pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: sin


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God with Us

Reading: Genesis 4, Genesis 5

Genesis 4:10: “The Lord said, ‘What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.'”

Chapter 4 contains the story of Cain and Abel – Adam and Eve’s first two sons. Living outside of the garden because of their parents’ sin, Abel works as a shepherd and Cain as a farmer. These two brothers bring an offering to God. Cain brings some of his crops and Abel brings the firstborn, including their fat portions. God sees Abel’s offering as “favorable,” angering Cain. At times we all come to this place that Cain came to – realizing that our offering to God was less than what it could or should have been. Maybe it was a half-hearted effort with that neighbor. Maybe we came to worship with a really poor attitude. When the realization comes that we fell short, we too can get angry. It’s always harder to look within.

Even though God warns Cain – “sin will be waiting at your door ready to strike” – Cain still allows his anger to smolder, leading him to murder Abel. God knows yet asks, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.” God is not searching for the answer but for remorse and repentance. None is found. Cain even doubles down, denying any knowledge of what has happened to Abel. As a result, Cain is moved further from community. He is to be a wandering nomad. Punishment at least brings a hint of remorse. Even here, God’s grace remains present. Isolated, alone, vulnerable, God marks Cain with a sign, protecting him from harm. Like Cain, as bad as we can become, God remains with us.

Chapter 5 brings a list of descendants. Many are just names. They lived a long time before the flood – 930, 912, 962… All but Enoch died. He was “taken up,” presumably because he walked faithfully with God. As sin continues to grow, this rapidly becomes less common. The list of singular descendants branches out at Noah. Each of his three sons will have a role in the ongoing story of God.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for always being with us, even in our sin. Thank you for not giving up on us and for always trying to work us towards your good plans. Please forgive us when we go astray, pursuing other things. Thank you for your love and grace. Amen.


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God: Good, Creative, Loving

Readings: Genesis 1, Genesis 2, Genesis 3

Genesis 3:5 – “You will see clearly and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Photo credit: Marek Piwnicki

As we begin our adventure of reading the Bible in a year, we start at the beginning, in the creation story. Genesis 1 is a very familiar passage – day 1 there is light, day 2 the waters are separated, day 3 land is formed and plants are created… Four times we read, “God saw how good it was.” Then, on day 6, God creates humanity “in our image.” Creation is completed and God now says, “it was supremely good.” Humanity completes creation and raises it from good to supremely good. In chapter 1 we find two themes that run throughout the Bible: God is good and God creates or gives life.

Turning to Genesis 2 we read a different creation story. In this account we read that on day 3 God creates a man. Then, on day 6 of the original story, God creates a woman from the man’s rib. Among the rest of creation, a “helper that is perfect” could not be found so once again, God creates. In chapter 2 we experience our first dissonance. Our brain tells us that both stories cannot be “true.” Our brain is right. Here we learn an important thing about the Bible: it is not a book of “how” but is a book of “who” and of “what.” It is not a science or history book. The Bible is a book about our relationship with a good and loving God.

We close today’s reading with chapter 3. This is another very familiar story. The temptation and sin and fall of Adam and Eve represent another recurring theme in the Bible: human arrogance. Adam and Eve believe the snake’s words: “You will see clearly and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” To be like God – it’s too tempting to pass up. They eat and God’s heart is broken. They hide when God comes to walk and talk with them in the garden. God asks, “What have you done?” This certainly won’t be the last time God asks this question. And it won’t be the last time that God works to restore our relationship with God. All we can say is: thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, in love and with purpose, you created our world and you created us. You allowed us the freedom to choose you or other things. Then and now when we choose other things, your love does not fail, you still desire relationship, and you seek to draw us back to you. Thank you for your great love for all of creation, especially for us, O God. Amen.


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Restore Us, O God

Reading: Psalm 126:4-6

Verse 6: “He [or she] who goes out weeping… shall come home with shouts of joy.”

Photo credit: Shane Rounce

Turning to the second half of Psalm 126 today we bump up against reality. Life happened to Israel and it happens to us. At times our humanity and our tendency towards selfishness and sin gets us to a place of exile, either from God or from one another or from both. And sometimes the actions or decisions of others negatively affect us. And… at times we get sick or a natural disaster impacts us or… In all of these circumstances and situations we too can cry out to God, “Restore our fortunes, O Lord!”

