pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

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The Lord Will Reign

Reading: Zechariah 10-15

Zechariah 13:1 – “On that day, a fountain will open to cleanse the sin and impurity of David’s house.”

In the last chapters of Zechariah, Judah and Jerusalem are lifted up and are torn down. They experience defeat and victory – both through the Lord. Zechariah refers twice to a king who has been seen as Jesus since the earliest days of the church. In the end, God is present in the new Jerusalem. All nations come to worship and give glory to God.

As our reading begins, God invites the people to ask God for rain. Instead they turn to idols as their shepherd(s) lead them astray. God will punish “the goats.” Judah will then be strong because God is with them. Strengthened, they will walk in the name of the Lord. But this faith doesn’t remain long. Two staffs – Delight and Harmony – are made and then are broken. The covenant is ended and the alliance between Judah and Israel is over. A bad shepherd won’t care well for the flock and will be doomed by God.

In chapter 12 God again defends and restores Judah. They again become strong in the Lord. God promises to pour out a spirit of grace and mercy. But then the people will “look to me concerning the one whom they pierced.” There will be mourning throughout the land. In 13:1 we read, “On that day, a fountain will open to cleanse the sin and impurity of David’s house.” Later in chapter 13: Zechariah returns to what the church reads as Jesus. They will strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter. There will be a purifying fire (persecution) that will refine the faithful. God will look upon these and say, “They are my people.”

In the last chapter we read of Jerusalem falling and half going into exile. Then God, along with the “holy ones,” fights for them, bringing them home. Running water will flow from this new Jerusalem. It will be secure. Nations will come to pay homage to God. The Lord will reign forever. This is the end of the story we know too. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, although sin and disobedience separated you from Judah and Israel – as it does us at times – you remain unconditionally committed to loving your children. I am grateful for your faithfulness, mercy, and grace through all of our failures. You are so worthy of our praise. Use us this day to bring glory and honor to your name. Amen.


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Charges and Judgments

Reading: Ezekiel 22-26

Ezekiel 22:30 – “I looked for anyone to repair the wall and stand in the gap for me on behalf of the land… But I couldn’t find anyone.”

Photo credit: Jametlene Reskp

We begin with chapter 22, where God brings charges against Jerusalem and then closes with a lament, revealing the heart of God. The charges are a summary of how Judah broke each of the Ten Commandments. God will scatter them and refine them like silver in the process. The chapter ends with this lament: “I looked for anyone to repair the wall and stand in the gap for me on behalf of the land… But I couldn’t find anyone.”

Chapter 23 contains an allegory of two sisters. It is the story of Israel and Judah, God’s people who prostituted themselves with multiple foreign powers and their idols, one after the other. The younger sister, Judah, proceeded to outdo the older sister, Israel. Instead of learning from her sister’s wayward ways, she amplified them. God turned both sisters lovers against them, pouring out God’s wrath upon them.

There are two parts to chapter 24. In the first part Judah is compared to a corroded pot. It will be heated so hot that its corrosion will be consumed. Judah will not be cleansed until God’s wrath has fully burned. In the second part, Ezekiel’s wife dies as a part of a sign act. God directs him not to mourn in any way. He follows instructions. So thorough will be Judah’s defeat that they too will walk around in stunned silence, unable to even grieve.

Chapters 25 and 26 contain oracles or judgments about Judah’s neighbors: Ammon, Moab, Edom, Philistia, and Tyre. Ammon and Moab took great delight in Judah’s downfall. Edom joyfully took part in Jerusalem’s destruction. The Philistines exacted revenge for past defeats and losses. All but Edom “will know that I am the Lord.” Our reading closes with the judgment of Tyre. They too ridiculed Judah (and God) at her downfall. The people around Tyre will shudder in terror at what befalls Tyre, who will “disappear” as God leads them “down into the pit.” Such will be the fate of all who oppose the Lord our God.

Prayer: Lord God, our innate selfishness is on full display today. We continue to struggle with want and greed, with lust and desires, with idolatry and disobedience. We are not all that different than Oholah and Oholibah, than Moab or Philistia. We too deserve your wrath. We too should be refined like silver. Instead, you brought grace in the form of your son. Today, Lord God, we thank you that we stand on this side of the cross, where love was poured out instead of wrath. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Amen.


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Sing, O Israel

Readings: Psalms 64-68

‭Psalm 68:9 – “You showered down abundant rain, God; when your inheritance grew weary, you restored it yourself.”

Psalm 64 begins with a prayer for protection and finishes with a celebration of God’s acts. Psalms 65-67 join in the celebration of God’s mighty acts. We close with Psalm 68, mostly more praise but with some petitions for God to act. As we draw close to the end of Book 2, we see the shift towards more praise and less lament.

