pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!


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A Sacred Encounter

Reading: Genesis 32:22-24

Genesis 32:24 – “But Jacob stayed apart by himself, and a man wrestled with him until dawn broke.”

Photo credit: Mitchel Lensink

As we begin, some context from the start of chapter 32. Jacob is returning home. He is doing as God directed. As he gets close he hears that Esau is approaching with 400 soldiers. Esau is the one who had his birth rite stolen by Jacob. When Jacob fled, Esau was threatening murder. In fear and terror Jacob comes up with a plan. If Esau can’t be bought off, maybe some will escape while the rest are captured or killed or… Then Jacob prays for safety, even as he tries to barter with God. He then adds a level of security for himself. As we turn to our reading for today, we see that Jacob places all that is his – wives, children, servants, livestock – across the Jabbok River and retreats back across – alone.

Alone – just where he needs to be right now to encounter God. In verse 24 we read, “But Jacob stayed apart by himself, and a man wrestled with him until dawn broke.” This is much more than a physical struggle. Likely in response to Jacob’s prayers, wheeling and dealing, and scheming, God has come to wrestle with Jacob spiritually. In the wrestling, God confronts Jacob’s fears, lack of faith and trust, and his prideful, sinful ways. In the end, after transformation, Jacob refuses to let go of God. The physical and spiritual have come together. Once blessed, renamed “Israel,” he will face the day knowing that God is with him.

When we find time and space to be alone with God, to lay our fears, doubts, and worries before God, we too will find that God is ready to wrestle with us. God will meet us at our point of need and will help us to wrestle through, transforming us and our faith. Making time and space for a sacred encounter, we can count on our faithful God to show up and to work in us. May we trust in our faithful, loving God.

Prayer: Lord God, draw us into times and places where we can encounter your presence. Still our racing, often fearful, minds and hearts so that we can receive what you have to say and give. With open hearts and minds, transform us, bringing us to a place of deeper faith and greater trust. Thank you, Lord. Amen.


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Kingdom Builders

Reading: Matthew 13:44-52

Matthew 13:46 – “When he found one very precious pearl, he went and sold all he owned and bought it.”

Photo credit: Markus Spiske

Today we turn to three more parables about the kingdom of heaven. In the first two, Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a treasure and to “one very precious pearl.” In both parables, once discovered, it was all that was desired. In the second parable we read, “When he found one very precious pearl, he went and sold all he owned and bought it.” The first of the great commands invites us to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. This is about being all in for the kingdom of God.

The third parable is the culmination of this mini-series on the kingdom of heaven. When we allow our faith to grow and permeate all of our life, like the mustard seed and yeast, then our faith becomes the most important thing in our life. All that we do, say, and think is done for and out of our love of God. We are led and guided by Jesus’ Spirit. When the net is cast and the angels sort the good and the bad, we who love God will go “into the container.” The bad “fish” will be tossed into the burning furnace. Heaven or hell – the final judgment.

As followers of Jesus Christ who seek to love God with all that we are, we focus now on the building of the kingdom of heaven here on earth. Through our lives, our witness, and our example, others experience the kingdom of God. As we seek to be kingdom builders, may we offer all of ourselves to others so that they too may come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Prayer: Lord God, help us to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus Christ. Focus our heart, mind, soul, and strength on loving you and on loving neighbor. Encourage us to be generous with our blessings. In all things, use us to glorify you as we seek to build the kingdom of heaven here on earth. Amen.


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The Kingdom of Heaven

Reading: Matthew 13:31-33

Matthew 13:31a and 33a – “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed… is like yeast.”

Beginning our gospel reading today we find two parables that tell us about the kingdom of heaven. Tomorrow we will read three more parables that speak of the kingdom of heaven. I think, in general, when most people hear the phrase, “kingdom of heaven,” they think of a place in the clouds with angels and streets of gold. While some version of this might be the kingdom of heaven some day, today and tomorrow, Jesus is speaking of the kingdom of heaven here on earth – right here and right now.

In verses 31-33 Jesus speaks of two very small things that have large impacts. The teacher says, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed… is like yeast.” The smallest seed becomes a large plant, giving rest and a home to the birds. Yeast, a tiny organism, works its way through a whole bushel of flour, causing it to rise so that it can feed many people.

