pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

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Acts of Surrender

Reading: Titus 3:3-8

Titus 3:5 – “He saved us because of his mercy, not because of righteous things we had done.”

Photo credit: Shane Rounce

Stepping into Paul’s letter to Titus in 3:3, Paul acknowledges their (and our) former state. Before professing faith in Christ and committing to follow his teachings and example we were “foolish, disobedient, deceived” people who were enslaved to the desires and pleasures of this world. We were filled with jealousy, yes, but with many other things too: greed, pride, lust, judging… We lived a very self-centered and self-focused life until we encountered Jesus.

When we met Jesus, we met kindness and love. We found salvation through Christ’s grace. Our sins were not held against us. In verse 5 we read, “He saved us because of his mercy, not because of righteous things we had done.” Paul is addressing the false ‘balance scale’ theory that we can try and live by early in our faith journey. A part of that self-centeredness is still hanging on. We think that we can do enough good to outweigh all of the sin that we commit. In time, as we mature, we realize that this is an impossible equation to balance in our own.

Jesus helps us out. Through the washing of “new birth” and through the “renewing” of the Holy Spirit we are “made right” and we “inherit the hope for eternal life.” This is partially an ongoing process. We may sin less as we mature in faith but we do still sin. That is our human nature. The hope we find in Christ sustains us in our times of struggle and it encourages us in times of doubt. This is also a completed process. Our inheritance is kept safe for us by the Lord our God. Our response to all of this? As Paul writes, we “give careful attention to doing good.” May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, humble us day by day. Seeing ourselves honestly, guide us to bow before your throne of grace. Admitting our limits, lead us to yield our will to your will. Call us to these acts of surrender again and again and again, over and over until they become second nature to us. Amen.


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Professing Faith

Reading: John 19:38-42

John 19:42 – “Because it was the Jewish preparation day and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus in it.”

Even though the disciples, the 11 men who had spent three years with Jesus, were hiding behind closed doors for fear of the Jewish religious leaders, two men step up in faith. The first is Joseph of Arimathea. He was a man of wealth. He was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He was a man of status and power. Up to this point he was a “secret disciple” of Jesus. In a profession of faith, Joseph goes to Pilate and asks for Jesus’ body.

Nicodemus was also there. He also has wealth, status, power. Nicodemus first met Jesus back in John 3, when he came under cover of night. Then he did not want to risk much, but he was drawn to Jesus. Although he left that conversation likely more confused and conflicted, Jesus must’ve continued to work on Nicodemus’ heart. Here he is now, in the light of day, professing his faith in Jesus as he brings myrrh and aloes to begin to prepare the body for burial. 75 pounds is extravagant – a gift fit for a king.

Beginning the process for a proper Jewish burial, Joseph and Nicodemus wrap the body in linen clothes, along with myrrh and aloes. Time was an issue. Sunset and the start of Sabbath were drawing near. Joseph and Nicodemus laid the body in a nearby tomb, planning to return on Sunday to finish the burial process. Two men, recently declaring their faith in Jesus, did what they could in the moment to honor their Jesus.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for the brave witness of Joseph and Nicodemus. They risked much as they stepped forward to care for Jesus’ body. Joseph has the platform to gain an audience with Pilate. Nicodemus has much to lose too. May we see in these men an example of faith without fear of the world, of faith filled with trust in you. Lead and guide us, O Lord, to live out loud this kind of faith. Amen.


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In Faith, Stand Sure

Reading: James 1:2-6

James 1:2 – “My brothers and sisters, think of the various tests you encounter as occasions for joy.”

Photo credit: Diego Gennaro

James 1 picks up on the spirit and ideas we read about a couple days ago in Romans 5. In verse 2 James writes, “My brothers and sisters, think of the various tests you encounter as occasions for joy.” This statement catches us a bit off guard. Tests… joy? We may not normally associate these two words. Like Paul, though, James looks at the end game. The testing we encounter provides us with an opportunity to practice endurance. James encourages us to let this endurance “complete its work.” If we do so, we emerge with a faith that is “fully mature, complete, lacking nothing.” This is the goal of our journey of faith.

This enduring is not always easy. In the depth of the dark valley we can be tempted to abandon our faith. In the heat of the trial, we can think it’d be easier to profess someone or something other than Jesus or faith. Timothy’s response to these realities? Ask for wisdom from God. Seek guidance and direction for how to endure. James reminds us that it is God’s nature to give. So ask!

