pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: Christ


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Living Stones

Reading: 1st Peter 2:4-10

1st Peter 2:9 – “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people who are God’s possession.”

Returning to 1st Peter 2 today, we turn to the image of building. Peter reminds the early Christians and us today that we are “living stones.” This is a unique phrase. We are to be active in our faith. We are to live as a “royal priesthood” in the world. This is not a privilege thing. We are part of a “chosen race.” All of humanity is one chosen race. God hopes all people will find a saving relationship through Jesus Christ. Since we have found that relationship, we are charged with offering up “spiritual sacrifices” bringing hope and healing and redemption to the brokenness of this world. In these actions and images, Peter is connecting to the example of Jesus.

For the faithful, Jesus is the “cornerstone.” This is the firm foundation stone, the one upon which all else is built and stands. But for the non-believer, Jesus is the “capstone,” which causes people to stumble and fall. This is why many non-believers reject Jesus. His light and truth exposed darkness, bringing discomfort. But for the believer, light and truth build up our faith.

In verse 9 we read, “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people who are God’s possession.” First, we are chosen by God. Along with all of humanity, we are intended to be children of God. Faith is not a random occurrence. We are chosen to be holy, living just and righteous lives. But we are holy not on our own. We are holy because Christ is holy. Because of this, we belong to God, not the world. This allows us to follow and live out God’s will and way. Part of this living is our witness or testimony.

In the next verse Peter describes this as speaking of the “wonderful acts” of God that redeemed us as we were called “out of darkness into his amazing light.” In turn, our stories of faith help others to see how they can experience God’s life-changing mercy, grace, and love. As living stones, may we proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ so that he is good news to all people everywhere.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you first for Jesus, our sure foundation. And thank you for pulling us up out of the mire and filth of this world, washing us clean in your mercy and grace, redeeming us so that we can live our faith out in the world. Send us out today, O God, empowered by love to tell others of our Jesus, the one true cornerstone. Amen.


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Non-Linear Faith

Reading: 1st Peter 2:2-3

1st Peter 2:2 – “Instead, like a newborn baby, desire the pure spiritual milk of the word. Nourished by it, you will grow into salvation.”

Peter was a great leader in the early church. His faith was bold and strong. Peter had walked with Jesus himself for three years, slowly building his faith. He walked on water – not early in his walk with Jesus and not for very long. Peter was willing to fight for Jesus, drawing his sword in the garden – only to be rebuked by the Prince of Peace. And although he denied knowing Jesus after his arrest, Peter’s faith had been fully restored by the risen Christ. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, Peter became one of the faces of this new movement of faith that would become known as Christianity.

As we turn to 1st Peter 2 today and tomorrow, we do so with a key understanding: most folks in the early “church” were new to Jesus and to the faith. Can you remember those days? Doubt was frequent. A return to your old ways was not uncommon. This is Peter’s audience. In verse 2 he writes, “Instead, like a newborn baby, desire the pure spiritual milk of the word. Nourished by it, you will grow into salvation.” Instead of relying on yourselves, turn to God. Recognize the newness of your faith and invest in its growth. Delve into the practices that will help your faith to grow. These disciplines would include prayer and meditation, worship and fellowship, studying God’s word, service, and even fasting. These things grow our faith.

The reality we experience when growing our faith reveals that it is non-linear. The progress is unsteady. We often fail early on. As we grow in our faith, though, we start to take more steps forward than backward. We realize again and again that the thing we’ve always done, well, it is sin. We confess it and strive to repent and grow. We start to see things undone or unspoken as sins of omission and we begin to live more faithfully, more boldly. Yet we never “arrive.” We can always be a little closer to Jesus than we were yesterday. Day by day may we strive to be more like Jesus in all ways. Yes, O God, may it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, open our eyes, hearts, and minds to the ways that you seek to draw us deeper into faith. Guide and strengthen us as we continue to work out our salvation. Amen.


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Entrusted to God

Reading: Psalm 31:1-5

Psalm 31:2 – “Listen closely to me! Deliver me quickly; be a rock that protects me; be a strong fortress that saves me!”

In Psalm 31 we can feel the writer’s need for God. We do not know what the psalmist needs rescue and refuge from. We don’t know if the situation is his or her making or if it is caused by another. And we do not know just how bad the situation is. Nonetheless, we can relate to the way that the psalmist feels. We’ve sought God’s refuge and rescue in many different ways. We turn to God in great distress and in minor disturbance.

