pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: real


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Moments to Share

Reading: John 20:19-29

John 20:27 – “Put your finger here. Look at my hands. Put your hand into my side.”

Photo credit: Priscilla du Preez

We return today to the story of Jesus’ first two visits to the disciples. The incredible story of Jesus’ first visit is met with great skepticism about what “supposedly” happened. Didymus wants proof. He wants to see and touch to believe that it really is Jesus. We will meet people like this. Yes, cute Bible stories and even some good moral lessons, but…

If you think back over your journey of faith, what were the moments that made your faith real? The stories in the Bible are powerful and provide us with a foundation. In this way they are part of what John Wesley called “prevenient grace” – that grace of God that draws you towards God before you believe. Moments from worship, conversations in Sunday school or youth group, a nugget from a sermon – more of that prevenient grace.

All of these things pull us towards God, deeper into the story, closer to a saving relationship. But those moments in the balcony or at the graveside or in the ER or… the tangible touches of God, the moments when we’ve figuratively been close enough to touch the nail scars, these are our moments. These touches become our stories. These personal stories of when God draws near are the stories that can make Jesus more real for others. They still must have their own moments, but our stories can be part of God’s prevenient grace at work in other’s lives. What are your stories? How will you share them with others?

Prayer: Lord God, remind us of the times when you drew near, when we could feel and almost touch you. Deepen our memories of these encounters so that they become part of the stories that we tell. And as we tell them, work in others to draw them closer to you and to a relationship that will change their lives. Amen.


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Holding Fast

Reading: Luke 21:12-19

Luke 21:19 – “By holding fast, you will gain your lives.”

Photo credit: Shane Rounce

Shifting to the second half of this week’s gospel reading, Jesus gets real with the disciples. While these words still have meaning for us today, imagine how differently these words would be heard by readers meeting in secret, praying to avoid these things yet reassured by their Jesus’ words of hope and promise. Think about how these words would be heard in the Sudan, where a small group of Christians were recently arrested during a funeral.

As our passage begins, Jesus declares that “they” will arrest and harass believers, imprisoning some so that they can stand trial. “They” will be the Romans and the Jewish religious leaders. While chances of arrest are low in our nation, harassment and even mild persecution can come our way if we speak up for the vulnerable and the marginalized. People find themselves in these positions because of unjust systems that were created and are perpetuated by those who benefit from them: those in power and those with wealth.

In our time, Jesus’ advice about how to handle oneself if harassed, persecuted, arrested… feels counterintuitive to us. He advises his disciples not to “prepare a defense.” Instead Jesus calls us to faith and trust. He will give us “words and wisdom” so that in this opportunity to witness, “they” will be speechless. God will be glorified. Jesus also shares that these opportunities will not be easy to endure. Some will lose physical life. Yet hear the promise: “By holding fast, you will gain your lives.” Those with the power and means to kill the body (or to abuse or persecute or harass or marginalize) cannot kill the soul. We are God’s and God is with us. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, give us the courage to stand tall and to be courageous in our faith. Grant us the assurance that you will give us the words to speak for and to defend the vulnerable and the marginalized and the powerless and the downtrodden. Placing self between such as these and those with power, we have an opportunity to transform the world and to change its unjust systems. Use us to shape a more just world. Make us willing to count and to pay the cost, all for your praise and glory. Amen.


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Radical Love

Reading: Luke 6:27-36

Luke 6:35 – “Instead, love your enemies, do good, and lend expecting nothing in return. If you do, you will have great reward.”

Jesus defines behaving as God’s children by loving our enemies, by doing good to those persons who hate us, by blessing the people who curse at us, and by praying for the folks who mistreat us. He continues on, explaining how these actions become real. For Jesus, love is not a sentimental feeling. It calls us to offer the other cheek, to give our cost and our shirt, to give money without seeking or expecting repayment. To materially support those who hate, curse, and mistreat us? This is a deep and encompassing love that Jesus calls his followers to live out.

