pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

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Connecting to Presence

Reading: Psalm 19:1-6

Psalm 19:1 – “Heaven is declaring God’s glory; the sky is proclaiming God’s handiwork.”

When we were recently in Ireland, we went to several beaches. As a fair-skinned person I easily sunburn, so beaches were not my thing growing up. But as we walked the beach, as we saw the birds in the surf, as we saw and felt the waves, I could sense God’s presence in all of it. The same presence is there when I go outside on a dark night and gaze up into the sky. It is there when I walk along a path in the quiet woods on a sunny day. It is not just the heavens and the sky that declare God’s glorious handiwork.

Creation speaks to us and touches our hearts. As David writes in verses 3 and 4, there is “no speech, no words.” Yet while their voices cannot literally be heard, creation’s “sounds” are all around us and are everywhere. We not only “hear” creation when on a beach, in the woods, on a mountaintop, or gazing at the stars, but we can also “feel” creation as we sense God’s presence in all of the created world.

We live in a busy and hectic world. It is noisy, fast-paced, and demanding. It is easy to get caught up in it, to wake up today and to wonder what happened to Tuesday and Wednesday. When life is like this, we tend to lose touch with the Creator. In these days and seasons of life, it is important to reconnect. Find a few minutes here and there to connect to the created world and to God. Both are always present. Sip a little coffee out on the deck or patio or balcony. Take a short walk in nature. Step outside for a few moments, looking heavenward, breathing deeply, filling your lungs and heart. God is there.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for surrounding us with your presence. Pull us into those moments and places of connection, renewing and refreshing our spirits and minds. And if we can’t quite get there physically, guide us to close our eyes, to quiet the voices, to breathe deeply, and to go to those places in our minds. Even there, you are present. Thank you, God. Amen.


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“I Am the Lord”

Reading: Exodus 20:1-4

Exodus 20:3 – “You must have no other gods before me.”

Photo credit: Paul Pastourmatzis

For the first three days this week, we will work through the Ten Commandments. While very well-known, these commands are foundational to faithful living. In the story of God’s people, they arrive at Mount Sinai and set up camp. Up on the mountain there is thunder and lightning and a great cloud. God is present. Moses goes up the mountain to hear from God. In today’s verses we read the first two commandments.

Moses’ encounter with God begins with this declaration: “I am the Lord your God.” This statement is followed by two commands that focus on living into this declaration. The first is this: “You must have no other gods before me.” Command two is like an addendum: “Do not make an idol for yourselves.” In our day, when we think of “gods” as imaginary beings in the sky, these ideas seem almost silly. But for the Israelites, living in a time when all the other nations worshipped many different gods, these commands set Israel apart – radically and completely. But Israel would long struggle with the worship of false gods. Again and again they sought to be like those around them and to fit in rather than to stand out or be set apart for God.

This is precisely where these commands hit home today. While far from the gods of Moses’ day, we can treat status, beauty, wealth, popularity, and such like a god that we worship, love, and trust. And while not carved from stone or wood, we can place possessions and titles and other things of this world on the throne of our hearts. It is not difficult to find “gods” to chase after, to prioritize, to hoard, and even to worship. Yes, we too need to be frequently reminded: “I am the Lord your God.” O Lord, may it be so day by day.

Prayer: Lord God, we know the charge is to set our minds on Christ, to focus daily on imitating Christ with our lives. Yet we can turn from this time together, opening an app or turning on the television, and temptation is right there. The call of the world and the allure of its ways are ever before us. O Lord, strengthen and encourage us. Be present within us. Lead and guide us to walk faithfully with you. Amen.


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Faithful and Obedient

Reading: Matthew 21:28-32

Matthew 21:31 – “Which one of these two did his father’s will?”

Continuing their conversation on authority, Jesus tells the religious leaders a story. A father has two sons. He tells each son to go and work in the vineyard. A good son would surely obey his father. The first son says “No.” But later he goes and works in the vineyard. The second son says “Yes,” but never goes to work. Jesus asks the leaders, “Which one of these two did his father’s will?” The first son, of course. He actually did what the father commanded.

