pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

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God’s Dominion

Reading: Psalm 114

Verse 7: “Tremble, earth, at the presence of the Lord.”

Psalm 114 speaks of the deep and intimate relationship that God has with the chosen people. The psalmist writes of three of God’s nights act on behalf of the people. Remembering how God parted the sea, turned back the Jordan, and brought water from a rock in the desert reminds Israel of both God’s power and might AND of God’s provision for them. In response the psalmist calls out to the world, saying, “Tremble, earth, at the presence of the Lord.” The invitation is to recognize that God is not just their God, but is the God over all of creation.

At times in our lives God will act or intervene or guide in powerful and awesome ways. Think back over your life. When have you felt God’s presence or guidance? When has God encouraged or strengthened or even carried you? And when have you been a part of something that God has done? Was it in your church or at an event or on a mission trip? These God moments remind us of God’s power and might, of God’s love and care. They remind us that God is the Lord of our life.

In verse 2 the psalmist writes, “Judah became God’s sanctuary, Israel God’s dominion.” This is the writer’s way of saying that God was present to the chosen people. As we fast forward in the big story of God’s people, we have now entered that family through our relationship with Jesus Christ. God is our sanctuary, our lives are God’s dominion. Thanks be to God!

Prayer: Lord God, you remind us again and again of your love for us. You touch our lives in so many ways – some big and powerful, some small and almost beyond noticing. You are always there, always watching over, always providing, always ready to respond or act. Thank you for your great love. Amen.


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No Jew or Gentile, No…

Reading: Romans 10:5-13

Verse 12: “For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile — the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him.”

Paul writes in chapter 10 of the Lord who is Lord of all. For the Jewish Christians in Rome, they still clung to the Law of Moses. They saw faith as living out the Law. The Jewish Christians thought the new Gentile believers should adhere to all of the Law as well. Paul is calling for a faith based upon living out Jesus’ teachings and example. Paul invites those in the church in Rome to a faith that is “in your mouth and in your heart.” He is inviting them all to live a faith driven and guided by the Holy Spirit – the indwelling presence of Jesus Christ within each of them.

Paul continues, emphasizing that faith in Jesus comes not from the Law but from confessing and living out “Jesus is Lord.” Faith is ‘finalized’ with the belief that because Jesus rose, one day the faithful will rise too. Put another way, one day our justification will lead to our sanctification. Put yet another way, faithful and righteous living here will one day lead to eternal glory. For both groups in the Roman church, this was the hoped-for outcome of their faith in Jesus Christ. It is all believers hoped-for outcome of faith.

There was a division in the Roman church and it was getting in the way of their moving towards this desired outcome AND it was getting in the way of their witnessing to non-believers. So Paul uses some strong language in verse 12: “For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile — the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him.” Paul does not say “Christian Jews and Gentile believers.” He goes a step wider. He wants the church to understand that their little squabble affects more than just them. He says all Jews and all Gentiles (which, in the language of the day, means “all people”) can call on Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. All people can call on Jesus to be saved.

As we seek to share and live out our faith and righteousness, may our eyes and hearts also be wide open, loving and witnessing to all people as the beloved children of God.

Prayer: Lord, in your kingdom there will be no Jew or Gentile, no Methodist or Catholic, no slave or free, no black or white, no rich or poor, no this or that. All people are the creation of your hands. All people are beloved by you. Lead me and use me to build that kingdom here on earth. Open my eyes and heart wide open. Amen.


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Eyes, Heart, Hands and Feet

Reading: Genesis 29:15-30

Verse 27: “Finish this daughter’s bridal week; then we will give you the younger one also, in return for another seven years of work.”

Photo credit: Nick Fewings

As we continue in Genesis, we continue with the story of Jacob, the trickster and deceiver. If this story were just about Jacob perhaps we would feel bad for him because of how Laban tricked and deceived him. But Leah and Rachel are also part of this unfolding story that will continue. This week’s theme is about what is hidden and mixed in. It is about those God moments that we can miss if we’re not paying attention and if we’re not looking past the surface.

