pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

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The Kingdom of Heaven

Reading: Matthew 13:31-33

Matthew 13:31a and 33a – “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed… is like yeast.”

Beginning our gospel reading today we find two parables that tell us about the kingdom of heaven. Tomorrow we will read three more parables that speak of the kingdom of heaven. I think, in general, when most people hear the phrase, “kingdom of heaven,” they think of a place in the clouds with angels and streets of gold. While some version of this might be the kingdom of heaven some day, today and tomorrow, Jesus is speaking of the kingdom of heaven here on earth – right here and right now.

In verses 31-33 Jesus speaks of two very small things that have large impacts. The teacher says, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed… is like yeast.” The smallest seed becomes a large plant, giving rest and a home to the birds. Yeast, a tiny organism, works its way through a whole bushel of flour, causing it to rise so that it can feed many people.

The kingdom of heaven is found today in our small acts of faithful witness. It is found in that visit to a sick friend, in the meal brought to a struggling family, in the money used to pay a single parent’s water bill. The kingdom of heaven is found in the time given to help at VBS and in the monthly donation to a child in a far away country. It is found in the way you walk through a hard situation with peace and in the way you handle another’s anger or insults with grace. The kingdom of heaven is found everywhere that Jesus’ light and love are made real. Be the kingdom of heaven today.

Prayer: Lord God, instill in us a sensitivity to the kingdom-building opportunities that you bring our way. Make us willing servants, ready to give generously of our time, talents, resources, prayers, and presence. Open our eyes to see how small acts of faith hold tremendous power – the power to change lives and to change our world. Amen.


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Gather the Weeds

Reading: Matthew 13:24-30

Matthew 13:30b – “First gather the weeds and tie them together in bundles to be burned.”

Today we turn to the “Parable of the Weeds.” Tomorrow we read Jesus’ explanation. Today we’ll focus on a personal application level that deviates slightly from standard interpretation. Tomorrow we’ll expand out to the more traditional understanding and out to the communal level.

Each morning – or most mornings! – we get up and pray and read our Bibles and ponder a devotional or two. Maybe we practice our faith in the evenings or midday instead. Once or twice a week we go to church for worship or to participate in a small group class. In each of these ways we are planting good seeds in our hearts. On occasion we help a neighbor in need or volunteer somewhere or visit a friend who is sick. Although these acts are other-centered, these practices also plant good seeds in our hearts.

And then an unwanted change comes our way. Or maybe it is an unexpected diagnosis. Perhaps someone speaks an unkind word or a stinging criticism. Each of these things and many more have the potential to derail our walk of faith. They can create stress or worry or doubt or anger or mistrust or… and can cause division and hurt and possibly even put an end to a relationship. These are the weeds that we suddenly find growing in our hearts. We don’t intentionally plant them there, but they do take root. In these cases, Jesus gives us an important reminder: “First gather the weeds and tie them together in bundles to be burned.” Daily tending to these “weeds” prevents them from becoming enmeshed in our hearts. May it be so for you and for me.

Prayer: Lord God, all sorts of unwanted things can grow in our hearts if not tended daily. While not all are “evil,” they can still distract us from tending to our relationships with you and with one another. When still a really small shoot, anger and other “weeds” can more easily be cared for. So help us, O God, to be diligent daily, paying close attention to these “small” matters. Before roots become enmeshed in our hearts, guide us deal with temptation and sin. Amen.


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Majesty and Glory

Reading: Psalm 8:1-4

Psalm 8:1 – “Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name throughout the earth!”

Photo credit: Greg Rakozy

Moving from Genesis 1 and 2 to Psalm 8, we stay within the framework of God’s power and creative presence. The Psalm begins with a familiar refrain about God’s majesty and glory. This line is found in other Psalms as well as in hymns and contemporary Christian music. It is natural and just feels right to pronounce, read, and sing about the majesty and glory of the Lord our God.

In verse 2 the psalmist recognizes the breadth of God’s power. The cries of “nursing babes” are heard by God, motivating God to stop Israel’s “vengeful enemies.” God’s attention to the least of these is a testament to both God’s love for humanity and to the special place that the vulnerable and lowly hold in God’s heart.