When our trial has gone on or when it feels severe, we’ve uttered a prayer like this one: “Listen closely to me! Deliver me quickly; be a rock that protects me; be a strong fortress that saves me!” Coupled with verse 1, it is part proclamation of faith, part plea for help. These two are often connected in our conversations with God. There is also a felt urgency to these words. It fits well in our day where we want it yesterday. It aligns with the way we can pray expectantly of God.

Verses 3 and 4 follow the basic pattern of verses 1 and 2. The psalmist declares that God is his or her rock and fortress. He or she petitions for guidance. Then the author asks God to “get me out of this net that has been laid.” Rescue me, O God. Now! And then, in verse 5 we find a moment of surrender. Like Stephen in yesterday’s reading, the psalmist entrusts themselves to God, knowing that God has already saved them. The same can be true for you and for me. Through faith in Christ, our inheritance is sure. May this be our final thought in hard times and in good times. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, you are faithful and true, steadfast and loving. You provide for all of our needs, keeping us safe from the worries of this world. When we cry out, your ear is open. You are our rock and redeemer. Thank you, O God. Amen.


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Faithful, to the End

Reading: Acts 7:55-60

Acts 7:59 – “Lord Jesus, receive my life!”

Photo credit: Alex Woods

Soon after Jesus’ death, the church began to form and grow. The apostles and disciples of Jesus began to meet, to worship, to care for others, and to share the good news. The gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost empowered the community of faith. Many were coming to a saving faith in Jesus. One of those filled with the Holy Spirit was Stephen. He spoke boldly and healed people in the name of Jesus. For this he was brought before the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council. Instead of backing down or recanting or being silenced, he boldly proclaimed Jesus as Lord to them. Fueled by the Spirit, Stephen looked up and saw heaven opened with Jesus standing at God’s right side. This proclamation triggers his death by stoning.

Facing this horrible death, Stephen prays, “Lord Jesus, accept my life!” His trust in Jesus is complete. His belief in his eternal destination is sure. In both of these ways, he offers one more powerful witness to Jesus. Trust and surety in the face of death remains a powerful witness today. In times present to those nearing death, I’ve seen people’s faith shine and I’ve heard their trust in the destination. There is a calm, a strength, a peace evident in those with faith.

In addition to all of this, Stephen showed grace. As he was dying, he shouted, “Lord, don’t hold this sin against them!” One last, powerful witness to God’s love and grace. Stephen served his Lord faithfully, right to the end. May it be so for us all.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for Stephen’s faithful witness. Move us by the same Holy Spirit. While we may never face death for our faith, Lord empower us to be strong and bold when needed. In ways small and perhaps large, guide us to profess our faith in you and to stand for all that is good and just and right and holy. Amen.


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Abundant Life

Reading: John 10:7-10

John 10:10b – “I came so that they could have life – indeed, so that they could have life to the fullest.”

Photo credit: Paz Arando

As we turn to the second half of this week’s John 10 passage, Jesus lays out why choosing to listen to his voice, to follow where he leads, and to enter his gate makes all the difference. In verse 8 Jesus reminds his readers that those who came before him were “thieves and outlaws.” The sheep didn’t listen to them because listening didn’t change their lives. In Jesus’ day, Israel was no better off than when Moses gave the Law. There was no power of forgiveness or grace in the cycles of sin and sacrifice present when living under the Law.

As the gate that gives real life, to enter Jesus’ way is to find a forgiveness and grace that removes the guilt and restores us to new life. Freed from the power of sin, we are able to “go out and find pasture.” We are able to live with joy and peace and hope. We are able to receive and to offer forgiveness, mending broken relationships. In these ways, we share our joy and peace and hope with others.

But the “thief” – the ones who live by the ways of this world – they come again and again to “steal, kill, and destroy.” They come to do whatever is needed to elevate self, to accumulate wealth, to exert power over others. This life also leads to a cycle – of wanting more and more. This endless chase leaves one with a life that feels empty, without hope, desperate.

Jesus offers the polar opposite. He proclaims, “I came so that they could have life – indeed, so that they could have life to the fullest.” There is no better life than one given to Christ, surrendered to his grace, dedicated to loving God and neighbor above self. Abundant life in Christ – there is no other way. May this be the life that we choose, each day, into eternity.

Prayer: Lord God, the way of the world can seem attractive: bright, shiny, new, full of pleasures. Your way can seem simple, basic, humble. Your example runs counter to the ways of power over and of glorifying self. Instead, your way seeks to lift others, to give away and share, to walk beside. Guide us to always choose your way of love, finding abundant life, sharing it with others. Amen.


