pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!


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Grace and Peace

Reading: Romans 1: 1-7

Paul opens with a thought: “set apart for the gospel”.  We are called to this.  We are called to be different from the secular culture and the worldly values by which so many live.  We are called to Christian witness in a post-Christian time.  Jesus did say that the road is hard and the way is narrow that leads to eternal life.  It is work, at times, to hold fast to the faith we profess.  Although narrow, the way is open to all who choose to live with Jesus as Lord.

In Rome, Caesar was lord.  To call upon Jesus Christ as Lord was to be set apart.  As we we’ll know from our own daily struggles to keep Jesus #1, there can only be one Lord.  So to profess Jesus is Lord implies that Caesar is not.  This was risky back in Paul’s time.  Today many think it a bit risky to profess Jesus Christ as Lord all the time and in all aspects of our lives.  This can be risky to our jobs, our friends, our hobbies, our money, and, perhaps most significantly, to our self.

As a church we can choose to be set apart.  We can have doors that are open to any and all instead of just to some.  We can offer communion to any and all who seek to be made new instead of just to those who meet our qualifications.  We can invite and welcome the whole community into our sacred spaces instead of just our church members.

As individuals, we can take these ideals and apply them to our lives as well.  W can engage any and all as we live out our lives as slaves to the gospel.  We can welcome all guests who come to our places of worship and to the events we put on or host.  We can invite all of our neighbors, coworkers, and classmates to be a part of our communities of faith.  Our lives too can have open hearts and open doors.

Paul writes, “grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ”.  May we choose to live as disciples and apostles each day, bringing peace and grace to the world, to any and all we meet.


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Two Spaces

Reading: Romans 1: 1-7

Advent is a time of waiting.  As we wait, who do we wait as?  We wait as disciples, as brothers and sisters in Christ, as servants of the most high God.  Yes, in our waiting, we wait longingly to celebrate the birth of the Christ child.  But we do not wait idly.  In the days ahead we must actively live out our faith, seeking to help others to be drawn bear to the coming Savior.

As believers we live and wait in two spaces.  In these days of Advent we wait expectantly for the celebration of the birth.  We celebrate because in the birth, God takes on flesh and walks among us.  Emmanuel, God with us, lived among us and set for us the example which we are to follow.  When we look at Jesus’ life here on earth, we see what it looks like to live God and to love neighbor.  In Advent we actively seek to live out our faith, drawing others to Christ.  As Paul wrote, “We receive grace and apostleship to call people from among the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith”.  We live to make new disciples.  In doing so we are good in the world, light and hope in dark places, help and care to the needy, and love to the hurting.

As believers we also live in another space because we also know the end of the story.  Yes, Jesus came and lived among us to show us how to live.  And, yes, because of this Jesus can better intercede for us before the Father.  He has experienced life so He can relate to our struggles.  But ultimately Jesus came to die so that could have new life, life without sin, life with God.  We also live in this sacred space, in this eternal space.  It is a space filled with hope and grace and mercy and love.

As we live out our witness to Christ’s love in the here and now may we also share the good news of the promise of life eternal, the ‘prize’ for which we journey.


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Shine

Reading: Psalm 80: 4-7 & 17-19

It is dark outside.  The street lights and Christmas lights shine brightly in the cool, crisp air.  In dark places, even one small light can seem so bright.

The psalmist also writes of darkness, although it is a different kind of darkness.  Our Psalm today speaks of “eating the bread of tears” and drinking tears “by the bowlful”.  At times this is the darkness we experience.  Life has become difficult and we feel like we are alone in the dark.  If not us right now, it is true for someone we know.  This time of year can be particularly hard for folks.  For all those who are in pain and feel like they are in darkness or in a dark place, one small light can seem so bright.  God’s love is that light.

Light shines into darkness, casting the dark away.  There can be no darkness in the presence of light.  Whether it is depression or loss or loneliness, darkness can settle in like an unbearable weight.  Often with the darkness comes a loss of hope.  A kind word, a simple gesture, a warm invitation, a gentle hug, a short prayer offered, just our presence – all bring light into darkness.  All bring God’s love to bear.  None of these human efforts, by themselves, cures depression or loss or loneliness, but they bring in God’s love, they begin a step in the right direction.

The psalmist writes, “Restore us, O Lord God Almighty, make your face shine upon us”.  When we reach out, when we pray, when we offer our presence, then we are helping God’s light to shine in dark places.  God’s love can restore anyone and can heal any brokenness.  May we be willing bearers of the light and love this day.  May our lives help God’s light shine into the dark places of light.  In dark places, one light can seem so bright.