Our passage closes with another word of encouragement: “Ask in faith, without doubt.” In faith and trust, believe that God is present and will walk with us through the valley and trials. Don’t be tossed and turned by the things of this world but stand sure in the Lord. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, as we’ve walked this walk of faith we have experienced the power found in your presence. We have stood firm and emerged from the testing stronger and more assured in our faith. Thank you for your constant presence and your faithful work in us. Amen.


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Our Affirmative Answer

Reading: John 11:20-27

John 11:25 – “I am the resurrection and the life.”

Today’s passage is a conversation between Martha and Jesus. Martha’s brother Lazarus has just died. Martha and her sister Mary had asked Jesus to come, believing he would heal Lazarus. This is evident in verse 21. Also evident is Martha’s faith in Jesus: “Even now I know that whatever you ask God, God will give you.” She believes strongly in Jesus’ power.

Verses 23-24 are representative of the Jewish understanding of the afterlife. One day there will be a final resurrection of the dead. Martha assumes this is what Jesus is talking about when he says, “Your brother will rise again.” On that final day – in a year, in a hundred years, in 7,947 years – all will be resurrected, some to eternal life, some to eternal punishment.

In verse 25 Jesus speaks into the present. He says, “I am the resurrection and the life.” Life begins anew when one accepts Jesus as Lord. The old is gone, the new has come. As a disciple of Jesus Christ we begin to live and experience heaven here on earth. We receive Jesus’ Spirit as a constant presence in our lives, much as God will be when we enter heaven. This life will be continued into the next. Our soul, our essence, will never die.

Asked if she believes, Martha responds affirmatively to the Christ, to God’s son. This day, may our lives – our words, our actions – be our affirmative witness to our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Lord God, there are many ways that we can profess or witness to our faith in you. As we go out into the world each day, lead and guide us to bring the peace, hope, joy, love, grace, mercy, forgiveness, contentment, generosity, and welcome that we find in you our into the world. Doing so, we bring heaven to earth and into other people’s lives. May it be so, O Lord. Amen.


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The Connection Point

Reading: Galatians 3:26-29

Verse 26: “You are all sons [and daughters] of God through faith in Jesus Christ.”

Photo credit: Hans Heiner Buhr

Transitioning in Galatians 3, Paul shifts from a focus on what it means to be freed from the Law and bound to Christ instead to a focus on what that means for the church and for those who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. As was the case in yesterday’s devotional, this adoption as children of God is not a passive or one-time event. Our faith and our relationship with Jesus Christ must constantly challenge, inspire, and push us to be better followers and better human beings.

Paul begins our passage today with these words: “You are all sons [and daughters] of God through faith in Jesus Christ.” The main point of Paul’s thought here is unity. It begins with understanding that all of us – all people, not just Christians – are children of God. Some choose to recognize this and decide to move deeper into relationship, becoming a son or a daughter when we profess faith in Jesus Christ. This begins a relationship, a personal connection. The connection point is Jesus as the relationship is with him.

In verse 28 Paul illustrates what he means by “all.” He is intentional about the 3 pairs that he uses. The Jew/Greek, slave/free, and male/female labels are the ones most impacting the unity of the church at that time. A modern writing of this verse might not include all three or even any of these. Or it might. Paul’s point is, again, aimed at unity. He calls the church and those who make up the church to look beyond any and all labels except one: son or daughter of God. And, again, the common connection point in Jesus Christ. It is through Jesus that we are all “heirs” to all of the promises of God. What a gift this inheritance is! Thanks be to God!

Prayer: Lord of all, today I rejoice in the breadth of your love for all of humanity. Each of us, created both in your image and as you want each of us to be, are called even deeper, into a personal relationship. I ask that you would use me as you will, helping all to know the truth of your great love. Amen.


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Our Salvation

Reading: Acts 4: 11-12

Verse 12: “Salvation is found in no one else”.

Photo credit: Hans Heiner Buhr

Peter makes a bold proclamation – salvation is through Christ alone. He is remembering the words Jesus himself said: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). This bold claim asserts that faith in Christ is the only way to eternal life. All other paths end in condemnation. For all of its love and mercy and grace and forgiveness… this is Christianity’s hinge point. “Salvation is found in no one else”.

