pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: example


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Love as He Loved

Reading: John 13: 31-35

If it is really lived out, Jesus command to love one another as He first loved us is hard.  I imagine as this new command first landed on the disciples’ ears, they recalled good things Jesus did – healings, teachings, even things not recorded in the Bible.  But as they continued to think about this new command, maybe their thoughts drifted back to when Jesus healed ‘that guy’ or when He offered loving words to a lowly Samaritan.  Who knows what their prejudices, hang ups, or inner struggles were – we all have them.

We too can spend time with Jesus by reading and meditating on the Word.  Through time with the Word we come to see and understand what Jesus meant by this new command.  We may not understand the ancient cultural reasons why a Jew and Samaritan did not talk to one another but we can see that Jesus offered Himself to all He encountered.  He did not judge or look down on or condemn anyone.  Even in His confrontations and exchanges with the religious authorities there is a feeling that Jesus is truly sad that they don’t get it.  Each time they return to come at Him again, He tries to continue to teach them, to help them see that He really is the Messiah.

The kind of people who came to mind for the disciples and the religious authorities that always came at Jesus are like the people who make it hard for us to love all as Jesus loved.  Yet hard is not impossible.  We have an excellent example to follow in He who gave the command.  We will at times fail.  But the key is to realize our failure, to repent, and to resume the journey.  When we seek to love all as Jesus first loved us, our love will grow and we come to love one we just couldn’t love just the other day.  May our love grow and grow as we come to be more and more and more like Jesus.


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Praise the Lord!

Reading: Psalm 148

Praise certainly is the main idea of Psalm 148!  At the beginning is a general call to praise the Lord.  The  praise quickly begins in the heavens with the angels, moon, stars, and sun.  Each is called to praise God for both their own creation and for their eternal place in God’s creation.  Then the Psalm shifts to the earth and calls all to praise the Lord.  The psalmist calls upon the elements and parts of nature that God stirs to life.  Also called are all of the living creatures and all of humanity – from Kings to children to the old.

All of this leads us to see that in our daily life we should offer our praise.  Our praise should be deeply rooted in our prayer life, letting God know how grateful we are for all He has blessed us with.  Our praise should also shine out through our lives in such a way to bring glory to God in all we do.  Just as all of creation reveals God and is called upon to bring Him praise, so should all of our lives.

The Psalm draws near its end recognizing that God alone is to be exalted.  We are to  worship none other than God.  We are not to worship any other being or any other thing.  But in a world that pushes pleasure, self-satisfaction, and individual preferences, this is tough to do.  To worship Him alone takes discipline, dedication, and effort.  Even with  heaping amounts of these, we cannot obey on our own.

At the very end of the Psalm, it is written that the Lord has raised up a horn which is the “praise of all His saints”.  This strong and mighty King is Jesus, the perfector and witness of our faith.  In Him we find the example of how to live a life of praise that brings glory and praise to God alone.  In Jesus we also find the strength to do what we cannot do on our own.  Through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we find guidance, direction, correction to help us follow Jesus’ ways and teachings.  May we join all of creation in praising the Lord!!


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The Way

Reading: John 20: 1-18

Jesus’ life and story are marked by a few events that are very significant to our faith.  First, the incarnate birth – born partly human to a mother and partly divine to a heavenly father.  Born of a virgin, without sin since birth.  His birth and the events surrounding it indicate to us that Jesus is a unique and special gift from God.

At the end of His life, Jesus experiences two other significant events.  The resurrection and ascension come close together.  Between His holy birth and divine death, Jesus teaches and heals for about three years, providing us an example of how to live and love both God and our fellow man.

While Jesus did raise people from the dead during His earthly ministry, He raised them back to mortal life.  In the resurrection of Jesus, it was God who raised Jesus to immortal or heavenly life.  Jesus’ resurrection is significant for both of these reasons.  Just as God alone initiated Jesus’ human birth, God alone brings Jesus back home to heaven.  God welcomes Jesus back to His eternal home as Jesus returns to the Father.

