pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

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Know This for Certain

Reading: Daniel 3:13-18

Daniel 3:18 – “Know this for certain, your Majesty: we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you’ve set up.”

Photo credit: Ricardo Gomez Angel

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego have long stood out because of their faith. Since arriving in Babylon as exiles (along with Daniel), their strong faith in God has set them apart from the native population. It began, you might recall, when they refused to defile themselves with the king’s royal food. From that point forward, these four have risen up the ranks of civil service, causing envy, jealousy, and dislike.

Leading into today’s reading, King Nebuchadnezzar builds a 90 foot tall golf statue of himself. He gives the order that at the sound of the horn, pipe, zither, lyre… all must bow down and worship the statue (and therefore the king.) Some fellow administrators are quick to point out that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego ignore the order. They refuse to bow down and worship. In verse 13 we see that this enrages King Nebuchadnezzar. Brought before the king, the three are given a chance to bow and worship. The other option is to be thrown into the fiery furnace.

For most of us, the fear of death would rise up. For some, we’d consider losing all that we’ve worked hard for. And some might even bow and pray to the true God while pretending to pray to the statue. King Nebuchadnezzar asks Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, “Then what god will rescue you from my power?” Their response? Well, maybe God will rescue, maybe not, but, “Know this for certain, your Majesty: we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you’ve set up.” Maybe God’s glory will be revealed through rescuing Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, maybe it will be revealed through their steadfast and complete faith in God. May this be the faith that we have in the Lord our God.

Prayer: Lord God, what a faithful and courageous path Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego chose to walk. What a witness to faith. Lord, fill us with a faith that will choose to stand for you. From the big tests to the decisions that no one even sees, may you alone be the one we serve, the one we worship. Amen.


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Walk by Faith

Reading: Hebrews 11:1-3

Verse 1: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

Chapter 11 of Hebrews is one of my favorites. Read in it’s entirety it is a small list of the early heroes of the faith. It is a reminder of those who first walked faithfully and served as a call for us to join them in that walk. It is also a reminder that walking in faith isn’t always easy. To me it feels as if the last few years have challenged our walks of faith.

The pandemic that continues has led many to question or at least to evaluate their faith. This has impacted all communities of faith as well as the personal faith of many individuals. The pandemic accelerated the trend away from church or religion for some and also drew others into a deeper faith in God. The pandemic also accelerated another trend. Over the last decade we have become increasingly polarized. Unity and striving for the common good have been replaced with personal and/or political agendas. The isolation necessitated by the pandemic and the feelings of being captive to something that we could not control opened the way for more polarization. And then for me and others like me, the splintering of our denomination has added layers of grief and sadness and fear as well.

Hebrews 11 begins with this statement: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Faith is being sure that God has us no matter how big the grief, no matter how long the isolation, no matter how great the divide… We hope and trust in the God who not only created the universe but also has a plan for it. We remain certain of God’s plan not only for us, but for all of creation. Choosing faith, we lean into a God who is loving and good and merciful and compassionate and forgiving. We choose to walk day by day as people of faith. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, you are far bigger than anything that the world can throw our way. You are the way in times of darkness. You are the truth in times of doubt. You are life in times of loss. Lead and guide me, comfort and strengthen me, O God. Amen.


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Act in Faith

Reading: Hebrews 11: 1-3

Verse 1: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see”.

Hebrews 11 is about hope and faith. These two are tightly intertwined. For the writer of Hebrews, faith is more of an action than a noun. Today we usually talk about faith as a noun, saying things like, “The Christian faith believes…”. We must shift this mindset if we are to really understand what is being taught in Hebrews 11.

The opening verse sets the stage for the rest of the chapter. In verse one we read, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see”. Acting in faith dies not first require proof or visible results. These will come. But in our relationship with God we first believe and hold to the promises: peace in the trial, strength for the day, guidance with the hard decision, joy in life, contentment with our station, salvation for our souls… Our faith first leads us to be sure and then we will experience these things. This becomes cyclical, one growing upon the other. Soon our faith then leads us to look forward with hope and expectation of what God will do next.

This looking forward leads us to step forward. The next dozen or so verses in Hebrews 11 is all about people who acted out their faith, stepping forward into God’s promises. We too step forward “certain of what we do not see”. We step forward knowing that the unseen hand of God is leading and guiding us. Author Larry Peacock puts it this way: “Faith is stepping out, leaning forward, and trusting that God goes before us”. I love the image of leaning into God. There is trust there.

When our faith becomes certain then we step out. Doing so we believe the work we do, the kindness we offer, the generosity we share, the support we bring… makes a difference in the world. As we again experience God at work in and through us, God builds our faith even more and also opens the eyes and hearts of the other to begin to see how faith could work in their lives. In and with God’s love and assurance, may we act out our faith this day, being living examples of the good news of Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Loving God, I know that when you lead, you go before me. Too often I try and lead. Often I go alone. Help me to be a better follower, trusting your will and way for me. Help me to trust in you alone. Amen.