pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

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Consequences of Choices

Reading: Jeremiah 39-45

Jeremiah 40:2-3 – “The LORD your God declared that a great disaster would overtake this place. Now the LORD has made it happen.”

Our reading begins with the fall of Jerusalem. After a siege that lasts about a year and a half, the Babylonians conquer the city. Zedekiah tries to escape but is caught. His officials and children are slaughtered before him. He is then blinded and taken into exile. The palace and houses are burned down. The walls come down. All but the poorest (and a few who are in hiding) are taken into exile.

Jeremiah is rescued. He is known by Nebuchadnezzar. He sends the captain of the special guard to find Jeremiah. Once he does, he says to Jeremiah: “The LORD your God declared that a great disaster would overtake this place. Now the LORD has made it happen.” Jeremiah is respected by the Babylonians. He’s given the choice to stay or to go. He chooses to stay, living under the care of Gedaliah, the Babylonian appointee. Most of the Judeans left in the land rally around him. Johanan, an army officer, warns Gedaliah of a plot. He ignores this warning – to his own peril. Ishmael and his men murder Gedaliah and flee with some prisoners.

Johanan hears of the murder and he rescues the captives. Ishmael and eight men escape to Ammon. Johanan and the remaining Judeans fear what Babylon will do in response to Gedaliah’s murder. They ask Jeremiah to inquire of the Lord: should we stay or go? After ten days, God tells them to stay put. God will build them up and will protect them from the king of Babylon. They are warned: refuse to listen, go to Egypt, and the war they fear and the famine they dread will strike them in Egypt. They accuse Jeremiah of lying. Baruch put him up to it!

Jeremiah warns them of the consequences of their choice to go to Egypt. He reminds them of their past sins and of the consequences of those sins. Jeremiah and Baruch are hauled off to Egypt. Once there, Jeremiah builds a stone platform in front of Pharaoh’s palace, declaring that Nebuchadnezzar will place his throne there. The people remain stubborn and disobedient. The hand of death is coming.

Prayer: Lord God, how can your people run to you, asking for guidance, only to turn against your response. But wait. We do that too. We allow fear and insecurity to drive our decisions now and then. Lord, build up our faith, guiding us to listen to your guidance, choosing life over death. Amen.


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Aligned

Reading: Exodus 33:17-23

Verse 17: “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”

Today we continue in the conversation between God and Moses that we began on Monday. Just a quick review – in verses 12-16 Moses seeks for God’s presence to be with him and with the Israelites. Today God responds, saying, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.” There are two pieces that drive God’s positive response. First, God is pleased with Moses. Although far from perfect – like us – Moses has sought out and grown in his personal relationship with God. In this process, Moses has revealed himself to God. This is the second reason that God agrees to share God’s presence with Moses and with the people. Who and what Moses is and does is pleasing to God. It opens the door for God to be more present in his life.

Moses next asks for even more of this presence. Presumably Moses is in the “tent of meeting” talking to God. Moses wants more. He wants to see God’s glory. He is asking to see God live and in person. God responds positively again. God will allow Moses to see as much of God as is humanly possible. This response is first because Moses asked and, second, because Moses is pleasing to and known by God.

The first question that comes to mind today is this: Do I want to see God’s glory? And, if so, two more questions: Is my life pleasing to God? And, am I fully known by God? God is all-knowing. So the last question is more a question of whether or not I am revealing myself to God humbly and honestly?

Heart and will aligned with God, may we see God’s glory.

Prayer: Lord God, I say I want to know you and to be known by you. Lord, move me from these easy words to tangible action. Work in me, Holy Spirit, to bring me closer to God, to stand more fully in the divine and holy presence. There, empty me of myself and then fill me up with God’s glorious presence. From there, use me to reflect God’s glory out into the world. Amen.


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Newsworthy

Reading: 1st Thessalonians 1:4-10

Verse 8: “Your faith in God has become known everywhere.”

