pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: language


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Faithful to the Call

Readings: Nehemiah 11, Nehemiah 12, Nehemiah 13

Nehemiah 13:22 – “Remember this also in my favor, my God, and spare me according to the greatness of your mercy.”

Photo credit: Patrick Schneider

Chapter 11 begins with repopulating Jerusalem. Lots are cast in each town and 1 in 10 move into Jerusalem. Almost 3,000 move into David’s city. Chapter 12 begins with a list of the leaders of the priests and Levites who returned under Zerubbabel. Then all of Israel gathers to dedicate the wall. Priests, singers, and people from all over gather for the celebration. All are purified – including the people and the wall. Two groups March around the city in each direction, joining together at the temple. There were great sacrifices and joyous worship that day!

In chapter 13 Nehemiah returns to King Artaxerxes for a period. Eventually he returns to Jerusalem. He finds several things that need correcting. Old habits have returned. People are intermarrying again. Some of the children cannot speak the language of Judah – and therefore cannot participate in worship. This divisive practice is ended once again. The shares for the priests are being neglected, forcing some back to their fields. This too is corrected. People are working and buying and selling on the Sabbath. For many the day is no longer holy. Nehemiah puts a forceful stop to this too.

Several times today we read something along the lines of our key verse. Nehemiah is not universally beloved. Leading a people who are prone to sin and are easily influenced by the ways of those around them is hard. Many chafe at correction, rebuke, and being made to follow the rules. Yet Nehemiah was faithful to the call that God has placed upon his life. May it be so for us all.

Prayer: Lord God, help us to be a people who remember your will and way. Lead us to resist temptations and empower us to stay true to you alone. Move us to respect and support those who seek to lead us to walk in faith, lifting them to you in prayer. Amen.


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Center Stage

Readings: Genesis 9:18-39, Genesis 10, Genesis 11

Genesis 11:4 – “Come, let’s build for ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky, and let’s make a name for ourselves.”

Continuing in chapter 9 today we see that sin hasn’t left the world with the flood. Noah grows grapes and makes wine. He gets drunk then naked. Ham sees his father naked and instead of covering him up, he tells Shem and Japheth about it. They do the right thing and later receive Noah’s blessings. Ham, by contrast, is cursed because he did not honor his father.

Chapter 10 details the most of the descendants of Shem, Ham, and Japheth. They are listed a variety of ways – names, families, languages, lands, nations. This creates a kind of early ethnic map of the ancient world. Shem’s genealogy is found again in chapter 11. But it diverges in verse 18 as it follows Peleg’s branch of the family tree. This branch ends with Abram and family in the land of Haran. Sarai and her barrenness is also mentioned. This is a sharp contrast to the long list of children and descendants found in chapters 10-11.

In the middle of these genealogical lists we find the story of the Tower of Babel. In this story we see that the human tendency towards pride and arrogance survived the flood. At Shinar the people begin to scheme, saying to one another, “Come, let’s build for ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky, and let’s make a name for ourselves.” They want to build a tower that reaches to heaven. It could be to connect with God or it could be to be like God. It’s likely the second as they also desire to be famous, to be recognized for their skill. As a means to counter this pride and sin, God confuses or jumbles their languages and then dispersing this prideful bunch all over the earth.

When we try to take center stage for ourselves, how does this affect our relationship with God and with one another? How does God normally respond?

Prayer: Lord God, in my thoughts, my words, my actions, may I honor you and bring all the glory to you. When I’m tempted to bring the focus to me, remind my heart of you, my audience of one. Amen.


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Glorious and Beautiful – One Day and Now

Reading: Revelation 7:9-17 (Link only partial. Sorry.)

Verse 9: “There before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language.”

As we turn to John’s book of Revelation we turn to a vision that gives hope for eternity, offers a picture of the kingdom of God, and calls us to a glorious kingdom here on earth. Our passage today and much of the book of Revelation is a “then, now, and will be” vision.