Psalm 64 begins with prayer of protection against the evil doers’ words or “arrows.” What an appropriate descriptor. The psalmist trusts that God will respond with an arrow too. Then the righteous will rejoice in the Lord. The rejoicing continues in Psalm 65, where David is grateful for God’s listening ear and forgiving heart. David also celebrates how God can “calm the roaring sea.” How we too are grateful for this gift! The Psalm closes with thanksgiving for God’s provision of abundant flocks and grains. Yes, God is good.

Psalm 66 focuses on God’s deeds and power. This power has tested and refined them – a good process. A good one for us too. Not always enjoyable but always fruitful. The psalmist’s response? Offerings given and promises kept, a joyful response! The thanksgiving extends in Psalm 67 to include the gift of salvation. It is to be made known to the nations. Then the nations of the world will better understand the fair judgments that God renders and will better receive the guidance that God desires to give to all of the nations of the world.

Closing today with Psalm 68, the Psalm begins with a grand sweep of God’s acts: scatters the enemy, cares for orphans and widows, sets prisoners free. The psalmist celebrates God’s provision and love: “You showered down abundant rain, God; when your inheritance grew weary, you restored it yourself.” The Psalm closes by remembering God’s past victories, grand worship, and shows of strength. The psalmist longs for these to return. Remind yourselves through song. Sing, O Israel, sing to the God who gives you strength!

Prayer: Lord God, we too thank you for the many ways that you move in our lives and in our world. We offer you our praise and worship! And we too count on your continued presence. Without you, O Lord, we’d be in trouble. Shower us with your abundant love and provision. Go with us day by day. Amen.


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Day by Day

Reading: 1st Peter 1:17-23

Verse 23: “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.”

Photo credit: Javardh

This week’s Epistle reading is a call to be “holy.” God alone is holy – perfect, pure, just, good, righteous… Last week Peter reminded us that although we receive an inheritance that is imperishable and unfading, our journey of faith is one that will take us again and again through the refining process. Each time we are refined we become holier, more righteous, more just… but we will never be holy, perfect, pure… as God is holy, perfect, pure…

Our passage today begins by calling us to live in “reverent fear.” Because we call on a just God, the call is to live lives that honor God, that demonstrate our awareness of God’s holiness, perfection, justice… Peter then returns to the idea of the imperishable. He reminds us that we were not redeemed with gold or silver but with the “precious blood of Christ.” Although he was human for 30ish years, Jesus is eternal, imperishable, forever. Because Christ is these things, so too is our forgiveness and our salvation. Once we have been “born again” we are living in and under the “living and enduring word of God.” It is through the word of God, the working of the Holy Spirit, and our obedience to this call to holy living that we grow into Christ more and more and more.

The refining, the growing and maturing, the struggles, the highs, the trials – these are all at work on our journey of faith. Together they continue to make us into who God created us to be. This is the story of our faith. Day by day may we open ourselves to the living and enduring word of God, to the workings of the Holy Spirit, and to the path that God invites us to walk each day.

Prayer: Lord God, you invite us on a powerful, amazing, transforming journey. You are ever at work to make us holy, to form us into who you created us to be. May we be willing and faithful participants in this process. Amen.


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A Consuming Fire

Reading: Exodus 24:12-18

Verse 17: “To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain.”

Photo credit: Ricardo Gomez Angel

Returning to Exodus 24 today, Moses goes up the mountain to receive the law and commands. Through these, God is inviting the people into a deeper relationship and into a new way of living. Moving from slavery in Egypt to dwelling as a free and loved people in the Promised Land, the Israelites needed a new framework for life. As they await this, “To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain.”

In our lives as Christians we too have a framework for life. The Bible is an expanded and refined version of the laws and commands that Moses received. The words in the Bible give us guidance and direction for living as the beloved children of God in this world. Jesus is the central figure in the scriptures and provides us a real-life example of how to live out God’s will and God’s ways.

The concept of God being a consuming fire also holds true. As we delve into God’s word and as we allow it to shape and form, to refine and reform us, the fire of the Holy Spirit burns away the chaff – our sins, our selfishness, our fleshy desires… Led and guided by the Spirit, one more image of flame, we become more and more who God created us to be.

Day by day, may you be blessed on your journey.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for the framework you give for life – especially the example found in your son Jesus. By his example we have the model for how to love you and one another. Continue to work in me, drawing me closer and closer to who you made me to be. Amen.