In Laban and Jacob’s day, treating women like property was the cultural norm. It was a male-dominated and male-focused world. Just reading verse 27, given above, is enough to paint the picture, to turn our stomachs a bit. But if we just shake our heads and leave the story here, we would be missing what God might want us to consider and ponder. Instead of treating them as property, what if we considered Leah and Rachel as people? In this whole story, how did they feel? How did being treated this way affect them, their relationship with one another, their relationships with Jacob, with Laban, and with God? So much to ponder.

As I think about this, I think about people today who are hidden and mixed in. I think about those in Ukraine, about those in limbo along our southern border, about those caught up in sex trafficking, about those living in poverty on the streets, about those living without hope on our reservations and inner cities. It is dangerous and maybe a little bit uncomfortable when we seek out and think about what can easily be hidden and mixed in. May the Lord indeed give us eyes to see, hearts to feel, hands and feet to move.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for leading me here today, for opening my mind and heart and eyes to the continuing realities in our world. Use me today to see the Leah’s and Rachel’s in our world. Use me today to hear their stories, to be love and grace and hope in action today. May it be so. Amen.


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Come and Hear!

Reading: Psalm 66:8-20

Verse 16: “Come and hear, all you who fear God; let me tell you what God has done for me.”

The Psalm begins with praise to God for the saving acts experienced during the exodus from Egypt. It was a corporate experience that called for a corporate response. As we turn once again to Psalm 66 today we focus on verses 13-20. Note how the pronouns change to the first person.

Verses 13-15 recount the psalmist’s response to God hearing and answering his prayers. The response here is a fulfillment of “vows my lips promised.” When in a time of deep trouble, the psalmist begged and pleaded with God to save him. And God did. So now the writer keeps his word and offers rams, bulls, and goats. While we do not live in the time when animals were sacrificed it is still good to consider what our response is or will be when God hears and answers our prayers and petitions.

The psalmist offers another response in verse 16: “Come and hear, all you who fear God; let me tell you what God has done for me.” He wants to encourage others, to tell them the story of what God did for him. In the context of his day, the faith was kept within the Israelite community. With Jesus this circle was cast wide open. In Mark 16 the commission is to “go into all the world” to tell the story of what the Lord has done. With this added understanding, our call is to invite all people to “come and hear,” to tell others the story of “what God has done for me.” It is a story we both live out and tell with our witness. May we share the good news of Jesus Christ with all people, both in word and in deed.

Prayer: Lord God, you have filled me with stories of faith as you have touched my life again and again, as you have made a way when there seemed no way. Make me a story teller, Lord, sharing with others what you have done for me. Amen.


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God Has Chosen You

Reading: Isaiah 49:1-7

Verse 3: “You are my servant… in whom I will display my splendor.”

The words of Isaiah that we read this week speak to a people in utter defeat. Jerusalem lies in ruins, many have died, and most of the rest of Israel has been driven into exile. Our passage begins with a call to the “distant nations,” to those feeling isolated and alone. It is a call to remember that Israel was God’s “before I was born.” It is a reminder that they are still the people of God, even in the midst of the current darkness.

As the current people of God we too will have times when all feels like it lies in ruins, when it seems pretty dark. We will lose a job or a loved one. We will suffer illness or persecution. We will sin and separate ourselves from God and one another. Our church or our denomination will experience a tearing apart. There is no shortage of the hardships and trials that can and will befall us.

Into Israel’s darkness God promised a return, a redemption, a rescue story. God will be their reward and their strength. God will gather them back from exile. God promises, “You are my servant… in whom I will display my splendor.” This world and its troubles – they are temporary. God is not. On the other side of this darkness – whatever it is – there is light and hope and salvation for Israel and for you and for me. God is faithful and true. “The Holy One of Israel… has chosen you.”

