pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: unexpected


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“No” to Self!

Reading: Luke 8:40-9

Luke 9:23 – “All who want to come after me must say no to themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow me.”

Today’s reading begins with two stories where faith results in healing. Jairus comes to Jesus seeking healing for his daughter and a woman discreetly comes to Jesus for healing. Both believe that Jesus can bring healing. In spite of circumstances stacked against them, both experience healing because they continued to believe.

Jesus sends out the 12 to heal and proclaim the good news. After a successful outing, Jesus encounters a large crowd. After a long day teaching and healing, the disciples suggest sending the crowd to find food and lodging. Jesus suggests the disciples feed the crowd. Their response: But we don’t have enough. Fish and loaves are not what is lacking. With five fish and two loaves, Jesus feeds the huge crowd. In the end all eat their fill and the disciples each hold a basket full of leftovers. Jesus has faith to spare!

There are two sections about following Jesus in today’s readings. After Peter declares that Jesus is the Christ, Jesus explains that this means dying and being raised. He will be an unexpected kind of Messiah. Because of this, Jesus defines what it takes to follow this way: “All who want to come after me must say no to themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow me.” At the end of today’s readings we see that many cannot meet these expectations. Followers must be willing to lose their lives to take on Christ’s.

Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up the mountain, where he is transfigured. They see Jesus in his divine glory. God’s words add to their understanding that he is truly the Son of God. They descend and Jesus heals a boy possessed by a demon. He then confronts the disciples lack of understanding about following him. They had been arguing about which one of them was the greatest. Jesus states, “Whoever is least among you is the greatest.” It’s all about elevating others above self. This requires a follower of Jesus to say “no” to self again and again and again…

Prayer: Lord God, while the world and our culture tells us that self is all that matters, you say the opposite. Everything, everyone, all else is to be placed before our own needs and wants. In that place, we are trusting in you alone for all that we truly need. Grant us the faith and the courage to make this choice every day. Amen.


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Work to Be Done

Reading: 2nd Peter 3:8-12

Verses 11-12: “What sort of persons ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God.”

Photo credit: Clay Banks

As Peter closes his second letter, he addresses their concerns about the delay of Jesus’ return. He first reminds them of the difference between God’s time and their time. It has been about 30 years since Jesus was raised from the tomb. In the present moment, 30 years of waiting does feel like a really long time for us. Yet from God’s perspective, 30 years isn’t even a miniscule blip on the eternal timeline. Yet Peter does understand the believers desire for Jesus to return. I love Peter’s words and thoughts that address this longing: “God is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

I love the fact that Peter sees beyond just the believers. It’s not all about them (or us in today’s context.) It is partly about the other. As the day will come “like a thief’s – unexpected and suddenly – the followers of Jesus need to always “live holy and godly lives.” Day by day they must live always ready for Christ to come. Peter is echoing Jesus’ words from last week: stay alert, be ready, keep awake. The second emphasis in this part of the passage is on the other. They are why God is patient. They are why the second coming has not yet occurred. God wants “everyone to come to repentance.” Everyone.

Peter’s encouragement to live holy and godly lives is both for their own salvation and for the non-believers salvation. The believers must live this way to be able to witness to the other. Always loving and caring for others reveals Jesus’ love and care for the other. This is how they and we work “to speed its coming.” Yes, there is still work to be done. Let’s get busy!

Prayer: Lord God, what great love you have for all of humanity. Your patience is waiting on us to make disciples of all peoples. This feels like an “all” – not just some, not just most. This requires us to have a love as deep and wide as your love. Make it so within us, O God. Amen.


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Where and How?

Reading: Genesis 18:1-15

Verse 12: “Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, ‘After I am worn out and my Lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?’”

We continue this week with the story of Abram and Sarai, who have now become Abraham and Sarah. 25 years have passed since God asked them to go from Haran. 25 years have passed since God promised to make them into a great nation. They’ve recently taken matters into their own hands, creating an heir with Sarah’s slave girl Haggar. And now the Lord comes calling, telling them that Sarah will have a son within the year. Listening from behind the entrance to their tent, Sarah hears this news. In verse 12 we see her reaction: “Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, ‘After I am worn out and my Lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?’”

