pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: invited


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May Your Kingdom Come

Reading: Joel 2:28-32

Joel 2:32 – “But everyone who calls on the Lord’s name will be saved.”

Moving from yesterday’s suffering, sin, repentance, and hope, today we move into and beyond the ‘now and not yet’ of Joel 2. Once God has brought the exiles home and returned abundance to the land and to the people of God… or at some point in the future… God says, “After that I will pour out my Spirit upon everyone…” For Joel and his audience, this would be when the Messiah came, inaugurating a new era with a new heaven and earth.

Just proceeding that new era, sons and daughters, old men and young men, even slaves, will receive the Spirit. They will speak of and dream of this new coming kingdom. On that day, when it comes, there will be “blood and fire and columns of smoke” and it will be a “great and dreadful day.” And there is a ‘but.’ In verse 32 we read, “But everyone who calls on the Lord’s name will be saved.” God’s faithful will be saved.

As the story of the Bible continues, thoughts on this day evolve and develop. When Jesus arrived, he brought a dramatic shift in the understanding of the new kingdom. Jesus is clear that Joel’s (and other’s) visions of the new heaven and earth will indeed be glorious on that day, but… But, Jesus said, the kingdom is here now. Jesus taught us disciples to pray, “may your kingdom come… may your will be done… on earth as it is in heaven.” The time that Joel speaks of? Jesus is clear: the time is now. All people – men, women, young, old, slaves, free, rich, poor… – all people can receive the Spirit. All people are invited to live in and to be a part of God’s kingdom here on earth. All who call on the Lord’s name will be saved. O Lord, may your kingdom come and may your will be done! And may it begin with us.

Prayer: Lord God, open wide the doors of our hearts and of our churches! Opened wide, use us to build this kingdom where all are welcomed, where all know that they are beloved of you, and of us. Opened wide, use us to declare that each person, created in your image, one and all, are invited to your table of grace. Use us, Lord, to make this beautiful kingdom a reality here and now. Amen.


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Wedding Clothes

Reading: Matthew 22:11-14

Verse 12: “How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?”

Jametlene Respk

The wedding hall has been filled with guests – “both good and bad.” All we’re invited to come. As we continue in Matthew 22, the king comes and begins to mingle with the guests. Soon he noticed a man who was not dressed properly. The king says to the man, “How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?” While we might be puzzled by this question, Jesus’ audience would’ve known good and well that you dress (and act) for the occasion, especially if you’re invited by the king!

The man in question is bound and tossed into the darkness, where he will weep and gnash his teeth. This harsh metaphor is the reality that some people will face when they meet the King of kings. Then comes the point of the parable: “Many are invited but few are chosen.”

It can be tempting to respond to God’s invitation as this man did. He thought that he could just show up and be acceptable. Here is where some context is really important. Jesus is saying that there is a big difference between being called and being chosen. We are all called into a relationship with Jesus. Matthew’s audience would also understand that the wedding clothes were a metaphor for clothing oneself in Christ. To accept and live out Christ’s invitation into relationship was to put on Christ’s love, mercy, grace, forgiveness, compassion, hospitality… Understanding this, we can turn to our important question for today: Are you dressed in the proper attire for the great banquet of Christ?

Prayer: Lord God, day by day, as you call me into humble service, may I make the very intentional choice to clothe myself in Christ. Help me to soak in your word, to open my eyes and ears and heart to your Holy Spirit, and to find the strength and courage to live faithfully and righteously each day. Amen.


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Room to Improve

Reading: Acts 10: 44-48

Verse 45: “The gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles”.

Mankind has long had an ‘us’ and ‘them’ mentality. The dividing line can be drawn over many different characteristics and usually is drawn because of some level of ‘better than’ beliefs. Whether it has to do with race or nationality or ethnicity or education or socio-economics or gender or age or religion or… there is an artificial distinction created and an air of superiority floats over it all. There is a natural tendency to do this. To a degree we all like to be the best or at least to see ourselves or the group we belong to as the best.

Peter and the rest of the Jewish Christians thought so. Jews who had accepted Christ were the best, followed next by the regular Jews, and then there were the Gentiles – everyone else. It was ‘us’, ‘almost us’, and ‘them’. We still do this today. We each think this of our church or of our denomination. There is the Methodist Church, other Christian churches, and then non-believers. Each of us would substitute our own church or denomination in the first place. If we did not we would be attending a different church each Sunday morning. But ‘our’ must be universal, not singular and exclusive.

In today’s passage God demonstrates that all people are invited into faith in Jesus. The Holy Spirit blows across all barriers and distinctions and includes all people. Verse 45 reads, “The gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles”. The words ‘even on’ indicates the early church’s struggle with this new revelation. We too may struggle at first. But if we are open to the work of God in all forms then we too will accept all whom the Spirit calls. Once we get to know another and discover their heart for God, then we will see them as just another brother or sister in Christ. When we see the image of God in others, then we grow to love them as God loves them.

We remain far from being an ideal church. Individually we all have room to improve. In all, love remains the key. Each day may we strive to be more like Jesus Christ, to love more like He did. Today may we be more like Christ. And tomorrow may we love more. And the next day too. Holy Spirit, blow into our lives each day, leading us to love more fully and more completely. Amen.


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Invited and Chosen

In Matthew 22 the king has some difficulty gathering some guests for his son’s wedding banquet.  He finally gathers up some folks off the street to fill the hall,  But he finds one guest without wedding clothes.  In the culture of the time, by wearing a wedding robe you were agreeing to the responsibilities to uphold and care for the new couple.  So the guest that is saying ‘no’ is bound up and cast out into the darkness.

When we take on the mantle of ‘Christian’ we too are, in essence, agreeing to some things.  First, we are agreeing to uphold the teachings of Jesus.  The two primary ones are to love God with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength and the second is to love neighbor as self.  On a personal level w are committing to a growing relationship with Christ.  We cultivate and grow our relationship with Jesus through prayer, study of His word, worship, and so on.

But, sadly, Jesus’ words at the end of the parable will apply to some sitting in the pews on Sunday – “For many are invited, but few are chosen”.  May we each live beyond ‘invited’.  May we live as the chosen.

Scripture reference: Matthew 22: 1-14