pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: abundance


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Healing and Wholeness

Reading: Isaiah 35:1-7

Isaiah 35:6 – “Then the lame will keep like a deer and the tongue of the speechless will sing.”

Isaiah 35 envisions a time when the wilderness will blossom with life. The dry and barren land will “burst into bloom” as “streams in the wilderness” bring abundant life to the wilderness. Creation itself will “rejoice with joy and singing” as God restores all the earth back to what it was like in the garden of Eden. This restoration will proceed the return of God’s children to this new promised land. Living in exile, imagine what these words of hope would mean and sound like to you. Imagine what they would feel or sound like living in Gaza or Ukraine or on one of our poorest reservations or in an inner city shelter. People in all of these places long for God’s restoration of the land and of all who dwell in it.

After creation is restored, Isaiah envisions the restoration of all of humanity. This is also a return to the way it was in the garden. The weak hands and unsteady knees will become strong. Those with disabilities will be made new and whole again. Verse 6 sums it up beautifully: “Then the lame will keep like a deer and the tongue of the speechless will sing.” Like creation, the restored humanity with celebrate with joy and singing. The trauma and suffering of exile will be no more. Pondering this day would bring great hope and longing to those in exile, in Gaza, in Ukraine, on the reservation, in the inner city…

There will be times and seasons when we find ourselves in dry and barren places or in exile. In these moments when we experience trauma and suffering, we can trust into God to bring healing and wholeness and strength to us and to our lives. This is the promise. God’s grace is here and now. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, what hope and promise you offer through the words of Isaiah! To return to a land of abundance for all, to a place without fear or violence or greed, to a time when all people are made whole – what a day that will be. Walk with us daily, O God, guiding us to work to make this envisioned day more and more of a reality here and now. Amen.


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A Kingdom of Justice and Righteousness

Reading: Psalm 72:1-7

Psalm 72:2 – “Let him judge your people with righteousness and your poor with justice.”

Psalm 72 is a prayer for the long reign of a just and righteous king. It is a prayer for a king who will rule as God’s representative here on earth. These words of Solomon were likely written when he was living closest to this vision of an ideal king. Like his father David, considered Israel’s greatest king, Solomon had many failures during his reign. Only one king has been and ever will be truly just and righteous: Jesus.

In verse 2 we get a glimpse into what the “ideal” king will be like. Here we read, “Let him judge your people with righteousness and your poor with justice.” Under this kind of leader there will be peace in the land. This peace is not founded on military power or dominance. It is founded upon lifting up the poor and needy while “crushing” any who seek to oppress. Today this would involve dismantling systems that oppress and take advantage of those on the margins. It would remove power from the hands of those who seek to lord power over others purely for personal gain.

Under a just and righteous king there would be abundance and flourishing for all people. To ensure this, a just and righteous king would act for the good of the poor and marginalized, exhibiting God’s heart for “the least of these.” These actions would naturally place such a king in opposition to the greedy and power-hungry. The kingdoms of this would did and do struggle with the establishment of a kingdom of justice and righteousness. It is a kingdom not of this world. It is a kingdom where Christ the king reigns. O God, may it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, we long for the day when the kingdoms of this world crumble to dust as Jesus returns in glory. As we long, we also wait. As we wait, O God, may it be an active waiting. Use us day by day to be builders of a more just and righteous world. May the story of our lives tell the story of your coming kingdom. Amen.


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Light Our Fires, Rekindle the Light

Reading: Isaiah 2:1-5

Isaiah 2:3 – “Come, let’s go up to the Lord’s mountain… so that he may teach us his ways and we may walk in God’s paths.”

These words from the prophet Isaiah are words of great hope. In his words we see the world as God intended it to be and as God calls us to make it. This envisioned world is one of peace and abundance. It is a world where all people have a place of belonging in God’s beloved community.

Isaiah’s words, on the one hand, are specific to Judah and Jerusalem. One day the city of God will be lifted up and nations will stream to it. All who are saved will come to be taught God’s ways. This will lead them to turn swords and spears into plows and pruning tools. Walking in God’s ways will bring an end to hunger and want, to war and hate, to division and oppression. All people in this new place will walk in God’s light.

While this is a wonderful and beautiful vision of a day to come, what if these words were our marching orders right now? What if the people of God lifted up God’s ways of love and grace, compassion and generosity? What if we did that so well that many would be drawn to walk in the ways of the Lord? What unjust systems might change and what forms of oppression and violence might come to an end?

