pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

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For the Good of All

Reading: Galatians 5-6

Galatians 5:24 – “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the self with its passions and its desires.”

Photo credit: Nathan Lemon

Chapter 5 begins with a call to “stand firm” in the freedom found in Christ. As the chapter unfolds, it is standing firm in the law of love, not in circumcision or in the Law of Moses. Paul declares that the last two do not matter. What matters is “faith working through love.” Later, in verse 13, Paul encourages the Galatians to “serve each other through love.”

In verses 16-26 Paul unpacks “two different ways of living.” The first is living for self. This is the opposite of loving and serving one another. Paul provides a very lengthy list of selfish behaviors – yet we could each add to the list. Paul follows this with a list of the “fruit of the Spirit” – what John Wesley called “the essence of embodied Christianity.” A life lived for God and for neighbor would evidence “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” May this list typify us and our lives lived out in the world!

Chapter 6 opens with encouragement to hold one another accountable, to help one another, and to do a good job ourselves. Paul then reminds the church that we harvest what we plant. Plant selfishly, harvest devastation. Plant for the benefit of the Spirit, harvest eternal life. The body of the letter closes with the charge to “work for the good of all whenever we have the opportunity.” May it be so!

Prayer: Lord God, fill us with your presence and your love. Allow these to be what guides our thoughts, words, and actions. In this way, use us to reflect you into the world. Plant your words and your love in our hearts, using us to reap a harvest for your kingdom. Fill us, Lord, and lead us to be good in the world. Amen.


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Heart Treasure

Reading: Luke 12:22-34

Verse 33: “Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail.”

Yesterday we looked at Paul’s invitation to strain forward towards the prize that we will one day receive in heaven. Along this journey we can face many challenges. Sometimes we get stuck. This happens most often when the things of this world rise up, getting in the way of our faith. So today we turn to Luke 12 to hear Jesus’ words about an emotion that can be very hard to deal with or to push past: worry. We often get stuck when we become overly focused on our “stuff” – the things that make us feel safe and secure. Instead of looking heavenward, though, we choose to concern ourselves with the things of this world.

Jesus first addresses our basic needs: food, water, clothing. He begins with the ravens. Look how God feeds them! Jesus then points to the lilies – look at their splendor! With both examples, Jesus reminds us that we are far more valuable than birds or “the grass of the fields.” God knows we need these things and will meet our needs. Next, we are reminded to first seek the kingdom of God – the things not of this world. This is the greater need. Here too Jesus offers encouragement: “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.” This calls us to trust.

Jesus then addresses our actions step: “Sell all your possessions and give to the poor.” This action step sits at the core of who and what we trust. It calls us to trust at the deepest level. Like Abel, who gave to God from the firstborn lambs in Genesis 4, and like the widow who gave all she had to live on in Mark 13, can we also offer up our possessions to God, trusting that God will provide? Doing so we will “provide purses that will not wear out” for ourselves. Doing so, we will lead with the heart, the true source of our treasure – our faith in Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Lord God, we know that you love us beyond our understanding. We know that you care for us and for our well-being. We know the promises of presence and of resurrection life. Help us to loosen our grip on the things of this world, freeing us to better grasp the things of heaven. Amen.


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In Moses’ Place

Reading: Exodus 17:4-7

Verse 4: “What should I do with this people? They are getting ready to stone me.”

Photo credit: Clay Banks

Continuing in Exodus 17 we see that the Israelites continue their grumbling. They ask Moses if he really led them into the wilderness just to die of thirst. Did they really think that this was the plan? They are frustrated. Step after step has required going to God for some kind of intervention. And that step requires working through Moses. The people aren’t the only ones frustrated – and afraid and unsure. Moses cries out to God, saying, “What should I do with this people? They are getting ready to stone me.”