Belief in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is essential to gaining eternal life, but the offer of a relationship and of belief is not exclusive. Jesus made it clear in how he lived his life and in his teachings that all who are willing to profess faith in him will be received into his kingdom. Jesus ministered to all, regardless of who or what they were. Prostitutes, adulterers, rebels, thieves on crosses – all were within his love. Jews, men, women, rich, poor, young, old, Samaritan – all were within his love. Did all accept his love? No. Did all enter into a saving relationship? No. Did he call out to all he met? Yes. Does Jesus call out to all people today, regardless of race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, religion, occupation…? Yes. Do some still reject Jesus as Lord and Savior? Absolutely.

As ones assured of our salvation, how should we respond to the answers to these questions? We should respond as the good shepherd would. Love should lead and guide all we say and think and do. Grace and mercy should abound in our lives. All should see and experience our humble and sacrificial servant’s heart. Everyone should see the life-transforming power of Jesus Christ active within us. May Jesus, our salvation, use each of us to bring others to the gate of the sheep fold.

Prayer: Loving God, use me today as a conduit of your love and grace. In and through me may others see your son, the giver of salvation. Amen.


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Remember Your Baptism

Reading: 1st Peter 3: 18-22

Verse 21: “This water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also… the pledge of a good conscience toward God”.

Today’s reading connects Jesus’ saving act on the cross to our baptism and to Noah’s experience in the great flood. Peter begins by reminding us that Christ died for us all – “the righteous for the unrighteous” – so that we could be in right relationship with God. Peter reminds us that not only did Jesus pay the atonement or price for our sins, but through the resurrection Jesus also opened the way to eternal life for all who believe in him as Lord and Savior.

In the middle of our passage Peter speaks of Noah and family, those who were “saved through the water”. Baptism is often associated with the washing away of our sins. Jewish rituals of purification involved water in the cleansing process. In Noah’s experience, the water was also the saving agent. The sinful world perished in the flood but through the waters God saved Noah, his family, and all the living creatures. Peter reminds us that “this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also”. Through baptism we are brought into the family of God, into the community of faith. We are marked or claimed by God. Baptism becomes or leads to “the pledge of a good conscience toward God” – whether made by parents and sponsors or by the person being baptized. The pledge is to live a life worthy of Christ, the one who died for us. This life is revealed through our participation in the community of faith and through the ways we share our faith with the world by our witness, our prayers, our worship, our actions, our service…

The “good conscience” that Peter speaks of is the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. This is a promised gift from Jesus that is connected to baptism. In the early church and in some denominations today, the believer’s baptism is the standard practice. The Holy Spirit comes into that person’s life after they confess Jesus as Lord and as they are baptized into the faith. For those traditions that practice infant baptism, the child is marked with the seal of the Holy Spirit. Usually during confirmation (or a similar process) the young adult professes their own faith in Jesus Christ. This confession marks the point of entry for the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.

On this first Friday of Lent may we each remember our baptism and may we rejoice in our place in the family of God.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for claiming me as an infant and then waiting patiently for me to decide to follow Jesus. The gift of the Holy Spirit empowers and enables me to follow day by day. Thank you for this gift. Amen.


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Baptized into Jesus

Reading: Acts 19: 1-7

Verses 5-6: “They were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus… the Holy Spirit came on them”.

This week we have been looking at God’s creativity and power and strength and majesty found in creation. The call or response has been to praise and give glory to God. The passages from Genesis 1, Psalm 29, and Isaiah 60 were mostly corporate, focusing on God’s love for and interaction with those who believe. In today’s passage that love becomes more personal.

As we begin, we learn that Paul travels to Ephasus to preach and teach. Upon arriving he encounters some disciples of Jesus. There must have been something different about these men. Paul asks them if they have received the Holy Spirit. It is something they have never even heard of. Finding out that they received John’s baptism (a baptism of repentance), Paul points them towards being baptized in Jesus’ name. Desiring this baptism, the men are baptized in Jesus’ name. It is then that the “Holy Spirit came on them”. The result of the indwelling Spirit is that they spoke in tongues and prophesied. There was an obvious change in these twelve men. The baptism in Jesus’ name led to transformation. They were different now.

As we consider the sacrament of baptism about 2,000 years later, the same essentials remain. Whether your faith tradition baptizes mostly infants or mostly adults, whether your tradition immerses or sprinkles with water – it does not matter. It is not the pastor or the priest that changes or transforms the person in any way. God alone has the power. The clergy person is certainly a part of the sacrament but God is the change agent. To think otherwise would be akin to saying the kid who brought the new batch of baseballs to the umpire is responsible for the home run hit two pitches later.