Instead of leading to pride, though, this thought leads David to a moment of humility. Looking upward into the night sky, seeing the moon and the vast array of stars, David reflects, writing, “What are human beings that you pay attention to them?” In the expanse of creation, a space that reaches beyond the furthest star, God’s power and majesty and glory are fully revealed. This thought makes David feel oh so small. Maybe you have felt this too at times as you gaze upward to the stars or outward across an endless ocean.

While it is good to feel our smallness at times, the reality is that God is mindful of us – of you and of me. God knows each of us intimately and personally. This too is a testament to God’s majesty and glory. All praise and honor are yours, O God!

Prayer: Lord God, thinking of the vastness of the universe and realizing that you created it all, we are awed and amazed. Recognizing that like the stars, you know each of us by name, we are humbled. In this place, we offer up a word of praise and a simple “thank you.” As almighty and all-powerful as you are, you still know us down to the detail of the hairs on our head. Wow. Thank you, Lord. Amen.


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In the Small and in the All

Reading: Luke 16:10-13

Luke 16:10 – “Whoever is faithful with little is also faithful with much, and the one who is dishonest with little is also dishonest with much.”

As we wrap up our passage from Luke 16, Jesus focuses in on our honesty with God and with ourselves. In verse 10 Jesus says that it all matters – from the small decisions that no one else sees to the biggest decisions that can impact a lot of other people. If we are faithful to God in all of the little ways – in how we see others, in our thoughts, in the things that we do in private – then it will become second nature to be faithful in the bigger moments of life. But if we are sinful in our private moments then it will be much harder to suddenly be righteous in the times that really matter.

It can be said that as followers of Christ we are “in the world but not of the world.” We live in the world every day but we truly belong to God. As we live out our days, do we strive to remain faithful to God’s will and way or do we chase after wealth and other things that the world treasures? In this process we use the gifts and talents that God gave us either to build God’s kingdom or to accumulate and gather wealth, status, and accomplishments for ourselves. Where we invest our time, energy, gifts, and resources reveals which master we are serving – God or the world.

An honest assessment of how we invest these things quickly reveals if we are serving and loving God or if we are serving and loving the world. Jesus is blunt: “You cannot serve God and wealth.” One of these fills our hearts with light and love, with hope and grace. The other leaves us ultimately with empty hands and empty hearts. May we daily choose to serve and love the Lord our God, being faithful in the small and in the all.

Prayer: Lord God, we beg you to walk with us moment by moment, being present in the thousands and thousands of decisions that we make daily. Keep whispering your guidance and direction into our hearts, keep nudging us to walk your path in the world. Guard our hearts and minds against the great temptations of wealth and success and power and popularity. Help us to choose to be faithful to you alone again and again and again and… Amen.


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Awareness and Compassion

Reading: Psalm 24:1-2

Psalm 24:1 – “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it.”

In the children’s book Horton Hears a Who! the main character is Horton the elephant. Because he has ears to hear he discovers a whole world living on a speck of dust, people with houses and grocery stores and churches. Horton then goes to great lengths, endures scorn and ridicule and abuse, and gives his all to save, rescue, and protect these tiny people. This is because he believes in his heart that “a person is a person, no matter how small.” Because of his compassion and dedication, others join him in his cause.

In Psalm 24:1 we read, “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it.” As the Creator, yes, the world is the Lord’s! We are included in that “everything.” Whether we are in the ruling party or in the smallest majority, whether we are flush with money or in deject poverty, whether we are the center of our own universe or the humblest servant – we are the Lord’s!

Volunteering this week at a high school church camp, we named the injustices we see in the world and we talked about solutions and needed resources to remedy these injustices. I was amazed by the breadth of the student’s awareness and the depth of their compassion and empathy. Some injustices had touched their lives, others touched their hearts. In these ways they were like Horton, who is like God, who we’re called to be like.

Our question to wrestle with is this: Who or what cries out, needing us to rise up, to stand up, to speak up, to walk alongside? As people of faith, may we be people of awareness and compassion.