In verses 5-6 comes the promise and the hope. The reality of our times of sorrow or grief or sadness is that life goes on. As the Israelites continued to sow, even with tears in their eyes, we too must continue to keep moving. As we become able to, we need to resume living. The promise is that eventually we will “reap with songs of joy.” God will be at work, will walk with us through our sorrow…, and will bring joy back into our lives. It is this hope that enables us to work through our sorrow, grief, sadness…

Through tear-filled eyes and with heavy hearts the Israelites trusted in God to restore them. They knew that God was and is loving, faithful, and steadfast. Their trust rested upon these things. May we too recall the “great things” that God has done in our lives, trusting that “He [or she] who goes out weeping… shall come home with shouts of joy.” May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, in those moments of doubt and fear, when sadness and grief are about to win the battle, whisper your hope into our hearts. When it is difficult to take that next step, grant us courage and bring us the strength to step forward. When our hearts fill with sadness, wrap us in your love. And when loneliness sets in, send a brother or sister in Christ our way. Walk with us always, O God. Amen.


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Such… Good… News

Reading: Isaiah 61:1-4

Verse 1: “The Lord has sent me to bring good news to the poor… to bind up… to proclaim release for captives… liberation for prisoners.”

As Isaiah’s ministry and Israel’s time in exile is coming to a close, the prophet offers these words of hope and promise. These words were written to a people living in captivity in a foreign land. These words can be applied to many times and to many people who are experiencing exile in many forms. These words spoke to the people of Jesus’ day as they lived under the Roman occupation. These words speak to many people today. These words speak to you and to me.

Verse 1 is so powerful. It is jam-packed with hope, promise, rescue… It begins with a call to “preach good news to the poor.” Maybe this is material good news – food, help with rent or gas or utilities, warm clothes for the winter. Maybe this is spiritual aide that helps them to know that they are beloved and worthy, that they matter and belong to God and to us. Then there is “binding up” those who are broken and hurting. Verses 2 and 3 also touch on this. The binding up is healing for the ill and the suffering. It is also comforting those who grieve. It is drawing in the lonely. There is also proclaiming the freedom from captivity and darkness that the Lord brings. This encompasses the Israelites literal release from Babylon. It also includes release from addictions and other abusive relationships or from unjust situations and systems. And it includes freedom and release from our sins and from the guilt and shame that is often connected to our sin.

In one form or another we have each experienced each of these forms of the good news. As followers of Jesus Christ we too are sent to bring this good news to others. Taking where we have been, recognizing how we got to where we are at, may we help others to experience the good news of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayer: Lord God, walking and living with you, we’ve experienced firsthand all of what Isaiah speaks of. We’ve been healed, freed, rescued… Use each of us today and every day to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to those who need healing or hope, release or rescue, restoration or redemption. Amen.


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Recalling Faith and God

Reading- ‭Psalms ‭85:1‭-‬2‬ ‭- “LORD, you’ve been kind to your land; you’ve changed Jacob’s circumstances for the better. You’ve forgiven your people’s wrongdoing; you’ve covered all their sins.”

Photo credit: Diego Gennaro

Psalm 85 is a song of remembrance. Although we only read portions today and tomorrow, the whole song remembers both the good and the bad of Israel’s relationship with God. It recalls times of joy and times of sorrow. It thanks God for God’s presence and it begs God for God’s presence. In the general sense, then, it mirrors most of our lives of faith – the days when we are close to God and the days when we feel distant, the times of joy and the times of sorrow. These emotions and feelings are amplified in the holidays.

Like many Psalms and other books of the Bible, Psalm 85 reflects on the story of faith. Today’s two verses celebrate when God’s “favor” was shown, restoring the peoples’ lives. The restoration centers on the forgiveness of their sins. Sin is often what creates the separation and sorrow. God’s love and grace remedy this division. As a people of God and as persons of faith, it is important to remember that God always restores us – both in particular instances and in the continual mercy and grace that always abounds in our lives.

