pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: holy


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Sacred Places and Spaces

Reading: Genesis 28:18-19

Verse 19: “He called that place Bethel,” [which means ‘house of God’].

Jacob has had a powerful encounter with God. In a dream he has witnessed “the gate of heaven.” He sees the holy angels coming and going. He sees and hears God speaking words of blessing over him. Jacob awakens early the next morning and he builds a pillar or altar, anointing it with oil. He names the place “Bethel,” which translates to ‘house of God.’ Out in the middle of the wilderness, in a place so desolate that he has to use a rock for a pillow, Jacob names the place the ‘house of God.’

Some might think that just the temple in Jerusalem, for example,or the sanctuary in which we worship can be called the house of God. While these holy places certainly can be and often are filled with God’s presence, God is not limited to these buildings or places. For some a holy space might be that campfire ring at that camp – that’s where I gave my life to Jesus Christ. For some it might be that hospital room, the time when they gathered with ___’s family – there they saw the Spirit’s presence. For others it might be in that prayer room at a Promise Keeper’s event in Denver – that’s where a vision about my life was shared with me. For others…

While sacred places and spaces can sometimes be marked by a pillar or returned to periodically, others can only be marked in our memories. We revisit these places – physically or mentally – to remember when God touched our lives. Before reading the prayer, take a quick mental tour of the places and spaces that God touched your life and faith. Then thank God for these blessings.

Prayer: Lord God, there are many places that you have become ‘real’ to me, spaces where you have touched my life and my faith. Each is a touchstone moment – a particular experience when the holy drew close. Thank you for each of these experiences. Continue to be present in my life. Continue to bless me with these God moments, strengthening and encouraging my faith. Amen.


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No Fear

Reading: Romans 8:12-17

Verse 15: “The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption.”

Paul’s writing for this week focuses on our adoption as children of God. With our confession of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior we receive the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. If we choose to accept and follow the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit we will be empowered by the Spirit to “put to death the misdeeds of the body.” With the Holy Spirit’s power at work in us, we find new life. Through this presence and relationship we become new creations in Christ as we begin to live as sins and daughters of God.

In verse 15 we read, “The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption.” Even though we become a beloved child of God once we are adopted into the family, there can still be fear. If one’s connection to the concept of fatherhood brings up feelings of fear and worry, then that can be a part of how one perceives God as Father. For Paul’s audience there was also a connection to the fear of being unable to keep all of the Law. It felt like an impossible task. In a similar way, some feel like they cannot meet all of their earthly father’s expectations. This too can cause one to live in fear.

Paul reminds his audience and us that our adoption is forever. There is nothing to fear because as beloved children of God we are “heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.” As children of God we are inheritors of glory. We live day by day into this eternal promise of final resurrection. Even though we will suffer in this life, we know that one day we will “share in his glory.” Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for adopting us in love as your sons and daughters. Thank you for our forever place in the family. And thank you, Lord, for a love that never fails, even when we do. What a great love! Amen.


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Sow Seeds

Reading: Matthew 13:18-23

Verse 23b: “This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

Today we read Jesus’ explanation of the parable of the sower. Unpacking it for his disciples, Jesus covers the gamut of belief. He begins with those who hear the word of God but do not understand it. It does not even begin to take root, so it falls away quickly and easily. Then Jesus moves on to the three “soils” who hear and understand the word of God. Some, after receiving it, fall away because of the trouble or hardship caused by their faith. And others fall away because the cares and concerns of the world are stronger than their faith. Lastly, Jesus tells us that some will hear and understand and apply the word to their lives. These go out and do what Jesus says to do, leading others to faith by their witness. This is the crop yielded from their faith: new believers.

These various soils were the reality of Jesus’ day. People heard and accepted his teachings to various degrees. Some were all-in for the long haul. Many others were not. This has remained true throughout the ages. Even so, the task laid out in the parable remains the task of the disciple: sow seeds and trust that God will be at work, sprouting seeds into faith that lasts.

There is also a personal application to this parable. Our receptivity and obedience rises and falls. Some days, for example, we hear the voice of the Holy Spirit and we respond in faith. Other days we are deaf or lazy or… and the word is not responded to. And God the sower continues to scatter seeds of faith into our soil, looking for us to be good soil that produces a crop. May we do all we can to be good soil.

Prayer: Lord God, today I ask that you would use me to sow seeds of faith in other people’s lives as you sow seeds in my soil. Use me as you see fit. Amen.


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The Gift of the Spirit

Reading: Romans 8:1-11

Verse 9: “You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you.”

Photo credit: Diego Gennaro

Looking at Romans 8 yesterday we focused on the choice between life and death. Today we focus on what the choice for Christ (or for life) means to us as followers of Jesus Christ.

First, we find freedom from the condemnation of the Law. All of the sin offerings in the world could not remove the guilt and shame of disobedience. In and of ourselves we could not meet all of the requirements of the Law. It was a never ending battle in which we’d always fall short. In response God sent Jesus, “God’s own son.” Jesus became the sin offering for all of our sin, bringing us his own righteousness in place of our guilt and shame.

