pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Monthly Archives: May 2021


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Belonging in God

Reading: 1st Samuel 8: 4-9

Verse 7: “It is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me”.

Photo credit: Aaron Burden

Our passage for today and tomorrow begins with the elders of Israel coming to Samuel to request a king. In all of their history they have never had a king. They have always had a leader and some have been great ones: Moses, Joshua, Elijah, Samuel. Yet even under these leaders God was clearly the one leading the people. The request for a king is driven by a few “concerns”.

The first concern is for their future. Samuel has led well. Next in line are his sons. But they are corrupt, evil. They “do not walk in your ways”. The elders recognize what a disaster it would be to have Joel and/or Abijah assume Samuel’s role. The second concern is a common human desire – to fit in, to be like others, to feel accepted. All the other nations have a king. The Israelites want one too. They want someone to fight their battles for them. Ironically, Samuel has just subdued the Philistines. The third concern centers on control. Samuel has kept the Israelites on the straight and narrow, best as he can. Samuel carries authority as the voice of God and God seems to just keep sending Samuel around. There is no wiggle room. A king would give them a little more breathing room, a bit of space between them and God. God recognizes this. In verse seven God says to Samuel, “It is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me”.

As I reflect on these concerns, I realize that they are our concerns too. We all want a good leader, be that a prophet, judge, king, pastor, boss, or political leader. We want to feel safe and secure yet want some freedom and sense of control too. We still want to fit in and to belong, to be accepted. We too can look around and want a new car too, a new job title or position, a fancy vacation experience, or even a pastor like that church down the street. We easily see how “different” we are or how green the grass looks over there – and we want to fix that. These two concerns boil down to the third one when we’re honest. For the Israelites they wanted the freedoms of the people living around them. At times we too feel that God has been holding our feet too close to the fire. We feel conviction instead of realizing that it is refinement and sanctification.

Instead of rejecting God (or our faith or our church) for any or all of these reasons, may we first find our belonging in God. We are each a beloved child of God. This is our identity, our place. That love is more than we will be able to comprehend until we see face to face. In that truth may we walk as a child of God, day by day trusting in God’s provision, content with his care. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, when my eyes or heart strays, remind me of your love and care. Draw me back to the narrow way, to the only way. It is the best path to walk. May I faithfully follow in Jesus’ way each day. Amen.


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Rebirth, New Life

Reading: John 3: 1-17

Verse 17: “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him”.

Photo credit: Frank McKenna

In the dark of night Nicodemus comes to Jesus. He is one of the members of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council. Nicodemus acknowledges that Jesus is a “teacher who has come from God”. Nicodemus is seeking, searching, wanting to know more about Jesus, the one pulling on his heart. Jesus responds by telling him that to “see the kingdom of God” one must be “born again”. Nicodemus does not understand. He is stuck in his head, trying to figure out Jesus. Jesus speaks to the heart. Jesus presses on, explaining that it is not a physical rebirth but a spiritual rebirth. To be born of the Spirit one must believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. He plainly tells Nicodemus that “everyone who believes in him may have eternal life”.

Jesus brings it all together in verses sixteen and seventeen. Verse sixteen is well known: “For God so loved the world…” You probably know the rest. “God gave his one and only Son… whoever believes… shall not perish but have eternal life”. The love of God poured out in the giving of his Son for us is amazing, awesome, wonderful. In verse seventeen we see the “why” – why God sent Jesus: “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him”. Jesus came not to condemn but to save. Not to judge but to show the way to eternal life. The kingdom of God in Jesus Christ is based on love, mercy, grace, forgiveness. Jesus came not to condemn us, not to tell us that we’re not good enough, not to tell us we are unworthy, but to tell us that he loves us, values us, wants to save us. This is the good news.

As we seek to share the good news of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, may rebirth and new life come in and through the saving power of God’s only Son. May his light shine today!

Prayer: God of love, may your light shine brightly today. In all I do and say may your glory be lifted up, exalted for all to see. Amen.


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Jars of Clay

Reading: 2nd Corinthians 4: 5-12

Verse 6: “For God… made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of… Christ”.

