pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

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Today

Reading: Luke 23:32-43

Luke 23:41 – “But this man has done nothing wrong.”

Photo credit: Thanti Nguyen

Most of Luke’s account of Jesus’ crucifixion takes place in our reading for today. In some ways Jesus is treated like a common criminal. He is crucified between two. His charge is placed above his head: “This is the king of the Jews.” Like the crucifixion itself, the posting of the charge was also a deterrent.

Almost everyone present mocks or insults Jesus. The religious leaders mock the one who saved others. If he really was who he said he was then he’d save himself. The soldiers mock his kingship. If he really was a king, he’d surely be able to save himself. One of the criminals being crucified insults Jesus for not saving himself – and his fellow criminals. All of these people understand “save” in a different, more limited context. The immediate situation is all they are thinking about. Perhaps that is part of the reason Jesus prays at the outset, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they’re doing.”

The second criminal sees beyond this moment on the cross. He rebukes the other criminal, admits that they are “tightly condemned,” and states, “But this man has done nothing wrong.” Grasping who Jesus truly is, this man asks Jesus to remember him “when you come into your kingdom.” This repentant man is told, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” Today. Not some distant, future date. Today. The same is true for us. When we ask Jesus to remember us, he is present with us today. The kingdom of God is here and now. Jesus is with us here and now. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, help us to see and to live into your kingdom here on earth. Open our hearts to feel your presence. Open our eyes to see you with and among us. And, Lord, use us to build your kingdom here on earth as we seek to be love and light to the world. Amen.


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Here and Now

Readings: Luke 17:20-21 and 22:14-20

Luke 17:21 – “Don’t you see it? God’s kingdom is already among you.”

In Luke 17 some Pharisees ask Jesus when God’s kingdom is coming. Maybe they hope Jesus will turn into the kind of Messiah they’re looking for: strong, powerful, able to defeat the Romans. Or maybe they hope that since Jesus claims to be the “Son of Man,” then he’ll be able to tell their when their Messiah will come. Inviting these religious leaders into the present reality, Jesus says, “Don’t you see it? God’s kingdom is already among you.” Open your eyes and hearts, it is here and now.

This can be a question Christians can ponder too. One can think that accepting Jesus will be a cure for all that ails us. One can think that life will only be blessed because we’re following Jesus. No, all of life still happens. Jesus will and does walk with us, bringing peace and hope in the storms, comfort and strength in the trials… In turn, we offer these to others. This is the kingdom of God at work here and now.

Almost a week later, Jesus gathers in Jerusalem with his disciples. It is Passover and they are gathered around the table. Jesus shares two interesting things with the disciples. First, he “earnestly desires” to share this meal with them. Second, he tells them, “I won’t eat it until it is fulfilled in God’s kingdom.” Little did they know, this would be the next day. Jesus then share the bread as his “body… given for you.” Then the cup is shared as the “new covenant… poured out for you.” After Jesus fulfills these words and their promise, completing this act of sacrifice, followers of Christ will remember this gift by celebrating Holy Communion. Each time, in that moment, God’s kingdom is here and now.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for your presence with us and through us. When we experience or share your light and love, your grace and peace, your hope and strength, the kingdom of God manifests itself here and now. We are reminded of the depth of your light and love… in the sacrifice you made on the cross. When we remember this act, we are made new again, here and now. Thank you for this gift. Amen.


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What Hope. What Good News.

Reading: Ephesians 1-2

Ephesians 1:7 – “We have been ransomed through his Son’s blood, and we have forgiveness for our failures based on his overflowing grace.”

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians begins with a beautiful pronouncement that we are saved by grace alone. He first declares that we have been chosen in Christ to be holy and blameless. We are able to do this because of two things. First, we have been adopted as God’s children. Second, imperfect though we are, “We have been ransomed through his Son’s blood, and we have forgiveness for our failures based on his overflowing grace.” This grace is unending. It is what allows us to return to our walk with Christ again and again. We have the hope of salvation in our hearts. We are marked for an inheritance, sealed with the Holy Spirit. In Paul’s day a seal authenticated and protected a document. The Holy Spirit authenticates and protects us as the children of God.

