Psalm 100:1 – “Shout triumphantly to the Lord, all the earth!”
Joy in the Lord flows throughout Psalm 100. Unlike happiness that comes and goes, joy is a state of being. It is a state of being that becomes our “norm” as we spend more and more time walking with the Lord. It is from this state of being that the psalmist declares, “Shout triumphantly to the Lord, all the earth!” This declaration invites all of creation to praise God. This invitation is not limited to the psalmist’s community of faith. It is quite the opposite. All people and all of creation are the work of God’s hands. All are invited. This concept is also echoed in verse 3. We are all the “sheep” of God’s pasture.
The Psalm is filled with action. It calls us to a living faith. We’re invited to serve God with celebration, to offer shouts of joy, to thank God often, and to bless God’s name. This open invitation to active, faithful living and worship creates a place of welcome and community. This kind of living breaks down walls and barriers. Joyful worship draws others in.
Faithful living and joy as our state of being are not rooted in ourselves. We find the source in the last verse. We can be faithful and we can be joyful because of who and what God is. We are made in the image of God – the one who is good, who is loyal in love, who is always and forever faithful. God is our source of joy. God gives us the power to be faithful. God is with us. We are God’s. Thanks be to God!
Prayer: Lord God, we celebrate our place in your pasture. We are your family and you are our God. What joy! From our place of belonging, help us to extend invitation to others. From our place in community, guide us to make all feel included. All for your praise and glory! Amen!
Verse 1: “The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.”
Photo credit: Summertrain
Today and tomorrow we will study the parable about workers in the vineyard. The main character and the focus should be on the landowner. We can be tempted to make it about the vineyard workers because they are us. It’s really about God though.
The landowner is up and out and about early in the day. At 6 am he is already at the gathering place for day laborers. A plan is in place. It was set long before 6 am. The parable does not say if some of those present were hired or if all that were there at 6 am were hired. Since we’re talking about God here, I bet all that were there were hired. God welcomes one and all who seek to be of service in the kingdom of God.
As the story unfolds, the landowner returns again and again and again, still seeking to include more folks in the work. Each time he not only promises work, but he offers fair treatment too. God even returns at the last hour, looking for a few more folks to include in this kingdom work.
In the parable, being chosen is great news. Your family will eat that day. In this life, being chosen is great news too. Life here and the life to come just became incredibly better. In response may we rejoice today over our place in the kingdom of God. And may we not stop there. May we be invitational too, encouraging others to enter a place where they will be loved and provided for. As we have received, may we share with others.
Prayer: Lord God, thank you for calling me into the labor of your kingdom. Thank you for your generous love and care. Use me to call others into the life that you offer to all of us, no matter where we are, no matter when we come to you. Amen.
Verse 14: “They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.”
Photo credit: Clay Banks
In yesterday’s portion of Acts 1 Jesus gives the disciples some instructions. They were to stay in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit was given. And they are to be witnesses of Jesus to the ends of the earth. Now, I do not know about you, but I might have tried to tackle these in reverse order. I am a doer. It is hard for me to wait when a clear task is right there in front of me.
The disciples return to the city and gather in the place they’ve been staying. The 11 gather together with other devoted followers of Jesus: “They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.” This faithful group was “constantly in prayer.” There are several lessons for us to take away from these three verses.
First lesson: follow Jesus’ instructions. Trust that God has a plan and a purpose and that you are equipped for it. Be obedient to that. Second lesson: include others. Note that the 11 didn’t huddle up and shoo everyone else out. Like them, we need to realize that being witnesses is all of our jobs. It’s not a task just for the pastor or other church staff or even the leadership team. Together we accomplish this task better and more effectively. Third lesson: pray. Pray a lot – “constantly.” Pray about what was spoken to you by the Holy Spirit, by the Bible, by someone… Wrestle with it before God. Seek discernment and direction. Spending time in prayer further connects us to God and to God’s plan and purpose. This deepens our faith. And this better equips us for the task that God has laid before us.
As we all seek to witness to our faith may we be obedient to God’s instructions, may we seek out others to walk faithfully with, and may we pray, pray, pray.