God responds but doesn’t directly address any of the frustration. There isn’t any reaction to the grumbling, quarreling, or crying out. God simply meets the need, this time for water. In doing so God also provides reassurance and evidence that God is with Moses, the chosen leader, and that God is with the Israelites. With elders along in witness roles, Moses strikes the rock at Horeb with his staff, providing water for all to drink. In this action, God gives answer to the question, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

At times we find ourselves in the place of Moses, responsible for making a decision or for taking action. Many will be looking to us. Our choice will affect others – maybe many others. In these places may we follow Moses’ example: go to God, gather trusted leaders, lead as God directs. Following these steps we too will show that, yes, God is among us.

Prayer: Lord God, lead and guide me in the decisions, actions, and choices that come before me. Draw me first to you, seeking your wisdom and direction, wanting to know your will and way. Bring around me good and trustworthy leaders, people who also have a heart for you. Together lead us forward in faith. Amen.


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Eyes, Heart, Hands and Feet

Reading: Genesis 29:15-30

Verse 27: “Finish this daughter’s bridal week; then we will give you the younger one also, in return for another seven years of work.”

Photo credit: Nick Fewings

As we continue in Genesis, we continue with the story of Jacob, the trickster and deceiver. If this story were just about Jacob perhaps we would feel bad for him because of how Laban tricked and deceived him. But Leah and Rachel are also part of this unfolding story that will continue. This week’s theme is about what is hidden and mixed in. It is about those God moments that we can miss if we’re not paying attention and if we’re not looking past the surface.

In Laban and Jacob’s day, treating women like property was the cultural norm. It was a male-dominated and male-focused world. Just reading verse 27, given above, is enough to paint the picture, to turn our stomachs a bit. But if we just shake our heads and leave the story here, we would be missing what God might want us to consider and ponder. Instead of treating them as property, what if we considered Leah and Rachel as people? In this whole story, how did they feel? How did being treated this way affect them, their relationship with one another, their relationships with Jacob, with Laban, and with God? So much to ponder.

As I think about this, I think about people today who are hidden and mixed in. I think about those in Ukraine, about those in limbo along our southern border, about those caught up in sex trafficking, about those living in poverty on the streets, about those living without hope on our reservations and inner cities. It is dangerous and maybe a little bit uncomfortable when we seek out and think about what can easily be hidden and mixed in. May the Lord indeed give us eyes to see, hearts to feel, hands and feet to move.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for leading me here today, for opening my mind and heart and eyes to the continuing realities in our world. Use me today to see the Leah’s and Rachel’s in our world. Use me today to hear their stories, to be love and grace and hope in action today. May it be so. Amen.


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Life or Death?

Reading: Romans 8:1-11

Verse 6: “The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.”

Photo credit: James A. Molnar

Turning to our Epistle reading today and tomorrow, Paul writes about “Life in the Spirit.” He begins with an important truth: there is no condemnation for those who believe in Jesus Christ. Yes, we still sin. But – thanks be to God – our sin does not have the final word. Christ’s love and grace and mercy has the final word. And it has already been spoken. Because of his death and resurrection, one day Jesus will “give life to your mortal bodies” as all who believe in Jesus will join him eternally.

In our passage Paul juxtaposes the will of the flesh and the will of the Spirit. In Paul’s actual words and in his way of thinking, “flesh” is our fallen human condition. It is our proclivity to sin. It is our tendency to idolatry – both to the things of this world and to self. It is not the physical body. These words and others like them have been misused to judge and enslave and marginalize those who were not white males. Sadly this continues to be some people’s reality today. Prayers for us to all see all people as equally beloved by God.

To help us move away from this harmful, destructive, distorted viewpoint, let us turn to verse 6. Here we read, “The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.” This verse places the battle between sin and life squarely in our minds. It removes the physical and emotional and places the battle solely in the spiritual realm. The mind controls our words, thoughts, actions, and inactions. We make choices. Sin or God? Love or hate? Welcome or exclusion? Life or death?

Prayer: Lord God, raise up and give strength to the will of the Spirit in my life. In your love, help me to die to self and to the sin it so easily leads to. Day by day, occupy more and more of my mind, more of my heart. Amen.