Photo credit: Freestocks

In our passage today Paul works out the idea that we have “this treasure in jars of clay”. Paul is using a metaphor that would have stood out and caught his audience’s attention. Clay jars were common, everywhere. It was the every day container for storing all sorts of things. Clay jars were cheap, easily replaced. So who would put their treasure in a jar of clay? It could be easily smashed, the treasure removed quickly.

In the metaphor we are the jars of clay. Our faith is fragile – easily broken by the cares of this world and by the temptations of the evil one. We are over seven billion strong – commonplace and too often treated as easily replaced. Just as no one would put their valued treasures in clay jars, why in the world would the God of the universe place his treasure in us human beings?

Well, the treasure is not gold or any other temporal, earthly thing of value. The treasure God places in our heart is the Spirit of his Son, Jesus Christ. Paul puts it this way in verse six: “For God… made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of… Christ”. This “all-encompassing power”, this treasure, gives us strength when hard pressed – so we are not crushed. It gives us the wisdom of God when we are perplexed – so that we will not despair. It gives us courage and support when we are persecuted, reminding us that God never abandons us. It keeps hope alive in us when we are struck down, whispering into our heart that nothing in all of creation can destroy our place in God’s family – here or in the time to come. This is but a short list of what the all-surpassing power of God does in our lives.

As we rejoice in what the power of God’s Spirit does in our lives, let us also pause to think of those we know who are jars of clay – perhaps a bit broken, definitely fragile, maybe seen as worthless or commonplace at best. As we think of these, how can this “light of Christ” within us shine into their lives, bringing that same strength, wisdom, courage, support, hope, sense of belonging… that we treasure?

Prayer: Lord God, I am so grateful for your presence in my life. The ways you touch and are present to me make walking a life of faith possible. May your light and love shine out of me, revealing your glory for all to see. Amen.


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The Family of God

Reading: Romans 8: 12-17

Verse 17: “Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ”.

Returning to Romans 8 today we see the fruit of being a child of God. Once the Spirit dwells within us we are adopted into God’s family. We find our worth and value in God. We find our sense of belonging in Christ and in our faith community. We come to know our home is with the Lord.

Paul extends the idea of adoption to the benefits of being in God’s family. In verse seventeen he connects these dots, saying, “Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ”. Once we are accept our place as a child of God, we are inheritors of many things. We receive the same abundant love and mercy and grace that is found in Christ. We receive the peace, strength, and commitment to the other modeled by Jesus. We receive forgiveness of sins and life eternal. These blessings will, at times, lead us to “share in his sufferings”. There are times when our inheritance leads us to take up our cross or to love the other completely. There will be a cost. This too is part of our inheritance.

As we live into our inheritance we begin to see more as Christ sees. We grow to see all people as worthy of our love, our acceptance, our time. We stop seeing things that divide and differentiate. We begin to live out Jesus’ unconditional and generous love. We become a part of building the kingdom of God here on earth.

As we consider our place as a beloved child, may we be led to truly understand and live in ways that bring all people into the family of God.

Prayer: Lord God, it is so good to be in your family. Use me today to help others understand how deeply and unconditionally loved they are. Amen.


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The Family of God

Reading: Romans 8: 12-17

Verse 14: “Those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God”.

Photo credit: Priscilla du Preez

Chapter 8 in Romans is all about the new life we find in Christ. Paul begins the chapter by speaking of the freedom from sin found in and through Christ. He talks of the Holy Spirit’s power that leads us to live not in sin but in righteousness. As our verses begin today, Paul writes of our “obligation” to live according to the way of Jesus Christ. Sometimes the word ‘obligation’ rubs us the wrong way. It can imply something we have to do not something we want to do. Paul is connecting back to what he shared in verse three – that God sent Jesus as a “sin offering” for those who were powerless against sin – for us! To live for the desires and pleasures of the flesh would fly in the face of Jesus’ offering for us. So Paul urges us, obliges us, to live by the Spirit of God.

In verse fourteen Paul writes, “Those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God”. When we live by or allow the Holy Spirit within to guide us, then we are living as a child of God. This is a great place to be. Yet many people choose to live as a child of the world. The lures of money and power and status, as well as the pleasures of the flesh, are powerful draws to our human, worldly selves. It can feel “good” to accumulate and enjoy these things. Yet when we live unto ourselves we focus only inward, lessening even our most important relationships. Our sense of belonging and our sense of worth become connected to how we “feel”, which is connected to superficial, shallow, temporary things. It is a fragile place to live.

