pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

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“Oil” in our “Lamps”

Reading: Matthew 25:1-6

Matthew 25:6 – “At midnight they were roused by the shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom is coming! Come out and meet him!'”

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Today and tomorrow we read the parable of the ten bridesmaids. It is the first of three parables in chapter 25 that speak of what the kingdom of God is or will be like. All three carry warnings. These three parables, read over three weeks, will challenge us and our faith.

Verses 1-13 begin with the context: “Then the kingdom of God will be like…” To be honest, to be up front, initially this story might not feel at all like what we think the kingdom of God should be like. In the first part of the parable we learn that there are five wise and five foolish bridesmaids. The wise ones brought extra oil. That is the only difference. All ten fall asleep as the bridegroom is really delayed.

The oil in the lamp is often thought of as faith. As we read on, today and in the next two weeks, we will discover that it is more about keeping oil in our lamps. If we are tending to our faith, if we are working on our relationship with the Lord, then when we are roused by a shout or when we are suddenly beset by a storm or trial, then we will have faith to carry us through.

The sleeping bridesmaids are awakened suddenly. In verse 6 we read, “At midnight they were roused by the shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom is coming! Come out and meet him!'” Remember the last time that you were woken unexpectedly in the middle of the night? Disconcerted, confused, discombobulated. In the unexpected and sudden moments of life, if we have not been attentive to our faith and to our present relationship with God, we might just turn to something or someone else. May our “lamps” ever be full.

Prayer: Lord God, in the ordinary of life, it can be easy to cruise along. But when we cruise, our faith can grow thin, almost like it evaporates. Keep us actively tending to our faith in good times, in bad times, and in the ordinary of life. Tending to our faith, Lord fill our “lamps”  – our hearts – with you and your presence – the “oil.” Then, when the shout comes, when the storm crashes down, remind us to let our faith shine, lighting the way through the darkness. Amen.


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A Witness, Choosing to Serve

Reading: Joshua 24:16-25

Joshua 24:22 – “You are a witness to your own decision,” Joshua said, “You have chosen to serve the Lord.”

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As we continue in Joshua 24, we hear the Israelites answer to Joshua’s question about whom they will serve. Will it be idols or God? Their choice is to serve the Lord. They tell Joshua that they would never abandon God and that they would never serve other gods. Under Joshua’s great leadership and faithful example, the Israelites have been true to God. The Lord has done so much for the people of God. They have seen and experienced it. They will serve the Lord their God.

But in verses 19 and 20, Joshua questions their ability to serve God. He reminds them that God is a “holy and jealous God.” If they sin or rebel, there will be problems. Big problems. The people again declare their commitment to the Lord. In response Joshua says, “You are a witness to your own decision. You have chosen to serve the Lord.” Yes, they have spoken and, yes, they know what they are getting into. They agree again with their commitment. It is then that Joshua asks for a tangible action that tests their commitment.

In verse 23 Joshua says, “All right then, destroy the idols among you.” Joshua does not want the temptation lying on the shelf in the corner cupboard or tucked under the edge of the bed. Out of sight is not good enough. In the same way, our own commitment to the Lord must be all-in, complete, wholehearted. We must be solid in our choice. When we let our idols hang around, when we pretend they are not there, we’re in for big trouble. The desire for recognition and approval, the need to be in control or in charge, the longing for material gain and possessions – we must be quick to destroy these idols. It is the only way to faithfully serve the Lord our God. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, it is easy to say that we have chosen you, to say that you are the Lord of our life, to show up on Sunday mornings. That’s the easy part – when the focus is on you. But there are many times and places when the focus shifts away from you. Be with us in the harder places and times, especially when no one else is looking. Use the Holy Spirit to guide our walk, to keep our choice pure and genuine. Alone we cannot remain faithful. Be with us. Thank you. Amen.


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Choose Today

Reading: Joshua 24:1-3 and 14-15

Joshua 24:14 – “So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped.”

Photo credit: dreamstimes.com

As we turn to the last chapter of the book of Joshua, God has established Israel in the Promised Land. Joshua has led the conquest of the land as God has driven out “great and powerful nations.” Each tribe of Israel has been allotted land. And there are survivors in the land and there are neighboring nations all around them. Danger lies here. Joshua tells the people to not even mention the names of these people’s idols and false gods. He points the Israelites towards God’s Law and invites them to remember how God has kept all of the promises that God has made.