John sees a “great multitude” gathered in heaven – far too many to count. In this vast crowd there are people “from every nation, tribe, people, and language.” Oh how the religious leaders of yesterday’s text must’ve cringed when they first heard of this vision of heaven! But what a beautiful picture of heaven it is! One day we will be gathered with a representation of all of humanity. To John’s audience this was a reminder that they do not suffer alone. Many all around the world suffer alongside them. To us it is a reminder to work to make our churches and faith communities look more like the actual community all around us.

The scene in our passage is filled with worship. The multitude, the angels, the elders, and the four living creatures all worship God and the Lamb. They joyously offer praise and thanksgiving and adoration. This scene is “church” at its finest and most glorious. Next an elder identifies those in “white robes” as those who have gone through the “great tribulation” – the suffering and persecution and trials of this life. The passage closes by contrasting this life with the life to come. In glory there will be no hunger or thirst, no oppression or suffering. God will “wipe away every tear” and the Lamb will lead us “to the springs of living water.” What hope these words gave to John’s audience. What hope these words give to all who long to one day be redeemed by Jesus Christ. Oh what a glorious and beautiful day that will be. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for the hope that today’s passage gives. Thank you for the seed of what will be. But, God, help us to see that this vision is also a vision for today and an understanding for our time now. As we hold onto our hope for eternity, guide us to expand the kingdom here and now. Use us to satisfy hunger and thirst now. Use us to end oppression and suffering now. Use us to make our churches and communities more like the kingdom to come. Amen.


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Share the Good News

Reading: Acts 2:1-13

Verses 1 and 6: “They were all together in one place… each one heard their own language being spoken.”

Photo credit: James A. Molnar

This week we celebrate the day of Pentecost – the day the Holy Spirit came down upon and into the followers of Christ. Many people were gathered in Jerusalem: “God-fearing Jews from every nation.” In verses 9-11 we see that there are literally people from all over the known world gathered in the city.

In one place “they were all together.” The ‘they’ are the followers of Jesus. Suddenly and loudly the Holy Spirit comes. It rests upon each one of them. Each person – men, women, young, old, children – each is then filled with the Spirit. This indwelling presence then leads each to speak in a new language. The noise draws a great crowd of Jews. The crowd gathers in “bewilderment.” These Galilean followers of Jesus – these country folk – they speak to all in the diverse crowd. In verse 6 we read, “Each one heard their own language being spoken.” God has a plan. It was to share the good news of Jesus Christ with the crowd. This was just step one.

As we consider what happened this amazing day, what lessons can we learn? I think the first lesson is that there is no real ‘us-them.’ It is clear that God wanted to create a diverse unity in the church. To this point we must ask: Does our church reflect the beautiful diversity of the local community? The second lesson is that all were and are equipped to be ministers of the gospel. The question this leads to is this: How will you use your unique ‘language’ – your story and voice – to make Christ known to “every nation under heaven?”

Prayer: Lord God, in each encounter today, help me to find my voice. Fill me with the words that need to be spoken, that need to be heard. Through the power of the Holy Spirit may the words given be received in a way that draws others towards your love and grace. Amen.


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Amazing and Wonderful

Reading: Acts 2: 1-13

Verse 4: “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in tongues as the Spirit enabled them”.

Photo credit: Jordan Wozniak

Shavuot, or the Feast of Weeks, comes fifty days after the day of the Passover. This great Jewish festival celebrates two things: the wheat harvest and the giving of the Torah, or the Law. Many Jews from all over the world come to Jerusalem to celebrate these two blessings from God. During one of these large gatherings almost 2,000 years ago a mighty wind blew through Jerusalem and filled a house where some followers of Jesus were gathered. Curious, a large group of Jews from all over the world gathered around that house.