Prayer: Lord God, speak to me today. Lay out your plan and purpose for me. Grant me the will, the courage, and the faith to be obedient. Lead me to those you want me to partner with in ministry. Reveal all we need to know and understand as we spend time in holy and prayerful conversation with you. Amen.
Verse 3: “The sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”
Photo credit: Wylly Suhendra
In this week’s John 10 passage Jesus uses the shepherd-sheep analogy. In verse 3 the shepherd tells us, “The sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.” Sheep learn the voice of their shepherd. They follow that voice because they trust their shepherd. As a group – that’s the natural tendency for sheep – they go where the shepherd leads. This is a good analogy for us too. If we trust Jesus, then we try and follow his voice, whether that is his words and example in the gospels or if it is the nudge and whisper of the Holy Spirit. Luke sheep we too tend towards community and connection with one another. But not always.
In both Matthew’s and Luke’s gospel they tell the story of the lost sheep. Yes, at times a sheep can wander. There are a number of reasons that this can happen. We wander too. We can be hurt so isolation or withdrawal seems safest. We can pursue or get caught up in worldly things. Then we create distance to avoid being held accountable or because we feel guilty. We meander off. Yet the Good Shepherd still seeks us out, still tries to bring us back into the fold.
As many of us prepare to enter into a community today to worship and praise, to be filled and renewed, let us not forget the lost. May we make efforts to include those outside the flock, for whatever reasons. May it be so.
Prayer: Lord God, I am grateful that I heard your voice. I am thankful that I have grown to know it more and more. Yet I too know that I have and still do wander. I’ve been hurt and withdrew. Thank you for never giving up on me, for always calling me back to you. Use me to do the same for others. Amen.
Verses 13-14: “When you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed.”
As we continue in Luke 14, Jesus turns from instructions on how the invited guests should act to who the invited guests should be. If the Pharisees or us modern readers struggled with the idea of practicing humility, then today’s words will be really tough. At the core of the red letter words today is the idea of loving without strings attached.
Jesus looks at the guest list for this dinner at a prominent Pharisee’s house and says – you’ve got it all wrong. Don’t invite those just like you. They’ll invite you to come over sometime too and that’ll be your reward. This scenario reminds me of many moves we’ve made. You invite 6-8 friends to help you move. The help is great. But you know you’ll get 6-8 invites to help them move one day.
Jesus offers this guest list suggestion: “When you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed.” Jesus offers a radical and generous vision of loving neighbor. This list is exactly who the Pharisees avoided. It is exactly who Jesus sought to have dinner with. Where does our guest list fall along this continuum?
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While you or I may not have the crippled, lame, blind, or poor in our circle of friends and acquaintances, they are in our communities. We need to be willing to expand our circles. Inviting and including those that society tends to ignore and exclude is exactly what Jesus is calling us to do. Then we will be “repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” This will not be a part on the back and an “atta-boy” from Jesus. This will be the joy of seeing the lost who were found and we’re saved by Jesus.
Prayer: Lord God, make me brave enough to step outside my normal circles. Empower me to invite those outside into those circles. Widen them out so that all are welcome. Amen.
Verse 21: “I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me.”
In today’s reading from John we see Jesus identifying his betrayer. Speaking of Judas Iscariot he says, “I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me.” A few verses later Jesus gives him a piece of bread dipped in the dish to identify which of the 12 will betray him. Imagine how Jesus felt to know that one of the 12 who have spent three years with him, seeing the miracles, hearing the teachings, would betray him.
In reality, though, it’s not hard to imagine how Jesus felt. We’ve all felt the sting of rejection, the pain of a friend’s hurtful words or actions, the hurt of being betrayed by friends or family. Living in a selfish and lustful time, these different experiences are all too common. Adding on are our polarization of almost all things and the accompanying “cancel culture.” To identify with, to feel what Jesus felt in today’s passage – all too common.
What is our response? What is our Christian witness to this current culture? Let us also look to today’s passage to find our answers. Jesus does not exclude Judas. He does not berate him and banish him from the group. It’s just the opposite. Taking in the whole gospel account we see Jesus including Judas in the foot washing and in the first communion. What a witness to loving those who hurt us, to including even those who seek to harm us.
