pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: hearts


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Readying Hearts and Lives

Reading: Matthew 3:1-6

Matthew 3:2 – “Change your hearts and lives! Here comes the kingdom of heaven!”

Photo credit: Kelly Sikkema

Advent is a season of longing and waiting. There is an anticipation that builds as we await the coming Messiah. Entering into Matthew 3 today, the people of God have been waiting, longing deeply for the Messiah to come. About 400 years before John the Baptist was born, the prophet Malachi called the people of God back to holy living. Channeling his inner Isaiah, in 3:1 Malachi writes, “Look, I am sending my messenger who will clear the path before me.” A few verses later God speaks these words through the prophet: “Return to me and I will return to you.” These words and others from prophets including Isaiah have hung in the air and in the peoples’ hearts for many, many years. The most recent occupation, this time by the Roman empire, has heightened their longing and anticipation.

John the Baptist arrives onto this scene and steps out into the wilderness, proclaiming, “Change your hearts and lives! Here comes the kingdom of heaven!” Out in the desert, dressed as he was, both mark him as the “Elijah” who was to come. John struck a chord with the people of God. Identified as the one of whom so many prophets have spoken, John drew large crowds. They confessed their sins and were baptized in the Jordan. The people were committing themselves to living holy lives, readying themselves for the coming Messiah and the kingdom of heaven that was drawing near. As we read this passage and hear John’s call to repent and prepare ourselves, may we ready our hearts and lives anew to welcome the coming Jesus and his kingdom here on earth.

Prayer: Lord God, draw us near, hear our confessions, receive our repentance, and guide our hearts and lives. Ready us to welcome the Christ child and all that he offers: joy, peace, hope, love, mercy, grace. As we prepare ourselves O Lord, use our voices to proclaim the one who rescues, redeems, saves, and sets free. Use us as heralds and bringers of your kingdom here on earth. Amen.


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A Plan Unfolding

Reading: Luke 1:68-75

Luke 1:69-70 – “He [God] has raised up a mighty savior… just as he said through the mouths of his holy prophets long ago.”

By nature we are social beings. We were created by God to be in community. While each of us enjoys some solitude from time to time, we crave human interaction. A large part of this involves expressing ourselves, our thoughts, our emotions. The average person does this mainly through speaking about 10,000 words a day. Imagine being silent for a few days. For me that would soon begin to feel like a heavy weight. What would that feel like for you? Now, imagine being silent for nine months.

As we turn to Luke 1:68 today, Zechariah begins to speak for the first time in nine months. He had been struck mute by God about 840,000 words ago. Zechariah did not believe the angel Gabriel when he told the old priest that was having a son. The angel told him that his son would “bring many Israelites back to the Lord.” What news to share! But he cannot. After all of this silence, what are Zechariah’s first words?

Zechariah first announces that the words of the prophets from long ago have been fulfilled. A Savior has been born! The priest turned prophet tells the people that God has remembered the covenant and will rescue Israel “from the power of our enemies.” Recalling the times in exile and in the wilderness, those enemies were mostly within – selfishness, greed, idolatry. As we continue tomorrow, Zechariah will next speak of the role that his son, John the baptizer, will play in God’s unfolding plan. The unfolding plan continues today. You and I are a part of that plan.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for remembering your covenant and setting in motion the redemption of all of creation. Thank you for sending the one filled with the spirit of Elijah to prepare hearts to receive your son, the Savior. Lord, fill us with the Spirit’s power, using us today to call people to change hearts and lives. Use us to call people to the Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.


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May Your Kingdom Come

Reading: Joel 2:28-32

Joel 2:32 – “But everyone who calls on the Lord’s name will be saved.”

Moving from yesterday’s suffering, sin, repentance, and hope, today we move into and beyond the ‘now and not yet’ of Joel 2. Once God has brought the exiles home and returned abundance to the land and to the people of God… or at some point in the future… God says, “After that I will pour out my Spirit upon everyone…” For Joel and his audience, this would be when the Messiah came, inaugurating a new era with a new heaven and earth.

Just proceeding that new era, sons and daughters, old men and young men, even slaves, will receive the Spirit. They will speak of and dream of this new coming kingdom. On that day, when it comes, there will be “blood and fire and columns of smoke” and it will be a “great and dreadful day.” And there is a ‘but.’ In verse 32 we read, “But everyone who calls on the Lord’s name will be saved.” God’s faithful will be saved.

