pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: fallen


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Our Faithful God

Reading: Psalm 66:10-12 and 16-20

Psalm 66:10 – “But you, God, have tested us – you’ve refined us like silver.”

Psalm 66 is a celebration of God’s mighty acts and of God’s faithfulness. It reminds us that God’s love, grace, and mercy remain constant – no matter how faithful or unfaithful we are. As followers of Jesus Christ, we strive to live a faithful and righteous life. And as creatures living in this fallen world, at times we sin. Our sin and the sins of others affects our faith. We read of this in verse 10: “But you, God, have tested us – you’ve refined us like silver.” When we choose to return to God, we find that our faith is a little stronger, a little more aligned with God’s will and way. As this process occurs again and again in our lives and on our journey of faith, we feel as if we too have “been through fire and water.”

Verses 16-20 are an invitation to faithfulness based on the psalmist’s experiences with God. If we’ve walked very long in faith we likely have similar experiences to share. The author invites us to “come close and listen.” He or she wants us to know what God has done in their life. First they praised God with a pure heart. Then they lived their prayer to God. With a pure heart he or she could sense that “God definitely listened.” God heard their prayer. God did not reject it. Our faithful God never withholds God’s faithful love. Thanks be to God!

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for your unwavering and steady love, mercy, and grace. When we fall short, you still love us. When we turn back to you, your mercy welcomes us back. When we repent of our sins, your grace washes us clean. Again and again and again. And when we need you, crying our from a pure heart, your ear is ever tuned to our cries. Thank you for your faithfulness, O God. Help us to model all of this to the world. Amen.


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Together

Readings: James 5:13-18 and Galatians 6:1-2

James 5:16b – “The prayer of the righteous person is powerful in what it can achieve.”

As we wrestle with the practice of prayer this week, today we receive guidance on how, when, and why. In James we read of when to pray: when suffering, when sick, when struggling with sin. This list is, of course, not all-inclusive but illustrative. There are many other situations that call for the power of prayer.

James encourages us to be a part of our prayers too. We are to pray together. We are to gather with other believers and to anoint the sick with the oil of blessing. We are to confess our sins to one another, and then to pray for each other. This adds both support and accountability to our walk of faith. For James, prayer should lead us to action when possible because prayer should move our heart. In the last part of verse 16 he writes, “The prayer of the righteous person is powerful in what it can achieve.” This is because prayer works both in the life of the one prayer for and in the life of the one who is praying.

In Galatians 6 Paul also addresses the call to hold one another accountable when we fall short. Paul tasks the faithful with restoring one another. A spirit of gentleness should guide our actions. After a reminder to be cautious of the temptation that comes from being near sin, Paul encourages us to carry each other’s burdens. Doing so we “fulfill the law of Christ.” We carry and fulfill through both action and prayer, physically and spiritually strengthening our brothers and sisters in Christ. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, community is so important to our faith. Yes, we can walk in relationship with you by ourselves. But it is so much richer, so much easier, to walk with others in faith. Together we are stronger. Together we receive and give to one another, encouraging, supporting, lifting, sharing. O Lord, guide us to live our faith together in community. Amen.


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Compassion in Suffering

Reading: Romans 8:18-25

Verse 23: “We ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for… the redemption of our bodies.”

Paul acknowledges that suffering is part of this world. Loss and death and illness are a part of our world, not just for humanity but for all of creation. The beginning and end of our passage speak of why we can endure the suffering that life brings. Pointing to our time in eternity, Paul writes that this life is “not worth comparing” to heaven. In verses 24 and 25 we are reminded of our hope that comes from knowing our destiny, a hope that helps us in the midst of our suffering. We know that that loss or pain or… does not have the final word.

Paul also acknowledges that suffering is not easy. Both creation and humanity “groan inwardly.” No one or no thing enjoys suffering. It is generally avoided. No one would intentionally bring suffering upon themselves or on those they love. Even so, we suffer at times because of the actions or decisions of others. And at times we are the cause of others’ suffering. We live in a fallen world.

Because we know the end of our story and because the love of Christ fills our hearts, we can have compassion for those who are suffering. Whether from illness or from the loss of life or of a dream or from an unwanted change, we can come alongside others as they walk this difficult road. We cannot “fix” the situation but we can be present, we can listen, we can pray, and we can offer the hope of Christ. Entering into another’s suffering, we walk in Christ’s footsteps. Hard as it may be, when God provides opportunity, may we be Christ to the hurting and suffering.

Prayer: Lord God, just as your Spirit is present in our suffering, guide us to be present to others in their suffering. Help us to trust you to give us the words to say if any are needed. Fill us with your love so that we can offer that back out into the world. Amen.


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Set Free!

Reading: John 8: 31-35

Verse 31: “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples”.

Photo credit: Pablo Heimplatz

In this passage from John 8, Jesus is talking about the freedom we find in Christ. In our text today he is speaking to some Jews who has believed in him. Because of some hard teachings they have fallen away. In the opening verse he says to them, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples”. To be a disciple one must follow the teachings and the example of the teacher or rabbi. In this case, it was Jesus.

The Jews were people of the Law. The words of Moses and future religious leaders guided all of life. By Jesus’ day the following of the Law – over 600 statutes – had become one of two things. For the select few who could adhere to the Law, it became a source of pride and exclusion. For all else it became a burden – something impossible to attain, something covered in guilt and shame. While Jesus did not come to abolish the Law (Matthew 5:17), he did come to reveal the heart of the Law: to love God and to love neighbor. These two commands were the heart of the Law. According to Jesus, all of the Law hung on these two (Matthew 22:40).

