pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

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Imitate Christ, Find Joy

Reading: Philippians 2:1-4

Philippians 2:4 – “Instead of each person watching out for their own good, watch out for what is better for others.”

Selfishness and sinfulness have been a part of the human condition since very early in creation. These two traits are opposed to the will and way of God. Within each of us there is a daily battle between the inherent love of self and the call to live God and neighbor.

In Philippians 2 Paul encourages those in the churches in and around Philippi to imitate Christ. Jesus set for the church and for us the example of what it looks like to daily love God and neighbor more than self. Paul invites his readers – then and now – to find encouragement in Jesus’ example, to find comfort in his love for us, to draw on the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, and to have sympathy (compassion) for others. Paul tells the Philippians that this kind of living will “complete my joy.” Living this way is pleasing to God today.

To live like Christ one must work against our nature to do things for self. Instead, Paul encourages us, writing, “With humility think of others as better than yourselves.” Stripped of arrogance and pride, life is not all about us and our wants and our pleasures. Keeping in line with this practice, Paul then writes, “Instead of each person watching out for their own good, watch out for what is better for others.” Focus on the ways that we can care for and love on others. Focus on the ways that we can provide for and protect our neighbors. Doing these things, we imitate Christ. Doing these things, we find great joy in living for Christ.

Prayer: Lord God, guide us to look outward rather than inward. Break the tendencies to think first of self and to strive for the world’s “success.” Draw us to the heart of Christ, to humble service and sacrificial love. From this place of heart, use us to care for the weak and vulnerable, to feed the hungry and the lonely, to stand for and with the oppressed and the marginalized. As we seek to imitate Christ, fill us with joy. Amen.


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The Condition of Our Heart

Reading: Romans 2:5-11

Romans 2:9 – “There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil.”

Paul contrasts two kinds of living in today’s passage. First he addresses those who are “stubborn.” Their hard hearts refuse to change. They persist in doing evil. They are selfish and disobedient. God’s judgment will fall on these people. Paul writes, in verse 9, “There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil.” Final judgement will come on “the day of wrath,” when the good and evil will be eternally separated.

Our passage also addresses the fate of those who do “patient good work.” Paul is not arguing for a works-based salvation here but is pointing out that the fruit of a heart set on God will be evident. Instead of trouble and distress, those whose hearts are set on God will experience “glory, honor, and peace.” On the day of judgment, the righteous will receive “immortality,” or the salvation of their souls.

Paul and most others in the Bible portray the choice between good and evil, between righteous and unrighteous living, in black and white terms. The reality, however, is that no one is good all the time or evil all the time. All of us certainly tend one way or the other. We are either seeking to follow Jesus and to reflect his will and way or we are living for self, reflecting the will and way of the world. In the end, all will face final judgment. As Paul writes, “God does not have favorites.” We will be judged by the whole of our life. This will reveal the condition of our heart. May our hearts be filled with love of God and neighbor.

Prayer: Lord God, in the daily walk of life, keep us focused on doing and being love in the world. May the world of our hands and the words of our mouths be pleasing in your sight. May our hearts reflect your heart for all of creation. Amen.


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Practice and Model…

Reading: Matthew 6:14-15

Matthew 6:14 – “If you forgive others their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.”

Today’s two short verses come at the end of Jesus teaching the disciples the Lord’s Prayer. This prayer is a prayer that we know by heart. Most of us recite these words each Sunday and at other times as well. Of all that Jesus taught in the Lord’s Prayer, the only part that he felt needed a little emphasis was the part about forgiveness. Did Jesus know that we would struggle with seeking and offering forgiveness?

In verses 14 and 15 Jesus emphasizes our role in being people of forgiveness. There is a feel here that if we are not people who regularly and consistently practice and Model forgiveness, then we will not be forgiven by God for our sins. This understanding does not, however, align with other passages about forgiveness in the scriptures. No other passage contains what feels like “conditions” to be forgiven by God. So then, what is Jesus getting at here in verses 14 and 15?

First, forgiveness is like love, generosity, grace, compassion, comfort… We must practice and model these facets of who and what God is. When we do, we experience God’s forgiveness, love, generosity… in deeper and more transformational ways. Living out a more Christ-like life draws us closer to Christ. Second, as we practice and model forgiveness we begin to grow into the “as far as the east is from the west,” your sin is more, practice of God. Truly understanding God’s unconditional and complete ways of forgiveness leads us to practice and model this kind of forgiveness in our lives and relationships. May it be so for you and for me.

