pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

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Christ Reigns!

Reading: Colossians 1:15-20

Colossians 1:18 – “He is the head of the body, the church… firstborn from among the dead so that he might occupy first place in everything.”

In today’s hymn of praise Paul elevates Jesus to his rightful place: the one who is supreme over all of creation – past, present, and future. Paul begins by identifying who Jesus is: “the image of the invisible God.” In the flesh, dwelling here on earth, Jesus revealed fully who and what God is. Then Paul connects Jesus to the very beginning, to Genesis 1, stating that “all things were created by him.” Paul unpacks “all” a bit to help us understand the totality of Christ’s reign. “All” includes things visible and invisible, including all powers and rulers. Paul doubles down, declaring that Jesus existed before all things and that in Christ, “all things are held together.” Christ reigns over all of creation! Hallelujah!

In verse 18 Paul then writes, “He is the head of the body, the church… firstborn from among the dead so that he might occupy first place in everything.” Here Paul enters the now and then. Jesus is the head of the church now and into the future, giving guidance, direction, strength… through his Spirit. And Jesus is the path to the next life, the way to eternity. Through the cross and his blood, Jesus made a way for all things to be reconciled to God, to be made right with God.

This act of surrender was not just at the cross. The fullness of God also surrendered, taking on flesh, experiencing suffering and sorrow, doubt and temptation. God chose this because God longs to be in relationship with us. God in the flesh walked as one of us so that we could become one with him. Hallelujah and amen!

Prayer: Lord God, alpha and omega, beginning and end, first and last, you are in all things and all things were created for your glory. We are created in your image, made to be your heart and hands and feet in this world, just as Jesus was. When we fail to honor you, reconcile us. Use us to reveal to the world what it is to live daily with you on the throne of our hearts. Amen.


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Live in Love

Reading: 2nd John

2nd John 1:6 – “This is love: that we live according to his commands. This is the command that you heard from the beginning: live in love.”

2nd John is a short letter from “the elder” (likely John the apostle) to the “chosen gentlewoman” (likely a personification of a local house church.) The letter begins by expressing joy over some that are “living in the truth.” These believers are being faithfully obedient, living an active faith out in the world. This joy then becomes an invitation as the elder invites all in this community of faith to be love in action. In verse 6 we read, “This is love: that we live according to his commands. This is the command that you heard from the beginning: live in love.” This community of faith is being called to demonstrate God’s love for them to others – to those both inside and outside the church. This continues to be the call for all Christian communities of faith.

The elder also addresses false teaching. These false teachers, later known as Docetists, were teaching that Jesus did not come in a real body. They taught that Jesus just “appeared” to have a body. Imagine what this teaching would mean to the incarnation, the crucifixion, the resurrection, and to recent readings about Jesus emptying himself, laying aside equality with God to walk with us. The elder warns the faith community about receiving or welcoming these teachers into their homes. To bring a false teacher into the place that the community of faith met would be to affirm their teachings.

The letter closes by stating that there is much more to say. The elder hopes to visit, to see this faith community face to face. Being present to one another is the best way to “live in love.” May it be so for you and for me.

Prayer: Lord God, lead us today to be love lived out loud in the world. In all ways, may we seek to love you through loving neighbor and stranger alike. Guide us to walk in your truths. Protect us from falsehoods and the ways of the world. Amen.


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Light and Love to the World

Reading: 1st John 1-3

1st John 3:9 – “Those born from God don’t practice sin because God’s DNA remains in them.”

The opening of 1st John echoes the words and feel of John’s gospel: from the beginning, life was revealed, fellowship with the Father and Son. There is also his firsthand testimony to Jesus’ life. “We” have seen him, heard him, touched him.

John then launches into “living in the light.” Jesus is the light and in him there is no darkness. Living in the light we have fellowship with Jesus and with one another. Living in the light we find forgiveness of sins. John adds, “The one who claims to remain in him ought to live like him.” We should strive to emulate Jesus’ example. As we read on, John equates living in the light to two things: loving God/others and keeping God’s commands. If we love our brothers and sisters, then we remain in the light. But if we hate our brothers and sisters, then we are living in darkness (or sin.) Similarly, if we love the things of this world instead, then we are of the world, living in darkness.

1st John briefly addresses the “antichrists” that have come from within the faith communities. These false teachers have distorted the good news, denying God. John reminds the believers of the Spirit’s anointing that keeps them in relationship with God. This relationship is rooted in love. It was love that makes us God’s children. It is love that keeps us from sinning. In 3:9 John connects these dots, writing, “Those born from God don’t practice sin because God’s DNA remains in them.” The Spirit of God, dwelling in our hearts, empowers us to live and to keep the commands. Echoing James’ words, John encourages us to lay self down for others, loving in action and truth. May it be so for you and for me.

