pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: created


by Leave a comment

God’s Goodwill and Plan

Reading: Ephesians 1:3-14

Ephesians 1:7 – “We have been ransomed through his Son’s blood, and we have forgiveness for our failures based on his overflowing grace.”

Verses 3-6 speak of God choosing us. This choosing is rooted in God’s “goodwill and plan.” At the beginning of time as we know it, God created humanity in the image of the divine and appointed humankind as stewards of creation. A partnership, a relationship – this has always been God’s good plan for all of humanity. This intimate connection with God calls us to be “holy and blameless.” This calls requires us to surrender our life to Christ’s will and way so that we can become “adopted children,” becoming like Christ in every way that is humanly possible. At its simplest, this comes down to loving God and one another just as God first loved us.

Part way through verse 6 the focus shifts to grace and forgiveness. Because we are human, at times our flesh leads us away from our relationship with Jesus Christ and into temptation and sin. At all times, God is ready to redeem us. Verse 7 speaks of this truth: “We have been ransomed through his Son’s blood, and we have forgiveness for our failures based on his overflowing grace.” Ransomed – the atoning price for our sins has been paid. Forgiveness – our sins are no more. This has always been God’s design. At just the right time, God in the flesh made the sacrifice required to redeem all the world.

The last five verses shift to an eternal reality. At the end of this present age – “the climax of all time” – Christ will bring all things together in the new heaven and earth. This is our inheritance. It first comes through belief in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. It is then sealed by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. The forgiveness and redemption founded on God’s love will one day lead us to our true and eternal home. Thanks be to God!

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for your plan that seeks to include us all. Thank you for the wooing and pursuing that draws us into relationship with you. Thank you for the steadfast love and for the indwelling presence that strengthens and deepens our relationship with you. Thank you for the grace, overflowing and unending, that brings us back into right relationship again and again, redeeming us from ourselves, returning us to who you designed us to be. Thank you for your great love for us all. Amen.


by Leave a comment

Faithful, Joyful Living

Reading: Psalm 100

Psalm 100:1 – “Shout triumphantly to the Lord, all the earth!”

Joy in the Lord flows throughout Psalm 100. Unlike happiness that comes and goes, joy is a state of being. It is a state of being that becomes our “norm” as we spend more and more time walking with the Lord. It is from this state of being that the psalmist declares, “Shout triumphantly to the Lord, all the earth!” This declaration invites all of creation to praise God. This invitation is not limited to the psalmist’s community of faith. It is quite the opposite. All people and all of creation are the work of God’s hands. All are invited. This concept is also echoed in verse 3. We are all the “sheep” of God’s pasture.

The Psalm is filled with action. It calls us to a living faith. We’re invited to serve God with celebration, to offer shouts of joy, to thank God often, and to bless God’s name. This open invitation to active, faithful living and worship creates a place of welcome and community. This kind of living breaks down walls and barriers. Joyful worship draws others in.

Faithful living and joy as our state of being are not rooted in ourselves. We find the source in the last verse. We can be faithful and we can be joyful because of who and what God is. We are made in the image of God – the one who is good, who is loyal in love, who is always and forever faithful. God is our source of joy. God gives us the power to be faithful. God is with us. We are God’s. Thanks be to God!

Prayer: Lord God, we celebrate our place in your pasture. We are your family and you are our God. What joy! From our place of belonging, help us to extend invitation to others. From our place in community, guide us to make all feel included. All for your praise and glory! Amen!


by Leave a comment

God’s Intended Creation

Reading: Psalm 65:9-13

Psalm 65:13 – “The meadowlands are covered in flocks, the valleys decked out in grain.”

Psalm 65 is a song of praise for God’s works. The portion that we read today celebrates God’s provision to the people of the earth. In verses 9-10 the psalmist rejoices over how God brings abundance to the earth through the “rain showers” that enrich the earth and provide grain for the people. From what was chaos in Genesis 1, God has ordered and shaped creation in ways that express God’s love to all of God’s children.

Moving into verses 11-12 we see that it is God’s goodness that creates this overflowing abundance. God provides because God is good. God’s goodness is so graciously given that even the desert is “dressed in pure joy.” This goodness and blessing extends even more to the valleys and meadowlands tended by God’s people. Of these we read, “The meadowlands are covered in flocks, the valleys decked out in grain.” This provision yields a joy that expresses itself in songs of praise to God.