In baptism one is inviting the power of God to be a part of that person’s life. Faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior remains the catalyst for baptism. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit remains the result of baptism. Inclusion into the family of God begins the transformation process as one speaks and lives in a new and different way. The language of God’s love becomes the baptized believer’s primary language. It is a language that we become more proficient with as we continue to grow in Jesus Christ as we are led by the Spirit, being transformed day by day.

As we go forth in the world today, may we celebrate our place in the family of God, seeking to speak the language of love to the world. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, you lead and guide me from within and without. Your presence lives in me and your word and example are also a part of my daily life. Thank you so much for calling me and claiming me as one of your own. Amen.


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Daily Made New

Reading: 1 Peter 3: 13-22

Verse 21: “This water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also… the pledge of a good conscience toward God”.

Peter touches a little bit on the idea of being saved through the water in today’s passage. In verse twenty he recalls Noah and family and how they were saved through the water. They were saved but all others perished as God, in a way, started over. In the next verse Peter speaks of baptism, using the story of Noah as a metaphor for baptism. In verse 21 he writes, “This water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also… the pledge of a good conscience toward God”. Our journey of salvation begins as we “enter” the family of God. For many traditions this begins with infant baptism. For some water is also used in infant dedication. Both of these practices acknowledge that the child or person is a child of God and the process invites the Holy Spirit to be a part of that new life in Christ.

Baptism in the early church was also very symbolic. It was a part of the profession of faith. Adults and often their children would profess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and then they would be baptized. Just as with Noah, the waters that they were immersed in were seen as cleansing – the waters would wash away the old self and one would emerge as a “new creation” in Christ. The Holy Spirit would be a part of the process – sometimes falling upon the person, leading them to be baptized, and sometimes it would fall upon them after being baptized, as it did with Jesus. As is the case with baptism today, the event marked the beginning of the faith journey. That is the “pledge” part of today’s key verse. It was not ever about just being made clean and then being done with it. The battle with sin does not end in this lifetime. The act of dying to self begun in baptism is one repeated over and over. Our journey of faith continues forever.

Peter connects baptism to salvation. Once we profess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we are “saved”. Our souls are saved for heaven. “Saved” becomes our status. Part of our salvation is justification and part of it is sanctification. Justification is simply being made right with God. Each time we come to God and confess and repent, we are being justified as we are forgiven and made new again. Sanctification is being made more like Jesus. As we wrestle with sin and continue to die to self over and over, we are becoming more and more like Jesus. These two processes are constant parts of our journey of faith. All of this is done in and through Christ. Thanks be to God that daily we are being made more like Jesus.

Prayer: Living God, just as you are alive, so too is my faith. In the living and the dying, my faith is always growing, being refined, shaping me into your son’s image. Thank you that I am a work in progress. Work in me today and every day. Amen.


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Anointed

Reading: 1 Samuel 16: 6-13

Verse 13: “Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him… from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came upon him”.

As we return to this passage from 1 Samuel 16 we focus in on Samuel anointing David. God who sees the heart identifies David and guides Samuel to consecrate him with oil. There are no words spoken concerning what David is being consecrated for. The two usual times when this act was practiced was to anoint a new king or a new high priest. As David’s family was not of the line of Levi, some there may have wondered about what was happening. Saul was clearly established as the king of Israel who God himself had chosen.

Although we do not all anoint with oil in this fashion, we all do practice a sacrament that accomplishes the same end result. In the sacrament of baptism we are each marked – not with oil but with the water. In most Christian traditions the time of baptism marks the child or person as a member of the family of God. The sacred part of baptism is the Holy Spirit becoming part of that person’s life, much as it did for David in today’s passage. We see the same coming of the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ baptism. As we each profess faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we become children of God as we receive the Spirit.

Jesus was anointed to live as a humble and obedient servant of God. Doing so, he set us an example and then gave his all for you and me. David was anointed to one day be king of Israel. You and I have also been anointed. We will probably have a journey of faith that looks more like David’s – plenty of ups and downs as we begin. As God and the Holy Spirit works within us we will mature as David did, finding less “downs” along the way. As we continue our Lenten journey, may we each consider how we are uniquely called to humbly serve God and our fellow children of God. Being led by the Holy Spirit, may we each be the presence of Christ in our world.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, this day use me as you will. Guide me to love and serve those I can and to be faithful and obedient to the lead of the Holy Spirit. Amen.