pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: relationship


by Leave a comment

A Community Effort

Reading: John 11:38-45

Verse 44: “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

Photo credit: Wylly Suhendra

In the second half of our John 11 passage, Jesus moves into action. He says to no one in particular and therefore to everyone, “Take away the stone.” Practical Martha protests. Jesus draws her back to the spiritual: “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” And after a prayer to God, Jesus calls Lazarus out of the grave. The man dead four days walks out, still wrapped in his grave cloths.

This is one way that Jesus calls us back to life. But for almost everyone, he calls us back from spiritual or emotional death. We have fallen short and have sinned. We have separated ourselves from God and from one another. We come to a place of repentance and we are restored to a right relationship with God. But we still have our grave cloths wrapped around us. These take different forms: guilt, shame, remorse, regret. Often there are also real consequences that we must face. It is a very hard road to walk alone.

Jesus says, again, to no one in particular and therefore to everyone, Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” This last step of restoration is up to the community. It is something Lazarus cannot do on his own. It is something we cannot do on our own. To fully walk in the new life that Jesus offers, we need community. To restore our relationships, we need forgiveness and reconciliation. To begin to live again, we need welcome and engagement. Faith is a community effort. We are not always on the receiving end either. At times we will need to be the ones offering forgiveness… to others. May we be as willing to give as we are to receive.

Lord God, the community is such a beautiful thing. Walking together in faith is your plan and purpose for us all. Help me to be humble when I need forgiveness and restoration. Guide me to be generous when others need to receive. Bless your beloved community. Amen.


by Leave a comment

Alive to the Spirit

Reading: Romans 8:6-11

Verse 9: “You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you.”

Carrot sticks or potato chips? A doughnut or some oatmeal? A glass of water or a beer? The list could go on. In these choices and probably any others I could list, we know what the ‘right’ or ‘good’ or ‘healthy’ choice would be. Is it not the same in the spiritual realm of our lives?

In Romans 8 Paul contrasts the mind controlled by the flesh with the mind controlled by the Spirit. The mind controlled by the flesh is selfish and indulgent. It chases after and fills our hearts and minds with things that bring us temporary, earthly pleasure. These are sometimes sinful. Sometimes they are just bad for us in the long run. Living in and for the flesh is a choice. So too is living in and for God.

The mind controlled by the Spirit focuses on God’s ways and on living in ways that are pleasing to God. This focus is fueled by our relationship with God. This too is a choice. If one chooses to saturate one’s life with worship, prayer, study, and other spiritual disciplines, then the choice is being made to be led by the Spirit. Being filled by the word and ways of God, we will be “alive because of righteousness” – alive to God, alive to our faith, alive to one another, alive to the world. May it be so for you and for me.

Prayer: Lord God, help me to choose wisely – physically, relationally, and spiritually. All of me matters, not just one part. Fill me more and more with your Spirit so that all aspects of my life may flourish. Thank you, God. Amen.


by Leave a comment

Hear Our Cry, O God!

Reading: Psalm 130

Verses 1-2: “Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord; Lord, hear my voice.”

Photo credit: Stormseeker

The psalmist cries out to God. From “the depths” the psalmist goes to God full of emotion and from a place of discontent. If you’ve walked with God for a while then you, like me, have found yourself in a place very similar to the place the psalmist finds himself or herself. Sometimes we place ourselves there. Our sins or other poor choices have led us to a place in our relationship with God and/or with others that is discomforting and charged with emotions. At other times we find ourselves needing to cry out to God because of something someone else has done or because life simply happens. From these depths we too cry out to God.

In the rest of verse 2 we read, “Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.” The psalmist is asking God to not just hear the words of his or her lips. He or she is asking God to really listen, to receive these words, to pay attention to this cry of the heart. This is an invitation to God to receive us into a deeper relationship, into a more personal connection. To cry out in such a way is an expression of trust and faith. One would not pour out one’s heart unless there was a foundational trust and faith in a response. We are invited to go to God in such a way.

What are the cries of your heart? Are you angry or hurt? Are you lost or filled with questions? Are you lonely or experiencing unwanted change? Are you drowning in grief or wrestling with a big decision? Are you in a tight place financially or are you bone tired? There is no place that we cannot cry out from. There is no cry that God will not hear. So in faith and in trust and with hope, may we cry out to God.

Prayer: Lord God, hear my cry from the depths of my heart to the depths of yours. Through your son, feel what I am feeling, know what pulls at my heart and soul. Attune your ear to my cry, O God. Amen.


by Leave a comment

Reflect the Light of the World

Reading: John 9:1-23

Verse 5: “While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

Photo credit: Savvas Kalimeris

In this week’s gospel passage we continue with the themes of light and dark, of good and evil. The disciples notice a blind man and they ask Jesus, ‘Who sinned?’ Going against the Jewish understanding Jesus says that no one sinned. The man is here to display the power of God. Jesus proclaims that “the night is coming.” He is alluding to the evil that will rise up to orchestrate his crucifixion. It will be a time when his disciples and followers will go into hiding. It will feel as if darkness has won. Continuing on, Jesus says, “While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” Right now, Jesus is alive. It is time for the light to shine.