Second, through this gift our Spirit becomes alive. In verse 9 Paul writes, “You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you.” The Spirit, with our cooperation and effort, begins to lead and guide us, taking root in our heart. The Spirit brings us “life and peace.” These are found and lived out through our relationships with God and with each other. These ongoing and growing relationships help us in our battles with sin here and now. This yields life in our “mortal bodies” as we too one day experience God’s resurrection power. Thanks be to God for the gifts of life and peace.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for the Holy Spirit. Thank you for coming incarnate to show us the way to life and peace. Thank you for rising up again to show us the way to life eternal. Between now and then, live in our hearts, drawing us closer and closer to you. Amen.


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When God Calls…

Reading: Genesis 24:58-67

Verse 58: “I will go.”

After hearing the servant’s account of God’s leading and guiding, Rebekah’s brothers ask her if she will go with the servant. Without hesitation she says, “I will go.” The evidence of God’s hand at work must’ve been strong. She was leaving almost everything and everyone behind to go with a man she’d just met to marry a man she’s never met to live in a place she’d never been. This was a really big “I will go.”

We make choices and decisions all the time. Some are big and important – to marry, to move, to switch jobs, to have kids… We too experience God’s guiding and leading. This often helps in our decision-making. When “doors” open or close we perceive God at work. When the Holy Spirit whispers or nudges or speaks, we sense God at work. In the big decisions we often seek God through prayer or by studying the Bible. Because of this we are open to God’s presence and direction.

We can struggle, though, to sense God at work or to listen to or feel the Spirit in the ordinary. A young woman went to fetch water – for cooking, for cleaning, for the animals? It was for some task that she needed to do. How often do we ignore or put off the prompting because we have a meeting to get to or because we are focused on our task? She paused what she was doing to encounter the stranger and to meet his needs. It was a simple act of welcome and hospitality and generosity. And look where God took it from there!

In those moments when God calls or when the Holy Spirit rises in our hearts or minds, may we be as willing to respond, stepping into a role in God’s kingdom building. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, you are there in the small, everyday just as much as you are in the big and important. Help me to understand that I’m not as big and important as I tend to think. Help me to realize that all opportunities matter, that you are in all things. Amen.


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Choose Life

Reading: Romans 6:15-23

Verse 22: “Now that you have been set free from sin… the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.”

As we continue today in Romans 6, Paul uses the term “slave” often. Paul is using this term to emphasize one’s total commitment and belonging to someone or something. In our passage, one is either a slave to sin or a slave to God. For each of these choices, there is an outcome. If you belong to sin, the outcome is death. If you belong to God, the outcome is righteousness. Paul rejoices that the Christians in Rome have obeyed the teachings of Christ, becoming slaves of righteousness. The rejoicing continues today. As Jesus taught, the angels in heaven rejoice when someone who was lost is found, when someone without Christ becomes saved.

In verses 19-21 Paul speaks of the weakness of our human nature and of the “benefit” of living in sin. He summarizes by stating: “These things lead to death!” He ends this section by contrasting this to living as ones belonging to God: “Now that you have been set free from sin… the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.” What a contrast! Instead of death we find holiness and eternal life. Living a holy life bears witness to the world. It reveals the love and grace of God available to all people. Living a holy life brings an assurance of eternity lived within the love and light of the Lord. Freed from sin, we live as disciples of Jesus Christ, loving God and loving neighbor with all of our being. May it be so for you and for me.

Prayer: Lord God, what a stark contrast: life or death? It seems such a simple choice. Yet the flesh is weak and the power of sin is strong. Lord, how I need you. Only with you can I choose life. Only with you can I be holy. Be present in my heart, O God, leading me to walk in the way that leads to life. Thank you Jesus. Thank you Holy Spirit. Amen.


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Choose Grace

Reading: Romans 6:12-14

Verse 14: “For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.”

Photo credit: Jon Tyson

Paul writes to the Christians in Rome. It is a body of believers made up of both Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians. They are struggling with the place of the Law in the life of the church. Paul recognized that trying to be righteous through adherence to the Law was not sufficient. Through Christ he came to understand that grace was necessary in the battle against sin. With only the Law, the guilt and shame remained. One remained dead in their sin. Only through grace could one be made new again. Only through a saving relationship with Jesus would one die to sin’s power, becoming a new creation in Christ that was “no longer slaves to sin.”

In today’s text Paul recognizes the battle between sin and God. He saw this as a choice – certainly daily but more realistically moment by moment. The choice was whether we would let sin reign or let God reign. Paul encourages us “not to let sin reign in your mortal body.” The evil desires are there. Temptation is real. So too is the power of Christ to withstand these temptations. To that end, Paul instructs us to “offer ourselves to God” as we seek to be people of love and grace. Paul invites us to choose holy living.

Paul challenges the Romans Christians and all who would choose Christ to honor God with all of our choices. We are called to speak words of love, healing, and grace – not words of hate, gossip, and slander. We are to offer our hands in service to God and one another – not as instruments to take and hoard for ourselves. Following just the Law does not produce the love in our hearts that leads us to be Christ in the world. It is grace that produces love – a love that leads us to live as witnesses to Christ’s love and grace. It is a choice. May we choose grace.