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for the reminder that you are every bit as present in the darkness as you are in the light. You have chosen me, you have chosen all of us to be blessed as we walk in the light of your love. Remind us again and again of this truth as we seek to walk as a light to the Gentiles of our day. Amen.


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Good News of Great Joy

Reading: Luke 2:8-12

Verse 10: “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.”

Photo credit: Dan Kiefer

The shepherds are living out in the fields, keeping watch over the flocks of sheep. The shepherds fill a role in society that not too many want to fill. They live outdoors most of the time. Society looks down on them. Yet it is to these outsiders that the angel of the Lord appears. Suddenly the night sky is illuminated by the glory of the Lord. The shepherds were terrified.

The angel says to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.” The shepherds would be rejected by the religious leaders if they showed up at the temple fresh out of the fields. But God sends an angel to these shepherds. The angel doesn’t tell them to go home, to get all cleaned up, and then to meet up at the temple or synagogue so that they can hear the news. No, God comes to them where they’re at. The shepherds are chosen as they are. They are loved by God and are invited to be a part of God’s plan. Yes, indeed, this “good news of great joy” is truly for all people.

The angel gives two signs so that the shepherds know it is true. The place is Bethlehem and the child will be “wrapped in cloth and lying in a manger.” The shepherds will accept the invitation to be a part of God’s plan. They will go and find all as the angel had said it would be. Filled with this promised great joy, these simple folk will become the first witnesses, praising and glorifying God for all that had been done. This day may we too be filled with great joy, sharing the good news of what God has done!

Prayer: Lord God, in the words of the angel and in the choice of the shepherds, I am reminded that your love knows no bounds. It is a love that desires to share peace, hope, and joy with all people. This day use me to share this good news of great joy. Amen.


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All People

Reading: Romans 10:8b-13

Verse 10: “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”

In our passage today Paul is proclaiming that all who call on Jesus as Lord and Savior will be saved. That is a bold and sweeping statement. Yet it pales in comparison to the breadth and depth and width of God’s love for us.

Our text for today begins with a recognition that for believers “the word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your hearts.” There is a closeness in our relationship with God. The Spirit, God’s presence, is within us, dwelling in us – ever on our hearts and in our minds. Ever at work in the faith of the believer, the Holy Spirit helps us to grow in our faith, deepening the belief in our heart. Part of this growing process is our justification. This is the process of being made right with God. This process requires our mouth to confess and our minds and hearts to commit to repentance. The words spoken by our lips and lived out by our hearts brings God’s forgiveness and saving mercies upon us. This ongoing and often repeated process is part of our daily walk with God. Thanks be to God for this great love.

While we celebrate the love of God that continues to work in us, drawing us more and more into the likeness of Christ, do we freely extend this love to all others? Do we really believe that God loves “that guy” as much as me? Surely God could not love that grumpy neighbor or that mean boss that much. Certainly there is less love for the prostitutes and drug dealers. Yet in verse 12 we read, “there is no difference between Jew and Greek – the same Lord is Lord of all.” Today Paul would write that there is no difference between Christians and non-Christians – God is the God of all. God’s heart yearns to include all people in God’s family. May our hearts yearn for this as well.

Prayer: Lord God, may my words and actions proclaim that your love reaches out to all people. By my words and actions may I reveal that love to all people, drawing them towards your unconditional love. Amen.


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Save Your People

Reading: Jeremiah 31: 7-9

Verse 7: “O Lord, save your people.”

Photo credit: Pablo Heimplatz

Jeremiah 31 is in the part of the book that details how God will bring the Israelites back from exile. One day God promises to gather them “from the ends of the earth.” As our passage opens, the Lord encourages the people to sing with joy and to make their praises heard, praying, “O Lord, save your people.” Through Jeremiah, God invites the people to praise God and to ask God to save them.

Those encouraged to seek God and to petition God for help expands in verse eight to include “the blind and the lame, expectant mothers and women in labor.” This partial list represents the weak and the vulnerable. When God says that a “great throng” will return it implies that all who are weak or vulnerable – or outcast or marginalized or powerless or voiceless – all will be called back home to the Lord.