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The Way of Jesus

Reading: Luke 3: 15-17 and 21-22

Verse 16: “One more powerful than I will come… he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”

“One more powerful…” How we love and long for power. The human race has long sought power. Power, of course, comes in many forms. It reveals or shows itself in many ways. For some, power is represented by the amassing of things – money, retirement funds, homes, cars… For some power is revealed by position or title – the number of employees under you, the tag line on the office door, the ability to make unilateral decisions. For others, power comes through appearance, athletic prowess, or via some other talent. For many though, power is as simple as being more powerful than one other person.

Jesus was certainly powerful – just not in any of these earthly ways. Jesus’ power came through love and was revealed by being selfless, by serving others, by giving away. You and I are capable of living in these ways. It is possible. But the ways of power in the world always gnaw at us, always make us question this way of Jesus. In our hearts we know it is good to love others more than self. Yet all that we’ve grown up around, all that so many others pursue, runs contrary to the way of Jesus. Our selfishness, our greed, our fears – they work against kindness, generosity, compassion…

We are not without hope. This Jesus, if we are willing to kneel and to ask him to be the Lord of our life, this Jesus will “baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” This baptism empowers believers to live as Jesus lived – loving unconditionally, serving selflessly, sharing generously and abundantly. Being baptized into Christ commits our life to walking in Jesus’ footsteps, to loving as he loved. It is not easy. The world always calls out, always raises fears, doubts… The power and presence of the Holy Spirit, the refining fire of Jesus Christ – these keep us on the path, keep us walking in the way of Jesus. As we walk this path longer and longer, the more we come to understand that there is no greater power than the love of Christ within us. Love always wins. May it be so for you and for me.

Prayer: Dear Lord, in the quiet of the morning, it is easy to say that love is power, that love always wins. As I move out into the day, into the mess of the world, remind me over and over to walk in the way of love, in the way of Jesus. It is a frequent choice. Guide me to choose you and the way of love. Amen.


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Refined and Purified

Reading: Malachi 3: 1-4

Verse 3: “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.”

Photo credit: Kim West

Today in Malachi we move forward from the ancient to the present. The process that God described as necessary for the priests and the temple is also necessary for our faith development. John the Baptist began the process as he prepared the way for the one who would call each of us into a personal relationship with the Lord our God. It is through this relationship that we are refined and purified.

In verse three we read, “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.” No matter how we come to Christ as Lord and Savior – whether through a slow and steady process or in a moment of sudden realization of our need – all who believe come to a moment of decision. At that moment we ask Jesus into our heart, into our lives. We make a commitment to giving Jesus authority over all areas of our lives. We commit our time, energy, resources, talents, finances… to loving God/Jesus and neighbor more than self. Just as a couple joins hands and commits to a lifelong covenant, so too do we in this moment of decision. We commit to love no matter what.

If you are or ever have been married or been in a long-term relationship, you know that some days it is hard to love the other. Our own selfish desires and many other distractions cause us to stumble and to fail to honor our commitment. Here is where the refiner and purifier steps in. Over and over Jesus Christ, through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, calls us back to love. Through the process of conviction, confession, repentance, and forgiveness we are refined and purified. Each time through we are remade again, each time a little closer to the image of God within us. For our part we must stay connected to Jesus Christ through worship, study, prayer… We also must remain open to the voice and nudge of the Holy Spirit and to the working of God in our lives. If so we will become more and more like those Malachi speaks of: people who offer all of ourselves to God and neighbor in righteousness. May it be so for us all.

Prayer: Lord God, open my eyes and heart to hearing and knowing your voice. Drive down my pride and ego so that I may see my faults and sins. Elevate my humility so that I gladly accept your loving hand, leading, guiding, correcting, refining, purifying. Moment by moment make me more like you. Amen.


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Even in This

Reading: 1st Samuel 8: 10-20

Verse 18: “You will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the Lord will not answer you in that day”.

Photo credit: Nick Fewings

After God acquiesces to the people’s request for a king, God gives some words of warning to the people. Yes, a king can bring stability and leadership and authority to the nation. Yes, a king can negotiate with other kings and can lead the troops out into battle when needed. A king can fight for the people! But a king can also demand or, at times, take when the demands are not met. A king can call for military service and can seize land, crops, livestock, and servants. A king can tax the people to support his reign. A judge or prophet would never do any of these things. The leader that the people reject, God, would never do any of these things. Yet the people want a king.

All of this, both the good and the bad, comes true as king after king leads Israel. Reading through 1st and 2nd Kings, we see that God is right. There are more bad kings than good kings. The fate and the lives of the people rise or fall under the leadership of each king. Yet even though the people reject God in favor of a king, God remains engaged. Even though God grants them this autonomy, God does not abandon his children. God continues to send prophets to guide and redirect and shepherd these kings. God even chooses the first few kings.