Have you ever laughed at God? Not in the making fun sense but in the “I’ll be” sense. That was Sarah’s laugh – well I’ll be. It is a “who’d ever have thought it?” laugh. It is the laugh that we sometimes share with God when God does something totally unexpected and often unimagined. Once in a while – if we’re really, really paying attention – we might see a glimpse of what God is up to. But more often it is something that we never saw coming. We’re left to laugh and smile, to marvel at God and at what God has done.

As call and discipleship have been our focus lately, this story leads me to 2 questions. First, where do you sense that God is up to something in your life? And second, how and where could you be a part of someone else experiencing an unexpected and surprising encounter with God?

Prayer: Lord God, where are you at work? What are you up to in my life or in our church? Where might you be calling me to be a part of someone else’s encounter with you? Holy Spirit speak! Open my eyes and my heart to see and know how you call me, to discern how I can be used by you. Amen.


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The Love of Christ

Reading: 1st John 4: 7-15

Verse 12: “If we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us”.

Photo credit: Jon Tyson

As we begin with our 1st John 4 passage today, we quickly see that love is the focus. For John, love is God’s key attribute. God is the source of love – the highest level of connection and caring that we have with God and with one another. John defines love as the indication of knowing God: If you love others you know God; if you don’t, you don’t know God.

If love is the indicator of whether or not we know God, how do we define love? John defines it as God’s gift of his son as our atoning sacrifice. While that certainly does demonstrate God’s love for us, it is certainly not God’s literal expectation of us. That act of love has been done once, for all, by Jesus. So then, what does love look like?

For some love is time – time to do things with another, time to listen, time to invest in the relationship. For some love is sacrifice – extra hours to pay for that event, going without so that a child can have that special thing, giving up something one enjoys to be there. For some love is an act of kindness – flowers just because, a nice note, doing an unexpected chore or project.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we too practice these ways of love. But the love of Christ goes beyond these too. We give time to our church as we serve; we make sacrifices to support and equip our church for ministry; we do random acts of kindness for our church and in the name of Christ. And we are called to even more. We are called to love those others do not. With Jesus Christ we love the least and the lost, the marginalized and the oppressed… This differentiates Christian love from worldly love. The love of Christ is selfless, sacrificial, humble, complete. May this be the love of God that is in you and in me.

Prayer: Lord God, help me to love not just as the world loves, but to love as you love. May I see you in all I meet and love all as you love them. Amen.


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Faithful Too

Reading: Psalm 126

Verse 3: “The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy”.

In our Isaiah 61 passage for this week God speaks hope to the people living in exile. In today’s Psalm, the people have returned home, they have experienced that joy. The psalmist recalls, “We were like men who dreamed”. They had heard the words of hope and it felt like a distant future. And then God moved and they were back home. They were filled with laughter and joy when they reflected on what the Lord has done for them. If we pause and give thought to our own journeys of faith, we too will recall times when God rescued us in an amazing or unexpected way. The God of Israel remains active in our lives.

Just as the psalmist writes “The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy” we too can say. Our experiences with a faithful God fill us with joy. It also builds up our faith and trust in God. Life will happen again. And again. Each time, if we turn to God, we will find that God is still faithful. The end or the result might not immediately be what we wanted or desired – that is not what the psalmist is saying. In God’s big picture, in God’s plan, God is in control, looking our for our good. Sometimes it takes years to see how that thing was good, but eventually we will if we continue to remain faithful too.

We can read into the Psalm that something has happened again. Whatever life has brought, the psalmist asks, “Restore our fortunes, O Lord”. There is sadness or perhaps hunger in the family of God. There is also hope and faith and trust in God. From past experiences with God, the psalmist knows there will once again be joy. He knows this because he knows God is faithful. If you are in the midst of trial or suffering, remember that the God of Israel remains active and alive. Turn to the Lord your God. God is faithful.

Prayer: Lord God, I lift up all who are struggling these days. Fill them with your presence, reassure them of your love and care. Bring them joy. In the power of the Holy Spirit may they know you are near. Amen.


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Remember… and Give Thanks

Reading: Deuteronomy 8: 7-20

Verse 18: “Remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce… and so confirms his covenant”.