Prayer: Lord God, the battle is a regular part of life. You know this well. You created us with the ability to choose life or death, sin or holiness. Fill us with the power of the Holy Spirit, Christ alive in us, so that our choices and our living bring you the glory. Amen.


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All Always

Readings: Genesis 1:1-2 and Matthew 28:18-20

Verses 1 and 20: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” and “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Today, on Trinity Sunday, we are reminded of the eternal nature of the three-in-one God. And we are reminded of the eternal relationship that we receive when we commit our lives to serving and worshipping this triune God.

In Genesis 1 God created the earth and all that was in it and on it and in its waters and sky. In verse 2 we read that the Spirit hovered over the chaos – assessing, taking in, becoming a part of the creative process. In John’s gospel we hear echoes of Genesis as he tells us that Jesus too was there at the beginning: “In the beginning was the Word… And through him all things were made.” Since before the beginning of time and creation: Father, Son, Holy Spirit.

At the end of Matthew’s gospel Jesus commissions all disciples – those present then and all who will follow in their footsteps – to make new disciples, baptizing them also in his name and teaching them too to walk in Jesus’ ways. Then he gives the promise: “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” The one who was and is always will be. In Spirit, Christ remains alive and present to each of us, both now and forevermore.

Just imagine for a moment what “us” means. Imagine the diversity of folks who will read these words today. And just imagine all the other folks who today are sharing about our three-in-one God. God continues to call and to touch and to use a diverse and yet cohesive body of believers to build God’s kingdom here on earth. Each day, may we all play a role in this building process, all for the glory of God.

Prayer: Lord God, in whatever ways – big or small or somewhere in between – use each of your children to bring glory to your name. Amen.


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The Peace and Love of God

Reading: 2nd Corinthians 13:11-13

Verse 12: “Greet one another with a holy kiss.”

Photo credit: Ruthson Zimmerman

As he draws to a close to the end of this second letter to the Corinthians, Paul gives some quick reminders. The four found in verse 11 are things Paul has talked or written about regularly. “Aim for perfection” is another way of saying, ‘Keep your focus on Jesus.’ He was the perfector of the faith. Jesus is the ultimate example. “Listen to my appeal” – take these words of encouragement and love and support and correction and accountability and apply them to your lives. Live them out. “Be of one mind.” Paul is calling the church to be one in Christ and one with each other. This is a call to unity and to holy community. And, “live in peace.” This call is to live peacefully both with one another and with those of the world. He is once again reminding the church to practice the forgiveness, grace, and mercy modeled by Jesus. Do these things, Paul says, and “the God of peace and love will be with you.”

In verse 12 we read, “Greet one another with a holy kiss.” This holy kiss is not a peck on grandma’s cheek or high-fives all around when you meet your buddies. In the early church this holy kiss came towards the end of holy communion. It was a tangible, physical sign of unity and an acknowledgement that sins against one another were forgotten. This holy kiss put into actual practice the four ideals found in verse 11. The passing of the peace done each Sunday in many churches is the evolution of this holy kiss. The passing of the peace also reflects the goals of unity, love, and grace that are part of all communities of faith.

May we all seek to apply and practice these marks of a Christian each day, seeking not only to experience the peace and love of God ourselves, but also to share it with others. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, keep me focused first on Jesus and his example. Guide me to apply your word to my life and to live it out in the world. Use me to build unity in the family of God and to invite others into this community. Amen.


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Look to the Heart of God

Readings: Genesis 1:26-31, 2:1-4

Verse 26: “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness.”

Returning to the creation story today we turn to the last two ‘days.’ On what has been identified as the sixth day the three-in-one God creates humanity “in the image of God… male and female God created them.” These are such interesting terms. If we had 5 eyes and 2 mouths and wings but no hands and were half covered in scales, isn’t that how Jesus would have come to earth? And if Jesus came that way just a couple hundred years ago, would we portray him as he actually was or would we still warp him to look more like the dominant socioeconomic religious group?

So what if “in our image/likeness” wasn’t and isn’t about skin or eye or hair color or about where you were born or about your gender? What if being made in the image and likeness of God was about love, compassion, generosity, mercy, grace, hope, peace, justice, forgiveness, goodness, salvation…? We know nothing at all about the physical nature of God or even if there is one. So like God modeled with David, perhaps we too should look to the heart of God to understand who and what we were and are created to be.

Day 7 brings us another important part of God’s character, heart, soul. On this day God practices the sabbath. It was a holy day, a day of rest, a day without work. It is a day to look at the beauty and diversity and complexity of the world and of the creator and to celebrate, to worship, to be grateful for all of this. It is a day to see the holy in all of creation. It is a day to thank God for creating the world and us just as it and we are: beloved, unique, worthy, special. Thank you, creator God.

Prayer: Lord God, help us to see and love as you see and love. May we not see male or female but child of God. May we not see white or yellow or red or black or tan or… but child of God. May we not see rich or poor, professional or laborer, saint or sinner, but child of God. May it be so, Lord, may it be so. Amen.