Although written nearly 3,000 years ago, these words remind us today of the same truths that undergirded this invitation and these promises: God loves and cares for those who turn to the Lord for help. God has good plans for you and me. Even when we feel like we are in exile or when we feel weak or powerless or alone, God also encourages us to cry out, “O Lord, save your people.” Like with Israel, God will hear us and will respond. God will rescue and redeem us too.

In verse nine we read, “They will come with weeping, they will pray as I bring them back.” These will be tears of joy and prayers of praise as God guides us “besides streams of water” as God provides a “level path” so that we do not stumble. In love God cares for and protects those who seek and love the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, I praise you for all of your love and care. Thank you for always calling out to me in so many ways. Your love and care never fails. You are an amazing God. May all the praises be yours. Amen.


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To All People

Reading: John 1: 1-14

Verse 14: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Our passage for Christmas day is one of my favorite passages in the Bible. Today we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. In today’s reading John reminds us that Jesus, the Word, has been here since the beginning. He was part of creation; he is the breath of life in all humankind. He is light – a light that shines into the darkness, both into the dark of the world and into the dark in our hearts. Jesus came to save us all from the darkness: “to all who received him, to those who believe in his name, he gave the right to become children of God”, to be brothers and sisters in Christ.

This powerful passage of love and invitation and welcome concludes with these words: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Our perfect, all-powerful God took on flesh so that he could live for a time among us. The “one and only” became like us, revealing the glory of God. Incarnate in the flesh, Jesus lived a life “full of grace and truth.” Grace and truth were revealed in and through his unconditional love. Grace expressed in unconditional love tells us that there is nothing we can do or say that lessens God’s love for us. Forgiveness restores us again and again when we stumble and sin, telling us that we are still beloved. Truth expressed in unconditional love reminds us that Jesus is for all people. There is no one that God does not want to be in relationship with. Jesus came for all of humankind. He came to give life to all people. He died to offer the forgiveness of sins and the way to life eternal to all people. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for coming and expressing what it means to truly love all people. Your light continues to shine into the darkness of our world and of our hearts, revealing the grace and truth found in unconditional love. Guide me to love as you first loved us. Amen.


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Into the World

Reading: Psalm 125

Verse 2: “The Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore.”

Photo credit: Jan Huber

Psalm 125 is in the ‘Song of Ascents’ section. These songs would be sung heading to worship or as personal reminders of God’s love and care and protection. Verse one speaks of the safety and security felt when we place our trust in the Lord. The psalmist compares such trust to Mount Zion. Zion will endure forever. One day the new heaven and earth will descend, establishing God’s presence with us forever. There God will reign forevermore.

Continuing the psalmist writes, “The Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore.” Like the physical mountains standing guard over Israel, the Lord stands guard over the Israelites. This relationship continues to this day. Because of Jesus, you and I are under God’s watch. In God’s presence we too seek to be righteous and upright, bringing peace to our lives and to the lives of those we meet. This second half is a subtle Old Testament to New Testament shift.

In Old Testament times these songs of ascent were unifying and reminded the Israelites that they were God’s chosen people, set apart from the world. As the New Testament times begin we are still clearly God’s people – God sends Jesus to reconcile all of the world in love. As the New Testament unfolds the fuller revelation of God, Jesus Christ, commissions his followers to go to the ends of the earth to “make disciples of all people.” No longer to be set apart we are to be sent out.

Each of our homes or apartments are set in communities and neighborhoods. The same is true of our churches. Our God reigns today and forevermore, offering hope and peace, light and love, healing and forgiveness to a world in need. In faith and trust may we go into our communities and neighborhoods, bringing God’s love and presence into the world. In and through us may others come to know the God that cannot be shaken.

Prayer: God of all time, you are enduring, you cannot be shaken. You love us always and forever. Use me today to help others know the hope that sustains and the joy that brings true life. Amen.