As the story of the Bible continues, thoughts on this day evolve and develop. When Jesus arrived, he brought a dramatic shift in the understanding of the new kingdom. Jesus is clear that Joel’s (and other’s) visions of the new heaven and earth will indeed be glorious on that day, but… But, Jesus said, the kingdom is here now. Jesus taught us disciples to pray, “may your kingdom come… may your will be done… on earth as it is in heaven.” The time that Joel speaks of? Jesus is clear: the time is now. All people – men, women, young, old, slaves, free, rich, poor… – all people can receive the Spirit. All people are invited to live in and to be a part of God’s kingdom here on earth. All who call on the Lord’s name will be saved. O Lord, may your kingdom come and may your will be done! And may it begin with us.

Prayer: Lord God, open wide the doors of our hearts and of our churches! Opened wide, use us to build this kingdom where all are welcomed, where all know that they are beloved of you, and of us. Opened wide, use us to declare that each person, created in your image, one and all, are invited to your table of grace. Use us, Lord, to make this beautiful kingdom a reality here and now. Amen.


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Our Response?

Reading: Joel 2:23-27

Joel 2:26 – “You will eat abundantly and be satisfied, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God.”

The book of Joel begins with a lament over the destruction of Israel and the causes of this great devastation. The invading armies are like locust – they strip the land bare and leave suffering in their wake. In response, Joel calls for fasting and repentance, both as means to draw close to God once again. Midway through chapter 2 God promises to respond to the changed hearts of the once again faithful people.

As we turn to verse 23, through Joel, God invites the “children of God” to rejoice and be glad. God promises to send rain upon the land, “a sign of righteousness.” This abundant rainfall will lead to an abundant harvest. The grain, grapes, and olives will fill threshing floors and storage vats. In stark contrast to the years of suffering and hunger, God says, “You will eat abundantly and be satisfied, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God.” The peoples’ shame will be no more and they will know “that I am the Lord your God.” God’s love and provision will be clearly evident.

For those who haven’t faced hunger as a way of life, think of recent images in Gaza, in slums outside major urban areas, in poverty-stricken third world nations. Many in our world and even in our nation lack food security. Recent policy changes will likely put more people into this situation. In these places of suffering and hunger, as it was for the people of Joel’s day, shame is often present. Living today in a land of great abundance, we must ask ourselves why hunger is such an overwhelming issue for so many people. It should not be so. As the people of God, what is our response to this injustice?

Prayer: Lord God, open our eyes and hearts to the food needs around us. Whether it is people living in “food deserts” or people wrestling with the decision to buy gas to get to work or to buy food to put on the table, raise up your people to respond. Move us out into the world, filled with compassion, bringing our abundance along with us. Lead us to care well for those created in your image, so that they too might “praise the name of the Lord.” Amen.


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Humble and Grateful Hearts

Reading: Deuteronomy 8:1-10

Deuteronomy 8:2 – “Remember the long road on which the Lord your God led you during these forty years, so he could humble you, testing you to find out what was in your heart.”

Photo credit: Ben White

God, through Moses, is preparing the Israelites to enter the Promised Land. This preparation, of course, began a long time ago. It began with the revelation of God’s power as God brought ten plagues against Egypt. The last, most powerful plague led to their freedom. Almost immediately they began to grumble and complain, against Moses and against God. Other miracle followed as God responded to their cries. Along the way, again through Moses, God taught the people how to live in right relationship with God and with one another. The ten commandments and other commands would become known collectively as “the Law.”

This was not an easy road, not a one-day crash course. In verse 2 we read, “Remember the long road on which the Lord your God led you during these forty years, so he could humble you, testing you to find out what was in your heart.” 40 years – long enough for the entire generation that left Egypt to die off. This process was meant to humble God’s people – a most necessary ingredient to live in right relationship with God and with one another. Moses then encourages the people to work at these relationships, keeping God’s commands by “walking in his way and by fearing him.” Honor and obey, revere and respect God and it will go well for you. The same is true for us today.

For the Israelites, these forty years have prepared them to enter the Promised Land with humble and grateful hearts. This land of abundance, a place “without any shortage,” will be a place where God’s people bless the Lord. The idea of abundance remains true. While true abundance comes in non-tangible ways, the Lord our God will provide all that we need too – when we walk with humble and grateful hearts in live in right relationship with God and with one another. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, in our seasons of humbling and refining, walk with us. In the times we wander in the wilderness, walk with us. In the moments of teaching and learning your will and way, walk with us. Shape and form us too, O Lord, to be your people. We ask all of this with humble and grateful hearts. Amen.


