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Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

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A Sacred Encounter

Reading: Genesis 32:22-24

Genesis 32:24 – “But Jacob stayed apart by himself, and a man wrestled with him until dawn broke.”

Photo credit: Mitchel Lensink

As we begin, some context from the start of chapter 32. Jacob is returning home. He is doing as God directed. As he gets close he hears that Esau is approaching with 400 soldiers. Esau is the one who had his birth rite stolen by Jacob. When Jacob fled, Esau was threatening murder. In fear and terror Jacob comes up with a plan. If Esau can’t be bought off, maybe some will escape while the rest are captured or killed or… Then Jacob prays for safety, even as he tries to barter with God. He then adds a level of security for himself. As we turn to our reading for today, we see that Jacob places all that is his – wives, children, servants, livestock – across the Jabbok River and retreats back across – alone.

Alone – just where he needs to be right now to encounter God. In verse 24 we read, “But Jacob stayed apart by himself, and a man wrestled with him until dawn broke.” This is much more than a physical struggle. Likely in response to Jacob’s prayers, wheeling and dealing, and scheming, God has come to wrestle with Jacob spiritually. In the wrestling, God confronts Jacob’s fears, lack of faith and trust, and his prideful, sinful ways. In the end, after transformation, Jacob refuses to let go of God. The physical and spiritual have come together. Once blessed, renamed “Israel,” he will face the day knowing that God is with him.

When we find time and space to be alone with God, to lay our fears, doubts, and worries before God, we too will find that God is ready to wrestle with us. God will meet us at our point of need and will help us to wrestle through, transforming us and our faith. Making time and space for a sacred encounter, we can count on our faithful God to show up and to work in us. May we trust in our faithful, loving God.

Prayer: Lord God, draw us into times and places where we can encounter your presence. Still our racing, often fearful, minds and hearts so that we can receive what you have to say and give. With open hearts and minds, transform us, bringing us to a place of deeper faith and greater trust. Thank you, Lord. Amen.


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Thanksgiving and Praise

Reading: Psalm 105:1-6

Psalm 105:1 – “Give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make his deeds known to all people!”

Photo credit: Pablo Heimplatz

Psalm 105 is a call to worship. Yes, it was a call to worship long ago for the Israelites. And it is a call to us today to worship God in the ways that we live out our faith in the Lord our God. The Psalm begins with this invitation: “Give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make his deeds known to all people!” There are three parts to this invitation. First, give thanks. Whether through prayer, a journal, or both, daily thank God for your blessings, large and small. This practice of gratitude is good for our soul. Second, call on God’s name. This could be calling on God’s name in prayers and petitions. And it could be seeking God’s guidance and direction in our lives. And third, witness to your faith. Share the story of what God has done and is doing so that others might be drawn to our Lord and Savior.

These basic invitations are echoed in verses two and three: Sing, give praise, rejoice in the Lord! In verse four we’re invited to pursue or seek God’s presence and strength. While God is ever present and ever willing to be a part of our lives, God will not barge in or force the issue. God waits for us to “open the door,” and then God enters in. Invite God in!

Verses five and six invite us into acts of remembering. These are both personal and corporate. Remember God’s wonderful and marvelous works in your life and in the world around you. Remember through thanksgiving and praise. Recall God’s acts of justice – in your life and in our world. Offer thanks and sing! And remember who and whose you are: “children of Jacob… chosen.” For our place in the family of God, may we lift a celebratory and joyous word of prayer or a song of praise to the Lord our God!

Prayer: Lord God, we pause and offer our thanks for all you do in our lives to lead and guide us, to strengthen and encourage us, to forgive and redeem us, to restore and save us. You are an amazing, awesome, wonderful God! Thank you for choosing us and for being our God. Amen.


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Always Faithful and Good

Reading: Genesis 24:34-38 and 42-49

Genesis 24:35 – “Go to my father’s household and to my relatives and choose a wife for my son.”

In our Genesis story, the focus is beginning to shift to the next generation. Isaac has grown up and Sarah dies at 127. Abraham considers his legacy and decides to find a wife for his son Isaac. At the start of chapter 24 Abraham has the oldest servant in his household take an oath to find Isaac a wife, telling him, “Go to my father’s household and to my relatives and choose a wife for my son.” The servant swears allegiance to this mission. Abraham desires a wife for his son that is faithful to the Lord his God. The actual accomplishment of the mission happens in verses 10-33. Today we begin to read the “God-moment” side of the factual story.