“What seemed to be tongues of fire” settled on those inside the house. The promised Holy Spirit had arrived and drew a crowd. “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in tongues as the Spirit enabled them”. Enabled by the power of the Spirit those inside began to witness to those outside. These men and women from Galilee spoke in languages from all over the known world. Jews from all over the world heard the “wonders of God” – the good news of Jesus Christ – for the first time. They were both amazed and perplexed. Considering how abnormal all of this was, their response is pretty normal: amazed and perplexed. I know what I am hearing. How can this be?

Through the power of the Holy Spirit, God spoke into the hearts of both believers and the Jews, to those inside and those outside. It was a powerful moment for both groups. Being filled with the Holy Spirit was inspiring for the believers. To hear the good news of Jesus Christ for the first time, in your native language, would also be incredible. What an amazing and wonderful God! A great number of people will come to faith in Jesus Christ this day. Many of those will return to their parts of the world a new creation in Christ. The church will continue to grow and spread. More on all of this tomorrow!

For today, though, let us recall our experiences with witnessing to the good news of Jesus Christ. When was your amazed and perplexed moment – that moment you realized the Jesus was your Lord and Savior? What led you to belief? And when have you had the privilege of witnessing for Christ, telling another of his unconditional love and unending grace? May our amazing and wonderful God continue to work in and through you and me, changing the world.

Prayer: Lord God, enable me by the power of your Holy Spirit to speak of your love and grace. Guide me to witness to the hope I find in Jesus Christ, my Lord. Open hearts and minds to receive the good news today. Amen.


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Falling Short

Reading: 1st Corinthians 8: 1-6

Verse 3: “The man who loves God is known by God”.

Paul begins this section on food sacrificed to idols by speaking of knowledge. He is talking about what is inside our heads. This is usually where faith begins. Most Christians follow the same path: learning about God, Jesus, and faith in Sunday school, youth group… as they mature in faith until one day the head knowledge becomes heart truth. As is true with almost everything in life, in our faith we understand more and more the longer we journey in faith. Within the Corinthian church some were relying their superior knowledge and it was causing division and it was hindering the faith journey of the new believers. In our churches today, we still do this at times. We allow our knowledge to “puff” us up.

The first way this happens is when we make our churches feel exclusive. We all look and talk alike, we act alike, we appear to be perfect Christians. We have those that we gravitate to each Sunday morning. A visitor can feel like an outsider very quickly, especially when they are not like the homogeneous crowd. Someone who comes because they are struggling with something really feels out of place when they enter a room full of people without any faults or issues. To further create a sense of “us” and “them” we use insider language and big fancy words. Maybe most regulars know what sanctification, justification, atonement, sacrament… mean. But if you are new to the faith, these terms can make you feel like an outsider very quickly.

In the Corinthian church the mature believers knew “that an idol is nothing at all”. To them, idols were just carved pieces of stone or wood. The mature believers knew that there was only one God, only one Lord. But for the new believers, the ones who had grown up worshipping these idols all their lives, this idea was a struggle. The mature believers were saying, in essence, “just get over it”, “just believe what I say I believe”. They were not willing to walk in love with their new brothers and sisters in Christ. They were not willing to enter the struggle, to walk alongside the one wrestling with their conscience.

We do this in our churches when we fail to talk about our sins and struggles. Church becomes a social club for the perfect and for the saints. Nope, no sin here. We know all we need to know to be good little Christians. In verse three Paul writes, “The man who loves God is known by God”. Loving God must lead to loving others. Jesus unpacks the truth of this idea in the parable of the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25: 31-46). When we say we love God, when we say all are welcome in our churches but do not really welcome the sinners and broken people into our communities of faith, we are falling short. When we look down on those “obviously” dealing with sin by making them feel unwelcome, we are falling short. When we indirectly but clearly say come back when you have your life together, we are falling short. May it not be so church. May it not be so.

