pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: relationship


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Learning to Trust

Reading: Psalm 86:1-7 and 16-17

Verse 7: “When I am in distress, I call to you because you answer me.”

In the Psalm this week David prays to God. It is a prayer for help in times of trouble. These are prayers that we pray often. Life can be challenging and difficult at times. Unwanted change, loss, illness, broken relationships, death, failure – these and many more drive us to God in prayer. The psalmist is no stranger to these challenges and difficulties. David certainly has his share of these times of trouble.

As revealed in the Psalm, David also knew who to turn to in these times. David chose someone who was trustworthy, merciful, forgiving, good, loving, and responsive. All of this is summed up in verse 7: “When I am in distress, I call to you, because you answer me.” Hear the confidence and faith in these words. As each challenge arose, as each difficulty came, David turned to God and God answered. Was it always the answer he wanted? No. But David knew that God’s ways were higher and better than his ways. This too was learned over time. This trust and faith was built through a steady and disciplined walk with God.

God invites us into this kind of a relationship. God invites us to be open and honest, vulnerable and trusting. When we are in need, God wants us to call out. When we feel overwhelmed, God yearns for our prayers. When we are worn out or dried up, God longs for us to kneel in prayer. God desires a relationship with us. In these personal and intimate moments of prayer we learn to trust into God, deepening our faith and our relationship. May it be so for you and for me.

Prayer: Lord God, you are faithful and true. May you be where I turn to first. You are compassionate and forgiving. In humility and trust may I bring all that I am and all I am not to you. Day by day deepen our relationship, O God. Amen.


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Stories

Reading: Matthew 9:18-26

Verse 24: “But they laughed at him.”

In today’s second half of this week’s Matthew 9 reading two miracles happen. It might even be more. The passage begins with a ruler from the synagogue coming to Jesus for help. “Come and put your hand on her, and she will live.” We are not told if this request is driven by faith or by desperation. Both lead us to seek Jesus.

Verses 20-22 contain a story within this first story. It is the story of faith. This woman has been ill for 12 years. Yet she seeks Jesus out with this faith: “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.” She has faith great enough to believe that proximity to Jesus and her touching his clothing will bring her healing. Jesus confirms this, saying, “Your faith has healed you.”

Moving on and arriving at the synagogue leader’s house, Jesus first tried to send the professional mourners home, saying the girl is just asleep. They know death. They are professional mourners. “But they laughed at him.” Faith in Jesus is non-existent in this group. It does not deter Jesus. Clearing the house Jesus then goes to the girl. He simply takes her hand, restoring her to life with his touch. We see Jesus demonstrate great faith in God here. News of the miracle spreads “through all that region.”

Perhaps this spread is the third miracle. Maybe the woman or the synagogue leader or the daughter become powerful witnesses to the power of God in Jesus to change lives. Maybe their story drew people to faith. Like these we too have stories of what Jesus has done for us. We may be laughed at, dismissed. Let us persevere. Our stories have the power to change lives. May these stories of faith be told and may they draw others to Jesus. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, you’ve touched my life again and again. Use me and my stories of faith to draw others towards the power found in relationship with Jesus. Amen.


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Totally Worthy

Reading: Acts 2:14-21

Verse 17: “I will pour out my Spirit on all people.”

In our second half of this week’s Acts 2 reading Peter addresses the crowd. Some are “amazing and perplexed” and some are doubtful and skeptical. Peter says to the crowd, “Let me explain this to you.” That is what we all want to hear when we’ve seen something like the crowd has seen – something that is almost too much to believe.

Peter quotes from Joel 2, using a familiar passage for his Jewish audience. These words would be words that God’s people longed to see fulfilled. Peter says, in essence, today is the day! It is the day when sons and daughters, when old men and young men, and when even servants will prophesy, will dream dreams, and will have visions. When God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people,” God really means it. Through the giving of the Holy Spirit to all believers, the church is now empowered and equipped to share the good news of Jesus Christ with all of the world.

God did not look at the 100 or so gathered that day with the disciples and decide to pour out the Spirit on a select group. There was no age limit – one way or the other. There was no occupation parameters or gender requirements or any other limiting factors. All people received the Holy Spirit. All were totally worthy to receive the gift. The same could be said of the crowd. The Spirit didn’t enable the followers of Jesus to speak just some languages. All in the crowd heard the deeds of God in their own language. Again, there were no limiting factors. All were totally worthy to receive the word and all were absolutely welcomed into the community of faith. May it be so for our ministries and for our communities of faith. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, you clearly love us all – believers and non-believers alike. You clearly want all people to come into a saving relationship in Jesus Christ – young and old, female and male, rich and poor, and everyone in between. There are no limiting factors. All are totally worthy of a place in your family. Lord, may it be so in all of our hearts and minds. Amen.


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Ever the Teacher

Reading: Luke 24:44-53

Verse 51: “While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven.”