Abraham’s servant willingly followed his master’s vision for a wife for Isaac. We can see that at least a little of Abraham’s faith in God has rubbed off on this Canaanite servant. He recounts the story to Rebekah’s family with God guiding each step. Sometimes events unfold in our lives in this way. We can see how God is guiding each step, providing each word, opening every door. We, as the servant clearly was, are awed to be a part of God’s unfolding plan. Other times, however, we stumble and bumble along, yet still end up right where God needs us to be. In hindsight we can see God’s fingerprints all over the place. We know God was with us, leading and guiding all the time. From both of these kinds of God-moments, we learn to trust God more deeply and to follow God more closely because we come to increasingly know that God is always faithful and good. Thanks be to God!

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for always being at work in our lives – whether we are aware of it or not. Open our eyes and our spirits to be more sensitive to your abiding presence, guidance, and direction. Continue to build our faith and trust in you, O God. Amen.


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Receiving Christ

Reading: Matthew 10:40-42

Matthew 10:40 – “Those who receive you are also receiving me, and those who receive me are receiving the one who sent me.”

Turning to this week’s gospel lesson, Jesus is preparing his disciples to be sent out into the world. All of chapter 10 is a teaching lesson, preparing and equipping the twelve to go out to preach the good news and to heal the sick. As this too is our mission, chapter 10 is always good review material! Jesus closes this teaching with some words about “rewards.” Leading into this, he tells them, “Those who receive you are also receiving me, and those who receive me are receiving the one who sent me.” There is a connection here. It is the same for us when we share the good news and someone turns to Christ as Lord and Savior. If someone receives us and the good news of what Jesus has done in our lives, they also receive Jesus and, in turn, they receive God into their life.

In verses 41 and 42 Jesus speaks of rewards: receive a prophet (or righteous person) and receive their rewards. The primary reward is a relationship with the Lord our God. To be intimately connected, to be indwelled with the Spirit’s presence, this is the primary reward. This leads to many secondary rewards. To walk daily with the Lord brings love, joy, hope, peace, grace, patience, forgiveness, self-control… These are what we receive when we seek to daily live a holy life. This is what Paul was writing about in Romans 6 this week. As we seek to reflect Christ and his love to the world, may the Spirit open doors and hearts for the glory of the Lord to be revealed!

Prayer: Lord God, use us today to be sharers of the good news. Fill us with the power and presence of the Holy Spirit and send us out into the world to shine Jesus’ light and love. As others hear our good news stories, open their hearts to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Amen.


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God Is Waiting

Reading: Psalm 13:1-2

Psalm 13:1a – “How long will you forget me, Lord? Forever?”

Photo credit: Nathan Dumlao

In Psalm 13, David asks a question we often want to ask God: “How long…?” Living in a world where faster is better, where instant is preferred over slow-cooked, waiting is hard. The difficulty can escalate quickly. In a rush, we hop in the drive-through line. But the person in front of us takes forever ordering a lengthy list and the other lane is moving much faster and… Difficulty can ramp up in our faith too. God loves and cares for us. God sees and hears us. God is on our side. And the trial or hardship goes on and on and on…

David gives us an important example here in Psalm 13. In our culture we’re taught to tough it out, to pull up our bootstraps (or pants) and to just work/try harder. We’re taught to keep our emotions – especially our tears, gentlemen – to ourselves. David does just the opposite. He comes to God with the question: “How long will you forget me, Lord? Forever?” He asks the question with emotion. He feels forgotten. God seems distant. David feels all alone. God isn’t helping him in his time of distress – at all!

We too can find ourselves in these places. We too will want to question God, to maybe even rant a bit. God is good with this. Our God wants all of us. God desires to have an open, honest, and transparent relationship with us. God desires to be present in the good, in the bad, and everywhere in between. May we meet God in all of these places. God is waiting.

Prayer: Lord God, you don’t just want our polished, social media ready image. You want the full us – because you love us unconditionally. You lean in when we lean in. You are present even when we feel all alone, even when we shout, “How long?!” You are responding even in the waiting. Continue to shape and form us as you see best. Amen.


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Many Hagars and Ishmeals

Reading: Genesis 21:8-14

Genesis 21:14a – “Abraham… took some bread and a flask of water, and gave it to Hagar. He put the boy in her shoulder sling and sent her away.”

Continuing in chapter 21 this week, Isaac has grown out of infancy. He is no longer nursing. No longer dependent upon just Sarah, Abraham throws a big party to celebrate. Abraham’s other son, Ishmael, is about 14 years old. Sarah sees him enjoying himself at the party and she makes a decision: he must go. Ishmael will not share in her son’s inheritance. While we might be shocked by her decision, it has been a long time in the making.