Deuteronomy is Moses’ farewell letter to the Israelites. After forty years in the wilderness they are about to enter the Promised Land. Moses cannot enter with them. Like most of the people who fled Egypt, he will die before they enter the land. The land they will enter sounds just wonderful. There will be good water and plenty of food – two things they sometimes lacked in the wilderness. There will be ample stone for building and metals for weapons and tools – also things missing in the desert. All of this will be there the moment they enter the Promised Land. The Israelites will not have to work for it. They will simply be provided for by God. In our lives, we too have been blessed in this way. Sometimes the small or unexpected gift or act of kindness comes and it means so much because it surprises us in a wonderful way. We did not expect to be blessed in such a way.

Today is Thanksgiving. Many will gather around a table and take turns offering up what they are thankful for – home, family, food, friends, health… All are good and right things to be thankful for and we should pause to thank the Lord our God. In this unique season, I ask you, what could you do today or tomorrow that would be an unexpected act of kindness for someone? What could you do that would surprise someone in a way that would lift their spirits and remind them that they are loved?

As the Israelites enter the Promised Land, the land flowing with good things, the temptation will be to forget God, the one who blesses them. In verse eighteen Moses reminds them of the truth they must hold onto: “Remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce… and so confirms his covenant”. It is a reminder that God holds the covenant to be their God forever. It reminds us of this today as well. Today, may we remember this truth as well as our blessings as we celebrate and give our thanks to God.

Prayer: Loving and blessing God, all that I have, all that I can do, all that I am comes from you. You are such a good, good Father. Thank you. Each day may I use these many blessings to bless others, sharing your love. Amen.


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Vows to All Peoples

Reading: Psalm 116: 12-19

Verse 14: “I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people”.

Today’s reading begins with a question: “How can I repay the Lord for his goodness to me”? It is a good question to consider. The psalmist’s answer is the fulfillment of his vows to the Lord. Like the psalmist, we too are in relationship with God. And like all relationships, this relationship with God involves a commitment and some expectations. In verse thirteen the psalmist begins his answer to this question. He begins by lifting the cup of salvation – a way to acknowledge and be thankful for the eternal nature of his relationship with God. He continues by committing to call upon the Lord. Today we would spell out this commitment as t-i-m-e. The psalmist is committing to conversation with God. The giving of time often defines the level of commitment that we have to a relationship.

Verses fourteen and seventeen are the same. Both read, “I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people”. For the psalmist that involved thank offerings and praising God in the temple. Our vows certainly involve our worship and our gratitude too. Now, we may not initially think of our relationship with God or with Jesus as having vows. But when we confess and accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are making a statement that has some vows attached. When we ask Jesus to be the Lord of our life, we are asking him to be in charge, to be #1 in everything. In doing so we are pledging to place our will, our desires, our all second to his will, his desires… We are vowing to love the Lord above all else in our lives. When we make that vow we are committing to walk as Jesus’ disciple or follower. This vow entails doing what he did – loving God and neighbor with all that we are and with all that we have.

Part of the psalmist’s vow was to fulfill his vow to all of God’s people. All are children of God. Yes, perhaps some do not realize this, but they are still children of God. This is how Jesus fulfilled his vows to God. For the psalmist this would include the tribes and clans outside the nation of Israel. For Jesus that would mean loving the leper, the Samaritans, the blind and lame, the possessed, the sinners… Who might that be for you? Jesus said that we would be known by our love. What unexpected person will you extend love to today?

Prayer: Lord God, open my eyes to the person in need of love that I meet today. Help me to see as you see, to maybe see something or someone that I might normally miss. Break my heart to respond, O Lord. Amen.


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Moments of Glory

Reading: John 11: 28-45

Verse 40: “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God”?

Expectations are a funny thing. When life is good, when things are going well, our expectations are reasonable. We trust that God is in control and we are usually content and at peace. But when a time of trial or unwanted change comes upon us, our expectations can suddenly change. We see these two scenarios lived out in the relationship between Jesus and Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Most visits were unrecorded – just pleasant stops on the way here or there filled with good food and good conversation. Early on there was the incident with Martha – the sister that expected Mary to help with the work. Jesus’ expectations were different though. And then there was the time that Mary chose to care for Jesus’ feet. Some present were upset with her, but, again, Jesus’ expectations were different. To him, her action was a gift of preparation.

