pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

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Have Mercy, O God

Reading: Psalm 51:1-6

Psalm 51:5 and 6 – “Yes, I was born in guilt, in sin… And, yes, you want truth in the most hidden place.”

Photo credit: Ben White

Psalm 51 was written by David, after his deepest sins and the conviction that followed. We all have these moments – low points in our walks of faith, seasons spent living in the ways of the world, times when our faith feel dry or disconnected from God. In the aftermath of his affair with Bathsheba and the orchestrated murder of her husband, David pleads for God’s mercy, compassion, and forgiveness. He knows that “my sin is always right in front of me.” Perhaps he is speaking of the guilt and shame that rises up every time he sees Bathsheba, remembering his past sins, or maybe David speaks figuratively, acknowledging that sin is always right there at the door of our hearts.

In verses 5 and 6, David writes of this reality. Here we read, “Yes, I was born in guilt, in sin… And, yes, you want truth in the most hidden place.” This is the battle that we all fight. In general, we are fallen, sinful creatures from birth to death. Day to day we strive to live righteous, faithful lives. On the surface, we do have some good days. But those thoughts – those barbs and slings and such that never get spoken – these are the sins in the “most secret place,” in our hearts. This is where the fiercest battle is fought, where our sins run the deepest. Here we do as David did, we sin “against you – you alone.” From this place in our hearts, we join David as we cy out, “Have mercy on me, God, according to your faithful love!” Yes, God, please.

Prayer: Lord God, we ask for your guidance and presence, for your strength and direction in our battles with sin. Moment by moment, walk with us, encourage us, empower us. Second by second, allow your Holy Spirit to speak into our hearts, that most hidden place. And when we fail, O God, pour out your love and mercy. Wash us clean. Restore us to right relationship with you and with one another. Thank you. Amen.


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Live “Out Loud”

Reading: Matthew 5:13-16

Matthew 5:13 and 14 – “You are the salt of the earth….You are the light of the world.”

Following the Beatitudes, Jesus turns to this metaphor about living as salt and light. This call to stand out from the world, to live faith in ways that are fully present in the world – they read very differently according to time and context. These words of encouragement, for example, would have been received differently in real time versus in the days right after Jesus’ death or centuries later when the Roman persecution of Christians was really ramping up.

Jesus first declares to all disciples, “You are the salt of the earth.” Salt was essential to life in Jesus’ day. Salt was used to cleanse, to preserve, to seal covenants, to flavor food. A Christian’s faith can function in all of these ways. Faith cleanses away the sin of this world. Faith preserves what really matters: the way of God. It makes our relationships steadfast and unconditional. Faith flavors all areas and aspects of our lives.

Next Jesus declares: “You are the light of the world.” Faith is not to be hidden, but is to be used to light our way and to show others the life that brings glory and honor to God, not to self. As light, faith calls us to illuminate the evils of our world. Our faith is not to be private or secret, but is to “shine before people” and is to “shine on all who are in the house.” The world is our house.

Disciples today are still called to be salt and light. We are still called to live our faith “out loud.” Today that perhaps feels a bit more like it must’ve felt under Roman persecution. It feels like speaking against evil and against the powers of this world might be costly. Yet this personal cost pales in comparison to the social cost of silence in the face of injustice and other evils, both to our faith and to the lives of those being targeted. With this in mind, may we be salt and light to our world in need.

Prayer: Lord God, fill us with your love and mercy, with your grace and strength. Filled, empower us to stand for the marginalized and for those without voice, without power, without place. Build up in each of us a will to love and live as Jesus loved and lived. And, Lord, may it begin with me. Amen.


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Willing to Risk

Reading – 1st Kings 18:1-15

1st Kings 18:15 – “As surely as the Lord of heavenly forces lives, the one I serve, I will appear before Ahab today.”

Today we begin thr story of Elijah versus the prophets of Baal. It was three years ago that Elijah said to Ahab, “There will be neither dew or rain unless I say so” (1st Kings 17:1.) Elijah then fled for fear of his life. Ahab was a wicked king. He worshiped Baal and did great evil in Israel. As the drought worsened, Ahab searched and searched for Elijah. But God kept Elijah safe during this time.

