pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

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In Faith, Stand Sure

Reading: James 1:2-6

James 1:2 – “My brothers and sisters, think of the various tests you encounter as occasions for joy.”

Photo credit: Diego Gennaro

James 1 picks up on the spirit and ideas we read about a couple days ago in Romans 5. In verse 2 James writes, “My brothers and sisters, think of the various tests you encounter as occasions for joy.” This statement catches us a bit off guard. Tests… joy? We may not normally associate these two words. Like Paul, though, James looks at the end game. The testing we encounter provides us with an opportunity to practice endurance. James encourages us to let this endurance “complete its work.” If we do so, we emerge with a faith that is “fully mature, complete, lacking nothing.” This is the goal of our journey of faith.

This enduring is not always easy. In the depth of the dark valley we can be tempted to abandon our faith. In the heat of the trial, we can think it’d be easier to profess someone or something other than Jesus or faith. Timothy’s response to these realities? Ask for wisdom from God. Seek guidance and direction for how to endure. James reminds us that it is God’s nature to give. So ask!

Our passage closes with another word of encouragement: “Ask in faith, without doubt.” In faith and trust, believe that God is present and will walk with us through the valley and trials. Don’t be tossed and turned by the things of this world but stand sure in the Lord. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, as we’ve walked this walk of faith we have experienced the power found in your presence. We have stood firm and emerged from the testing stronger and more assured in our faith. Thank you for your constant presence and your faithful work in us. Amen.


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Presence, Purpose, Plan

Reading: Psalm 139:13-16

Psalm 139:14 – “I give thanks to you that I was marvelously set apart.”

Overall, Psalm 139 is a celebration of God’s presence in our lives. The psalmist celebrates this presence, this touch, that is there with us even before birth in verses 13-16. There is a recognition that God is with us before we make any conscious choice to walk with God. So great is God’s love and care for us!

In verse 13 the psalmist acknowledges that it was God who formed his “innermost parts,” who “knit him together” in the womb. There is a deep connection, an intimacy to these thoughts. In the Hebrew world, innermost parts would include the soul (or spirit.) God’s touch is not just upon the physical aspects of who we are.

We lean into this idea in the next verse. Here the psalmist writes, “I give thanks to you that I was marvelously set apart.” Because he was uniquely and wonderfully made, there is a recognition that God has a purpose for him and, therefore, for each and every one of us. Made in the image of God, our purpose certainly includes caring for one another, for living one another just as God loves and cares for us. This plan and purpose is evident in verse 16 as well: “every day was written that was being formed for me.”

Whether our days are 10 or 10,000, whether our years are a handful or many score, God is ever present in meaningful and purposeful ways. Each and every day, good, bad, and in between, God walks with us, offering love and care. In this we rejoice, joining our thanksgiving with the psalmist’s!

Prayer: Lord God, we thank you today for creating us with your purpose and your plans in mind. We celebrate your presence in our lives. It is a presence that is constant, loving, and caring. Lord, help us to be this for others, being conduits of your presence, love, and care. Use us to bring you into the world and into the lives of those we meet. Amen.


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Care Well

Reading: Genesis 1:26-28

Genesis 1:26 – “Let us make humanity in our image to resemble us so that they may take charge of... all the earth.”

Today we turn to the day of creation when Father, Son, and Holy Spirit created humankind. In connection with one another, God says, “Let us make humanity in our image to resemble us so that they may take charge of... all the earth.” Humanity is to be like the divine in the ways that we are in the world. Keeping this in mind, how we understand “take charge” bends toward steward, care for, protect, guard, and love.

This week we have been considering prayer. Some of our thoughts have focused on unanswered prayer. What would it look like to blend the best intents of ‘take charge’ with some of the unanswered prayers that people pray? What would our world be like if we ourselves sought to be the answer to people’s needs?

If we saw the resources that we have been blessed with as ways to care for the hungry, the sick, the naked, the imprisoned, then how would our world change? If we saw our role as the protector and defender of the vulnerable, the weak, the marginalized, the oppressed, then how would their lives change? If we were willing to risk and sacrifice on behalf of those without voice, without power, how would a new reign of justice and mercy become the reality in our world?