Soon after Ishmael was born, tension and strife arose between Sarah and Hagar. Sarah became jealous and envious. So, using her power over Hagar, Sarah severely mistreated Hagar. It was so bad, Hagar ran away. But God saw Hagar and her suffering. The Lord guided her back into Abraham’s household. Hagar continued to experience and endure harsh treatment from Sarah. Similar things happen today in situations where a person or group has power over others. Immigrants are mistreated by employers. The working poor are taken advantage of by payday lenders, greedy landlords, and others eager to exploit them. Non-whites are targets of unjust systems, profiling, and discrimination. Yes, there are many Hagars and Ishmeals in our day.

Abraham is greatly upset by Sarah’s decision. God offers assurances and a promise, making Abraham feel better about his role in the abuse. But what about Hagar and Ishmael? In verse 14a we read, “Abraham… took some bread and a flask of water, and gave it to Hagar. He put the boy in her shoulder sling and sent her away.” Bearing and raising his child all these years, enduring abuse from his wife all these years – and this is the result? Ishmael is old enough to understand what is happening too. Abraham has been “Dad” for 14 years, treating Ishmael as an only child, a gift in old age. And now this? Sent into the desert to die?

Let us sit with the emotions of the abused and discarded for a while. We finish the story tomorrow. Feel the feels for a day.

Prayer: Lord God, oh how we feel for Hagar and Ishmael. Fourteen years of feeling less than, always powerless and voiceless. Fourteen years of putting one’s head down, enduring abuse, just getting through. And now this: abandoned, sent away, evicted. God, don’t let the feels be limited to this story. Open our eyes and hearts to the Hagars and Ishmeals in our own communities. And move us beyond seeing. Move us to action. May we be the voice and strength for the voiceless, the powerless, the weak. Amen.


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Open Hearts

Reading: Matthew 10:5-23

Matthew 10:7 – “As you go, make this announcement: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.'”

Photo credit: Paz Arando

Having named and empowered the twelve, moving forward in chapter 10, Jesus gives the disciples instructions for when they go out into the world. The first is this: “As you go, make this announcement: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.'” We recall how Jesus did this in the ordinary, daily living of his life. In all that he said and did, Jesus proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God. His vocation was prophet, preacher, and healer. For some of us, ministry may be our vocation too. But for many it is not. Many are bankers or construction workers or nurses or stay-at-home parents or… Yet make no mistake, all who call on Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are called to proclaim and to bring near to others the good news with our lives. While I do offer a message on Sundays and teach a small group here and there, much of the work of my witness to the world occurs outside of the physical church building.

As the passage continues to unfold, we note how Jesus tells us to go. Don’t take a bunch of stuff with you – all you need is in your heart. Don’t expect everyone to instantly commit their lives to Jesus Christ – maybe a few will but it is a process for most. Expect to be harassed and maybe even abused. The good news convicts sin. Change is hard. Move from place to place, person to person. Be present and meet needs – physical, emotional, spiritual… Trust that the Holy Spirit will give you the words to say in the moment. Trust that your compassion and love will touch many hearts, opening the door for Jesus to enter those hearts. As we work to bring near and to build the kingdom in our time and place, may the Lord bless the harvest!

Prayer: Lord God, open our hearts to your presence. Fill us with your Spirit and open our eyes to see those you place in our lives. Seeing, give us the words to say and show us the steps to take so that the list may be drawn to you. Use us today to bring the good news to the world. Amen.


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Through Faith

Reading: Romans 4:13-17

Romans 4:16 – “The inheritance comes through faith, so that it will be on the basis of God’s grace.”

In Paul’s letter to the Romans, he references Abraham and his faith. For Paul and others working to welcome the Gentiles (all non-Jews) into the “church,” Abraham was a key Old Testament figure. For the Jews, he was the father of Israel, one of the pillars of their faith. Abraham’s radical obedience to God made him one of the Jew’s primary examples of faith lived out. An absolute obedience to God was important for those in the body of Christ too. Being the persecuted minority, it took a great amount of faith and obedience to stay true to Christ.

In our Romans passage, Paul points to two facts about Abraham that were relevant for the church of his day. In Rome (and in other places) there were serious tensions between the Jewish Christians and the Gentile Christians. The former wanted the latter to basically become Jews first, Christians second. This meant following the Law. Hold on, says Paul. First, he reminds them all that God “appointed” Abraham to be “the father of many nations.” It is not just the Jews who will be blessed through Abraham’s example of faith. For Paul, this meant that all peoples would be welcome in the body of Christ.