Paul then offers a prayer of thanksgiving and petition. He is thankful for the faith evident in the Ephesian church. He prays that God will further open their eyes and hearts to the hope of God’s call, to the richness of their inheritance, and to the greatness of God’s power at work in them.

In chapter 2 Paul steps back to remember what they used to be like. This is a good practice for us to undertake periodically. They used to be dead in their sin, living like people of the world. They did whatever felt good. They were like children headed for punishment. Sound familiar?

But, Paul says, God is rich in mercy. God saved them (and us) through grace. Salvation is God’s gift. And again, he calls them to remember. You were aliens and strangers to God. You had no hope. Once far away, you’ve now been “brought near by the blood of Christ.” The barriers have been broken down. You’ve been reconciled to God and to one another. You belong in God’s household. All has been joined together in Christ. We are called to be a place – a church – “where God lives by the Spirit.” What hope. What good news. Thanks be to God!

Prayer: Lord God, you are indeed rich in mercy and grace. You are great in power and mighty in your forgiveness. Again and again you draw us back into right relationship with you and with one another. What amazing love you have for each of us, your adopted sons and daughters. All the praise and glory are yours! Amen.


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God’s Power Alone

Readings: Psalms 42-45

‭Psalm 44:25-26 – “Look: we’re going down to the dust… Stand up! Help us! Save us for the sake of your faithful love.”

Psalm 42 expresses a longing for God’s presence. This longing is something we’ve all felt. We all have dry seasons when our “whole being craves you, God.” Our tears too have been our food. In those moments it is important to remember God’s faithful love in the past. It is important even then to lift a song of praise to God. As the refrain says, “Hope in God! Because I will again give him thanks, my saving presence and my God.” God is unchanging. This truth will ever be true. God is our hope.

Psalm 43 is a continuation of Psalm 42. It closes with the exact same refrain. The writer calls for God’s light and truth. These will guide the psalmist; they will guide you and me. They lead to God, “my joy and my delight.”

Lament returns in full force in Psalm 44. It is a communal lament. The psalmist begins by remembering God’s guidance and provision in the past. This recalls Joshua’s conquest of the Promised Land, when God went before Israel. There is a recognition that it was God’s power alone that brought victory. It is the very thought that they count on now that they’ve been “rejected and humiliated.” When we struggle we too can draw upon God’s power, upon our memories of when God made a way. Remembering is a form of praying our faith forward. A desperate plea closes Psalm 44: “Look: we’re going down to the dust… Stand up! Help us! Save us for the sake of your faithful love.” Oh how we’ve prayed these words in our own translation. And may we pray them again and again.

As I began reading Psalm 45 at first I thought: “What?! A love song?!” Why, yes, a love song of God to God’s people. An invitation to celebrate, to be, to live out grace and beauty, truth and righteousness, humility and justice. From one generation to the next may our whole being embody, reveal, and bring praise to God forever and ever.

Prayer: Lord God, a song echoes in my mind: “Oh no, you never let go. In every high and every low, Lord, you never let go of me.” In seasons of disconnection, in times of suffering, in the valleys and on the mountaintops, may we declare your glory with our lives. May we trust daily in the only one who saves, in you, our God and King, our Lord and Savior. Amen.


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Do This So That…

Readings: Deuteronomy 13, Deuteronomy 14, Deuteronomy 15, Deuteronomy 16

Deuteronomy 14:29b – “Do this so that the LORD your God might bless you in everything you do.”

