pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: dying


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To Trust in Faith

Reading: Matthew 26:36-39

Matthew 26:39 – “My Father, if it’s possible, take this cup of suffering away from me.”

As we wrap up a week on faith overcoming our fears, we turn today to Jesus’ time in the Garden of Gethsemane. It has been a tumultuous week in Jerusalem. Jesus has clashed with the religious leaders. He has washed the disciples’ feet and instituted holy communion. He has spoken of betrayal and denial. As the time for his arrest, trial, suffering, and death nears, Jesus goes to a place of prayer that he has frequented. The disciples know this about Jesus and this place.

Entering the Garden, Jesus leaves most of the disciples, instructing them to “stay here” while he goes to pray. Taking Peter, John, and James a little further into the Garden and into his struggle, Jesus tells them, “I’m very sad. It’s as if I’m dying.” He tells them to stay they and to “keep alert” – pray! Falling to the ground, Jesus prays, “My Father, if it’s possible, take this cup of suffering away from me.” The human piece of Jesus fears what is soon to come: the arrest… The Divine piece of Jesus fears the separation from God when he takes upon himself our sins.

Choosing faith and trust over fear, Jesus prays, “However – not what I want but what you want.” What’s coming will be extremely hard, painful, difficult. But it is God’s plan. It’s always been the plan. In our moments of fear, when we can see what’s coming and when it is the unknown that raises up fear in us, may we too choose to trust in faith, knowing that our good, good God loves us and is in control. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, fear is something that we deal with often. It rises up in times of risk and danger; it rises up in times of challenge and trial. In the moments when fear is beginning to grip us, Lord speak into our hearts and minds. By the power of the Spirit, remind us that we are yours and yours alone. Amen.


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Believe

Reading: John 11 and 12

John 11:25 – “I am the resurrection and the life.”

Photo credit: Kyle Johnson

Lazarus is the focus of most of chapter 11. He falls ill and Mary and Martha send for Jesus. He stays where he is at. Only when Lazarus has died does Jesus head for Bethany. Many Jews come to mourn. As Jesus nears, Martha hears and goes out to meet him. She says as Mary will later say, “Lord, if you had been here…” They believe that Jesus could have healed their brother. While true, there is a greater plan at work. Jesus tells Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life.” To believe in Jesus leads to eternal life. We will all die in the physical sense as our body passes into death. After weeping with Mary and Martha, Jesus calls for the stone to be removed. This is a test of their faith. Do they believe that Jesus’ power can reach beyond the stone of death?

Jesus calls Lazarus out of the tomb. Many come to believe. But typical of the division in John, others go to the Pharisees with the news. They fear that a miracle like this will lead to a loss of control, which will lead the Romans to take action. The religious leaders know that Jesus would not play their game. So they decide that Jesus must die. Jesus withdraws to a secluded place for a time.

As the Passover nears, Jesus goes to Bethany. At a dinner at Lazarus’ house, Mary anoints Jesus’ feet with expensive perfume, preparing him for burial. A greedy Judas protests. The next day Jesus enters Jerusalem. A great crowd celebrates his humble entry. The Pharisees lament, “Look! The whole world is following him!” This kingship is different. Jesus speaks of a single seed falling and dying. Only then can it “bear much fruit.” Jesus reminds the people that he came to be light in darkness and that he came not to judge but to save.

Prayer: Lord God, help us to believe when we have not seen. The signs – we can read about them and trust that they happened. Your words is true. Lord, touch us and our lives with your presence and with your Spirit. May we feel the light and life within us, leading us to believe. May we walk daily with your Holy Spirit. Amen.


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“No” to Self!

Reading: Luke 8:40-9

Luke 9:23 – “All who want to come after me must say no to themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow me.”

Today’s reading begins with two stories where faith results in healing. Jairus comes to Jesus seeking healing for his daughter and a woman discreetly comes to Jesus for healing. Both believe that Jesus can bring healing. In spite of circumstances stacked against them, both experience healing because they continued to believe.