Prayer: Lord God, help me to truly love others as a witness to my love for you. Strip away my pride and judgmental tendencies, guide me to walk side by side in love with those in struggle, with those living outside of your love. Give me the courage to admit my struggles and sins within the body of Christ. Grant me a welcoming and compassionate spirit. Amen.


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Baptized into Jesus

Reading: Acts 19: 1-7

Verses 5-6: “They were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus… the Holy Spirit came on them”.

This week we have been looking at God’s creativity and power and strength and majesty found in creation. The call or response has been to praise and give glory to God. The passages from Genesis 1, Psalm 29, and Isaiah 60 were mostly corporate, focusing on God’s love for and interaction with those who believe. In today’s passage that love becomes more personal.

As we begin, we learn that Paul travels to Ephasus to preach and teach. Upon arriving he encounters some disciples of Jesus. There must have been something different about these men. Paul asks them if they have received the Holy Spirit. It is something they have never even heard of. Finding out that they received John’s baptism (a baptism of repentance), Paul points them towards being baptized in Jesus’ name. Desiring this baptism, the men are baptized in Jesus’ name. It is then that the “Holy Spirit came on them”. The result of the indwelling Spirit is that they spoke in tongues and prophesied. There was an obvious change in these twelve men. The baptism in Jesus’ name led to transformation. They were different now.

As we consider the sacrament of baptism about 2,000 years later, the same essentials remain. Whether your faith tradition baptizes mostly infants or mostly adults, whether your tradition immerses or sprinkles with water – it does not matter. It is not the pastor or the priest that changes or transforms the person in any way. God alone has the power. The clergy person is certainly a part of the sacrament but God is the change agent. To think otherwise would be akin to saying the kid who brought the new batch of baseballs to the umpire is responsible for the home run hit two pitches later.

In baptism one is inviting the power of God to be a part of that person’s life. Faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior remains the catalyst for baptism. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit remains the result of baptism. Inclusion into the family of God begins the transformation process as one speaks and lives in a new and different way. The language of God’s love becomes the baptized believer’s primary language. It is a language that we become more proficient with as we continue to grow in Jesus Christ as we are led by the Spirit, being transformed day by day.

As we go forth in the world today, may we celebrate our place in the family of God, seeking to speak the language of love to the world. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, you lead and guide me from within and without. Your presence lives in me and your word and example are also a part of my daily life. Thank you so much for calling me and claiming me as one of your own. Amen.


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Unity and Diversity

Reading: 1st Corinthians 12: 3b-13

Verse 12: “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts… they form one body”.

Paul is writing today about the balance of unity and diversity. Whether in church or politics, whether on a team or in a family, this balance is essential if that organization or group is going to be its best. An organization or group can function in total unity but it is less than it would be with some diversity. Yet if one swings to the other extreme and only diversity is honored, it can challenge the functioning of the organization or group. When an organization or group is sure of those essential beliefs or elements that bring unity, there is often space created for diversity.

We have all been in an organization or group where everyone was or wanted to be the same or equal. On Pentecost all the believers were given the same gift – to speak in different languages. Imagine, though, how incomplete the church would be if that was the only gift of the Spirit. Imagine if the Spirit did not give wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, and prophesying too. If everyone in the church was exactly the same, how hard it would be to learn and grow in the faith. So instead the Spirit “gives them to each one, just as he determines”. Our diversity of gifts allows the church to accomplish far more for the kingdom of God.

In verses twelve and thirteen Paul speaks to the idea of unity and diversity existing in balance. Here he writes, “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts… they form one body”. Think about what you would be without a heart or without a spine or without a foot or without ears. You would definitely be less – if you were anything at all. The church is the same. Through the gifts of the Holy Spirit each and every one of us has something to offer that makes the whole better. Yes, when people withhold or do not use the gifts that they have been given, the church is less.

Paul reminds us that we were all baptized into one body by the one Spirit. May that be evident in our words, thoughts, and actions each day.

