pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: hope


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Compassion in Suffering

Reading: Romans 8:18-25

Verse 23: “We ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for… the redemption of our bodies.”

Paul acknowledges that suffering is part of this world. Loss and death and illness are a part of our world, not just for humanity but for all of creation. The beginning and end of our passage speak of why we can endure the suffering that life brings. Pointing to our time in eternity, Paul writes that this life is “not worth comparing” to heaven. In verses 24 and 25 we are reminded of our hope that comes from knowing our destiny, a hope that helps us in the midst of our suffering. We know that that loss or pain or… does not have the final word.

Paul also acknowledges that suffering is not easy. Both creation and humanity “groan inwardly.” No one or no thing enjoys suffering. It is generally avoided. No one would intentionally bring suffering upon themselves or on those they love. Even so, we suffer at times because of the actions or decisions of others. And at times we are the cause of others’ suffering. We live in a fallen world.

Because we know the end of our story and because the love of Christ fills our hearts, we can have compassion for those who are suffering. Whether from illness or from the loss of life or of a dream or from an unwanted change, we can come alongside others as they walk this difficult road. We cannot “fix” the situation but we can be present, we can listen, we can pray, and we can offer the hope of Christ. Entering into another’s suffering, we walk in Christ’s footsteps. Hard as it may be, when God provides opportunity, may we be Christ to the hurting and suffering.

Prayer: Lord God, just as your Spirit is present in our suffering, guide us to be present to others in their suffering. Help us to trust you to give us the words to say if any are needed. Fill us with your love so that we can offer that back out into the world. Amen.


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None Like You

Reading: Psalm 86:8-10

Verse 8: “Among the gods there is none like you, Lord; no deeds can compare with yours.”

Photo credit: Shane Rounce

David declares that there is no god like our God. In David’s day, pagan cultures and tribes were all around. There were literally many different gods. While some cultures and tribes continue to be polytheistic, most of the modern world has found other gods to worship. We’ve replaced Baal and Asherah and Zeus with power, popularity, possessions, beauty, wealth… There is no shortage of gods that humankind worships.

As a believer I agree with David: “there is none like you.” Our God is full of love and compassion and forgiveness. Our God is merciful and gracious. Our God loves all people – saints and sinners, outsiders and insiders, believers and agnostics. Our God came to serve the least, the lost, the marginalized. Our God came to care for the orphans, widows, prisoners, tax collectors, prostitutes… Our God gave up his only Son so that we could be forgiven and restored and so we could live with God in eternity. David is right: “no deeds compare” to God’s.

David also writes about our response to our God. We are to “come and worship” and we are called to “bring glory to your name.” Our call is to worship God with our lives, bringing glory to God alone as we seek to be the words and actions of Jesus Christ in the world. May it be so for you and for me each day. To God be the glory!

Prayer: Lord God, there is none like you. All other gods fall short. They may satisfy momentarily but their luster fades, their appeal dies. Only you bring enduring hope, lasting contentment, pure joy. You alone fill and complete us. In all I say and do and think may I bring you the glory. Amen.


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Peace and Joy

Reading: Romans 5:1-5

Verse 2: “We have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.”

Photo credit: Eugene Zhyvchik

This week’s passage from Romans 5 is all about peace and joy, two of the wonderful gifts that we receive from God. These words that we read today and tomorrow must have been of great encouragement to the church in Rome. These words can be of great encouragement to us today.

Paul begins by celebrating the justification that we experience through faith in Jesus Christ. This is the process of being made right in God’s sight. It begins with a recognition of our sin and moves into confession and repentance. This opens the door for forgiveness, which is freely given by God without price to us. Being made right with God is an oft-repeated process that brings us peace again and again.

In verse 2 we read, “We have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.” It is faith that empowers us to come to God with our flaws and failures, assured that in love God’s grace will flow into our lives. Because through Christ we are justified over and over, we have hope. It is a hope both for this life and for the life to come. We can rejoice in this life because we know that nothing can separate us from God’s love found in and through Jesus Christ. We have hope for the life to come because the forgiveness and reconciliation offered by God allows us to be in right relationship with God. This guides our way to heavenly glory.