The ascension, or returning to God’s right hand, is the second significant event at the end of Jesus’ earthly life.  Jesus tells Mary, “I am returning to my Father and to your Father, to my God and your God.”  In this statement Jesus declares where He is going and also includes us in the relationship.  God is our Father and our God too.

As Jesus returns to His rightful place beside God, He returns changed.  He has lived on earth.  He has felt what we feel.  He returns to heaven and now intercedes for you and me.  He now stands between God and us.  The perfect lamb who was slain now offers mercy and forgiveness and grace.  He who was without sin now provides the way for us who struggle with sin the way to eternal life.  He ascended so that one day we too could ascend.  For this incomprehensible gift, we say  thanks be to God!

 


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By Our Love

Reading: John 13: 1-17 and 31b-35

During the meal, Jesus gets up from the table and washes the disciples’ feet.  Here He is offering the basic cleaning.  In the culture of Jesus’ time there were three basic cleanings.  Sandals (or no shoes) were common and all roads… were dirt.  To cleanse the feet often was necessary.  The next level is referred to by Peter as he asks Jesus to wash his feet, hands, and head.  This would be the typical daily bath.  What we know as a bath, to fully immerse in water, was definitely not a daily practice for most and was often communal.

The lesson Jesus was teaching, however, did not really have to do with hygiene but rather with status and authority.  Jesus was Lord and Teacher to the disciples.  In their eyes, He was the one to be served.  But here Jesus reverses the normal order.  The most becomes the least as He stoops to wash their feet.  His closing line of this section – you too will be blessed – when we serve one another – applies to us as well.

Jesus goes on to reinforce the idea of humble service as an example of sacrificial love.  He issues a new command: as I have loved you, do you must love one another.  This command is given just after Jesus again speaks of His imminent death and resurrection.  Surely the disciples would hear these words echoing in their heads and connect them to the ultimate act of humble service that Jesus performed on the cross.

We are all called to follow His example, although for most of us it does not lead to death on a cross.  Our ‘death’ is to die to self, to the things of this world.  Jesus calls us to offer ourselves in sacrificial love to others.  To  love each other in the body of Christ, to love those who are hard to love, to love those who hurt us, to love those who cannot love us back, to love one and all – we are to love as Jesus first loved us.  Why? So they will know we are Christians by our love, by our love.


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Go and Do Likewise

Reading: John 12: 1-11

Our Holy Week readings begin with Mary anointing Jesus’ feet with perfume.  It is something she bought and has kept for just this occasion.  Mary anoints His feet as a beginning step of preparation for His burial.  While this surface fact is true, we must look deeper as well because Mary is a study in faith, a great example to all who call on the name of Jesus.

This story is not our first or last encounter with Mary.  In Luke 10 we see Mary as obedient follower.  As sister Martha works to make all the preparations, Mary simply sits at Jesus’ feet, listening to Him.  Jesus indicates that Mary has chosen wisely.  Unspoken is the warning not to allow business to get in the way of following.  The lesson here from Mary is to place His Word as supreme in our lives.

We also encounter Mary in the story of the resurrection of her brother Lazarus.  In John 10 it was Mary who first sent for Jesus because her brother was sick.  As  news of Jesus approaching their town comes to the grieving home, Mary does not rush out to meet Jesus.  She waits until He calls for her.  Then she goes without delay and confesses her faith in Jesus’ power, even over death.  This is a confession we too must make if we are to surrender our lives to His will.

Lastly, the anointing.  There is of course the sacrifice of the expensive perfume.  But for many of us, like Mary we too can ‘afford’ to give of our resources.  But to go beyond is the challenge for many of us.  To allow the Spirit to lead and to be willing to see God’s vision of what lies just ahead can be difficult.  Here Mary does both.  She goes the extra step and uses her hair to wash His feet.  She allows the Spirit to lead her into this act of service.  In the next chapter we see Jesus washing the disciples’ feet.  He instructs them to follow His (and Mary’s) example, to be willing to serve one another.  Led by the same Spirit, may we be willing to go and do likewise.