Jesus sends out the 12 to heal and proclaim the good news. After a successful outing, Jesus encounters a large crowd. After a long day teaching and healing, the disciples suggest sending the crowd to find food and lodging. Jesus suggests the disciples feed the crowd. Their response: But we don’t have enough. Fish and loaves are not what is lacking. With five fish and two loaves, Jesus feeds the huge crowd. In the end all eat their fill and the disciples each hold a basket full of leftovers. Jesus has faith to spare!

There are two sections about following Jesus in today’s readings. After Peter declares that Jesus is the Christ, Jesus explains that this means dying and being raised. He will be an unexpected kind of Messiah. Because of this, Jesus defines what it takes to follow this way: “All who want to come after me must say no to themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow me.” At the end of today’s readings we see that many cannot meet these expectations. Followers must be willing to lose their lives to take on Christ’s.

Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up the mountain, where he is transfigured. They see Jesus in his divine glory. God’s words add to their understanding that he is truly the Son of God. They descend and Jesus heals a boy possessed by a demon. He then confronts the disciples lack of understanding about following him. They had been arguing about which one of them was the greatest. Jesus states, “Whoever is least among you is the greatest.” It’s all about elevating others above self. This requires a follower of Jesus to say “no” to self again and again and again…

Prayer: Lord God, while the world and our culture tells us that self is all that matters, you say the opposite. Everything, everyone, all else is to be placed before our own needs and wants. In that place, we are trusting in you alone for all that we truly need. Grant us the faith and the courage to make this choice every day. Amen.


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Transformed Not Conformed

Reading: Romans 12:1-2

Verse 2a: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

Paul shifts gears as we turn to chapter 12. The last 4 verses of chapter 11 are a doxology. This closing prayer of praise to God wraps up the focus of the last few chapters and shifts our thinking to the “how” of living as a believer. Paul begins chapter 12 urging us to “offer your bodies as a living sacrifice.” Paul, as Jesus often did, is using an old word in a new way. To the Jews a sacrifice was the lamb or dove or grain or oil that was brought to the altar in the temple. Often blood was spilled and life was lost. In other sacrifices the offering was poured out or burnt upon the altar. There was a finality to each particular sacrifice.

Paul’s call is to be “living sacrifices.” This is an ongoing giving of self to God and to others. In Jesus’ language it is dying to self again and again in order to truly love God and neighbor. So, how do we place ourselves in a position to do this? We make the intentional choice to live according to God’s will and way. It’s not easy. The world is always tugging at us. For the daily battle, Paul offers this advice: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Winning this battle requires an intentional choice to say “NO” to the ways and norms of the world. Saying “no” to the world allows us to say “YES” to God’s transformation of our minds. This renewing of our mind is an ongoing process. Day by day it shapes us more and more into God’s image. It brings us closer and closer to understanding and then living out God’s “good, pleasing, and perfect will.” May it be so for us all each day.

Prayer: Lord God, we need you so much in this battle to transform ourselves into who and what you call us to be. The voice of the world is so loud and so convincing at times. Elevate the voice of the Spirit over this constant buzz. Hearing the Spirit more clearly, lead us to be transformed more and more into the image and example of Christ. Amen.


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Pleading Earnestly

Reading: Mark 5: 21-24

Verse 22: “Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him”.

Photo credit: Patrick Fore

Today we begin to enter into this week’s passage from Mark 5. Jesus returns to the Jewish side of the lake and is greeted by a large crowd. A man named Jairus is in the crowd. He is one of the leaders at the local synagogue. He has encountered Jesus before. Now he comes to speak with Jesus. In verse 22 we read, “Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him”. What causes us to fall at Jesus’ feet, to plead with Jesus?

For Jairus, his daughter is dying. That would cause any parent to plead earnestly. In the same situation we would pray and pray and pray. And then we would pray some more. We can assume that Jairus has tried everything else to save his daughter. Why else would a respected, well-known Jewish leader come to this Jesus? Jairus is desperate. Jesus is his last and only hope. At least a small part of him believes and hopes that Jesus can “put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live”.

When we get to this point – to the place of desperation – have we tried everything else but deep, intense prayer? Only then do we come to Jesus with belief and hope? Do we approach him, fall at his feet, and plead earnestly? Yes, at times our prayers do get ratcheted up to this level. Yet a faithful walk with Jesus is at its best at a steady, daily, regular pace. May this be the routine of our prayer life, building us up for those times of intimate, powerful, intense prayer. May it be so for you and for me.

