pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: presence


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Practicing Presence

At the Passover meal, Jews today still set an empty (or extra) place at the table in hopes that Elijah will come.  In some Christian homes and communities we set a ‘Christ plate’ with the same basic idea.  Both long for the presence of the King.

During his ministry, Jesus often chose to engage and spend time with the least.  He was all about providing that space at the ‘table’ for them.  He welcomed all shapes of life into His world and continues to do so.  Jesus knew that God loves all equally and fully, so He treated all that way.

As we return from a week of mission work in Seattle, I am full of memories of Youth and adults alike who chose to engage people in need.  It is easier to do so on a mission trip because it is ‘expected’ but by practicing hospitality, generosity, and love each of us are now better prepared to extend these things in our normal, everyday lives.

In our encounters this week and in the weeks ahead, we will encounter Jesus in some we meet.  In other encounters people will experience Jesus through us.  What a blessing it is to be in and to share the presence of our living savior, Jesus Christ.

Scripture reference: Matthew 10: 40-42


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Time to Walk

“And God saw that it was good”.  This phrase occurs in Genesis after He creates plants and trees and after He creates the stars, sun, and moon.  (It also occurs after He creates the birds, animals, and humans).  God created all for our pleasure, for our enjoyment.

At times my simpler side draws me to a time of camping or to a walk in the quiet of the early morning.  I find an undeniable presence of God when outside.  When I take in the song of the bird or the gentle rolls of the stream or the light breeze rustling the trees, God is definitely there.

Quiet time in God’s creation offers us much.  He created it for us!  Nature has a way of calming and renewing our spirits.  Plugging into creation rekindles our connection to God.

It can also be a place of sorting through this or that situation or of seeking guidance and discernment.  When we still ourselves we become more open to the Holy Spirit’s voice.

And lastly, nature is a place of peace.  Whether we find healing from a sorrow or relief from the constant buzz of technology, God’s creation calls us to Him and beckons us to find peace in His arms.

Isn’t it time for a walk?


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Come On In!

Pentecost was such a public thing – God came calling when they were all gathered together.  Outsiders also heard the ‘wind’ and came to investigate.  There was a definite presence of God.

Of course, God had visited before – Moses a few times, with Elijah in the still small voice, in calling Eli, walking as Jesus on the earth… And God continues to be a presence in our world.  His presence in worship is the example I think of first – those times you can ‘feel’ God there in the midst of his disciples.

On Pentecost God appeared in the wind, in the fire that came to rest on them, and in various ‘new’ voices that they spoke in.  Today the Holy Spirit functions much the same way for us.  It is the ‘push’ or ‘nudge’ that guides or pulls us.  It is the warmth we feel in our hearts as we are drawn to minister to someone.  It s in the words that the Spirit brings to our mouths as we minister to one in need.

But there is a slight difference too.  God simply ‘busted in’ on the disciples. The Holy Spirit is a different thing.  We can certainly feel the presence of the Spirit too, but it is up to us to accept the Holy Spirit’s action in our lives.  In our walk today, may we make the choice to ay to the Spirit, “Come on in!”


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God Always Present

Psalm 23 is one the best known psalms.  It is a psalm many know by heart.  It is a passage that assures us of God’s grace and love for us.  It is a passage that speaks of God’s constant and steady hand upon us as we walk on our journey of faith.  It is a passage that speaks of God blessing us and a promise of His goodness and mercy as we live with God in our hearts.  It is a psalm of thanksgiving.

Yet it is also a psalm that brings great comfort and peace.  It is a psalm that reminds us that God is present beside the still waters and in the green pasture.  It is also a passage that assures us that in our dark and sad times, God is there too.  In the dark valleys we need him more than ever, as He is always there.

For all of these things, His presence in both the good and in the bad, we give thanks.  Romans 15:13 reads: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him; so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy spirit.”  Hope does not disappoint, for God is always near.


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He is That Big

Standing on a beach, looking out across the ocean, it seems like you can see forever.  Despite our natural vision ending at the horizon, we  know the ocean goes on.  It extends beyond what we can see yet we know there is more out there.

If one just stays still and looks out across the water, all else seems to disappear.  We loose sense of the breeze and the warm sand and even of the waves landing on the beach.

As we look out into our faith and look out to find God, one begins to sense something like the ocean.  Our faith can be as vast as the ocean.  Our faith can have no visual end.  Our God is that big.

Yet in that vastness we can find God at any point or at any place.  When the waves of life start landing on our shores, we can find God.  When the breezes start to toss us about, we can look into our faith and draw near to God.  When the sand beneath our feet start to shift and seem to be getting unstable, we can seek God out.  Our God is that big.  He is always everywhere and anywhere to uplift, to encourage, to comfort, to heal, to call us forward, to call us out, to cleanse us of our sins, to love us.  Our God is that big.  Thanks be to God!!


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This Is Our Jesus

The shepherd of the famous 23rd Psalm is our Jesus.  What are your green pastures or quiet waters?  Are they just these things or is it a quiet bike ride or some time with a good book?  Is it early in the morning or late at night with your Bible, devotional, and journal?   It is wherever you find restoration of body, mind, and soul.

Do you feel the guiding hand?  Do you sense the rod and the staff protecting and keeping you?  Do you feel His lead in keeping you on the right path and comforting you in your times of sorrow and trial?  This is our Jesus.  He is there for us in every aspect of our lives.

Does He sit with you when you are in the presence of your enemies?  Does He go so far as to bless you in their presence?  He is willing, for this is out Jesus.

What comes of following this Jesus?  Surely goodness and love.  Hardships and trials too?  Surely.  But we do not walk through them alone.  For He is with us.  This is our Jesus.