Addressing the main tension, Paul turns to the Law and Abraham. He reminds those holding onto the Law as the admission price to the church that Abraham was declared righteous long before the Law even existed. Therefore, “The inheritance comes through faith, so that it will be on the basis of God’s grace.” God’s promises come through faith. Like it was with Abraham – “our father in the eyes of God” – to all who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, God will “give life to the dead.” All who have faith in Jesus Christ will inherit eternal life and all of the other promises. Not through the Law, but through grace. As it was in the early church, may it be so for you and for me.

Prayer: Lord God, father of us all, thank you for opening wide the doors of your church. Long ago you established faith as the point of entry. Even so, today we can still try to limit access – sometimes very intentionally, sometimes in ways that we don’t always see or recognize. Lord, break down these barriers and open our eyes to other ways we can limit access to the body of Christ. Make us a people who see and treat all as they are: all created by you in your image, all worthy of a place at the table of grace. Amen.


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Eyes Opened, Hearts Warmed

Reading: Luke 24:30-35

Luke 24:32 – “Weren’t our hearts on fire as he spoke to us along the road?”

As we continue in Luke 24, Jesus takes a place at the table with his two disciples. They have been on a seven mile journey, so they’re likely ready to eat. When Jesus takes and breaks the bread, blesses it and gives it to them, “Their eyes were opened and they recognized him.” In the movement and words of communion, recognition comes to these disciples. Presence becomes real. Eyes are fully opened. And then Jesus disappears.

After this encounter the two disciples say to each other, “Weren’t our hearts on fire as he spoke to us along the road?” Something was stirring, something was at work. We too feel this at times. The Holy Spirit tries to stir us to action or tries to open our eyes or heart or mind to something or someone. We feel a nudge to go to that place. We hear a whisper calling us to visit or text or call that person. And when we are willing, brave even, and take that step of faith, we too encounter the risen Christ as our hearts blaze with love for God and for the other.

But this is a step that we can initially struggle to take. Once in a while we’re lucky like the two disciples were. Jesus makes himself present. After each of these encounters and after the moments when we did take a step of faith, we become more and more empowered to do as these two disciples did. We tell others our Jesus story. Some of the time it is literally telling others about our Jesus. Most of the time, though, it is allowing that encounter or that experience to change us, to fill us with the good news, equipping us to live out our faith more boldly. Doing so, others come to know Christ’s love for them. In all that we say and do, may it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, we rejoice in those encounters with you, in those times when you open our eyes and warm our hearts. These encounters are powerful and transforming. Keep our eyes open and our hearts willing, O God. Then send us out. Use us to share the good news of Jesus Christ with the world. Amen.


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Encounters

Reading: Luke 24:13-29

Luke 24:25 – “Then Jesus said to them, ‘You foolish people! Your dull minds keep you from believing all that the prophets talked about.'”

Photo credit: Josh Calabrese

Today and tomorrow we walk with the Emmaus road disciples. This story is found only in Luke’s gospel. This encounter takes place on that first Sunday, on the day of Jesus’ resurrection. Two of Jesus’ disciples are walking to Emmaus. It might be “home.” They were talking about recent events: Jesus’ arrest and all that followed. They share all of this with Jesus as he joins them, noting that they had hoped that this Jesus was the one to redeem Israel. They do not recognize this stranger that they walk with as Jesus.

Jesus admonishes them, saying, “You foolish people! Your dull minds keep you from believing all that the prophets talked about.” He reminds them that these recent events were necessary. Jesus then unpacks the scriptures for them, starting with Moses, working his way through the prophets. What a Bible lesson this must have been! Today’s reading ends with the disciples inviting Jesus to stay the night with them.

We might wonder how the disciples could walk with Jesus and not recognize him. Yet, how many times did I encounter Jesus yesterday and fail to recognize him? Was it in the words of that tour guide? Was it in the smile of that older woman? Was it in the welcome clearly present in that gathering spot? Jesus is present to us in so many ways. Where did you encounter Jesus yesterday?

Prayer: Lord God, first, thank you for the many ways that you are present to us. You come alive in the red letters. Your Spirit moves us and speaks into our hearts and minds. But we also miss you here and there, sometimes everywhere. So, Lord, open our eyes and hearts to see you in the world around us – in the people, in the signs, in the encounters. Eyes and hearts open, touch our lives. Amen.