pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: grace


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Our Intercessor

Reading: Exodus 32:7-14

Exodus 32:10 – “Now leave me alone! Let my fury burn and devour them.”

Exodus 32 begins with Moses and Joshua already up on the mountain, speaking with God. They are up there a long time – apparently too long. An impatient people decide that they need something new to follow and worship. A gold bull calf is fashioned. An altar is made. The image is worshipped. Before moving to today’s reading, let us ponder how often we either get impatient with God and take matters into our own hands or… how often we worship things other than the Lord our God.

In verse 7 God instructs Moses to “Hurry up,” to return to “Your people” because they are “ruining everything.” God recounts to Moses the making of and worship of an idol. God is very upset with this “stubborn people.” God then says to Moses, “Now leave me alone! Let my fury burn and devour them.” God is ready to simply wipe the Israelites off the face of the earth. God will just start over with Moses. Referring back to our earlier pondering, I wonder, how often does God get to this same place with us? Collectively we must regularly tempt God to just burn it down in order to start over.

What happens next is amazing. Moses intercedes on behalf of God’s “own people.” Moses tells God to calm down, to change God’s mind, to remember the covenant promises. And God does. Moses had walked long enough with these people to understand their struggles with being faithful 100% of the time. The good news for you and for me? Jesus – God in the flesh – walked long enough with humanity to truly understand our struggles. Just as Moses did, the risen Christ intercedes for you and for me, standing between us and God, pleading our case. Thanks be to God for Jesus Christ, our intercessor and friend.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for you day to day patience and for your unconditional love. We are so imperfect. We must push your buttons regularly, like a difficult two-year-old with a very tired parent. We rejoice in Jesus, our intercessor before you. We thank you too for the Holy Spirit, our indwelling friend who helps us in our walk with you. And, God, thank you for your saving grace and unending mercy. You are a most awesome God. Amen.


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Changing Dynamics

Reading: Philemon 1-21

Philemon 6 – “I pray that your partnership in the faith might become effective by an understanding of all that is good among us in Christ.”

Photo credit: Sophie Walker

Today’s reading – a short letter containing 21 verses – appeals to a slave owner on behalf of the slave. Paul writes to Philemon, a fellow Christian who is known for his love and faithfulness. Paul addresses his letter not only to Philemon but also to the church that meets in his house. This home church was likely started by Paul and is likely led now by Philemon. Paul writes to both because he is counting on grace to shape both Philemon’s decision and the community that will be affected by his decision.

Paul is sending Onesimus, the runaway slave, back to Philemon, probably with this letter in hand. Paul has been in prison and Onesimus has been like a son to him. He sends Onesimus back not as a slave but as if he was sending “his own heart,” as one who has become “a dearly loved brother to me.” Paul writes this prayer to Philemon: “I pray that your partnership in the faith might become effective by an understanding of all that is good among us in Christ.” Paul hopes that Philemon, a fellow leader in the church and a brother in Christ, will accept Onesimus back not as a slave but as “a brother to you, personally and spiritually in the Lord.” Paul is asking Philemon to change the dynamics of the relationship in a radical way.

How might the Spirit ask you or I to do a similar thing? While the slavery of this distant past doesn’t exist, today many people are enslaved in other ways. Who do we hold imprisoned in stereotypes or in broken relationships? Who do we know that is held captive by addiction or debt or grief or because of continuing unwise or unhealthy choices? What radical steps or changes of heart could we undertake in ourselves to love and free these folks, seeing them as sisters and brothers in Christ?

Prayer: Lord God, just as Paul experienced the life-changing love and grace of Christ, so too have we experienced his love and grace. Move in our hearts today, Lord Jesus, to open us up to changing the broken dynamics, to seeing all as a future brother or sister in Christ. In practicing radical love and grace we will be transformed as we seek to transform our world into the kingdom of God, here on earth. Amen.


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Can You Feel It?

Reading: Jeremiah 18:1-11

Jeremiah 18:11 – “I am a potter preparing disaster for you… So each one of you, turn from your evil ways; reform your ways and actions.”

