pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: Christ


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In Turn

Reading: Matthew 16-18

Matthew 16:24 – “All who want to come after me must say no to themselves, take up their cross, and follow me.”

The Pharisees and Sadducees come and ask Jesus for a sign from heaven. Although they can read the sky to know the coming weather, they cannot read the signs of Jesus’ ministry, knowing the Christ is among them. He again tells them they will receive the sign of Jonah. After parting company, Jesus warns the disciples to be wary about the religious leaders “yeast” – their teaching.

Jesus then asks what people see and know about him. After hearing John, Elijah, some prophet, he asks the disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” Simon responds, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus names him Peter, the rock upon which Jesus will build the church. Then Jesus teaches about his last days. The “rock” turn becomes a stumbling block as Peter rebukes Jesus for saying such things. Jesus responds, “Get behind me, Satan.” Peter is thinking of human things, not the eternal. Continuing, Jesus declares, “All who want to come after me must say no to themselves, take up their cross, and follow me.” Clearly there is a cost to discipleship.

Taking Peter, James, and John up the mountain, Jesus is transfigured. His glory is revealed and he talks with Moses and Elijah. God declares love for Jesus and reinforced his authority. Twice more Jesus speaks of suffering to come. The disciples understand. Matthew says they are “heartbroken.” After a healing and paying the temple tax, the focus shifts to the “little ones” – a metaphor for the new believers. They have a humble, simple, pure faith. Yet at times they will need gentle correction. At times they will wander. At times they will need forgiveness. At times we all find ourselves in these situations. Mercy, grace, and love continue to flow from God to all who call on Jesus as Lord and Savior. In turn, we are called to be merciful, gracious, and loving. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, help us to hear your word and your Spirit’s voice, our guides to faithful living. Lead us to a childlike faith, simple, pure, honest, humble. And as we experience your forgiveness, mercy, grace, and love, may we be people who live and practice these things. In humility and gratitude may we give as we receive. Amen.


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To See, To Hear, To Be Touched

Reading: Matthew 3-4

Matthew 4:21-22 – “Jesus called them and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.”

The ministry of John the Baptist begins today’s readings. He announces, “Change your hearts and lives! Here comes the kingdom of God!” His work fulfills the words of Isaiah and his words and dress and diet remind people of Elijah. Many came, confessed their sins, and were baptized. John clashes with the religious leaders, challenging them to change their hearts and lives. Ancestry won’t save them. It will be the one stronger than John, the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire – he will offer salvation to the people.

Jesus then comes to be baptized. John tries to stop him but ultimately relents. After Jesus’ baptism the heavens open and the Spirit comes to rest on him. God declares love for the Son. From here Jesus is led into the wilderness to be tempted. The devil and Jesus quote from Deuteronomy, Isaiah, and Psalms. God’s word will be Jesus’ bread. He will trust and not test God. He will worship and serve God alone. Defeated, the devil leaves.

John is arrested. This precipitates Jesus returning to Galilee (to Capernaum) and to begin his ministry. He proclaims the same message as John: “Change your hearts and lives! Here comes the kingdom of God!” He begins to build his team, calling Simon and Andrew, then James and John as he walks along the Sea of Galilee. It was a simple call: “Follow me.” And they did. In verses 21-22 we read, “Jesus called them and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.” Jesus’ ministry grows as he teaches in the synagogues and heals every disease and ailment. Large crowds begin to follow this teacher and miracle worker. They came from all over to see and to hear and to be touched by Jesus.

Prayer: Lord God, what a call John and Jesus both led with. The call continues to ring out today: change your heart, change your life, follow me. Each day may we hear this call and may we respond, seeking to be Christ’s hands, feet, heart, and love to the world. Amen.


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On That Day…

Reading: Isaiah 8-11

‭Isaiah 11:10 – “On that day, the root of Jesse will stand as a signal to the peoples. The nations will seek him out, and his dwelling will be glorious.”

Photo credit: Nathan Dumlao

Chapter 8 begins with a prophecy about the downfall of Aram and Israel. It will come before Isaiah’s newborn son can speak. Assyria is on the rise. They will destroy Aram and Israel. They will sweep into Judah, getting all the way to Jerusalem. But they won’t conquer it. God tells Isaiah not to fear. Wait on the Lord. Yes, distress will come, but God is with us. The people will rejoice as God shatters the yoke, lifting their burden. And one day a great light will come. A child will be born. He will establish justice and righteousness forever. One day…

The Assyrians fall mightily upon Israel. This is meant to be a word of warning to Judah. To those who have deprived the needy of their rights and who have robbed the poor, God asks, “Where will you stash your wealth?” One day they too will become prisoners. But at present, it is Assyria who went too far. Because of the king’s pride and arrogance the word of warning became an assault on Judah. The Assyrians swept in, right up to Jerusalem, “the neck.” God will punish the Assyrians. God asks, “Will the ax glorify itself over the one who chops with it?” The hand guiding Assyria’s success will turn on it. The Assyrians army is destroyed with “terrible power.” They limp home, thoroughly defeated.