Prayer: Lord God, you created all the earth and everything on it and in it. Because all this is the work of your hands, all declared good, may we see, treat, and understand all of creation as good, as sacred, as an extension of you. With this heart and within this mentality, may we be and bring your light and love, your healing and redemption into the world. Amen.


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No One Sees

Reading: 1st Samuel 1:3-8

1st Samuel 1:8 – “Why won’t you eat? Why are you so sad? Aren’t I worth more than ten sons to you?”

This week we delve into our call to see the small, the overlooked, the marginalized. We will wrestle with how we respond to their cries. This often puts us at odds with those in power and with our culture.

All of these topics are present in our 1st Samuel 1 reading. In the text, Hannah is the central figure. She is the one who only receives one part of the offering “because the Lord had kept her from conceiving.” In this agricultural society, children were necessary for a family’s survival. This also factored in later in life. Without children in old age, one would potentially not have anyone to care or provide for them. To be unable to bear children was a cultural shame and a great risk.

Hannah is frequently reminded of all of this by Peninnah, Elkanah’s other wife, the one with many children. This cruelty was especially unavoidable at the festival in Shiloh. All were together in limited space. Elkanah sees Hannah crying and says to her, “Why won’t you eat? Why are you so sad? Aren’t I worth more than ten sons to you?” The focus of his questions are really on himself and his self-worth, not on Hannah. He sees her but doesn’t really see her. No one really sees Hannah. Who do you know that is like this?

Prayer: Lord God, we too can look past the one hurting right in front of us. We too can make it about how their pain or suffering is effecting us or our lives. In these times, Lord, slow us down, divest us of self, guide us to be present to the person and make us responsive to their needs. Amen.


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How Majestic!

Reading: Psalm 8

Psalm 8:1 – “Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name throughout the earth!”

Photo credit: Greg Rakozy

Psalm 8 begins and ends with the same words, praising God for who and what God is. The words in between celebrate the creation and humanity’s place within the world God created.

The psalmist looks up at the skies and is awed. The work of God’s “fingers” is vast and powerful and amazing. We’ve had these feelings and responses when we’ve looked up at the stars. The Psalm then pivots to humanity. The psalmist muses about God even paying attention to something so relatively small. We’ve also each felt our own smallness as we have stared heavenward.

In verse 5 the psalmist acknowledges that God has made humanity “only slightly less than divine.” Of all creation, only humanity is created in the image of God. Accordingly humanity has been charged with ruling over God’s “handiwork.” All has been put “under their feet.” It would be easy to read these words and to find justification for devouring the planet and its resources, eating our fill of the earth’s “fruit.” When thus tempted, may we be reminded of our smallness and of the earth being God’s handiwork. These reminders keep us humble and invite us to care for our world as God would care for our world. May it all be so.

Prayer: Lord God, yes, Lord, how majestic is your name and your creation. From the skies to a baby’s cry, your handiwork calls for praise and adoration. Lead and guide us to care for this world as acts of praise and adoration, bringing you all the glory. Amen.


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Happy Are…

Reading: Matthew 13

Matthew 13:16 – “Happy are your eyes because they see. Happy are your ears because they hear.”

Today’s reading holds seven parables all aimed at showing how God is at work in our world and in our lives. In these teachings, Matthew shows that God is engaged in daily life and desires to be in connection with us. In the first parable a farmer scatters seed. In a day when every seed mattered, “scatter” would draw people’s attention. Most seeds do not bear fruit. The many cares of this world are too much. The seed that does fall on good soil produces a great crop. Hearts that receive and nurture God’s word leads others to do the same, creating more disciples.

Matthew connects to Isaiah, using his words as a means to explain why many do not understand the parables. They have become “calloused” and refuse to “change their hearts and lives.” This was the invitation given by John the Baptist and by Jesus. It continues to be given each time the world is read or proclaimed.

Each of the remaining parables begins with the phrase, “The kingdom of heaven is like…” It is like a field with good plants and weeds, like a net with good and bad fish. One day the angels will sort out and burn the bad. The good will be saved. It is like a mustard seed or some yeast – small but powerful, able to spread and grow into something large. It is like a hidden treasure or a pearl of great worth. Once found, a person must be willing to sell all else, investing everything they have into their faith.