Prayer: Lord God, may my daily time with you be strengthening and encouraging each day. In steady faith, may I grow in you and in my trust in you. In those moments of great need, may I really lean into you, kneeling upon my rock and my hope. Amen.


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Lead in Love

Reading: John 20: 19-23

Verse 19: “When the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and said, ‘Peace be with you!'”

Following his death the disciples gathered together in their small community and were present to one another. The recent events left them feeling powerless and vulnerable. There was a sense of fear hanging over them. If this could happen to him, it could happen to any of them. If the Jews, the ones filled with power and fears of their own, could flex their muscles and cause this to happen to Jesus, the disciples were well within their reach.

Fear is certainly present in our society today. COVID has created many: fear of dying, fear of sickness, fear or losing a business, fear of financial failure, fear of isolation… Fear is also very present right now in some of our cities and in some of our social groups. Another senseless death has sent another ripple of fear through affected communities. The ripple had become a flood of emotion and response in some places. Even though there is no place for hate in God’s kingdom, it remains something that humanity is struggling with in this world.

As the disciples gathered on the day of Jesus’ resurrection, locked behind some closed doors, he came and said, “Peace be with you”! They were overjoyed. Speaking directly into their fear he said, “I am sending you. Receive the Holy Spirit”. Jesus encourages them to walk into the world tinged with hate and oppression as people filled with love and power. The Spirit would be the source of love and power and strength and hope. It was a presence the disciples would need as they set out to transform the world.

The Holy Spirit continues to lead with love. It is a love for all people, not just for some. It is a love that leads to compassion and understanding and empathy and unity. It is a love that is both culture blind and colorblind. Just yesterday I read a quote from Martin Luther King, Jr. He said, “Protest is the voice of the powerless”. Yes, often it is. The root cause is powerlessness. Feeling powerless leads to feeling hopeless and helpless. In moving forward may the disciples of Jesus Christ continue to allow the Holy Spirit to lead in love. We with power must choose to be voices for those without. For the healing of our communities and of our world, may God’s love lead the way. May it start with each of us.

Prayer: Lord God, the Holy Spirit empowered the first disciples to transform their world. It began with them loving you above all else and then spread to loving one another. The community was based upon love and grace and mercy and compassion and justice. Their love changed the world. Make it happen again, Lord. Empower your disciples today to be change agents once again, leading the way across divides and through barriers. Let love be our guide, bringing healing and restoration. May it begin with me, O God. Amen.


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Personal

Reading: Acts 2: 14a and 36

Verse 36: “God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ”.

Just prior to our reading today the Holy Spirit has come upon the believers and they have spoken in tongues, sharing the story of Jesus Christ in the languages of those gathered from afar. Peter stands to address the bewildered crowd that has gathered around the believers. We pick up Peter’s sermon in verse 36 today, where Peter says, “God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ”. In the original context the “you” was the Jews. Following their leader’s guidance, the Jews were the voice that drove Pilate to give the orders for crucifixion.

This morning, as I read that verse, it struck me as a first-person “you” – as in “whom you crucified John”. It is as if Jesus was crucified for me and for me alone. My sin is the driving force that placed Jesus on the cross. It is a penetrating thought. Of course, anyone’s name could go in the place of mine. Even your name could. Try reading verse 36 a few times, inserting your name after “crucified”, just as I did. As you read it over and over, allow yourself to feel the weight of it. You crucified Jesus. I crucified Jesus. We all had a hand that held a nail or swung the hammer. The one that came as God in the flesh, the one we identify as Lord and Christ, was crucified for each of us. Not “all of us” but each of us. We need to own this part of the crucifixion.

It is important to do so because then we can own our own part of the resurrection too. In dying for each of us, Jesus opened the way for each of us to live with him now and to one day claim our place in the heavenly realms. Just as these first disciples were each empowered by the Holy Spirit to live a life of faith, so too are we each empowered. The Holy Spirit lives in each of us. We do not share it. The Spirit is the personal, indwelling presence of Jesus inside each of us. Tomorrow’s reading will unpack what that means for us.

