us how to love our neighbors and treat them with the kindness we hope to receive ourselves. Our hope is in You to change us so that we may stop the needless suffering of our brothers and sisters. Amen. Olga Shearer |
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