Photo credit: Vanilla Bear Films

Continuing in our Epistle text for this week, Paul recognizes that the Thessalonians have been chosen by God. The gift of the Holy Spirit and the deep conviction by which they live their faith is the proof that God has indeed chosen them. His words alone do not have that power. It is the power that comes through the Holy Spirit of God that changes hearts and lives.

Paul then commends them for becoming “imitators of us and of the Lord.” They lived out their faith joyfully just as Paul, Silas, and Timothy has: boldly even in the face of suffering. These disciples and this church were being Jesus to the world. They were sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. They model for us what it looks like to follow Jesus. Because of this, Paul is able to write, “Your faith in God has become known everywhere.” Wow!

Paul sees that their faith has “rung out” far and wide. What would it look like for your faith to “ring out?” How could your church engage the world in such a way that the church’s witness “rings out” in the community? This is what happens when we joyfully live out our faith and when we boldly proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. Our faith really can impact our world. It should impact our world.

For the church in Thessalonica, their faith was told of by others far and wide. Stories of turning from idols and of living for Christ were newsworthy. This is the end result of “work produced by faith… labor prompted by love… endurance inspired by hope.” May it be so for us.

Prayer: Lord God, enable and empower us and our churches, leading and guiding us to make your name known. Through our joy and through our boldness, may others come to experience the power of your Holy Spirit at work in their lives. May this be the witness that the Lord receives. Amen.


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God at Work

Reading: Psalm 105:1-6 and 37-45

Verses 5 and 45: “Remember the wonders God has done… that they might keep God’s precepts and observe God’s laws.”

Our passage from Psalm 105 can be quickly summed up in these words from verses 5 and 45. It is about remembering and praising God for all that God has done. In turn, this leads us and strengthens us in our walk of faith. In the Psalm are examples of all that God has done. We too could and should make such a list that details our faith journey.

The psalmist fills the opening verses with responses to God’s work in the lives of the Israelites: “give thanks… make known… sing… tell… glory… rejoice… look… seek.” Each is done or offered with an attitude of gratitude and with thanksgiving filling the heart. These are all ways that we too can offer our praise and thanksgiving to God.

Verses 37-45 (and the rest of the Psalm) are all about remembering the specific actions of God on behalf of the people of God. In our verses today the psalmist celebrates the actions of God during the exodus from slavery. God showed up and showed out again and again. The challenge today is to reflect on your faith life and then to write down a handful of times that God showed up and showed out in your life. It can be a simple list that you write down and then lift up in prayer. It can be on a timeline that you praise your way through. It can be a poem or a song that you put together, read or sung as an act of prayer and praise. Taking the time to be intentional about remembering and thanking God reinforces our faith and it strengthens us to “keep God’s precepts and observe God’s laws.” May it be so!

Prayer: Lord God, fill my heart with gratitude as I remember all that you have done in my life. Each step, each stage – a drawing in deeper into our relationship. Each moment, each season – a place of learning and growth in my faith. Please continue to work in my life, O Lord. And in turn may I serve you in this world. Amen.


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Known Yet Unknown

Reading: Acts 17:22-31

Verse 27: “God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.”

Photo credit: Paul Pastourmatzis

Paul’s witness to the people of Athens begins with a general description of God: created the heavens and earth and everything in it and gives all people “life and breath and everything else.” These two components are almost givens for all people everywhere. Ever since mankind has been trying to make sense of their world they have been crafting creation stories that frame their understanding of the world and their existence. In this sense God’s story is far from unique.

Then, in verse 27, Paul says, “God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.” Here Christianity begins to differ significantly from the pagan, native, and polytheistic norms about the god(s) and the people of the earth. In almost all religions or belief systems there is a desire to be close to the divine. But there is a healthy boundary. In most cases this forms a transactional relationship: I’ll sacrifice this animal, you make it rain… Most people groups had many gods – a god of fertility, a god of war… When one needed this, one went to this god. But what Paul is offering and speaking of is something different. Paul is implying that you can have a relationship with this God. One can seek and search and actually find God – because God is close to us. Not far away and distant in the heavens, but close to each of us. Whoa.