The kingdom of heaven is found today in our small acts of faithful witness. It is found in that visit to a sick friend, in the meal brought to a struggling family, in the money used to pay a single parent’s water bill. The kingdom of heaven is found in the time given to help at VBS and in the monthly donation to a child in a far away country. It is found in the way you walk through a hard situation with peace and in the way you handle another’s anger or insults with grace. The kingdom of heaven is found everywhere that Jesus’ light and love are made real. Be the kingdom of heaven today.

Prayer: Lord God, instill in us a sensitivity to the kingdom-building opportunities that you bring our way. Make us willing servants, ready to give generously of our time, talents, resources, prayers, and presence. Open our eyes to see how small acts of faith hold tremendous power – the power to change lives and to change our world. Amen.


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Trusting, Clinging

Reading: Romans 8:31-39

Romans 8:35a – “Who will separate us from Christ’s love?”

Photo credit: Nick Fewings

In the second half of our Romans 8 passage, Paul asks some great rhetorical questions. He begins with this familiar and frequently asked question: “If God is for us, who is against us?” In our faith heart, we say “no one!” With God on our side, we are confident, assured, ready to take on the world. Why, God didn’t even spare his own son! God gave his son’s life for our lives. Boy is that some kind of love. And then the trouble comes, the distress sets in, the harassment ramps up… Our sure and confident faith can begin to crack in these hard moments.

When we allow our negative human emotions to win the day or when we allow temptation to lead to sin, we open ourselves up to having a charge leveled or a conviction delivered. In that moment, as God looks down on us, caught in distrust or sin, Paul reminds us that Jesus “is at God’s right hand.” He sits in the seat of judgment, not to judge, but to “plead our case.” Jesus walked in our shoes, so to speak. He understands our struggles, fear, doubts. He pleads our case.

In verse 35 Paul asks this question: “Who will separate us from Christ’s love?” He then lists a bunch of “what’s.” These are things. In and of themselves, they cannot do anything. So maybe the “who” that Paul has in mind is us – you and me. When trouble, distress, harassment… or death, injustice, abuse, loneliness, disease… falls upon us, do we stand on, trust in, lean into, and rely upon Christ’s love? Do we hold sure to our faith, believing that in and through Jesus Christ we will have a “sweeping victory?” Yes, Paul is correct: “Nothing can separate us from God’s love in Christ Jesus.” May we live each day trusting in this truth, clinging to it when necessary.

Prayer: Lord God, you are faithful and true. Your love and presence are constant and sure. By the power of the Holy Spirit inside of us, turn us again and again to these truths. Over and over, help us to stand upon them. Thank you, Lord. Amen.


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The First of Many

Reading: Romans 8:26-30

Romans 8:29b – “That way his Son would be the first of many brothers and sisters.”

Photo credit: Hans Heiner Buhr

As we begin the Romans 8 reading for this week, Paul offers this: “the Spirit comes to help our weakness.” This help comes in many forms, but today Paul is talking about intercession. The Spirit prays for us when our words don’t come or when they fall short or when they are misguided. At times our situation is so overwhelming or so distressing, we cannot form the words to pray. And some of the time we pray greedy or selfish or spiteful prayers. In all cases the Spirit steps in and prays for us “consistent with God’s will.” Through groans and pleadings, the Spirit intercedes for us, always seeking to conform us to the Son.

These Holy Spirit prayers help us to live as God calls us to live. When we do so, loving God and neighbor, then God “works all things together for good.” This is always God’s intended outcome simply because God is good. Yes, we can foil God’s plans and we can even work against them at times. Yet God is faithful. The Spirit keeps praying for us. And we’re drawn again and again to become who and what God created us to be: a child of God.

To be confirmed to the Son, to be a child of God, this is God’s good plan for us all. This plan was decided before we breathed our first breath. Created in God’s image with the spark of the divine within us, we are invited to step into God’s will for our lives. Doing so, we fulfill God’s purpose: “That way his Son would be the first of many brothers and sisters.” As a brother or sister in Christ, we strive to be righteous in our daily living. In the end, we will be glorified as Christ was glorified. But in the here and now, we also bring glory to God when we reveal Christ to the world. My friends, may it be so!

Prayer: Lord God, we rejoice that you are on our side in so many ways. Attune us to the Spirit’s presence, guiding us to pray as we should pray, to do as we should do, to be as we should be. In all ways, draw us closer and closer to conformity with Christ. And in all things, may we be Christ to the world. Amen.