Turning to chapter 24, Joshua seeks to renew the people’s covenant with God. Now that Israel is secure and established in the land promised to Abraham, Joshua challenges the people to make a conscious decision to always serve the Lord. In verse 14 Joshua says, “So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped.” Joshua calls for a healthy respect of the Lord and for an all-out dedication. The call is to love God with heart, soul, and mind. Those idols – the ones that have dogged them even as God defeated enemy after enemy in the wilderness and in the Promised Land – they are still around. Be wary. Put them away forever.

Joshua makes his choice known in the last part of verse 15, where we read, “But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.” While encouraging, the people – each person – must make a choice. Joshua is committed. But how will each Israelite decide? As a whole, will they choose the Lord their God? Will they fear and serve the Lord? Will they forever put away the idols and false gods of this world?

Prayer: Lord God, oh how familiar we are with this choice. Daily the idols and false gods of this world come and go from our consciousness. Daily we feel their pull. We have chosen you, O God. We want to walk as a child of God, as a brother or sister in Christ. Encourage us. Strengthen our commitment. Walk with us in Spirit, leading and guiding us to walk the walk that we have chosen. Keep us faithful and true. Amen.


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Love Poured Out

Reading: Psalm 90:13-17

Psalm 90:14 – “Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy at the end of our lives.”

Credit: Rebecca Gelaney

Continuing in the Psalm of Moses, we jump to verses 13-17. These verses reveal the ebb and flow of connection to God. In the opening verse Moses asks a question we often ask in times of hardship or suffering: How long? This question is fueled by the feeling that God is not present or, worse yet, is absent. Moses cries out for God to act and, by doing so, to become tangibly present. In reality, God is always with us. God is always present.

Hope and presence return to Moses in verse 14, where he writes, “Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy at the end of our lives.” This is a request for daily presence with proof: joy. Every morning, joy. It is good to awaken each morning, to connect into and to sense God’s presence, to allow the joy to well up within us. To seek this joy and to hold tight to God each day keeps us walking in faith. And it works against us yearning for or returning to our former years, to a time of misery and evil. Those “old self” things pull at us even as we are walking in faith. Yes, Lord, fill us with joy and gladness and good!

Moses closes with an eye to the future. He wants the children, the next generation, to see God’s hand at work. This builds their foundation of faith. The prophet closes with a double request to “make our efforts successful.” God has walked with Moses and with the Israelites. He desires to see this continue, so that Israel will be blessed with joy and gladness and faith. We also desire for faith to grow in our children and one day to be passed on to the next generation. O Lord, may it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, pour your love into our hearts every morning, filling us with joy and presence, with hope and trust. Take that love and all that comes with it, O God, and pour it out into others – our children, our brothers and sisters in Christ, our friends, and, yes, even into the stranger on the street. Amen.


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Exalt the Lord!

Reading: Psalm 99

Psalm 99:5 – “Exalt the Lord our God! Bow low before his feet, for he is holy!”

The first five verses of Psalm 99 remind us of God’s majesty, power, and greatness. These verses remind us of God’s holiness and of God’s love of justice and all that is right and good. At the end of this section, we too hear the invitation: “Exalt the Lord our God! Bow low before his feet, for he is holy!” God is definitely worthy of our praise and worship. We bow before the Lord our God in humble awe when we pause to recognize the one who causes the whole earth to quake.

And just when it begins to feel like God is way up there somewhere and we are way down there somewhere, the psalmist reminds us that God is present with us. Moses, Aaron, and Samuel had intimate, personal relationships with God. They cried out. God heard and answered. There is hope for us! Long ago, God spoke through the clouds on mountain tops and through the prophets. God continues to speak through the Holy Spirit within each of us. The prophetic voice has not been lost. It has been multiplied many, many times over. It is within us all.

Verse 8 offers a bit of a reality check. Moses, Aaron, Samuel… also sinned and fell short of the glory of God. God forgave and restored them. We too walk this path, in spite of the Holy Spirit’s best efforts. God continues to forgive and restore. Yes, may we worship and exalt the Lord our God! God is holy. And God is with us. Thanks be to God!

Prayer: Lord God, you are amazing, awesome, wonderful! You deserve all of the glory and praise. All of it! And yet you are right here with us. Your Spirit dwells in us always. Please continue to walk with us, to lift us back up when we fall down. Hold us daily in your love. Amen.


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Joy and Peace

Reading: Philippians 4:1-7

Philippians 4:6 – “Don’t be anxious about anything; rather, bring up all your requests to God in your prayers and petitions, along with giving thanks.”