Chapter 11 brings more words of hope. It is similar to 9:2-7. While Isaiah and later readers hoped for a David-like king in their time, for centuries Christians have read these words as words that foretold Jesus. A shoot, a king, will come from Jesse’s line. The Spirit of God will be upon him. The Spirit will give him wisdom, strength, knowledge, and a fear of the Lord. He will be a champion for the poor and the suffering. What a contrast to the leaders described at the start of chapter 10! Peace and harmony will abound. The nations and the survivors will stream to this king on the holy mountain. “On that day, the root of Jesse will stand as a signal to the peoples. The nations will seek him out, and his dwelling will be glorious.” Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for continuing to shape and form us to be your people, to make us into who you created us to be. As you choose to use the powers and things of this world to refine and remake us, help us to see your hand of love guiding it all. Lead us to trust in your ways. Help us to faithfully walk the path illuminated by the light shining in the darkness. Amen.


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God’s Unfolding Love

Readings: Psalms 54-56

‭Psalm 56:3-4 – “Whenever I’m afraid, I put my trust in you… I trust in God; I won’t be afraid. What can mere flesh do to me?”

Our three Psalms today focus on rescue from enemies. In Psalm 54 it is the proud who have come up against the psalmist. In Psalm 55 it is first in the words of the wicked and then of a friend that has brought “fear and trembling” upon the psalmist. And Psalm 56 there are “so many enemies” that bring misery upon the life of the psalmist. In all three Psalms we find requests to “bring disaster,” to “let death devastate my enemies,” and to bring them down “in wrath.”

At times we feel attacked. It can be with words and/or actions. We can feel our hearts pounding. We can wish to “fly away and rest.” We’ve experienced a friend turning on us. It hurts – bad. We can connect to the emotions running through these passages. As the attack or abuse continues and continues, we too can near the prayers that are rained down on the psalmist’s “enemies.” We can want God to wipe them out so that our hurt goes away. Or… we can punch back, hitting them harder, seeking to end the situation by our own hand or words.

In these Psalms we see again and again a trust in God. It wavers at times, as evidenced in the key verse above. Fear is the antidote to trust and vice versa. Fear can play all kinds of games – buckling our trust, leading us to wish ill on our enemies, tempting us towards revenge. Today, though, my thoughts are drawn to the gospels. My heart is drawn to words that speak of loving our enemies, of blessing those who curse us. As the story of God’s love continues to unfold and as it is more deeply revealed in Jesus Christ, may our faith and trust grow as we really live into the psalmist’s reality check: “What can mere flesh do to me?”

Prayer: Lord God, as we read and work our way through your word, help us to keep in mind the overarching story of your love for all of humankind. May this big story and its revelation in Jesus counter our human tendencies towards hate, revenge, and other forms of evil. Help us not to fear but to instead trust in your bigger, better plan for our lives and for your world. Amen.


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Plans

Readings: Exodus 25, Exodus 26, Exodus 27

‭Exodus‬ ‭25:40… – “See to it that you make them according to the blueprint for them that you were shown on the mountain.”

Today’s readings shift into the building of the tabernacle. The great detail and planning remind us once again that God is good and ordered and creative. All of these details and specifications and vision for the tabernacle were given to Moses by God when he was on the mountaintop. Over and over we read, “See to it that you make them according to the blueprint for them that you were shown on the mountain.” God has a plan and calls Moses and then Israelites to follow the plan exactly. As I pondered application for today’s readings, it came to me: our lives are much like the construction of the tabernacle. God has given us a detailed plan. We read three chapters from it today. Within that plan, in the gospels God even gives us a perfect example of what following the plan exactly looks like. And to boot God gifts us with the Holy Spirit, the indwelling presence of Jesus Christ that leads and guides us.

There is great detail in the plans and in the execution of the plan. We find exact dimensions. We find specific colors and designs. We see specific metals used for specific spaces and purposes. We see talents and gifts put to use to execute God’s plan for the tabernacle. As I read through these chapters I imagined each step and what each item looked like. I envisioned the final product. As Moses received these instructions on the mountain I bet he tried to see each item and the final product as God laid out the plan. This thought draws me back to the Holy Spirit – that indwelling presence that knows God’s plans for our lives and works and prays and works to shape and guide and lead and make us into who and what God created us to be. I wonder: In what ways are we contributing to the Holy Spirit’s efforts in our lives?