Today’s story is full of expectations. Mary mirrors Martha’s expectation, saying, “Lord, if you had been here…”. The crowd expected that Jesus would have saved Lazarus. Martha protests moving the stone. She expects death to go unchanged. In the midst of all this Jesus maintains the expectation that he shared with the disciples before they left for Bethany. In verse forty he says to Martha, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God”? Jesus still expects the glory of God to be revealed to the sisters, to the disciples, to the crowd of mourners. Letting them know something is about to happen he thanks God for what is about to be done. Jesus calls out and Lazarus walks out of the grave. In a flash the decay and stench are gone as the breath of life is restored.

At moments in our faith journey we too have these experiences. When we walk with God we too have moments when God does the unexpected, when God breathes new life into our stench and decay. Like all that were there that day outside the tomb, we too stand amazed as God’s glory is once again revealed. In those moments we too hear those words of Jesus: “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God”? With joy and praise and awe on our lips, we are amazed by our God – the one who seems to have a habit of going above and beyond our expectations. May we praise that God today.

Prayer: Lord, today as we gather and recall what you did in the valley of dry bones and what you did outside the tomb, may we also reflect on how you bring each of us new life over and over. As we praise and worship you today, may our faith grow. Amen.


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Rock of Refuge

Reading: Psalm 71: 1-3

Verse 3: “Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go”.

The opening three verses of Psalm 71 exude trust in God. The psalmist first turns to God as refuge. A refuge is a safe place that we can go to. It is a place where we can rest and recover a bit. It is a place set apart from the storms of life. God can be our refuge.

We all feel the need for refuge now and then. Life may have brought unexpected change and we need a moment to catch our breath and to figure out our new path forward. Our faith or our beliefs may cause us to feel some persecution and after a good bit of this we need to find refuge to regain strength and maybe focus. There are many other reasons we can seek refuge in God.

Because God is righteous, the psalmist asks God to rescue and deliver him. He begs God to hear his pleas. In the storms of life we can feel under assault. We can feel the need to be rescued. Sometimes we bring the storm upon ourselves. When we allow sin to gain a foothold, we invite the storm. When conviction sets in and leads to repentance, we hope to be delivered by God.

In the last verse for today the psalmist calls out to God, saying, “Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go”. In those moments or days or seasons when life is really swirling around us, we need a firm foundation. We need God to be our rock. Because life keeps happening, we will turn to God over and over to be our rock. We join the psalmist in seeking a steadfast God to whom we can always go.

As our section for today closes there is an admission that we too must make. The psalmist knows that God alone can save him. There is a dependence upon God that comes through faith. May we too know this need for God.

Prayer: Lord God, in the trials and sufferings of this life, you are my only hope. Be with me day by day and hour by hour, my rock and my refuge. Amen.


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Obedience

Reading: John 13:31-35

Verse 31: “Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in Him”.

Jesus’ ministry on earth was all about glorifying God. In the miracles Jesus brought glory to God. In His words that were full of wisdom from above, Jesus glorified God. As the gospel of John works towards its conclusion, Jesus says, “Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in Him”. The Son will be glorified when God brings Him out of the tomb. God is glorified when the Son goes to the cross to fulfill the Father’s plan. Through an act of obedience Jesus glorifies God. It is through our acts of obedience that we too glorify God.

Jesus’ act of obedience is a bit more than most of us could offer. While the reality is that someone will probably be martyred today, it is an obedience most of us will only have to ponder. Yet in our day to day lives our smaller acts of obedience accomplish the same purpose – to bring glory to God. Each time we offer a simple act of kindness or do something unexpected for another, then the other sees the light of Christ in us. That reveals the glory of God.

Throughout our day today we will each feel nudges or hear whispers from the Holy Spirit, calling us to action. If we are obedient to the lead and guide of the Spirit, then our words or actions will bring glory to God. Often we are faced with a simple choice in these moments. The choice often puts self against God and the other. We can easily try and trick ourselves into thinking we are too busy or that the cost is too great or… Excuses are much easier than obedience. Yet what Jesus modeled and what God calls us to is obedience. It is not a pick and choose obedience but a full time commitment. That is the one that Christ offers to us. May we return the blessing today by offering our all in all to God, being obedient to the point of dying to self so that we can live for Jesus.

Prayer: God, I know most is not all. Being obedient most of the time is where I usually find myself. Move me closer to you and away from me today so that I can walk step by step with you. May it be so. Amen.