As I read these verses, I think that all of creation and all of humanity should be greatly blessed with all that we need. This is clearly God’s intent for the world that God designed and created. The hard reality, though, is that there is a great wrench that “we” have thrown into God’s plan. Greed and selfishness and the desire for power have twisted God’s plan and design. A very small few are greatly blessed in all ways. And while a good chunk in the middle are doing okay, a too-large group struggles daily for food, shelter, and security. How can we, as the people of God, move our world closer to what it was created to be?

Prayer: Lord God, likely as we read this we sit in the middle group – comfortable enough in life that it can feel okay to ignore those other groups. But, Lord, you call us to more. Awaken in us your spirit of generous abundance for all of creation. Move us to be people who speak and act in ways that bring about your intended world. Amen.


by Leave a comment

May Your Kingdom Come

Reading: Joel 2:28-32

Joel 2:32 – “But everyone who calls on the Lord’s name will be saved.”

Moving from yesterday’s suffering, sin, repentance, and hope, today we move into and beyond the ‘now and not yet’ of Joel 2. Once God has brought the exiles home and returned abundance to the land and to the people of God… or at some point in the future… God says, “After that I will pour out my Spirit upon everyone…” For Joel and his audience, this would be when the Messiah came, inaugurating a new era with a new heaven and earth.

Just proceeding that new era, sons and daughters, old men and young men, even slaves, will receive the Spirit. They will speak of and dream of this new coming kingdom. On that day, when it comes, there will be “blood and fire and columns of smoke” and it will be a “great and dreadful day.” And there is a ‘but.’ In verse 32 we read, “But everyone who calls on the Lord’s name will be saved.” God’s faithful will be saved.

As the story of the Bible continues, thoughts on this day evolve and develop. When Jesus arrived, he brought a dramatic shift in the understanding of the new kingdom. Jesus is clear that Joel’s (and other’s) visions of the new heaven and earth will indeed be glorious on that day, but… But, Jesus said, the kingdom is here now. Jesus taught us disciples to pray, “may your kingdom come… may your will be done… on earth as it is in heaven.” The time that Joel speaks of? Jesus is clear: the time is now. All people – men, women, young, old, slaves, free, rich, poor… – all people can receive the Spirit. All people are invited to live in and to be a part of God’s kingdom here on earth. All who call on the Lord’s name will be saved. O Lord, may your kingdom come and may your will be done! And may it begin with us.

Prayer: Lord God, open wide the doors of our hearts and of our churches! Opened wide, use us to build this kingdom where all are welcomed, where all know that they are beloved of you, and of us. Opened wide, use us to declare that each person, created in your image, one and all, are invited to your table of grace. Use us, Lord, to make this beautiful kingdom a reality here and now. Amen.


by Leave a comment

Can You Feel It?

Reading: Jeremiah 18:1-11

Jeremiah 18:11 – “I am a potter preparing disaster for you… So each one of you, turn from your evil ways; reform your ways and actions.”

In Jeremiah 18 God sends the prophet to the potter’s house. Using this mental image, this visual, it brings God’s word to life. In ancient times, pottery was used for many things: food and water storage, cooking and baking, cleansing. Jeremiah’s audience would be very familiar with a potter and the work they did. Like Jesus’ many examples drawn from his agricultural society, the potter imagery instantly connects the people to God’s message.

At the potter’s house Jeremiah observes the piece being made. It becomes flawed as it is being formed, so the potter starts over. That’s the thing about clay – until fired in the kiln, if kept properly, it can be reshaped again and again. Extending this idea, God says to God’s people, “Can’t I deal with you like this potter?” While these words can sound a bit threatening, these are really words of grace and mercy. Through Jeremiah and many other prophets, God has warned Judah (and Israel before them) again and again. Yet they continued to displease and disobey God. So God declares, “I am a potter preparing disaster for you… So each one of you, turn from your evil ways; reform your ways and actions.” God so desires for Judah to walk in right relationship with God. Can you feel it?

This potter metaphor applies to our lives as well. When God first created you, created me, God did so with an end product in mind. From the beginning, God has a plan and a purpose for our lives. But along the way we become flawed. We sin, we get distracted, we wander. And there is God, the potter, bringing us back to the wheel, reshaping us again and again. God so desires to walk in a close, personal relationship with us. Can you feel it?

