pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: grace


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Good and Pleasing

Reading: Psalm 133

Psalm 133:1 – “Look at how good and pleasing it is when families live together as one!”

Psalm 133 is short – only three verses long. But it lifts up one of the most important aspects of faith: unity. This song celebrates the community of faith and the ultimate blessing of living in a community of faith: “everlasting life.” In verse one we read, “Look at how good and pleasing it is when families live together as one!” Step back and look at your community of faith. Is it good and pleasing to God and to the world around it? Does it reflect unity in the body of Christ?

We must be careful not to mistake unity for conformity. That is a common mistake. Our unity is centered on Jesus Christ and following his teachings and example. Around this, yes, there is conformity. But Jesus certainly did not minister to and include only people like him. He included fishermen and a tax collector and a zealot. And that was just in his “church.” Jesus welcomed children and women and outcasts and even “sinners.” To one and all, Jesus extended love and created a sense of belonging. He found sacred worth in everyone he met. This fostered unity and community in the early church.

In the Psalm, this is described as anointing oil and life-giving dew. The psalmist envisions both flowing freely, pouring down. There is a joy and an abundance in these images. It should be this way in our lives and in our communities of faith. Love and grace should flow freely. Mercy and forgiveness should pour down. Sharing life and what we have should bring joy. These things should be the primary marks of a Christian community. May it be so as our communities of faith – our “families” – strive to be good and pleasing to the Lord and to the world around us.

Prayer: Lord God, our world tends to separate us into categories. It feels like the natural thing to do is to label – so we can divide and define. May it not be so in our churches and lives, O God. All are created in your image. All have sacred worth. All have a place at the table of grace. Shape and form us into people who see you in others, who draw others into our communities of faith so that they can know love, mercy, grace, belonging – both ours and yours. Amen.


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Genuine and True

Reading: Genesis 45:9-15

Genesis 45:9-10 – “Come down to me. Don’t delay. You may live in the land of Goshen, so you will be near me.”

Photo credit: Milo Weiler

Finishing up this week’s Genesis 45 text, Joseph gives his brothers instructions. He is once again the man in power. This is the main message to his father, Israel: “Come down to me. Don’t delay. You may live in the land of Goshen, so you will be near me.” Joseph adds that he will support the whole family and all that they own. This will last at least as long as the famine – five more years. Believing that he was sent ahead for this purpose, Joseph is stepping into God’s plans and purposes for his life.

Joseph then embraces and weeps over Benjamin – his younger brother that he had never met. He then turns to his other brothers. Kisses and hugs and tears draw them in. Fear subsided, they are able to talk with Joseph. Joseph’s honesty and compassion led them to accept his offer of forgiveness and reconciliation. Yes, he spoke the words of forgiveness, but the brothers were wary. These additional assurances allowed them to know that the forgiveness was genuine and true.

As a kid, every once in a while I heard these words from my mom or dad: “Say ‘I’m sorry. ‘” And often, after a mumbled “I’m sorry,” I would hear these words: “Say it like you mean it.” At times we forgive or are forgiven because it is expected or because it is the “right” thing to do. But it does not come from the heart. There is no grace. There is hard work yet to be done. When within our power, may we truly forgive from the heart, bringing reconciliation with our forgiveness. Then healing can begin. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, sometimes we just go through the motions. But hurt and anger still reside, just below the surface. Lead us to practice true forgiveness, full of grace. Guide us then to a place of reconciliation, where the relationship can be restored. Thank you, Lord. Amen.


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Forgiveness

Reading: Genesis 45:1-8

Genesis 45:7 – “God sent me before you to make sure you’d survive and to rescue your lives in this amazing way.”

Credit: Rebecca Gelaney

As we turn to Genesis 45, we’ve jumped ahead in Joseph’s story. Joseph has had lots of ups and downs since being sold into slavery in chapter 37. Through the trials, Joseph has come to know God’s plans and purposes. Joseph’s brothers have made two trips to Egypt to buy food. Joseph has learned much about his brothers and about his family. Judah – the one who first voiced the idea of selling Joseph into slavery – offers his life in place of Benjamin’s. This selfless act brings Joseph to the place in today’s reading where he “could no longer control himself.” His emotions get the best of him.