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Thanksgiving and Praise

Reading: Psalm 105:1-6

Psalm 105:1 – “Give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make his deeds known to all people!”

Photo credit: Pablo Heimplatz

Psalm 105 is a call to worship. Yes, it was a call to worship long ago for the Israelites. And it is a call to us today to worship God in the ways that we live out our faith in the Lord our God. The Psalm begins with this invitation: “Give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make his deeds known to all people!” There are three parts to this invitation. First, give thanks. Whether through prayer, a journal, or both, daily thank God for your blessings, large and small. This practice of gratitude is good for our soul. Second, call on God’s name. This could be calling on God’s name in prayers and petitions. And it could be seeking God’s guidance and direction in our lives. And third, witness to your faith. Share the story of what God has done and is doing so that others might be drawn to our Lord and Savior.

These basic invitations are echoed in verses two and three: Sing, give praise, rejoice in the Lord! In verse four we’re invited to pursue or seek God’s presence and strength. While God is ever present and ever willing to be a part of our lives, God will not barge in or force the issue. God waits for us to “open the door,” and then God enters in. Invite God in!

Verses five and six invite us into acts of remembering. These are both personal and corporate. Remember God’s wonderful and marvelous works in your life and in the world around you. Remember through thanksgiving and praise. Recall God’s acts of justice – in your life and in our world. Offer thanks and sing! And remember who and whose you are: “children of Jacob… chosen.” For our place in the family of God, may we lift a celebratory and joyous word of prayer or a song of praise to the Lord our God!

Prayer: Lord God, we pause and offer our thanks for all you do in our lives to lead and guide us, to strengthen and encourage us, to forgive and redeem us, to restore and save us. You are an amazing, awesome, wonderful God! Thank you for choosing us and for being our God. Amen.


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The Covenant Keeper

Reading: Psalm 105:7-11 and 45

Psalm 105:8 – “God remembers his covenant forever, the word he commanded to a thousand generations.”

As we turn to Psalm 105 today and tomorrow, the focus is the covenant God made first with Abraham. This covenant was reiterated with Isaac and Jacob and has been passed on “to a thousand generations.” The covenant that God made with Abraham was not just about him. Abraham was a part of the covenant, yes, but the focus from day one has been the people of God.

God’s justice is the foundation of the covenant. At its core, God’s justice calls us to just living. This calls us to live in a right relationship with God, with one another, and with all of creation. Living this way, we represent the covenant: God is our God and we are God’s people. The idea of covenant has been around a long time, likely even before Abraham. It is not unique to Israel. In all cases, at its core, covenant is meant to be a forever commitment.

This week’s Disciplines writer, Rev. Dr. Donna Giver-Johnson, notes that the word translated “to cut” is the root word of our word “covenant.” In ancient times, the two parties entering a covenant would cut an animal in half. They would then walk between the halves, symbolizing their offer to be slain like the animal if they did not keep the covenant. The writer of Psalm 105 echoes this deep level of commitment using phrases like “solemn pledge” and “binding law.”

In Genesis 15, in a vision that came just after establishing the covenant with Abraham, God passed between a cut animal, demonstrating God’s commitment to this covenant with God’s people. This established the fact that the keeping of the covenant is dependent on God alone, not on us. At just the necessary moment, God sent Jesus, the bringer and giver of grace. It is through God’s grace that we now live under the covenant. For this grace, we say, thanks be to God!

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for being the covenant keeper. On our own we’d only be covenant breakers. Only through your love and strength can we begin to walk in covenant relationship with you and with one another. And only through your grace and mercy can we return to covenant relationship when we fall short or fail. Thank you, Lord, for walking with us. Amen.


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Calling Each by Name

Reading: Genesis 29:15-30

Genesis 29:20 – “Jacob worked for Rachel for seven years, but it seemed like a few days because he loved her.”

Today’s passage is one of deceit and dishonesty and it is one of love and commitment. In many ways the story is hard to read. It is set in another time and in a culture different from ours. Jacob has fled his home after stealing his brother Esau’s birth rite. He arrives at Laban’s house with absolutely nothing and is taken in by his uncle. Jacob becomes part of the family’s life. After working for a month with Laban and his servants, Jacob is asked what he’d like for his wages. He will work for Rachel’s hand in marriage. Laban agrees to a seven year term. It is love. In verse 20 we read, “Jacob worked for Rachel for seven years, but it seemed like a few days because he loved her.”