Without any prompting, Jesus makes mud and applies it to the man’s eyes. He is sent to wash in the Pool of Siloam and he emerges with clear vision. The man shares his good news with all who ask – “the man they call Jesus… mud… wash… then I could see.” He tells neighbors and acquaintances and he tells the Pharisees. All are divided but the evidence speaks for itself. The man who was healed now reflects the light of the world to one and all.

Today I ask: How has Jesus healed you? Did he heal some blindness that hindered you? Did he root out some sin that held you captive? Did he heal a hurt in your heart? Did he restore a relationship or situation? What did Jesus do for you?

The blind man encountered Jesus Christ, the light of the world. He was forever changed. His good news was, ‘I was blind but now I see.’ Mine is, ‘I was lost but now I am found.’ Others may be, ‘I was broken but now I am whole.’ We who have encountered Jesus all have good news to share. May we too reflect the light of the world with all that we meet.

Prayer: Lord God, oh how you have changed my life. You’ve shifted my focus from me to you and to others. You’ve turned my greed to generosity, my pride to humility. Now, I’m far from who you want me to be. So I ask that you would continue to love me anyway, that you would continue to shape and form me into who you want me to be. All for your glory, O Lord. Amen.


by Leave a comment

Walk in the Light

Reading: Ephesians 5:8-14

Verse 8: “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.”

Throughout the scriptures God and good has been represented by the light. It is first reflected in how God created the world. Light shone into the darkness. Light signals the start of each new day; it brings life to our souls and to the physical world. In contrast, evil and chaos are represented by the darkness. Under the cover of dark we feel that our misdeeds are somehow covered up or are at least less likely to be exposed.

Paul picks up on these themes in today’s writing. In verse 8 he writes, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.” Before choosing to live with Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we were in the darkness. We lived for self and to satisfy the cravings of the flesh. When we live in the dark, our eyes adjust and we get accustomed to that lifestyle. But once we come to Christ, the light becomes our norm. The light first illuminates the darkness right around us, exposing the evil in our lives and in our hearts. It can be hard to adjust to being in the light, at first. In general it grows easier and easier to live in the light. Sometimes, however, it is harder. But hard in a good way.

Walking in the light grows easier as we draw more and more upon the power and presence of the Holy Spirit of Christ to lead and guide our lives. Faith becomes the norm that we live by. Faithful living becomes our daily way of living. Here a part of the walk also becomes harder. The light continues to shine, working its way into the nooks and crannies. There we come to see that this or that really is a sin. What was “ok” before is no longer ok. The light reveals that habit or behavior and we come to see that it too must be put to the cross.

As we seek to grow in Christ, may we ever shine the light both within our hearts and out into the world, encouraging a walk in the light of Christ.

Prayer: Lord God, this journey of faith leads us deeper and deeper into our relationship with you. Joy, love, hope, grace – they grow in abundance in our life with you. In the light the refining process continues too as selfish habits and prideful ways continue to be exposed. Grant me the courage to surrender these things to you. Amen.


by Leave a comment

There Is Some Distance

Reading: Psalm 23:5-6 – “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Photo credit: Brett Jordan

Moving into these last two verses of Psalm 23 today, we will personalize these, in the spirit of Lent. In the first half of verse 5 the Lord prepares a table for us “in the presence” of our “enemies.” At first I picture them standing a little ways away, watching. But then I realize that Jesus ate with those generally considered “enemies” – tax collectors, prostitutes… So my enemies, they would be sitting at this table prepared by Christ. Some at the table will be seeing this from the other side: What is John doing at my table?!

Then there’s the setting – we are anointed, blessed. The cup overflows as does everything else on the table. There always was and is an abundance to everything Jesus does. There is always more than enough. At this table there is also an abundance of love and grace, empathy and mercy, compassion and forgiveness.

This scene is most often portrayed as a wedding banquet. I envision lots of tables like the one I described above plus a huge table at the front where Jesus sits with a host of people. Could this smaller table that Jesus prepared for us be the entry point to the real celebration going on up front? That is described in verses 6. The house of the Lord, our eternal dwelling place, is where “goodness and love” will overflow every day, all day. And perhaps these must begin to flow at our outer tables so that reconciliation and the restoration of all of our relationships can occur. Only then, when we are made right with all of our brothers and sisters in Christ, only then will we sit with Christ at his table.

I believe the same truth exists right now. If we look at others and consider them an “enemy” then there is distance between us and Christ. “Enemy” is just as broad a term as “neighbor.” If there is anyone that we would love less than the one we truly love the most, then we have work to do here and now.

Prayer: Lord God, I know, I believe that you call me to love unconditionally. That’s how you love me. Help me to bridge the gap, Lord, between how I know I’m supposed to live and how I actually love. Day by day bring me closer to your table of grace. Amen.


by Leave a comment

Who Is Our Woman at the Well?