Clearing the room of all but his brothers, Joseph weeps uncontrollably. Blurting out, “I’m Joseph,” his brothers are “terrified.” Calling them closer, Joseph shares his understanding of past events. He believes that it all was the hand of God at work. He says to his brothers, “God sent me before you to make sure you’d survive and to rescue your lives in this amazing way.” There is the promise of safety, protection, provision, and rescue in these words. These promises will be fleshed out tomorrow, when we read verses 9-15. Joseph can see how God was at work in his past and he believes that God will be at work in his future.

As we journey through this life we too will find ourselves in these places: either in a position to give or withhold forgiveness, or in a place to receive or reject another’s forgiveness. We may be in one of these places today. It will likely be sooner rather than later. In these moments, may we choose to move forward in faithful love, offering to others what God so freely gives to us or humbly receiving that offered to us in faithful love. Living as people of love and grace, we bless others and honor God.

Prayer: Lord God, it is not always easy to practice forgiveness. We want to hold onto grudges and wrongs done to us. We want to be right and asking for forgiveness puts dents in our armor. Humble us, O Lord. Remind us of your abundant grace and mercy. In turn, lead and guide us to be generous with our grace and mercy, with our love and forgiveness. Amen.


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A Confessing Faith

Reading: Romans 10:5-9

Romans 10:9 – “Because if you confess with your mouth “Jesus is Lord” and in your heart have faith that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

As we step into Romans 10 today and tomorrow, Paul begins with Moses and the Law. For Moses and for the Jews, righteousness comes through keeping the Law. Do all these things and you will live. Except no one can keep all of the Law. It is not possible. Therefore, if we cannot keep the Law, then it cannot bring life. The greatest effort to keep the Law still leaves one dead in their sin.

In verses 6 and 7 Paul removes the responsibility for finding or earning eternal life from our hands. In a very roundabout way, Paul reminds us that we don’t need to go to heaven or hell – either figuratively or literally – to find Jesus. No, he writes, “The Word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart.” Jesus in Spirit is right here with us. We don’t need to go on a search for Jesus. God has already done the work. It’s not about us doing anything. The Spirit of Christ is here, available to us.

Verse 9 confesses faith in the work that has already been done on our behalf. Here we read, “Because if you confess with your mouth “Jesus is Lord” and in your heart have faith that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Faith in Jesus is the way to salvation. If we believe in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, then we receive grace, the gift that defeats the power of sin and death. Freed from the power of sin and death, we are able to live as light and love in the world, inviting others to know the source of light and love and grace: Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior.

Prayer: Lord God, we first thank you for the gift of salvation received through faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We thank you for doing the hard work that defeated the power of sin and death. We thank you for the grace that flows from Christ’s sacrifice, the grace that removes our sin and makes us new again. We ask that you would use us to reveal these things to the world, so that others can come to a confessing faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Amen.


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Songs of Praise

Reading: Psalm 105:1-6 and 16-22

Psalm 105:5 – “Remember the wondrous works he [God] has done, all his marvelous works, and the justice he declared.”

Our Psalm for this week remembers God’s mighty acts on behalf of Israel from the time of Abraham and the covenant through the time when the Israelites resettled in Canaan (or the Promised Land.) Verses 1-6 are a call to praise and worship God for these mighty acts of God. The psalmist invites us to give thanks and to praise God, to pursue God’s presence, and to “Remember the wondrous works he [God] has done, all his marvelous works, and the justice he declared.” In the frequent remembering, one builds up faith, trust, and hope in the Lord. We’re also reminded that we too are “the offspring of Abraham… God’s chosen ones.” So these stories are our stories too.

Verses 16-22 focus in on the story of Joseph. These verses begin with God calling for a famine. In order to ready God’s people, God “sent a man ahead of them.” The sending was difficult. Betrayed by his brothers, Joseph was sent off in shackles. Yet God remained at work, through each twist and turn, until “the King made Joseph master of his house and ruler over everything he owned.” It was then, driven by the famine, that his brothers bowed before him, bringing Joseph’s long-ago dream into reality. As Israel would later read these words again and again, they would be led over and over to praise God for these wondrous and marvelous acts of justice and love.

We too can read these words and offer our praise to God. And there are many other stories in the Bible that we can read that lead us to offer our praise and thanksgiving to God. But we also have stories within us – stories of God’s rescue and redemption, of God’s forgiveness and grace, of God’s love and peace, of God’s healing and comfort… Sometimes these are the songs of praise that others need to hear. Sometimes they are the songs we need to remember in our difficult moments. So each day may we sing our songs of God’s mighty and marvelous acts in our lives!