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Focused on God

Paul reminds us that our citizenship is in heaven.  Although we now inhabit this realm, we should do so with one eye always on the things of God.  It reminds me of the days when the WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?) bracelets were popular.  The idea still remains that our focus should always remain on our faith and how it guides our life.

But, alas, what should be is not always what is.  At times we choose poorly and we live for the things of this world.  At times our question is not ‘WWJD’ but ‘what do I want’?  The shift of our focus can happen easily.  It can be subtle.  If our faith foundation is solid and if we see our misplaced focus soon enough, then it is relatively easy to get back to focusing on the heavenly focus that God calls us to.

In this section of Paul’s letter to the Philippians, he is trying to help them get back on track.  Like a good parent, teacher, or coach, Paul begins by building them up.  He reminds them of all they know of God and of what life following God’s ways looks like.  In this letter he goes on to encourage them to move away from their recent quarrelling and focus on earthly matters and to move back into a right relationship with God and with each other.

When we read a passage like this one, it leads us to ponder the question: are we living a life focused on God right now?  As we ponder this, we have two great resources that the Philippians did not.  As we look in the mirror we can also look to our Bibles that are full of examples of what living a Godly life looks like.  We can seek to emulate Paul or any other great example found in the Bible.  In addition, we each have many living examples of this as well.  Each of our faith communities has modern day examples like Paul – people whose lives always reflect God’s light and love.

As we read our Bibles and live amongst this great body of believers that is the church, may we continually seek to grow in our faith, in our witness, and in our example.  May we strive to each day also be that example of living faith that both new believers and the world so needs to see.

Scripture reference: Philippians 3:17 to 4:1


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Our Witness

In today’s passage Jesus warns us about making a show of our faith.  When we practice our faith out in the world, it must not be showy or draw attention to us.  In times of worship, it is another matter.  To proclaim the Word, to pray out loud, to lift voice in song – these are public displays of faith practiced in a closed setting.  It is the purpose for gathering.  No one who comes to church is offended when these actions occur.  We are gathered to worship as a community.

As Christians, our worship and love of God should extend outside the walls of the church and beyond the security of our homes.  In extending our faith, we must always be genuine and sincere.  If we are praying before a meal out in public, it should not be loud and showy.  It should be just as it is at home.  Reverence and respectful are words that come to mind.  Bowing heads and saying a quiet prayer may draw attention from those around you.  It is a witness to our faith that exposes others to faith without being offensive or rude.

At times we may notice someone who is struggling or having a bad day.  To take the time to notice, to offer understanding and empathy, and to offer to pray for them are great witnesses to our God.  Simply asking if you could pray for them is a great witness to God’s love and to your love for all of humanity.

These are good examples of how we to practice our faith in the world.  But the greatest and most impactful way that we witness to our faith is by how we live our lives day in and day out.  In the ways we treat others, in the ways we conduct ourselves, in the choices we make, and in the words we use – this is our truest witness to who Jesus Christ is in our lives.  May we honor Him in all we do, bringing glory to His name.

Scripture reference: Matthew 6: 1-6


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Happiness – God’s Gift

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1).  When God created the world He knew there would be both love and hate, planting and uprooting, peace and war, and so on.  The existence of good and evil, pleasure and pain, joy and sorrow,… was necessary for free will to be a part of our world.  If all was only good we would not really be choosing to love and obey God.  Yet God’s intent is still for good – for good in our lives and for good in the world.  In the end, God’s goodness and love will reign.  As we come to our end, we can enter His glory and experience nothing but good in heaven.  As this world comes to and end, there will be a restoration of all things and God will once again dwell among humanity.

