In the US we practice our faith in relative safety and peace. Sure it may cost us a ‘friend’ here or there or an invite to the ‘big’ party. But it is pretty unlikely that we’ll see scores of girls kidnapped from the local Christian school or that militiamen will attack our church one Sunday morning. Yet many around the world face these or similar dangers and still practice their faith because they know the ultimate reward that God has in store.
Could we live such a brave faith? Willing in any and all circumstances to do what God is calling us to do? Could we bravely walk into the cafeteria or break room and share our faith with whoever is sitting there? Could we give a little more than is comfortable to help a person in need? Yes we can and great is our reward too. Through our actions and words we can bring hope. We can be the light and love the world so desperately needs.
Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”. We can both live out from these words and help others to come to know the truth of these words in their lives. May we live a brave faith.
Tag Archives: hope
Who Are You Today?
What would it be to be there in Jerusalem that day Jesus rode in on a donkey? Could you imagine being there and not knowing what was to unfold in the next week? We read the Palm Sunday story through the eyes of knowing what is to come on the cross.
But imagine if you were just there! Imagine if you were one of the disciples sent ahead to get the donkey and her colt. And they were just where he said they’d be and you simply get them and bring them to Jesus.
Imagine if you were just in the huge crowd that day. You’ve heard a few stories about this Jesus and here he is processing into the city. People are cheering and laying down their cloaks and also palm branches. Can you feel the excitement?
Imagine if you were a Pharisee! Standing atop the wall, watching all of this unfold as you reviewed the plan your crew has been hatching to be rid of this Jesus. And in he rides to cheering crowds and shouts of “Hosanna!”
There were lots of people. There was lots of excitement and anticipation. There was a lot of hope.
Think about the day ahead of you with Jesus. Which one of the three are you? The hopeful disciple? The curious onlooker? The Pharisee who just wants to be rid of this Jesus?
If you are the first, think about how you can share this hope. If you are the onlooker, how can you know more? If you are the last, may you meet lots of the first today! God bless!!!
The Questions
This week’s gospel lesson from the lectionary is the story of Nicodemus visiting Jesus at night to ask him a few questions. Nicodemus acknowledges that Jesus is sent from God – they know this from the miracles Jesus has done and from the teaching he shares. Yet Nicodemus and friends (who are not here with him) don’t quite get that Jesus IS God. Jesus and Nicodemus speak of begin born of the spirit and this confuses Nicodemus. Jesus tells him that belief in Christ leads to salvation and eternal life. This passage contains the famous John 3:16. “For God so loved the world…” It also contains verse 17: “For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
Many people today have faith like Nicodemus. They keep their faith pretty secretive, hidden or kept neatly tucked into Sunday morning They prefer to keep their faith a private affair. If others knew they went to church they might expect certain behaviors… It’s just easier to keep their faith private. Are you living an easy faith?
Others out there also have a curiosity like Nicodemus. They see, hear, and catch glimpses of what true faith is all about. They want to know more. They will be in the lookout for you so that they can quiz you. There are some questions they want to ask. The question for us is: will they recognize you?
Hopefully the answer to these two questions is ‘yes’ and ‘no’ – but which answer goes to which question? May we choose to live boldly for our faith so that Jesus’ light shines into all of the dark places that we will walk by today. And may we be attuned to the call of God, so that when someone whispers, “Hey, can I ask you a question?” from out of the shadows, we hear their voice and stop to talk with them.
What Gets You Into Heaven?
Does being a member of a church or attending worship equate to salvation? Does being saved require going to church ‘x’ times a month? Paul writes that we are justified (or made right with God) only by our faith. Yet in our human nature we often go to the question, “Am I good enough?” Am I good enough to be loved by God? Am I good enough to attend church? Am I good enough to find happiness? Am I good enough too…. Yes, yes, yes, and YES!!!
We are put into good standing in our relationship with God becuase of what we believe, not because of what we do. When we come to trust in God with our lives, job, money, family, time… then we are living in a right relationship with God. Do works or what we do matter? Of course. Later in the Bibe we read that faith without works is dead. As we grow in our relationship with God, we come to see that His great love for us calls us to share that love with the hurting and broken world in which we live. Why? So that they too can come to know His saving love.
We cannot buy or earn righteousness or a right relationship with God. We don’t get saved through membership or attendance, but by living and walking daily with God. When our lives are guided by a trust and belief in God, then we come to live by faith.
Living Like the Light
The prophets have long spoken of God in terms of light. The Old Testament refers to the coming messiah as one who will bring light into the world. In the transfiguration story we see Jesus becoming the ultimate light of the world. The light grows from within Him until his whole form is dazzling and simply full of brightness. To me it would be like looking into the sun – except that He is right there instead of 93,000,000 miles away.
As we come to know Christ and to grow into our relationship with Him, our daily walk is generally blessed and we are often happy and content. But there are moments in each day and sometimes days when we seem to struggle with darkness and wrestle with the evils of temptation and sin. But overall, life is good because ultimately our hope rests in Jesus and His saving grace. Yet our reality is that evil and darkness do exist in our world. Life can be difficult. At times it draws close to us and at other times evil and darkness seem far away. When we are tempted, evil has drawn near. We also can find it in people we know and meet. There are all kinds of dark things that people are struggling with. For some, all seems dark for they have lost hope. Yet none are beyond hope. Nothing is outside of the love of Christ. No situation is unable to be redeemed.
It is when we find ourselves in darkness or when facing down the evils of sin, that we can call upon the light of the world to chase away the darkness. Just a quiet ‘help’ and He comes running. Just a glance toward heaven and the light begins to grow. The Lamp begins to glow, as a candle spreads light in the dark, and we can again see our way and we can find our hope and peace. In turn we can also be the light that shines into other people’s lives to dispel that darkness and give light to their path. We can each be a candle that illuminates. As we grow in Christ, our light radiates out to bring light and love to a broken and hurting world.
Being a Light in the Darkness
Isaiah 9:2 – “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” And in verse four these words speak out to us: “you have shattered the yoke that burdens them.”
Can you see yourself in these verses? Can you see someone you work with, go to school with, someone you encounter each day? Or it could be a person you meet for the first time ever! At times we all find ourselves on both sides of this reality. The passage and the light it refers to has often been seen as Jesus. But as we extend this passage and its ideas out into the time beyond the Old Testament and beyond Jesus, we are called to take up and be that light.
I want to ask you a question. It is the same type of question I asked the young people at Youth last night.
If you think back over your week, when and how were you the light of Christ to someone in your world?
Their question was actually about taking a risk for their faith. But when we step out and seek to make that difference in our world – one person at a time, one moment at a time (thanks again Keihwan Ryoo!) – we are often taking a risk. But when we do we rest assured that God’s grace always go before and that the Holy Spirit is always with us.
Today, yes – today, we will probably all have an opportunity to be God’s light to someone walking in the darkness. They may be dealing with an illness or there may be some other struggle going on in their life. They may be carrying the heavy weight of past baggage upon their backs. They may just have never seen the true Light. Today we can be that difference. It may be through your prayers, presence, gifts, service, or witness. It might even be a combination of these!!
As we go forth today, may we seek to have the eyes to see and the heart to love those in need. We may not be able to ‘fix’ everything for that person, but we can let them know we care and that God loves them and we can begin to point them towards that light. We can be the beginnings of hope in their life. Through the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit we can do much. Good luck fishing today!!
pastorjohnb 