pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

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Stepping Out

Reading: Genesis 12:1-2

Genesis 12:1 – “Leave your land, your family, and your father’s household for the land that I will show you.”

Moving someplace new can be exciting, but is often scary and disorienting. Sometimes when someone else moves, it can raise our anxiety and fears. Several years ago, our son and daughter-in-law decided to move to “a city” after finishing college. No, they didn’t have jobs. As they considered Seattle, Atlanta, and Fort Worth, we were greatly relieved when they chose Fort Worth. Alex’s Dad lived there. Family would be nearby. Phew.

Turning to Genesis 12:1-4 today and tomorrow, we can imagine that Abram and Sarai and even Terah, Abram’s father, felt some of what we felt and more. In verse 1 God says to Abram, “Leave your land, your family, and your father’s household for the land that I will show you.” God is asking Abram to leave everything he knows: homeland, security, family, support, place of worship, guidance. This in and of itself is a BIG ask. Add in the kicker – “for the land that I WILL show you” – and it requires radical obedience for Abram to pack up and go. As John Wesley wrote, Abram was wrestling with “whether he could trust God further than he saw God.” How true!

This challenging invitation does come with some promises from God. God will make Abram into a great nation and will bless him. Childless yet at age 75, to step into these promises also required great faith and trust – and a willingness to enter into a place of vulnerability. While God could call us to do what Abram was called to do, our callings and invitations are relatively “smaller.” Yet whether it is to step into a new role or career or to reach out to reconcile that broken relationship or whatever God asks if us, the divine call asks for faith, trust, obedience, and often for vulnerability. As God calls, may we too step out in faith, believing in what we cannot yet see.

Prayer: Lord God, your Spirit calls and invites us to step out frequently, if not daily, asking us to go where you need us to go. Sometimes it is to stretch or grow our own faith and trust. Other times it is to share our faith and your love, grace, provision, presence… with others. In all cases, strengthen and encourage us to faithfully obey you as we walk in faith. Amen.


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Answer the Call

Reading: Matthew 5:17-20

Matthew 5:19b – “But whoever keeps these commands and teaches others to keep them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

Turning to verses 17-20 today, Jesus connects being salt and light to fulfilling the words of the Law and the prophets. Jesus came as God in the flesh, as one who would model God’s heart being lived out in the world. In Jesus’ words and actions, we see the depth and breadth of God’s love, mercy, and grace. To get an idea of how Jesus teaches us to fulfill the Law, read the rest of chapter 5.

Returning to today’s reading, Jesus then declares that those who ignore God’s heart and who teach others to do the same, they will be “the lowest in the kingdom of heaven.” Later in our passage, we see that Jesus is speaking of the overtly religious of his day. The Pharisees and legal experts knew the letter of the Law inside out. The living out of the heart of the Law was where they struggled. In the context of yesterday’s reading, they knew what it meant to be salt and light, but they were not being salt and light.

Jesus then proclaims, “But whoever keeps these commands and teaches others to keep them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” To keep the heart of God as one’s guide in all of life, this is our call. We teach best by example. That was Jesus’ model. The Law is centered on love – God’s love for all of us, our love for God, our love for neighbor. It is love that guides us and leads us to be people of mercy, grace, forgiveness, hope, repentance, generosity, justice, humility… This is the righteousness that Jesus describes. It is the righteousness that God calls us to. May we answer the call every day.

Prayer: Lord God, help us to not just be hearers but also doers. Yes, we know we are to love you and to love neighbor. Move us beyond our head knowledge, out into the world. Shape and form us to be people who love practically and tangibly, who practice grace and forgiveness in every opportunity. Use us to restore broken relationships and to redeem unjust practices and systems. In these ways, may your righteousness and glory be revealed to the world. Amen.


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Alignment

Reading: Isaiah 58:1-9a

Isaiah 58:6 – “Isn’t this the fast I choose: releasing wicked restraints, untying the rope of a yoke, setting free the mistreated…?”

As we delve into the words of the prophet today and tomorrow, we do so recognizing the truth in Isaiah’s words yet today. God instructs the prophet to “shout loudly… Announce to my people their crime.” This echoes Micah’s words from last week. The people of Isaiah’s day seek God, yet abandon God. How does this work? Just as it does today. They want to be close to God but they live as if they did not know God. They are focused on self. The people of God “oppress all your workers… You quarrel and brawl.” These actions do not reflect a heart aligned with God’s will and way.

Starting in verse 6, God describes alignment: “Isn’t this the fast I choose: releasing wicked restraints, untying the rope of a yoke, setting free the mistreated…?” God desires a fast that changes hearts, that brings alignment with God’s heart. God’s kingdom on earth will not limit access to community, will not mistreat the other, will not keep people enslaved. It will be a place where all eat, where all are housed, where all are clothed, where all are included. This is the kingdom here on earth that I long for. Do you long for it? What am I, what are you doing to help make this kingdom a reality?