Prayer: Lord God, day by day lead us to develop, to grow into, to truly live out forgiveness in the ways that you do. Being able to let go, not holding onto past hurts, not plotting getting even, it is truly freeing. In this place, we are so closely aligned to you and your heart. Draw us there, closer and closer, O God, encounter by encounter. Thank you. Amen.


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With Us Always

Reading: Psalm 91:9-16

Psalm 91:10 – “No evil will happen to you; no disease will come near to your tent.”

Psalm 91 is a liturgy of divine protection. The psalmist is expressing his or her belief in God as protector. They express an absolute trust in God. In verse 9 God is declared to be a place of refuge, the place of residence. The Psalm closes with God’s promise to fill them with “old age” and to “show you my salvation.” Throughout the Psalm we see the Jewish belief that living a godly life will result in being blessed by God. There will be rescue, protection, answered prayer, saving.

In verse 10 we read, “No evil will happen to you; no disease will come near to your tent.” This is backed up in verse 11, where we read that God will order the angels to protect us “wherever you go.” In verse 12 we read that we won’t even “bruise a foot” because the angels will carry us. With God’s protection we’ll be able to “march on top of lions and vipers.” These words express trust and faith in God. These words were written in a time when all things were seen as under God’s control.

As the biblical narrative unfolds, we see a shift in understanding. God created and designed the world and set it into motion. God does not, however, micromanage the world. Evil, free will, selfishness, greed… – these are part of the human condition. Nobody teaches a young child, for example, to want that toy just for themselves. They must be taught to share. Illness and death are also part of the human condition. Our bodies are amazing, complex creations of God. We are not, however, bulletproof, fireproof, illness-proof… These realities of life bring oppression, injustice, pain, grief, suffering. God desires to be with us in these hard moments. Calling upon God in faith and trust, our God of relationship will walk with us always.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for always being with us when we call out. Lead and guide us to have a deep trust in your love and care for us. Impart upon us also an understanding of the realities of the human condition. In moments of goodness and joy, in moments when evil or illness or when poor decisions impact our lives, draw us to you, be present in our trials, walk with us in all of life. Amen.


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Heart Conditions

Reading: Matthew 5:21-22 and 27-30

Matthew 5:30 – “It’s better that you lose part of your body than that your whole body go into hell.”

As we continue to wrestle with the question of heaven or hell we turn today to some of Jesus’ words concerning what can lead a person into hell. Our two short sections on murder and adultery begin a series of teachings where Jesus also addresses divorce, oaths, retaliation, and love. In all of these teachings, Jesus calls us beyond the minimum of the letter of the Law. He’s really digging down into the condition of our hearts.

One of the Ten Commandments says, “Do not murder.” Yes, Jesus says, but he adds a warning about anger. This first emotion leads to harsh words which can lead to… Jesus could’ve warned about envy or arrogance or… Anger is not the only sin that could lead to murder.

Another of the Ten Commandments says, “Don’t commit adultery.” Again, Jesus goes to the root, warning about even looking lustfully at someone else. And, again, lust is not the only emotion that can begin the journey towards adultery. Illustrating that sin is often a progression, Jesus tells us to cut out our eye if it causes us to lust. And if a hand next continues the lustful action – “cut it off.” Sin is serious. It begins with temptation. It leads to separation from God – often temporarily but potentially eternally. Therefore, Jesus summarizes, “It’s better that you lose part of your body than that your whole body go into hell.” Clearly we must begin with an honest evaluation of the condition of our heart.

Prayer: Lord God, you see all things, know all things. Bring this truth to the fore when our humanity begins to wander towards less than you call us to be. May the voice and the nudge of your Holy Spirit work powerfully in our hearts and minds, aligning us with your charge to love you and neighbor more than self. Guide us to walk faithfully this day and every day. Amen.


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Mercy and Grace Persist

Reading: Genesis 3

Genesis 3:9 – “The man and his wife hid themselves from the Lord God.”