Trying to live under the Law, many were “slaves” to sin. They were always worried about breaking some law and they were ever being reminded to do and be better. This led to many being outside the family, outside the temple or synagogue, outside the community of faith. Jesus offered and still offers a better way. In and through the blood of Jesus we are set free. If we are in Christ sin no longer has the power to condemn. In faith we are forgiven and cleansed, restored back into family. The guilt and shame that kept one outside are no more. Jesus wants all people to understand this gift. Because of the blood of Jesus Christ we are set free. This is the truth that Jesus offers. It is our truth. Thanks be to God!

Prayer: Lord God, you are the way and the truth and the life. Your love breaks every chain and ushers me into the family of God. In you is freedom; in you is hope. Thank you Jesus! Amen.


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Discipleship

Reading: Mark 11: 1-7

Verse 7: “When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it”.

Photo credit: Juan Gomez

Our passage for today opens with an act of discipleship. In the literal sense Jesus instructs two disciples to go and do something for him. The two are instructed to go and get a colt for Jesus. They are told to enter the village ahead, there they will find a colt. They are to untie it and, if anyone asks, to tell the people that Jesus needs it. And, yes, don’t worry – we’ll return it when we’re done with it. They are not borrowing a cup of flour from the neighbor. Culture must have been much different back then.

Up to this point in Jesus’ ministry his popularity has risen and fallen. Many were initially attracted to the miracles but the more he spoke of the cost of discipleship, the more the crowd thinned. Yet his name was known. In whose name could we go today to commandeer a car or even a bike? Who among us would be so daring to even attempt such a thing? We would be so full of doubt and questioning. But what of these two disciples?

The disciples do as Jesus says. They find the colt just as he said they would. They answer the question that Jesus said might be asked just as Jesus told them to. And they return to Jesus with the colt that “no one has ever ridden”. What impression or effect did this act of faith have on these two disciples? How did this shape their faith moving forward? Verse seven tells us, “When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it”. Seeing Jesus there, assuming a place and position new for him, how did they see their role?

At times the Holy Spirit calls us to action. It whispers or nudges us to an action or to speak words. We too often ask, “Say what?” or “Do what?” How would our faith and our lives be different if we simply did as these two disciples did? Where would our faith take us if we truly lived with Jesus Christ as the Lord of our life?

Prayer: Lord God, your call is persistent, your love is unchanging. In those moments when I begin to question, when I try to hesitate long enough for the opportunity to pass, spur me to action. When I fail to respond immediately, well up in me a quick compassion and an unquenchable love for those you place before me. Thank you, Lord. Amen.


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Habits and Practices

Reading: John 2: 18-22

Verse 20: “It has taken 46 years to build this temple”.

Yesterday we read about Jesus clearing the temple and we’re asked to consider where we could stand against some wrongs or evils in the world around us. In today’s passage we see the reaction of the religious leaders – those in charge of the temple. They want to know by what authority Jesus can do what he has done. In a way, they are asking if they can just go back to business as usual tomorrow, when he is gone. They ask for a sign and Jesus does give them one. They will just have to wait to see the truth of him rising after three days in the grave. Most of the religious leaders will deny that event too. Almost all will fail to connect Jesus’ resurrection to his answer to the question about his authority.

The market place in the temple courts probably began simply – some guy looking to help out travelers from afar by selling doves for sacrifices. And then another guy set up shop selling sheep. Eventually the sellers moved out inside the temple courts and some priest thought about requiring temple coins for their purchases. Money changers became a necessity and soon enough a thriving enterprise was born. Jesus challenged the corruption of this system. In response to Jesus’ cryptic answer the religious leaders say, “It has taken 46 years to build this temple”. In a way they are saying that the temple and the market place have always been here. In our churches and other organizations we say, “We’ve always done it that way”. So what it has become broken or corrupt or no longer is effective or isn’t holy or sacred anymore? One of the good things about the pandemic is that it has forced us to examine the practices and routines of the church. This season has been a time to let some things die, to imagine new possibilities, and to make changes to things that were ineffective, irrelevant, or outdated. Many of us have gone through the same process in our own lives and in our faith. This season of Lent invites us to do that hard work, to go deeper.

Although perhaps not 46 years, what habits or practices have you fallen into or out of that have lessened your walk with the Lord? What needs changed?

Prayer: Dear Lord, you still have the ability to do wonders and to work miracles. What in me needs addressed? Open my eyes to see and bind my will to yours. Make me more like you. 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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Loved That Much

“For God so loved the world…”  Just by prompting you with those six words, you probably can finish the verse.  For those that have even just a few years of church, these are familiar words.  But not to everybody.  After Tim Tebow wore ‘John 3:16’ on his eye black in the national championship game a few years back, over 90 million people googled it.

It is a powerful verse.  It is the gospel message in a nutshell.  On a communal level, sometimes the message is hard to fathom.  When one sees all of the violence, hatred, abuse, prejudice, injustice… in the world, it is hard to understand how God could love this world so much as to send His only Son into it.  But that is just how much He loves this broken world.

Then I think about this verse on a personal level.  When I consider how long I have known and been in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and look hard at my life some days, I think, ‘Even me?’  In spite of all the times I fail to do what you lead me to and all of the times I sin, You still love me?  Yes He does.  God loves all of us this way.  Wow!

The reality is that God would send His Son to die for just one of us.  He loves each of us that much.  But God sent Jesus to all of us – for each and every person who lives or has lived from the time Jesus walked the earth until the time He returns in glory.  For God so loved this broken, hurting, fallen world so much that He sent His one and only Son to save this world.  He loves the world that much.  He loves you and me that much.  Thanks be to God for His great love!!

Scripture reference: John 3: 16-17