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God’s Promises

Reading: Numbers 13:25-33

Numbers 13:30 – “Now Caleb calmed the people before Moses and said, ‘We must go up and take possession of it, because we are more than able to do it.'”

This week, as we weave our way to the Jericho story and the fulfillment of some of God’s promises, we begin where most of us falter in our trust in said promises. In the story of God’s people, they have arrived on the edge of the Promised Land. In 13:1 God says to Moses, “Send out men to explore the land of Canaan, which I’m giving to the Israelites.” A leader from each of the twelve tribes is sent to explore the land which God promised to their ancestor, Abraham.

The twelve men return after exploring Canaan for forty days. Their report begins by stating that the land “actually is full of milk and honey.” This phrase is used often to describe the Promised Land – in Exodus 3 and 33, in Deuteronomy 6 and 26… It is a phrase that implies blessing and abundance. If this is actually true, then what of the promise given to Abraham and reiterated to Isaac, Jacob…?

The “but” comes next. There are powerful people living in huge fortified cities. And there are giants. The explorers mostly see challenge. Fear and doubt and mistrust rise up. Joshua and Caleb, though, see promise. It is Caleb who speaks up in faith, saying, “We must go up and take possession of it, because we are more than able to do it.” This is trusting in God’s promises. Fear, however, is greater this day. The men who felt like “grasshoppers” next to these giants convince the people that God’s promises cannot be trusted. There are giants there! They will return to wandering the desert until this generation dies off. Only Caleb and Joshua will one day enter the Promised Land.

Prayer: Lord God, in our hearts we know that your promises are true. You are always faithful and steadfast in your love for us, your people. Lord, in those moments when the world pushes up against our faith, in the times when fear and doubt rise, whisper into our hearts and minds. In your Spirit power, guide us to step forward unafraid, trusting in you alone. Amen.


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The Lord Reigns

Readings: Luke 22:67-69 and Acts 7:56

Luke 22:69 – “But from now on, the Human One will be seated on the right side of the power of God.”

Photo credit: Fuu J

As the passion of the Christ continues to unfold in Luke’s gospel, the religious leaders ask Jesus if he is the Christ, the Messiah. Jesus begins by addressing their hard hearts. No matter what Jesus says or even asks the religious leaders they will not believe that he is God’s Son. If they did or even thought that he might be, Jesus would not be standing trial before them. Jesus is calling out the hypocrisy of their question.

To answer their question, Jesus paraphrases from Psalm 110:1. In verse 69 he says, “But from now on, the Human One will be seated on the right side of the power of God.” This Psalm of David reaffirms the messianic promise of God, offering hope for Israel’s future. David refers to this coming Messiah as “my Lord.” In claiming to fulfill the words of David, Jesus infuriates the religious leaders. For them this seals Jesus’ fate.

Fast forwarding a few years, we turn to Acts 7. The apostles and followers of Jesus Christ have been spreading the good news in both word and deed. The church is growing. This has heightened the tension and conflict with the Jewish religious leaders. Overcome with jealousy, the religious leaders began harassing the church. Stephen “stood out among the believers.” God’s grace was clearly at work in his life. There is a conflict and false charges are made up. Stephen is arrested and finds himself before the ruling council. Stephen outlines Israel’s history for these religious leaders, greatly angering them. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, Stephen declares, “Look! I can see heaven on display and the Human One standing at God’s right side!” In anger, the religious leaders stone Stephen..The truth is too hard to hear.

Prayer: Lord God, from the lips of David to the lips of Jesus to the lips of Stephen, the message remains: Jesus is Lord. This day we humble ourselves and ask that you would reign in our hearts and in our lives, Lord Jesus. Amen.


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Hearts Turned

Reading: Mark 9:11-13

Mark 9:13 – “Elijah has come, but they did to him whatever they wanted.”

Following the transfiguration (when Peter, James, and John saw Jesus changed into a more divine form who chatted with Moses’ and Elijah’s spirits) the “inner three” ask Jesus about the second coming of Elijah. Here they are connecting with their Jewish upbringing. In Malachi 4 the prophet writes about Elijah coming back “before the great and terrifying day of the Lord.” The understood purpose of his return? To “turn the hearts of the children to their parents” and vice versa.

Experiencing this moment on the mountaintop, hearing talk about Messiah and death and resurrection, it is natural for the disciples to try and make some sense of all of this. They do the natural thing: they try to connect this new information to what they already knew. To help do this, they ask about the second coming of Elijah. The understanding was that Elijah would return to “restore all things.” Jesus pushed back a bit. If one held to the fullest way that this could happen, he asks, then why would he have to suffer and die? This is Jesus’ question in verse 11. Clearly there is some disconnect or misunderstanding.