On the wedding day, there is a big banquet. Wine must’ve flowed freely. That night Laban slips Leah into the wedding tent – instead of Rachel. The “wedding” is consummated. In the morning the deceit is discovered. Laban glosses it over, saying, “Where we live…” It seems that here women have birth rites too. A betrayed Jacob agrees to work another seven years for Rachel, so great is his love for her.

While Jacob, Laban, and Rachel are the main characters, other women are named. And because they are named, they matter to God. Each will play a role in the unfolding story of Israel. As a group, they will birth most of the twelve tribes of Israel. Leah, the devalued one, will give birth to Jacob’s first four sons. This gives her value and worth. The servant girls – Zilpah and Bilhah – will bear Jacob six sons in total. By being named and included in the story, these women have place and worth too. In the messiness of this story, God remains at work, blessing and calling each by name. God does the same in our lives. Thanks be to God!

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for seeing those that others often overlook or just treat as property or worse. Lord, help us to see with your eyes. Once seeing, O God, move our hearts to lift up and to give place and worth to all of your beloved children. Draw us together, then, as one in you. Amen.


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Focus on the Good

Reading: Matthew 13:36-43

Matthew 13:43 – “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their father’s kingdom.”

Moving forward and inside the house, the disciples receive Jesus’ explanation of the parable of the weeds. Jesus (and now the Holy Spirit) plants good seeds in the hearts of Jesus’ followers. The evil one plants bad seeds that produce weeds. At the end of this “present age” the angels will come and harvest from the world “all things that cause people to fall away and all people who sin.” For these people, there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth” in the “burning furnace” (hell.) “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their father’s kingdom.” The redeemed will exult in glory.

The disciples asked Jesus for an explanation because they did not get what he was saying. Jesus offers guidance and answers. At times we need guidance and direction. We don’t understand or we don’t know the next step to take. Jesus invites us to come to him, to ask him our questions. In prayer, we take them to the Lord. God responds to our prayers and through the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit, we grow in our faith and in our trust in God. As we grow in these ways, we will “shine like the sun” in this present age, even as we wait with longing for our final redemption. May it be so for you and for me.

Prayer: Lord God, focus our hearts and eyes on you and on the good in our world. It can be easy to get distracted, to focus on the evil all around us. So, Lord, keep us out of the weeds. Lead us to focus on being the good in the world, on shining your light into this world. Amen.


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Gather the Weeds

Reading: Matthew 13:24-30

Matthew 13:30b – “First gather the weeds and tie them together in bundles to be burned.”

Today we turn to the “Parable of the Weeds.” Tomorrow we read Jesus’ explanation. Today we’ll focus on a personal application level that deviates slightly from standard interpretation. Tomorrow we’ll expand out to the more traditional understanding and out to the communal level.

Each morning – or most mornings! – we get up and pray and read our Bibles and ponder a devotional or two. Maybe we practice our faith in the evenings or midday instead. Once or twice a week we go to church for worship or to participate in a small group class. In each of these ways we are planting good seeds in our hearts. On occasion we help a neighbor in need or volunteer somewhere or visit a friend who is sick. Although these acts are other-centered, these practices also plant good seeds in our hearts.

And then an unwanted change comes our way. Or maybe it is an unexpected diagnosis. Perhaps someone speaks an unkind word or a stinging criticism. Each of these things and many more have the potential to derail our walk of faith. They can create stress or worry or doubt or anger or mistrust or… and can cause division and hurt and possibly even put an end to a relationship. These are the weeds that we suddenly find growing in our hearts. We don’t intentionally plant them there, but they do take root. In these cases, Jesus gives us an important reminder: “First gather the weeds and tie them together in bundles to be burned.” Daily tending to these “weeds” prevents them from becoming enmeshed in our hearts. May it be so for you and for me.

Prayer: Lord God, all sorts of unwanted things can grow in our hearts if not tended daily. While not all are “evil,” they can still distract us from tending to our relationships with you and with one another. When still a really small shoot, anger and other “weeds” can more easily be cared for. So help us, O God, to be diligent daily, paying close attention to these “small” matters. Before roots become enmeshed in our hearts, guide us deal with temptation and sin. Amen.