pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

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Kingdom Builders

Reading: Matthew 13:44-52

Matthew 13:46 – “When he found one very precious pearl, he went and sold all he owned and bought it.”

Photo credit: Markus Spiske

Today we turn to three more parables about the kingdom of heaven. In the first two, Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a treasure and to “one very precious pearl.” In both parables, once discovered, it was all that was desired. In the second parable we read, “When he found one very precious pearl, he went and sold all he owned and bought it.” The first of the great commands invites us to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. This is about being all in for the kingdom of God.

The third parable is the culmination of this mini-series on the kingdom of heaven. When we allow our faith to grow and permeate all of our life, like the mustard seed and yeast, then our faith becomes the most important thing in our life. All that we do, say, and think is done for and out of our love of God. We are led and guided by Jesus’ Spirit. When the net is cast and the angels sort the good and the bad, we who love God will go “into the container.” The bad “fish” will be tossed into the burning furnace. Heaven or hell – the final judgment.

As followers of Jesus Christ who seek to love God with all that we are, we focus now on the building of the kingdom of heaven here on earth. Through our lives, our witness, and our example, others experience the kingdom of God. As we seek to be kingdom builders, may we offer all of ourselves to others so that they too may come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Prayer: Lord God, help us to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus Christ. Focus our heart, mind, soul, and strength on loving you and on loving neighbor. Encourage us to be generous with our blessings. In all things, use us to glorify you as we seek to build the kingdom of heaven here on earth. Amen.


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If So… If not…

Readings: Psalm 119:108 and Matthew 13:18-23

Psalm 119:108 – “Please, Lord, accept my spontaneous gifts of praise. Teach me your rules!”

Today’s verse from Psalm 119 expresses gratitude and a desire to know God more. The psalmist offers praise as an expression of thanksgiving and worship, which leads to a request for God to respond by revealing more of God to his or her heart. This is a great example of what it means to love the Lord with all of one’s heart, soul, mind, and strength. To love this way – it always seeks to deepen that love. With this example in mind, we turn to Matthew 13.

In verses 18-23 Jesus explains the parable that we read yesterday. Each soil type relates to both a person’s readiness to accept Jesus and to the outcomes of each type of “soil.” Considering the psalmist – at least in today’s verse – he or she would be “good soil.” They are grateful for their relationship with God and are eager to grow that connection deeper and stronger. Knowing God more, in turn, leads to making God more known. This is the bearing of fruit that Jesus refers to.

Are you like the psalmist? Do you thank God each day for all that God has done? Do you daily seek to know God more? if so, alleluia and amen! If not, what is the condition of your soil? And, even more important than honest assessment, how are you going to work the soil of your heart to better love God with all that you are? Maybe it begins with some spontaneous praise and thanksgiving. Maybe it includes a little more study, meditation, and prayer. Decide and act. It’s your soul!

Prayer: Lord God, each kindness, each blessing, each brush with the divine – all potential fertilizer for our faith. Lord, help us to realize this potential: slow us down, help us to pause and reflect on your presence in our lives. Lead us to rejoicing and thanksgiving, to awe and to praise. Ready our hearts to receive more and more of you. Amen.


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To Keep Our Promises

Reading: Psalm 116:12-19

Psalm 116:14 – “I’ll keep the promises I made to the Lord.”

Returning to Psalm 116 today, we hear the psalmist expressing thanksgiving for “all the good things” that God has done in his or her life. To give thanks – this is such an important part of life. Whether or not one believes in God or in any higher power, giving thanks as a daily practice in life naturally makes life better. To be intentionally thankful reminds us that we are not the center of the universe. This practice builds up both gratitude and humility, empowering us to live as good and decent human beings in this world.

For the psalmist and for the believer today, to give thanks also fosters a response. This begins in verse 13. The faithful will celebrate God’s acts of salvation. For Christians, we formally do this whenever we celebrate communion. Informally, we do this whenever we praise God for mercy, grace, guidance, protection, forgiveness… The faithful also regularly communicate with God through our prayer practices. Then, in verse 14, the psalmist professes, “I’ll keep the promises I made to the Lord.” We too, as followers of Christ, strive to keep our promises to God.