At the start of chapter 18 God summons Elijah to go to Ahab. As evidence of the severity of the drought, Ahab and Obadiah are out looking for water. During this search, Obadiah and Elijah meet. Obadiah is a faithful but secret follower of God. He has hidden and cared for 100 prophets of God, keeping them safe from Jezebel, Ahab’s wife. Imagine how hard this must have been during a severe drought. And how risky!

Elijah asks Obadiah to tell Ahab that the prophet is here to meet Ahab. This thought strikes fear into Obadiah. He has two fears. First, Ahab will kill him at the mention of Elijah’s name. Second, God will once again whisk Elijah away, resulting in Obadiah’s death. But Elijah says to him, “As surely as the Lord of heavenly forces lives, the one I serve, I will appear before Ahab today.” Obadiah has Elijah’s word but still must decide what to do. More on that tomorrow.

When we are in a similar situation, asked to invite an evil and cruel person to a faith encounter, are we willing to risk their reaction? Are we will to risk self so that another might experience the power of God?

Prayer: Lord God, in our world we do not have to look far to find people who are opposed to you and to our faith in you. When your Spirit moves us to invite them to church or to an event, when your Spirit nudges us to share a word of hope or encouragement from your Word, when the Spirit invites us to love on them in your name – give us courage, fill us with strength, empower us to live out our faith boldly. Amen.


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Professing Faith

Reading: John 19:38-42

John 19:42 – “Because it was the Jewish preparation day and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus in it.”

Even though the disciples, the 11 men who had spent three years with Jesus, were hiding behind closed doors for fear of the Jewish religious leaders, two men step up in faith. The first is Joseph of Arimathea. He was a man of wealth. He was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He was a man of status and power. Up to this point he was a “secret disciple” of Jesus. In a profession of faith, Joseph goes to Pilate and asks for Jesus’ body.

Nicodemus was also there. He also has wealth, status, power. Nicodemus first met Jesus back in John 3, when he came under cover of night. Then he did not want to risk much, but he was drawn to Jesus. Although he left that conversation likely more confused and conflicted, Jesus must’ve continued to work on Nicodemus’ heart. Here he is now, in the light of day, professing his faith in Jesus as he brings myrrh and aloes to begin to prepare the body for burial. 75 pounds is extravagant – a gift fit for a king.

Beginning the process for a proper Jewish burial, Joseph and Nicodemus wrap the body in linen clothes, along with myrrh and aloes. Time was an issue. Sunset and the start of Sabbath were drawing near. Joseph and Nicodemus laid the body in a nearby tomb, planning to return on Sunday to finish the burial process. Two men, recently declaring their faith in Jesus, did what they could in the moment to honor their Jesus.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for the brave witness of Joseph and Nicodemus. They risked much as they stepped forward to care for Jesus’ body. Joseph has the platform to gain an audience with Pilate. Nicodemus has much to lose too. May we see in these men an example of faith without fear of the world, of faith filled with trust in you. Lead and guide us, O Lord, to live out loud this kind of faith. Amen.


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Trust, Faith… Each Day

Reading: Matthew 6

Matthew 6:24 – “No one can serve two masters.”

Photo credit: Wesual Click

As Jesus continues the Sermon on the Mount he addresses showy religion, prayer, and fasting. To give to the poor or to pray or to fast in ways to be noticed by others – then that recognition will be our only reward. Jesus advises us to do these things in private or in secret. Then our reward will come from God. When we pray, Jesus cautions against “a flow of empty words.” He gives us a simple and humble prayer, one grounded in loving God and neighbor. We know this prayer as “The Lord’s Prayer.”

Jesus then addresses our tendency towards our “treasures.” Today he’d caution us against collecting homes, cars, the latest gadgets, bigger bank accounts… Instead he encourages us to collect treasures in heaven. Some examples of how to do this were given in verses 1-18. In verses 22-24 Jesus connects this struggle into the common Old Testament, Jewish understanding about good/evil, light/dark. In first century Palestine the eye was seen as the window or door to the heart (or soul for us). Jesus clearly believes the best choice is light. He then states, “No one can serve two masters.” God and wealth is the example Jesus gives. While probably the biggest struggle for most of us, there are many other things that we can prioritize over our relationship with God.

