pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: Christ


by Leave a comment

The Caring Community

The goal of a church is to be a caring and loving community.  As the body of Christ, we are called to do what we can for one another and to be there in times of need.  In the days just after Jesus’ death and resurrection, the church was a small family.  There was a great sense of unity; the well-being of all was a central focus.  The sense of caring extended to giving to those in need, even selling land or houses to have the money to care for the community.

As a church body we find unity in Christ.  It is through His love for us that we are able to love one another.  As we seek to love neighbor as self we come to see others as more alike us than different from us.  At times one gives away care and at other times one receives care.  Relationships are developed and Christian love flourishes.

The example of the early church is still our model today.  No church is perfect but all should be striving to meet the Biblical example we have here in Acts 4.  God blesses us with what we have so that we can be that caring, loving community that every church is called to be.  In time the tithe came to replace the selling of land and houses.  But we cannot allow the tithe to become the means by which individuals offer care in the faith community.  Individual, personal relationships are still the core.

The basis of all churches and its strength is still found in the individual members.  What the people in the pews know about each other and their needs will always far exceed what the pastor and staff could ever know.  At times the staff certainly has a role in caring for the body, but the care and love are most complete when all of the parts of the body of Christ are caring for all of the other members of the body.  In your church, what is your role?  How are you a part of caring for the rest of the community of faith?

Scripture reference: Acts 4: 32-35


by Leave a comment

Counted?

At the end of a log day Jesus and the disciples are gathered around the table for a meal.  The evening had begun with Jesus, their teacher and leader, washing their feet.  He set for them the example of how to follow.  In this humble gesture, He illustrated that being a follower of Christ must include a willingness to serve.

As they are relaxing and taking this teaching in, Jesus announces that one of them reclining there at the table will betray Him.  Can you hear the awkward silence fall over the group?  I imagine some looking down and inwardly questioning if it will be them.  They honestly face their doubts.  Others at the table would be quick to dismiss such a thought and would begin looking around the table, wondering who else it could be, sure of themselves that it would not be they who betrays Christ.

Jesus quickly identifies Judas Iscariot and he slips off into the night to do the deed.  But the conversation quickly turns to Peter – the bold one, the one willing to step out on the water, one of the inner three.  Jesus tells Peter that soon even he will deny Christ – not once but three times!  At this all of their minds must have been swimming.  All must have questioned themselves and their faith in this Jesus if Peter, the rock-solid one, would deny Jesus.

On this day of betrayal and denial, may we too honestly look within and examine the strength of our own faith.  Each of us will probably have an opportunity today to identify ourselves publicly with Christ.  Will we boldly stand for Him or will we let the opportunity quietly slip by?  If not today, then surely tomorrow.  May we be prepared to stand and be counted as one ready to bring glory to our Lord and Savior.

Scripture reference: John 12: 21-32


by Leave a comment

Look Closely and Honestly

Jesus calls us to be sold out, all in, completely committed.  In Mark 8 He gives us three steps: deny self, take up our cross, follow Him.  This was much easier for the disciples as they had Jesus right there with them.  But it is fully possible for us today as well.

In the day to day of life it can be hard for us to be all in for Jesus.  We see the job, the family, the sports, and so on as things we ‘have’ to take care of.  In these responsibilities we have, is it still possible to have Him be our guide, our filter, our primary decision factor?  Yes it is.  Work can be accomplished for the glory of God and as our boss requires.  This is true in all areas where we must mesh our ‘responsibilities’ and our faith.  His light and love can shine through us in all we do.

In our normal day to day we can truly live for Jesus, seeking to deny our on way and to live His way.  He can be our #1 amongst all else in this life.  There will be times when life becomes bumpy and we will question and doubt – a sudden loss, an unexpected illness, an unforeseen life change.  Even in the midst of these crises, if we continue to allow Him to rule, we find that we not only rely on Him, but the He will carry us.  In these deep, dark moments in life we glimpse what all in really looks like.

