pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: holy


by Leave a comment

Moved Forward

Reading: Acts 2:32

Acts 2:32 – “This Jesus God raised up. We are all witnesses to that fact.”

Today we return to Acts 2 and focus on the last verse of this week’s passage. Peter is addressing a crowd of people who have been drawn to the disciples by the sound of the Holy Spirit descending at Pentecost. There is a Thomas-esque feel to this scene. The people cannot wrap their heads around what has happened. At first many want to just dismiss the whole thing. Maybe you’ve been there too.

Many years ago I was a one-hour-a-week Christian. I attended church regularly, at first at a small Lutheran country church and then at a larger United Methodist church when we moved to a larger town. It was there that God started trying to push me past my one-hour limit. At first, I wanted to dismiss that push. But voices added to the feeling and the Spirit persisted. First it was couple’s group and then men’s group. It was teaching Sunday School to volunteering at youth group. Then it was the call past volunteering to leading youth group. All along the call of the Holy Spirit grew and grew. Voices of encouragement grew. Would I trust this feeling and the words of those close to me to take a leap of faith, away from a 23-year teaching career and into the ministry?

As other voices spoke into my life, the question was this: Did I trust these voices? Would I trust the voice of the Spirit? Long ago, Peter spoke these words to some people asking these questions: “This Jesus God raised up. We are all witnesses to that fact.” Words alone do not make believers, even words whispered from God. The power of Peter’s testimony was the same as what led me to take a leap of faith: I could feel the words. I could feel the Holy Spirit moving me, pulling me forward in faith. As trusted voices speak and as the Spirit moves in your life, may you too step forward in faith, witnessing to the power of God.

Prayer: Lord God, more than words on a page or spoken by a friend, the Holy Spirit moves, whispers, nudges. It is a force, a fire, a tangible feeling. Stir this in each of us, making the words come alive, making our faith come alive. Amen.


by Leave a comment

Power with Us

Reading: Acts 2:14 and 22-32

Acts 2:32 – “This Jesus God raised up. We are all witnesses to that fact.”

As we begin the Easter season, we join Peter and the other disciples as they start to spread the good news of Jesus Christ. In the timeline of Acts, the first Pentecost has just occurred. The Holy Spirit has fallen and taken up a place in the hearts of all who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The Spirit fills Peter as he powerfully and convincingly speaks to the crowd. You and me – we have this save power in us.

Peter begins by reminding the crowd drawn by the Pentecost moment that God proved Jesus’ “credentials” through the miracles, wonders, and signs that Jesus offered. Even though credentialed, Peter next reminds the crowd how Jesus was killed. Quoting from Psalm 16, which we’ll read tomorrow, Peter speaks of the foretelling of the resurrection of Jesus. Using David’s words, Peter reminds his audience that the grave has never held power over Jesus. From this understanding, Peter declares,“This Jesus God raised up. We are all witnesses to that fact.” At the end of Peter’s speech, about 3,000 people come to a saving faith in Jesus.

The power and presence of the Holy Spirit in Peter gave him the confidence, the courage, and the words to speak. The same Spirit was at work in the hearts of those hearing Peter’s words. When we tell our stories of faith, we can trust that the Holy Spirit will empower, equip, and guide our words. And we can trust that the Spirit will work in the hearts of those receiving our words of faith. God’s power is in us. Thanks be to God!

Prayer: Lord God, help us to trust as Peter did. When opportunities arise to witness to our faith, to tell our Jesus stories, fill us with your Holy Spirit’s power too. And, Lord, use our words to draw others to you, building the kingdom here on earth. Amen.


by Leave a comment

Called and Sent

Reading: Isaiah 42:1-9

Isaiah 42:6b – “I, the Lord, have called you… I will grasp your hand and guard you, and give you as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations.”

Isaiah 42 is about “God’s servant.” These words come from what is known as “Second Isaiah,” written during Israel’s time in Babylonian exile. It is likely that the original “suffering servant” was Isaiah. Later, in another Servant Song, it is the nation of Israel who are the servants. The earliest church and the New Testament writers identified Jesus as the servant. Read today, you and I, we are the servants of God.

Let’s look at the qualities and behaviors of the servant described in Isaiah 42. As we do, think about how each applies to Isaiah, to Israel, to Jesus, and to you. The servant is chosen by God and has the Spirit of God upon them. The servant is called to bring justice and light to the world. The servant is not forceful or violent. He is she won’t even “break a bruised reed.” In verse 6 we read, “I, the Lord, have called you… I will grasp your hand and guard you, and give you as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations.” Given as the covenant of love, the servant partners with God to bring healing and wholeness to the world, opening blind eyes, setting people free from sin and brokenness.