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for your deep and unconditional love for us. Thank you for your mercy, grace, and forgiveness that always returns to the wheel of our life, steadily shaping us into who you created us to be. By the power of the Holy Spirit, may we feel and sense your guidance and direction, taking an active role in our relationship with you. Amen.


by Leave a comment

All for Us

Reading: Psalm 22:1-18

Psalm 22:7-8 – “All who see me make fun of me… ‘He committed himself to the Lord, so let God rescue him ‘”

Photo credit: Emily Crawford

In these words of David there is lament, sorrow, pain, abandonment. As we read these words we can feel what David was going through. Perhaps you, like me, connected back to an experience in your life when you felt these emotions. Jesus felt them. Throughout this Psalm we see connections to the passion of the Christ.

David begins with words Jesus echoes from the cross: “My God, my God, why have you left me all alone?” Taking the sin of the world upon himself, God could not look at Jesus. David then recalls times – both personal and corporate – when God rescued, saved, answered the prayers and cries for help. That trust and faith still wants to be there. The pain and suffering just makes it hard.

David is being “insulted by one person, despised by another.” On the cross, Jesus endured taunts, insults, mocking. In verses 7-8 we read, “All who see me make fun of me… ‘He committed himself to the Lord, so let God rescue him.'” The gospels echo these last words, spoken by the religious leaders who orchestrated Jesus’ crucifixion. In verses 9-11 there is a slight reprieve to the difficult emotions. David recalls a life committed to God. He asks for God’s presence. In the garden there are moments of intimate prayer between Jesus and God. Reflecting his own commitment and obedience, Jesus says, “Not my will…”

On the cross, as it was in the Psalm for David, it must’ve felt like everyone was against Jesus. He must’ve felt surrounded. Jesus’ life was poured out like water for us. The soldiers cast lots for Jesus’ clothes. Jesus was pierced in the hands and feet. All for us. All for us. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, you truly hold it all in your hands. In these words that you inspired in David we see Christ’s story, played out a thousand years later. Your plan is grand. Yet you also hold each of us in your hands. You created us in the womb, designed to bear that image to the world. You walk with us daily. You are our God. Thank you. Amen.


by Leave a comment

The One True God

Reading: Isaiah 9:2-7

Verse 6: “And his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Photo credit: Diego Gennaro

Just over a week ago at youth group, one of our kids asked about the difference between God and the gods of the Greeks, Romans… It is a good place to begin today’s thoughts on Isaiah 9. The gods were limited and they were flawed. Each god was a god of something – war, love, rain, fertility… The gods fought with one another, played cruel tricks on humanity, sometimes had evil intents. These false gods, however, did not cease to exist with the Romans or whoever. They have new names today – wealth, popularity, beauty… – but they continue to lead us away from the one true God. Pursuing these gods limits our ability to fully be who we were created to be. Allowing these gods to drive our decisions and actions yields flawed results in our lives.

God is unlimited and is perfect. In God there is no darkness or evil. God has only good plans for us. God is everywhere and is always present. In today’s passage Isaiah identifies the coming son as “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” God incarnate, in the flesh, is all of this and so much more. In our times of indecision and struggle, God gives us wonderful counsel and guidance. In our times of weakness and uncertainty, God gives us mighty strength and holy wisdom. In our times of frailty and humanity, God reminds us that he who was and is and always will be is right there with us in that moment. And in the storms and valleys, God covers us in peace and hope and walks right there by our side.

Today we rejoice in our God who upholds and establishes us. Thanks be to our God who both reigns forever and is present right here in our hearts.

Prayer: Lord God, these titles that we find in Isaiah are so true in so many ways. Yet they are just a small part of who and what you are to and for us. Thank you for your total love and for your complete care for us, your children. Amen.


by Leave a comment

A People the Lord Has Blessed

Reading: Isaiah 61:8-11

Verse 11: “The LORD God will grow righteousness and praise before all the nations.”

In the second half of this week’s Isaiah 61 passage God declares a love for justice and a corresponding hate of robbery and iniquity. In all things God loves good and hated evil. This is because God is good and in God there is no evil whatsoever. Created in God’s image, God’s intent is for us to mirror the character of God. In verse 8 God promises an everlasting covenant. Through this covenant the people of the Lord will be blessed.