Prayer: God of all, help me to cherish diversity amidst our unity. Guide me to value each person for the gift that they are and for the gifts that they bring. Lead me to help folks see and develop and use their gifts for the better building of your kingdom. Amen.


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Both New and Old

Reading: Acts 2: 1-21

Verse 4: “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them”.

As we continue to look at Acts 2 we focus in today on communication. A small group of Jesus followers is gathered together and the Holy Spirit bursts in and settles on each one. At that moment, “all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them”. The languages that they spoke matched up with the native tongues of the Jews that were drawn there and this helped them to connect to the story of Jesus Christ. As I shared yesterday, we each have our own unique “language” or experience that can speak into another person’s life, drawing them to our source of new life.

In this pandemic time we have had to learn and relearn how to communicate when we cannot be face to face. Many people became familiar with apps like Zoom and FaceTime and Google chat. Some of us even became somewhat proficient at using these platforms to gather for Bible studies and meetings and family birthdays… In many churches the leap was made to provide online worship as YouTube and Facebook Live and other platforms were quickly learned and used. Folks at home also had to adjust to how they heard and participated in online worship – honing their new communication skills.

We have also relearned some skills that we practiced back in the days without social media and cell phones. We call and talk on the phone, catching up and checking in on one another. We send actual notes and cards in the mail. Some have even had conversations with folks from afar – talking through windows and screen doors. It has been good to be reminded that the “old-fashioned” ways to communicate are every bit as good as texting, messaging, … It has been good for me, for us, to be reminded of the value of simply checking in, of reaching out, of connecting in more personal ways.

As we begin to work our way back to whatever our new normal is, may we continue to learn and use the technology when beneficial and necessary. But let us also hold fast to all of these “old” modes of communication as well because they are often more personal, more real, more valued to many. May all these things be so as we seek to share our faith each day.

Prayer: Lord God, sharing your love and hope and grace can happen in many forms. In this season you have reminded me of the value of personal communication in new and old ways. Thank you. Help me to discern how to best communicate these means of faith to others today and every day. Amen.


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Speaking and Hearing

Reading: Acts 2: 1-11

Verse 11: “We hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues”.

Today and for the next two days we will focus on Pentecost – the day largely accepted as the birthday of the church. A small group of Jesus’ followers were gathered together for worship. A loud and powerful wind announced the arrival of the Holy Spirit. Represented by what appeared to be “tongues of fire” that lit on each one, the followers were filled by the Holy Spirit.

Meanwhile, Jews from all around the city were drawn by the sound of the wind. These Jews were from all over the known world – come to Jerusalem to celebrate one of the three yearly Jewish festivals. Filled with the Spirit, Jesus’ followers begin to each speak in languages native to these Jews. The Jews from around the world are bewildered because “we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues”. How could these simple Galileans be speaking in so many different languages? Clearly something amazing is going on here!

The followers speaking in tongues is only part of the miracle though. The Holy Spirit was not just at work among the followers of Jesus. Just because words are spoken, it does not mean they are heard. Many of the Jews there that day had open ears and receptive hearts. It will still take a little Holy Spirit fueled preaching by Peter to really help bring them to Christ, but with the Spirit’s continued work the church will grow that day.

Each of us is a follower who could do what was done in today’s passage. Our gifted language may not be Egyptian or Arabic or any other foreign language. But it is addiction or divorce or grief or abuse or justice or single parenthood… Each of us has stories about the “wonders of God” in our own lives. If we are sensitive to and pay attention to the Holy Spirit living inside each of us, we will have opportunities to speak new life into someone else’s ear. Will your words be the miracle of healing or recovery or restoration or belonging that someone needs to hear? Are you ready to speak?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, my journey to this point has been long and filled with many Holy Spirit experiences. Help me to see each as a step in my journey, as a possible step in another’s journey of faith. May the Holy Spirit be at work in me, leading and guiding me to tell the story of faith as I have opportunity. Thank you, Lord. Amen.