pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: God


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A Bit of Hope

Readings: Psalm 119:107 and Matthew 13:1-9

Matthew 13:3 – “A farmer went out to scatter seed.”

Here at the parsonage we have three raised bed garden boxes and a handful of large planters for tomatoes and peppers. Each year I plant many different types of seeds and some plants from the local greenhouse. After a couple of weeks I start to look for green shoots breaking the surface of the soil. It is usually a hopeful endeavor. Excitement comes with each new seed type sprouting to life. But this year, the carrots didn’t germinate. So I planted again a month later. Nothing. Although very insignificant in the grand scope of life, it feels disappointing and even a little defeating.

It seems the psalmist feels defeated. He or she recognizes the suffering in their life. The author petitions God to “make me live again according to your promises.” God promises to be present to us in all of life, to lift us up when needed, and to bring us joy, peace, and hope. When we feel alone or like we are without life, it is pretty hopeless.

Turning to our gospel lesson, Jesus says, “A farmer went out to scatter seed.” To scatter seed – an interesting thought. You carefully plant and space each seed. You do not scatter. This word choice would’ve caught the attention of Jesus’ audience. It catches our attention. Sometimes, though, seed does scatter. There is the chamomile growing in the grass – seeds blown by the wind. There is the random arugula plant in with the broccoli – a seed dropped by mistake. There are a few “volunteer” basil plants here and there – seeds that lay dormant from last year, suddenly springing to life. Yes, there are the carrots. But how these other surprises bring joy to my heart! And, yes, even a bit of hope.

Prayer: Lord God, there will be times when hope feels thin – in our lives, in the lives of those we live, in the life of a stranger that we meet. In these times, when we feel it, remind us of your love and help us to feel your abiding presence. Or, when hope feels distant to others, use us to bring these things to bear in their lives . In all things, may we trust in you. Amen.


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The Life We Choose

Readings: Psalm 119:105-106 and Romans 8:1-5

Psalm 119:105 – “Your word is a lamp… a light for my journey.”

Romans 8:4b – “Now the way we live is based on the Spirit, not based on selfishness.”

Light and dark

In this week’s Disciplines devotional, Reverend Bruce Reyes-Chow connects a verse or two from Psalm 119 with another lectionary passage each day. As I like the connection, I will follow his example this week. In Psalm 119, we read this today in verse 5: “Your word is a lamp… a light for my journey.” In church yesterday, we sang the hymn “Thy Word.” Today’s verses and this familiar song identify God’s word as our guide in this life. Within the scriptures we find the Word. In the gospels we see Jesus’ light and love as the example of how to live faithfully in this sinful world.

In Romans 8 this week, Paul contrasts living in the Spirit with living in the flesh. As is the case with much of Paul’s writing, this contrast is presented as a clear choice: Spirit or flesh? Good or evil? Life or death? But as we learned last week in Romans 7, this is a “war” that is constantly ongoing. One simply doesn’t choose to live by the Spirit and that’s that. As Paul wrote in Romans 7:25, “evil is right there with me.” The fleshy part of us never fully dies.

Based on Jesus’ example and empowered by the Holy Spirit, Paul offers this declaration: “Now the way we live is based on the Spirit, not based on selfishness.” While our Spirit-flesh decision is not a “one-and-done” decision, the side we choose and intend to stand on matters. Choosing the Spirit, we are guided towards a life of love and light, of humble service, and of generous compassion. This life is the opposite of the selfish, inwardly focused way of the world. May we, as Paul encourages, choose to live a life “based on the Spirit.” In this life we find love, peace, hope, joy, contentment, and meaning. May this be the life we choose today, tomorrow, the next day, and the day after that day…

Prayer: Lord God, while the war truly rages on day after day, where we take our stand matters. Each day, Lord, empower us to choose you and a life lived in the Spirit. Strengthened and encouraged, light our path and show us the way of love. Amen.


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Always Seeking to Deliver

Reading: Romans 7:15-25

Romans 7:21 – “So I find that, as a rule, when I want to do what is good, evil is right there with me.”