So during this season of self-examination that we find ourselves in during Lent, may we allow ourselves to look closely at what ‘all in’ means for us.  May we honestly and sincerely assess what is required of ourselves to be fully committed followers of Jesus Christ.

Scripture reference: Mark 8: 34-38


by Leave a comment

Come to the Light

What is a ‘Christian’?  Is it someone who goes  to church on a Sunday morning or someone who wears a Jesus t-shirt or someone who frequents the Christian coffee house?  Is it someone who volunteers once a week at the local mission or at the thrift store?  The answer can be yes – and it can be no.

It can be a fine line between living as Christ and doing things that are ‘Christian.’  One can certainly check off the boxes, but if it is to say “Look at all I do for Christ” then it is misguided.  The focus and attention is on us and not on Him.  It is an easy line to cross.  We often are, by our nature, self-centered and selfish.

To live as a “little Christ”, or Christian, we first must be humble – always He and never I.  Our actions need to be for the purpose of sharing the light of Christ.  We can do many things for Jesus.  We must do things with Jesus.  In humility we must always point towards Jesus.  When we love others we must always point to Jesus first loving us.

Humility also requires transparency.  In admitting our brokenness, we can point to the One who heals.  In confessing our sin, we can point to the One who forgives.  In sharing our struggles, we can point to the One who carries us when we cannot walk on our own.

When others always see us turning to Christ in our need, they will see their way too.  When see Jesus Christ as our center, they too will hone in on Him.  When we live as Christ lived, others will come to the Light.

Scripture reference: 2 Corinthians 4: 3-6


by Leave a comment

A Good Love

Love is not something that we instinctively know and understand.  Love and the ability to love others is something developed, nurtured, taught.  We all learn to love because others first loved us.

When a baby is born it first stays close to his or her mother, soaking up both her physical presence and her emotional presence.  As a baby grows it is showered in love.  Almost all children’s first word is ‘momma’ or ‘poppa’ or some version of one of these.  As the young child grows they learn what love is and how to express love.  But alas, not all homes are the same, so for some ‘love’ is distorted or hard to understand or difficult to express.

At some point in life, most often in early childhood but not always, one begins to learn what God’s love looks and feels like.  Through the stories we read in the Bible, through the messages we hear in church, and through how we see Christian love lived out we begin to see what pure and perfect love looks like.

This evolving relationship with God becomes personal at some point.  We realize how much Jesus loved us to die on a cross for our sins and we offer our lives to Him in response.  We begin to know pure and perfect love not because of anything we did or do, but because He first loved us.  This love continues to grow ad develop as we deepen our understanding of and commitment to Christ.  As this love consumes us it begins to spill out into our other relationships – both to those we love and to the stranger on the street.  It is a good love.  It is a love that must be shared.  It is a love that grows as we offer it to others.  It is a good love.  Thanks be to God!

Scripture reference: Psalm 147: 7-11 and 20c


by Leave a comment

Relationship Through Christ

God desires to be in a relationship with us.  God’s love should draw us to Him.  His free gift of salvation through Jesus is proof of that love.  A relationship with God should be the foundation of our life.

There are other faces that people see as God.  Some only know of God as vengeful and jealous, distant at best.  Some only know of a God ready to strike us down when we sin.  Some know God as one who expects perfection from us.  If one of these is the God we know, then entering into a relationship with Him is difficult.

God’s love is shown in Jesus.  Jesus was not vengeful or jealous but was willing to say what needed said, but always with love.  Jesus never struck anyone down but did cause them to look within and to see what needed cast out.  Jesus was perfection and calls us towards perfection.  Jesus experienced life as a human and can relate to our struggles.  His is the first hand there to lift us up after we have failed.

Relationship with God must come through His Son, Jesus Christ.  As we come to build this relationship, we are drawn to share it with others.  When others see love and nothing else as our motivation, they too are drawn towards faith.  Today may we be the light and love that our world needs.