Beginning in verse 10, Isaiah responds. The promises of God bring delight and joy to his soul. The prophet noted that God has “clothed me with garments of salvation… in a robe of righteousness.” Covered in these figurative garments, Isaiah is empowered to practice and to reflect the character of God. The living out of a deeply rooted faith will be a witness to the people of God and to the world. This connects back to verse 9b, where we read, “‭All who see them will recognize that they are a people blessed by the LORD.”

Our passage also connects with an analogy that I’ve touched on the last two Sundays. In these words of hope and of a promise of new life, Isaiah draws on the image of a garden. The soil and the seed are essential. Good tending is necessary. And then God gets involved as the seed sprouts, grows, and eventually bears a crop. The same concepts are true in our faith. Time in the Bible tolls the soil of our hearts. Worship and study and prayer plant seeds that we must tend to and nourish. Then God’s Holy Spirit gets involved, leading and guiding our growth, causing our faith to grow deeper, allowing it to be witnessed by all, leading others to seek out the One in whom we delight and find joy, the One who leads us in righteousness and into salvation. May this be so for you and for me today and every day.

Prayer: Lord God, your covenant remains true today – you are our God and we are your people. Clothe us in righteousness, fill us with the joy and delight of salvation through Jesus Christ. Then set us out into the world, Lord, drawing others into a saving faith. Amen.


by Leave a comment

Drawn Back

Reading: Isaiah 64:1-9

Verse 8: “Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.”

Photo credit: Rainier Ridao

In ‭Isaiah‬ ‭64, God seems absent to Isaiah and to the people of God. The prophet longs for God to “rend the heavens and come down.” Isaiah longs for the people of God to once again know the God who “acts on behalf of those who wait for him.” When God has been known and then feels absent or withdrawn, one feels that. Life seems abnormal. We’ve all experienced this.

Isaiah recalls that God has indeed “come to help those who gladly do right.” When one lives faithfully and obediently, God is definitely active and present in one’s life. When we are aligned with God’s will and ways, it feels like we are walking closely with God. We too have experienced this.

Continuing on, Isaiah recognizes that the people have remained in their sin. They are “unclean” and right now “no one calls on God’s name.” They are out of alignment with God. They are not even seeking God. It is no wonder that God feels distant and disconnected. We too have experienced this.

Turning to verse 8, we find hope. Isaiah holds to a sure truth: God is present and just waiting to act. God does not abandon us ever. Speaking with hope and confidence Isaiah says, “Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.” God is yet there, ready and willing to shape and form the people back into who God created them to be. The prophet asks God to look upon them once again. Isaiah longs for restoration and reconnection. God is faithful. The people will be drawn back to God. We have experienced this too. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, when life leads me to question your presence or your love, when my choices or actions create a feeling of separation – draw me back to you. May the Holy Spirit call out my name; may my faith be rekindled, drawing me back to the only source of true life. Amen.


by 1 Comment

Three P’s

Reading: Exodus 16:6-15

Verses 6-7: “In the evening you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of Egypt, and in the morning you will see the glory of the Lord.”

Continuing on in Exodus 16 we see 3 traits of God on display. Two are obvious and one is found “between the lines.” In verses 6-7 we read about one: God as provider. Because the people are hungry and are unable to provide for themselves, God brought quail at night and manna in the morning. God is our provider too. Sometimes food is what we need. Sometimes it is peace or joy or strength or the opening of a door or guidance for a next step.

The second trait is found in both the manna and in the cloud. God’s presence is found in the glory in the cloud and in the thin flakes that appear on the desert floor. In their doubt and in their want, God’s presence fills these voids. God is present to us too. Maybe it is in worship. Maybe it is on a walk. Maybe it is when you bow your head in prayer. Or maybe it’s in those moments of great need when you feel God’s arms and love surrounding you.

The third trait is God’s patience. The testing and the grumbling are already frequent, just days into this journey. It’s like your child asking “Are we there yet?” before you’re out of the driveway. Moses even makes it clear that the Israelites are really grumbling “against God.” It doesn’t seem to bother God. At all. God knows the big picture, the master plan. And God knows us too. God created us. God is not done with the Israelites and God is not done with you or with me. Although we also grumble… and doubt and question and worry and… God is ever so patient. Hallelujah!

Prayer: Lord God, you are indeed provider, presence, and patience. We need each in large volume. You give and give and give out of your great love for us. May our response be to live there out with one another. Amen.