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for the many ways that you touch our lives. Some are the headliners – the wondrous and mighty acts that we cannot miss. But most are the small and regular touches, ones that could go unnoticed if we’re not looking for them. Open our eyes and hearts to these acts too, O God. These are the fuel for our daily, faithful walk with you. Thank you. Amen.


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A Space for All

Reading: Matthew 14:21

Matthew 14:21 – “About five thousand men plus women and children had eaten.”

The conclusion of the feeding of the large crowd has multiple layers to it. Those accounted for are the men. In that culture and time, women and children were secondary. They were often unseen and sometimes seen as possessions. But in this miracle and in God’s kingdom, all were present, all were fed. This inclusion mirrors what God’s kingdom is supposed to be: a place where everyone is welcome, where everyone has value, where everyone has a place at the table.

During Jesus’ ministry this was true. It seems like women and children feature in his three years of ministry more than they do in the rest of scripture. Jesus always reflected God’s heart for the poor, the needy, the marginalized. The tables that Jesus sat at included the outcasts and the excluded. As many of us gather today at the table of grace, do we reflect the inclusive and welcoming nature of Jesus?

As followers of Jesus Christ and as builders of God’s kingdom, this is a question that we need to wrestle with. Our lives and our churches should reflect our communities. So we must ask: Who is absent or left out? And, why is this so? Sometimes there is a past hurt that needs addressing. Sometimes it is a systemic cause. Whatever the reason, we must be willing to do the hard work that creates space for all people and is a space that makes all people feel like they belong, are worthy, and are loved. May it be so in our lives and in our churches.

Prayer: Lord God, you invite us to be like Jesus. Open our eyes to the ways both big and small, both intentional and unintentional, that we exclude or make others feel “less than.” Guide our hearts and minds to change so that we are truly people with lives, tables, and churches that desire for all people to have space, to be loved, and to be a part of community. Thank you, Lord. Amen.


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The Kingdom of Heaven

Reading: Matthew 13:31-33

Matthew 13:31a and 33a – “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed… is like yeast.”

Beginning our gospel reading today we find two parables that tell us about the kingdom of heaven. Tomorrow we will read three more parables that speak of the kingdom of heaven. I think, in general, when most people hear the phrase, “kingdom of heaven,” they think of a place in the clouds with angels and streets of gold. While some version of this might be the kingdom of heaven some day, today and tomorrow, Jesus is speaking of the kingdom of heaven here on earth – right here and right now.

In verses 31-33 Jesus speaks of two very small things that have large impacts. The teacher says, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed… is like yeast.” The smallest seed becomes a large plant, giving rest and a home to the birds. Yeast, a tiny organism, works its way through a whole bushel of flour, causing it to rise so that it can feed many people.

The kingdom of heaven is found today in our small acts of faithful witness. It is found in that visit to a sick friend, in the meal brought to a struggling family, in the money used to pay a single parent’s water bill. The kingdom of heaven is found in the time given to help at VBS and in the monthly donation to a child in a far away country. It is found in the way you walk through a hard situation with peace and in the way you handle another’s anger or insults with grace. The kingdom of heaven is found everywhere that Jesus’ light and love are made real. Be the kingdom of heaven today.

Prayer: Lord God, instill in us a sensitivity to the kingdom-building opportunities that you bring our way. Make us willing servants, ready to give generously of our time, talents, resources, prayers, and presence. Open our eyes to see how small acts of faith hold tremendous power – the power to change lives and to change our world. Amen.


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The Covenant Keeper

Reading: Psalm 105:7-11 and 45

Psalm 105:8 – “God remembers his covenant forever, the word he commanded to a thousand generations.”

As we turn to Psalm 105 today and tomorrow, the focus is the covenant God made first with Abraham. This covenant was reiterated with Isaac and Jacob and has been passed on “to a thousand generations.” The covenant that God made with Abraham was not just about him. Abraham was a part of the covenant, yes, but the focus from day one has been the people of God.

God’s justice is the foundation of the covenant. At its core, God’s justice calls us to just living. This calls us to live in a right relationship with God, with one another, and with all of creation. Living this way, we represent the covenant: God is our God and we are God’s people. The idea of covenant has been around a long time, likely even before Abraham. It is not unique to Israel. In all cases, at its core, covenant is meant to be a forever commitment.

