pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!


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Three Lessons

Reading: Acts 1:12-14

Verse 14: “They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.”

Photo credit: Clay Banks

In yesterday’s portion of Acts 1 Jesus gives the disciples some instructions. They were to stay in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit was given. And they are to be witnesses of Jesus to the ends of the earth. Now, I do not know about you, but I might have tried to tackle these in reverse order. I am a doer. It is hard for me to wait when a clear task is right there in front of me.

The disciples return to the city and gather in the place they’ve been staying. The 11 gather together with other devoted followers of Jesus: “They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.” This faithful group was “constantly in prayer.” There are several lessons for us to take away from these three verses.

First lesson: follow Jesus’ instructions. Trust that God has a plan and a purpose and that you are equipped for it. Be obedient to that. Second lesson: include others. Note that the 11 didn’t huddle up and shoo everyone else out. Like them, we need to realize that being witnesses is all of our jobs. It’s not a task just for the pastor or other church staff or even the leadership team. Together we accomplish this task better and more effectively. Third lesson: pray. Pray a lot – “constantly.” Pray about what was spoken to you by the Holy Spirit, by the Bible, by someone… Wrestle with it before God. Seek discernment and direction. Spending time in prayer further connects us to God and to God’s plan and purpose. This deepens our faith. And this better equips us for the task that God has laid before us.

As we all seek to witness to our faith may we be obedient to God’s instructions, may we seek out others to walk faithfully with, and may we pray, pray, pray.

Prayer: Lord God, speak to me today. Lay out your plan and purpose for me. Grant me the will, the courage, and the faith to be obedient. Lead me to those you want me to partner with in ministry. Reveal all we need to know and understand as we spend time in holy and prayerful conversation with you. Amen.


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God at Work

Reading: Acts 1:6-11

Verse 6: “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

As we begin in Acts 1 this week, let us first step back to the gospel of Luke. At the end of Luke’s gospel Jesus’ last words are: “But stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” The gospel closes with Jesus’ ascension into heaven. In Acts, Luke backtracks slightly, sharing a story that happened “on one occasion.” Perhaps it is a retelling of the story at the end of Luke. During this encounter, Jesus instructs them to stay in Jerusalem until they are “baptized with the Holy Spirit.” It is from these statements that the disciples ask, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

In their three years with Jesus they had witnessed his power – the teachings, the miracles, the everyday steadfast obedience to God alone. And then they witnessed his power over even death. They heard him saying something about receiving power from on high. It is not illogical to think that maybe now Jesus will establish the kingdom here on earth, restoring Israel along with all of creation. Jesus answers their question in typical Jesus fashion: not yet, just wait.

Jesus first tells them that it is not for them to know the ‘when.’ That’s up to God. He’s clear though that it’s not yet. Jesus then tells them to focus on the task that he is giving them. Jesus clarifies the “power from on high” concept. The power is so that they can “witness in Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Just wait, there is much work to do. Jesus calls them to continued faithful discipleship, leaning into and trusting in the power of the Holy Spirit that is coming soon. Then just wait to see how God is at work in your lives and in the world.

We have received the Holy Spirit. We too have the same task. May we be good and faithful witnesses, empowered by the Holy Spirit, blessed as we experience the working of God daily in our lives.

Prayer: Lord God, in those days it was so much for the disciples to take in, to process, to begin to understand. The same can be true for us. So, Lord, help us to lean into and to trust in the power and in the working of the Holy Spirit. Thank you. Amen.


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The Foundation: Love

Reading: John 14:18-21

Verse 20: “On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.”

Jesus continues to offer words of reassurance and promise as we press on into the second half of this week’s gospel lesson. Reassuring the disciples that their connection to him, that their relationship with him, will not end in his death. He states, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” While this will not be in the earthly physical sense it will be in a tangible, real, spiritual sense. The presence of the Holy Spirit is something that we can feel, sense, and connect to.

