pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: wholeness


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Worthy of the Kingdom

Reading: Matthew 9-10

Matthew 10:22 – “Everyone will hate you on account of my name. But whoever stands firm until the end will be saved.”

Photo credit: Shane Rounce

Chapter 9 is mostly about the healings that Jesus brought to people. There is the calling of Matthew too and the questioning of why Jesus ate with “tax collectors and sinners.” Chapter 10 shifts first to the calling and sending of the 12. The chapter ends with the realities of the cost of discipleship. This was and still is a reality for the followers of Jesus.

Chapter 9 begins with the healing of a paralyzed man. Jesus begins by forgiving his sins. This is just a means to draw in the “legal experts,” to prove that Jesus has the power to forgive sins and to heal sicknesses. Jesus then calls Matthew, saying, “Follow me.” Later, at dinner, the Pharisees question Jesus’ choice of table mates. He declares, “I didn’t come to call righteous people, but sinners.” As the chapter continues, Jesus heals five more people and Matthew closes with a summary of Jesus’ early ministry. Jesus taught and healed, announcing the good news of the kingdom. The chapter closes with a lament: the harvest is huge but the workers are few. Jesus encourages his disciples to “plead” with God for workers.

Chapter 10 begins with God’s response. The 12 are called and given authority to cast out demons and to heal diseases. They are then sent out to “the lost sheep… of Israel.” The disciples are to go without anything, relying on worthy people to take them in. They will bless these homes. If no one is found worthy in a place, the disciples will move on.

Starting in verse 16, Jesus begins to detail the cost of discipleship. The 12 go out as “sheep among wolves.” They will be arrested and beaten. But the Spirit will be with them and in their words. Jesus says, “Everyone will hate you on account of my name. But whoever stands firm until the end will be saved.” Families will come apart and turn on one another because Jesus did not “come to bring peace but sword.” The disciples are encouraged to “pick up their cross” as they follow Jesus. Doing so, they will be counted as worthy in the kingdom of God. May it be so for you and for me.

Prayer: Lord God, send us out as workers, fully cognizant of the cost of discipleship and fully aware of your Spirit’s presence with us. Lord, use us to bring healing and wholeness to others, encouraging them with the good news of your kingdom through us and our ministries. Strengthen and empower us as we too seek to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Amen.


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Our Truth Too

Reading: Hosea 11-14

Hosea 14:7 – “They will again live beneath my shadow, they will flourish like a garden; they will blossom like the vine.”

Hosea closes with hope. There are still moments where God recognizes and is angered by Israel’s sin, but words of hope dominate our reading today. This is the truth of our lives too. We are sinful by nature. God is merciful, loving, and forgiving by nature. We walk with hope because God’s love is greater than our sin.

Chapter 11 begins with parent-child imagery. God recalls raising Israel, as a loving parent. But Israel turned away, as most children do at some point. So they will return to Assyria and Egypt. Tough love will reign. Yet love will abide. God will gather the children home one day.

Charges come in chapter 12. Israel multiplies lies and violence, makes treaties with Assyria and Egypt. God recalls Jacob, the younger brother. God recalls wrestling with Jacob at Bethel, where Jacob came to truly know God. God calls Israel back to that relationship. But Ephraim is too proud. They thought themselves sinless. This is a bitter offense to God. We too do this to God when we become proud, when we think ourselves righteous.

Their pride and self-sufficiency was also compounded by their idolatry. Israel turned to these metal images. They are reminded that God alone can save. This will be reinforced when God falls upon them like a lion. God will come in the east wind, making Samaria desolate. Even the babies and pregnant women will fall before the Assyrians.

Hope rises again in chapter 14. God implores Israel to return and even gives them the words to speak: “Forgive all wickedness and receive the good.” God responds with promises to heal and love, to plant and raise up, to protect and provide: “They will again live beneath my shadow, they will flourish like a garden; they will blossom like the vine.” What a beautiful picture of grace and restoration, of wholeness and life. This picture can be ours too. This truth is our truth. Sinful as we are, sin will never define us. God always offers this gift of grace and restoration, of wholeness and life. With repentant hearts and a faithful Spirit, may we step into the truth of God’s love.

Prayer: Lord God, lead and guide us to walk daily and to trust eternally into your promises of love and grace, of forgiveness and restoration. You are our God, the only one who can save. Thank you, Lord. Amen.


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What a Glorious Day

Reading: Isaiah 32-35

‭Isaiah 33:22 – “The LORD is our judge… our leader… our king — he will deliver us.”

Isaiah lifts up the image of a faithful king in chapter 32. This portrait is centered on justice and righteousness. The blind will see, the deaf will hear. When the “Spirit from on high” is poured out, the fruit of righteousness will be peace, calm, and security. Tucked in between these times will be a time of hardship. Isaiah warns the carefree because they will struggle greatly during this difficult time.

Chapter 33 goes back and forth. Assyria will be destroyed. God is our strength and salvation. Jerusalem cries out, the covenant is broken, no one cares for humanity. The Lord arises and stands tall, declaring, “Know my strength!” The devouring fire brings terror to the sinners. A righteous and truthful one will lead. In this hope-filled portion we read, “The LORD is our judge… our leader… our king — he will deliver us.”