What also struck me today was the people’s commitment. Every single thing they used for the tabernacle came from them. Every single thing. In the same way, the church (not the building but the church) relies on each of us to be a part of bringing God’s light and love into the world. What are you bringing?

Prayer: Lord God, we see a wonderful and detailed plan for the tabernacle. You have the same kind of plan for our lives and for our churches. Move us to active involvement in the completion of these plans. Amen.


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God in Jesus -> The Same

Reading: Hebrews 1:1-12

Verse 12: “You remain the same, and your years will never end.”

Photo credit: Tyler Milligan

Today’s text is fitting for this last Sunday and last day in 2023. As we conclude the year, this text reminds us of who and what Jesus Christ is, was, and will be. It reminds us of Jesus’ presence throughout the scriptures and of his place in our lives.

Hebrews begins by recognizing that God spoke through the prophets and has now spoken through Jesus. God incarnate in Christ is “the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of God’s being.” Jesus was God’s will, way, and heart lived out as a model for us to follow. After dying for our sins, Jesus returned to heaven to sit for a time at the right hand of God. At the end of the passage we are reminded that one day Jesus Christ will return. He will “roll them up” like a robe and “they will be changed” as the new heaven and earth are created. All that we know will be made new. But not Christ: “You remain the same, and your years will never end.”

As we come to the last day of 2023 and look forward to 2024, this truth remains: God in Jesus is the same today, tomorrow, and forever. This is foundational to our faith. With that in mind, let us reflect on how we can change for the better faith wise in 2024. What faith practices are you willing to commit to in 2024? What changes need made to give faith more of a priority? How can 2024 be an even better year for your relationship with Jesus?

Prayer: Lord God, help us to genuinely reflect on our 2023. Lead us to honestly consider our 2024. Form in us a commitment and an obedience to live more faithfully in the coming year. Amen.


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Who Do You Know?

Reading: John 1:1-14

Verse 12: “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”

Photo credit: Nathan Lemon

Today’s reading is one of my favorites in the Bible. It is poetic and flowing and beautiful. It speaks of Jesus’ forever nature, of his light, and of his invitation into the kingdom of God. I find and feel great hope in these words and in the way that they open the circle of God’s love to all people.

Hope and light and love and welcome are often in short supply in our world. The power systems that drive materialism and greed and many other -isms are systems built on fear and darkness and hate and exclusion. They are designed to hold onto power while keeping others powerless. To varying degrees we are all affected by these systems. And those on the fringes are disproportionately affected.

While Jesus came to be hope and light and love and welcome, he also came to build the church. In verse 12 we read, “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” As children of God, as brothers and sisters in Christ, we bear his hope and light and love and welcome to the world. We are called to bring hope to the despairing, to shine light on the darkness, to love those deemed unlovable and unworthy, to welcome the powerless, the lonely, the marginalized, the outcasts… These are the responsibilities of being a child of God, of living as a brother or sister of Christ Jesus.

Now, let’s take a moment to get personal. Who do you know that is currently despairing? Who do you know that is struggling with some darkness? Who do you know that thinks they are unworthy of love? Who do you know that is powerless or is isolated by the systems of this world? And most importantly, how will you be hope or light or love or welcome to that specific person?

Prayer: Lord God, open our eyes and hearts to the needs of those we know. Once we see the needs, Lord, move us to action, to loving as Jesus loved, to serving as he served, to sacrificing as he sacrificed. Use us today to build your kingdom here and now. Amen.


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Bringing the Good News

Reading: Isaiah 52:7-10

Verse 7: “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace… who proclaim salvation.”

Photo credit: Gary Butterfield

Our Isaiah 52 passed is viewed through our New Testament lens as a passage about Jesus. These words certainly “fit” Jesus and the ministry that he offered to his world. The good news of Jesus Christ brought peace to the afflicted and troubled. It brought salvation from those things that kept people bound up and outside of community and wholeness. As disciples and followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to share this same good news with our world.

In today’s Disciplines devotional Cherisna Jean-Marie writes this: “Peace is a human right that comes only when justice is realized” (page 428.) In the devo she shares many injustices – police brutality and violence, immoral elected officials, the inequity of pay for the same job. I could add hunger and poverty, discrimination, and unequal health care and education to her list. You could probably add to the list too. None of these things are things that Jesus would’ve tolerated.