Jesus then says, “You will see me.” As the Spirit works in the hearts and minds of the disciples it will remind them of Jesus. It will bring back memories of his actions and words, bringing guidance, direction, encouragement, strength… In this way, they will see Jesus. Along these lines, because Jesus lives in them, they will in turn live as his hands, feet, words, and actions in the world. No, they will never be orphans. They will forever be connected to Jesus Christ and to the kingdom of God. We too experience this living presence when we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

In verse 20 we read, “On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.” Indeed so! On the day that the Holy Spirit becomes a part of our lives we realize this indwelling of Christ in us and of us in Christ. In the Biblical story, the disciples will soon experience this as the risen Christ breathes the Holy Spirit upon them. In the last verse, Jesus speaks again and again of love. This is the foundation of our relationship with the Lord and with one another. Each day may we live into this love and may we pour it out into the world.

Prayer: Lord God, your Spirit is a wonderful gift. It connects us 24/7 to you. It is a constant guide and companion. Through the power and presence of your Spirit lead me in love – for you, for others, for the world. Amen.


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Complete and Steadfast

Reading: John 14:15-17

Verse 16: “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever — the Spirit of truth.”

Photo credit: Kyle Johnson

Turning to our gospel lesson for this week, Jesus offers the disciples some needed reassurance and a promise. Coming out of a difficult to understand conversation about Jesus being the only way to the Father, he offers the words that we read today. He begins with this: “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” The most recent command is this: “Love one another. As I have loved you…” Living out their faith and into this relationship with God – both are first grounded in love. From a place of complete and steadfast love will come obedience. In human terms, we ground our wedding vows in this kind of love.

Jesus has been addressing the fact that soon he will die. The disciples will soon find themselves without the physical Christ. In today’s teaching Jesus offers these words: “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever — the Spirit of truth.” Jesus himself will initiate this new relationship or connection with God. Through Jesus’ request God will send the spiritual Christ to be with the disciples. The Holy Spirit will be with them forever. There is both an assurance and a promise here. Yet, as in all relationships, we have a role to play. We must receive the Spirit into our lives. We must respond to the offer, to the invitation, to the “knock” on our hearts.

Jesus states that those who are of the world “neither sees him or knows him.” For those who do not know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and for those of us who do and yet choose to live in sin, the Holy Spirit is disconnected. When there is separation in our relationship with God, then we too are of the world. Even then God reaches out, calling us back into right relationship. Through God’s complete and steadfast love our brokenness is again transformed and we can walk and live once more as a child of God. Our God’s love redeems and restores us over and over, allowing the Holy Spirit to “live with you” and to “be in you.” Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, your love and presence are offered without limit, without condition. You are the perfect giver of these good and gracious gifts. Lead us to receive them, to be filled with them, and to be people who pour them out into one another’s lives. Amen.


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Be Ready

Reading: 1st Peter 3:13-22

Verse 15: “In your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”

Peter continues in this week’s reading with the theme of being blessed when we suffer for doing good. He offers a word of encouragement from Isaiah 8: “Do not fear what they fear.” This can be taken as a blanket statement. In this context Peter is encouraging them not to fear suffering. But it is broader than this. As followers of Christ we need not fear death because Jesus Christ has won that victory too. As Peter later writes, we are saved “by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” The world has other fears too – loss of wealth, loss of status, loss of power… These worldly things were also on the line for these elect exiles. The same goes for you and me.

In verse 15 Peter offers this guidance: “In your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” The first part encourages followers to hold Jesus in the #1 position – ahead of self, ahead of family, ahead of work, ahead of the lures and cares of this world. Doing so will lead us to live lives that stand out from this world’s ways of living. As it did for Peter’s readers, it will bring attention and focus upon us. So we are advised to always be ready to offer testimony to the hope we exhibit during suffering – or the joy in mourning or the contentment in times of need or… In short, we are to ever be ready to tell the good news: the story of what Jesus Christ has done and is doing in our lives.

As we share our faith with others we shine the light and love of Jesus Christ into the darkness and pain of their lives. This is not always easy. Sometimes we suffer for doing good. Yet this is our call: to bring Christ to the world. May it ever be so for you and for me.

Prayer: Lord God, lead me to bravely and boldly live out my faith. Keep me always prepared to talk of how you have been and are at work in my life. In and through me may others see and be drawn to your love. Amen.