In Jeremiah 18 God sends the prophet to the potter’s house. Using this mental image, this visual, it brings God’s word to life. In ancient times, pottery was used for many things: food and water storage, cooking and baking, cleansing. Jeremiah’s audience would be very familiar with a potter and the work they did. Like Jesus’ many examples drawn from his agricultural society, the potter imagery instantly connects the people to God’s message.

At the potter’s house Jeremiah observes the piece being made. It becomes flawed as it is being formed, so the potter starts over. That’s the thing about clay – until fired in the kiln, if kept properly, it can be reshaped again and again. Extending this idea, God says to God’s people, “Can’t I deal with you like this potter?” While these words can sound a bit threatening, these are really words of grace and mercy. Through Jeremiah and many other prophets, God has warned Judah (and Israel before them) again and again. Yet they continued to displease and disobey God. So God declares, “I am a potter preparing disaster for you… So each one of you, turn from your evil ways; reform your ways and actions.” God so desires for Judah to walk in right relationship with God. Can you feel it?

This potter metaphor applies to our lives as well. When God first created you, created me, God did so with an end product in mind. From the beginning, God has a plan and a purpose for our lives. But along the way we become flawed. We sin, we get distracted, we wander. And there is God, the potter, bringing us back to the wheel, reshaping us again and again. God so desires to walk in a close, personal relationship with us. Can you feel it?

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for your deep and unconditional love for us. Thank you for your mercy, grace, and forgiveness that always returns to the wheel of our life, steadily shaping us into who you created us to be. By the power of the Holy Spirit, may we feel and sense your guidance and direction, taking an active role in our relationship with you. Amen.


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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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Reconciled Together

Reading: Ephesians 2:11-16

Ephesians 2:13 – “But now, thanks to Christ Jesus, you who were once so far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”

Chapter 2 opens with Paul reminding the believers in Ephesus that they were all once “people of this world,” living for self, doing whatever felt good. Living this way, they were “children headed for punishment.” But because of God’s great love and grace, they were saved. The believers were offered and accepted the gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.

Beginning in verse 11, Paul reminds the Gentile Christians that they were once without Christ. Non-Jews by birth, they were “aliens rather than citizens… strangers to the covenants.” Because they were on the outside looking in, they were without hope. Continuing from this place of lostness, Paul writes, “But now, thanks to Christ Jesus, you who were once so far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” The Gentile Christians now know the love and grace of God. They now are citizens of God’s family, heirs to the promises.

Shifting gears, now addressing the Jewish Christians yet wanting the Gentile Christians to still hear, Paul writes, “Christ is our peace.” Jesus is what unites Jew and Gentile into one group. Through his sacrifice, Jesus “broke down the barrier” that had separated them. The law of love detailed in Christ’s life and teachings has now replaced the “detailed rules” found in the Law of Moses. “By the cross,” Jesus reconciled both Jews and Gentiles to God, making them one, ending their hostility to God and to one another.

As Christ continued to break down barriers, the division between Jew and Gentile became less and less. Yes, there were still parts of each that remained, but it no longer divided them. Today, what divides Methodist from Catholic from Baptist from… is much less important than what unites us as the body of Christ. May this truth increasingly become a reality for all believers today, just as it did in Ephesus.

Prayer: Lord God, continue to open hearts to unity in the body of Christ. Help us to see our great commonalities rather than our small differences. Lead the church today to be united as the family of God. Amen.


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The Gospel of Reconciliation

Reading: 2nd Corinthians 5:14-20

2nd Corinthians 5:18 – “God… reconciled us to himself through Christ and… gave us the ministry of reconciliation.”

Our passage today sums up the heart of Paul’s gospel of reconciliation. Through his life on earth, experiencing our sinfulness and his own death, Jesus can identify with us and with our struggles. And through his death and resurrection, Jesus transformed our reality. Through Jesus Christ we are made part of the “new creation.” In this new reality we live no longer for self but for Christ.