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An Example to Follow

Reading: 1st Peter 1:19-25

1st Peter 1:24 – “He carried in his own body on the cross the sins we committed. He did this so that we might live in righteousness.”

Peter begins our passage for today with a reality check. He is reminding his readers then and us today that to walk steadfastly in the faith can sometimes be difficult. When we stand for our faith and for what is right and just in God’s eyes, then we might suffer. This is so because almost always, in cases of unjust suffering, we are standing or speaking against someone or something that runs contrary to the will and way of God. Those creating or maintaining these injustices and evils are doing so for personal gain in this world. Now, choosing to stand or speak for what is just and right is not a one-off or a “thing” we do when it is convenient. It is who we are because it is who Jesus was. Of this Peter writes, “You were called to this kind of endurance, because Christ suffered on your behalf.” The cross was and is very much a statement against the ways of this world.

Peter then reminds us of Jesus’ example. He did not insult those who insulted him. He did not “threaten revenge.” Jesus trusted God’s will and way in all times and situations. In the end, this led Jesus to endure the greatest possible suffering: “He carried in his own body on the cross the sins we committed. He did this so that we might live in righteousness.” Taking on our sin, paying the atoning price with his life, Jesus made it possible for our sin to be healed. Though we stray, yes, we always have Jesus Christ, the “shepherd and guardian of your lives.” We have an example to follow. And when we fall short, we have one who redeems and saves us. Thanks be to God for the Savior of our lives and of our world.

Prayer: Lord God, to what do you call us today? Is it to the simple and humble walk of a servant of the king? Is it to a place of suffering alongside those dealing with injustice or oppression or violence or…? Lord, to the people and places that you call us today, may we live well the example set by Jesus, our shepherd and guardian. Living faithfully, use us to help build your kingdom of love here on earth. Amen.


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Every Day…

Reading: Acts 2:46-47

Acts 2:46-47 – “Every day, they met together… shared food… they praised God… and demonstrated God’s goodness…”

Photo credit: Spencer Davis

Returning to Acts 2 today, Luke emphasizes the importance of all four spiritual practices or disciplines. He also focuses on the intended communal nature of these practices. Luke first notes that the believers met “every day.” The main purpose of their gathering was to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. This often happened in worship. Today, in our busy, rushed world, not too many of us gather daily with other believers. Yes, we might all read the same devotional asynchronously, the Upper Room for example, but imagine how our faith would change and grow if we gathered each day to proclaim and celebrate the good news of Jesus Christ!

The believers also gathered daily to share meals. This was most likely an extension of their worship or study time. In our church and in many others we gather after worship for fellowship time. Around the tables we have a coffee or lemonade and a nibble or two and we catch up on one another’s lives. We celebrate the joys of life and we learn of one another’s needs. This enables the body of Christ to “demonstrate God’s goodness” through acts of love. Sometimes, at the table, we learn of a neighbor’s need or of a need in the larger community. This allows the love of Christ and the goodness of God to extend out into the world.

These four practices should be the core activities of all believers and of all communities of faith. Without one of these, the others are less than God intends them to be. When all four practices are healthy and vital within the life of the believer and within the life of the body of Christ, then the Lord will again do what God did in Luke’s day. Then, God “added daily to the community those who were being saved.” O Lord, stir up in us and in our communities this kind of faith, this kind of revival!

Prayer: Lord God, there is a call within these words of Luke to gather regularly. This feels almost impossible in our day and age. Yet it also feels like your intention for all believers. It’s what Jesus modeled and lived out every day. So Lord, open our eyes, widen our hearts, and bend our wills towards making this more of a reality in our lives and in our communities of faith. Stir us up, O God, so that faith is more than a Sunday morning event. Amen.


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Devoted?

Reading: Acts 2:42-45

Acts 2:43 – “A sense of awe came over everyone. God performed many wonders and signs through the apostles.”

Today and tomorrow we walk with the early, early church. The Holy Spirit has just come upon the apostles and other believers. In the opening verse we see what the first “church” was like. They studied the word of God and the example of Jesus. They gathered regularly to be in fellowship and to share meals. They spent time in prayer. To all of these practices of faith, “they devoted themselves.”

Before pressing on in the passage, we must ask ourselves a few questions. Does this sound like your church or community of faith? Are the people in your community of faith devoted to these practices? And are you, an important part of the body of faith, are you personally devoted to giving daily and regular attention to these practices of the faith? Devotion to the spiritual disciplines, as individuals and as a community of faith, it is a necessity if verse 43 is to be realized in and amongst us.