When we choose to live by the Spirit, by the way of Christ, we find a different source of joy, contentment, peace. Our relationships are not guided by self but by the love of Jesus Christ welling up inside of us. Self fades away as love of God and neighbor becomes our purpose, our source of meaning and worth. Living as a child of God, as a part of the body of Christ, we find eternal belonging. Knowing we are loved forever by our Lord, we can go forth into the world to live out that love, drawing others toward their place in the family of God. May it be so for you and for me today.

Prayer: Lord God, your family is beautiful, generous, loving. Thank you for making space for me in your family. When I am not these things, lift up the voice of the Holy Spirit within me, drawing me back into the depth of your love. Amen.


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Send Me!

Reading: Isaiah 6: 1-8

Verse 8: “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us'”?

Photo credit: John Thomas

As we continue today in our passage from Isaiah 6 we see the divine’s response to Isaiah’s concerns over his sins and over his unworthy status. One of the seraphs takes a coal from the fire on the altar and touches Isaiah’s lips with it. The creature speaks these words to him: “Your guilt is taken away and your sin stoned for”. Cleansed by fire, Isaiah is readied for service.

We too can struggle with our own uncleanliness, with our guilt and shame. In his abundant mercy and grace God has provided a way for us to experience what Isaiah experienced. Through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus we can be made clean, we can have our guilt and shame removed. We too can hear, “Your guilt is taken away and your sin stoned for”. Through our relationship with Jesus, God’s love readies us for service too.

God then speaks in verse eight. The Lord asks, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us'”? This is a somewhat rhetorical question. There is not a whole group of prophets standing before God. There is just one. In the same way, when the Holy Spirit whispers in our heart or nudges our hands or feet towards action, there is but one being spoken to. While the Spirit may speak the same words to many, it is on an individual basis that we must respond. Isaiah’s response is: “Here am I. Send me’! When God calls or when the Holy Spirit guides, may we too respond, “Here am I. Send me’!

Prayer: Loving and gracious God, thank you for your abundant love that calls out to me. Thank you for your unending grace that readies me for service. Atune my ears to hear and my heart to respond when you call. Thank you, Lord. Amen.


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Fit for Service??

Reading: Isaiah 6: 1-8

Verse 5: “Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips… and my eyes have seen the King”.

Photo credit: Michal Matlon

Today and tomorrow we read of God’s call on Isaiah’s life. In the opening chapters of the book of Isaiah the case is laid out for why the Israelites desperately need a prophet to speak God’s word to them. They are the “people of unclean lips” that Isaiah lives among.

As the story of his call opens in chapter six Isaiah finds himself face to face with God Almighty. The Lord is on the throne and “the train of his robe fills the temple”. The Lord is a very big presence in Isaiah’s vision. All around the Lord are seraphs, amazing creatures with six wings. Covering their faces and their feet in reverance to the Lord, they sing of God’s holiness and glory. Their worship is so powerful that the heavens shake and smoke fills the temple. Isaiah’s response is honest and raw. He is both humbled and afraid to be in God’s presence.

In verse five we hear Isaiah’s response: “Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips… and my eyes have seen the King”. If I were to come face to face with God, I don’t think my reaction would be much different. When the imperfect encounters the perfect, when the limited encounters the limitless, it is natural to want to shrink back, to want to become invisible. The contrast is just so great. And yet God chose to bring Isaiah into his presence. God saw Isaiah not as imperfect or limited or as sinful but as one worthy of service in the kingdom of God.

Like Isaiah, you and I are people of unclean lips. You and I live among a people of unclean lips, in a nation that has drifted from the Lord. God does not look at us and see failure or sin or imperfection. He looks at you and me and sees another fit for service in building the kingdom of God. Draw into his presence, how will we respond?

Prayer: Lord God, I marvel that you can use even me. Long a man of unclean lips and one that still stumbles now and then, you still chose me. You drew me into your presence, you began to work in me. Thankfully you saw more within me than I did and you’ve been drawing that out. Please continue to work in me and to use me as you will. Amen.


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Power and Majesty

Reading: Psalm 29

Verse 11: “The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace”.