“I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live.  That everyone may eat and drink and find satisfaction in his toil – this is the gift of God.” (Ecclesiastes 3: 12-13)  God desires for us to also be the good in the world.  We are to go forth and to bring the love of Christ with us to all that we meet in the world.  When we do good in the world, when we live following Christ’s example, then we are able to find true happiness.  This is one of God’s gifts to us.

God’s gift to us is also to find satisfaction in our toil.  Our efforts, our job, our work is meant to bring us joy.  God’s intent is for me to love my job and to serve Him with all I can as I work.  In others areas of toil, I must do the same.  In shoveling the driveway or serving the meal at the mission I can experience and encounter God in nature or in the faces of those I serve.  God is all around me.  God is all around everyone.  Thanks be to God for His presence in our lives and for these gifts that He brings.

Scripture reference: Ecclesiastes 3: 1-13


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Trust

In our passage today Mary goes to visit her relative Elizabeth.  Elizabeth is much older and is yet also with child.  The angel Gabriel had told Mary of this and maybe she took it as a hint to go see Elizabeth.  But maybe Mary’s head was swimming with the angels’ visit and time away seemed like a good idea.  Mary finds herself in an uncomfortable place – a young, unwed, pregnant teenager.  But as is always the case when one listens to God, He guides Mary to just where she needs to be so that she can hear just the words that she needs to hear.

In Elizabeth, Mary is seeking an older, wiser woman who is also amazingly pregnant.  After years and years of waiting and shame, Elizabeth is now with child.  As a family member, Mary surely knew of Elizabeth’s struggles to have a child.  So Mary would know how amazing Elizabeth’s preganacy was as well.  Once Mary arrives, God wastes no time in showing the connection between these two babies – John and Jesus – and in prompting Elizabeth to pour out her Spirit-given words of blessing upon both Mary and the baby she carries.

Can you see yourself in this story?  Are you like Mary – inexperienced, unsure, needing the presence of one who may have some wisdom to share?  Or are you like Elizabeth – one who has some experience and knowledge and is willing to pour into the life of another?  Mary and Elizabeth give us a great example of Christian fellowship and support.  Their witness in trusing in the voice of God, whether through an angel or the Holy Spirit, is also one we should follow.  May we be willing to seek another when led to, to offer of ourselves when God presents an opportunity, and to trust that God will be present to guide and lead the encounter.

Scripture reference: Luke 1: 39-45


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Promises

In today’s psalm is the root of the promise that our faith rests upon.  God promises David that a descendant of his will always be on the throne of Zion, God’s chosen resting place.  Jesus was the last in David’s human line.  The resurrected Jesus completes the ‘forever’ part of God’s promise as He leads us from beside God’s throne.

In Jesus we see God’s love poured out as He kept this promise.  This should be no surprise as God always keeps His promises.  Just as God chose Zion, through Jesus Christ He chooses you and me as well.  We are each God’s beloved children.  But sometimes we forget that.  Sometimes we turn our relationship with God into a relationship like our other human relationships.  Sometimes our relationship with God digresses to bartering, dealing, if-then statements.  If I go to church, then God will…  If I help my neighbor, then God will…

But God does not promise us an if-then relationship.  He does not love us more or less based on our actions, words, and deeds.  He simply loves us.  He simply loves us.  The gift of salvation offered through Jesus Christ is God’s unmerited, no-strings-attached, free gift to us, His children.

Jesus was and is the embodiment of God’s love.  This is why Jesus brought and offered this gift for you and me.  When we are tempted to slip back into the wheeling and dealing relationship, we must remember Jesus’ example of perfect obedience to the Father’s will.  When we want to pick and choose when to be a Christian, we must remember how Jesus loved all who came to Him, no matter the time of day or season.  And when we question, when we falter, we must remember Jesus’ promise as well: I will be with you always, even to the end of the age.

Scripture reference: Psalm 132: 10-18