Just as Jesus was and is our light, calling and leading us out of our own sin and darkness, we are called to do this for others. Bringing the light of Christ into the darkness of this world, we seek to bring healing and wholeness, justice and peace to our world. May it be so for you and for me.

Prayer: Lord God, just as you called Isaiah and Israel, you call us and the community of faith. And just as you sent Jesus, so too do you send us into the world to be light and love. Empower us with the presence of the Holy Spirit, leading us to bring healing and wholeness to the darkness and brokenness of our world. Amen.


by Leave a comment

Even Then

Reading: Matthew 26:30-35 and 69-75

Matthew 26:33 – “Peter replied, ‘If everyone else stumbles because of you, I’ll never stumble.'”

Photo credit: Ricardo Gomez Angel

This Sunday is Palm Sunday, the day we remember Jesus’ grand entry into Jerusalem. Crowds cheered and declared, “Hosanna!” – the one who saves. Many get caught up in the excitement of the parade. Most forget what they were saying by the time the “prophet” enters the city. Today, in Matthew’s gospel, we dive into a microcosm of this human tendency. According to the timeline in Matthew, the palm parade was four days ago. Since then Jesus has cleared the temple and clashed frequently with the religious leaders – sometimes through hard teachings, sometimes through direct conflict. These tensions lead to a plot to kill Jesus.

Following the Last Supper, in the first part of today’s reading, Jesus says to the disciples, “Tonight you will all fall away because of me.” If heard with ears of humility, one would search one’s heart to see if this could possibly be true. Instead Peter boldly declares, “If everyone else stumbles because of you, I’ll never stumble.” Yes, Jesus, maybe the other eleven, but never me. I’ll never deny you. This last bit of bravado comes right after Jesus says to Peter, “Before the rooster crows…”

Turning to the second part of today’s reading, Jesus’ words come true. He has been arrested and the trial has shifted to Caiaphas’ house. Peter is outside in the courtyard. Once, twice, and three times he denies even knowing Jesus. The simple crow of the rooster breaks Peter’s pride and overconfidence. Crying uncontrollably, the Spirit begins to work in Peter’s heart. God doesn’t leave him broken. The failure? Just a building block or stepping stone. In this passage, we’re reminded that our failures are never final. God works even then, maybe especially then, bringing glory from ashes. Thanks be to God!

Prayer: Lord God, it can be so easy to slip into prideful thinking, into self-elevating judgment. In our moments of pride and ego, stop us in our tracks. Send the Holy Spirit’s conviction quickly and powerfully. And when we ignore even this, too consumed with self to notice or pay attention, break us down and then pour out your mercy, grace, and forgiveness, restoring and redeeming us to you. Thank you, O Lord. Amen.


by Leave a comment

New Life – Now and Then

Reading: John 3:4-17

John 3:5 – “I assure you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, it’s not possible to enter the kingdom of God.”

As we continue today in the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus, we go deeper. Nicodemus scoffs at being born again: “it’s impossible.” What if Nicodemus understands Jesus’ spiritual reference, but doesn’t think he can actually give up his status and power to follow Jesus? He’s worked so hard to get to his place on top of society. And he’s old – how can he change? How can this devout keeper of the Law become child-like in his faith, guided about here and there by the Holy Spirit, like a child being led by a loving parent?

Jesus offers him this assurance: “Unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, it’s not possible to enter the kingdom of God.” Born of water might just be our human birth – “flesh is flesh.” To be born of the Spirit is to be born anew from above. Later the church would link baptism to these words of Jesus. Baptism was symbolic of dying to the old self as one was immersed in the waters, washed clean. Emerging from the waters, the new self received the Holy Spirit into their new, in-Christ heart. While today many of us are baptized as infants, in reality we all come to the point where we must decide to die to self and to the world in order to follow Jesus. For some, this surrender comes as a teen or young adult. For others, like Nicodemus, it comes later in life.

Connecting to Nicodemus’ Jewish roots, Jesus tells him that the Messiah will one day be raised up like Moses raised the golden snake – both in order to save people from death. Connecting to the new life then and now that Jesus offers to all who believe in him, he tells Nicodemus, “God didn’t send his son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” In that moment, Jesus is inviting Nicodemus to accept the salvation that Jesus offers. The offer is always open to us all. Thanks be to God!