Paul recalls a time when Jesus was known by “human standards.” He was a good teacher, maybe even a prophet of God. He could do some amazing things – but so could Moses, Elijah, Elisha… But because of Jesus’ sacrificial death and resurrection, believers know Jesus as God in the flesh. Through this understanding and through belief in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, that person is part of the “new creation.” Being made new, the old self dies, along with its sins. In this way we are made new and are reconciled to God.

For Paul though, and really for all true followers, there is a recognition that one is not “done” once one professes faith in Christ. Instead, our salvation leads to this understanding: “God… reconciled us to himself through Christ and… gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” We, like Paul, become “ambassadors” who represent Christ, sharing our faith so that others can also experience salvation and new life. God continues building the kingdom here on earth, “negotiating” through us for the salvation of lost souls. May we ever be ministers of the gospel of reconciliation and salvation!

Prayer: Lord God, we thank you for the gift given by the one who bled and died for our sins, opening the way for mercy and grace and love to reconcile us back to you. May our gratitude for this gift be expressed in how we share it with others. Amen.


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A Good Shepherd

Reading: Ezekiel 34:11-12 and 20-31

Ezekiel 34:27 – “They will be safe on their fertile land, and they will know that I am the Lord when I break the bars of their yoke.”

Photo credit: Ronnie Khan

Chapter 34 begins with the denouncement of Israel’s current leaders. What was the case before exile has continued in exile. God through Ezekiel pronounces doom on these poor leaders for living in luxury while ignoring the weak, the sick, the injured, the strays, the lost. There are many injustices so the flock scattered and then became prey. God promises to hold these bad shepherds accountable.

Beginning in verse 11, God offers the remedy. Here God proclaims: “I myself will search for my flock and seek them out… I will rescue them…” God will gather the scattered and care for the weak, the sick, the injured… As we continue in our reading we see that God will judge between the “fat and lean” sheep – between those living in luxury and those who struggle to survive.

God promises restoration, a new era. A David-like ruler will be appointed and a new covenant of peace will be established. Rains of blessing will pour down. Oppression and injustice will be no more. In verse 27 we read, “They will be safe on their fertile land, and they will know that I am the Lord when I break the bars of their yoke.” Without the yoke of oppression and injustice, there will be peace. There will be no famine; there will be no disgrace.

While the bad shepherds ignored these words of judgment, these words would offer great hope to the weak, the sick, the injured… to those living on the margins and edges. These words feel very relevant today. As injustices scatter people, as oppression sits heavy on others, as callous acts increase hunger, the people of God long for a good shepherd – not just for ourselves but also for the least of these among us. God’s children long for the rains of blessing and for a time of peace and grace. O God, may it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, you’ve always, always, always had a heart for the weak, the sick, the injured… You’ve always, always, always called for the faithful to join you in your care for the least of these. Lord, bridge the huge gulf between our reality and your preferred future. Use us to be a part of that bridge, each in our own ways caring for the weak, the sick, the injured… for the scattered and the oppressed. Amen.


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Breathing New Life

Reading: Ezekiel 37:1-11

Ezekiel 37:6 – “When I put breath in you, and you come to life, you will know that I am the Lord.”

Ezekiel witnessed Nebuchadnezzar’s siege and defeat of Jerusalem. He saw the leaders and then many others, himself included, taken away into Babylonian exile. Judah, like Israel to the north, was devastated. The temple was destroyed. Their relationship with God has been broken by their sin. Living in exile, hope was growing very thin and despair grew daily.

In chapters 33-36 Ezekiel begins to speak of redemption and restoration. He writes of changing their ways and of receiving a “new heart.” He leans into the image of God as the good shepherd who promises to rescue and protect the sheep. Speaking to the mountains of Israel, God through Ezekiel promises that the cities will be rebuilt and inhabited. Even with all of these hopeful words spoken, for those living in exile, the despair felt too great. Was all this even possible? Could God do it? Our passage today is God’s response to these questions.

In chapter 37 Ezekiel is taken in spirit to a valley full of very many dry bones. God asks the prophet if he thinks the bones can live. (Talk about impossible, right?) Ezekiel responds, “Lord God, only you know.” God says they can. After coming together, God adds sinew, flesh, and then skin. Then God says to the bodies, “When I put breath in you, and you come to life, you will know that I am the Lord.” Through Ezekiel’s words, new life enters the bones, “an extraordinarily large company.” They stand in the valley, as if waiting. God then tells Ezekiel (and therefore Israel), “Human One, these bones are the entire house of Israel.” God will restore and redeem not just some of God’s people. God will restore and redeem all of God’s people.