Chapter 13 concludes the laws that pertain to unpacking the first two of the Ten Commandments. This chapter is aimed at prohibiting the inclusion of foreign gods. If a prophet or even if a relative tries to lead you or others into worshipping a foreign god, they are to be executed. And if a town is led astray and begins to worship a foreign god, all people and animals are to be killed and everything is to be burned. God is serious about no other gods or idols. Imagine if we were 1/100th as serious when others (or ourselves) tempt us with wealth or power or status or…

The third and fourth commands of the Ten Commandments are the focus of chapters 14 and 15. Keeping God’s name holy includes avoiding local religious rites for the dead. It involves eating only food that is holy or clean. These dietary laws also function as a way to differentiate Israel from its neighbors. In verse 22 we shift to the fourth commandment. The main idea here is that the Sabbath is not exclusive to just one day. The same is true for us: we are not Christians just for that one hour on Sunday morning. Our faith, as it was with the Hebrews, is to permeate all of our days and lives. Generosity is the defining characteristic in this passage. Yearly give one-tenth to God. Every three years give a tenth at the city gates for the Levites and for the poor. Cancel debts and free your servants every seven years – if it is a fellow Hebrew. This is an adaptation of what was given in the Law in Exodus. Running throughout chapter 15 is a concern for the poor and vulnerable. Generosity and a right spirit are essential to this care. It is at the end of chapter 15 that we find the overarching “why” – “Do this so that the LORD your God might bless you in everything you do.”

In chapter 16 we shift to the three yearly festivals. To remember what God has done is a part of worshipping the Lord, of living out the Sabbath. Our regular festivals – Easter, Christmas, communion… – they too remind us of who and what God is and of who and what we are called to be. In verse 18 the focus shifts to the fifth of the ten commandments. Here the idea of honoring father and mother is extended to include justice and honor for all people. Justice and care for the vulnerable is a core characteristic of God. May it be so for you and for me as well.

Prayer: Lord God, open my heart and my hands to those that you open your heart and hands to. Create in me a spirit of generosity and a sense of fellowship and community with all people. In all that I do and in all that I am, may everything be an act of worship that brings you glory. Amen.


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Total, Complete, Unfailing Love

Readings: Deuteronomy 5, Deuteronomy 6, Deuteronomy 7, Deuteronomy 8

Deuteronomy 6:5 – “Love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your being, and all your strength.”

Our readings today begin with Moses’ call to remember what God said on Mount Horeb. He then reviews this by reiterating the Ten Commandments. Moses is doing so because he will spend most of the next 20 chapters unpacking these ten rules to live by. From here Moses moves to “the great commandment” in chapter 6. In verse 5 we read it: “Love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your being, and all your strength.” In many ways this sums up the first four of the 10 Commandments. Moses goes on to show just how all-encompassing this command is to be for faithful living. Tell your children, talk about it all the time, write it on the places that you’ll see often – make this the central tenet of your faith and your life.

This is then followed up with a warning against arrogance. All the cities and houses, all the wells and orchards – you didn’t do this. God gave it to you. A similar warning comes in chapter 8 too. God must have known we’d struggle with pride, ego, vanity… Love God, not self.

Moses/God commands the Israelites to teach their children their communal history and then to teach them the Law. Begin with the why and then move to the how to live faithfully in response to God’s love and care and provision. We shift next to how to deal with foreign worship. First, don’t enter into covenants with and don’t intermarry with the Canaanites. Destroy their idols, altars, poles, and sacred stones. The Lord is the only true God. Remember and live this and God will bless them in every way possible. In every way.

Chapter 8 is a reminder chapter, a why chapter. Remember God gave you manna and taught you that you don’t live by physical bread alone. Remember that God trooped you through the desert for 40 years and that your clothes didn’t wear out. Remember all that has happened to you as you stand on the edge of the Promised Land. This remembering will allow Israel to move forward in obedience and faithfulness. May we too remember often what the Lord our God has done for us. And may it lead us forward in obedience and faithfulness.

Prayer: Lord God, what rich and deep and powerful reminders today of your total and complete and unfailing love and care for your people. At times you are the shield about us and at times you are the love that enfolds us. What an awesome God we love and serve. All the power and glory are yours! Amen.


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Holy Living

Readings: Leviticus 19, Leviticus 20, Leviticus 21, Leviticus 22, Leviticus 23

Leviticus 20:26 – “You must be holy to me, because I the LORD am holy, and I have separated you from all other peoples to be my own.”