In our journeys of faith, we play the role of both sons. At times God asks us to do something or places someone or something upon our heart. We tell God and maybe even ourselves that we will do it, but then we don’t. Some of the time we genuinely plan on doing it. Other times it is just lip service or we say “yes” because others are in earshot. And then some of the time we say “no” or we try and ignore God or the Holy Spirit. Yet in the end we do God’s will, being obedient in our faith.

As Jesus’ story continues, he lets the religious leaders know that they are like the second son. They’ve said “yes” to God and now they say the right things, but they don’t do them. Jesus then points to the tax collectors and prostitutes – those who said “no” initially with their lives. But then they heard John’s call and changed their lives, saying “yes” to God’s call. When the religious leaders saw this happening, they still refused to change their own hearts and lives.

When we are obedient to God, we find again and again that we are blessed. When we feed a neighbor or comfort a friend, yes, they are blessed. But we too are blessed by our obedience to God. After each experience, we feel joy because we said “yes” to God. In those moments when we hesitate or even feel like denying God’s call, may we remember how we grow in our faith and in our love of God when we are faithful.

Prayer: Lord God, work in our hearts and lives, placing a deeply rooted faith and trust in our spirit. When you call, O God, move us to a faithful and obedient response, loving others as you love us. Fill us with joy each time we serve you and others. Amen.


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Deep Unity

Reading: Philippians 2:1-4

Philippians 2:2 – “Complete my joy by thinking the same way, having the same love, being united, and agreeing with one another.”

Photo credit: Wylly Suhendra

As we turn to our Epistle reading for this week, Paul invites the people that make up the church in Philippi to imitate Christ. He is writing to a group of people that he knows well. On his first missionary journey he founded a church there, sharing Jesus with them. He stopped in during his second missionary journey a few years later, offering further teaching and encouragement. Chapter 2 begins with an “if” statement. Having spent so much time with these folks, this is more of a reminder than a guess. Paul knows that they have been encouraged and comforted by their faith. He knows that they have shared food and other resources with one another.

Paul then invites them to lean even more into these blessings of the faith so that they can know and experience a deeper faith. He writes, “Complete my joy by thinking the same way, having the same love, being united, and agreeing with one another.” This community of faith will bring joy to their founder if they continue to grow in Christ, working together in their common mission and ministry. To live and be this way is essential as the world creeps in and as challenges arise – ridicule, persecution, isolation… If they stay united in Christ, having Jesus’ heart and mind, they will get through the hard times and the challenges, and they will be bonded together with stronger ties.

In verses 3 and 4, Paul focuses on the key to unity and to working together: humility. In times of challenge and trial, it is natural to first think of self-preservation and then to act on these instincts. Paul encourages another line of thought. He encourages those in the church to think of others first. Yes, you matter. But “watch out for what is better for others.” When we consistently put others before ourselves, we build bonds and relationships that can weather the worst of the inevitable challenges that will surely come. In this place of love, we become people willing to sacrifice for one another. From this place of deep unity, we can overcome all obstacles and we can do great things for Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Lord God, through the power of your love, draw us together. As we live together in faith, draw us deeper into relationship with one another. As our relationships deepen, Lord, create in us a desire to lift the other, to care for the other, to give of ourselves to benefit the other. Walk with us and work though us, O God, to build the kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.


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An Obligation to Love

Reading: Romans 13:8-10

Romans 13:10 – “Love doesn’t do anything wrong to a neighbor.”

Photo credit: Shane

Our reading in Romans 13 begins with a great line: “Don’t be in debt to anyone, except for the obligation to love.” Paul has been writing about obeying civil law, respecting government authority, and paying your taxes. He segues into a much more important obligation in verse 8 – our obligation to love one another. Obligation is a good word choice. It feels stronger than “call to love” or “invitation to love.” Tapping into their Hebrew roots, Paul adds that loving each other fulfills the Law of Moses. Paul is also channeling his inner Jesus here. Echoing the main point of Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 19, Mark 10, and Luke 18, Paul elevates loving God through loving neighbor as our highest obligation.