Prayer: Lord God, it can be scary to put our hand in your hand, trusting you to lead and guide as the Holy Spirit takes up residence in our hearts. Where you lead, like the wind, we do not know. But we do know that it is away from a love of this world, into a love for you and for neighbor that calls us to surrender our life again and again. As we walk this new life, our hearts become full of love and peace, grace and mercy, joy and forgiveness – full to overflowing. Thank you, God. Amen.


by Leave a comment

A Word to Share

Reading: 2nd Peter 1:19-21

2nd Peter 1:21 – “No prophecy ever came by human will. Instead, men and women led by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”

As we read the second half of this week’s 2nd Peter 1 passage, we first encounter an admonition from Peter. We recall from Wednesday’s reading that what he has to say is not some “crafty myth.” It is not something he heard from a friend of a friend of an acquaintance either. This is Peter’s personal eyewitness account of the experience and words that came from God. So, readers, “you would do well to pay attention to it.”

The transfiguration of Jesus was prophesied long ago. Both Daniel and Malachi foretold this moment. Both were speaking and then recording words that God gave them. Peter connects this to his experience on that mountaintop and to his life as he writes, “No prophecy ever came by human will. Instead, men and women led by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” This remains true. We cannot generate a word from God on our own. A word from God is a gift revealed by and through God and the Spirit. As we are given the words (or nudges…) and are given divine direction or understanding, it is then that “the morning star [Jesus] rises in our hearts” too.

These encounters with the divine hold great power. Often we do not fully understand or see how God was speaking or working in the moment. Only with a bit of time do we comprehend how God’s spirit gave us the words or guided the event, the conversation, the journey. On Tuesday morning a women shared her story with me and two friends at a coffee shop. She lost most of her roof in a 100+ mph wind storm one night – all but the roof over her bedroom. She then recounted piece by piece the ways that God has been present that night and in the days that followed. The Spirit opened her eyes to see God’s hand at work. There was joy and power in her story. Her faith was alive and bursting forth. What story or word of God do you have to share?

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for your word spoken in scripture and for your presence in our lives yet today. Continue to reveal your glory to us in powerful ways, fueling our witness to the world. Open our eyes and hearts to these moments, big and small, when you become present in our lives and in our world. Open our minds to understand and to share our faith stories and encounters. Amen.


by Leave a comment

A Growing Love

Reading: 1st Corinthians 2:6-16

1st Corinthians 2:10 – “God revealed these things to us through the Spirit.”

Picking up in 1st Corinthians 2 today we return to threads from last week’s reading in chapter 1. The wisdom of God is available to those who are “spiritual.” This wisdom is an ancient wisdom that has been present since “before time began.” Therefore this wisdom does not come from “today’s leaders,” then or now. This is the wisdom that “God has prepared… for those who love him.” And of great consequence, “God revealed these things to us through the Spirit.” It is through the Spirit that we “know the things given to us by God” and that we receive “words taught by the Spirit.” To those yet living by the ways of the world, these things remain “foolishness.”

This open line of communication holds great power. The Spirit knows our hearts and minds intimately because the Spirit dwells in the hearts of those who love God. Acting with this knowledge, the Holy Spirit seeks to lead and guide us deeper into relationship with God and with one another. Internally the Spirit leads and guides our prayers, our Bible study, our meditations and thoughts concerning the things of God. Through these internal practices we grow in our knowledge of God, and, more importantly, we grow in our love of God.

Our growing love of God naturally leads to a growing love of neighbor. This is reflected in our external behaviors – in the words we speak, in the actions we take, in the sins we increasingly repent of. In these ways we are being God’s light and love to the world. As the Spirit lives and works in and through us, we love deeper and we shine brighter. Doing so we reveal the glory of God to the world, drawing others towards God, starting them on the path of making sense of what was once “foolishness.” By our witness and example, may God in Christ be glorified.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit that works both in us and through us. Lead and guide us to be both receptive and responsive. As your Spirit fills us with love and wisdom and as your Spirit reveals our gifts to us, take us out into the world to share this love and to employ our gifts to bring healing and wholeness to our world. Amen.


by Leave a comment

The Power and Presence

Reading: 1st Corinthians 2:1-5

1st Corinthians 2:4 – “My message and my preaching weren’t presented with convincing wise words but with a demonstration of the Spirit and power.”

Photo credit: Kate Remmer

As we begin the first of two days in 1st Corinthians 2, Paul reveals how the wisdom and power of God works in everyday lives. Paul did not come to Corinth preaching with big, fancy words. He did not come with well-polished speeches produced by professional writers. Paul’s focus was first and foremost on Jesus Christ, then on presenting Jesus as crucified (and resurrected and alive.) His attitude was not one of superiority or arrogance. No, Paul recalls how he was there with “weakness, fear, and a lot of shaking.” That can be the feeling when we too are relying on the Holy Spirit to show up and move in and amongst us.