At the end of chapter 7, Paul describes his own struggle to do and be good in the world. He often does the things he hates to do. In his mind, he knows God’s Law is just and good and right. If it were up to his mind, he’d do all the good stuff: worship God, love neighbor, meet the needs of the poor… But he just can’t quite…

In verse 21 Paul writes, “So I find that, as a rule, when I want to do what is good, evil is right there with me.” Have you found this to be true in your life? That fleshy part of you – that part that just wants pleasure, that part that easily turns to pride and judging, that part always seeking to elevate self to the throne – that fleshy part is always pulling you away from holy, God-pleasing living. Paul chooses the word “war.” And in those moments when he feels like he is totally losing the “war” – it is then that Paul feels like a “miserable human being.” Ever felt this way? Ever allowed sin to win and you instantly see how it hurt someone you love?

Paul correctly realizes two things in verses 24 and 25. First, on his own, his fate is “dead corpse.” Ouch. Second, and most importantly, he realizes that Jesus Christ is his deliverer. Jesus is always with us too, always fighting for us in Spirit, always seeking to deliver us from temptation and sin. Through Jesus Christ, we will have the victory over sin and death. Thanks be to God!

Prayer: Lord God, the power of evil is strong and pervasive. It runs rampant in our world. All sorts of messaging, people, and situations draw us to sin. We need you Lord. Desperately. Be the constant voice too, calling us to good and holy living. Empower and equip us, O God, to live by your will and ways. Amen.


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The Simple Way of Love

Readings: Matthew 11:16-19 and 25-26

Matthew 11:19b – “Wisdom is proved to be right by her works.”

Photo credit: Wylly Suhendra

Two kindergarteners were best friends. Just before Christmas break, one got a buzz cut – to look sharp for family pictures. Over break the other one got a buzz cut – so their teacher couldn’t tell them apart. One boy was Caucasian. The other was African American. We are not born knowing hate, prejudice, sexism, greed…

In the first part of this week’s gospel lesson, Jesus is lamenting how “this generation” misunderstood John the Baptist and even Jesus himself. When he says this, I think he’s looking at the religious leaders. This becomes clear in the second half of today’s reading. John was sober and very serious. He lived an austere life out in the wilderness. Yet the religious leaders said he was possessed by a demon. What demon would call people to repent of their sins?

Jesus, by comparison, was pretty social. Instead of taking up residence in the church, oops – in the wilderness – and waiting for people to come to him, Jesus went to where the people were. He ate and drank with those who needed to know God’s love. That included those looked down upon and shunned by the religious leaders. So they called Jesus “a glutton and a drunk.” To this “opinion,” Jesus replied, “Wisdom is proved to be right by her works.” Wait and see how God works in and through Jesus.

Speaking more directly to those with the power and authority of his day, Jesus thanks God for hiding who he truly is from those thought wise and intelligent. He thanks God, too, that his simple way of love is known by “babies.” There is a story about two kindergarteners…

Prayer: Lord God, the “wisdom” of this world leads us so far from who and what you created us to be. Sadly, sometimes the wisdom of religion also can lead us astray. Living as the world lives, there is little room for the way of love. Focused on self or on protecting an institution, there is no space for “the other.” Lord, like you always did, may we make space both at the table and in our hearts for those who are in need to love, belonging, worth. And, when needed, may we sit at their tables and be present there. Amen.


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Passing the Legacy

Reading: Psalm 45:16-17

Psalm 45:17 – “I will perpetuate your name from one generation to the next so the people will praise you forever.”

Coming back to Psalm 45 today, the focus of the royal wedding shifts to the sons. In that time and culture, sons were about all that mattered. Yes, families loved their daughters, but sons were prized. Although I was young, I can remember Grandpa Titus being concerned that none of Titus males had yet produced a son. He was worried about the family name being carried on. This idea is part of what the psalmist writes of in today’s passage.

For people in the ancient world, a name was fixed to land and that land was passed from one generation to the next and on to the next and… This began for Israel when Joshua led them into the Promised Land and distributed land by tribes… This legacy was so important that God set up means to return ancestral lands to the original families once every 50 years. Today we still pass on land, especially in farming and ranching communities. But we also regularly sell it or even subdivide it to increase profits.

Leaning back into John Wesley’s reading of this Psalm as messianic, let us re-read verse 17 from this perspective. Hear God speaking to Jesus about his bride, the church: “I will perpetuate your name from one generation to the next so the people will praise you forever.” Read this way, it is both sons and daughters who perpetuate Christ’s name from one generation to the next. It is both mothers and fathers that teach their children to love Jesus so that generation after generation praises the name of Jesus and brings glory to God. The question to ask ourselves and to ponder today and every day is this: How are you passing on a legacy of faith this day?