The peace and joy found in relationship with Jesus allows and enables us to walk through the hard things of life standing on our faith. This eventually leads us to a place of hope. Our section today closes with these words: “God has poured out God’s love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit.” Because of this indwelling presence of love in our very hearts, hope and joy never disappoint. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for the peace and hope and love that you have set in our hearts through our relationship with Jesus Christ. Thank you for the grace and mercy that renews our relationship again and again. May we be people who reflect and share your love, peace, hope, joy, grace, and mercy into the lives of all that we meet. Amen.


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Credited with Righteousness

Reading: Romans 4:18-25

Verses 20-21: “He did not waver… but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.”

Our passage begins with these words: “Against all hope.” I bet Abraham could have felt that way later in life. At 75 he was called by God. He was faithful and departed Haran, making his way to Canaan. Upon arriving he again heard God’s blessing to be a “father of many nations.” It is 25 years later and Sarah is still barren. Abraham himself was 100. He was certainly in a position where he could have felt it was “against all hope.”

And yet… “He did not waver… but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.” He continued to keep the faith. He continued to choose to believe that God was good and faithful and true. Paul reminds us that his faith grew. When most of us would waver, when most of us would doubt, Abraham doubled down. Because he believed, he gave glory to God. He trusted that God would do what God said would be done. Because of this, Abraham is credited with being righteous.

In verse 23 Paul includes us in this scenario. If we believe in Jesus Christ as Lord of our life, we too will be credited with righteousness. If we believe that Jesus died for our sins and that he was raised from the dead, we will be made right before God. We will be credited with righteousness. This is our promise too. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for the great example set by Abraham. His sure and steady faith is a model for us to follow. And thank you for Jesus Christ, the one who died for our sins , the one who opens the way to life eternal. Amen.


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Living Stones

Reading: 1st Peter 2:2-8

Verse 5: “You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood.”

Photo credit: Tyler Milligan

As we look at this week’s reading from 1st Peter 2, Peter begins by addressing their faith. From verse 2 we can glean that many are just beginning their walk of faith. Here he refers to these believers as newborns, encouraging them to “crave pure spiritual milk” so that their faith can grow. He also touches on their love of God. He reminds them that they have “tasted that the Lord is good.” It is a tangible and sure reminder for the hard times that they live in.

Peter names Jesus “the living stone.” He settles on this title because it connects into the words and images used in the Hebrew scriptures to describe the Messiah. Peter quotes from Isaiah 28 and 8 and from Psalm 118, identifying Jesus as the cornerstone, the capstone, the rock. He identifies Jesus as the one who was “chosen” by and is “precious” to God. He then connects these exiled followers of Jesus into all of this by saying, “You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood.” They too are chosen and precious. They too are to be living rocks of faith. All of this applies to us too. We are chosen and precious. We are to be living stones.

Peter calls these followers living as exiles and sojourners in foreign lands to be built into a community of faith and to live as “a holy priesthood.” The community is the necessary source of strength and support, of help and provision, of love and encouragement, of praise and prayer. This community, this family, is essential to them and us being “a royal priesthood.” Without our brothers and sisters in Christ it is really hard to be living stones in this hostile world. So we begin here, with hope and encouragement. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for calling me, for seeing me as precious and as worthy of a place in the family of Christ. Use me as one who ministers to others, helping them too to know that they are chosen and precious, beloved and worthy. Amen.


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Our Only Hope

Reading: John 14:1-6

Verse 1: “Do not let your hearts be troubled.”

Photo credit: Tyler Milligan

Since the triumphal entry during the palm parade Jesus has spoken to the disciples about his impending death, Judas’ betrayal, and Peter’s denial. Into this heaviness Jesus says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” While we may think this encouragement hard to live out, especially when our lives feel a great heaviness, Jesus goes on to tell us and the disciples why we/they shouldn’t be troubled of heart.