When we truly walk as Christ in the world, then we have the power to transform lives and systems. When we are faithful to Jesus in all aspects of our daily living, then our light will shine forth into the darkness of the world. When we practice and fight for peace and justice as the minimum standard for all people, then God’s kingdom will begin to be manifest here on earth.

Prayer: Lord God, sometimes it seems easier to just envision these words of Isaiah becoming a reality somewhere down the line. To believe that we can make this world into what you desire it to be, well, that’s harder to envision. When we doubt and fear, light our fires of faith. When we are anxious or weak, rekindle the light of Christ within us. Use us, O God. Send us out to change our broken and unjust world into a world of love and peace and justice and abundance. Amen.


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Imagine…

Reading: Isaiah 65:20-25

Isaiah 65:23 – “They won’t labor in vain, nor bear children to a world of horrors, because they will be people blessed by the Lord.”

The themes of yesterday’s reading from Isaiah 65 get fleshed out today as we continue reading. We see what the new heaven and earth will be like. We see the reasons for joy and gladness. Infants will live to see old age. Good health and long life will be enjoyed by all people. All will be housed and have enough to eat. Imagine what this would be like! Sadly, though, this could be a reality right now if we just loved and cared for one another as God created us to do.

In this light, verse 23 hits hard: “They won’t labor in vain, nor bear children to a world of horrors, because they will be people blessed by the Lord.” Many will go to work today wondering when they will earn a living wage, making enough to not have to live paycheck to paycheck. Many will wake their children and wonder if they can feed them another day or if the bills might somehow get paid so that they can still have a roof over their heads. Talk about horrors. What would it take for such as these to be “blessed by the Lord?”

To be blessed, the current people of God must be so intimately connected to God that God would hear and answer before we call or speak. Such an intimate relationship would first require that we love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. When we love God this way, we find that we love others in the same way. With eyes of love we would see the vulnerable. And as we see them and are moved by the Spirit, God would hear and answer, leading us to be a part of making the new heaven and earth more of a present reality. Imagine what this would be like…

Prayer: Lord God, we have so much more than enough. Because of your great love, we have great abundance. But we also have great greed and an inward focus. Lord, loosen our grip on things. Bend our focus outward, away from self. Send us to the people and places of need. Use us to bring wholeness to our world. Create around us communities where all flourish, where all are blessed. Connect us to one another, spreading hope and grace. Amen.


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God’s Intended Creation

Reading: Psalm 65:9-13

Psalm 65:13 – “The meadowlands are covered in flocks, the valleys decked out in grain.”

Psalm 65 is a song of praise for God’s works. The portion that we read today celebrates God’s provision to the people of the earth. In verses 9-10 the psalmist rejoices over how God brings abundance to the earth through the “rain showers” that enrich the earth and provide grain for the people. From what was chaos in Genesis 1, God has ordered and shaped creation in ways that express God’s love to all of God’s children.

Moving into verses 11-12 we see that it is God’s goodness that creates this overflowing abundance. God provides because God is good. God’s goodness is so graciously given that even the desert is “dressed in pure joy.” This goodness and blessing extends even more to the valleys and meadowlands tended by God’s people. Of these we read, “The meadowlands are covered in flocks, the valleys decked out in grain.” This provision yields a joy that expresses itself in songs of praise to God.

As I read these verses, I think that all of creation and all of humanity should be greatly blessed with all that we need. This is clearly God’s intent for the world that God designed and created. The hard reality, though, is that there is a great wrench that “we” have thrown into God’s plan. Greed and selfishness and the desire for power have twisted God’s plan and design. A very small few are greatly blessed in all ways. And while a good chunk in the middle are doing okay, a too-large group struggles daily for food, shelter, and security. How can we, as the people of God, move our world closer to what it was created to be?

Prayer: Lord God, likely as we read this we sit in the middle group – comfortable enough in life that it can feel okay to ignore those other groups. But, Lord, you call us to more. Awaken in us your spirit of generous abundance for all of creation. Move us to be people who speak and act in ways that bring about your intended world. Amen.


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May Your Kingdom Come

Reading: Joel 2:28-32

Joel 2:32 – “But everyone who calls on the Lord’s name will be saved.”