Photo credit: Hannah Skelly

Turning to Paul’s letter to the Philippians today and tomorrow, we close out a week of hard passages with hopeful words about standing firm in the faith. Reminding us of how hard this can be, in verse 2 Paul calls for reconciliation between Euodia and Syntyche. Following Jesus’ conflict resolution guidance, Paul invites a mediator and other members of the church to get involved to heal this broken relationship.

In verses 4-7 Paul then encourages us to be glad or to rejoice in the Lord and he gives us guidance on how to always have joy in the Lord. In verse 6 Paul writes, “Don’t be anxious about anything; rather, bring up all your requests to God in your prayers and petitions, along with giving thanks.” There is much in this life and in our world that can make us anxious or afraid or angry or worried or… Paul invites us to hold onto joy even in the difficult times of life. Step 1 is prayer. Bring our petitions and our pleadings to God. Why? Because God is near and because God hears and responds. How do we know this? We turn to the next step.

We cannot miss step 2: “along with giving thanks.” Prayer cannot be just about asking God for this or that. Prayer must also include praising and giving thanks for God’s presence in our lives. This step is an act of gratitude that builds our humility and leads to a willingness to surrender our lives and all situations to the Lord. It is through these actions that we experience “the peace of God that exceeds all understanding.” It is a peace that allows us to rejoice in the Lord always. Thanks be to God!

Prayer: Lord God, as we daily offer our thanksgiving and praise in our prayers, build up our memories of your presence. The times when you have been there, when you rescued or redeemed us, when you led or guided us through the valley – they build our trust and faith. From this firm foundation, walk daily with us in the good, in the bad, and in the in-between, filling us with your joy and your peace. Amen.


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“I Am the Lord”

Reading: Exodus 20:1-4

Exodus 20:3 – “You must have no other gods before me.”

Photo credit: Paul Pastourmatzis

For the first three days this week, we will work through the Ten Commandments. While very well-known, these commands are foundational to faithful living. In the story of God’s people, they arrive at Mount Sinai and set up camp. Up on the mountain there is thunder and lightning and a great cloud. God is present. Moses goes up the mountain to hear from God. In today’s verses we read the first two commandments.

Moses’ encounter with God begins with this declaration: “I am the Lord your God.” This statement is followed by two commands that focus on living into this declaration. The first is this: “You must have no other gods before me.” Command two is like an addendum: “Do not make an idol for yourselves.” In our day, when we think of “gods” as imaginary beings in the sky, these ideas seem almost silly. But for the Israelites, living in a time when all the other nations worshipped many different gods, these commands set Israel apart – radically and completely. But Israel would long struggle with the worship of false gods. Again and again they sought to be like those around them and to fit in rather than to stand out or be set apart for God.

This is precisely where these commands hit home today. While far from the gods of Moses’ day, we can treat status, beauty, wealth, popularity, and such like a god that we worship, love, and trust. And while not carved from stone or wood, we can place possessions and titles and other things of this world on the throne of our hearts. It is not difficult to find “gods” to chase after, to prioritize, to hoard, and even to worship. Yes, we too need to be frequently reminded: “I am the Lord your God.” O Lord, may it be so day by day.

Prayer: Lord God, we know the charge is to set our minds on Christ, to focus daily on imitating Christ with our lives. Yet we can turn from this time together, opening an app or turning on the television, and temptation is right there. The call of the world and the allure of its ways are ever before us. O Lord, strengthen and encourage us. Be present within us. Lead and guide us to walk faithfully with you. Amen.


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Seeking God – Regularly

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

Psalm 105:4 – “Pursue the Lord and his strength; seek his face always!”

Photo credit: Rainier Ridao

Psalm 105 spans a vast swath of Israel’s history. The author recounts God’s acts on Israel’s behalf from the time of Abraham through their entry into the Promised Land. The Psalm, however, does not recount every act of God recorded in the scriptures. In this Psalm we find more of a highlight reel. Our remembrance of God’s activity in our life usually works the same way. We quickly recall the big blessings and the great rescues. But when we put in some effort, when we really reflect on our journey of faith, we realize that there are many more times when God became present to us – many more than on our highlight reel.