Why would Jesus call us to such a radical love? First, it is the love that he demonstrated in both his ministry and in his death on the cross. More practically, in verse 31 he says, “Treat people in the same way you want to be treated.” Jesus calls us to this radical love as a means to change hearts and to change culture. Loving in this way will attract attention and will raise questions in other’s minds. When this kind of love is given to our “enemies” it shows that this love is deep in our hearts. It is not founded upon the other person’s behavior but upon Christ in us. When we love all people with a radical love, then the compassion of the Father will then be our compassion. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, how great your love is for us. It is beyond measure and past comprehension. When we ponder this we are left in awe, able only to muster a meager “thank you.” Lord, empower us to reflect this love to others, drawing them towards that place of awe. In this way may you be glorified and praised. Amen.


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A Leader, A Remnant

Readings: 1st Kings 17, 1st Kings 18, 1st Kings 19

1st Kings 19:18 – “I have preserved those who remain in Israel, totaling seven thousand — all those whose knees haven’t bowed down to Baal.”

Photo credit: Paul Pastourmatzis

In today’s readings God returns to the scene in mighty ways. Suddenly Elijah is on the scene. His first act is to tell King Ahab that drought is on the way. Then he runs and hides. Elijah is filled with God’s Spirit and is very compassionate for the Lord. And he lacks confidence at times. His faith wavers between great and almost non-existent.

After providing for his needs in the wilderness, God then sends him to the widow at Zarephath. She is out gathering wood to prepare one last meal for her and her son. Elijah asks her for bread, asking her to trust God. She gives him bread and God provides for her faith. But her son grows ill and dies. She questions Elijah. He questions God. But then Elijah prays and asks God for help. God restores the boy back to life. The widow has faith in this man of God and in his God.

Elijah is then sent to Ahab – the one who has been searching for him. Obadiah reluctantly arranges a meeting. Ahab meets the “trouble maker” but Elijah counters, identifying Ahab and Israel as the ones who have deserted God. A contest is set up. The prophets of Baal prepare their bull and they pray and dance. Elijah teases them. They cut themselves and shout to Baal. Nothing. Elijah repairs the altar using twelve stones, prepares the sacrifice, and has water dumped upon it three times. Elijah prays to God. Fire falls and consumes everything. The people exclaim, “God is real!” The prophets of Baal die. He tells Ahab rain is coming. Six times Elijah’s servant looks for a cloud. On the seventh time, a small cloud has formed.

Jezreel is not happy about what happened at Mount Carmel. She threatens Elijah. He flees. Even though he’s ready to die, God provides as he makes his way to Mount Horeb. God asks, “Why are you here?” – Why are you afraid? God then teaches him an important lesson. God comes – not in the wind, not in the earthquake, not in the fire – but in the still and quiet. God has a plan. He tells the one who feels all alone, “I have preserved those who remain in Israel, totaling seven thousand — all those whose knees haven’t bowed down to Baal.” Elijah anoints Jehu as priest and Hazael as king. He goes to Elisha and throws his coat on him. Elisha accepts the invitation to follow. God is at work.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for reminding Elijah and Israel and us of your presence, power, and might. Yet even with such reminders we can be like Elijah – our compassion for you quickly turning to fear and doubt. Help us to remember better. Lead and guide us to a sure and steady faith in you. Amen.


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Seeking Presence, Seeking to Hear

Reading: Matthew 17:4-9

Verse 5: “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”

Photo credit: Uta Scholl

Returning once again to the mountaintop we are present with the disciples as they experience the transfiguration of Jesus. The physical change in Jesus and witnessing his conversation with Moses and Elijah – life-changing. Peter, James, and John would never be the same. This was an experience that they could draw upon again and again. We too can have these experiences. We are not the same afterwards. My first experience with the presence of the divine happened in a church balcony my junior year of high school during an overnight event at the church. Two others were praying with me for a friend who has been in an awful car accident. As we cried and prayed I felt tangible arms around us. A holy presence surrounded us in that time of need. Suddenly I knew that God was real.

In Peter, James, and John’s experience, they saw and felt something that they had never seen or felt before. Peter wants to build dwellings, perhaps to hold onto the moment. But it could not last forever. From an even brighter cloud God says, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” These words, from this voice, they validate Jesus, they define the holy relationship, they give Jesus all authority. These words prolong the disciples’ experience. In moments of fear or doubt or trial how these words must’ve echoed in their minds, giving them courage or assurance or strength.