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for the moms and dads, for the grandmas and grandpas, for the church folks who passed faith down to each of us. Bless them all for this “work.” In turn, Lord, use each of us to pass our love of Jesus on to our family, to our church families, to those we meet at work, school, and out in the world. May we lead in love, O Lord. Amen.


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Blessings

Reading: Genesis 24:58-67

Genesis 24:60 – “May you, our sister, become thousands of ten thousand.”

Returning to this week’s Genesis 24 passage, we see the final outcome. But first, in verses 50-56, the men discuss the potential arrangement. Rebekah’s brothers say, “This is all the Lord’s doing.” From the servant’s story, it is clear that God is at work here. Abraham’s servant gives wedding gifts to Rebekah and to her family. All is settled. They will depart in the morning. Until morning comes. It is then that Rebekah’s family asks for ten days – the customary betrothal period. Abraham’s servant still wants to leave. Rebekah is brought in to decide. In our reading today she states, “I will go.” She too sees God’s hand at work.

All is made ready and Rebekah’s brothers send her off with this blessing: “May you, our sister, become thousands of ten thousand.” Reflecting their belief that God is at work, they hone in on what makes women most blessed in that culture: having lots and lots of children. As soon as they arrive back home, this process begins with Isaac taking Rebekah as his wife that very night.

Thinking about the brother’s blessing, it causes me to wonder: What blessings do we offer to people as they enter into new things? What hopes do we have for young couples today and how do we express that in the blessings that we give? What blessings do we give to people as they step into something new as they follow God’s call and plan for their lives? And, perhaps most importantly, how do we become a part of that blessing, walking alongside one another in faith and love?

Prayer: Lord God, help us to build community both through our words and our actions. In word, may we support and encourage one another. And then may we back our words up in practical, tangible, helpful ways. Walk with us, Lord, as we seek to walk with one another in faith and love. Amen.


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Always Faithful and Good

Reading: Genesis 24:34-38 and 42-49

Genesis 24:35 – “Go to my father’s household and to my relatives and choose a wife for my son.”

In our Genesis story, the focus is beginning to shift to the next generation. Isaac has grown up and Sarah dies at 127. Abraham considers his legacy and decides to find a wife for his son Isaac. At the start of chapter 24 Abraham has the oldest servant in his household take an oath to find Isaac a wife, telling him, “Go to my father’s household and to my relatives and choose a wife for my son.” The servant swears allegiance to this mission. Abraham desires a wife for his son that is faithful to the Lord his God. The actual accomplishment of the mission happens in verses 10-33. Today we begin to read the “God-moment” side of the factual story.

Abraham’s servant willingly followed his master’s vision for a wife for Isaac. We can see that at least a little of Abraham’s faith in God has rubbed off on this Canaanite servant. He recounts the story to Rebekah’s family with God guiding each step. Sometimes events unfold in our lives in this way. We can see how God is guiding each step, providing each word, opening every door. We, as the servant clearly was, are awed to be a part of God’s unfolding plan. Other times, however, we stumble and bumble along, yet still end up right where God needs us to be. In hindsight we can see God’s fingerprints all over the place. We know God was with us, leading and guiding all the time. From both of these kinds of God-moments, we learn to trust God more deeply and to follow God more closely because we come to increasingly know that God is always faithful and good. Thanks be to God!

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for always being at work in our lives – whether we are aware of it or not. Open our eyes and our spirits to be more sensitive to your abiding presence, guidance, and direction. Continue to build our faith and trust in you, O God. Amen.


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Choosing Death or Life

Reading: Romans 6:20-23

Romans 6:22 – “But now that you have been set free from sin and become slaves to God, you have the consequences of a holy life, and the outcome is eternal life.”

Turning to the last verses of this week’s Epistle reading, Paul focuses on the outcomes of our choice to be a slave to sin or a slave to righteousness. As “slaves of sin” the outcome of doing “things you are now ashamed of” was and is death. In one sense Paul is talking about the outcome at the end of this physical life on earth. A sinful life leads to death and eternal punishment. But there is also a present death that we experience when we choose to be a slave to sin. In this life, living only in sin, there is no true joy, no real peace, no lasting hope. All is temporary and transactional. To live this way is to live as if dead.