Remembering that the risen Christ is personal, may we each live today as children of the resurrection, seeking to share our Lord and Savior with a broken and fallen world. May it be so for each of us.

Prayer: Father God, considering the crucifixion from such a personal space causes me to look within. I wonder what I still hold onto that crucifies your son yet again today. Guide me to search out the roots and to die to that part of myself, making me more fully yours. Amen.


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Seek

Reading: John 3: 1-17

Verse 3: “No one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again”.

In our passage today Nicodemus is a seeker. He feels the pull of Jesus Christ on his heart. He senses that following this rabbi will change his life. And like most seekers, there is a thing or two that inhibits his seeking. The fact that Nicodemus comes at night indicates a struggle many have: he does not want to give up his position or status in life. Nicodemus occupies a place in Jewish society that affords the utmost respect. He has power and influence. To choose to follow Jesus would certainly cost him all of this. Today the idea of dying to self and asking Jesus to be Lord of our life calls us to make the same decisions.

Nicodemus wants to understand Jesus. He wants to know more, to go deeper. He has seen and/or heard enough to draw him in. He is curious. Nicodemus is able to go directly to the source. But even that is confusing for him. This can inhibit continued pursuit. Effort is required to persevere. Today many people turn to the Bible for understanding. The living word functions much like Jesus did. As one reads more and more the passages come to life and gain deeper meaning. A different story can shed light on another difficult passage, building on one’s understanding.

The longer into the night that Nicodemus and Jesus talked, the better Nicodemus’ understanding will become. The same is true for seekers who spend time reading and studying the Bible. The same is true for those a little further along on their journey. The more we read and study, the better we understand the story and message of the Bible. Like Nicodemus, may we invest in our relationship with Jesus. He will lead and guide us as we seek him and continue to mature in our faith. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, draw me in more and more each day. Help me to dive down deep, growing closer to you day by day. Amen.


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Rooted, Built Up, Established

Reading: Colossians 2: 6-19

Verse 6: “You therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him”.

In our passage from Colossians, Paul reminds the church that they are to look to Christ for all they need. In the opening verse Paul reminds them that they are “rooted and built up… established in the faith”. After the first of two brief warnings against the philosophies and teachings of the world, Paul goes on to unpack verse 6.

Paul describes what it means to be established in Jesus Christ. He first speaks about a “circumcision made without hands”. This is the process of dying to self, of surrendering one’s own will to God’s will. Paul then reminds them that they are “buried with him in baptism”. This ties into the idea of dying to self, when one is immersed in the water, and also into the idea of being made into a new creation in Christ when one rises from the waters. Just as Christ rose from the grave to new life, so too will the Colossian Christians and so too will we one day triumph over the world.

Paul uses two interesting words to describe a life lived in Jesus Christ. The first is “rooted”. Paul is using a tree analogy here. A tree is only as strong as its roots. A pine tree, for example, has a shallow root system. The roots do not go down very deep into the soil. In the wind, a pine will sway back and forth. In a really strong wind, a pine tree can be uprooted and toppled over. Trees like oaks, on the other hand, have deep root systems. Their branches and leaves sway in the breeze, but the trunks are solidly rooted deep in the soil. They can withstand a much greater wind. Our faith parallels this idea. If we have a shallow faith it sways more easily – it is more easily influenced by the cares and worries of the world. Temptations and trials and sufferings in life can overwhelm our faith if it is not firmly and deeply rooted in Christ.

Paul also uses a building analogy that is equally applicable. A building is only as sure and secure as its foundation. We must build our faith upon a solid foundation. Jesus Christ is the only sure foundation. When all we do and say and think is built upon Jesus’ teachings and example, then we have a solid base to stand upon and to build upon. Then we are able to “hold fast to the head”, Jesus Christ. May our faith be deeply rooted and solidly built upon Christ. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, help me today to be rooted and established in Christ. Help me to invest time and energy to sink deep roots into Jesus Christ so that he will always nourish my soul. Make Jesus my firm foundation, my rock. In his name I pray. Amen.