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Saved

Reading: Psalm 80: 1-3

The psalmist cries out to God, “come and save us”.  This is a familiar prayer to us as well.  Most often when we pray this prayer (or one that is similar), we are seeking God in the here and now.  We are in the midst of something and we would like God’s help.  We want God to enter our situation, to intervene, to make things better.  God’s response may not be to do exactly what we want it to ‘fix’ the situation, but through prayer we certainly find peace, comfort, strength…

In a bigger sense of the word, we are “saved” once we accept and profess that Jesus Christ is Lord of our life.  Once we claim Jesus as Savior, we are living in a state of being “saved”.  This means we have the promise of eternal salvation through our personal relationship with Jesus.  This status does not change.  Through this relationship Jesus claims us as His own and we are then forever living in a state of salvation.

For the remainder of our days, we live knowing our final destination, yet always working to grow in our love of God and neighbor.  Once we are “saved” it is not the end point but rather the beginning of the journey.  Once we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we are then ever living to become more and more like Jesus.  We grow to love others as Jesus lived others.  We grow to offer mercy and forgiveness more readily, like Jesus did.  We grow to place others ahead of self, like Jesus did.

As we move along the journey to become more and more like Jesus, we become more and more attuned to the needs of the world.  We see feeding the hungry, caring for the sick, standing against injustice, speaking truth into darkness, … as the stuff of everyday life.  As His hands and feet, we share Jesus’ love with many.  As we continue on our journey of faith, may we share bountifully.


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Emmanuel 

Reading: Isaiah 7: 10-16

King Ahaz has not lived according to God’s ways.  He knows this fact.  Isaiah prompts him to ask for a sign but Ahaz knows better.  The prophet of God has come to deliver judgment and wants Ahaz to play a role.  Instead, Ahaz utters a well-known but equally untrue line in this case: “I will not put the Lord to the test”.  Ahaz’s reign has been one evil thing after another that has surely tested God.  King Ahaz is trying to delay the inevitable.

But when Isaiah speaks of the coming judgment, it is couched in hope and promise.  True, two kings who are Ahaz’s enemies are about to lay siege to Jerusalem.  True, Ahaz will get what he deserves.  But, but, but!  The virgin will be with child, she will give birth, and he will be called Emmanuel, which means “God with us”.  Yes Ahaz, your reign is ending.  But one far more important is coming.  One is coming from God who knows right from wrong.  One is coming who will forever save his people.

In the midst of danger and judgment comes a word of hope.  It is an unlikely source of help: a child.  God does not always act or respond as we expect.  God does not always bring the answer we think we want.  But God is always present.  In Christ, God became present to humanity.  Emmanuel, God with us, came and dwelt amongst us.  When the time came for Jesus to go to the cross, He promised the gift of the Holy Spirit, the continuation of ‘God with us’.

This day and every day, whether in the high or the low or any place in between, may we cling to our Emmanuel, God with us.  Jesus Christ is the hope and light of the world.  May He be yours today and every day.


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Wait, Welcome, Change, Meet

Reading: Matthew 1: 18-25

Advent is a time of waiting.  December 24 is a big date for places of worship.  The night we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ is a very special night.  Each Sunday leading up to the night on which Christ was born is filled with songs and scriptures that remind us and draw us to the gift of the baby in the manger.  All of this builds excitement and anticipation into the waiting.

Advent is a time of welcoming.  It is a season when we see the stranger as friend.  It is a time when we are a little quicker with a smile and when we more readily offer a kind greeting.  In our churches, Advent is a time when we welcome many in for Christmas programs and for Christmas Eve services.  May we welcome all as brothers and sisters in Christ and as fellow children of God.
Advent is a time of change.  In our passage we read of how Joseph’s reality was changed and shaped by God.  The angel came and Joseph stepped forward into his roles as Mary’s husband and as parent to Jesus.  God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, is still working to bring change this Advent season.  Just as the angel worked in Joseph’s life, so too does the Holy Spirit seek to work in our lives.
Advent is a time when we meet Jesus.  As we wait, we have Jesus on our mind.  Who He was, who He is, what He calls us to – all questions we ponder.  As we welcome, we are sharing Jesus with others, inviting them into the family in Christian love.  And be aware – we may see Jesus in the face of one we meet!  As we sense change, may we be open to God’s work in our lives and in the lives of those around us.  The change may be within us as God works to help us grow in love of God and neighbor.  The change may be in the great new members of the family of God.  May we seek to live each other as Christ loved all.  May God bless you and those in your life as you wait, welcome, change, and meet Jesus!


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Rejoice and Give Thanks

Reading: Isaiah 35: 1-10

Isaiah 35 opens with a blossom coming forth in the wilderness.  This burst of life brings joy and rejoicing.  In it one sees the power and the glory of God.  As we begin today, where has God blossomed lately in your life?  Rejoice and give thanks!