Our last two chapters, 34 and 35, are likely from another time and author. Chapter 34 calls for vengeance against Edom. This nation helped Babylon sack Jerusalem in 587 BCE. Edom will experience “a year of payback for Zion’s cause.” Edom clearly falls on the wrong side of God’s “measuring line.” In chapter 35 we find a vision consistent with Second Isaiah. Here we read of the desert coming to bloom and of God’s glory and splendor. The weak and unsteady will have strength and support. The blind, deaf, lame, and mute will be made whole. The righteous will walk “The Holy Way” as they stream home to Zion, ransomed from exile. What a glorious day!

Prayer: Lord God, how we long for leadership marked by justice and righteousness, for a world filled with peace and security, with wholeness for all. We long for you to rise up, to lay low the wicked and the evildoers. We long to walk your holy highway, ransomed from our sin, drawing close to your glorious presence. May it be so, O Lord. 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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Looking from Outside…

Reading: Isaiah 42:8-9

Verse 9: “See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare.”

Photo credit: Clay Banks

In today’s two verses from Isaiah 42 God is making a declaration. It begins by stating, “I am the Lord.” This is a reminder of God’s identity and character and it is a call to remember the Lord in both word and action. The invitation to “see, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare” is an invite to recall God’s history, to remember the promises and prophecies and to recall how many have come to be. And it is a call to trust in faith that the rest will come to be in God’s time.

Looking back and remembering builds trust in God’s integrity, love, character, steadfastness, faithfulness… Recalling how God has rescued, redeemed, restored, rebuilt, and so on reveals God’s track record and establishes a trust and faith in God based upon the reality of God’s past. This is a practice that we use too, whether by reading the stories of the Bible or by recalling all the times that God has interceded, intervened, guided, corrected, redirected… our lives. Together these build our faith and trust in God.

Looking in from the outside, does the world see us and our churches mirroring the character of God? Do they see and experience us actually loving our neighbors? Do they visit and feel truly welcomed and highly valued? Do we and our churches work to bring healing and wholeness to our communities? Are we champions of mercy and justice, practitioners of grace and love? If so, we are building heaven here on earth. If not, there’s true work to be done.

Prayer: Lord God, help me, help us, help our churches to honestly look in the mirror. Are we really living as you call us to live? Are we following the example of love and grace and mercy and humble service set by your son Jesus Christ? By the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit empower and lead us to better reflect you in our lives and in our world. Amen.


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He Is Calling

Reading: Luke 13:10-13

Verse 12: “When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, ‘Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.'”

One day, while doing one of his regular things – teaching in the synagogue – Jesus notices a woman. She has been crippled by a spirit for 18 years. Unable to straighten up, this woman has stood out for 18 long years. The understanding of her day and her faith would be that sinned 18 years ago. That choice would’ve led to her crippled condition. She does not approach Jesus. Perhaps this is an indication or sign of acceptance of the consequences for her sin.

Jesus sees her. His focus is drawn to her. We do not know what Jesus was teaching about. As he taught I’m sure he scanned the crowd, looking for nonverbal cues to go on, to stop and reteach, etc. While looking around Jesus sees this woman. This was a true seeing, not a ‘look at that bird over there’ kind of seeing. Jesus saw not only the woman but all that she has born these 18 long years – the pain, the stigma, the living on the margins.

He calls the woman forward and says, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” In an instant, with just a few words, Jesus removes the pain, the stigma, the loneliness. He saw what separated her and removed these barriers to community, wholeness, abundant life. My friend, Jesus sees you. He calls out to you. The Christ wants to heal you, to restore you to community, wholeness, abundant life. Do you hear him calling?

Prayer: Lord God, you reach out in so many ways. Your desire is for us to have life and to have it to the full. May we hear your voice as it calls out and may we have the courage to step forward into all that you have for us. Amen.


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Share the Love

Reading: Luke 4:21-30

Verse 22: “All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips.”

Those around Jesus recognized the authority that he spoke with and they saw the power in his words and in his touch. Even though rejected in his hometown, Jesus’ message would make a great impact on our world for generations to come. Jesus and then later his followers would live out the words of wisdom Isaiah, meeting needs in all sorts of ways.

Today we continue in these ways. As followers of Jesus Christ we seek to be good news to all people, to bring healing and wholeness to people’s lives. Unlike Elijah – who kept oil and flour in adequate supply when many were starving – and unlike Elisha – whose simple instructions cured the incurable – we are but ordinary folk called to share the extraordinary love of God.

We share the love sometimes in basic ways: caring for a neighbor, giving to the needy, visiting the lonely. We can also share the love in braver ways: speaking against injustice, standing up for the exploited, giving voice to people’s concerns. In all things, may we always seek to love, shining Jesus’ light into the darkness of our world.

Prayer: Lord God, lead me to people and places where I can be your love in real and tangible ways. May that love improve lives, bringing much worthy and wholeness. Amen.


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Only Then

Reading: Zephaniah 3: 14-17

Verse 17: “The Lord your God is with you, God is mighty to save.”