Death, betrayal, denial – they are not the end of the story. They don’t have to be the end of our story either. Oh yes, we can let them be the end, or at least feel like the end. Again Jesus says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” There is hope in death, reconciliation in betrayal, and redemption in denial. Jesus first invites us to trust in God and in him. There is a bigger plan at work in all of this heaviness. For and with Jesus, none of these things has the final say. That’s what he’s talking about in verses 2-4. He’s soon on his way to heaven. Once there he prepared a place for you and for me. And, when the time comes, Jesus himself will “take you to be with me.” Death ends in eternal life, in victory. But what of betrayal and denial and all of the other sufferings and trials and hardships that befall us?

Into all of this other heaviness, Jesus says, “I am the way and the truth and the life.” In the midst of it all, Jesus is the way through. Lean on him, trust in him, rely on him. He’ll walk with you through the darkest valley. In moments of temptation or when facing a difficult decision, turn to the truth. Listen to the Holy Spirit, mine the scriptures, pray. He’ll guide and protect, he’ll lead and strengthen. And when you’re hurt by betrayal or some other human shortcoming, look to the model of mercy and forgiveness. Channel what Jesus did on the cross for your sin into that relationship that needs healing and reconciliation. His love will heal all wounds.

Prayer: Lord God, you are our only hope in this life and for the life to come. Thank you for showing us the way and for being the truth. Thank you for all you do for us now in this world. Amen.


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Graces of God

Reading: 1st Peter 2:19-25

Verse 20: “But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.”

This week’s passage from 1st Peter 2 is part of a section titled “Submission to Rulers and Masters.” Verses 13-18 provide some important context for our passage today. In these proceeding verses Peter encourages his readers to submit to “every authority” as they seek to live as “servants of God.” Doing so, Peter says, they will be living holy and righteous lives, shining a light into and onto the world. Continuing in verse 18 he encourages slaves to “submit to your masters with all respect.” This directive is to be followed whether the master is “good and considerate” or if they are “harsh.” (Side note: Although Peter was writing into the accepted context of his day, slavery in any and all forms is wrong.)

In our first verse for today, Peter describes the “bearing up” of “unjust suffering” as an action that is commendable when done “conscious of God.” There is unjust suffering in our world. There are people in parts of our world that suffer unjustly just as the audience of Peter suffered. And even in our “safer” parts of the world there is unjust suffering that occurs. It happens in our lives and in the lives of those we know and love. In verses 21-24 Peter reminds us that Christ suffered unjustly – for us. Here Jesus gave us an example to follow. In the suffering, Jesus did not retaliate. In the pain, he did not threaten. He chose to trust himself and his situation to the God who “judges justly.” Christ knew that one day all things would be made right. This is yet our promise too.

Peter points out that Jesus suffered for us so that we might “die to sins and live for righteousness.” Empowered by Christ’s example his readers then and us now can live with assurance, confidence, and hope. If you are suffering, draw upon these graces of God. If you know another who is suffering, come alongside them and offer these graces to them. Doing so we live by the example set by Christ. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, in the midst of pain and suffering, be present to us. Be our comfort to endure and our strength to walk in faith and trust. Use us to bring the hope and love of Christ to others who suffer. In these times, fill us with your Holy Spirit power so that we can bring your graces to bear in other people’s lives. Amen.


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A New Birth

Reading: 1st Peter 1:3-9

Verses 3-4: “In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.”

Peter writes to “God’s elect” who are spread throughout the known world. These scattered Christians are experiencing an uptick in persecution under Emperor Nero. They are afraid and they are questioning the living of their faith in the public arena. Their suffering is driving these thoughts.

Today’s 7 verses pack a powerful punch. Peter begins his encouragement with these words: “In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.” Through their faith in Jesus Christ these exiles have received the promise of salvation and with it the gift of eternal life. They have been born anew, now living with hope as brothers and sisters of Christ. This new relationship and connection with Jesus brings with it an inheritance. Peter reminds them that this inheritance will “never perish, spoil, or fade.” It is eternal. It is “shielded by God’s power.” There is nothing more powerful. Living as elect exiles , as Christians in a pagan world, this reminder of Christ’s living presence and of God’s power over them would have been great encouragement to these believers.