In the spirit of the Psalm, what stories of God’s presence do you recall? What special moments happened at this Christmas or at that family gathering? It is important to also reconnect to the moments when God has been tangibly present in Advent or Christmas Eve worship. Take some time to recall these God moments and the blessings of God for you and your family. And in doing so, be assured that God is with us now and will be with us in our future.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for the many ways that you have touched our lives and our faith. As we’ve recalled these moments, we now rejoice in your love for us and for our place in the family of God. We are grateful for our place and for the love and presence that will continue to walk with us each and every day. Thank you, Lord God. Amen.


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Trust in HOPE

2nd Peter 3:12b-15a – “But according to his promise we are waiting for a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness is at home. Therefore, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found by him in peace—pure and faultless. Consider the patience of our Lord to be salvation.”

As we continue in the week’s Epistle reading, Peter draws us to the big picture, to the promise and hope that one day Jesus will return. The community of faith has given up their old ways of life and have taken on Christ. This decision for Christ has not always been easy to live out. There is persecution in many places and there is the constant pull of the world. All of this remains true for those seeking to walk faithfully today.

In verse 13 Peter offers these words: “But according to his promise we are waiting for a new heaven and a new earth.” Jesus himself said that he would return. That is the promise. But within this promise, it can still be a challenge to live faithfully in the here and now. There are times when our faith is challenged by things outside of our control and there are times when we create the difficulty all on our own. Both are often rooted in sin.

Today is the last day for a local institution that cares for those struggling with the issues of poverty and homelessness. They have long lived and ministered to those that Jesus would call “the least of these.” The forces of this world have once again conspired. The closure is not just or right or holy. Last night a few of us gathered outside the building to remember and share stories and to pray for the future. There was a heaviness that remains on my heart today.

Yet even in grief I can choose to trust in hope. In hope for the salvation that Peter writes of today. In hope for those who will be without come Monday. In hope for those who have failed the vulnerable and powerless. In hope for what God might have in store for our community. I choose to trust in hope because in and through Jesus, one day we will all experience a new heaven and a new earth. There will be no more tears, no more hunger, no more hate. There will be a banquet table where all have a place. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, walk with us who grieve today. Whisper your words of love and hope into our hearts again and again today and again in the hard days to come. Wrap your arms of love around us and keep us in your care. Amen.


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The Glory of the Lord: Love

Reading: Isaiah 40:1-11

Verse 5: “Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together.”

Photo credit: Milo Weiler

Isaiah 40 offers words of comfort to Israel. In the book of Isaiah, chapters 1-39 have detailed God’s case against the leaders and people of God. They have lived in sin. They have been disobedient. They have worshipped idols and foreign gods. The last king boastfully shows off the treasures of his kingdom to some envoys from Babylon. Chapter 39 ends with Isaiah foretelling of the long exile that is soon to come. After this dire prophecy, all hope would be lost.

Many scholars believe that the portion of Isaiah that covers chapters 40-66 was written much later and likely comes from an anonymous prophet writing under Isaiah’s name. Although in our Bibles it seems like the next day as we turn from chapter 39 to chapter 40, we’ve moved from the 8th century BC to the 6th century BC. The exile has happened. Jerusalem and the temple have long laid in ruins. For generations, exile is all they’ve known. Some scholars suggest that God has been silent for these 150 or so years. If all hope was lost at the end of chapter 39, now the people do not even know what hope is.

Now, with that background and context, hear again these words of comfort, these words that promise restoration of Israel. The way will be made by God. “Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together.” The Lord will “gather the flock” that has long been scattered in exile. The Lord will carry them “close to his heart.” As God speaks again to the people, God speaks words of love. Soon these words will take on flesh and dwell among us. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, you remind us today of your great love that still overcomes even the greatest sin and still restores even the deepest separation. You continue to dwell with us, offering hope to all who call on your name. Thank you, God. Amen.


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Change IS Necessary

Reading: Mark 1:1-8

Verse 3: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”

Returning to Mark 1 today we delve a little deeper into the “repent” part of John’s message. Although we tend to place the practices of introspection, confession, and repentance in the season of Lent, these practices also have a place in Advent. They are the focus of our Lenten preparation. They are part of our Advent preparation.