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In His Presence

In 1 Samuel 16 Samuel is sent off to find Israel’s next king.  Samuel is still sad for Saul’s failure as king – after all it was Samuel who anointed him king.  Samuel wished for some time to grieve Saul’s failure.  But God will have none of it.  He also was traditionally the bearer of bad news, so he was less than enthused about going to Jesse of Bethlehem.  But God directs him to go under the guise of making an offering to the Lord.

We also want to sit in our grief or sadness at times.  Not in times of a significant loss, but at times with some small losses we like to stay with it.  At times we like to sit on our own little ‘pity pot’.  It is odd, but at time we like the ‘woe is me’ moments in life.  Yet this is not where God calls us to be.

After a period, we are urged forward again by God or by someone God sends our way.  Like Samuel, we dust ourselves off, glance heavenward, and resume our journey.  We return to the path that God calls us to walk.  It is then that I am reminded, God is always with us.  We are always in His presence.  Thank you, for always being there O Lord!


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God Among Us

When one focuses in on the specific situation the Israelites were in – in the desert, no water, feeling a bit abandoned – one can see why they wondered if God was among them.  In certain situations we too can wonder if God is with us.  At times we can all become so overwhelmed with the moment and lose sight of the big picture.  And it is in that moment of panic that we wonder where God is or why He would ‘allow’ us to go through that situation.

As we turn to the Bible we find answers to the questioning of God’s presence.  Long ago God established a covenant with His people.  The covenant still exists for us today.  The covenant was a two-sided arrangement – if the people would dedicate themselves to God, then He would dwell among them.  The covenant remains there for us today as well.  In the New Testament, Jesus put forth two answers when questioned about which law was the most important.  The first was a repetition of Deuteronomy 6:5 – Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength.  The second came from Leviticus – love your neighbor as yourself.  The first really speaks of what it means to dedicate yourself to God.  The second speaks to what it means to live it out.

God always seeks to draw near to us.  We make many choices each day – some draw us into God’s presence and some push His presence away from us.  When we choose to draw near, He is there.  When we choose to read our Bible, to spend time in prayer, to worship Him, to reach out to the needy, … then we are living in His presence.  But when we choose to listen to the whispers of the world and choose to focus on things other than God, then we do not sense His presence.  Yet God is always near, always present with us.  If we are only looking within, we do not see Him.  We must live with eyes, ears, heart, mind, hands and feet seeking to be in tune with God and our world.  It is then that God is among us!


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May It Blow Strong

Nicodemus visits Jesus with a purpose.  Yet he never gets to ask his question.  Jesus decides the topic and tenor of the conversation before his “guest” can initiate it.  Like so many other times in the Gospels, it seems that Jesus knows just what this person standing in front of him needs to hear.  We do not know for sure which Jesus speaks of – baptism of being reborn spiritually.  Maybe it is both.  In Jewish tradition baptism was for proselytes.  We too view baptism as an initiation into the faith.  For some churches it is akin to confirmation or in others to a believer’s baptism.  In both cases it is roughly equal to a confession of faith.

The “pnuema” or wind that Jesus speaks of is fascinating.  Also challenging!  We cannot see when or where or why the wind begins.  Scientifically we can explain ‘how’ the wind is created.

In our faith we cannot explain when or where or why the Holy Spirit enters into our lives. We do have Biblical explanations and examples of how the Holy Spirit came to enter the world and how it functions in our lives.  But for most of us, just like the wind, the Spirit comes and goes from our lives.  There is no question in our minds, hearts, or souls, that the presence is with us.  The Holy Spirit is there as surely as the wind rustling the leaves outside.  The strong power guides us and leads us.  It calls us to action at times and to repentance at others.  It draws us closer to God.  And like the wind that blows away the dust and the leaves, the Holy Spirit clears away the chaff so that we are left standing on the rock, on Jesus Christ.  May the Spirit blow strongly in your life this day!!


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Today Offer Thanks

The transfiguration story is pretty awesome.  The ‘inner three’ disciples – Peter, James, and John – are brought up the mountan by Jesus.  I bet they were excited for a little ‘alone time’ with Jesus.  They were probably running scenarios through their minds about what might happen as they quietly followed along behind a serious Jesus.  Don’t imagine there was a lot of trail chatter as they made their way up.  When they arrive at their destination, they witness an amazing transfiguration of Jesus.  His face becomes like the sun and his clothes become what they described as brilliantly white or dazzling.  As if this wasn’t enough to blow their minds, suddenly Moses and Elijah appear and start talking with Jesus, in his transfigured state!  Both men long gone from this earth, but there, sure as day!

If I were one of the three I think I would stammer and be afraid too.  It would be hard to take in and process all that has happened right before their eyes.  Part of me would wonder if this was all real.  But it would be so awesome to be there!!  Moses and Elijah just seem to know what to do and why they are they.  They walk up to Jesus just like he is an old friend, and start talking to him.  And, in reality, Moses and Elijah are old friends with Jesus!  Moses and Elijah know what to do and say – they were always faithful followers of what God led them to do.  At times we are like Peter, James, and John and at times we are like Moses and Elijah.  In our faith lives, sometimes we bumble around and other times we just seem to know what to do.

And at times we can also be the one on whom God is looking down upon, smiling as He says we too are His beloved.  A gleam in His eye as He says we too ar His child.  In the quiet moment, when we take the time and energy to focus in on God, we too can hear these words.  We can hear the words, take them in, feel their love, and say, “Thanks Dad, I love you too!”  May we each find that quiet place and enter into His presence this day, so that we can offer Him this thanks.