Today's texts: Isaiah 7:10-16; Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18; Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-25.
The gospel of God...promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures concerning his Son... (Romans 1:1b-3a)
The significance of promises fulfilled at Christmastime is probably missed by modern, western Christians. We generally understand Jesus to have come to fix a problem which the world did not entirely recognize: sin. We don’t wait for the solution to an otherwise unrecognized problem.
But to the Jews of Jesus’ day, the coming of the Messiah had been anticipated for centuries as the solution to a problem of which they were intensely aware: oppression, war, hunger, disease. Read the messianic prophecies, read the songs of Mary and Zechariah. The anticipation and fulfillment is there.
We need to be reminded that we still anticipate the coming of the Messiah—though for the second and last time—to a world where these problems still exist, so that the anticipation of God’s promises being fulfilled will again become significant for us.
The readings for this coming Sunday: Isaiah 61:10-62:3; Galatians 3:23-25, 4:4-7; John 1:1-18; Psalm 147.
Showing posts with label Worship. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Worship. Show all posts
Sunday, December 22, 2013
Sunday, December 8, 2013
In anticipation: peace among us now.
Today's texts: Isaiah 11:1-10; Romans 15:4-13; Matthew 3:1-12; Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19.
We’ve just finished the first week of Advent. All the lectionary readings clearly relate somehow to Jesus’ coming, except for one: Romans 15:4-13. Isaiah is a messianic prophecy; Matthew has John the Baptist preparing the way for the Messiah; and the Psalm is a royal-messianic blessing. But the Romans passage appears to be simply about Christians getting along with each other. The passage makes reference to hope and the Isaiah passage, but otherwise it seems rather unAdventy.
But perhaps we need to remember that all of the Bible in one way or another points to Jesus’ arrival, whether his first or second. When we keep that in mind, perhaps this passage makes more sense for Advent.
“Peace on earth” is the refrain for this time of year. It comes from the angels’ announcement to the shepherds and from prophetic passages like Isaiah 11:1-10—the lion and the lamb lying together, infants with cobras. Peace, in other words, is one of the basic expectations we have of the coming Messiah.
So maybe the point for us in this passage in this season is this: Jesus the Messiah who has come and will come again will establish peace on earth. We know this and we hope and wait for this. So why not, as evangelism and as anticipation, live together as the body of Christ in a peaceful manner befitting the kingdom that Jesus will establish?
This week's readings: Isaiah 35:1-10; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11; Psalm 146:4-9.
We’ve just finished the first week of Advent. All the lectionary readings clearly relate somehow to Jesus’ coming, except for one: Romans 15:4-13. Isaiah is a messianic prophecy; Matthew has John the Baptist preparing the way for the Messiah; and the Psalm is a royal-messianic blessing. But the Romans passage appears to be simply about Christians getting along with each other. The passage makes reference to hope and the Isaiah passage, but otherwise it seems rather unAdventy.
But perhaps we need to remember that all of the Bible in one way or another points to Jesus’ arrival, whether his first or second. When we keep that in mind, perhaps this passage makes more sense for Advent.
“Peace on earth” is the refrain for this time of year. It comes from the angels’ announcement to the shepherds and from prophetic passages like Isaiah 11:1-10—the lion and the lamb lying together, infants with cobras. Peace, in other words, is one of the basic expectations we have of the coming Messiah.
So maybe the point for us in this passage in this season is this: Jesus the Messiah who has come and will come again will establish peace on earth. We know this and we hope and wait for this. So why not, as evangelism and as anticipation, live together as the body of Christ in a peaceful manner befitting the kingdom that Jesus will establish?
This week's readings: Isaiah 35:1-10; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11; Psalm 146:4-9.
Sunday, November 10, 2013
We shall see God...
Today's readings: Job 19:23-27a; Psalm 171-9; 2Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17; Luke 20:27-38
This week’s lectionary readings appear have a theme of resurrection running through them. Job, in the midst of his troubles, holds out hope that justice will come his way, that his redeemer lives, and that he will one day see God with his own, physical eyes, in the flesh (Job 19:23-27). Sounds to us like Jesus and the resurrection.
However, it is unlikely that Job -- possibly the oldest book in the Bible -- would be looking forward to the coming of Jesus or the resurrection; it was not a common expectation at the time. He simply hoped that God would set things right for him.
Yet this does not mean that we do not read this passage in Job with hope. We, too, long for justice and for God to set things right, and this hope took leaps forward with the coming of Jesus and his death and resurrection.
So it is we who look back on this text in Job and make it our own by attaching specifically Christian meaning about Jesus and the resurrection. We have a Redeemer who lives and we hope for the resurrection of the body in the end. We will see God with our own, physical eyes, in the flesh.