In verse 43 we read, “A sense of awe came over everyone. God performed many wonders and signs through the apostles.” The sense of awe and the signs and wonders – these are the actions of God. We cannot in any way manufacture these things. The awe, signs, and wonders are, if you will, God’s “response” to our faithful devotion. When we are faithful to the practices of our faith, we open ourselves up to God working and acting in our lives and in our faith communities. The Spirit at work then leads to unity, to caring well for one another, and to the revelation of God’s goodness in the world. These faith practices will, in turn, lead to adding to the community “those being saved.” So, again, the questions: Are you and is your faith community devoted to these regular practices of the faith?

Prayer: Lord God, pour out your Holy Spirit upon us, upon our faith communities, and upon our neighborhoods. Filled with your Spirit, increase our devotion: to you, to the example of Jesus, to the community of faith, and to the unsaved world. Draw us day by day closer to you so that you may use us and our communities of faith in more and more transformational ways. Amen.


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Eyes Opened, Hearts Warmed

Reading: Luke 24:30-35

Luke 24:32 – “Weren’t our hearts on fire as he spoke to us along the road?”

As we continue in Luke 24, Jesus takes a place at the table with his two disciples. They have been on a seven mile journey, so they’re likely ready to eat. When Jesus takes and breaks the bread, blesses it and gives it to them, “Their eyes were opened and they recognized him.” In the movement and words of communion, recognition comes to these disciples. Presence becomes real. Eyes are fully opened. And then Jesus disappears.

After this encounter the two disciples say to each other, “Weren’t our hearts on fire as he spoke to us along the road?” Something was stirring, something was at work. We too feel this at times. The Holy Spirit tries to stir us to action or tries to open our eyes or heart or mind to something or someone. We feel a nudge to go to that place. We hear a whisper calling us to visit or text or call that person. And when we are willing, brave even, and take that step of faith, we too encounter the risen Christ as our hearts blaze with love for God and for the other.

But this is a step that we can initially struggle to take. Once in a while we’re lucky like the two disciples were. Jesus makes himself present. After each of these encounters and after the moments when we did take a step of faith, we become more and more empowered to do as these two disciples did. We tell others our Jesus story. Some of the time it is literally telling others about our Jesus. Most of the time, though, it is allowing that encounter or that experience to change us, to fill us with the good news, equipping us to live out our faith more boldly. Doing so, others come to know Christ’s love for them. In all that we say and do, may it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, we rejoice in those encounters with you, in those times when you open our eyes and warm our hearts. These encounters are powerful and transforming. Keep our eyes open and our hearts willing, O God. Then send us out. Use us to share the good news of Jesus Christ with the world. Amen.


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Encounters

Reading: Luke 24:13-29

Luke 24:25 – “Then Jesus said to them, ‘You foolish people! Your dull minds keep you from believing all that the prophets talked about.'”

Photo credit: Josh Calabrese

Today and tomorrow we walk with the Emmaus road disciples. This story is found only in Luke’s gospel. This encounter takes place on that first Sunday, on the day of Jesus’ resurrection. Two of Jesus’ disciples are walking to Emmaus. It might be “home.” They were talking about recent events: Jesus’ arrest and all that followed. They share all of this with Jesus as he joins them, noting that they had hoped that this Jesus was the one to redeem Israel. They do not recognize this stranger that they walk with as Jesus.

Jesus admonishes them, saying, “You foolish people! Your dull minds keep you from believing all that the prophets talked about.” He reminds them that these recent events were necessary. Jesus then unpacks the scriptures for them, starting with Moses, working his way through the prophets. What a Bible lesson this must have been! Today’s reading ends with the disciples inviting Jesus to stay the night with them.

We might wonder how the disciples could walk with Jesus and not recognize him. Yet, how many times did I encounter Jesus yesterday and fail to recognize him? Was it in the words of that tour guide? Was it in the smile of that older woman? Was it in the welcome clearly present in that gathering spot? Jesus is present to us in so many ways. Where did you encounter Jesus yesterday?

Prayer: Lord God, first, thank you for the many ways that you are present to us. You come alive in the red letters. Your Spirit moves us and speaks into our hearts and minds. But we also miss you here and there, sometimes everywhere. So, Lord, open our eyes and hearts to see you in the world around us – in the people, in the signs, in the encounters. Eyes and hearts open, touch our lives. Amen.