Prayer: Lord God, as you have loved us, making us part of your family, may we love others, drawing them into the family. Empower us to love well as you guard our hearts against loving the things of this world. May we be light to the darkness of this world, love to the hate. Amen.


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God Gets It

Reading: Proverbs 7-8

‭Ecclesiastes 7:14 – “When times are good, enjoy the good; when times are bad, consider: God has made the former as well as the latter.”

Chapter 7 begins with a reality. “The day of death is better than the birthday.” At the end of life one can reflect on the person’s good name. Death is all people’s fate so we should all “take it to heart.” Along these lines the sage notes that the end (or completion) of something is better than its beginning. Then we are reminded, “When times are good, enjoy the good; when times are bad, consider: God has made the former as well as the latter.” But, alas, sometimes it is still pointless too. Sometimes the righteous die young and the wicked enjoy long life. And then come some true words of wisdom: remember, there is no one so righteous that they never make a mistake (sin.) How true, how true.

Chapter 8 begins with the questions, “Who is wise? And who knows the meaning of anything?” Hope follows: keep the commands and meet no harm. The wise know there is a right time and place for everything. Yet human misfortunes are overwhelming because we don’t know when they will happen.

In verses 11-14 it feels like we’re spinning. Wrongdoers sin and sin but still live long lives. It’ll go well for those who fear God. It will not go well for the wicked. The righteous get what the wicked deserve and vice versa. The Teacher is right, “this too is pointless.”

Our reading closes with the commendation to enjoy life: eat, drink, be glad. These things accompany hard work. But, alas, no one can grasp what happens under the sun. Even the wise cannot grasp it. God gets it. God gets us. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, when it feels like it does for the Teacher, remind us of your presence, of your guidance, of your truth that we can find in and through the Holy Spirit. When life makes no sense, when it does seem unfathomable, hold us tight, maybe even carry us. Thank you for your constant and abiding loving presence always. Amen.


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Fellowship with the Light

Reading: 1st John 1: 1-5

Verse 3: “We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you may have fellowship with us”.

In his first letter John proclaims the life of Jesus and the eternal life of Jesus. Just as he did in his gospel, John begins our passage today by reminding us that Jesus Christ was present with God at the beginning, in the creation of the world. John goes on to state that he himself has heard, seen, and even touched the physical Jesus. John did so for three years as a follower of Jesus. He was also blessed to see, hear, and touch the resurrected Jesus, “the eternal life”. John shares all of this firsthand evidence to let his readers know that Jesus was really real and that the resurrection really happened.

There is a point to John’s sharing of these facts. In verse three he writes, “We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you may have fellowship with us”. John shares his experiences with Jesus so that we too may know Jesus and can have fellowship “with us”. John goes on to define “us” in the next verse. Fellowship is not just with John or with the community of faith, but it is also with God the Father and with Jesus Christ, his Son. Christian fellowship always includes the divine. Without this holy presence we are simply friends gathering for a social function.

Much of the world prefers to function on this surface level – pleasant hellos and how are yous, general acceptance, polite conversations… Deadening all this is the constant noise and buzz of information that we seem to prefer to live amidst. It is refreshing to pause and to feel and hear John’s excitement surrounding his real experience with Jesus Christ. It is inviting. This shines out in verse five where John writes, “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all”. There is no noise, no buzz. The light is clear and bright. In the light we can see things as they are. It is easy to understand what we touch and are touched by. In the light, our journey of faith follows a clear path, easily seen as we study and learn about Jesus Christ. It is in this process that we too see, hear, and touch Jesus himself. As knowledge leads to belief, we are increasingly seen, touched by, and heard by Jesus the divine. Our fellowship with him deepens and our joy is ever made more complete. Thanks be to God for our fellowship with the light!

Prayer: Lord of life, continue to draw me into your son Jesus. As I walk each day, help me to see, hear, and touch Jesus both in my times of prayer and study and in my encounters with others in the world. To God be the glory! Amen.


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Great in Love, Rich in Mercy

Reading: Ephesians 2: 1-5

Verse 4: “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ”.

