pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

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Practical Atheists

Reading: Psalm 14

Psalm 14:1 – “Fools say in their hearts, There is no God. They are corrupt and do evil things.”

Photo credit: Josh Calabrese

Psalm 14 is a prayer song to God. The psalmist is alarmed by the behavior of the leaders and those aligned with them. Verse 1 sums up the difficult situation: “Fools say in their hearts, There is no God. They are corrupt and do evil things.” For context, in ancient Israel a fool was one without fear and reverence for God. This lack of obedience to God was very evident in how these folks lived their lives. Since the politics leaders were the religious leaders, this practice of unfaithful and even ungodly living was doubly bad. The leaders were living a “practical atheism” – they claimed to follow God’s will and way but there was absolutely no evidence of this in their words or actions.

Some actions and behaviors and words were even in direct opposition to the God revealed in the scriptures. These ungodly leaders were “devouring my people,” taking advantage of the poor and powerless for personal gain. These bad leaders were “humiliating” the plans of the poor, maintaining and even touting the gap between those with and those without. So if you read this Psalm and look at the current treatment of refugees and immigrants, at the “power over” dynamics often on display, and at the general disregard for the common good and think that this Psalm sounds like 2025, I am right there with you. Many of our leaders today are practical atheists.

I also want to be right there with you as I invite us all to look within, to consider when and where and how we live as practical atheists. We do so when we judge or gossip or when we withhold grace and forgiveness. We do so when we ignore the whispers and nudges of the Holy Spirit, turning our backs on the hungry, thirsty, sick… We do so when we see injustice or oppression or abuse… and choose preservation of self over standing with and speaking for the vulnerable, for the least of these. When tempted to these ungodly choices, may we remember what the psalmist proclaimed: God is our refuge. With this faith and trust, may we step forward boldly in faithful action.

Prayer: Lord God, it is easy to point fingers. It is much harder to honestly look within. Guide us, O Lord, to remove the planks in our own eyes before we tackle the specks in other’s eyes. Amen.


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Spirit Guidance

Reading: Galatians 5:16-21

Galatians 5:16 – “I say be guided by the Spirit and you won’t carry out your selfish desires.”

At the end of chapter 5 Paul contrasts two ways of living. On one end of the spectrum Paul offers what it looks like to live for self. In the other end he offers what it looks like to live for God. The reality is that our life is seldom one or the other – we almost always live somewhere in between focusing on self and focusing on God. Paul begins the passage for today with these words of wisdom: “I say be guided by the Spirit and you won’t carry out your selfish desires.” This is so because our selfish desires are, in fact, “set against the Spirit,” and vice versa. The selfish and Spirit are “opposed” to each other.

In those times when we allow ourselves to be guided by the Spirit, we do not do whatever we want. Although not under the Law, the Spirit does guide and lead us. (And it convicts and redirects at times.) The Spirit provides what I once heard described as “guardrails.” We bump up against the Spirit once in a while, but it can generally keep us in our journey of faith. Yes, our selfish desires do rise up, even winning out now and then.

Verses 19-21 contain a lengthy list of the actions we can take that are produced by “selfish motives.” At first read I thought I’d just pick out a few of the most common of these 17 actions but now I am struggling to pick a few that rise to the top. These 17 are all part of our current culture and are all therefore potential sins for us all. Yes, how we need the Holy Spirit to ever guide us. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, the divine in us and the human in us are often opposed to each other. They do pull in opposite directions. As we invest in our faith – study, prayer, worship, fellowship, service… – may you build up the divine within each of us. What we “feed” will grow stronger. Guide and bless our daily walk with you, ever leading our journey of faith. Amen.


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Why Jesus Came

Reading: Acts 13:1-15:21

Acts 15:10 – “Why then are you now challenging God by placing a burden on the shoulders of these disciples that neither we or our ancestors could bear?”

Photo credit: Frank McKenna

Beginning in chapter 13 we see the spread of the church past the first Gentile city out into the Gentile world. Paul, Barnabas, and John Mark are sent out from Antioch as missionaries. There is great success overall but the growth of the church is not without persecution and controversy.

The missionaries begin in Cyprus, proclaiming the word of God. Paul confronts a false prophet, demonstrating the power of the Holy Spirit. Moving on to Pisidian Antioch, John Mark deserts Paul and Barnabas, returning to Jerusalem. Paul accepts the invitation to preach on the Sabbath. His powerful sermon on Jewish history and Jesus’ ministry yields an invitation to preach again. A large crowd gathers on the next Sabbath, stirring up jealousy amongst the Jews. Their rejection of the message leads Paul and Barnabas to focus on the Gentiles. Moving on to Iconium, Luke reports that “the same thing happened” – some believe but others are opposed to their message.

Paul and Barnabas move on to Lystra. Here Paul heals a man who believed that he could be healed. The locals mistake Paul and Barnabas for Greek gods. They head off the sacrifice of bulls to them, but Jews arrive from Antioch and Iconium, stirring up the crowd. Paul is stoned and left for dead. He gets up and they travel to Derbe the next day. After making disciples there, Paul and Barnabas work their way back to Antioch. Along the way they encourage the believers and they appoint elders to lead these new churches.

Jews from Jerusalem arrive in Antioch and stir up some tension. They tell the Gentile believers that they must first be circumcised in order to be saved. The idea of “you’ve got to be just like us” is not an invention of the modern church. Paul, Barnabas, Peter, and James all argue against placing Jewish requirements on Gentile believers. Peter asks the pertinent question: “Why then are you now challenging God by placing a burden on the shoulders of these disciples that neither we or our ancestors could bear?” No one has been able to keep the Law. This is why Jesus came – to do for us what we could not do on our own. By his life, he gave us what we cannot earn and what we do not deserve: the forgiveness of sins that leads to life eternal. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, how wide and deep is your love. It flows from your heart, out in all directions. It does not avoid certain places or people. It carries the power to wash away sins, barriers, and presumptions. May your love wash over us, filling us to overflowing with your love. Amen.