Because we are created in the divine image, we have within us the ability, the power, and the heart to care well for our world and for all of the earth. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, bend our hearts towards your heart. Remove the selfish, inward focus that creeps into our hearts, our thinking, our way of acting and being in the world. Empower us to be the answer to these questions pondered today. Amen.


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Trust Always and Forever

Reading: John 14:1-3

John 14:3 – “I will return and take you to be with me so that where I am you will be too.”

Jesus calls the disciples away from being troubled and into trusting. The disciples are troubled by what they’ve just heard. The one of them with the most verve, the most confidence, the most daring faith – he will deny knowing Jesus. If this one will fail Jesus, they wonder, what chance do the rest of us stand? These thoughts would trouble us too. Similar thoughts trouble us. A co-worker is unexpectedly let go. We question our job security. A friend loses a spouse. We question our health and our mortality. When the news that we receive rocks our world, it is easy to become troubled.

Jesus calls the disciples to trust in him and in God. To trust in Jesus is to trust into the three years together. He is inviting them to lean into the relationship, into the connection that has developed and deepened by living daily with Jesus. He is also reminding them of the relationship that they have with God. This is founded upon the scriptural promises that they are currently living out with the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Through the prophets, God spoke of this time. We can trust in Jesus and God for these same reasons. Our walk of faith has built a relationship that we can trust. Our time in the word has revealed a God we can trust always and forever.

Jesus then connects these ideas of trust to the eternal in verses 2 and 3. He tells the disciples, “I will return and take you to be with me so that where I am you will be too.” One day this will be true for all who believe. It may be as Jesus personally meets us to take us to our eternal home. It may be at his second coming, when he returns in his final glory. Either way, we will be with Jesus. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, day by day as we walk with you, our trust grows, our relationship deepens. But then that hard news hits. We can feel like we’re back to the days before we knew you personally. We can feel so all alone. In those moments, Lord, remind us of your constant presence, of your eternal promises, of your unending love and care. Hold us tightly in your arms. Amen.


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The Will to Choose

Readings: John 3:16-16 and 34-36, and John 14:1-7

John 3:17 – “God didn’t send his son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him.”

Photo credit: Kelly Sikkema

John 3:16 is about as well-known as any verse in the Bible. God sent his one and only son into this world, taking on flesh, becoming one of us, so that he could die on our behalf, removing our sins, opening the way for us to enter eternal life. This is a beautiful picture of sacrificial love.

The next verse reminds us of God’s unconditional love: “God didn’t send his son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” God’s first choice is not to be a God of judgment but a God of love, mercy, grace, and salvation. This is what God desires for all humanity, not judgment. God also created humanity with free will or the will to choose. So we can choose to not choose Jesus as our Savior. We can choose to live for self. We can choose to be judged. We can choose to ignore the words of life that Jesus speaks, to ignore the prompting and guidance of the Holy Spirit. In doing so, we invite “the angry judgment of God” upon ourselves.

Jumping forward to John 14, it is a heavy moment. Sandwiched around the command to love one another “as I have loved you” is the news of Judas’ betrayal and of Peter’s denial of knowing Christ. Jesus tells the disciples to not be troubled but to trust in God and in him. He then promises that he will come back for them so that they can be with him in heaven. In response to Thomas’ confusion, Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Jesus’ life and example are the way to know God and God’s truths. They are the way to live the life that God intended for us to live, the life here and now that leads one day to life eternal. May it be so for you and for me.

Prayer: Lord God, you sent your son to save and redeem us. You desire this for each and every one of us. It must break your heart to see the one you wove together in the womb, the one you created for relationship with you, choose the ways of the world. Lord, break our heart for what breaks yours. Amen.


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Good and Wise

Readings: Numbers 31:13-18 and Deuteronomy 20:16-18

Numbers 31:16 – “These women, on Balaam’s advice, made the Israelites break faith with the Lord.”