As a follower of Jesus, I believe keeping the promises centers on keeping the two great commands: to love God with all that we are and to love our neighbors as Jesus first loved us. Jesus himself taught that all of the other commandments in scripture hang on these two commands to love. These intertwined commands lead us to live as Jesus lived in the world. As we daily strive to keep our promises to God, may love ever be at the center.

Prayer: Lord God, when we begin our days with thanks, it places us in the right space of heart and mind to love you and to love others. O Lord, lead us there. Humility calls us to place self last and gratitude leads to generosity and kindness. O God, make us thankful for your many blessings. With all that we are, Savior and Lord, use us to be your love lived out in the world today and every day. Amen.


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Loved, Seen, Heard

Reading: John 4:4-42

John 4:14b – “The water that I give will become in those who drink it a spring of water that bubbles up into eternal life.”

Photo credit: Clay Banks

In this week’s gospel lesson, Jesus meets a woman at the well. They are different in many ways. Some of these differences typically create barriers between folks like them. The man-woman and Jew-Samaritan distinctions that creates division in most cases is not present for Jesus. This woman is seen by Jesus and is loved by Jesus. He draws her into conversation, hearing her express the differences that have been barriers in her life. Jesus works past these barriers that she brings up and is aware of. He offers her the gift of abundant life: “The water that I give will become in those who drink it a spring of water that bubbles up into eternal life.”

The woman at the well is drawn to Jesus – love and welcome and invitation will do that. She returns to town and offers an invitational question to the townspeople: “Could this man be the Christ?” Could this man be the one Jews and Samaritans have been waiting for? Could this man be the one with the power to change your life? Her “come and see” question is an invitation, an evangelistic prompting.

In this story Jesus sets for us an example to follow. He treats this woman as a friend, building a relationship with her. There is no flashy miracle or amazing parable or teaching. Jesus makes her feel loved, seen, and heard. May this be the pattern and example we follow as we meet folks. Doing so, may others come to believe in the Christ.

Prayer: Lord God, lead and guide us today to truly live with open hearts, open minds, and open doors. Open our eyes to see the belovedness in all people. Open our hearts to love all of those created in your image. Open our lives to relationships and conversations that draw people into your love for them. Amen.


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7th Day Practices

Reading: Exodus 24:15-18

Exodus 24:16b – “On the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from the cloud.”

Photo credit: Carolina Jacomin

As we draw near to the day of the Lord, we return to where we began the week, in Exodus 24. God’s “glorious presence” covers the mountain for six days. From down below, the presence of God looks like a “blazing fire.” Perhaps this was above the clouds. Maybe it looked like a lightning storm can when it is moving within the clouds in the sky. Moses spends these six days waiting for God.

In the last part of verse 16 we read, “On the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from the cloud.” On the seventh day God speaks. Moses is then in communion with God for forty days and forty nights. In addition to receiving the Ten Commandments, Moses will receive instructions on the worship of God – on everything from how to build and equip the tabernacle to how to keep and honor the Sabbath.

For Israel, the Sabbath was and is a day set aside to worship the Lord and to rest. For Christians, this seventh day practice falls on Sunday. It is the day we set aside to commune with God, to worship God, and to be renewed in body, mind, and spirit. As we gather tomorrow in worship, may the Lord our God call out to each of us, giving us the words of life. And as we fellowship and spend time in renewing rest, may the Lord our God prepare us to walk as light and love in the world until we gather again on the next day of the Lord.

Prayer: Lord God, draw us into your presence. Help us to hear your call and to respond. Open our ears and hearts to all that you have for us. Guide us to understand your will and way for our lives and for our world. Pour out your blessings on our worship, on our renewal, on our fellowship,and on our daily living. Amen.


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The Power and Presence

Reading: 1st Corinthians 2:1-5

1st Corinthians 2:4 – “My message and my preaching weren’t presented with convincing wise words but with a demonstration of the Spirit and power.”