Today’s passage is all about the change that God has made in us. Before Christ we were as Paul writes: “dead in our transgressions and sins”. We lived a life focused on self and on doing whatever we wanted to please self and our earthly desires. We lived according to the “ways of the world” and we were “disobedient” to God. For many of us older folks that meant distancing ourselves from the faith of our childhood and from the faith of our parents. For the younger readers, a larger segment grew up without a childhood church or faith. For all who came to faith the realization came that the things of this world are temporary. They never really satisfy or bring meaning and purpose to this life. Peace, contentment, joy… only come through the eternal relationship that we find in Jesus Christ.

Why didn’t God leave us there, dead in our sin? Why did God continue to pursue us even when we were running from him? We find our answer in verse four: “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ”. God’s love is greater than our sin. We were created to be in relationship with God and with one another. God calls and woos and chases us until we make the choice to invite him into our hearts or until we draw our last earthly breath. Faith, however, does not stop at our decision for Christ. Once we accept Christ we are not finished. It is just the beginning of our faith journey. We are not suddenly sinless. Satan continues to pursue us, often with renewed passion, enticing and tempting the flesh still within us. Yet the battle is different, it is changed. The field is no longer level. With Christ alive in us, we do not fight alone. The Holy Spirit leads and guides, convicts and corrects, ever helping us to choose Christ over the world, good over evil, light over darkness.

Lent is a season that reminds us of this battle, that draws us into combat. In Lent we are called again and again to look within, to seek out the parts of us that still need to yield to Christ’s authority and reign. In this seeking and yielding it is grace and mercy that provide the way. In love it is God’s grace and mercy that say our past doesn’t matter, that our selfishness or pride or fear doesn’t control us anymore, that we are loved just as we are. In the season of Lent and in the hard work that we are called to, this is the good news: we are loved, we are forgiven, we are saved by grace. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your love that is so deep that I cannot ever reach the bottom. Thank you for your love that is so wide that I cannot ever see the other side. Thank you for your love that always surrounds me, even when I stumble and fall. What great love. Amen.


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Calling Them to Come

Mark 1: 1-5

Verse 4: “John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins”.

Last week we began Advent with the end of the story – the end of the age when Jesus will return in power and might. This week we jump back to the beginning of the story, with the ministry of John the Baptist. Mark begins his gospel quoting from two of the many Old Testament passages that point to Jesus Christ, the full revelation of God. Mark describes John’s ministry simply: “John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins”. John set up outside of the temple, outside of Jerusalem – outside of all civilization for that fact. He was calling people back to a simpler way of life from a simple place: the wilderness. It was not a place to come and stay. It was a place to come to, to do what needed done, and to return home from.

As I try to imagine John out there in the wilderness, my mind thinks of “bullhorn guy”. He is that person standing on the street corner, yelling at people through a bullhorn, telling folks that they will end up in hell because of their sins. People tend to go the long way around street corners such as these. We, in general, do not like to consider our sins, much less confess them in public on a street corner. Although the basic message is the same – repent of your sins – John must have been as far from the bullhorn guy as one could get. Mark writes, “The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to see him”. There were, of course, some curious folks who went out to see what all this was about. These folks appear in our churches once in a while. A bump in life leads them to check out this faith thing. Others come to appease a significant other or their family at the holidays. The religious leaders showed up too. Not to be prepared or to confess or to be baptized, but to assess the threat to their own power. A lot of people were going to see John. But most people, large numbers of people, went to see John to be made right with God. In verse five we read, “Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him”. They emerged from the waters ready to live a new, more faithful life.

There was a hunger to be close to God, to be a better person, to live a more holy life. This is what drew people out into the wilderness to hear John’s message and to be changed. John called the people to more. As we too live out our days, may our witness call people to more. This day and each day, may our friends and neighbors, our co-workers and classmates – may they see the hope, peace, joy, and love of Christ within us, calling them to more.

Prayer: Lord God, may I be an example of your will and way. May all I do and say and think point people to you and to the saving relationship that you offer in and through Jesus Christ. Amen.


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Reign Supreme

Reading: Colossians 1: 10-20

Verse 18: “He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy”.

The first half of our passage deals with living a life worthy of the Lord and pleasing to the Lord. This involves bearing fruit, growing in our faith, and joyfully thanking God for our blessings. Living this way allows us to share in our inheritance. That is the gift of walking in the light as a child of God. All of this was the focus of yesterday’s devotional.

