pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: open eyes


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Humble Servant

Reading: Matthew 23:8-12

Matthew 23:11 – “The greatest among you must be a servant.”

Photo credit: Clay Banks

In the second half of this week’s gospel lesson, Jesus stresses the equality we share as children of God. Each and every one of us is created by God, made as God intends us to be. God loves us all exactly the same. There is nothing we can do or not do to change that reality.

The rabbis in Jesus’ day were much like Jesus. They gathered to themselves a group of disciples, and they taught them their interpretation of the scriptures. Most young Jewish boys wanted to be a rabbi when they grew up, like many today who want to grow up and play in the NFL or NBA or… The thinning out process was much the same. Many dreamed of being a rabbi but very, very few ever made the grade. Speaking into this hierarchical system, Jesus reminds his disciples that they have “only one teacher.” He is not speaking of himself, but of God. Jesus is reminding them of the supremacy of God. This is also what he is getting at as he tells the disciples not to call anyone else “Father.” He is not talking literally here. Because God’s love and mercy never fail, God will always be elevated above all earthly figures.

Verses 11 and 12 connect back to verses 1-7, where Jesus addressed the words, actions, and behaviors of the religious leaders of his day. In verse 11 we read, “The greatest among you must be a servant.” Jesus is not saying that people can’t be “great.” He is saying that even the great must be servants too. A servant focuses on loving God and neighbor. They serve without regard for themselves. Jesus modeled this. He is our example of humble service. Jesus calls us to walk in his footsteps. When we do serve others in humility, we too will be exalted by God, just as Jesus was exalted. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, open our eyes to see the people and the opportunities that you bring our way today. Eyes opened to see, move our hearts to action. Put into action, use us to serve others, sharing your love and our love with them. 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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Blessings

Reading: Matthew 14:13-20

Matthew 13:20 – “Everyone ate until they were full, and they filled twelve baskets with the leftovers.”

This week’s gospel lesson is about compassion, challenge, provision, and abundance. These four things were a part of Jesus’ life and they should be a part of our lives. It is not always easy to practice these four things. As our story opens, it is one of those times. Jesus is grieving and wants to be alone. But the crowds follow him. He could send them away or he could try harder to escape their presence. But, instead, he chooses compassion. This leads Jesus to heal many people. Inferring how many from the rest of the story, I bet Jesus healed every single person who came forward for healing. All.

At the end of his long day, the disciples suggest dismissing the crowd so that they can get some food. Compassion. But Jesus challenges them: “You give them something to eat.” Just as Jesus’ emotional tank was about empty as the day began, the disciples have just five loaves and two fish among them. I imagine there was a very uncomfortable stare, pausing on each of the twelve, before Jesus said, “Bring them to me.” From next to nothing comes provision and abundance. The food is blessed. It gets distributed. We read, “Everyone ate until they were full, and they filled twelve baskets with the leftovers.” All eat. A huge crowd is fed. And all twelve disciples have a basket full of leftovers. A blessing upon a blessing!

The miracles begin with compassion. God works through faith and a willing heart. How might God use what you think is meager – or next to nothing – to feed or clothe or house or heal or… others? Where do you feel compassion? See the need and allow the Holy Spirit to stir your heart. Take on the challenge: step forward in faith and trust. Offering what you have opens the gates for God’s abundance to flow. Where is the need in your world?

Prayer: Lord God, sadly, there are needs all around. Poverty, loneliness, hunger, loss, abuse, illness, oppression – all around. Open our eyes and stir our hearts. Move us to action and service. As we offer what we can, multiply it by your power, O Lord. Use us to bless others. Amen.