Moving from yesterday’s suffering, sin, repentance, and hope, today we move into and beyond the ‘now and not yet’ of Joel 2. Once God has brought the exiles home and returned abundance to the land and to the people of God… or at some point in the future… God says, “After that I will pour out my Spirit upon everyone…” For Joel and his audience, this would be when the Messiah came, inaugurating a new era with a new heaven and earth.

Just proceeding that new era, sons and daughters, old men and young men, even slaves, will receive the Spirit. They will speak of and dream of this new coming kingdom. On that day, when it comes, there will be “blood and fire and columns of smoke” and it will be a “great and dreadful day.” And there is a ‘but.’ In verse 32 we read, “But everyone who calls on the Lord’s name will be saved.” God’s faithful will be saved.

As the story of the Bible continues, thoughts on this day evolve and develop. When Jesus arrived, he brought a dramatic shift in the understanding of the new kingdom. Jesus is clear that Joel’s (and other’s) visions of the new heaven and earth will indeed be glorious on that day, but… But, Jesus said, the kingdom is here now. Jesus taught us disciples to pray, “may your kingdom come… may your will be done… on earth as it is in heaven.” The time that Joel speaks of? Jesus is clear: the time is now. All people – men, women, young, old, slaves, free, rich, poor… – all people can receive the Spirit. All people are invited to live in and to be a part of God’s kingdom here on earth. All who call on the Lord’s name will be saved. O Lord, may your kingdom come and may your will be done! And may it begin with us.

Prayer: Lord God, open wide the doors of our hearts and of our churches! Opened wide, use us to build this kingdom where all are welcomed, where all know that they are beloved of you, and of us. Opened wide, use us to declare that each person, created in your image, one and all, are invited to your table of grace. Use us, Lord, to make this beautiful kingdom a reality here and now. Amen.


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Our Response?

Reading: Joel 2:23-27

Joel 2:26 – “You will eat abundantly and be satisfied, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God.”

The book of Joel begins with a lament over the destruction of Israel and the causes of this great devastation. The invading armies are like locust – they strip the land bare and leave suffering in their wake. In response, Joel calls for fasting and repentance, both as means to draw close to God once again. Midway through chapter 2 God promises to respond to the changed hearts of the once again faithful people.

As we turn to verse 23, through Joel, God invites the “children of God” to rejoice and be glad. God promises to send rain upon the land, “a sign of righteousness.” This abundant rainfall will lead to an abundant harvest. The grain, grapes, and olives will fill threshing floors and storage vats. In stark contrast to the years of suffering and hunger, God says, “You will eat abundantly and be satisfied, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God.” The peoples’ shame will be no more and they will know “that I am the Lord your God.” God’s love and provision will be clearly evident.

For those who haven’t faced hunger as a way of life, think of recent images in Gaza, in slums outside major urban areas, in poverty-stricken third world nations. Many in our world and even in our nation lack food security. Recent policy changes will likely put more people into this situation. In these places of suffering and hunger, as it was for the people of Joel’s day, shame is often present. Living today in a land of great abundance, we must ask ourselves why hunger is such an overwhelming issue for so many people. It should not be so. As the people of God, what is our response to this injustice?

Prayer: Lord God, open our eyes and hearts to the food needs around us. Whether it is people living in “food deserts” or people wrestling with the decision to buy gas to get to work or to buy food to put on the table, raise up your people to respond. Move us out into the world, filled with compassion, bringing our abundance along with us. Lead us to care well for those created in your image, so that they too might “praise the name of the Lord.” Amen.


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Humble and Grateful Hearts

Reading: Deuteronomy 8:1-10

Deuteronomy 8:2 – “Remember the long road on which the Lord your God led you during these forty years, so he could humble you, testing you to find out what was in your heart.”

Photo credit: Ben White

God, through Moses, is preparing the Israelites to enter the Promised Land. This preparation, of course, began a long time ago. It began with the revelation of God’s power as God brought ten plagues against Egypt. The last, most powerful plague led to their freedom. Almost immediately they began to grumble and complain, against Moses and against God. Other miracle followed as God responded to their cries. Along the way, again through Moses, God taught the people how to live in right relationship with God and with one another. The ten commandments and other commands would become known collectively as “the Law.”