Photo credit: Kate Remmer

As we begin the first of two days in 1st Corinthians 2, Paul reveals how the wisdom and power of God works in everyday lives. Paul did not come to Corinth preaching with big, fancy words. He did not come with well-polished speeches produced by professional writers. Paul’s focus was first and foremost on Jesus Christ, then on presenting Jesus as crucified (and resurrected and alive.) His attitude was not one of superiority or arrogance. No, Paul recalls how he was there with “weakness, fear, and a lot of shaking.” That can be the feeling when we too are relying on the Holy Spirit to show up and move in and amongst us.

Paul chooses to meet his audience where they are at. Remember, Paul was a “Pharisee amongst Pharisees.” He certainly could have used big words and waxed on eloquently. But, at some point, even in the right intellectual circles, this human wisdom runs out, it falls short. The power of the cross that flows through the Holy Spirit – it is boundless and endless. It can rescue the greatest sinner and it can humble the most arrogant saint. This is because the Spirit meets us where we are at and, if we are willing, will take us where we need to go.

Again and again Paul has personally experienced the power and presence of Christ through the Holy Spirit. This is the foundation of his faith and of his preaching. We too have experienced the power and presence of the Holy Spirit many times in our lives. May this be our foundation as we “preach” Christ to the world, whether in word or deed. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, the essence of you and of who you are resides in our hearts, not in our minds. So as we go out into the world today, guide us to speak and act from the heart, allowing your love, compassion, empathy, grace, peace, hope… to flow into other people’s lives. May our “argument” be guided and fueled and driven by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit living in us. By this power and presence use us to build your kingdom here on earth. Amen.


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The Power

Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:10-18

1 Corinthians 1:18 – “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are being destroyed. But it is the power of God for those of us who are being saved.”

Photo credit: Uta Scholl

Returning to 1st Corinthians this week, we read of Paul encouraging unity in the church. Different groups are following different voices: Paul, Apollos, Cephas, Christ. Speaking into the in-fighting, Paul asks a great question; “Has Christ been divided?” We could ask the same question today. As people of one book, it sure is read, understood, quoted, applied… in a wide variety of ways. Even within a single denomination one can find many branches. It is what our humanity has made it. As a whole, our witness to the world is much broader – lots of choices to find a place of worship that suits you and your needs, wants, desires, understanding… of who and what Jesus is, was, and can be.

And yet… Paul is addressing the division in the church in Corinth because it also weakens their witness to Jesus Christ. The in-fighting is not attractive to those outside the church. We see this today as leaders – religious and political – quote or paraphrase Jesus. And then go act in ways that would enrage Jesus if he were alive today. This should enrage us as well. These “clever words” do empty the cross of its power. The words of Paul found in verse 18 surely ring true yet today: “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are being destroyed. But it is the power of God for those of us who are being saved.” As we live our day today, may we choose to bring to bear the power of the cross found in loving God and neighbor with all of our whole being – heart, mind, hands, and feet.

Prayer: Lord God, may your Holy Spirit keep us closely attuned to the power of your love and of the cross. May our sacrificial love change the world, making it more like your kingdom here on earth. Amen.


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Practice, Practice, Practice

Reading: Philippians 4:4-9

Philippians 4:9 – “Practice these things… The peace of God will be with you.”

Paul begins today’s reading with an encouragement to “Be glad!” The apostle is inviting the Philippian Christians to find joy in all of life. Paul, like us, has his ups and downs in his life and in his faith. He has endured more than most of us will ever come close to enduring. As he writes, Paul sits in prison, likely nearing his death. Even so, his focus, his perspective, his faith – they all find a joy and peace in Christ.

Paul offers us a guide to living with joy and peace in all circumstances. First, treat others gently. This brings to mind various expressions that all remind us that we never know what another person is going through. We should always offer grace. Second, pray. Instead of being anxious about this or that, take it to God in prayer. And take time to give thanks to God for the blessings and for the presence. In prayer and then in life, a peace beyond our circumstances will keep our hearts and minds safe in Jesus Christ.