Chapter 6 closes with perhaps one of our greatest adversaries in our battle to trust God: worry. We can worry about so many things, big and small. Jesus points to the birds and lilies – examples of parts of creation that God cares wonderfully for. He points out that we are worth much more than these to God. We are told to “desire first and foremost God’s kingdom.” Keep God #1 in your life, Jesus says, and “all these things” will be given to you by God as well. Jesus concludes, “Stop worrying about tomorrow… Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Trust God each day, believing that our “daily bread” will come from our God who loves us.

Prayer: Lord God, you call us to a simple faith, to a day by day walk with you. To focus on the day, to live each moment, we have a chance to notice the opportunities and ways you call us to love completely. To stay in the moment, it focuses our heart on you and in your presence in our lives each day. Help us to live a simple and honest faith today, O God. Amen.


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Good and Evil

Reading: Psalm 14

Verse 5: “God is present in the company of the righteous”.

Photo credit: Tech Nick

Today’s Psalm is attributed to David. It speaks of the evil and corruption in the world. They seem to be in control. Yet over and throughout it all is God. Connecting to yesterday’s passage from 2nd Samuel 11, could David be reflecting upon his own behavior as he writes these words? In his secret heart could he be hoping that God is with Bathsheba?

The Psalm opens recognizing that the fool says, “There is no God”. The fool says I can do whatever I want – I am god! The fool is corrupt and vile. Didn’t someone ask if that wasn’t Uriah’s wife? In verse four David acknowledges that evildoers “devour” God’s people “as men eat bread”. Sexual appetites can certainly devour others like common food. A most powerful man can have his way and then dismiss his victim like she was a common peasant.

And yet David knows in his heart of hearts that God is bigger than the evil of the world and the evil inside of him. In verses five and six he writes, “God is present in the company of the righteous” and “the Lord is their refuge”. Even though evil has been done, David hopes that God is present to and comforting Bathsheba. Yes, the Lord draws near to all who are abused and oppressed, to all who endure injustice and violence.

The part of David still connected to God can still long for salvation to come to Israel. He can still long for a better world even though his ‘secret’ actions work against it. I too have been here before – doing wrong in the present yet still hoping for God to make me right in the end. Even then God is our ever present refuge. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord, I must admit that I, like David, am never too far from sin. The fleshy part of me is ever seeking glory or power or possessions. Yet the divine within me is always drawn to you. Thank you for the Spirit within. Raise up that voice in my heart, O Lord. Amen.


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In Our Hearts

Reading: Psalm 139: 1-6

Verse 1: “O Lord, you have searched me and you know me”.

Psalm 139 speaks of the intimate and personal connection that we each have with God. The psalmist begins by telling of the heart and mind connection, perhaps because this is the most important. In the first verse David writes, “O Lord, you have searched me and you know me”. It is both scary and comforting to really consider what this means. On the one hand, nothing is hidden from God. Our unkind or selfish or evil thoughts are all known by God. On the other hand, when we are hurting so bad that we cannot even form thoughts, God knows our pain and grief. I would not have it any other way. I can work on the condition of my heart and on the words of my mouth. I am helpless at times and then only God can help.

The tongue is difficult to tame. It is a good reminder to know that “before a word is on my tongue, you know it completely”. While it is still ruminating or festering or boiling in my heart, God knows the words I am pondering speaking. This is as unfiltered as it gets. It is God knowing me at my very core. It is where we are our most authentic selves. If we want to be right with God, we must begin by being right with God in our hearts – in the place no one else in the world truly sees or knows anything about.

It is in the secret place of our heart that we most need God’s guidance and direction, conviction and restoration. In public we tame our tongue to avoid looking bad or to not hurt others… This is good. But in the secret place we need help. The voice of the Holy Spirit is what will refine us and form us more and more into God’s image – if we but listen and hear. The Holy Spirit is God’s truth and love living inside our hearts. It is what will “hem me in – behind and before” if we allow it to. The voice, the nudge, the whisper, the shove – these will help keep us on the narrow road if we allow them to. David speaks of this in the rest of verse five, where he writes, “you have laid your hand upon me”. May we be aware of those thoughts rumbling in our hearts, feeling the hand of God upon us. And may we be aware of his truth and love welling up in us, also feeling the hand of God upon us. In all we think and say, may we be led by God.