Photo credit: Felipe Correia

Continuing on from chapter 2, where we saw God’s desire to care for, to provide for to be in relationship with humanity, today we read of temptation and sin and of the broken relationships these evils produce. The snake, long identified with Satan, “tricks” the woman and man into eating from one of the forbidden trees. The woman initially resists, but the snake persists. Using a half-truth the snake tempts the man and woman enough. They both eat and they see their nakedness. Their initial shame leads them to cover this condition.

Later the man and woman hear God walking in the garden. In verse 8 we read, “The man and his wife hid themselves from the Lord God.” Their continuing shame leads them to try to hide from God. Yet God calls out. Death could have come the moment they ate the forbidden fruit. But here our God of mercy and grace calls out. Yes, there are consequences to their sin, as there often are in our lives. Yet God is right there, fully present to the man and woman. Death will come, eventually, as they are sent out of the garden, seemingly forever away from the tree of life – the tree that would allow them to live forever.

This rebellion in the garden is just the first of many. Countless sins have led to countless breaches in our relationship with God. And equally countless offerings of mercy and grace have reconciled these breaches. This struggle with sin is and will be our reality. The struggle, as John Wesley wrote, “will continue while there is a godly man on this side of heaven, and a wicked man on this side of hell.” Grace and mercy will likewise persist and will eventually triumph on the final day. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, it can be easy to read this chapter and to look down on, to judge, to compare. And there sin is again, knocking on the door of our heart. Help us to see ourselves fully present in this story, in the struggle. There we recognize and appreciate and ready ourselves to receive the grace and mercy we so often need. Thank you, Lord, for always having more mercy and grace. Amen.


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Seeds and Soil

Reading: John 12:20-36

Verse 24: “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed.”

In today’s passage Jesus speaks of life and death. There are layers to these words that Jesus shares. He is speaking personally as his own death looms just days away. In verse 24 we read, “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed.” Christ, the single seed, must die so that the Holy Spirit can come, empowering more than one person to produce fruit for the kingdom of God. Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus will be present in spirit in the hearts of all who believe.

Jesus is talking to Andrew and Peter, to all the disciples, and to all the disciples who will one day read these words. Like Jesus we too must be willing to surrender self to God – to hate this earthly life. Once we surrender then we become that kernel of wheat that dies so that it can produce other seeds. These seeds that we plant in the hearts and lives of others are what the Holy Spirit can work with to build the kingdom of God.

There is another connection, another layer here too. In Luke 8, in the parable of the sower, Jesus spoke of the soil and of sowing seeds. The parable discussed 4 “soils,” from the hard path to the fertile soil. Part of the Lenten journey has been to look within, to reflect on the condition of our soil. Our soil must be good in order to help produce a crop 100 times what was sown for the kingdom. The parable also addresses how to sow. Abundantly is the answer. We are to share the light and love of Jesus Christ with all people – even the ones who appear hard-hearted. There is no limiting the power of the Holy Spirit!

To close, a John Wesley question: How is it with your soul?

Prayer: Lord God, day after day help me to surrender self to you. Help me to lay my pride, my judging, my self-doubt at the foot of the cross. Lead me from there to live a life that shines the light and love of Christ on others, planting and nourishing the seeds of faith in their soil. Amen.


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Available to All

Reading: Romans 5:12-19

Verse 16: “The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification.”

Romans 5 connects our Genesis 2 and 3 readings with the life and death of Jesus Christ. In verses 12-14 Paul reminds us that sin entered the world through Adam (and Eve). With sin came death. In the last part of verse 14 Paul identifies Adam as “the pattern of the one to come.” Yet, as Paul writes, “The gift is not like the trespass.”

Continuing on Paul explains that the trespass leads many to death. In verse 16 he writes, “The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification.” Once sin entered the world, humanity faced condemnation. Sin and death and guilt began to reign in our lives. Until the gift came. The gift was God’s son, who came to earth to die on a cross for our sins. Jesus’ innocent life was the atoning sacrifice for all sin. His life paid the price for our sin. This gift brought justification – the process of being made right with God. Our sin and guilt is washed away by the blood of the lamb. Through the power of the grace of God, we are made new again.