In verse 6 Peter touches on another part of their inheritance. Here he writes, “though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.” While this may make some consider going underground with their faith, Peter is being honest. Trials will come. Testing is assured. Living as hope and light in the world will draw fire. But, take heart, Peter says this will refine our faith so that it “may be proved genuine.” This too is a new birth. Although uncomfortable and often painful, this refining yields a stronger faith now and one day will result in “praise, glory, and honor” when we come face to face with Jesus Christ. Thanks be to God!

Prayer: Lord God, what a great reminder of the power and presence that you offer to us in this life. Though the trials come, we are always under your shield. Though the suffering may be painful and hard, it works for our good now and for glory to come. You are the God of all time, of all places, and of all situations. Praise be to you, O Lord! Amen.


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Witnesses

Reading: Acts 2:14 and 22-32

Verse 32: “God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it.”

As we jump into Acts 2, Pentecost had just occurred. The Holy Spirit has fallen on a group of Jesus followers. This event has drawn a large crowd of Jews “from every nation under heaven” (verse 5). It is to this crowd that Peter speaks in today’s passage. He recounts the crucifixion of Jesus. He begins by recalling who Jesus was: “a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs.” And then, “by God’s set purpose,” Jesus was put to death by the Jews with the help of the Romans. We can choose to focus on the role played by the Jews (or Romans) or we can choose to focus on the fact that the crucifixion was always part of God’s plan for Jesus. I choose that latter.

Filled with the same Holy Spirit that fell at Pentecost, Peter continues, quoting from Psalm 16. Here David looks to the Lord, envisioning “the Lord always before me,” the one that assures him “that my body will live in hope.” David has this living hope because it has been revealed to him by God that God will not “let your Holy One see decay.” This prophecy speaks of Jesus Christ, the Lord. Peter connects this dot for his audience and for us in verse 31, where he says, “Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of Christ.” It was all part of God’s plan, spoken by David about 1,000 years before the life of Christ.

Our passage closed with a statement that is true in 2 ways. In verse 32 we read, “God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it.” Peter, the other disciples, and about 500 followers have seen, encountered, spoken with the risen Christ. This is one truth. The other truth is the witness that we can offer. We know this to be true because the risen Christ lives in our hearts, filling us too with this same living hope. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, today I am once again amazed by the arch of your story. Centuries before Jesus, David spoke of Christ, his eternity, his death and resurrection. Your plan has clearly been at work for generations and generations. Lord, empower followers today to bear witness to Jesus Christ, our living hope. Amen.


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A Solemn and Sad Day

Reading: Matthew 27:57-66

Verses 59-60: “Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb.”

Photo credit: Falaq Lazuardi

As evening approaches Joseph of Arimathea gains permission to bury Jesus’ body. Normally the crucified would be buried in a slowly growing mass grave alongside the road. The Romans believed that was all a crucified criminal deserved. But Joseph thought differently. We read, “Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb.” He cared for the body of the one he must’ve believed in. Joseph is not just some guy doing a random good deed.

In verse 61 we read that “Mary Magdalene and the other Mary” were present while Joseph prepared and laid Jesus’ body in the tomb. Joseph was a ‘secret’ follower of Jesus. Being a member of the Jewish ruling council, he has to keep this quiet. So Mary and Mary were the only two of Jesus’ regular followers to stick around through the whole gruesome event. No disciples came to care for Jesus’ body. No family members came.

On this solemn and sad Sabbath day, the followers and disciples of Jesus were surely overwhelmed with emotions: grief, shock, sadness, disbelief, doubt… Joseph cared for the body. Mary and Mary stayed present and grieved. They would prepare spices and perfumes to go early the next morning to finish caring for the body. No one expected the resurrection. Hope was lost. Love had died.

Prayer: Lord, help me to imagine what this day was like long ago. Let me feel the emptiness and loneliness and despair of the saddest of days. Temper the joy of the resurrection just this day so that I too can remain close to the one who died for me. Amen.