Prayer: Loving and kind God, help to form my very thoughts. Begin them in a place of love and truth. Guide them to come forth in kindness and with compassion. May all I think and say be pleasing in your sight, bringing you the glory. Amen.


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Fully Known

Reading: Psalm 139: 1-6

Verses One and Three: “O Lord, you have searched me and you know me… You are familiar with all of my ways”.

Our Psalm today speaks of a deep intimacy with God.  It reminds me of a best-friend relationship where you finish each other’s sentences and you seem to have this connection so you know what the other person is thinking.  But when I think of God, to have such a relationship could only be one-sided.  I could never know God so completely.  Yes, we can know God well and our knowledge of and intimacy with God can grow as our faith develops, but there will always be so much more to God that we cannot even begin to fathom.

Our psalmist opens with this line:  “O Lord, you have searched me and you know me”.  The Psalm goes on to say that God knows our every coming and going.  God knows all of our thoughts and all of our actions.  Verse three finishes with, “You are familiar with all of my ways”.  God knows everything there is to know about us.  God could finish our sentences even if we only gave God the first word.  It is both a beautiful and a scary thought to realize that we are this well known by God.

It is beautiful because it means that God is constantly aware of us.  That means God rejoices when we love or serve or care for anther.  It means God knows when we extend mercy or grace or forgiveness.  It is beautiful because it means that God knows all of the desires of our heart and knows our prayers before we ever put them to words or even think them.

But these thoughts are also scary.  God knows the impure or unkind thought before it is ever fully formed in my heart and mind.  God knows all the things that I have done and said that I told myself were just my little secrets – no matter how big or how small.  Not only does God know my sins, but God knows all of my fears, all of my doubts, all of my questioning, all of the times I was less than God created me to be.

It is a deep, deep intimacy that God has with us.  God knew us before we were ever formed in the womb and God knows us inside out all the time.  We are fully known.  In that thought, I realize how little I know of God and God’s love.  In spite of knowing all about us, God loves us anyway – the good and the bad fully included.  It is a glimpse into the depth of God’s love for you and me.  All we can say is thanks be to God.


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Pruning

Reading: Isaiah 5: 1-4

In our passage today God laments, “What more could I have done for my vineyard”?  God thinks back to the fertile land flowing with milk and honey that was handed over to Israel.  God recalls the cities they did not built that were offered as dwelling places.  God remembers how a shield was kept about them, protecting them from their enemies.  God’s people, the vineyard so carefully tended, is now producing bad fruit.  The people had all they needed to produce good fruit but have instead turned away from God.  God looks and sees bloodshed instead of justice, heard cries of distress instead of righteousness.

The passage calls us to look at and reflect on our own lives.  God has also richly blessed us in so many ways.  God has built hedges of protection around us.  God has poured into our lives the example of Jesus found in the scriptures and has given us the gift of the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us.  God has given us all we need to go forth and produce a good crop.  So we must honestly ask ourselves if we are doing so.  Are we using all of God’s rich blessings to go out and produce a crop of justice and righteousness and love?

Too often we can be like the crop God finds in Israel.  The soil is good and the leaves are healthy.  But the fruit underneath is sour.  We go to church and maybe even read our Bibles every day.  Then we go to work and exploit those with less power or cut a corner or bend a law for our own gain.  Or maybe we say and do all the right things out in public but harbor an addiction within the secret places of our lives.  We somehow think God does not know, but the pruning shears are ready to go to work.

Maybe instead we are holding onto a sin we can’t quite give to God or we are nursing a grudge or hurt from long ago and we can’t quite offer forgiveness to another.  God calls aloud for us to give up all that holds us back, to release anything that separates us from God, and to lay it at the cross.  God invites us to do this so that we can walk in a right relationship with our Lord and Savior.  God desires to prune away all that keeps us from being all God intends us to be.  Pruning can be hard but the results are a healthier plant that produced a better crop.  May we be willing to lay down all that hinders and separates us from God so that we may walk humbly and faithfully with our Lord.