Photo credit: Shane Rounce

Today’s readings are all about living as a holy people. Each of these laws or instructions rest upon the same foundation: God is holy so God’s people need to be holy. This foundation is the ethical, moral, and spiritual standard for living in community with God and with God’s people.

Although chapter 19 can feel like a hodge podge of topics – don’t lie, don’t turn to idols, leave some crops for the needy, no cross breeding, no cuttings or tattoos – taken as a whole, they can be summed up in verse 18: “You must love your neighbor as yourself.” This is half of the shemah, the daily Jewish prayer. We’ll add the other half as we read in Deuteronomy.

The practice of worshipping Molech begins chapter 20. The practice of this Canaanite religion is strictly prohibited. This is followed by sexual prohibitions. In this chapter the practice of idolatry is equated with prostitution and adultery. The root need for these prohibitions is summed up in verse 23: “You must not follow the practices of the nations that I am throwing out.” Instead, for the Israelites, “You must be holy to me, because I the LORD am holy, and I have separated you from all other peoples to be my own.” God is holy so God’s people need to be holy.

Chapters 21 and 22 deal with special laws for the priests. The call to holy living is elevated when applied to the priests. They are set apart from the people set apart. The priests are to be living examples of God’s holiness. This is why priests with imperfections are limited in their service.

Our reading for today closes in chapter 23 with instructions for the holy or sacred times. Note that this section begins with a reminder to keep the Sabbath. This weekly observance is essential to holy living. The yearly events remember and celebrate significant events with God. The Passover and connected Festival of Unleavened Bread celebrate the exodus. The Festival of Weeks begins with thanks for the first fruits and concludes by thanking God for the harvest. The Festival of Booths remembers their time in the wilderness, where God provided again and again. The Day of Reconciliation is also included. This celebrates God’s mercy and grace and forgiveness.

Each day and each festival reminds the people of God’s love and care. They remind the people of God’s holiness and of their call to reflect this holiness. To remember and to celebrate reinforces their faith and their commitment to God. May we too remember and celebrate the ways that our holy God has touched our lives, calling us to be holy as God is holy.

Prayer: Lord God, flowing through these chapters we see again and again the call to holy living and to live as a people set apart from the ways of the world. Strengthen our understanding of these calls and empower us to live holy and faithful lives as people in but not of the world. Amen.


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Our Covenant God

Readings: Exodus 22, Exodus 23, Exodus 24

Exodus 24:7 – “They responded, ‘Everything that the LORD has said we will do, and we will obey.’”

Photo credit: Paul Pastourmatzis

The first part of today’s reading contains more of the instructions found in the covenant scroll. The first instructions cover the proper use and treatment of other’s stuff. We are still called to live by the ideals found here. If I break a tool I’m borrowing, for example, then I buy a new one and return that to the lender. Then the instructions shift to personal responsibilities, to how we are to treat and care for and interact with each other. Several verses touch on how to treat the immigrant, widow, and orphan – the vulnerable and powerless. We are to treat them well. God extends doing the right thing even to our enemies. Taken as a whole, these instructions reveal “God’s subtle yet steady work of grace.”

The Israelites are then reminded to observe three yearly festivals. The first is from the Passover – God’s great rescue of Israel. The other two center on the harvest and on giving God thanks for God’s provision. Then the text leads us into the provision of the Promised Land. A conflict in the text struck me today – “wipe out… completely destroy” and “I’ll drive them out… little by little.” There is a faith concern: mixing in with the locals will threaten Israel’s fidelity to God. And there is a practical concern: the Israelite population will not be large enough yet to properly care for the whole Promised Land.

These instructions are written into the covenant scroll and read to the people. It is sealed with burned offerings and with blood. The people declare, “Everything that the LORD has said we will do, and we will obey.” Moses and the elders are then brought into God’s presence. They worship and celebrate their covenant God. They see God and they do not die. Then Moses goes up the mountain to receive the stone tablets and many more instructions. Moses will be with God for a long time – 40 days and nights. He leaves Aaron and Hur in charge.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for the grace and love that flows throughout your instructions. You remind us to care for the vulnerable and to treat even our enemies with love and grace. May we read these words and also declare our intent to walk in your ways as we seek to witness to your love and grace in the world. Amen.