Isaiah looks forward, beginning in verse 8. The prophet shares the outcome of true alignment with God’s heart. Our light will “break out like the dawn” – spreading far and wide, touching every soul. Healing will come quickly and righteousness will guide all of our ways. Aligned with the heart of God, when we call out, God will quickly respond, “I’m here.” God will be with us as we are with God. O Lord, bring the day.

Prayer: Lord God, continue to unsettle us. Continue to open our eyes and hearts to the injustice, oppression, and violence of our time. Continue to raise our awareness of and response to those who live without the basics: food, clothing, shelter, safety, community. Continue to align our hearts with your heart, O God. Walking in step with you, use us to heal our broken land. Amen.


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Called Yet Today

Reading: 1st Corinthians 1:26-31

1st Corinthians 1:27-28 – “God chose what the world considers foolish… weak… low-class and low-life…”

Turning to our Epistle again this week, Paul invites the believers in Corinth to remember their old selves. This is a good exercise to practice every once in a while. Take a few moments right now to think back to significant events in your faith journey. This might be a conversion moment, a light bulb experience, a time of support or comfort or strength in a difficult time or season in your life… Take a moment to remember and give thanks to God…

In today’s passage, Paul reminds these believers that they did not generally come from the ranks of the “wise… powerful… upper-class.” This reality began in the incarnation and continued in the call of the disciples – and continues yet today. In verses 27-28 we read, “God chose what the world considers foolish… weak… low-class and low-life…” Through such people, God took what the world saw and sees as wise, strong, important… and reduced all of this to nothing. These worldly titles, accolades, desires – they are really nothing in the kingdom of God. That is why fishermen and tax collectors and prostitutes were called. And it is why mothers and emergency room nurses and pastors and shop keepers and… are called yet today to bring peace and healing to our divided and broken world. It is why God calls you and me.

This work of making earth “as it is in heaven” began with Christ. Then through death, God raised Jesus up, defying the two things that all the power in the world cannot defeat: sin and death. Since then, God has called the faithful to defeat the present evils of this world: hate, violence, division, injustice, poverty, power over… God doesn’t just call. God also equips and prepares. Those moments we recalled at the start of this time, the roiling that you feel in your gut right now – all ways God is equipping and preparing us. God makes us “righteous and holy” and God will “deliver us,” some to bring peace and justice, some to pray and love, and, yes, some even unto death.

Prayer: Lord God, help us to hear your call. Open our ears and eyes to the ways that you call every single one of us to resist evil and to fight for justice. Empower our prayers, our words, our actions – whatever we have to offer to bring about peace and wholeness in our world. Grant us the courage and strength to do your will. Thank you, Lord. Amen.


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Light, Guide Our Way

Reading: Isaiah 9:1-4

Isaiah 9:4 – “You’ve shattered the yoke that burdened them.”

The first section of Isaiah speaks of God’s sovereignty and calls the people away from sin. Running throughout chapters 1-39 are words that speak of the consequences of sinful living. The defeat and time in exile feel like a train barreling down the tracks – swift and unavoidable. Here and there, though, we find words of future hope sprinkled in amongst the doom and gloom. This mirrors Israel’s political history. Ever since the time of King David, a string of evil and bag kings is halted by a good and righteous king. After a short time, the evil and bad king run begins again. This promise of “a great light” would raise up hope for a good and righteous king to once again restore Israel.

The hope of being a great nation, of again experiencing joy in the land, of seeing abundance in the harvest – these words sound wonderful to a people headed into a time of suffering and exile. These words tell the people that this coming hard time will not last forever. To be honest, I often feel like Israel must’ve felt. I need to hear these words and to believe that our current darkness will not last forever. I need hope stirred up in me – that the poor will be fed and clothed and sheltered, that the marginalized will be welcomed in, that those living in fear will know peace.

Verse 4 shouts hope to such as these. Here we read, “You’ve shattered the yoke that burdened them.” In Isaiah’s time, the system was broken. A good king could only undo so much evil before the darkness rise up anew. Today, much feels broken. Many systems need to be changed, to be made anew. We need the light of Christ to guide our way to being a more just land. Oppressing and arresting and abusing vast swaths of certain ethnic groups is not the way to fix a broken system. There is not a simple or easy solution. But if we choose to be light in the darkness and if we allow the light of Christ to guide our way, then we will find a just and right solution. May your light shine in and through us, O Lord, bringing hope and peace, justice and grace to our land. May it be so, O God. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, the rod of the oppressor is heavy on the backs of the vulnerable. The fear of unjust actions is running high in many places. There is a cleansing that needs to occur, a revision that must happen. Lord, let your light guide us to establishing a more just world. Guide us with peace, compassion, and empathy as we work our way to the world you envision. Amen.