Isaiah encourages those with feeble hands and weak knees, saying “Be strong, do not fear.  Your God will come”.  In our times in the wilderness, when we are weak – this is a good reminder.  Our God will come; we do not need to be afraid.  We know that “he will come and save you”.  It is a promise.  Rejoice and give thanks!

God will heal the blind, the lame, the deaf, and the mute.  Water will gush forth in the wilderness.  Life will grow in these formerly dry lands.  And God will make a way.  God will lead the people out of the wilderness and along a path that will enter Zion.  Gladness and joy will overtake us.  Rejoice and give thanks!

All this is a gift from God.  All of this from a God who continually calls to us, who constantly offers us mercy and grace and forgiveness, and who loves us forever.  What a mighty God we serve!  Rejoice and give thanks!


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Healing

Reading: Matthew 11: 2-6

Jesus’ response to John the Baptist’s question is interesting.  Jesus speaks of the restorations prophesied about in Isaiah 35: the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are healed…  All of these things listed are physical limitations.  Make no mistake, throughout the world people are healed every day from physical afflictions, all in the name of Jesus.  The work Jesus began continues through His followers.  Jesus’ response is interesting because the true healing Jesus brought was for our inner healing.  Ultimately Jesus Christ came to free us from the powers of sin and death so that we could one day enter eternal life.

When John preached in the wilderness, h called for people to repent of their sins and to make straight paths for the coming of the Messiah.  John challenged people to be rid of the sin in their lives so that they were ready to welcome the Messiah.  Jesus’ response to John’s question is about change in the physical sense.  John predicted one who would come to bring healing in the spiritual sense.

Jesus speaks of a healing that I think most often must come first.  Before people can hear the good news of Jesus Christ, they must first have their basic needs met.  It may be one of the physical limitations that Jesus speaks of that is a barrier to their spiritual lives.  It may be a physical limitation such as food or shelter or clothing.  Jesus certainly addressed our call to meet these needs as well.  By bringing healing and restoration in the physical realms, we open the way to healing and restoration in the spiritual realms.  This day, through our words, prayers, and actions, may we each bring healing to our broken world, all in the powerful name of Jesus Christ.


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Share the Story

Reading: Psalm 146: 5-10

We love a good story.  Good stories make us feel better, they help us to remember significant and important events in our history and in our lives.  A good story can teach us much as well.  And a good story is one that is told over and over again.  The audience is just as excited to hear a good story as they were when they first heard it.

Psalm 146 is a good story, maybe even a great story.  This Psalm would have been as well known as “Amazing Grace” is today.  The Israelites would have sung this story over and over again – they would have known it by heart.  It would have been sung in worship, as one made dinner or plowed the field, as one walked along the road.  It would have been taught to children when they were very young.  It would have been sung or at least been on the minds of many as they neared drawing their last breath.

The words of Psalm 146 can make one feel better.  These words help recall significant and important events.  The words teach much about faith and about God.  Hear again the words!  Blessed us he whose help, whose hope is in the Lord.  God is the maker of heaven and earth.  The Lord upholds the cause of the oppressed and frustrates the ways of the wicked.  The Lord our God gives good to the hungry, sets prisoners free, gives sight to the blind.  Our Father sustains the orphan and the widow.  The Lord reigns forever!

What a story Psalm 146 shares!  It is a good, good story.  May we share the story today and tomorrow and the day after that and…


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Building

Reading: Luke 1: 46-55

Mary’s beautiful song is all about God’s love for humanity.  She is aware of her direct role in this: she is bearing the Son of Man in her womb.  She rejoices in God her Savior and in her unique role: “all generations will call me blessed”.  Mary is aware of and deeply thankful for the role God has called her to fulfill.

Mary quickly moves past these thoughts and rejoices in the ways that God loves all of mankind.  God extends mercy to those in need and performs mighty deeds for those who fear him.  God blesses those in a relationship with him.  In doing so, God lifts up the humble and fills the hungry with good things.  God loves in many ways.

God’s love, however, is sometimes tough love.  God scatters those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.  God will bring down rulers when necessary and will send the rich away empty.  God will not tolerate evil behavior by those with power.  God blesses us so that we can bless others, not so we can use our position or wealth to take advantage of others.

Mary’s song really speaks of God’s desired kingdom.  As followers of Jesus Christ we are kingdom builders.  We have a role to play in being the light and love in this time and space.  We too, like Mary, bear the Son of Man.  We bear Jesus in our hearts.  We can all bring God’s love to those who need God’s mercy and to those who hunger for either spiritual or physical bread.  We can all be conduits of God’s love flowing into the world.  We can also be the light shining into the darkness.  God’s kingdom is built on justice and equality.  If we are in positions with power and authority, we must use our place to insure justice and equality.  If, in our community, the leaders do not champion these things, we need to speak truth to bring about justice and equality.  May we each play the role of building God’s kingdom as we bear the light and love of Christ right where we are this day.