Yes, there is a point when personal safety or other factors do merit ending a relationship. But in today’s world we tend to make this decision when that point is still a long way off. It’s the easy way out. May we choose Jesus’ witness instead. When we are hurt, rejected, even betrayed, may we extend an invitation to the table. May we offer grace and may we seek to be peacemakers and people of reconciliation. Doing so we will witness to the one who loves without condition, to the one who desires community with all. May it be so.
Prayer: Lord God, move me past my hurts and sensitivities to love and be more like Jesus. Amen.
Verse 13: “You also were included in Christ… Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit”.
The opening section of Ephesians is all about God’s plans to include us all in the family of God. Paul begins by declaring that God chose us to be in Christ “before the creation of the world”. It is in “accordance with his pleasure and will” that all people are “adopted as his sons [and daughters] through Jesus Christ”. God desires for all people to be a part of the community of faith.
Starting in verse seven Paul moves on to why and how God wants us in the family. First, only then do we receive redemption for our sins. Out of love God provided a way for us to be freed from the bonds of sin. Without Christ we remain trapped in the guilt and shame. Second, God lavishes us with wisdom and understanding. The ways of God are not the ways of the world. This gift allows believers to live and see and love the world differently. Created anew in Christ, we pursue the things and ways of God instead of the world. Third, in relationship with Christ we become a part of the fulfillment of all things. Living holy lives we are a part of bringing “all things in heaven and earth together under one head, Jesus Christ”. As part of the family, we seek to help bring others into the family of God.
About three years ago I was serving a church in a small rural community. The hospital called and asked if I would come visit an elderly woman who was nearing death. Soon after arriving I learned from her daughters that she wanted to be baptized. As I left to get the needed supplies, I asked if she wanted to receive communion after being baptized. She nodded “yes”. When I returned we had a short baptism service for a 93-year-old. She had come to know Jesus as Lord later in life but had never been baptized. She knew of Paul’s words: “you were marked with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit”. Feeling a new sense of belonging, this deposit “guaranteeing her inheritance” led to celebrating holy communion in a new way too.
Taken together, all of the signs and symbols, all the wisdom and knowledge, all the blessings and graces – they reassure us of our place in the community of faith. Thanks be to God for the love that is big enough to want all of us to be saved. To the praise of his glory, amen!
Prayer: Loving God, you so want to include all people in your family. Use me today to move someone a little closer to being a part of the great community of faith. Amen.
Verse 16: “From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another”.
At Christmas we Christians often want to focus on “the reason for the season” and we want folks to see Jesus as the best gift ever. So why do we celebrate the birth? Why do we equate Jesus to a gift?
More than the actual birth, we celebrate all that surrounds the birth. It is first the story of the creator entering his creation. Leaving the glory and perfection of heaven, the light and love of God entered the world more fully. It was in the flesh – where we could see and hear and feel it. Second, it is the story of prophecy fulfilment and of miraculous conception. Things written hundreds and hundreds of years before predicted the events of Jesus’ birth and life as if written in real time. And it is the first story of birth through the Holy Spirit. As followers we too experience this birth. We call it “being born again”. Third, it is the story of God acting in our world through a faithful teenage girl. Mary will always be the mother of Jesus. But she could have been Sue or Beth or Dawn or Erica. God’s penchant for using the ordinary and humble is exemplified here in this story. Fourth, and perhaps most, as John writes, “we have seen his glory”. The birth story reveals God’s glory – his control over all things, his omnipotence and omnipresence, his love for you and me and all the world. We celebrate the birth because it is holy and sacred and because it reveals God’s love and grace and truth.
As wonderful as the birth story is, though, it pales in comparison to the gift that Jesus is to the whole world. First, if one believes in Jesus, they are given the “right to become children of God” – to be born into a new creation, born again into a new relationship with the Lord. Becoming a child of God, we receive the light and love of Jesus into our hearts. This forever changes how we live in this world. We see the world, we see others, and we even see ourselves through this lens of love. Illuminated by his light, we love honestly, purely, unconditionally. Seeing with his eyes, loving with his heart, we live beyond the law of Moses and beyond the law of man. Beyond does not mean outside of these laws. It reflects Jesus’ emphasis that he was “the fulfillment of the law” (Matthew 5:17). For example, Jesus taught over and over that the command to love one another did not just include the Jews but it extended to sinners and to Gentiles and to the sick and the imprisoned and to Samaritans and to the possessed and… Jesus reveals what a life of love and grace and truth looks like when lived out in the world.