Scripture reference: Psalm 62: 5-12


by Leave a comment

Growing Closer

There are times when we know we have been graced by God’s presence or when we can sense that the Spirit’s presence has been with us.  At other times we feel as if we were part of something that was led by God or was truly done in His name.  In these times, the existence of God is without question.  We have these moments to fall back on for strength – to remember when doubt begins to creep in or when fear rises up.

Our experiences with God also provide us with a filter or lens to look at future encounters with or through.  With each experience we come to know Him more.  With each encounter we come to recognize Him quicker.  All of this adds to the depth of our relationship with Jesus Christ.

The more God is revealed to us, the easier it is to hear His call.  As our experiences grow, we come to discern His will better.  We grow in our ability to separate His voice from all of the other voices that call out to us.  God’s promise to draw near to us as we draw near to Him is lived out as we choose to make time for Him and to walk daily with Him.  On this Sabbath day, may we draw very near to God.

Scripture reference: John 1: 47-51


by Leave a comment

Allowed to Choose

In the beginning God pushed back the darkness and chaos to usher in the light.  He spoke the word and it was so.  Each day of creation that unfolded followed the same pattern of God speaking and it being so.
In the beginning of our lives we are all creations of God’s hand.  But for many of us, at some point we lose that connection and find ourselves separated from God.  This is through the choices we make.  It is not God’s doing.  For those who did not grow up in the faith, they feel that hole that cannot be filled on their own.  All feel a pull towards the divine.
So why doesn’t God simply speak and make each of us a faithful and constant follower of Christ?  Why doesn’t God speak and have it be so?  Life would be do much simpler!
Although we are created in the image of God and are all loved by God, He does not force himself upon us.  We are given a free will to make our own choices.  When we are allowed to choose for ourselves, we are so much more invested in the outcome.
A forced faith is not true faith.  We must each choose to enter into a relationship with Christ and then daily continue to walk in that relationship.  He loves us enough to let us choose.  This day may we choose the Lord.
Scripture reference: Genesis 1: 1-5


by Leave a comment

God with Us

In the Christmas season we gain the sense that Christ is always with us.  To celebrate His birth reminds us that He is born anew in us again and again.  His eternity also assures us that this earth is not all that there is.  Our true hope lies eternal in the heavenly realms.

Yet we cannot live in the Christmasy, eternal realm.  In this season we may be blessed to be in that realm for moments here and there, but we now inhabit this earth.  We live day by day here preparing for our eternal life with God.  As we live toward that we are also called to bring the good news to those bound to this earthly realm.  We are called to share the Christ who redeems and who heals all that is broken in our world and in our fellow men.

We are blessed by that sense of “God with us” at Christmas so that we can go forth to share that with our world.  We are called to go forth and share that little slice of heaven that draws people toward God and a relationship with Jesus Christ.  May we help people to meet our hope and redeemer each and every day.

Scripture reference: Isaiah 52: 7-10


by Leave a comment

The Word Became Flesh

“In the beginning” is how John begins his gospel. He draws us back to the beginning because Christ was there too.  In this connection back to Genesis we also get the start of Christ’s story.  Until God spoke, our ‘world’ was only chaos and darkness.  Until God spoke.  He spoke the world into being.

Last night we celebrated another creation that God spoke into being.  He said to Mary, “you shall bear a son” and it was.  The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.  Through His life Jesus brought us life and light, grace and mercy.  For a second time God spoke and the darkness fled.

When we see Christ as both ancient and also as new, we catch a peak into the holy mystery.  It is that beautiful place where heaven and earth meet.  In this place the light again conquered the darkness.  The darkness shall never overcome the Light.  Here Christ’s glory is revealed.  As the Word becomes flesh and dwells within us, heaven and earth again meet.  From within this imperfect vessel that is each of us, may Christ’s light shine forth this day and every day.  Merry Christmas!!

Scripture reference: John 1: 1-14