pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: Christ


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Like the Dawn

Reading: Isaiah 58:6-12

Verse 8: “Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear.”

Today is Ash Wednesday. Some will gather for worship. It will focus on our mortality, on our limits. It will invite us to admit our weakness and to commit to a season of dying to self as we seek to grow in our Christlikeness. Lent should be a challenging season. It calls us to look within and to root out those parts of self that lead to temptation and sin, to selfishness and an inward focus. Today’s words from Isaiah 58 speak to all of this.

As we turn to today’s passage, we begin with a question: what if God is not really talking about a traditional fast? When we think of fasting we tend to think of abstaining from something. Chocolate and alcohol and television used to be popular. More recently coffee and social media and cell phones have entered the conversation. But when we read verses 7 and 8, God is calling for a different kind of fast. It is a fast that involves doing or action instead of giving up some item. It is a fast that calls us outside of self and towards engaging and serving others. In many ways God is calling us to fast from selfishness and our inward focus.

God calls faithful people to fight injustice and oppression, to feed and shelter and clothe. God is calling us to stand with and for those who are downtrodden, mistreated, abused. God is calling us to walk alongside those with physical needs. It is a call to fast from self, to pour oneself out for others, to humbly serve as Christ served. To realize that this is the fast God is calling us to may lead some to slide back into the relative ease of giving up sweets or Facebook. May it not be so for you and for me.

In verses 8 and 9 we gain insight into the yield or fruits of living this kind of a fast. In verse 8 God says, “Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear” and in verse 9 adds, “Then you will call, and the Lord will answer.” When we focus not on self but on God and those around us, then we are close to the heart of God and God is close to us. This deep and intimate connection is the product of righteous and humble faith. In verse 11 God says, “Then your light will rise in the darkness.” Our light and God’s light will shine upon all who are near, upon all who are thirsty, upon all who are searching, upon all who are hurting, upon all who are broken. These will be drawn to the light of God’s love. In that light, God will say, “Here I am.”

Prayer: Lord God, help me to see and live outside of myself. Heal me from self. Open my eyes and heart to all those around me who need to be drawn into the light of your love. Amen.


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Rejoice and Give Thanks

Reading: Deuteronomy 26:1-11

Verse 11: “Rejoice in all the good things the Lord your God has given to you and your household.”

Today’s passage from Deuteronomy is the story of where the Israelites came from and of their response. Through the giving of the first fruits God is reminding them that all they have is a gift from God. Being freed from slavery, being led through the wilderness, being given this bountiful and productive land – all gifts from God. Physically saying and hearing the words of this ritual is a tangible reminder of the gifts and if the relationship. It is a reminder that they would not be where they are without God. We too could say the same thing.

If we were not born into the family we were born into or if that person or these people hadn’t invited us to know Jesus, we would not be who we are today. Will Willimon wrote, “No one is born Christian.” This is absolutely true. For most of us our journey of faith parallels that of the Israelites. We’ve lived a life captive to sin. We’ve been in the wilderness, wandering and lost. We’ve been blessed, whether materially or educationally or physically or all these and more. All of this too is a gift from God. Yet, without God this is all just stuff – stuff that will change or fade or be left to this earth one day.

The ritual and giving prescribed in Deuteronomy is not because God needs the physical gifts. It is designed to draw the Israelites into deeper connection and into a stronger relationship with God. It reminds them that it was God who chose them, who pursued them, who reached out to them, who guided them, who provided for them. As we near the season of Lent we too are called to rejoice in the blessings and to express our thanksgiving. As a place to begin, may we take time now to thank God for the blessings in our lives and for those who have walked in faith with us, connecting us to the Lord our God.

Prayer: God, the blessings are many and are great. Over and over you have poured into me – whether in Spirit or by those who have raised and guided me. May my grateful response be to share the blessings and to walk with others on their journeys of faith. Amen.


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Everyday Life

Reading: Luke 9:37-43

Verse 42: “Jesus rebuked the evil spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.”

Coming down from the mountain Jesus, Peter, James, and John are met with a large crowd. Imagine the different things going through their minds. Jesus would be filled with confidence, assured by his conversation with Moses and Elijah, affirmed by the words God spoke. Peter, James, and John must have been in awe, seeing and understanding Jesus on a whole new level. Maybe their minds were reeling a little bit too!