Living life as a Christ follower amplifies our hope, peace, joy, contentment; it betters our relationships with others and with the world; and, it deepens our faith and trust in God. We celebrate the birth because Jesus is truly the greatest gift ever. Life lived through and with Christ is simply better. Thanks be to God.
Prayer: God, you are the giver of “one blessing after another”. As I reflect on the ways that the world and that life is better with you, it humbles me. Surrender to your will and way is the path to true life, to full life. Thank you for all of your blessings. Amen.
Verse 34: “A new command I give you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another”.
Jesus has spent three years in ministry with the twelve men gathered around the table. They have been witnesses to God’s love being lived out. At times they have certainly been recipients of that love. For the disciples that has most often come in the form of teaching and sometimes in gentle redirection. They have seen Jesus love as he heals, teaches, and welcomes the outsider and the marginalized. This night, Jesus’ demonstration of love is drenched in humility. As they gather and settle in for the Passover meal, Jesus strips down and washes the disciples’ feet – all twelve. He washes the feet of the betrayer. Judas is included. Of course he is – Jesus is love.
This example of love is unique. Jesus did not have to take on the role of lowly servant washing dirty feet. But he did. It was an object lesson for the disciples. It is one for us as well – especially the way Judas was included. In this we see that love is not conditional. Just as it would have been easier for Jesus to stoop and was the feet of just the disciples who would serve him until their deaths, we too find it much easier to love and serve those we love and are in good standing with. But that is not Jesus’ model. That is not Jesus’ kind of love. His command is: “As I have loved you, so you must love one another”. Jesus loved the faithful and the betrayer, the seekers and the doubters, the followers and the Pharisees, the women at the foot of the cross and the ones who put him on it. In his words and actions, Jesus says, ‘I loved them all’. As he speaks into our hearts each day, he says, ‘Go and do likewise’. May it be so.
Prayer: Loving Lord, you give a tall order: love as you loved. That is a big love. Open wide my human heart to be more like your divine heart. Shape and form and stretch it to become just like your heart – loving one and all unconditionally. May it be so in me. Amen.
Verse 29: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed”.
John and Peter have seen the empty tomb. Mary Magdalene has seen and spoken with the resurrected Jesus. This much all the disciples know. Yet the way forward is unclear. Jesus is not in the grave and He has conquered death, but He is clearly not coming back to live amongst them either. So on that first Easter Sunday, they gather behind locked doors. It is into this room still heavy with doubt and fear that Jesus comes. He shows them His hands and feet as proof of who He is. The disciples are overjoyed.
Jesus then announces the plan: “As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you”. He then breathes on them the Holy Spirit and commissions them to forgive sins. This was a big deal between Jesus and the religious leaders. Jesus was questioned about this and healed a lame man to prove that He had power and authority from on high. And now Jesus gives this power to His disciples. They were there and witnessed the conflict and anger that the forgiving of sins had caused, so they must know that their road ahead will be hard too. Jesus breathes this same Holy Spirit on you and me. It also empowers us to overcome our doubts and fears and will lead us to help people find a relationship with Jesus Christ that will heal them of their sins.
In the second half of our passage today we focus in on Thomas. He was not there for Jesus’ first visit. When told about it, he says, “Unless I see…”. He too wants to experience what the others experienced. He too wants to see Jesus. A week later Jesus appears again to the disciples and invites Thomas to put his finger in the wounds, to touch and feel that this really is Jesus. For Thomas and all of the disciples it was hard to come to believe. But Thomas does when he sees Jesus for himself. Predicting the many who will come to know Jesus without ever seeing Him, Jesus says, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed”. It is just the reality for the church as it moves forward without the physical Jesus.
Part of Thomas’ story that we cannot miss is his need to belong. He wants to experience what his friends and future co-workers for the gospel experienced. He wants to be fully included. It is a desire we all have – to know we really belong. As we live out our faith this day, week, and life, may we always seek to help others to step inside the story, to help them know that they belong fully to Jesus as well. May it be so.
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