In verse 8 Paul invites us to focus on the ways of God, on all that is “excellent… and admirable.” Focus on these things and we will find God in them. Paul also encourages us to pay attention to our own thoughts too. He encourages us to focus our thoughts on all that is “true… holy… just… pure… lovely… worthy of praise.” Focusing on these thoughts, we will be Christ to the world.

When we choose to live and practice our faith in these ways, then we will develop a Christ-centered heart and mind. The challenges, the difficult circumstances, they will still come. But when we “Practice these things… The peace of God will be with you.” May it be so for us all.

Prayer: Lord God, walk closely with us, strengthening and encouraging us in each step of faith. In all things, remind us of your love. In all ways, use us as examples of your love. Rooted and grounded in love, guide us to trust in you and lead us to hope in you. Deeply connected, fill us with a peace that leads to joy. Use us to offer these things to the world. Amen.


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The Most Important Thing

Reading: 1st Timothy 2:1-7

1st Timothy 2:1 – “First of all, then, I ask that requests, prayers, petitions, and thanksgiving be made for all people.”

Paul writes to Timothy to instruct him on how to build faithful congregations. These words are based on years and years of experience. This letter includes instructions on personal and communal living, on what and how to preach, and on how to guide a congregation to reveal Christ’s love to the world. In chapter 2 Paul hones in on the most important thing: prayer.

In verse 1 we read, “First of all, then, I ask that requests, prayers, petitions, and thanksgiving be made for all people.” Before you do anything else, pray. For Jesus, for Paul, and for for us, prayer is the foundation and life-blood of our faith. This simple practice is essential. For Paul, these basic conversations with God should include all people. This includes family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, brothers and sisters in Christ, the person you met at the market, leaders… To pray for others is to lift them and their needs to God. In this way, prayer is an act of humility.

For me, almost every day begins with a cup of coffee, sitting quietly on the couch, slowly praying through a long list of names. This is how I choose to begin my day because it focuses my heart and mind for the day ahead. This quiet work aligns me with God so that my words and actions might better reflect God’s love for all people.

Paul encouraged Timothy to model and teach prayer to his congregations. Paul knew from experience that praying congregations were faithful congregations. In and through prayer they found and we will find the power and the strength to live as God’s people in the world. May it be so for you and for me.

Prayer: Lord God, lead and guide us to be faithful first in our prayers. Whether early in the morning or late at night or somewhere in between, through your Holy Spirit ground us in your will and way as we spend quiet moments with you. Open our hearts and minds to hear your voice and to feel your direction for our lives and for our ministries. Amen.


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Live Out These Words

Reading: Matthew 6:9-11

Matthew 6:11 – “Give us the bread we need for today.”

Today’s reading brings us a portion of “The Lord’s Prayer.” It is just three short verses but, as it was with much of what Jesus said, there is a lot to these words. There are three requests of God in these verses. And there are actions and responses required of us.

Verse 9 reads, in part, “uphold the holiness of your name.” Jesus is asking God to keep God’s holiness ever on our hearts and minds. To uphold this requires much of us. First and foremost we recall the charge to be holy as God is holy. Moment by moment we are charged with being like Christ was in the world: holy, yes, but also compassionate, forgiving, generous, empathetic, present.

Verse 10 asks God to “bring in your kingdom.” This asks God to make earth like heaven, to have God’s will done here on earth. This, of course, requires our cooperation and help. It calls us to love and care for “the least of these” and to stand against injustice, oppression, violence… These evils have no place in God’s kingdom – in heaven or here on earth.

Lastly, “Give us the bread we need for today.” This asks God to provide our daily bread – our physical sustenance – and to provide for our other needs too. This is a charge to trust in God. It is not a prayer for God to help us get what we think we need or to empower us so that we can be self-sufficient. No, it is a prayer of surrender, leaning into God’s care and trusting that this will be more than sufficient.

In all ways may we strive to live out these words.

Prayer: Lord God, guide us today to walk in the footsteps of Jesus, hearing your voice, feeling your nudges. Lead us to be in the world as Christ was in the world – loving others more than self, serving humbly and gently. Deepen our trust and faith in you as we experience your power working in us and through us, transforming us and your world. Amen.