In our dry seasons of faith, in our times of sin and separation from God, in our experiences in the wilderness and in exile, God longs to redeem and restore us, to breath new life into our faith. O God, may it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, you will stop at nothing, you will do anything, you will try everything in order to bring us back into right relationship with you. This is true no matter how far we’ve run, no matter how deep we’ve fallen, no matter how long we’ve wandered. Thank you for your unconditional love and your unfailing grace. Amen.


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This Jesus

Reading: Luke 19:1-6

Luke 19:6 – “So Zacchaeus came down at once, happy to welcome Jesus.”

“Zacchaeus was a wee little man, and a wee little man was he.” Did your brain jump to the next line? The children’s song and the story are familiar to most followers of Jesus. While we only read the first part of the story in today’s text, we know what happens when Zacchaeus comes down out of that sycamore tree.

One day Jesus was passing through town. The chief tax collector is curious. He wants to see this man that lots of people are talking about. Wild stories of healings and of profound teachings circulate amongst the Jews in Galilee and beyond. Zacchaeus was short – both physically and in statute amongst the local people. Collecting the burdensome taxes for the hated occupying force did not win him any friends. So he has to resort to climbing a tree so that he can simply see this Jesus as he walks through Jericho.

We will encounter people like Zacchaeus – sinned and flawed like us, curious about this man they’ve heard about. We are other believers are the stories the curious have heard and seen. The abnormal kindness, the ever present grace and peace, the contentment, the care and concern for those others ignore or shun – there is something attractional about this Jesus we follow and strive to emulate. This Jesus noticed, stopped, and talked with Zacchaeus. In verse 6 we read about the results: “So Zacchaeus came down at once, happy to welcome Jesus.” May we too be willing to engage those seeking, opening the door of their hearts to welcome this Jesus home.

Prayer: Lord God, first, walk with us daily, filling us with your Spirit and your presence, empowering us to be a good example of your love, grace, compassion… Second, prepare us for the conversations that come with living our lives for you and for others. By the power of your Holy Spirit, give us the words to say to those seeking, drawing them deeper in their curiosity about this Jesus, the life changer. Amen.


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Heaven-focused

Reading: Philippians 3:17-21

Philippians 3:19 – “Their lives end with destruction. Their god is their stomach, and they take pride in… earthly things.”

Photo credit: Aaron Burden

Paul, in much of his writing, is pretty black and white. There is some gray, but not a lot. For Paul, you are a follower of Jesus or you are not. You love God and neighbor or you do not. You live out grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness or you do not. Paul is arriving to paint a picture of faithful living that is 24/7. While we know this is the goal and we strive daily to reach the goal, we also must acknowledge that we are not perfect. We sometimes fail to always live out the example set by Christ.

In today’s passage Paul invites the Philippians to “use us as models.” Paul and companions strive to follow Jesus’ example. He then draws a contrast with those who “live as enemies of the cross.” Of these people Paul writes, “Their lives end with destruction. Their god is their stomach, and they take pride in… earthly things.” Do you know folks who live for pleasure and/or simply to fulfill their own desires and wants? Do you see people like this on social media and on other media? Were you once there?

Paul contrasts the life of a Christ-follower with those focused on earthly things. A Christ-follower is focused towards heaven and towards Jesus Christ, the one who will one day “transform our humble bodies” to be like his heavenly body. While Paul definitely encourages living the faith out in this present world, he also longed to be transformed. This is the “now and then” of our faith. Day by day may we live as Christ, each day growing closer to what we will be when we too are transformed.

Prayer: Lord God, you call us to walk the walk of faith all of the time. Our spirit is willing but the temptations are real too. By the power of your Holy Spirit, build us up, strengthen and encourage us to faithful living. And, Lord, when we stumble, draw us quickly back to you. Amen.