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Come and Hear!

Reading: Psalm 66:8-20

Verse 16: “Come and hear, all you who fear God; let me tell you what God has done for me.”

The Psalm begins with praise to God for the saving acts experienced during the exodus from Egypt. It was a corporate experience that called for a corporate response. As we turn once again to Psalm 66 today we focus on verses 13-20. Note how the pronouns change to the first person.

Verses 13-15 recount the psalmist’s response to God hearing and answering his prayers. The response here is a fulfillment of “vows my lips promised.” When in a time of deep trouble, the psalmist begged and pleaded with God to save him. And God did. So now the writer keeps his word and offers rams, bulls, and goats. While we do not live in the time when animals were sacrificed it is still good to consider what our response is or will be when God hears and answers our prayers and petitions.

The psalmist offers another response in verse 16: “Come and hear, all you who fear God; let me tell you what God has done for me.” He wants to encourage others, to tell them the story of what God did for him. In the context of his day, the faith was kept within the Israelite community. With Jesus this circle was cast wide open. In Mark 16 the commission is to “go into all the world” to tell the story of what the Lord has done. With this added understanding, our call is to invite all people to “come and hear,” to tell others the story of “what God has done for me.” It is a story we both live out and tell with our witness. May we share the good news of Jesus Christ with all people, both in word and in deed.

Prayer: Lord God, you have filled me with stories of faith as you have touched my life again and again, as you have made a way when there seemed no way. Make me a story teller, Lord, sharing with others what you have done for me. Amen.


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More Outside Than Inside

Reading: Psalm 66:8-20

Verses 8-9: “Praise our God, all peoples… God has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping.”

Psalm 66 is a song of praise for what God has done. The first part of the Psalm focuses on the corporate or communal perspective. This is an important perspective to keep. It helps us see, live in, and recognize the bigger picture. While God undoubtedly works in each of our lives, we can see God’s plan unfolding in a different way when we get outside of ourselves and outside of our own story. Imagine if the parting of the sea story or the feeding of the 5,000 story were told from a single perspective and as if that person was the only one there! When we focus only on ourselves then we can miss out on the fuller story of God’s power and might.

In verses 8-9 the psalmist writes, “Praise our God, all peoples… God has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping.” This is a call to public and corporate thanksgiving in response to God’s work in the life of the community of faith. The psalmist then recognizes the difficult times in their past and recalls how God led them through. Our temptation can be to withdraw or isolate when we are going through a hard time. We can tend to focus only on ourselves. If, during their time in slavery in Egypt, the Israelites each adopted an “every man or woman for themselves” mentality, then where would’ve they been? They could not have marched out of Egypt one at a time. The collective, the group – it mattered. It still matters.

So the invitation today is to see the larger picture, to live in a space more outside of yourself than inside yourself. May we all realize the power we receive from others and the power we give to others.

Prayer: Lord God, open my eyes to the bigger picture around me. Open my heart to love all those around me. Shrink the selfishness in heart and make more room to love others more fully. Amen.


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Known Yet Unknown

Reading: Acts 17:22-31

Verse 27: “God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.”

Photo credit: Paul Pastourmatzis

Paul’s witness to the people of Athens begins with a general description of God: created the heavens and earth and everything in it and gives all people “life and breath and everything else.” These two components are almost givens for all people everywhere. Ever since mankind has been trying to make sense of their world they have been crafting creation stories that frame their understanding of the world and their existence. In this sense God’s story is far from unique.

Then, in verse 27, Paul says, “God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.” Here Christianity begins to differ significantly from the pagan, native, and polytheistic norms about the god(s) and the people of the earth. In almost all religions or belief systems there is a desire to be close to the divine. But there is a healthy boundary. In most cases this forms a transactional relationship: I’ll sacrifice this animal, you make it rain… Most people groups had many gods – a god of fertility, a god of war… When one needed this, one went to this god. But what Paul is offering and speaking of is something different. Paul is implying that you can have a relationship with this God. One can seek and search and actually find God – because God is close to us. Not far away and distant in the heavens, but close to each of us. Whoa.