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How Might I Respond?

Reading: Genesis 22:1-14

Verse 12: “Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”

We begin this week with Genesis 22. I marvel at Abraham’s faith and commitment to God. In the last chapter he cast out his firstborn son into the wilderness. In today’s text God once again challenges Abraham, asking him to sacrifice Isaac. I look at Abraham’s faith and wonder how I would respond if I had to stand in his shoes.

In our text today God asks Abraham to do the unthinkable. Abraham cuts and gathers the wood. He prepares for the journey, taking with him the fire and the knife. Abraham journeys with Isaac and two servants towards the mountain. Leaving the servants behind as they near the mountain, Abraham and Isaac continue on. Each action and each step is a step in faith and trust.

When Isaac notes the wood and the fire, but asks about the lamb, Abraham responds, “God himself will provide the lamb.” Reaching the place, Abraham builds an altar, arranges the wood, and then binds and places Isaac on the altar. Knife in hand, Abraham is ready to follow through on God’s directive. It is here that an angel of the Lord intercedes, saying, “Do not lay a hand on the boy.”

Continuing, the angel says, “Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” Abraham has proven his faith. Put to the ultimate test, Abraham demonstrates his full trust in God. Again I wonder, how might I respond?

Prayer: Lord God, what an example of faith and trust in you! What a model of obedience. Lord, build up in me a faith and trust that would respond as Abraham responded. Amen.


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Praise the Lord!

Reading: Psalm 104:35b – “Praise the Lord, O my soul. Praise the Lord.”

Today’s reading is short and sweet. It centers on just one thing. So what does it mean or look like to praise the Lord?

The simplest and perhaps most obvious answer is worship. We gather together on a Sunday morning or a Saturday night or whenever to praise and worship the Lord. This formal setting often includes reading and proclaiming the scriptures, songs and/or hymns, prayer, and fellowship. There may be other elements too. These corporate gatherings are a way that we praise the Lord as the community of faith.

Some of these public worship practices are also a part of our personal faith life. In our daily quiet time we often read and meditate on scripture, we pray, and maybe we journal or write about our reflections on the word. In their quiet time some may thank God for their blessings, offer confessions… Each of these are also a means to praise the Lord.

Every time we listen to the Holy Spirit and follow the guidance or respond to the conviction with confession and repentance, we are praising the Lord. Being obedient and faithful to the voice or the nudge is another way that we bring praise to the Lord – by living a life of faith. The Holy Spirit often leads us to action: loving a neighbor, helping one in need, bringing consolation to the grieving… Not only is being the hands and feet of Jesus an act of praise – it invites the other to praise the Lord for what has been done on their behalf.

As we seek to live a life that praises the Lord, in what other ways do you praise the Lord?

Prayer: Lord God, you are ever present in my life. So I ask that you would use me today ever as a means of praise – whether it is me praising you in word or action or if it is these things drawing another to praise you. Amen.


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Cry Out, Trust, Act

Reading: Habakkuk 1:1-4

Verse 3: “Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong?”

Photo credit: Mukund Nair

We begin the week with the prophet Habakkuk. He wrote in about 600 BC, in the years just after the Babylonians destroyed Israel and took many away into exile. The leaders of Israel had wandered from God, taking the people with them. Living in sin and ignoring God’s laws had a devastating impact. It led to a time of great suffering – both for those led away and for the remnant left behind. Most of the people were adrift and disconnected from God. It is into this situation that Habakkuk asks God, “How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen?” How long God must I ask for help turning these lost souls back to you? This is a great question we too ask when we look at our world today.

In verse 3 the prophet laments, asking, “Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong?” This is an extension of the ‘how long?’ question. Habakkuk asks God how long must they suffer. How long must we pay the price for our sin? These are questions that reveal deep faith in God. They are in the situation they are in because God is just. The prophet questions and cries out as a witness to his faith. Habakkuk seeks God because he believes that only God can move the people from faithless to faithful. The prophet knows that God alone has the power to save them.