The Holy Spirit offers the same to you and to me. If we turn to God, whether in prayer or meditation, coming to God with our need or worry or concern, then we open ourselves up to God’s presence. As we surrender our will, our way, our desires to God, we invite the holy presence to open our ears and minds and hearts to hear what God speaks. In that balcony long ago, I did not tangibly hear God speak but there was an overwhelming feeling that Keith would be okay. There was no doubt.

When we seek God’s presence, when we humble ourselves to hear, then the Lord our God will lead, guide, direct, comfort, strengthen, assure… Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord, I am grateful for each of my encounters with you – those on the mountaintop, those in the valley, those that came upon me unexpectedly. Each has grown our relationship. Thank you, Lord. Amen.


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Applying the Way of God

Reading: Matthew 5:17-20

Verse 19: “Whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

After beginning the Sermon on the Mount with the Beatitudes and an encouragement to be salt and light, Jesus connects back to the Hebrew scriptures. After painting a picture of what the community of faith should look and be like, Jesus goes back to the roots of the faith. In verses 17 he says, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets.” In and of themselves, these are good things. No, Jesus says, “I have come to fulfill them.” He has come to show what it means to really live out the way of God. Next week we will delve into some of what this means as Jesus says again and again, “But I tell you…“

In the second half of today’s reading Jesus addresses the overall application of the Law and prophets. Focusing first on the goal, Jesus says, “Whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” These words connect to the call to be salt and light, to the calls to comfort and make peace, to the calls to hunger and thirst for God and for righteousness. Jesus applied the way of God to all of his life, to all of his relationships, to all that he said and did. Jesus lived a wholeness of faith and he calls his followers to do the same.

The contrast comes in verses 20, where Jesus informs us that our faith must surpass the surface level faith of the religious leaders of his day. They know the Law and prophets and they work hard at checking the boxes they’ve constructed. They just don’t allow the Law and prophets to affect how they live their lives. This is a call to let our light and love show in real and tangible ways, to let our faith impact and change lives, beginning with our own. May this be the faith that we live and breathe.

Prayer: Lord God, lead me today to live a faith that shows, that reveals you, that draws others into your presence. Amen.


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Relationships

Reading: 2nd Timothy 1:1-7

Verse 5: “I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois… and now lives in you also.”

Photo credit: Wylly Suhendra

Today and tomorrow’s passage from 2nd Timothy 1 is a great example of one of the things I love about the Bible: it is real. It’s not just a story of God’s love and nice miracles that Jesus performed. Yes, it is partly this but there is real life in there too. There is adultery and betrayal and murder. There is sin and falling away. There is denial and dishonesty too. And today we begin a passage that speaks of the hard realities of faith and of the means that God provides to continue walking faithfully through the trials. We’ll delve into the trials tomorrow. Today we’ll look at the means that God provides to get us through the hard things of life.

Paul begins by reminding Timothy of the relationships in his life. He encourages Timothy by telling him that he prays for him. Paul then recalls the closeness of their relationship and the tears that bore evidence of this at their parting. He next lifts Timothy up by saying, “I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois… and now lives in you also.” His grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice have both poured into Timothy and have helped him to grow in his faith. Paul encourages Timothy to “fan into flame” his faith, this “gift of God.” His mentor Paul and his family have planted and nurtured this gift in Timothy. Who comes to mind for you as we consider these relationships and how they guided Timothy? Who mentored and nurtured your faith?

Paul backs this relationships up with another vital relationship. In verse 7 he reminds Timothy that “God did not give us a spirit of timidity.” No, the Holy Spirit is not timid. Quite the opposite. The Spirit is a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline. The Holy Spirit, the spirit of Christ living in us, fills us with all we need to walk faithfully in and through the times of trial and suffering. The constant presence of Christ walks with us always. Reflect upon this too. When has the Holy Spirit given you power or love or self-discipline or whatever it was that you needed to get through a difficult thing?

Prayer: Lord God, you fill my life with vital relationships for my walk of faith. Thank you for the people in my life that teach and encourage and support me. Thank you for those who hold me accountable. And thank you for the Holy Spirit, my constant friend and guide. Amen.


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Remember

Reading: Jeremiah 8:18-9:1

Verse 19b: “Why have they provoked me to anger with their images, with their worthless foreign idols?”