Answering their question, Jesus says, “Elijah has come, but they did to him whatever they wanted.” Preaching and baptizing in the wilderness, John the Baptist did change hearts. Through his baptism of repentance the children of God’s hearts were turned back to God’s heart and vice versa. John’s work of restoring all things was cut short, though, like many of the prophets who came before him. The pagan powers arrested and beheaded John. Not all Jewish hearts turned to God either. Many rejected John’s invitation and Jesus’ as well, “just as it is written.” In spite of humanity’s selfish and stubborn hearts, God’s plan will continue to unfold as Jesus walks the path to Jerusalem and to the cross.

Prayer: Lord God, we, like the people of Jesus’ day, know the scriptures, can see the signs unfolding, and still choose not to believe. We can cling to our selfish and evil ways, refusing to confess and repent. When our eyes are mostly closed and our hearts are pretty hard, once again empower your indwelling prophet, the Holy Spirit, to open our eyes, to soften our hearts. Bend us to your will and way. Amen.


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Communion = Community

Reading: 1st Corinthians 11:23-32

1st Corinthians 11:28 – “Each individual should test himself or herself, and eat from the bread and drink from the cup in that way.”

Photo credit: Geda Zyvatkauskaite

We seek to “stay in love with God” through various means of grace. One of these is Holy Communion. This sacrament first reminds us of Christ’s loving sacrifice on our behalf. The giving of his innocent blood in place of ours made atonement for our sins, paying the price for forgiveness. We approach this gift with a deep sense of awe and reverence.

Sometimes we do something for a while and it becomes just going through the motions. Perhaps you’ve felt that before with something like the Lord’s Prayer. For the church in Corinth, the Lord’s Supper had become one of those things. It was now causing more harm than good. It was creating division in the church. At this point it was more like what we’d call a “love feast” than what we recognize as a communion with its liturgy and formality. In Corinth, it had become a “private meal” with the rich getting drunk and stuffed while the poor were left hungry and thirsty. The church has forgotten that love, sacrifice, service, and community were at the heart of the Lord’s Supper.

Paul addresses this situation by reminding the church that the Lord’s Supper is centered on and celebrates the new covenant made by Jesus Christ. He also reminds them, though, that this communal celebration begins with individual preparation: “Each individual should test himself or herself, and eat from the bread and drink from the cup in that way.” Each person must come before God, humbling confessing and repenting of their sins. This necessary step prepares each to be made “new” again as the blood of the Lamb washes away their sin. To not take this step is to hide or hold onto one’s sin. This brings judgment and condemnation instead of forgiveness and grace.

For each person to come before God, to confess and repent, it levels the playing field. It places us all equally before the table of grace, all sinners redeemed by his blood. In this way, community is restored. It brought one body to the one bread, one blood. That was Paul’s goal. It should be our goal. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, draw us to our knees, to the place of confessing and repenting of our sins. Open up our hands and hearts to release all that separates us from you and from one another. As we come clean, thank you for making us clean. Thank you for your great love that washes away our sins and failures. Thank you for your redeeming love. Amen.


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Care Well

Reading: Genesis 1:26-28

Genesis 1:26 – “Let us make humanity in our image to resemble us so that they may take charge of... all the earth.”

Today we turn to the day of creation when Father, Son, and Holy Spirit created humankind. In connection with one another, God says, “Let us make humanity in our image to resemble us so that they may take charge of... all the earth.” Humanity is to be like the divine in the ways that we are in the world. Keeping this in mind, how we understand “take charge” bends toward steward, care for, protect, guard, and love.

This week we have been considering prayer. Some of our thoughts have focused on unanswered prayer. What would it look like to blend the best intents of ‘take charge’ with some of the unanswered prayers that people pray? What would our world be like if we ourselves sought to be the answer to people’s needs?

If we saw the resources that we have been blessed with as ways to care for the hungry, the sick, the naked, the imprisoned, then how would our world change? If we saw our role as the protector and defender of the vulnerable, the weak, the marginalized, the oppressed, then how would their lives change? If we were willing to risk and sacrifice on behalf of those without voice, without power, how would a new reign of justice and mercy become the reality in our world?

Because we are created in the divine image, we have within us the ability, the power, and the heart to care well for our world and for all of the earth. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, bend our hearts towards your heart. Remove the selfish, inward focus that creeps into our hearts, our thinking, our way of acting and being in the world. Empower us to be the answer to these questions pondered today. Amen.