In the second half of our reading, the psalmist recounts the time just after the final plague through Joshua leading Israel through the Jordan River. The author also recalls the manna and quail and the water from a rock. These are but four of many times that God was present and active during their time in the wilderness. The psalmist does not include the golden calf and other rebellion, grumbling, and complaining. If we told our whole story of faith, we’d have stories like these too. The times of sin, of no faith, of struggle – all parts of our journey that shape and form us into who God created us to be.

Verses 1-6 are mostly about praising God for all that God has done for Israel. But tucked in these verses is a great encouragement: “Pursue the Lord and his strength; seek his face always!” In life, we naturally do this in the highs and lows. But life is mostly lived in between. So we need to be intentional about pursuing and seeking God regularly. We pursue God by creating times and places set apart for daily time with God. It can be a quiet time in the morning. It can be worship on Sunday. We seek God by being intentional about pausing at moments throughout our day to reflect on God’s presence in that day. Maybe it is a quick moment of thanksgiving before your meals. Maybe it is on the commute. May we all be intentional about pursuing and seeking the Lord our God.

Prayer: Lord God, we praise you for the many ways that you have been with your people through the ages. And we praise you and offer our thanksgiving for your involvement in our daily lives. Lead and guide us to see you often, bringing us to spontaneous moments of praise. Amen.


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Day by Day, Step by Step

Reading: Exodus 16:6-12

Exodus 16:12d – “Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.”

Grain by grain

In our reading from day two in Exodus 16, Moses and Aaron relay God’s decision to the people. God’s response is prefaced by why God is responding to the people’s complaints: so they will know that it was God who brought them out of Egypt. I’d always questioned why they would need a reminder. They’d just survived the death of the firstborn, walked through a sea, witnessed the total destruction of Pharaoh’s army, and experienced God turning bitter water sweet. But yesterday in a small group study at church, I heard a new thought. It was pointed out that Israel was still so new to the faith. Israel was just getting reacquainted with God.

Having heard the people’s complaints, a loving God responds with meat in the evening and bread in the morning. Through Aaron and Moses, God then invites the people to draw near to God. The glorious presence of the Lord is revealed in the cloud that has been leading Israel on their desert journey. After this experience and the receiving of the meat and bread, God declares, “Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.” God’s day by day presence through provision will remind the Israelites that God is always with them.

In our wilderness experiences, we often cry out to God. And like it was with the Israelites, God always hears our cries. Sometimes God will meet an immediate and pressing need. But more often than not, God’s response is tailored to our deeper needs. And that, like with Israel, is to strengthen our faith and to deepen our trust in God. When we surrender to God’s plan and purposes, we find grace for the journey ahead. And step by step, we come to know that God is always with us.

Prayer: Lord God, when we find ourselves in a desert place or in a wilderness experience, remind us of your presence. We are grateful for the times when you provide food or strength or something else to meet our need. Open our eyes to see the ways not so obvious – the ways you respond that deepen our faith or that work to refine or renew us. Thank you for your constant presence. Amen.


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The Pointed Question

Reading: Romans 14:1-6

Romans 14:5b – “Each person must have their own convictions.”

As human beings, we are taught early on that the best is the most important. On the playground, children run races to see who is the fastest. In the classroom, students look around to see who got the highest score on the spelling quiz or math test. This continues. Who is the lead violin in the school orchestra or the starting quarterback on the football team? What college did you get into? And it continues. Who got the promotion? Who has the newest, greatest cell phone? What neighborhood do you live in? Sadly, we learn quite well how to judge, categorize, and label.

Apparently this was the reality of Paul’s day in the church in Rome. (And very likely everywhere else.) Jews and Gentiles came together to form new Christian faith communities. Some brought Jewish dietary practices with them. Others did not. Some honored the Sabbath – Saturday. Others honored the Lord’s day – Sunday. The judging, categorizing, and labeling kicked in. This led to “my way is right” thinking – and is therefore better. So… your way is less than, wrong…

Paul asks this pointed question: “Who are you to judge…?” He then reminds those in the Roman church that they will all stand before the Lord. The same is true for us. The apostle then adds, “Each person must have their own convictions.” This remains an important thing to remember today. As we grow and mature in our faith, what is holy and good and just grows too. An “acceptable” behavior is no longer acceptable as we grow in Christ. Our convictions mature. We all grow and mature at different rates and in different ways. May we remember love and grace not only for others, but also for ourselves.

Prayer: Lord God, guide us to love and see and act with love and grace. Lead us to encourage others, to lift others up. And when we’re tempted to judge… remind us that we stand before you too – both daily in this life and one day in the life to come. Amen.