There is a totality in the actions of both Adam and Jesus Christ. Sin came into all humanity through the sin of Adam and Eve in the garden. What flowed through their veins flows through all of our veins. Whether or not one is a believer, we are all prone to sin. That is all people’s human condition. At our base level we all look out for #1. There is also totality in Christ. Grace “overflows to the many.” It is available to all people. The offer of justification “brings life to all humanity.” There is no limit on God’s grace. It is available to all people. Just as sin touches all of our lives, so too can grace. This is how Jesus is the new Adam. This is the beauty of God’s love. It is not just for all who believe. It is equally strong and available to all who are lost in their sin. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, I am so grateful that your grace washes over me again and again and again. It is undeserved yet always available. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Yet this is there for all people. I am so amazed at the limitless nature of your love and grace. It is for all people everywhere. This is truly amazing and wonderful. Thank you, Lord. Amen.


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Love Mercy Grace

Reading: Luke 23:39-43

Verse 43: “Today you will be with me in paradise.”

As we continue today with our Luke 23 passage for this week, let’s just begin by being honest: folks struggle with this passage. Christians almost universally love the words of forgiveness that Jesus speaks in verse 34. They are evidence of Christ’s love, mercy, and grace. We cherish these gifts that we receive in faith from Jesus. Some, however, can struggle with the words of forgiveness that come in verse 43.

There is a third person on a cross. This other thief joins in with the mocking of Jesus. He basically says that if Jesus is really the Messiah, then save yourself – and us! He is selfish. There is no belief. In this moment he’d just like enough of that love, mercy, and grace to get him out of this situation. “Just give me what I want right now and I might see you again when I need something” is his mantra. And as much as we feel disdain for this character, the truth is that at one point we have lived this kind of faith. Hard as that is to admit, here is a deeper truth. Once we think ourselves worthy of Jesus’ love, mercy, and grace, we begin to draw a line for others. We judge, we place conditions, we set up unspoken expectations, we limit access to Christ’s love, mercy, and grace. Welcome to thief two.

The second thief speaks up too. Only he recognizes what love, mercy, and grace looks like as it hangs beside him on the middle cross. He hears Jesus do the unthinkable: he offers it all to those who unjustly placed him on this cross. He is drawn to this Jesus. As a declaration of faith he asks to be remembered. Jesus tells him: “Today you will be with me in paradise.” This is where some struggle. They get rankled at this deathbed confession and the ease with which Jesus accepts this man into faith. No judgement, no conditions, no expectations, no limits. In an instant the man sees Jesus’ love, mercy, and grace and is drawn into a relationship with the Savior. He steps into paradise in that very moment. Friends, may our love, mercy, and grace be as generous, accepting, and welcoming as Christ’s is.

Prayer: Lord God, what love! Anyone, everyone, anytime, anywhere. A lifetime, part of a lifetime, just a moment as death stands at the door. Relationship. This is where we come to see and understand your love, mercy, and grace. Relationship. It is where we are equipped and empowered to live these things out. May it be so. Amen.


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Model God’s Heart

Reading: Acts 16:16-23

Verse 19: “They dragged Paul and Silas into the marketplace to face the authorities.”

Photo credit: Gary Butterfield

In today’s passage Paul and Silas continue to minister in Philippi. They encounter a slave girl who can predict the future. After days of her following them around, shouting, “These men are servants of the most high God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” Paul finally has enough and he casts the spirit out, freeing the girl to be herself. This kind act comes with a cost. The girl’s owners can no longer profit from her divination skills. In response, “they dragged Paul and Silas into the marketplace to face the authorities.” There is a price to pay for cutting into their profits. Paul and Silas are stripped naked, beaten, and thrown into jail.

As we consider the time and place in which we live, who do you know that is captive to an unjust system or to unacceptable conditions? Or, who do you know that benefits from a system that lessens or oppresses others? These are two sides of the same coin, as we saw in today’s text. Is there someone in a bad relationship that just needs a little help to get out in their own? Is there someone living in poor housing that you can raise awareness of, leading to an improved situation for them? Is there someone stuck in grief or dealing with illness – mental or physical – that you can come alongside, offering relief or help to?

At times we are called to be the voice for those without. And at times we must stand up for and with those without power. In these ways we model the heart of God. May God open our eyes and hearts to the needs all around us.

Prayer: Lord God, open my eyes to the world around me. Reveal to me the places and people who need your help or intervention or rescue. Show me the way to help however I can. Amen.