In these three passages, Jesus taught the rich young ruler how we are to love God and therefore neighbor. We are to lessen our grip on the things of this world, becoming willing to give freely to others to meet their needs. We can meet needs in many different ways. We can bring a meal or some groceries to an actual neighbor during a hard time. We can spend some time with or give a ride to an elderly person in our community. We can support a child in a far away land or we can give to rescue and relief efforts following a natural disaster. We can teach a Sunday school class or volunteer at a local rescue mission or food bank. These are but a few of the many ways that we can love God and our neighbors.

In verse 10 we read, “Love doesn’t do anything wrong to a neighbor.” On one level Paul is looping back to not committing adultery or murder or… But on another level, this is also about our sins of omission – in this case, those times when we could have met a need and chose not to. When we fail to do good, we are doing harm. May it not be so.

Prayer: Lord God, give us eyes willing to see those with needs – both near and far. Once seeing, open our hands to release what we have. Open our hearts to yield freely what you have blessed us with. And when we are tempted to ignore the obligation to love, may your Holy Spirit shout a little louder and/or nudge us a little harder. Work within our hearts, O God, leading us to love you as we love our neighbors. Amen.


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An Act of Salvation

Reading: Exodus 12:1-10

Exodus 12:2 – “This month will be the first month; it will be the first month of the year for you.”

We begin in Exodus 12 this week. Moses has arrived in Egypt, along with Aaron. To this point in the story, nine plagues have occurred. Pharaoh has pondered letting the Israelites go, but God has hardened his heart. This tenth plague is the climax of the story, the final plague. Our story begins with these words: “This month will be the first month; it will be the first month of the year for you.” So important is the Passover, God reconfigures the calendar. From this time forward, the most important act of salvation in the Old Testament will be tied to the beginning of each new year.

Through Moses, God gives instructions to the Israelites. Each household or small group is to take in a perfect lamb and to keep “close watch” over it for four days. On the fourteenth day of the month, they will all slaughter the lamb and place some of its blood around the doors of their homes. This will be a sign for God. The lamb should be roasted and eaten with “unleavened bread and butter herbs.” There will be no leftovers, nothing left behind. All will be burned up. This meal will prepare the people, strengthening them for the journey ahead.

This first Passover meal had a practical side to it. All elements played a role: the perfect lamb, the careful watch, the sign on the doorframes, the physical sustenance, the communal nature of the celebration. Each had meaning in the moment and each had purposes in God’s plans – present and future. As we continue in the story tomorrow, we will develop these connections and purposes.

Prayer: Lord God, there is no other god. You alone are our God. In days of old you freed your people so that they could worship you and walk in your ways. Free us too from all that binds us and keeps us from loving you with all that we are. Thank you for our salvation. Amen.


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Shaping and Reshaping

Romans 12:2 – “Don’t be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds.”

Reading: Romans 12:1-2

As we begin in Romans 12, today we read what I would consider a “Top 10” verse for our time. Paul’s argument, however, begins back in chapter 11, where he writes of God’s great mercy. It is so great, he writes, that even Israel will be saved one day. At that point in time, the Jews felt like and were acting like the “enemies” of Jesus and his newly forming church. Even so, God’s mercy is great enough to one day draw Israel into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.

With that in mind, Paul writes, “So… I encourage you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice that is holy and pleasing to God.” Paul encourages the believers in Rome to live like they have been saved. He is inviting them to serve God and others even if there is a personal cost. Paul deems this “appropriate priestly service” for the great love and mercy that they have received from God.

Next we turn to the key verse: “Don’t be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds.” Another translation writes of not being so well-adjusted to the culture that we fit right in without even thinking about it. The patterns and ways of this world are tempting and powerful. They are portrayed as “success.” They promise us “happiness.” Greed, want, the desire for power, the need to satisfy self – these things are endless cycles that only draw us downward. There is no rest or peace or contentment. We only find these blessings when we confirm our hearts and minds to Christ. Jesus then renews and transforms our hearts and minds, shaping and reshaping us into someone who is “good and pleasing and mature.” This is where we want to be. May it be so for you and for me.