And then, once again connecting to the Athenians, Paul quotes from their culture: “For in him we live and move and have our being.” Here too Paul connects their world into an invitation into a personal relationship that God offers to all people. As our passage closes, Paul steps back towards the unknown, back into the mystery. He speaks of Jesus: the one God appointed to judge, the one God raised from the dead. Huh?! The known followed by the unknown. This jars some – it is too much – but it draws others towards more conversation. In these the Holy Spirit is at work.

Prayer: Lord God, you are known in so many ways, often in great depth. And yet so much remains unknown. There is ever so much more to know about you. And in this mystery, you offer to walk with us in a personal and intimate relationship. Even so, we cannot fully describe you. We can tell about parts of you, but our words fall short of the whole. Continue to draw us deeper into you, to be our all in all. Amen.


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Making Jesus Known

Reading: John 16: 12-15

Verse 14: “He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you”.

Jesus begins by telling the disciples that there is much more to learn and understand, but they are not ready yet. To know all about Jesus would be “more than you can bear”. Our journey of faith is just the same. We learn and understand enough to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior but are far from knowing and fully understanding him and his call upon our life. A faithful Christian will spend all of one’s life becoming more and more like Jesus. To guide this process Jesus promises a companion, an advocate, a counselor – “the Spirit of truth”. Again, this is an ongoing process – one that only culminates in eternity. As modern day disciples this too is our promise, our gift, our hope.

In verse fourteen Jesus explains the process. Here he says, “He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you”. The Holy Spirit will take Jesus – his words and teachings, his example and witness – and instill him within each disciple. In and through the Holy Spirit’s power and presence each disciple is transformed increasingly into the image of Jesus Christ. With Jesus’ Spirit within us, we are sent out into the world to share and witness to the love and saving power of our Lord and Savior. In thought, word, and deed may we glorify God this day and every day. May it be so!

Prayer: Lord God, you are my rock and shield, my strength and my defender. You are my only hope, my daily love. Use me today to bear witness to these things to all I meet. Amen.


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Discipleship

Reading: Mark 11: 1-7

Verse 7: “When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it”.

Photo credit: Juan Gomez

Our passage for today opens with an act of discipleship. In the literal sense Jesus instructs two disciples to go and do something for him. The two are instructed to go and get a colt for Jesus. They are told to enter the village ahead, there they will find a colt. They are to untie it and, if anyone asks, to tell the people that Jesus needs it. And, yes, don’t worry – we’ll return it when we’re done with it. They are not borrowing a cup of flour from the neighbor. Culture must have been much different back then.

Up to this point in Jesus’ ministry his popularity has risen and fallen. Many were initially attracted to the miracles but the more he spoke of the cost of discipleship, the more the crowd thinned. Yet his name was known. In whose name could we go today to commandeer a car or even a bike? Who among us would be so daring to even attempt such a thing? We would be so full of doubt and questioning. But what of these two disciples?

The disciples do as Jesus says. They find the colt just as he said they would. They answer the question that Jesus said might be asked just as Jesus told them to. And they return to Jesus with the colt that “no one has ever ridden”. What impression or effect did this act of faith have on these two disciples? How did this shape their faith moving forward? Verse seven tells us, “When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it”. Seeing Jesus there, assuming a place and position new for him, how did they see their role?

At times the Holy Spirit calls us to action. It whispers or nudges us to an action or to speak words. We too often ask, “Say what?” or “Do what?” How would our faith and our lives be different if we simply did as these two disciples did? Where would our faith take us if we truly lived with Jesus Christ as the Lord of our life?

Prayer: Lord God, your call is persistent, your love is unchanging. In those moments when I begin to question, when I try to hesitate long enough for the opportunity to pass, spur me to action. When I fail to respond immediately, well up in me a quick compassion and an unquenchable love for those you place before me. Thank you, Lord. Amen.