In verse 22 Paul contrasts a dead life to a life alive in Christ. In this verse he writes, “But now that you have been set free from sin and become slaves to God, you have the consequences of a holy life, and the outcome is eternal life.” From Paul’s perspective, being set free from sin did not mean that we would never sin again. In his understanding, this meant that we were free as children of God to choose how we will live. Because a part of us will be flesh until we step into eternal glory, we are never totally, 100% free from sin. No longer enslaved to sin, though, we can make our own choices. When we choose to live for God, we experience a “holy life.” This life knows joy, hope, peace, love, grace, community… Yes, one day consistently choosing God will lead to eternal life in glory. But in the here and now, we can choose to live in sin or to live for God. One brings death and one brings life. May we consistently and steadfastly choose God and life. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, while free will ultimately allows us to choose life or death, we do not make our choices in a vacuum. So we ask that the voice of the Holy Spirit would be loud and clear. We ask that the living Word would inform our decisions and actions. We ask that your love and grace would equip and empower us to choose you, again and again. Amen.


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Lean into God

Reading: Psalm 13:3-6

Psalm 13:6 – “Yes, I will sing to the Lord because he has been good to me.”

As we continue in Psalm 13 today, verses 3 and 4 sound much like verses 1 and 2 from yesterday’s reading. The “how long?” questions turn to what might happen if the answer to these questions is “never.” If God doesn’t see David’s plight and if God doesn’t answer David’s pleas and if God doesn’t restore his “sight”... then David will surely “sleep the sleep of death.” And his enemies will rejoice! The unstated question in this scenario is this: Ok, God, what good would come from all of this?!

Our human nature can lead us down this road too. Things aren’t going well at all and there is no hope (no God) in sight… Resignation and/or defeat begins to settle in and these emotions emerge in our prayers. We get here when we are “at the end of our rope” or when we’re as low as we can go. We have tried all that we can think of and we’re still at rock bottom. It is then that we often see God as the only way through or our, as our only way up.

It is then that we too remember the many times that God’s faithful love has lifted us up. It is then that we remember that our salvation is secure. The trials are temporary. It is then that our heart declares as David’s heart declared: “Yes, I will sing to the Lord because he has been good to me.” We lean into our God – the God who always loves us, who always provides for us, who always makes a way. Leaning in, we find hope and light. May it be so for you and for me.

Prayer: Lord God, it is amazing that you want to be in a relationship with us. We are so fickle, so self-absorbed, so unsteady. But you are just the opposite: unchanging, giving, faithful. Thank you for choosing us, for leading and guiding us. You are an amazing God! Amen.


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God Is Waiting

Reading: Psalm 13:1-2

Psalm 13:1a – “How long will you forget me, Lord? Forever?”

Photo credit: Nathan Dumlao

In Psalm 13, David asks a question we often want to ask God: “How long…?” Living in a world where faster is better, where instant is preferred over slow-cooked, waiting is hard. The difficulty can escalate quickly. In a rush, we hop in the drive-through line. But the person in front of us takes forever ordering a lengthy list and the other lane is moving much faster and… Difficulty can ramp up in our faith too. God loves and cares for us. God sees and hears us. God is on our side. And the trial or hardship goes on and on and on…

David gives us an important example here in Psalm 13. In our culture we’re taught to tough it out, to pull up our bootstraps (or pants) and to just work/try harder. We’re taught to keep our emotions – especially our tears, gentlemen – to ourselves. David does just the opposite. He comes to God with the question: “How long will you forget me, Lord? Forever?” He asks the question with emotion. He feels forgotten. God seems distant. David feels all alone. God isn’t helping him in his time of distress – at all!

We too can find ourselves in these places. We too will want to question God, to maybe even rant a bit. God is good with this. Our God wants all of us. God desires to have an open, honest, and transparent relationship with us. God desires to be present in the good, in the bad, and everywhere in between. May we meet God in all of these places. God is waiting.

Prayer: Lord God, you don’t just want our polished, social media ready image. You want the full us – because you love us unconditionally. You lean in when we lean in. You are present even when we feel all alone, even when we shout, “How long?!” You are responding even in the waiting. Continue to shape and form us as you see best. Amen.