Prayer: Lord God, the call of the world is constant – a neighbor’s new side by side, a friend’s new cell phone, a coworker’s stories of their amazing vacation… These things tug at us, pulling us towards the ways of the world. In our moments of temptation and trial, O God, draw us into your love and care. Remind us of the peace, contentment, and rest that we find in you alone. Hold us in that place, changing our focus, renewing our hearts and minds, drawing us deeper into our relationship with you. Amen.


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The Promises

Reading: Psalm 124:1-5

Psalm 124:1 – “If the Lord hadn’t been for us…”

Psalm 124 is a song of praise for God’s deliverance. The song is a call for the community of faith to thank God for saving them when all was on the brink of being lost. The psalmist described the “enemy” using imagery of water. In the ancient world, the “waters” were the place of chaos, of the unknown, of creatures huge and dangerous. One tried to stay close to land. Water is also hard to control. Think of floods or of that spilled glass of water. It goes here and there, wherever it wants, seemingly with a mind of its own. Once loosed, it cannot be controlled or easily contained.

While the psalmist is likely writing about a specific event, about a time when a vast army was about to overwhelm Israel, the feelings of anxiety or worry or dread are emotions that many of us feel in our day to day lives. Because of our connected world, struggles and issues big and small, local and global, communal and individual are ever before us. A bit too much attention to these and we can feel anxiety… beginning to rise up within us. In addition, we all have our own battles and trials in this life. These are both very common human experiences.

The psalmist repeats a line twice at the start of the Psalm. In a functional sense, it is a liturgical instruction. In the practical sense, it is a great reminder – twice! “If the Lord hadn’t been for us…” But God was for Israel. Again. God delivered Israel. Again. The reminder applies to us yet today. God is for us. Again and again. God will deliver us. Over and over. The promises remain true. May it be so for you and for me.

Prayer: Lord God, anxiety, worry, dread… They can rise up so quickly in our heart and mind. Sometimes it comes from without, sometimes from within. In all cases, O God, whisper into our hearts, slow our minds. Remind us of your presence. Center us there with you. Touch us with your powerful love and constant care. Strengthen us for the day ahead. Thank you, O God. Amen.


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What Truly Contaminates

Reading: Matthew 15:10-20

Matthew 15:18 – “What goes out of the mouth comes from the heart. And that’s what contaminates a person in God’s sight.”

Heart in Fire and Water Isolated on Black Background. Computer Graphics.

Leviticus 11 through 15 contain the laws of Moses that deal with being clean (or unclean if you break a law.) Many of the laws in these five chapters were concerned with keeping healthy. Eating certain foods, for example, in a time without refrigeration often led to illness. So… do not eat pork. Since five chapters worth of dietary and other cleanliness laws were not enough, the religious leaders added more over time.

“Wash your hands before eating” was one of them. This rule is not found anywhere in the Law. But this manmade rule had power in Jesus’ day. His disciples had just eaten without washing their hands, breaking “the elder’s rules handed down to us.” Jesus responds to the Pharisees’ criticism by quoting from Isaiah 29, where the prophet speaks about “empty worship.”

In verses 10-20 Jesus addresses and explains what truly contaminates or makes a person “unclean.” To be unclean is to be separated from God. He declares that it is NOT what we put into our mouth that matters. Food just comes out and goes into the sewer. However, “What goes out of the mouth comes from the heart. And that’s what contaminates a person in God’s sight.” What comes out of our mouth matters. And that all comes from the heart. It is in the heart that one finds the sources of sin: “evil thoughts… sexual sins… false testimony… insults.” These are some of the things that have the power to “contaminate” or to make us unclean before God.

Jesus is talking about what John Wesley would later call “personal holiness.” If we practice personal holiness (or holiness of the heart,) then we walk in right relationship with God. And if we walk in a right relationship with God, then we tend to walk in right relationships with one another. Living out our social holiness, we do not harm others. Instead, we do good and practice love, mercy, grace, compassion… And what flows from the mouth is good and pleasing to the Lord our God. May it be so for us all.

Prayer: Lord God, empower us to look deep within our own hearts. Give us the strength and the courage to root out those things that can separate us from you, leading us to then treat others as “less than.” Transform our hearts and lives, O Lord, filling us with love and grace and compassion and mercy. Then, may these flow from our hearts and may they be upon our lips. 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.