God leads you and me in the same way. God does not force us to love and obey him or to believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. God engages us, the Spirit leads and guides us. But we are free to choose our own kings, our own gods. God allows us free will, just as he did with the Israelites. God warned them, saying, “You will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the Lord will not answer you in that day”. When leadership is oppressive, selfish, authoritarian… God will allow them to learn their lesson. In time God will respond to their cries. We too experience this process. We have to endure a consequence for our poor choices. God will always forgive us when we’re repentant. But our poor choices and bad behaviors often impact others, creating ramifications. We too must go through a refining and learning process. Even in this, God is at work. Thanks be to God for loving us enough to always be there on the other side.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, your love always leads and informs. Your love is greater than our limitations and failures. We are ever a work in progress. You are so patient, so faithful, ever true. What a wonderful God you are! Amen.


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Bear Much Fruit

Reading: John 15: 1-8

Verse 4: “No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine”.

Photo credit: Summertrain

Today we continue in John 15 with the vine and branches metaphor. Yesterday we looked at the primary role that our relationship with Jesus Christ plays in our life of faith. Jesus is the vine that gives us true life. God “prunes” or shapes and refines us to better model Jesus’ love to the world and to one another. As we practice Jesus’ sacrificial love in the world we are part of making new disciples – “bearing fruit” in this metaphor.

Today we look at our fellow branches and our connection to them. The branches of a vine are also connected to one another. There is often an interdependent relationship amongst the branches – they work together to produce a harvest. This idea reminds me of my community of faith. At the church we have a large community garden. The produce goes to people in need. Yesterday about a dozen folks gathered to plant potatoes, beans, carrots, beets, okra, turnips, strawberries, and many vining plants. Another group of about six gathered and provided a morning coffee break and a yummy lunch. Later in the day another came to help the leaders set up and test the watering system. All together we laid the groundwork for a ministry that will help feed many, sharing the love of Jesus along the way. In this way we are planting seeds that we hope and pray that the Holy Spirit nurtures into faith.

There are many other ways that our community of faith and other communities of faith work together to produce a harvest for the kingdom of God. For each of us, our call is to find where we each “fit” within our own communities of faith. Once we find our places to be a part of the vine we begin to fulfill God’s purposes for our lives. In these places we “bear much fruit, showing ourselves to be Jesus’ disciples”. May it be so for each of us.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for the beautiful communities of faith that have helped me to grow and that have nurtured my faith. Thank you for the place where you have now planted me and for the ways they nurture me and help me to grow. Continue to be at work in us; use us to build up the kingdom of God in this time and place. Amen.


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Perfect Love and Fear

Reading: 1st John 4: 16-21

Verse 18: “There is no fear in love… perfect love drives our fear”.

Photo credit: Christopher Beloch

Today we continue in love as John further develops the connection between God and love. In the opening verse for today John writes, “God is love”. It is a simple yet profound statement. It is the truest and best description of God. God = love! John goes on to write, “Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him”. Now, some may be thinking, ‘Love, love, love, … blah, blah, blah…’. Yes, faith is about more than saying we love God or that God is love. Yes, faith is more than believing God’s grace will forgive anything and everything because God loves us so much. These shallow or limited understandings of faith fall far short of the example set by Jesus.

When we love God and the other as Jesus loved these we allow love to guide all we say and do. Following Jesus’ model, love always places our relationship with God and our relationships with one another ahead of our relationship with self. When we fail to love as Jesus loved we have elevated love of self above all else and we slip into lesser emotions – lust, envy, greed, jealousy, pride, judging… Our sin works to separate us from God and from one another, sometimes even from ourselves. Here the guilt and shame can work to bring up fear and doubt in our hearts and minds. We fear that God’s love is smaller than our sin; we doubt that God still loves us that much. In those moments we need the Holy Spirit to remind us of John’s words that we read in verse 18: “There is no fear in love… perfect love drives our fear”. John acknowledges that our fear is rooted in being punished because of our sin. Here we reveal our humanity. John calls us beyond that; he calls us to “perfect love”. That is God’s love, not our love. God’s perfect love says the price has already been paid. God’s perfect love drives out the fear and guilt and shame, again reminding us that the cross says his love is greater than all of these emotions, greater than all of our imperfections.

This perfect love also calls us to more. As we live deeper into the perfect love of God, our love grows and is refined. God’s perfect love empowers us more and more to do as God commands: love one another. The deeper we grow into God’s love, the more we reflect that love towards others. Each and every day may we walk in God’s perfect love, bringing God the glory as we spread that love.

Prayer: Lord God, when my mind slips into things lesser than your love, remind me by the power of the Holy Spirit just how much you love me. Remind me again and again of your perfect love, of your no-matter-what love. Lead me to walk in that love. Amen.