From the crowd a man cries out, drawing Jesus’ attention. The father’s only son is possessed by an evil spirit. It causes seizures and convulsions. It “scarcely ever leaves him and it is destroying him.” The father is desperate. The disciples were unable to cast out the evil spirit so the man turns to Jesus. He was probably one of many waiting for Jesus to return. As the boy responds to Jesus’ invitation to come the evil spirit throws him to the ground. In verse 42 we read, “Jesus rebuked the evil spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.” The boy is made well. A father once again has a son. All were “amazed at the greatness of God.”

As wonderful as the mountaintop experience was for Jesus, Peter, James, and John and is for us when we experience these moments, the sharing of the good news happens in everyday life. Yes, we are changed on the mountain, but we live in the ordinary. Through prayer and the living out of our faith, through the example of Jesus Christ and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we are called to minister to the needs of the world. We are called to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to heal the broken, to comfort the hurting, to pray for the oppressed, wartorn, and downtrodden. We are called to be Christ to the world. May it be so for us all.

Prayer: Lord God, rend my heart for what breaks yours. Use me to bring healing, wholeness, restoration… Use me to meet needs wherever and whenever I encounter them. Help me to follow Jesus’ example. Amen.


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Presence

Reading: Luke 9:28-36

Verse 29: “As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.”

The inner three – Peter, James, and John – are brought up the mountain with Jesus. Jesus begins by praying to God, by connecting to God. As Jesus is praying, “the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.” Jesus is transfigured. He is changed into something more divine, radiant with the glory of God. Peter, James, and John are present to this version of Jesus. Moses and Elijah come and talk with Jesus about his impending death in Jerusalem. The disciples hear once again about what will soon happen. A cloud envelops them and God tells Peter, James, and John, “This is my son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” And then it is just Peter, James, and John with Jesus. It is over as suddenly as it began.

Why did Jesus choose to have Peter, James, and John there? A practical reason is so that this amazing story gets into the Bible. While true, there has to be more. First, it reveals the glory of Christ in a new way. It paints in their minds an image of the divinity and glory that will be the eternal Christ in heaven. Second, it changes Peter, James, and John’s understanding of Jesus. Jesus has been declared the Messiah. The miracles and the teachings show his power. In the transfiguration the disciples get a clearer picture of what God in the flesh looks like from the heavenly perspective. The stories of Moses coming down the mountain with his face aglow – they have seen what did that for themselves. Third, it changes them. They will never look at Jesus the same nor will their faith ever be the same. Peter, James, and John now know the glory of God in Jesus Christ in a deeper, more personal way. The inner three will carry this glory forever in their hearts.

On our journeys of faith we too have encounters with Jesus that forever change us. We experience moments when his presence is tangible, times when the Spirit speaks, times when prayers are answered or when doors are opened… Just as the disciples did may we too tell these stories of our faith, encouraging and helping others to better see and understand the glory of God.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for those moments when your presence was felt and was real. Thank you for the times when you’ve clearly guided, provided, strengthened, protected me. Amen.


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Increasing Our Resemblance

Reading: 1st Corinthians 15:42-50

Verse 49: “Just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven.”

In today’s portion of our passage from 1st Corinthians 15 Paul offers some contrasts between what we are in the flesh and what we will become. We are perishable and weak in the flesh; we are prone to sin. One day we will be raised in glory, becoming imperishable as we are filled with power from God. In the body we are captive to the natural forces of this world: sickness, disease, death. In these ways we also bear the image of Adam and all of humanity. At the same time, though, when we walk in faith we grow to be more and more like the second Adam, Jesus Christ.

Paul reflects this change in verse 49, where he writes, “Just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven.” Born as people of the dust of the earth, we live that way at least for a while. At some point all Christians make a decision to be more. We find a desire to love for more than this earthly existence. Accepting Christ, our focus shifts away from the things of this earth and towards the walk of faith. Claiming Jesus as Lord and Savior, we begin to follow Jesus’ ways and example, living into the likeness of the man from heaven. As we enter this new life, we begin a process of ongoing transformation as the Holy Spirit takes up residence in our heart.