By our nature we are prone to sin. We are naturally selfish and this leads us to be greedy or controlling or lustful or prideful or… These emotions are enablers on our path to sin. So we need to hear the call to repent, even now in this season of hope and peace and love and joy. The call to repent makes us a bit uncomfortable. First, no one likes change, especially when it is forced. And that is what repentance is really about – forcing our naturally selfish nature to be unselfish. And, second, no one likes to hear that they are living wrong, that they are living unfaithfully. To hear this implies a need for a change. And change is necessary.

In Advent we prepare the way in our hearts for the coming of Jesus. In his birth we celebrate the light coming into the world. It is the light of Christ that shines into the darkness of injustice and inequality, poverty and want, isolation and loneliness, grief and anger, violence and war, and so much more. It is the light that beckons us into these places and spaces. This too is part of the call to repent – to help our world and one another to repent of these maladies. In these places and spaces change is also necessary. As we allow the light of Christ to shine brighter in our own hearts, may we also take that light out into the world, bringing healing and wholeness to our broken and dark world.

Prayer: Lord God, may our journey be both inward and outward. As we grow in our love for you, may that love overflow out into the world. As we seek to change within, may we also seek change in our world. In and through us may your light shine brightly, bringing healing within and without. Amen.


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Be Ready

Reading: Mark 13:24-37

Verse 33: “Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come.”

Photo credit: Nathan Dumlao

In this week’s gospel text Jesus calls us to a constant state of preparedness. He is talking about being ready for the time when we will be judged. Being “ready” would lead to being found worthy of entry into the kingdom of heaven. Trouble is, we do not know when his return (or our final breath) will be. Even so, we are told, “Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come.” In verse 36 Jesus reiterates our need to be prepared as he warns, “do not let him find you sleeping.” To be asleep would be to live with a dormant faith.

Time feels like a key element in our passage. The passage is set in God’s time and we tend to live in our understanding of time. Jesus is calling us to live in the intersection of these two ways to see time. The calls to being on guard and alert and awake are calls to live out our faith in the here and now, every day. We are to guard our hearts from the lies and temptations of the evil one and the world. We are to be alert to both God’s work in our lives and to the places and ways that God is calling us to bring love, compassion, justice… to bear in the world. We are to be awake to God’s presence, guidance, conviction, direction… in our lives.

Overall the call is to be faithful and obedient to God all of the time. Then, no matter when that day comes, whether for our lives or for our world, we will be ready to meet Jesus. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, it is easy to become lazy, to become complacent, to become self-absorbed. It is hard to always walk the walk, to always live out our faith. Help us to do the hard things. Help us to walk the narrow way that leads to life abundant and everlasting. Amen.


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Drawn Back

Reading: Isaiah 64:1-9

Verse 8: “Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.”

Photo credit: Rainier Ridao

In ‭Isaiah‬ ‭64, God seems absent to Isaiah and to the people of God. The prophet longs for God to “rend the heavens and come down.” Isaiah longs for the people of God to once again know the God who “acts on behalf of those who wait for him.” When God has been known and then feels absent or withdrawn, one feels that. Life seems abnormal. We’ve all experienced this.

Isaiah recalls that God has indeed “come to help those who gladly do right.” When one lives faithfully and obediently, God is definitely active and present in one’s life. When we are aligned with God’s will and ways, it feels like we are walking closely with God. We too have experienced this.

Continuing on, Isaiah recognizes that the people have remained in their sin. They are “unclean” and right now “no one calls on God’s name.” They are out of alignment with God. They are not even seeking God. It is no wonder that God feels distant and disconnected. We too have experienced this.

Turning to verse 8, we find hope. Isaiah holds to a sure truth: God is present and just waiting to act. God does not abandon us ever. Speaking with hope and confidence Isaiah says, “Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.” God is yet there, ready and willing to shape and form the people back into who God created them to be. The prophet asks God to look upon them once again. Isaiah longs for restoration and reconnection. God is faithful. The people will be drawn back to God. We have experienced this too. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, when life leads me to question your presence or your love, when my choices or actions create a feeling of separation – draw me back to you. May the Holy Spirit call out my name; may my faith be rekindled, drawing me back to the only source of true life. Amen.