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Act(s) of Salvation

Readings: Exodus 7:14-25, Exodus 8, Exodus 9, Exodus 10, Exodus 11, Exodus 12:1-30

Exodus 12:14 – “This day will be a day of remembering for you. You will observe it as a festival to the LORD… for all time.”

Photo credit: RebeccaB Designs

As the plagues begin, the Lord turns the Nile to blood and then brings frogs upon all the land. Pharaoh’s religious experts duplicate these acts of God. Pharaoh is stubborn, refusing to let the Israelites go to worship God. Next comes the plague of lice. The experts are unable to do this. They tell Pharaoh, “This is something only God could do!” Pharaoh remains stubborn. Next comes a swarm of insects. Pharaoh says he’ll let Israel go worship but changes his mind after God removes the insects.

Chapter 9 brings the plague of sores and blisters. This time we read that God made Pharaoh stubborn. The animals that die are only the ones belonging to the Egyptians. This plague begins to build to a climax in chapter 12. Hail then pounds the land next – but not in Goshen. Pharaoh admits his sin and asks for prayer, saying he’ll let them go. Moses will make it stop but also states that he knows Pharaoh and his officials do not take God seriously. Again Pharaoh gets stubborn, refusing to let Israel go.

The plague of locust and the plague of darkness come in chapter 10. Again God differentiates between Egypt and Israel. Again Pharaoh almost budges but then turns stubborn. The chapter closes with Pharaoh threatening Moses. We see a shift in chapter 11. God gives very specific instructions to the Israelites. This prioritizes reenactment and remembering over the actual event. The Passover is about shaping and forming each generation to come. This is why God says, “This day will be a day of remembering for you. You will observe it as a festival to the LORD… for all time.” The lamb, its slaughter, the blood, the meal – it will be reenacted each year to remember and to be shaped by this act of salvation. This festival remains the high point of the Jewish religious year. For us, it connects to the blood of the Lamb that spread on the cross, again a mighty act of salvation for the people of God. For this event that we reenact every year, for this act of grace that shapes and forms us, we too say thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for the gifts of salvation – for both the one in Egypt and for the one on Calvary. Thank you for the love that will stop at nothing to rescue, save, and redeem us. Amen.


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Building Faith

Reading: Psalm 126:1-3

Verse 3: “Yes, the LORD has done great things for us, and we are overjoyed.”

Today the psalmist writes of a faith practice that we too must include in our faith practices. The psalmist looks back on a difficult time that God has rescued them from. The Israelites had been in exile in Babylon for a long time. Finally God heard their cries and rescued them. In today’s Psalm the writer recalls that when “the Lord brought back the captives,” suddenly their future was bright and filled with hope. The people dreamed dreams and they celebrated life back in Palestine. The Israelites were “filled with laughter” and there was joy upon their tongues.

Can you recall a time when God rescued you or when God restored you in some other way? Did you stop and laugh as God’s actions filled you with joy? It is so important to recognize and to remember those times when God has turned our sadness into joy, our hardship into blessing. These interactions and moments are important to celebrate in the here and now. And they are important to recall the next time we are in a struggle. They build up our faith and trust in God. They prepare us to turn first to God in moments or seasons of trial and hardship.

As the psalmist looks back on what God has done there is a recognition that other nations have noticed. There is a recognition of God’s power and might. Then our section for today closes with these words: “Yes, the LORD has done great things for us, and we are overjoyed.” May it be so for you and for me as well.

Prayer: Lord God, you are faithful and steadfast to us, the sheep of your pasture. You watch over us and guide us; you provide for us and you nourish us. And in times of trouble, you rescue us. Your love never fails. Thank you, most faithful and loving God. Amen.