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Known by Love

Reading: Jeremiah 31: 31-34

Verse 33: “I will be their God, and they will be my people”.

The new covenant that God is speaking of in today’s passage is different than the old covenants established through Noah, Abraham, and Moses. These older covenants were with the Israelites. They were God’s chosen people, set apart for God. The new covenant will come into being through Jesus’ final sacrifice – the one we read about yesterday. The new covenant is like the old in these ways: it is centered on God’s unconditional love and we cannot reciprocate it. Unlike the old covenants, the new one is not limited to the Israelites. The new covenant extends to all people.

God declares, “I will be their God, and they will be my people” and “all will know me”. The new covenant extends to rich and poor, slave and free, Jew and Gentile, male and female, young and old, saint and sinner. All are invited to the table of grace and to a place in God’s family. Jesus invited all people into the covenant of love. Called to model Jesus to the world, the charge is to love all people. Instead of holding onto our anger or judging others, we are called to be a people of forgiveness and reconciliation. Instead of categorizing and stereotyping, we’re to be people of hospitality and grace. Instead of competition and accumulation, we are to be people of generosity and community.

Each day may we be people of the new covenant, loving all people with all that we are. May all we meet know the love of God that is in us. May it flow out into all the world.

Prayer: Great God of love, your love is both unconditional and unlimited. Help me to love more like you. Give me eyes that see all as worthy of your love and of my love. Bind my heart to the least and the lost. Fill me with your love today as I go into the world. Amen.


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To Know and to Be Known

Reading: Psalm 139: 13-18

Verse 17: “How precious to me are your thoughts, O God”!

Psalm 139 is about how well God knows us. Today’s section opens with “for you created my inmost being”. God first creates our heart, our soul, and then “knits” us together in the womb. There is not much that is more personal and intimate and connected than that. Next, David sees a parallel in the created world. He has observed that God’s works in the world are “wonderful”, stating, “I know that full well”! Then, thinking introspectively, David praises God because humanity is also “fearfully and wonderfully made”. These thoughts, of course, extend to you and to me. Knowing that the God of all creation has lovingly formed each of us should lead us to praise.

The other side of God knowing us is that we come to know God as well. As God searches us, God reveals who he is by leading us to be who he created us to be. As God hems us in, guiding us in his ways, we come to know God and his way. As we see ourselves as created by his hands and in God’s image, glimpses of God are revealed. As we awake each day and come to know that God is with us, we come to know of God’s faithfulness. Each day of living is another opportunity to know God more. May we rejoice today in the God who knows us and who wants to be known by us. Thanks be to God!

Prayer: Lord, you know me inside out. You can finish my thoughts, you can predict my steps. Continue to guide my thoughts and to lead my steps, drawing me ever closer to you and your love. Amen.


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The Presence of God

Reading: Mark 1: 4-8

Verse 4: “John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins”.

As we delve into Mark’s gospel we get right into the years of Jesus’ ministry. The first gospel written jumps right in with John the Baptist. Quoting from the Old Testament, John’s authority is established. John is the prophet spoken of long ago and is the one sent to “prepare the way” for the Lord. John was very different in his approach. In verse four we read, “John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins”. He set up out in the wilderness, a place representing the condition of people’s souls at this point. He dressed and ate differently than any other religious leader. His open air, honest, straight forward style was different and was a foreshadowing of the ministry of Jesus.

Many people came out into the desert to hear John. His words brought a quick conviction and a renewed dedication. Many people stepped into the river to confess their sins and to commit to a more devout life. They did so because the presence of God was evident in John’s life. The Spirit if God upon John drew others to want to know God in a more personal, more intimate way. The presence of God could not be ignored.

Wouldn’t that be a great thing for others to say about you? To notice about you? I think so! As we each consider the living out of each day, may we seek to make God known through our words and actions and attitudes. May we be set apart from the world, pointing to the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.

Prayer: God of all, so fill me with your Holy Spirit that all will see you in me and in my life. May your presence abound in all I say and do and think, bringing you the glory and praise. Amen.