Choosing Christ begins our journey towards heaven, towards the resurrection of the body. One day we will become so much more than we are now. It will be beautiful and amazing. Yet what happens here and now is also beautiful and amazing. Transformation begins the moment we enter a relationship with Jesus Christ. May we welcome this process each day. May we all be open to the power of the Spirit of Christ to work in and through us each day, increasing our resemblance to Jesus Christ, the man from heaven.

Prayer: Lord God, I ask you today to work in my heart, making me more into the image of your son. Turn me from the ways of men, empowering me to walk increasingly as your disciple. Amen.


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Transformed, New, Better

Reading: 1st Corinthians 15:35-38

Verse 37: “When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or something else.”

In our first half of this week’s passage from 1st Corinthians 15 Paul addresses our resurrection bodies. More than telling us what we’ll be like, though, Paul tells us that we will be different, more. Paul also reminds us that death always involves changes; something new emerges.

Paul goes practical in verse 37, reminding his mostly agricultural audience that “When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or something else.” Paul reminds them of this truth of creation that humankind has known for ages: the seed that goes in the ground isn’t the same as the plant that emerges. God determined long ago what the new life – whether wheat or a tomato plant or poison ivy – what it would look like when it sprouts up out of the ground and as it develops. God has a similar plan for us as well. Although we are not exactly sure what we will be like in heaven, we do know that God knows and we do know that we will be transformed, new, better.

In many ways one can argue this about the seed-plant analogy. Sure, the seed can be eaten and it will give you some small nutritional value. But if you plant it and nurture it, one day it will produce abundantly more food or flowers or plants… And one can harvest more seeds to sow even more plants. Almost always the plant is full of life and beauty and energy too – something lacking in the appearance of the seed. So too are we when living out our faith.

Our faith is also like the plant in this way: what the plant is on day 1 is not what it will be on day 30 or day 82 or year 6. If cared for and nurtured, it will grow and produce fruit, flowers, other plants, or, in our faith, disciples. As we walk and grow in our faith, we develop and mature, producing other disciples as we become more and more like Christ day by day and year by year. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for the many ways in which you have grown and developed my faith. Continue to be at work in me, maturing me and guiding me to produce fruit for your kingdom. Amen.


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Stronghold, Deliverance, Refuge

Reading: Psalm 37:39-40

Verses 39-40: “The Lord is their stronghold in times of trouble… their help and deliverance… their refuge.”

At the end of a Psalm that details the contrast between righteous and wicked living the psalmist brings it home. There are many reasons that people choose to walk one of the two very different paths. One cannot pursue power and wealth and live in sin if walking with the Lord. One cannot be consumed by hope, love, humility, and grace if chasing after the things of this world. One can long for the joy, contentment, or peace that faith brings. One can long for the pleasures of the world. To experience either of these paths to the full is to deny the other path. Our Lord reminded us that the way is narrow, but wide is the path that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13).

The psalmist concludes his coverage of these two choices by recognizing that salvation comes from the Lord. Then David writes, “The Lord is their stronghold in times of trouble… their help and deliverance… their refuge.” Stronghold, deliverance, refuge. These are powerful words and images. In times of trouble, in times of testing and temptation, God is our stronghold, our deliverer, our refuge. When the road is difficult to walk, when self begins to rise up, when the lures of the world scream out, turn to the Lord. God is our stronghold, our deliverance, our refuge. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, by the power of your Holy Spirit alive in me, guard me from temptation. Empower me to walk as a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ. Guide me to lean into your strength, your guidance, and your protection. Amen.


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Deeper Forgiveness

Reading: Genesis 45:9-15

Verse 15: “And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them.”

After clearly declaring that God has worked through difficult things to bring good (yesterday’s passage), Joseph implores his brothers to hurry back with their father, their families, and with all they own. He says, “Don’t delay.” Joseph is anxious to see his father Israel (or Jacob). He wants to set his whole family up in Goshen, where he can see them through the famine that will last five more years. Not only does Joseph offer forgiveness, he also wants to restore their relationships and to provide for his family.