In our status quo world we mistakenly think peace is the absence of unrest or other disturbance. At school a few years ago some of my classmates and I were walking to get frozen custard. Suddenly sirens blared and tires screeched and two officers jumped out of their car in pursuit of two teenage skateboarders. All but one of us craned our necks to watch the pursuit. A bit later, as we ate our custard, one of the white, middle class students began to push back against the BLM movement prevalent at the time and on campus. To help him and most of us understand, my friend Will shared that while we were craning our necks, his first instinct was to run. Although a straight-A student who had never had a run-in with the police, “run!” was his first instinct. He grew up in the city. My eyes were opened.

This is just one example that helped me to realize that many injustices exist, even though they are outside of my little world. Just because there are currently no major protests in our cities – it doesn’t mean many people’s first instinct isn’t to run. Again, this is just one example of many ways that our world is unjust. Without total justice there can be no true peace. Without justice there is a need for salvation. May we be the hands and feet and voices that bring the good news to all people.

Prayer: Lord God, open my eyes to the injustices in my neighborhood and community. Help me to see and feel where there is no peace. Move me, O God of justice, to be your voice, your hands, your feet, your heart in bringing about a world where all people experience your salvation and fullness of life. Amen.


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Heirs in Christ

Reading: Galatians 4:4-7

Verse 7: “So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are God’s child, God has made you also an heir.”

Paul connects into the story of Christmas as he writes, “When the time had fully come, God sent his Son.” When God’s timing said that now is the time, Jesus entered into the world. Paul reminds his audience that Jesus was born a Jew – “born under law” – who came to redeem his fellow Jews. I wonder if when Paul penned verses like these, if he thought of his former life as Saul and rejoiced in the redeeming work that Jesus had done in his own life. Paul writes of that which he knows firsthand.

Paul notes that when we are redeemed we “receive adoption to sonship.” This leads to each of us receiving the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, which reminds us again and again of our family connection to God the Father. Another ‘right’ comes in verse 7: “So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are God’s child, God has made you also an heir.” Through our redemption we become brothers and sisters in Christ, heirs with and in Christ. To be a brother or sister is to be a part of the family. But to be an heir – what does that mean?

To be an heir means we receive an inheritance. Parts of our inheritance are things like salvation and eternal life. Parts are the peace, love, hope, joy, grace… that we receive and live in every day. And… we also inherit the living example of Jesus Christ. This part of our inheritance calls us to expand the family – to “make disciples of all peoples” is how Jesus put it. We are called to live as Jesus lived, bringing light and love into the world. We are called to do as Jesus did, standing with and caring for the hurting, the suffering, the outcasts. Living in these ways of Jesus, our lives will invite others to seek to be a part of this wonderful family of God. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, we rejoice over being a part of your family. We celebrate and offer thanksgiving for all that this means in our lives. Let us not be content here, Lord. Guide us out into the world, living as Christ’s brothers and sisters, so that others can be welcomed home. Amen.


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All Is Beloved

Reading: Psalm 148

Verse 14: “God has raised up for his people a horn, the praise of all his faithful servants.”

Merry Christmas! Peace and joy, love and hope to you!

On this special day we turn to Psalm 148. This Psalm is all about praise. While not a traditional Christmas text, it does fit very well the spirit of the day. The psalmist’s encouragement to praise is sprinkled throughout this text – 12 times in my home Bible! The opening stanza encourages the first parts of creation to praise God – the angels, the sun, moon, and stars, the heavens and the skies. The encouragement to praise next includes the physical creation – trees, mountains – and the living creation – animals, birds… Continuing along the creation narrative the psalmist lastly includes us – all of us. Kings and rulers, old men and maidens, children – all are encouraged to praise the Lord of all creation.

You and I are certainly included in today’s Psalm. So we must ask ourselves: What does it look like to praise God with our lives? It begins with our acts of piety. These include daily prayer and Bible study, regular worship, and fasting. These practices surely elicit our praise! These acts or practices then lead us to acts of mercy. These include all forms of loving and caring for our neighbor.

Returning to the Psalm, it closes with these connecting words: “God has raised up for his people a horn, the praise of all his faithful servants.” This horn or king is Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. The Messiah came to teach us how to love. Jesus’ example of love was one without limits. In a world that sees race, gender, ethnicity, religion, nationality, and many other things as reasons to hate instead of love, let me say that again: Jesus’ example of love was one without limits. All people were invited into Jesus’ love. None were excluded. As part of the action of creation, which is detailed in today’s Psalm, Jesus knew that all of creation was divine. All of creation continues to carry the spark of the divine within. Therefore, my friend, all of creation – all – is beloved by God. May it be so for you and me as well. This is our true act of praise.

Prayer: Lord God, make me more full thine today. Fill me with your love so fully that all I do and say and think is praise to you. Use me to help others to see and love the spark of the divine within themselves. Amen.