Leading into today’s reading from Numbers, God instructs Moses to “take just reparations” against the Midianites. In the battle the Israelites kill all the adult names and burn the cities. The soldiers take the women, children, animals, and valuable property as the spoils of war. These were the “normal” practices of war. Yet Moses is very angry. He asks why the leaders allowed the women to live, asking, “These women, on Balaam’s advice, made the Israelites break faith with the Lord.” Moses understands the danger of outside influences. These women caused sin to occur amongst the Israelites before. Only the young virgin girls are spared.

Turning to Deuteronomy 20, God instructs Moses in the “rules for warfare.” Our passage today applies specifically to the conquest of the Promised Land. Here we read, “You must not spare any living thing.” These cities fall under the ban. In this holy war all must be killed. Reading on we see why it must be so. All must die so that “they can’t teach you to do all the detestable things” that would lead to Israel “sinning against God.” Early on in their history the Israelites were not secure in who they were as God’s people. They were easily influenced by the people around them. It was necessary at this time to insulate them from the negative and harmful influences of the world. The solution was to remove all possible temptation.

While we do not annihilate those who could tempt us to sin, we do at times avoid them, especially as a young, immature Christian. In principle and when necessary, we ban things from our lives that can lead us into sin. This is a good and wise choice.

Prayer: Lord God, when our walk with you is at stake, help us to make wise and good choices. With your strength and will empower us to say no to the things, places, people, and emotions that can tempt us and lead us into sin. As we do, may we grow in our faith and in our relationship with you. Amen.


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God Breathes Life!

Readings: Genesis 2:7-8 and John 20:19-22

John 20:22 – “Then he [Jesus] breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.'”

We begin in Genesis 2, when God created man. Gathering up soil, shaping it into a form that resembled God, breathing breath into man’s nostrils, life was created and given. In the creating, man is connected to the earth and to God. Next God creates the garden and sends the man there, to care for and to nurture what comes from the earth.

In our John 20 passage, Jesus has come from the ground – out of the grave after three days to stand amongst the disciples. The human-divine one first offers peace to these men. Jesus then shows them his scars, connecting to their human nature. Joy fills the disciples. Again offering peace, Jesus next tells the disciples that he is sending them into the world. While not the garden in Eden, their task is essentially the same: go and care for and nurture this growing community of faith. Jesus then breathes life into them, saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” The disciples receive the divine breath of the Spirit. This gives life and power to their spiritual life, connecting them to God and Jesus.

We too experience both of these births. Created in the image of God like Adam, God breathes physical life into our bodies as we draw our first breath. As we commit our lives to Jesus – to bring sent into the world to love God and neighbor – we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This indwelling presence gives life to our faith, empowering us to witness to the world. This day and every day may we draw upon this breath of life.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for the gifts of life. You plant the spark of the divine in us when you form us in the womb. You bring this to life as you draw us into relationship, into faith in Christ. Embolden us each day to be your light and love in the world. Amen.


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Supremely Good

Reading: Genesis 1:24-2:4a

Genesis 1:26 – “Let us make humanity in our image to resemble us so that they may take care of the fish…”

Today we conclude the first creation story, reading about days six and seven. These time frames separate acts of creation. They may or may not be 24 hour periods. The sixth “day” begins with God speaking into existence the “livestock, crawling things, and wildlife.” God again saw that this was good.

Next God says, “Let us make humanity in our image to resemble us so that they may take care of the fish…” Note that the language is different. The words “us, make, our, image” imply a collaborative effort. Most theologians read this team effort as involving Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There is also an implication that humanity does not merely come from the other parts of creation like the earth growing plant life. One cannot read these words and not understand that humanity is to care for this earth as God does and would. We are to do so because we are not merely made from the elements of this earth. We also carry some of the divine within ourselves.