As Jesus teaches in parables he asks his disciples if they understand. They do. In response, Jesus says, “Happy are your eyes because they see. Happy are your ears because they hear.” May our eyes and ears be happy as well.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for opening our eyes and ears to your word. We don’t always get it 100% but as we keep at it, reading, studying, seeking to understand, your Spirit works in us, giving us more insight and understanding. Each time we encounter that word, the connection grows stronger, deeper. Thank you for your continuing work in us. Amen.


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A Healthy Fear

Reading: Proverbs 14

‭Proverbs 14:22 – “Don’t those who plan evil go astray? Those who plan good receive loyalty and faithfulness.”

Today’s key verse summarizes the overarching idea of Proverbs. The goal of Solomon and other sages who contributed to this book was to teach naive young men how to walk faithfully with God. To ignore this wisdom is to turn away from God, to “go astray,” to choose death.

The naive have and will always exist. Therefore Proverbs will be ever relevant. The naive think they know it all but can also fall prey to believing anything. Their sphere of thinking is fairly small, usually centered on self. Common sense is in short supply. All of this can lead to lurching forward in awkward ways. The inward focus can lead to things like “despising” those with needs. With wisdom and maturity brings a thoughtfulness to one’s steps, words, and actions. One begins to see beyond self. Care and concern for others becomes a new reality.

As one gains wisdom and maturity, one also begins to understand the heart. Wisdom brings an understanding of our own heart and of the hearts of others. One grasps and grapples with joy and sorrow, happiness and distress. Empathy develops. We read, “Wisdom resides in an understanding heart.” One moves from considering to prioritizing other over self.

Wisdom eventually leads to a revrent fear of the Lord. This guides one’s choices, words, actions. One chooses integrity over the “crooked path.” One develops a strong confidence and trust in God’s care for us and for our families. Wisdom and a healthy fear of the Lord draws us close to the “fountain of life.” There we are guided to seek a continual walk in God’s will and way. May this be our path and our choice.

Prayer: Lord God, on this journey of life we mature in many ways: physically, emotionally, relationally, vocationally, spiritually. All tend to come with age and experience. We can be a part of the process or we can just go with the flow of life. As your disciples, guide us to engage the process, to invest in our lives, especially in our faith. Rooted deeply in you we find strength, compassion, empathy, love. In you we find meaning and purpose. Draw us deeper and deeper into you, fountain of life. Amen.


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It Begins Small

Reading: Jeremiah 2:4-9

Verse 7: “I brought you to a fertile land… but you came and defiled my land.”

In the second half of Jeremiah 1, the section between last week’s and this week’s readings, God brings Jeremiah a vision. He sees a pot that is tilting from the north. It is boiling. God tells him that it will boil over and pour out over all who live in the land. Surely the Assyrian army is coming.

Our passage today begins with a question from God: “What fault did your fathers find in me, that they strayed so far from me?” They turned to worthless idols and began following a worthless religion. God reminds them, “I brought you to a fertile land… but you came and defiled my land.” The priests and prophets have also been a part of the defilement. They have worshipped and prophesied by Baal, a “worthless idol.” Through Jeremiah the prophet, God declares that there are charged pending. The pot will boil over.

The situation in Jeremiah’s day was not and is not unique to his time. It was and is an oft-repeated cycle: walk with God, sin and stray from God, repent and return to God. Because we are a stubborn and selfish lot, there is usually some significant event that leads us to a place of repentance. Using the language of our Biblical context, our pot boils over. When we can’t go any lower, we look up and see that the Assyrian invasion is under way.

How can this pattern be interrupted? It begins small. We are faithful in the small daily tasks: reading our Bible, meditating on God’s word, giving time in prayer and thanksgiving, denying self and the lures of the world, finding ways to humbly serve others. When we are intentional about cultivating our relationship with God, filling ourselves with God’s ways, walking out God’s will, then we repent right away. Then we do not stray far. We remain close. May it be so for you and for me.

Prayer: Lord God, lead me to draw close again and again, over and over, moment by moment. Build such intimacy between you and me that I always turn back quickly, repenting and knowing your forgiveness and redemption once again. Amen.