As we look at our world today we can identify areas of injustice and of suffering. We too can cry out to God, asking ‘how long?’ As we cry out to God, may we, like Habakkuk, do so trusting that God is mighty and powerful and just. In faith may we trust in God’s good purposes. And, like the prophet, may we too come to see that God has a role for us to play in bringing healing and wholeness to the pain and brokenness of our world.

Prayer: Lord God, open my eyes to see the places in need of your love and healing. Fill my heart with compassion and empathy. And then move me to action, to a part to play in helping others to experience your power to save and to restore and to redeem. Amen.


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In Word and Deed

Reading: 2nd Timothy 4:1-5

Verse 2: “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction.”

Photo credit: Ditto Bowo

Pushing on into 2nd Timothy 4 today we hear the charge given to young Timothy: “Preach the word.” While this charge is given within the context of being a leader in the church, it is a charge that goes out to all who follow Jesus. In all churches there is a pastor or a priest and then there are the ministers – all the people of the church. A saying that I love that goes along with this charge is commonly associated with Francis of Assisi and goes something like this: “Preach the gospel always; use words when necessary.” We are all charged with sharing the good news of Jesus Christ – however and whenever and wherever we can.

Paul encourages Timothy to be prepared “in season and out of season.” Another translation says to be prepared when the time is “favorable or unfavorable.” The gist here is to be ready to share the good news always – whether on Sunday morning or Tuesday afternoon, whether with a fellow believer or an atheist, whether at work or at the local grocery store… Always present yourself as one who is ready to live and love well.

The action verbs come next. Live the gospel ready to “correct, rebuke, and encourage.” Be willing to speak the truth to people. It’s not always what they want to hear. It’s still the truth. And encourage, encourage, encourage. Lift others up with our words. Make people feel loved. Don’t tear down. Don’t build walls. And then comes the ‘how’: “with great patience and careful instruction.” Speak with gentleness and kindness. Offer words in love and compassion. Think before you speak or act.

All of this is so important because people today still have what Paul calls “itchy ears.” People want to hear what suits them. So they listen to people that fit their worldly lifestyle and goals. But one after another after another leaves them unsatisfied, empty, still itching. The only scratch that hits that spot, the only thing that fills that hole is Jesus Christ. So preach the word my friend. In word and in deed, ever share the good news of Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for the reminder today. May I ever ‘preach’ the good news. Use me as you will to communicate the gospel to others, in whatever ‘language’ is needed at the time. Amen.


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The Choice

Reading: Luke 16:10-13

Verse 13: “No one can serve two masters.”

Continuing on with his teaching about using earthly wealth for God’s glory, Jesus speaks in today’s verses about being faithful. In verses 10-12 Jesus takes aim at our trustworthiness. He says that if we are trustworthy with a little, then we will be trustworthy with a lot. Or if we are not trustworthy with a little, then we won’t be trustworthy with a lot. The little decisions and ways we prioritize and act indicate how we will choose and act when it really counts. Who and what we are and whose we are at our core will shine through, both in the big and in the small things.

Connecting to the parable, Jesus reiterates that if we are not trustworthy with earthly wealth, then why would we be trusted with eternal riches? If we can’t be trusted with using earthly wealth for God’s glory, then how can God give us something if eternal worth? But if we can and do use the things of this earth – which are all God’s anyway – to build the kingdom here on earth, then we will be given a place in eternity.

Driving the point of all this home, in verse 13 Jesus says, “No one can serve two masters.” He is drawing a hard line in the sand. Jesus is telling us we must choose: God or money? One will become our priority, our focus, that which drives all of our decisions and actions. One will come to consume us, to define us, to be our true love. What is my choice? What is your choice?

Prayer: Lord God, in many ways and with many voices, I am told to do more, to be more, to earn more. These are the din of the world. Yet your still, small voice rings true, telling me that you are more than enough. You call me to trust you and, in turn, to help others to choose you over all else. In the power of the Holy Spirit, may it be so. Amen.