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Strength and Peace

Reading: Psalm 29:6-11

Psalm 29:11 – “Let the Lord give strength to his people! Let the Lord bless his people with peace!”

Verses 6-9 demonstrate the power of God’s voice. Nations and mountains “jump around” like young animals at play, going here and there with no reason. Fire and earthquakes rattle the land. The forests are stripped bare. These physical events happen in our created world, revealing the power of God. In our lives, times of suffering and loss and trial can make us feel like the created world must have felt. The loss of a loved one, the end of an important relationship, an unwanted change, a health crisis – these events can disorient us, can shake us, can make us feel bare and vulnerable. And events in our world – things that have nothing to do with us directly – can have the same impact, bringing hurt, lament, and even anger at times.

Verse 10 reminds us that God “sits enthroned over the flood waters.” In the wake of the disaster – physical or emotional or relational – God is present and in control. In the aftermath of loss, in the valley of grief, in the wilderness of despair, God is present and in control. God does not abandon us. God remains with us. God reigns over all of creation, including you and me. So let us declare verse 11 as our prayer and hope for today and every day: “Let the Lord give strength to his people! Let the Lord bless his people with peace!” May it be so for us all.

Prayer: Lord God, be with us. Be our strength. Be our peace. Lord God, be with our world. Bring strength to our world. Bring peace to our world. In a world with too much unjust violence, in a world with too many abuses of power, in a world with too little love for one another, be our strength and our peace. Lord, fill us with your strength and peace. When full, God, send us out into this broken and hurting world, bringing your strength and peace with us. Amen.


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Almighty and All-Powerful

Reading: John 1:10-18

John 1:14 – “The Word became flesh and made his home among us. We have seen his glory… full of grace and truth.”

Continuing in John 1 today, in verses 10 and 11, we find a reality that remains true today. Christ’s light is in the world. We see it in the little miracles and we feel it in the moments when the presence of the divine is tangible. All people, at points in their lives, see and sense the almighty and all-powerful God, yet many choose to ignore it or to reject it for what it is. Many consequently refuse to welcome Christ into their hearts.

Many other people do encounter the divine and they make the decision to believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. For all who welcome Jesus into their hearts and lives, Christ “authorizes” them to become “children of God.” Being born anew, not of the flesh but of the Spirit, we personally experience what John described long ago as “made his home among them.” It was a present and physical reality in John’s day as “the Word became flesh.” Since Jesus’ death and resurrection, the Holy Spirit has come and continues to come to all believers, dwelling in and making his home in our hearts.

For John and others that lived at the time of Jesus, they received grace and truth as it was lived out in the person of Jesus. Just as Moses gave the Law long ago, Jesus laid down, by his example and teachings, the new law of love and grace and truth. Jesus fulfilled the Law, showing humanity the true heart of God. This example and way of being in the world revealed the glory of God to humankind, making God known in a more personal and intimate way. For this life and this example, we say, thanks be to God!

Prayer: Lord God, sometimes it is hard to fathom why someone so almighty and all-powerful would choose to step away from heaven, to come to this broken world, to live amongst sinful and selfish people. Prophets had long come, reminding the people of your will and way. Exile and other hard experiences reminded the people of the price of ignoring and rejecting your will and way. Was the incarnation and making the ultimate sacrifice the only way to really show us what your almighty and all-powerful love looked like lived out to the full? Yes, it was. So we thank you. 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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Wonderful Love

Reading: Luke 23:39-43

Luke 23:42 – “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

As we continue in the crucifixion scene, we read Jesus’ only real interaction with anyone since he spoke to the mourning women on the way to the cross. In our reading today one criminal joins in the mockery and adds a selfish request: “Save yourself and us!” It is then that another voice speaks, this time for Jesus. The second criminal asks the other, “Don’t you fear God?” This is a telling question. He recognizes that they’ll soon die and that he’ll soon stand before the next judge – the one who will pronounce a sentence of eternal light and love or one of eternal torment and darkness.

Turning to Jesus, the second criminal says, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He wants to go where Jesus, the innocent one, is going. Jesus offers him words of assurance, of welcome, of love. Yes, “today you will be with me in paradise.” This is so interesting to me. Jesus does not require a confession of sin first. He doesn’t quiz the man about his past life. Jesus doesn’t wait for a pledge of repentance or for a request to be baptized. The man just wants to be with Jesus for whatever is next. He longs for a reality-changing relationship with the Lord. Jesus welcomes the man in love.

This remains who God is. We don’t have to be perfect to present ourselves to God. In fact, God does some of God’s best work when we come broken or hurting or humbled or vulnerable. It us then that we are most malleable, most ready to be made new again. This is love. Thanks be to God!

Prayer: Lord God, it is reassuring to know that your love never changes. At our very best and at our very worst, your love is the same. It is a wonderful love. Lord, help us to have this kind of love. Amen.