Photo credit: Lili Popper

Yesterday nature flexed her muscles a little bit. The rains fell and fell, the wind roared and roared. Our rain gauge shows 1.6″ this morning. At times I was mesmerized by the power of nature on display yesterday. Our Psalm today speaks of the power and majesty of the Lord. In verse three the psalmist writes, “The voice of the Lord is over the waters”. It was on full display yesterday.

As one reads all of Psalm 29 one is reminded over and over of the power and majesty of God’s “voice” in the natural world. The thunder and the lightning, the magnificent storms, the earthquakes – all physical reminders of God’s place “enthroned as king forever”. Psalms like this are good reminders of God’s place in our world and in our lives. It is too easy to get caught up in the rat race, getting busier and busier. David’s words in our Psalm today call us to slow down, to marvel at God’s power and majesty. It is also very easy at times to get lost in our own little world. We too easily get obsessed with some small thing, some unimportant event that has become a mountain. The Psalm again reminds us of God’s power and majesty, reminding us that the one who is so much greater than anything life can bring also loves us. Verse eleven speaks of this: “The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace”. Strength and peace – wonderful gifts of the Lord of power and majesty. May these fill your life today!

Prayer: Lord God, you are in the mighty wind and in the abundant rains. Your might and power are evident, fully on display in the created world. Yet you also bring me strength in my weakness, peace in my storms. You are an awesome God. Amen.


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Making Jesus Known

Reading: John 16: 12-15

Verse 14: “He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you”.

Jesus begins by telling the disciples that there is much more to learn and understand, but they are not ready yet. To know all about Jesus would be “more than you can bear”. Our journey of faith is just the same. We learn and understand enough to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior but are far from knowing and fully understanding him and his call upon our life. A faithful Christian will spend all of one’s life becoming more and more like Jesus. To guide this process Jesus promises a companion, an advocate, a counselor – “the Spirit of truth”. Again, this is an ongoing process – one that only culminates in eternity. As modern day disciples this too is our promise, our gift, our hope.

In verse fourteen Jesus explains the process. Here he says, “He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you”. The Holy Spirit will take Jesus – his words and teachings, his example and witness – and instill him within each disciple. In and through the Holy Spirit’s power and presence each disciple is transformed increasingly into the image of Jesus Christ. With Jesus’ Spirit within us, we are sent out into the world to share and witness to the love and saving power of our Lord and Savior. In thought, word, and deed may we glorify God this day and every day. May it be so!

Prayer: Lord God, you are my rock and shield, my strength and my defender. You are my only hope, my daily love. Use me today to bear witness to these things to all I meet. Amen.


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Multiplied

Reading: John 15:26 – 16:11

Verse 26: “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send… he will testify about me”.

Photo credit: Joshua Eckstein

In our passages for today and tomorrow, Jesus promises a continuing presence that will be with the disciples. In this section of John’s gospel, known as the ‘Farewell Discourse’, Jesus is preparing his followers for life without his physical presence. In the three years of his ministry they have grown close to Jesus – moving from strangers to disciples and on to friends.

In verse 26 Jesus begins to explain the transition from physical presence to spiritual presence. Here he says, “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send… he will testify about me”. The Holy Spirit will come and it will testify in their hearts about Jesus. The voice of the Spirit will teach and guide the disciples, yes, for their own benefit but moreso that they will testify to others. Since the disciples have been with Jesus since the beginning of his ministry they have witnessed the miracles and they have heard his teachings. This, plus the constant presence of the Holy Spirit, will equip and empower them to share the good news of Jesus Christ.

Jesus goes a step further in verse seven. Here he says, “It is for your good that I am going away”. In the moment it must have been hard to hear these words. But soon – just a few days after he will ascend into heaven – this promised Holy Spirit will fall upon the believers at Pentecost. In a powerful demonstration of how it is better, the believers speak the good news to a large crowd, all in their native languages. It would have taken Jesus hours and hours to do this work. His power, multiplied by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, is magnified greatly. This will continue to be the pattern as the disciples, apostles, and other believers take the gospel to the ends of the known world. In and through the power of the Holy Spirit, the transformation of the world begins. In and through the power of the Holy Spirit, may we continue to tell the good news of Jesus Christ, multiplying his power and presence in the world!

Prayer: Lord God, use me today to be light and love wherever and whenever I can. Through the power of the Holy Spirit within me, may I bring transformation to the world. Amen.