This was not an easy road, not a one-day crash course. In verse 2 we read, “Remember the long road on which the Lord your God led you during these forty years, so he could humble you, testing you to find out what was in your heart.” 40 years – long enough for the entire generation that left Egypt to die off. This process was meant to humble God’s people – a most necessary ingredient to live in right relationship with God and with one another. Moses then encourages the people to work at these relationships, keeping God’s commands by “walking in his way and by fearing him.” Honor and obey, revere and respect God and it will go well for you. The same is true for us today.

For the Israelites, these forty years have prepared them to enter the Promised Land with humble and grateful hearts. This land of abundance, a place “without any shortage,” will be a place where God’s people bless the Lord. The idea of abundance remains true. While true abundance comes in non-tangible ways, the Lord our God will provide all that we need too – when we walk with humble and grateful hearts in live in right relationship with God and with one another. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, in our seasons of humbling and refining, walk with us. In the times we wander in the wilderness, walk with us. In the moments of teaching and learning your will and way, walk with us. Shape and form us too, O Lord, to be your people. We ask all of this with humble and grateful hearts. Amen.


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Good, Holy, and Just

Reading: Revelation 22:1-5

Revelation 22:2 – “On each side of the river is the tree of life.”

Photo credit: Marek Piwnicki

As John’s vision continues the angel shows him “the river of life-giving water.” This river flows out from the throne of God and the Lamb, its life-giving power drawn directly from the Lord our God. The river flows down the middle of the main street and “On each side of the river is the tree of life.” The water and the tree – accessible to all people, just as God and Jesus are accessible to all people.

The tree of life, once in the Garden of Eden, now in the holy city, the new Jerusalem. The tree now provides food for all people as well as healing for all of the nations. The provision is in abundance and the healing is complete. There will be no hunger, want, or need. There will be no sin, no disease, no evil. All of this and more is implied as John writes, “There will no longer be any curse.” All pain, sorrow, envy, pride… gone!

In the new heaven and earth all will worship the Lord our God. All people will “see his face” and will be identified as belonging to the family of God. This too will be a return to the days in Eden when humanity walked and talked with God. God’s face will shine upon all people and together “they will rule forever and always.” The stewardship of creation, begun in Genesis, will be made complete and perfect in the new creation. All will be good and holy and just. Thanks be to God!

Prayer: Lord God, it is beautiful to see how your intent for the world will come to fruition. All that has been in decay and in states of separation will be made new again and will be united fully with you. Worshipping you alone, all people will be filled with your light and love. As we await this glorious day, O God, remind us to pray and work here and now, daily seeking to build this beautiful kingdom here on earth. Amen.


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God’s Promises

Reading: Numbers 13:25-33

Numbers 13:30 – “Now Caleb calmed the people before Moses and said, ‘We must go up and take possession of it, because we are more than able to do it.'”

This week, as we weave our way to the Jericho story and the fulfillment of some of God’s promises, we begin where most of us falter in our trust in said promises. In the story of God’s people, they have arrived on the edge of the Promised Land. In 13:1 God says to Moses, “Send out men to explore the land of Canaan, which I’m giving to the Israelites.” A leader from each of the twelve tribes is sent to explore the land which God promised to their ancestor, Abraham.

The twelve men return after exploring Canaan for forty days. Their report begins by stating that the land “actually is full of milk and honey.” This phrase is used often to describe the Promised Land – in Exodus 3 and 33, in Deuteronomy 6 and 26… It is a phrase that implies blessing and abundance. If this is actually true, then what of the promise given to Abraham and reiterated to Isaac, Jacob…?

The “but” comes next. There are powerful people living in huge fortified cities. And there are giants. The explorers mostly see challenge. Fear and doubt and mistrust rise up. Joshua and Caleb, though, see promise. It is Caleb who speaks up in faith, saying, “We must go up and take possession of it, because we are more than able to do it.” This is trusting in God’s promises. Fear, however, is greater this day. The men who felt like “grasshoppers” next to these giants convince the people that God’s promises cannot be trusted. There are giants there! They will return to wandering the desert until this generation dies off. Only Caleb and Joshua will one day enter the Promised Land.

Prayer: Lord God, in our hearts we know that your promises are true. You are always faithful and steadfast in your love for us, your people. Lord, in those moments when the world pushes up against our faith, in the times when fear and doubt rise, whisper into our hearts and minds. In your Spirit power, guide us to step forward unafraid, trusting in you alone. Amen.