At the end of this period God looks at the creation and declares that it is “supremely good.” From the chaos and disorder at the beginning to the completed, ordered, purposeful world, it is now supremely good. The world was as it was intended to be. And then God rested. God set aside a day, making it holy. It was a day without work. Later this will become known as the Sabbath – a day to rest, renew, and recharge physically, a day to reconnect with God. This too is part of God’s goodness, order, and purpose. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, in the story, the process is finished. Day 8 begins our tenure as caretakers or stewards of this world and all that is in it. Lord, help humanity to reclaim our role, especially in the ways that we care for one another. May we see and treat all of humanity as brothers and sisters also created in your divine image. Amen.


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This Wonderful World

Reading: Genesis 1:1-23

Genesis 1:4 – “God saw how good the light was. God separated the light from the darkness.”

Today we read the first part of the first of two creation stories that begin the book of Genesis. As the story starts, the earth is without shape and the sea is dark. There is no order to anything. God’s first act is to say, “Let there be light.” As the light appears, “God saw how good the light was. God separated the light from the darkness.” Day and night are created, bringing more order to the world. As the story unfolds, God continues to bring good, to bring order, to bring purpose into the world. All of this reflects “who” God is and reveals God’s intent for “what” the world should be.

God then creates the sky, the seas, and the land. God speaks and plant life grows. This too has order and purpose and goodness. The plants are designed with seeds, indicating a purpose and an ongoing plan. God then creates lights – sun, moon, and stars – to govern day and night, seasons, sacred days, years. And on day 5 God speaks into being the creatures of the sea and sky. These too are designed to multiply and reproduce. Each of these days carries a tag line: “God saw how good it was.” All that God does is good. This is “who” God is.

God’s speaking and creating with only words can be hard to grasp in a real, scientific way. So it is important to remember that this is not a scientific accounting of how the world came into being. This, again, is a story about who and what God is. God’s nature is inherent in creation: goodness, order, purpose, planning. As we continue tomorrow, we delve deeper into the “what.”

Prayer: Lord God, these beautiful words reveal you to us. The creation was sweeping and grand, powerful and amazing. Your thoughts explode into a million paths, creating this plant and then that one and those over there. You are an awesome God. Thank you for this wonderful world. Amen.


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What Days They Will Be

Reading: Revelation 8:6-11:19

Revelation 11:18 – “The time came to reward your servants, the prophets and the saints, and those who fear your name, both great and small, and to destroy those who destroy the earth.”

Much of our reading today tells of the destruction that follows six trumpet blasts. With the first three blasts, hail/fire, a fiery mountain, and a blazing star fall from heaven. One-third of the earth is burned, one-third of the sea turns to blood, and one-third of the rivers turn to wormwood. The fourth blast darkens one-third of the sun, the moon, and the stars. An eagle flies over and decries, “Horror! Horror!” concerning the next trumpet blasts. The fifth opens the abyss and locusts terrorize the earth’s people, making them suffer for five months. Those with the seal of God on their foreheads are spared. The sixth blast releases the four angels and God’s army, two million strong. Another third of the earth’s population is killed. Yet the people refuse to change hearts and lives.

A powerful angel then comes to earth and announces that the time is up. The angel gives John the scroll, which he eats. He will prophesy using the words on the scroll. He then measures the temple, altar, and worshippers. Next, two powerful prophets appear. Armed with great power, they witness to God for 1,260 days. A beast then arises from the abyss and kills the two prophets. The people of the earth rejoice over the dead bodies for three and a half days – until God breathes life into them and takes them up into heaven. The people give glory to God.

The seventh trumpet blasts and it is announced: the kingdom of the world is becoming the kingdom of the Lord. The 24 elders worship, declaring, “The time came to reward your servants, the prophets and the saints, and those who fear your name, both great and small, and to destroy those who destroy the earth.” The temple in heaven opens and the chest of the covenant is revealed. What a day this will be!

Prayer: Lord God, as I read demonstration after demonstration of your power, I am amazed at how stubborn and hard-hearted we human beings can be. Signs and wonders, detestation and death – nothing can move hearts and change lives. O Lord, move our hearts and lives with the simplest of acts, attuning us to your presence in our lives. Amen.