Reading: John 4:5-26

Verses 13-14: “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.”

Our passage in John 4 begins with Jesus alone at the well. A woman comes alone to the well to draw water in the heat of the day. There are a few cultural reasons that this encounter should not happen, but it does anyway. All that matters to Jesus is ministering to this woman, to this lost soul.

After feeling each other out a bit, Jesus says to her, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.” In the first part Jesus is saying that this water – the things of this world – they never truly satisfy. This connects into his statement about having had five husbands and now a boyfriend. Significant others are one way we can try and find satisfaction and happiness. Some collect cars or other forms of wealth. Some turn to alcohol, drugs, pornography, gambling, working out… None of these things satisfy our inner thirst for joy, peace, contentment…

Jesus continues, offering her the greatest gift ever: “whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.” In Christ she can find something the world cannot offer: everlasting love, an eternal relationship, a place to always belong, to always have worth. These are the things that the woman needs at her core. These are things we all need. We try and fill our hearts and souls with many things. But only God in Christ can make us complete and whole. There we find the joy, the hope, the peace, the contentment, the meaning and purpose we all need.

The question that sticks with me today is this: Who is the woman at the well in your life, in my life? This was not a chance encounter in today’s passage. Jesus was at the well, waiting just for her. How will you and I make connection with that lost soul that we know?

Prayer: Lord God, by the power of your Holy Spirit, lead and guide me to the well, to connect, to enter into relationship, to draw another closer to you. Amen.


by 2 Comments

Personal, Intimate, Intentional

Reading: Psalm 95:1-7

Verse 6: “Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our maker.”

Psalm 95 is an invitation to sing and shout, to offer thanksgiving and praise to the Lord our God. The psalmist encourages us to take time to connect with our God, the one who formed and is a part of all of creation. In verse 6 we read, “Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our maker.” To me, this passage calls us to prayer. Prayer is the act of spending personal, intimate, intentional time with God. We can and should ‘pray on the fly’ – short prayers for the one in the ambulance, quick prayers for the parent struggling with a child, a fast shout-out for the person whose name pops into your mind. But to cultivate our relationship with God, it requires a deeper, more intense time of prayer.

Our relationship with God is like all of our relationships. If all we ever share with a person is a passing ‘Hello’ at the start of the work day, then that relationship will never go beyond the surface level of ‘acquaintance.’ Some treat God this way all the time. All of us can, actually, at times – when life gets overly busy or really stressed. This is why a consistent, highly prioritized prayer practice is essential to our faith and to our relationship with God. If it is haphazard – in the morning one day, at night a couple days, on the ride to work one day – then it is so much easier to ‘forget’ or to simply let it slip for a day. Or two. Or ten.

When my kids were young – 25 or so years ago – I began the habit of rising early to carve out quiet time with God. It was not easy. It was hard. Yet whether at home or on a mission trip or on vacation, whether healthy or sick, my early morning discipline is something I’ve held fast to. It has become essential to both my daily living and in keeping me closely connected to the Lord. One of two questions for you: What is your prayer discipline? Or… How and when will you develop a daily prayer discipline?

Prayer: Lord God, it is hard to imagine life and faith without our morning quiet time. It feels to me like water or air – something I couldn’t live without. Thank you for this gift of intimacy, honesty, connection. Amen.


by Leave a comment

Humble and Contrite

Reading: Matthew 6:1-6 and 16-21

Verse 16: “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting.”

Photo credit: Felipe Correia

Jesus addresses how we are to practice some of the disciplines of our faith in today’s passage. He begins with a warning to “be careful” how we do these things. Jesus addresses our giving, our prayer life, and our fasting. Jesus warms us today about doing these things for show. If we, for example, flash around our cash before theatrically placing it in the offering plate, then we have failed. Impressing people does not translate to eternity. The same is true for how we pray. It should be about talking to God, about being personal and intimate with God. It is not about flashy intonations and flowery words. These too only register with human eyes and ears.

In verses 16 Jesus addresses fasting. As we begin Lent today, let us focus on this section. The warning: “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting.” Today it could translate into complaining loudly to one and all about how much you miss your coffee each day – you know, because you gave it up for Lent. If, on the other hand, you add in a faith practice for Lent, maybe you whine or grumble a lot to your spouse or a friend about the gobs of extra time that God is requiring. As with the giving and the prayer, when we fast or practice another discipline to work on our relationship to and connection with God as a means to impress others, then it is not about God anymore.

With today’s teaching, Jesus was addressing the “hypocrites” – the super religious of his day. When we flaunt or make a big show of our faith, Jesus would have this same word for us. Our friends and neighbors certainly do. With these thoughts in mind, may we choose a humble and contrite journey in Lent.

Prayer: Lord God, use me to model a humble and simple faith. Keep my focus on our relationship and not on how others might see it. May this season be one of personal growth and a deepening of my relationship with you. Amen.


by Leave a comment

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.