In our time yesterday we looked at Jeremiah’s trust in God’s presence during a time of hardship and trial. Jeremiah’s heart cries out for the wayward people, for those who were crushed. His heart mourns for the suffering and the slain. Through it all is a sure confidence that God is with them. Jeremiah displays a mature faith. Life has taught him that God is there in the highs and lows and in everything in between.

The people of Israel cry out, “Is the Lord not in Zion?” They question if God is even with them. The response should be to seek God, to turn to God. The history of Israel suggests that God will be there. The covenants promise that God is there. In the latter half of verse 19 we hear God’s response: “Why have they provoked me to anger with their images, with their worthless foreign idols?” Questioning God’s presence, the people turned once again to idols. They decided to trust in something other than the Lord God.

The sad reality is that many of us do the same thing. If an unexpected or difficult tragedy befalls us, we can question if God is real or present or good. If we have a rough day or if something doesn’t quite go our way, we can turn to food or drugs or alcohol. If we are in a season that pinches our finances or some other earthly form of security, we can turn to leaders or systems for help. We too can be slow to turn to God. We too can turn to worthless idols.

When tempted to turn to idols or to someone or something other than God, may we remember that the Lord God loves us, is always seeking our good, and is steadfast and true. May we ever trust in God.

Prayer: Lord, in the pain or the trial, draw me back to you. In the times when I’m drawn to something else, draw me back into your love. Amen.


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Overjoyed

Reading: John 20:19-31

Verse 20: “He showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.”

In our gospel passage Jesus appears twice to the disciples – once without Thomas and once with him there. Both encounters have some of the same elements. In spite of locked doors, Jesus appears and says, “Peace be with you.” It was both a greeting and an assurance. Then, both times, he offers witness to who he is by showing them his hands and his side. This visual proof brings great joy to the disciples. Thomas voices it out loud, saying, “My Lord and my God!” We can assume that similar responses came during the first visit amongst the disciples.

At least part of their great joy comes from knowing that Jesus suffered for them. Another source of joy is the tangible reminder that God came in the flesh to experience what we experience. Suffering is a part of all of our lives. To know that God incarnate willingly took on suffering for us – that reveals a great love for you and for me. With Thomas we too can joyfully exclaim, “My Lord and my God!”

Speaking towards the many who will come to faith without the visual proof that the disciples received, Jesus says, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” We, of course, have the written witness to Jesus contained in both the Old and New Testaments. And we have those experiences, those moments, when Jesus’ presence became real and tangible to us during our suffering. These are personal proofs that Jesus is alive and is present to us. May we too be overjoyed each time we see the Lord Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Lord God, I am grateful, I am overjoyed as I recall the times when you were a tangible presence in my life. In each experience you were comfort, strength, assurance. Thank you for remaining a part of our world and my life. Amen.


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A Beautiful Place

Reading: 1st John 3: 19-24

Verse 24: “Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them”.

Photo credit: Jon Tyson

This second half of our passage from 1st John 3 centers on our connection to Jesus Christ. John first acknowledges that we are imperfect. We don’t always love in action and truth. In those times we often feel the condemnation in our hearts that John refers to in verse twenty. Even then, though, John reminds us that we can “set our hearts at rest in his presence”. Because God is greater than our hearts – and greater than our failures – we can trust that God will continue to be at work in us, will continue to refine and shape us more and more into who we were created to be.

When we are living at our best, obeying God’s commands, doing what pleases God, we have a confidence before God. We sense his presence active and alive in our lives, empowering us to believe in Jesus Christ and to love one another. Living this way we deepen our connection to Jesus and to one another. We “live in him” and can feel him living in us. Christ becomes tangible in our lives. We feel it, others sense it. That indwelling Holy Spirit feels like a part of who and what we are, almost becoming one with us. It is a beautiful place to be. It is a place where we surrender all of who we are to all of what Christ calls us to be.

As we seek to walk each day with Jesus Christ and his Spirit within us, may we open ourselves to the love of God and neighbor, living with hearts filled with joy and peace and hope and contentment. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for those times where we have been so close. In those times my joy has been made complete. Draw me there again and again. By the power of your Spirit within me guide me to walk in obedience to your love. Amen.