We step outside of the regular lectionary readings today as we turn to Luke 24. Today is known as “Ascension Day” – the day when the risen Christ returns to heaven to sit at the right hand of God. Ever the teacher, Jesus summarizes the overarching story of the Hebrew Bible one last time.

Jesus begins by unpacking all that was written about the Messiah in “the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms.” Jesus works his way through all of the Hebrew scriptures, revealing that he was the fulfillment of all of these prophetic writings. Jesus then summarizes with his suffering and resurrection – the means to give salvation to the world. He reiterates their task moving forward: to preach “repentance and forgiveness of sins” to the whole world. This continues to be the way to eternal life: we repent and God forgives. Humility and grace, worked out again and again by those involved in covenant relationship: us and God. What a gift.

Jesus returns to heaven in a most humble way: “While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven.” While still offering himself in service to others, giving the disciples a blessing, Jesus simply rises up. The disciples must’ve sensed or known that this was it. But they are not sad. They are filled with great joy. Minds opened to all that had been written, filled with these truths, they worship God. Fully understanding who and what Jesus Christ was and is, they are ready for the last step. Their training and preparation complete, they are ready to receive the Holy Spirit. This final step will launch them into the mission that Jesus has given them. In 10 days it will come. Filled with the Spirit these disciples will change the world. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, we stand in this long line of disciples who have come to know and then accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Doing so we’ve been filled with the Holy Spirit. Lead and guide us to be disciples who continue to change the world. Amen.


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One

Reading: John 17:1-11

Verse 11: “Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.”

After clearly telling the disciples that it is time for him to return to God, Jesus tells the disciples, “In this world you will have trouble.” He immediately follows this up with words of encouragement: “But take heart! I have overcome the world.” It is from this place that Jesus offers the prayer that we read today in John 17.

Jesus first prays mostly for himself, thanking God that eternal life will be given to those that belong to or believe in him. He acknowledges that he has “completed the work you sent me to do.” Jesus has lived out God’s love, revealing God to the world. He will be glorified here through the resurrection and then he will return to glory in heaven.

In verses 6-11 Jesus prays for his disciples – “those whom you gave me out of this world.” Living as exiles or sojourners in this world, we too fit this description. Jesus acknowledges their obedience and their belief that God was in him and he is in God. Recognizing that they will yet remain in the world, Jesus prays, “Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.” There is power in the name of Jesus. Calling upon his name will invoke a holy presence. Calling on Jesus for power or guidance or protection or… invites Jesus to be right there with us.

And why might a disciple need this power? “So that they may be one as we are one.” To bring unity, to build community, to develop relationships, to work together – to be one with one another as we are one with God, Jesus, and the Spirit. It’s all about relationship and connection. As disciples of Jesus Christ may we too seek to be one with each other and one with the Lord our God.

Prayer: Lord God, through the power of your Holy Spirit, connect us to one another and to you. Build us up as the body of Christ, finding power and unity in the name of Jesus Christ, your son and our perfect example. Bind us together as we seek to minister to the needs of the world. Amen.


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Complete and Steadfast

Reading: John 14:15-17

Verse 16: “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever — the Spirit of truth.”

Photo credit: Kyle Johnson

Turning to our gospel lesson for this week, Jesus offers the disciples some needed reassurance and a promise. Coming out of a difficult to understand conversation about Jesus being the only way to the Father, he offers the words that we read today. He begins with this: “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” The most recent command is this: “Love one another. As I have loved you…” Living out their faith and into this relationship with God – both are first grounded in love. From a place of complete and steadfast love will come obedience. In human terms, we ground our wedding vows in this kind of love.

Jesus has been addressing the fact that soon he will die. The disciples will soon find themselves without the physical Christ. In today’s teaching Jesus offers these words: “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever — the Spirit of truth.” Jesus himself will initiate this new relationship or connection with God. Through Jesus’ request God will send the spiritual Christ to be with the disciples. The Holy Spirit will be with them forever. There is both an assurance and a promise here. Yet, as in all relationships, we have a role to play. We must receive the Spirit into our lives. We must respond to the offer, to the invitation, to the “knock” on our hearts.

Jesus states that those who are of the world “neither sees him or knows him.” For those who do not know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and for those of us who do and yet choose to live in sin, the Holy Spirit is disconnected. When there is separation in our relationship with God, then we too are of the world. Even then God reaches out, calling us back into right relationship. Through God’s complete and steadfast love our brokenness is again transformed and we can walk and live once more as a child of God. Our God’s love redeems and restores us over and over, allowing the Holy Spirit to “live with you” and to “be in you.” Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, your love and presence are offered without limit, without condition. You are the perfect giver of these good and gracious gifts. Lead us to receive them, to be filled with them, and to be people who pour them out into one another’s lives. Amen.


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Known Yet Unknown

Reading: Acts 17:22-31

Verse 27: “God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.”