And then, once again connecting to the Athenians, Paul quotes from their culture: “For in him we live and move and have our being.” Here too Paul connects their world into an invitation into a personal relationship that God offers to all people. As our passage closes, Paul steps back towards the unknown, back into the mystery. He speaks of Jesus: the one God appointed to judge, the one God raised from the dead. Huh?! The known followed by the unknown. This jars some – it is too much – but it draws others towards more conversation. In these the Holy Spirit is at work.

Prayer: Lord God, you are known in so many ways, often in great depth. And yet so much remains unknown. There is ever so much more to know about you. And in this mystery, you offer to walk with us in a personal and intimate relationship. Even so, we cannot fully describe you. We can tell about parts of you, but our words fall short of the whole. Continue to draw us deeper into you, to be our all in all. Amen.


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Paul’s Witness – Part 1

Reading: Acts 17:22-31

Verses 22-23: “I see that in every way you are very religious… I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god.”

Our focus this week is on being prepared to offer our witness to our faith. As we spend today and tomorrow in Acts 17, we will gain some insight from Paul’s example. While there is not any one right way to share our faith with others, some general do’s and do not’s are helpful.

As Paul prepares to minister in Athens he first spends some time in observation. He gets to know his audience. This provides Paul a place to engage them, to meet them where they are at. When we are nearing an opportunity to share our faith, these are steps we take naturally if the person is someone we know personally. If not, these are wise steps to take. Paul begins the conversation with this acknowledgement: “I see that in every way you are very religious.” He commends them for being spiritual. Continuing, he shares this observation: “I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god.” This is the place from which he can engage in a conversation. Paul will connect their unknown god to the God that he knows. More on that tomorrow!

But for today, let’s consider what Paul does not do at this point. He did not say ‘You think you are religious’ and then launch into belittling or ridiculing or tearing apart their religion because they worship a god they don’t know and can’t even name. He does not comment on how they worship a plethora of gods, as if the breadth might cover all their bases. And he does not tell them how wrong they are as a means to provide space to prove how right he is or to share just how much he knows. There is nothing negative or insulting or confrontational about Paul’s witness to his one true God.

As we consider our natural approach to sharing our faith, ponder which of these do not’s might be your tendency.

Prayer: Lord God, part of the power of our faith comes from really believing what we believe. That’s great, right God? And yet… God, please guard my heart and mind against using my belief as a battering ram or as a stick to pound on another. Instead, Lord, use my faith as a loving and gentle tool to share you with others. Amen.


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Surrender, Trust, Belief

Reading: Psalm 31:1-5 and 15-16

Verse 5: “Into your hands I commit my spirit; deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.”

Photo credit: Shane Rounce

In Psalm 31 David turns to God in the midst of a trial. He begins by reminding God that he has taken refuge in God before. Maybe he’s reminding himself too. Then David turns to the Lord for help, leaning into his current trial. Seeking protection and deliverance and rescue, David asks God to “be my rock of refuge, my strong fortress.” When we too are in a time of trial we pray such prayers. It is natural to turn to the one who has been there before, trusting them to be there once again.

There’s a slight shift in verse 3. It is subtle but here David begins to include God in the prayer. Because God is David’s rock and refuge, “for the sake of your name,” David prays, “lead and guide me. Free me… for you are my refuge.” Others are watching God. Others know that David turns to God and relies on God. David is saying, in essence, ‘God, you gotta come through.’ At times I’ve prayed along these lines. In desperation I’ve tried playing this card. Yet, doing so, it is also a reminder of God’s faithfulness.

Verses 5, 15, and 16 carry a different tone. These are words of surrender and trust. “Into your hands I commit my spirit; deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.” Jesus prayed these words on the cross. Stephen echoed them as he was being stoned. There is a calm in these words, a belief that God has it, that God is in control. As we bring our needs, our trials, our confessions, our concerns to the Lord, may we do so with the same surrender, trust, and belief.

Prayer: Lord God, I praise you for your steadfast love and for your faithfulness. Time and time again you’ve been there for me. Continue to walk with me, to guide me, to lead me. Be the Lord of my life. I surrender to you. Amen.