Sometimes when we offer another forgiveness, it is because it is the “right” thing to do. And that’s as far as it goes. Other times we say we’re sorry because we know we too were in the wrong. Looking back on his life, Joseph could certainly discern why his brothers sold him into slavery. The other experiences in his life humbled him and opened his eyes up to see God’s work in his life. When we can see and own the way we contributed to the hurt or the suffering, then forgiveness takes on a deeper level. It leads to reconciliation, to a stronger relationship, and to growth in ourselves and in the other person. This is revealed in our passage in the way Joseph spoke and acted. In verse 15 we read, “And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them.” Signs of affection and tears of joy reinforced the invitation to come and live in his care.

As we seek to be people of grace and love, may we live honest and humble lives, seeing our role in our relationships and understanding how what we say and do always matters. In all things may love be our guide.

Prayer: Lord God, bring me a deeper self awareness, a stronger sense of how to live and love as Christ did. Especially in those hard times and situations, raise up the Holy Spirit within me to lead me to better model Jesus Christ to the world. Amen.


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Because He Lives

Reading: 1st Corinthians 15:12-20

Verse 20: “Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.”

As we continue in 1st Corinthians today we read about another division in the church that Paul has to address. There is disagreement around the resurrection of the dead. There is no discord surrounding Jesus’ resurrection. That is sure. The conflict revolves around what happens to regular folks, especially the followers of Jesus. Different understandings about life after death were common at this time. This issue, for example, was the primary split between the Sadducees and Pharisees.

Paul speaks first to those arguing that there is no resurrection of the dead. He argued that if this were the case then Jesus was not resurrected either. In this case, Paul states, “our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” Resurrection – new life after this earthly life is over – is central to our understanding of Christianity. Resurrection gives us hope; it is how God will one day make us and all of creation new again, restoring all to wholeness and perfection. This is a process we experience daily as well. Each day our faith draws us closer and closer to Christ and his example. As John Wesley said, we are “ever going on to perfection.” The simple fact that Christ continues to live in our hearts lends credence to the resurrection.

Paul also recognizes that if Jesus did not rise, then he did not defeat the power of sin either. That means that “you are still in your sins.” Without resurrection, Paul argues, the atoning sacrifice has not been made. He connects the victory over death to the victory over sin. Both came through the single action of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Our passage concludes with this summarizing statement: “Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.” Witnesses bear it out. Paul just went through this list in verses 5-8. For Paul, because Jesus lives, one day all who believe will live too. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: God, thank you for the hope you give in this life and for the life to come. Thank you too for the presence of the Holy Spirit, the indwelling, personal part of Christ alive in me. Amen.


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Choose Wisely

Reading: Psalm 1

Verse 6: “The Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.”

In the first year of a 20 year teaching career I was new to the school and to the community. I became friends with a few teachers that I worked with. They decided to buy a season pass to a golf course and to golf a couple days a week during the summer. I bought a pass. We’d drive up together and each day on the way home we’d stop at a casino. They’d gamble and we would all have a beer or two. The comraderie was great and there was nothing terribly wrong with the stop on the way home, but by the end of the summer I knew that I needed to make better choices for myself and for my young family. The next summer I started a small construction company with another teacher friend. This filled my summers for the next 20+ years.

In today’s Psalm we are reminded that who we surround ourselves with matters a lot. The psalmist first states that blessed is the man who does not hang out with sinners, mockers, and other evil people. The writer then identifies those who delight in the law of the Lord as blessed. The wicked are described as “chaff” – easily swayed and influenced. These, the psalmist says, will not be able to stand on the day of judgment. The Psalm concludes with these words: “The Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” An eternal life in glory awaits the faithful. Hallelujah!

The Psalm invites us to choose our friends wisely. If we choose to surround ourselves with good and spiritually mature people, then we will become more and more of who God created us to be. In light of this counsel and wisdom from Psalm 1, reflect upon who you surround yourself with. Do those who you choose to affect and influence your choices and decisions positively impact your life and your faith? Who do you need to spend more time with? Who should you be around less?

Prayer: Lord God, guide me to those who bring out the best in me and who foster the best from me. Thank you for the brothers and sisters in Christ that you have placed in my life. Help me to be a good brother to others. Amen.