Photo credit: Paul Pastourmatzis

Paul’s witness to the people of Athens begins with a general description of God: created the heavens and earth and everything in it and gives all people “life and breath and everything else.” These two components are almost givens for all people everywhere. Ever since mankind has been trying to make sense of their world they have been crafting creation stories that frame their understanding of the world and their existence. In this sense God’s story is far from unique.

Then, in verse 27, Paul says, “God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.” Here Christianity begins to differ significantly from the pagan, native, and polytheistic norms about the god(s) and the people of the earth. In almost all religions or belief systems there is a desire to be close to the divine. But there is a healthy boundary. In most cases this forms a transactional relationship: I’ll sacrifice this animal, you make it rain… Most people groups had many gods – a god of fertility, a god of war… When one needed this, one went to this god. But what Paul is offering and speaking of is something different. Paul is implying that you can have a relationship with this God. One can seek and search and actually find God – because God is close to us. Not far away and distant in the heavens, but close to each of us. Whoa.

And then, once again connecting to the Athenians, Paul quotes from their culture: “For in him we live and move and have our being.” Here too Paul connects their world into an invitation into a personal relationship that God offers to all people. As our passage closes, Paul steps back towards the unknown, back into the mystery. He speaks of Jesus: the one God appointed to judge, the one God raised from the dead. Huh?! The known followed by the unknown. This jars some – it is too much – but it draws others towards more conversation. In these the Holy Spirit is at work.

Prayer: Lord God, you are known in so many ways, often in great depth. And yet so much remains unknown. There is ever so much more to know about you. And in this mystery, you offer to walk with us in a personal and intimate relationship. Even so, we cannot fully describe you. We can tell about parts of you, but our words fall short of the whole. Continue to draw us deeper into you, to be our all in all. Amen.


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The Path of Life

Reading: Psalm 16:7-11

Verse 8: “I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”

Our passage today begins as yesterday’s began, with praise to the Lord. David celebrates God’s presence in his life just as Peter did. In verse 8 David writes, “I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” Here he expresses that faith is a choice. David chooses to receive counsel and instruction from God day after day. He chooses to keep God front and center – “always before me.” Because David chooses God again and again, his faith is assured and strong. He trusts that God will always be there for him.

David rejoices again in the next verses. His “heart is glad” and he knows God’s protection is his: “my body also will rest secure.” For David, his faith is holistic – mind, body, and soul. David’s faith involves all of his life, both in the present and in the future. Mirroring the inheritance that we read about yesterday, David rejoices that the Lord has “made known the path of life” and filled him “with joy in your presence” now and “with eternal pleasures” that are sure to come one day. His faith is not just holistic, it is total and complete. David practices a faith that rests on the Lord’s presence here and now and it trusts into God’s eternal promises for his future.

The God that David connected to, walked daily with, and trusted with all of his being is the same God that seeks to be in the same relationship with you and with me and with all people. Setting the Lord ever before us, we will not be shaken. May we choose the path of life, rejoicing daily in the living hope that comes through faith in the Lord.

Prayer: Lord God, draw me to you morning by morning, keeping me ever before you. Fill me daily with your presence, growing my faith and trust day by day. Turn me to you in all circumstances, for there I can stand secure and strong. Amen.


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Unfailing Love

Reading: Psalm 31:9-16

Verse 9: “Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress.”

Today’s reading comes from the middle of Psalm 31. David cries out to God: “Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress.” He is in a time of hardship and trial. The Psalm opens and closes with praise and adoration. Our verses today are about a time that wasn’t good: “I have become like broken pottery.” That’s pretty low. Yet we all have these days or seasons sprinkled throughout our lives too. We have times when “our strength fails,” when we are “weak with sorrow,” when we feel “terror on every side.” In these times we too cry out, “Be merciful…”

David shifts gears in verse 14, where he writes, “But I trust in you, O Lord.” Yes, it is bad. Yet David chooses trust. Trusting that his days are “in your hands,” David asks God for deliverance. He wants God to rescue him, to restore him. We can all relate to this desire. In our valley and on our dark days/seasons, we long for God to deliver us from the trial. David’s trust is what leads him to believe that God will come through. This trust is built. It is built on David’s past experiences with God. David has learned that the trial doesn’t last forever – joy comes with the morning. He has learned that God is always right there with him – the rod and the staff, they comfort and guide. As we learn into God again and again, our trust will be built. Doing so we too will come to know and trust into God’s faithful and steadfast love.

As we invest in our relationship with God and as God invests in our life, we too will come to say with confidence and assurance: “Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love.”

Prayer: Lord God, the trials and the hard days are never welcomed. They are never easy. It’s when Satan whispers loudest. Yet these times refine us, they shape us. In these difficult experiences we learn to cling to you even more. Today, Lord, I thank you for even the hard and painful days. Amen.


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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.