Today we turn to verses fifteen through twenty. In these verses Paul establishes the supremacy of Jesus Christ. Jesus has been and continues to be. He is both the firstborn of all creation and the firstborn from the dead. He holds all things together. Jesus is able to do so because “all things were created for him and by him”. The fullness of God dwelled in him during the years he walked the earth. At the end of this time, all things were reconciled to him through his blood shed on the cross. My Bible describes this as “making peace through his blood”. Jesus is the atoning sacrifice that paid the price for our sin. The making of peace is with God.

Jesus is the first and the last, the beginning and the end. All things came from him and he is the one whose blood allows us to be made right with God. All this so that “in everything he might have the supremacy”. Jesus is the Lord of life and the Lord over sin and death. In him all things hold together. Jesus desires to be first in everything. The words say “might have”. It is not a done deal – it is a choice. Will you allow Jesus first place in your heart, in your life? May it be so.

Prayer: God, when there was nothing in existence, there was Jesus. When all that we know here and now is no more, there will be Jesus. In the space in between that I now dwell, may Christ be first in all things – in my heart, in my mind, in my will, in my words and actions. May Jesus Christ reign supreme in my life. Amen.


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Sing for Joy!

Reading: Psalm 98

Verse One: “Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous things”.

The opening line of Psalm 98 is beautiful: “Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous things”.  Part of the role that the Holy Spirit plays in our lives is to lead us into these joyful moments of song for what the Lord has done.  The psalmist is calling for joyous song in response to the salvation worked by the Lord.  For all who are saved, we can lift a joyous “Hallelujah”!  It is within a loving, personal relationship that we each find salvation.  Verse three continues this idea of joy by reminding each of us that “He has remembered His love”.  God is always loving and faithful to His children, to you and me.

The theme of joyous celebration continues in the next verse as the psalmist writes, “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth”.  All this joy comes from the ways in which the Lord has fulfilled His promise to walk with the faithful and to one day restore all of creation.  In the meantime, God continues to be at work in the world.  And sometimes it is through you and me.  Those times also bring us joy and lead us to songs of praise.

As we draw to a close of 2017, we are naturally more aware of the end of some things and the beginnings of other things.  In each end we find a new beginning.  Sometimes in the past year there have been joyful ends and we we rejoice in these.  At other times, the ends have brought pain and heartache.  Yet in all cases, we know two things.  First, new beginnings are full of hope and promise because we know that God has good plans for all who believe.  Second, we know that God is ever-faithful and that God will continue to walk beside us in all the highs and lows, always bringing us hope and love.  In all of this, we sing for joy!

As we come near to the closing of another year, I invite you to sing a song of joy in your heart for what God has done, for what God is doing, and for what God will do in the year ahead.  In all things, He is with us.  Thanks be to God!  Joy to all!


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Among Us

Reading: John 1: 1-6 and 19-28

Verse 26: “Among you stands one you do not know”.

John’s gospel begins in the beginning – literally – stating that Jesus was there at the beginning of it all.  Jesus is the creator, the giver of all life.  Jesus is the light that shines into the darkness.  Jesus has been present to mankind since the beginning of time.  For the Israelites, it feels almost that long that they have been waiting for the Messiah.  Their collective journey of faith has been long and winding, filled with ups and downs for a long time now.  And for a long time, hundreds of year now, they have been waiting for, longing for, anticipating the coming of the One.  It has been 400 years since the last prophet of God even spoke, so John the Baptist draws a crowd when he begins to preach and baptize out in the wilderness.

As a little buzz begins to grow around John, the religious leaders send out some investigators to find out just who John the Baptist really is.  It sort of sounds like he could be the One.  In response to the investigators initial question, John responds clearly, “I am not the Christ”.  For all real purposes, they quit listening.  But then they remember they were sent to find out, so they continue to ask who he is.  Okay then, who are you?  John tells them he is not Elijah returned or any other prophet that they know.  He simply tells them that he is the messenger that Isaiah prophesied.  John quotes from Isaiah 40, saying, “I am the voice of one calling out in the desert, ‘Make straight paths for the Lord'”.  Instead of hearing that the Messiah is about to emerge, they turn to other questioning, giving evidence that they did not really hear this answer either.  The religious leaders miss the point of why John is here.  It is not about John or what he is doing, it is about what is about to happen.  You’d think that for a people waiting hundreds of years for the Messiah, they’d be all over John’s news.

Many people are right here today, just where the religious leaders are.  They sense there must be more to life, they want more for their life, they sense the possibilities.  John says to the religious leaders, “Among you stands one you do not know”.  This remains true today.  Jesus is still right here, right now.  He stands among us.  May we, like John the Baptist, be the voices calling out in the wilderness today, helping others to know the One who stands among us, Jesus Christ.