Paul chooses to meet his audience where they are at. Remember, Paul was a “Pharisee amongst Pharisees.” He certainly could have used big words and waxed on eloquently. But, at some point, even in the right intellectual circles, this human wisdom runs out, it falls short. The power of the cross that flows through the Holy Spirit – it is boundless and endless. It can rescue the greatest sinner and it can humble the most arrogant saint. This is because the Spirit meets us where we are at and, if we are willing, will take us where we need to go.

Again and again Paul has personally experienced the power and presence of Christ through the Holy Spirit. This is the foundation of his faith and of his preaching. We too have experienced the power and presence of the Holy Spirit many times in our lives. May this be our foundation as we “preach” Christ to the world, whether in word or deed. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, the essence of you and of who you are resides in our hearts, not in our minds. So as we go out into the world today, guide us to speak and act from the heart, allowing your love, compassion, empathy, grace, peace, hope… to flow into other people’s lives. May our “argument” be guided and fueled and driven by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit living in us. By this power and presence use us to build your kingdom here on earth. Amen.


by Leave a comment

Called Yet Today

Reading: 1st Corinthians 1:26-31

1st Corinthians 1:27-28 – “God chose what the world considers foolish… weak… low-class and low-life…”

Turning to our Epistle again this week, Paul invites the believers in Corinth to remember their old selves. This is a good exercise to practice every once in a while. Take a few moments right now to think back to significant events in your faith journey. This might be a conversion moment, a light bulb experience, a time of support or comfort or strength in a difficult time or season in your life… Take a moment to remember and give thanks to God…

In today’s passage, Paul reminds these believers that they did not generally come from the ranks of the “wise… powerful… upper-class.” This reality began in the incarnation and continued in the call of the disciples – and continues yet today. In verses 27-28 we read, “God chose what the world considers foolish… weak… low-class and low-life…” Through such people, God took what the world saw and sees as wise, strong, important… and reduced all of this to nothing. These worldly titles, accolades, desires – they are really nothing in the kingdom of God. That is why fishermen and tax collectors and prostitutes were called. And it is why mothers and emergency room nurses and pastors and shop keepers and… are called yet today to bring peace and healing to our divided and broken world. It is why God calls you and me.

This work of making earth “as it is in heaven” began with Christ. Then through death, God raised Jesus up, defying the two things that all the power in the world cannot defeat: sin and death. Since then, God has called the faithful to defeat the present evils of this world: hate, violence, division, injustice, poverty, power over… God doesn’t just call. God also equips and prepares. Those moments we recalled at the start of this time, the roiling that you feel in your gut right now – all ways God is equipping and preparing us. God makes us “righteous and holy” and God will “deliver us,” some to bring peace and justice, some to pray and love, and, yes, some even unto death.

Prayer: Lord God, help us to hear your call. Open our ears and eyes to the ways that you call every single one of us to resist evil and to fight for justice. Empower our prayers, our words, our actions – whatever we have to offer to bring about peace and wholeness in our world. Grant us the courage and strength to do your will. Thank you, Lord. Amen.


by Leave a comment

Dearly Loved, Spirit In-Dwelled

Reading: Matthew 3:13-17

Matthew 3:16 – “He immediately came up out of the water. Heaven was opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God coming down like a dove and resting on him.”

As Jesus is beginning his time of public ministry, step one is to be baptized. He travels from Galilee to the place along the Jordan River where John the Baptist is preparing Israel for the kingdom of God that is drawing near. Jesus is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire – not water. John the Baptist has just identified Jesus in this way. So as Jesus comes to be baptized, John protests. Recognizing Jesus’ greatness, John asks, “Yet you come to me?” Jesus says, in essence, “Yes, I do.” For Jesus, this is a step of solidarity with all who seek the coming kingdom of God. And this is a step towards righteousness. It is from this moment that Jesus will enter the wilderness to test his own righteousness.

After being baptized by John, “He immediately came up out of the water. Heaven was opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God coming down like a dove and resting on him.” God becomes present to Jesus in two ways. First, the Spirit of God descends and rests on Jesus. Second, God’s voice affirms Jesus, declaring love for him and happiness from him. In these ways, God is preparing Jesus to face Satan’s temptations in the wilderness after fasting for 40 days. Today, in baptism, the Holy Spirit is invited into the waters so that the Spirit will come to rest in the heart of the baptized. In the words and prayers, both pastor and congregation declare God’s love and their love for the one being baptized, pledging to walk with them as they grow in faith. Dearly loved, Spirit in-dwelled, one is prepared to bring much happiness to God. May it be so for us all.

Prayer: Lord God, just as the waters of baptism are just water without your Spirit, so too are we just flesh and bones without your presence in us. So we ask you to be ever-present in our hearts, O God. In this way, empower and encourage us to be righteous and to live justly. Amen.