Photo credit: Kunj Parekh

We begin this week with the prophet Zephaniah. He spoke the word of God to Judah. Israel was a separate nation at this point. Although Israel had turned back to God under King Josiah’s leadership, Judah remained far from God. They worship idols, they are selfish, they oppress the poor. Through Zephaniah, God pronounces judgment on Judah’s sins.

Although Zephaniah wrote to a disobedient people in about 620 BC, the sins of his day are still alive and well in our time. No longer a Christian nation, there are many idols placed ahead of God. Finding God on many people’s priority list is an exercise in patience. In many ways being selfish is at an all-time high. We have long been a me first, just do it, have it your way nation. These attitudes and approaches to life have infiltrated many of our political and religious institutions. Humble service? And as a nation we have become experts at oppressing the poor. On the surface it looks like help. But throwing money and the most basic of services at people who lack knowledge, skills, and self worth only keeps them stuck in the same oppressive systems. The gap between those with wealth, education, good health care, and influence and those without these things continues to grow.

In verse seventeen we read these words of hope from Zephaniah to the people of Judah: “The Lord your God is with you, God is mighty to save.” These words are every bit as true today as they were the day they were spoken. When we turn to God, when we seek to walk faithfully with our God, then God is with us. When we choose to live a life that is selfless and humble, then God is mighty to save. Love is still the most powerful force in the world. But it is only powerful when it is used. Love must be a verb. When used, love brings healing and wholeness, worth and belonging, mercy and reconciliation. Love must be a verb. Only then will God take delight in us. Only then will God rejoice over us with singing.

Prayer: Lord God, turn our churches and our communities back to you. You alone are mighty to save. You alone empower us to care for the needy, to elevate the poor and downtrodden to places of belonging and worth. Use me today to bring healing and wholeness to the world. Amen.


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Healing and Wholeness

Reading: 2nd Samuel 6: 14-19

Verse 16: “When she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart”.

Photo credit: Noah Silliman

The Ark enters Jerusalem to a great and joyous celebration. There are sacrifices and singing and dancing and music and rejoicing. In verse fifteen we read, “the entire house of Israel” was present to celebrate this event. It seems that everyone is enjoying this time of celebration.

Some nights at youth group we are playing a game or singing worship songs and a kid is off by themselves, either physically or emotionally. They do not want to participate. More often than not they have been hurt by something someone did or said and rightly so. Some of the time it is because of something that happened at school or at home. The same thing can happen with us as adults. We wall up when we are hurting. We’re just better at hiding it. People are hurting all around us.

As the Ark proceeded we read of Michal watching from a window. She is not down in the street with the crowd. As she watches David we read, “When she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart”. To see her husband, the king, celebrating when she was grieving, it hardened her heart. She had just lost her father and three brothers.

At youth group that young person looks at us playing or worshipping and wonders how we could do that when they’re hurting. In church the one who has lost a job or a loved one or… wonders how we can be joyous when they are in such pain. There are hurting people all around.

Our task is to notice – to connect with that kid at youth group or that person in church or that stranger on the bench. We are to have eyes that see and hearts that feel – gifts that allow and help us to draw others into the circle of God’s love. Doing so, may God’s love and our love bring healing and wholeness to our broken and hurting world.

Prayer: Lord God, grant that I may see and sense those who need to know your love today. May your love flow in and through me. Amen.


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Divine Wisdom

Reading: Psalm 20

Verse 7: “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God”.

Photo credit: Patrick Fore

In Psalm 20 David offers a prayer for military victory over the enemy. He asks for protection, help, and support. He knows that the Lord “saves his anointed”. Although it may seem different to pray for victory in battle, I think most of us ask God to grant us victory pretty regularly. It may be victory over an addiction or a sin we’ve been struggling with. It may be to receive that promotion over the competition or to find the right home in the right neighborhood. It may be to feel progress in our grief or to put depression or stress or anxiety behind us. It may be for physical healing or spiritual wholeness.

David bases his prayer request on his faithful walk with God. He does not need to introduce himself to God before kneeling in prayer. David has sacrificed for God, he has come to the altar with gifts, he has been anointed or blessed by God. He is praying from a place of deep relationship with God. When we lift our petitions to the Lord our God do we come from the same place as David? Do we seek to have the heart of God within us through prayer and study and worship? Do we regularly talk with God so that we have an intimate and personal relationship? Do we sense, invite, and follow the lead and guide of the Holy Spirit?

In verse seven we read, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God”. David differentiates his prayer and desires from the ways of the world. Those kings who rely on chariots and horses or on jets and tanks or on economic might or political alliances are relying on earthly power. David relies on heavenly power to gain victory over the enemy. His trust is built on his faithful walk and alignment with God’s will and ways. When we pray for the desires of our hearts or even for the needs we have do we do so from a place of divine Wisdom and connection? If so, we too will “rise up and stand firm”. May it be so for us all.

Prayer: Lord God, in those moments of quiet, still my voice and draw me into your holy presence. Tune my ears and my heart to the soft whisper of your voice. Lead me to walk in your will and in your ways. Amen.