This week’s Disciplines writer, Rev. Dr. Donna Giver-Johnson, notes that the word translated “to cut” is the root word of our word “covenant.” In ancient times, the two parties entering a covenant would cut an animal in half. They would then walk between the halves, symbolizing their offer to be slain like the animal if they did not keep the covenant. The writer of Psalm 105 echoes this deep level of commitment using phrases like “solemn pledge” and “binding law.”

In Genesis 15, in a vision that came just after establishing the covenant with Abraham, God passed between a cut animal, demonstrating God’s commitment to this covenant with God’s people. This established the fact that the keeping of the covenant is dependent on God alone, not on us. At just the necessary moment, God sent Jesus, the bringer and giver of grace. It is through God’s grace that we now live under the covenant. For this grace, we say, thanks be to God!

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for being the covenant keeper. On our own we’d only be covenant breakers. Only through your love and strength can we begin to walk in covenant relationship with you and with one another. And only through your grace and mercy can we return to covenant relationship when we fall short or fail. Thank you, Lord, for walking with us. Amen.


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Choose Grace and Generosity

Readings: Psalm 119:110 and Genesis 25:27-34

Genesis 25:30 – “I’m starving! Let me devour some of this red stuff.”

Photo credit: Kate Remmer

Continuing in Genesis 25 today, Jacob and Esau have grown up. They have become their own people. Esau loves the outdoors. Jacob loves the indoors. Esau is more loved by their father. Jacob is more loved by their mother. One day the outdoorsman comes in absolutely famished. The indoorsman is boiling some lentil stew and baking some bread. Esau says to his brother Jacob, I’m starving! Let me devour some of this red stuff.” One is in need. The other has the power to meet that need. This sets up a potential power dynamic.

There are times when many of us find ourselves in a place where we have power over others. It might be the norm in some of our work environments. Or it might be because of a momentary situation, like it was for Jacob and Esau. In both of these situations, we have a decision to make: How will we use our power? Will we run roughshod over others, living by a “my way or the highway” attitude? Will we exploit or otherwise take advantage of the one in need that crosses our path?

In Genesis 25, Jacob uses his brother’s need to his own advantage. Esau’s starvation leads to a willingness to give up something in the future. When we cross paths with people in great need, will we prey on their desperation or will we simply meet a need, no strings attached? Will we step into the trap laid by the evil within us or will we follow our faith as guided by the Spirit? For most folks in places of power, there is more than enough. May we choose grace and generosity each time.

Prayer: Lord God, grace, love, forgiveness, other blessings – you give freely. We too have much to give – these things plus our resources, our time, our energy, our talents… Work in our hearts, O God, guiding us to give as you give, freely and unconditionally. Amen.


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Receiving Christ

Reading: Matthew 10:40-42

Matthew 10:40 – “Those who receive you are also receiving me, and those who receive me are receiving the one who sent me.”

Turning to this week’s gospel lesson, Jesus is preparing his disciples to be sent out into the world. All of chapter 10 is a teaching lesson, preparing and equipping the twelve to go out to preach the good news and to heal the sick. As this too is our mission, chapter 10 is always good review material! Jesus closes this teaching with some words about “rewards.” Leading into this, he tells them, “Those who receive you are also receiving me, and those who receive me are receiving the one who sent me.” There is a connection here. It is the same for us when we share the good news and someone turns to Christ as Lord and Savior. If someone receives us and the good news of what Jesus has done in our lives, they also receive Jesus and, in turn, they receive God into their life.

In verses 41 and 42 Jesus speaks of rewards: receive a prophet (or righteous person) and receive their rewards. The primary reward is a relationship with the Lord our God. To be intimately connected, to be indwelled with the Spirit’s presence, this is the primary reward. This leads to many secondary rewards. To walk daily with the Lord brings love, joy, hope, peace, grace, patience, forgiveness, self-control… These are what we receive when we seek to daily live a holy life. This is what Paul was writing about in Romans 6 this week. As we seek to reflect Christ and his love to the world, may the Spirit open doors and hearts for the glory of the Lord to be revealed!

Prayer: Lord God, use us today to be sharers of the good news. Fill us with the power and presence of the Holy Spirit and send us out into the world to shine Jesus’ light and love. As others hear our good news stories, open their hearts to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Amen.