And so, as Paul asks of the Thessalonians (2 Thess. 2:15), we stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we received: Jesus died, Jesus rose again, and so will we who trust in him, so we can all say, “...yet in my flesh I will see God.”
This week's readings: Malachi 4:1-2a; Psalm 98; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13; Luke 21:5-19
This week’s lectionary readings appear have a theme of resurrection running through them. Job, in the midst of his troubles, holds out hope that justice will come his way, that his redeemer lives, and that he will one day see God with his own, physical eyes, in the flesh (Job 19:23-27). Sounds to us like Jesus and the resurrection.
However, it is unlikely that Job -- possibly the oldest book in the Bible -- would be looking forward to the coming of Jesus or the resurrection; it was not a common expectation at the time. He simply hoped that God would set things right for him.
Yet this does not mean that we do not read this passage in Job with hope. We, too, long for justice and for God to set things right, and this hope took leaps forward with the coming of Jesus and his death and resurrection.
So it is we who look back on this text in Job and make it our own by attaching specifically Christian meaning about Jesus and the resurrection. We have a Redeemer who lives and we hope for the resurrection of the body in the end. We will see God with our own, physical eyes, in the flesh.
And so, as Paul asks of the Thessalonians (2 Thess. 2:15), we stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we received: Jesus died, Jesus rose again, and so will we who trust in him, so we can all say, “...yet in my flesh I will see God.”
This week's readings: Malachi 4:1-2a; Psalm 98; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13; Luke 21:5-19
Sunday, November 3, 2013
The prophets, justice, and mercy.
Today's texts: Isaiah 1:10-18; Psalm 32:1-8; 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12; Luke 19:1-10)
Justice and mercy are strong themes throughout the Bible. The prophets in particular spend the bulk of their time on this subject. Contrary to what we may think based on what we read, see and hear these days, the prophets are not primarily interested in predicting future events. In fact, one might argue, as some have done, that the prophets don’t foretell, they forthtell: that is, instead of predicting future events (foretelling), they speak truth into the life and circumstances of God’s people (forthtelling).
So the theme of this week’s passage of Isaiah (1:10-18) is a common one in the prophets: all of Israel’s religious posturing in ceremonies and sacrifices is meaningless -- detestable, even -- because they are ignoring the poor and oppressed in their midst. The future events the prophets do describe often have to do with Israel’s response to the prophets’ words.
The prophets’ words say something to us as well. The call to us is the same as to Israel: loving God and loving our neighbours; right relationship with God and others. Where does that start? Not, it seems, in church attendance or other religious posturing. It starts in our behaviour toward those around us, with good deeds prompted by faith (2 Thessalonians 1:11).
This is not to say that what we do on a Sunday morning or in other “religious” settings are meaningless, but it is an empty gesture apart from a life lived for those around us. A life lived for others is a life lived for God.
This week's readings: Job 19:23-27a; Psalm 171-9; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17; Luke 20:27-38.
Justice and mercy are strong themes throughout the Bible. The prophets in particular spend the bulk of their time on this subject. Contrary to what we may think based on what we read, see and hear these days, the prophets are not primarily interested in predicting future events. In fact, one might argue, as some have done, that the prophets don’t foretell, they forthtell: that is, instead of predicting future events (foretelling), they speak truth into the life and circumstances of God’s people (forthtelling).
So the theme of this week’s passage of Isaiah (1:10-18) is a common one in the prophets: all of Israel’s religious posturing in ceremonies and sacrifices is meaningless -- detestable, even -- because they are ignoring the poor and oppressed in their midst. The future events the prophets do describe often have to do with Israel’s response to the prophets’ words.
The prophets’ words say something to us as well. The call to us is the same as to Israel: loving God and loving our neighbours; right relationship with God and others. Where does that start? Not, it seems, in church attendance or other religious posturing. It starts in our behaviour toward those around us, with good deeds prompted by faith (2 Thessalonians 1:11).
This is not to say that what we do on a Sunday morning or in other “religious” settings are meaningless, but it is an empty gesture apart from a life lived for those around us. A life lived for others is a life lived for God.
This week's readings: Job 19:23-27a; Psalm 171-9; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17; Luke 20:27-38.
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Blessed are those who dwell in your house...
Today's texts: Jeremiah 14:7-10, 19-22; Psalm 84:1-6; 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18; Luke 18:9-14.
The notion of the beauty of the house of the Lord (the temple) and dwelling in it are common themes in the Psalms. How do we pray these Psalms? If the house of the Lord is the temple, then is it for us the equivalent of the church? In an ideal world would we all live in a church, praising God all day, every day?
In the Old Testament, the temple is literally the place where God lives -- the “house of the Lord” or God’s “dwelling place.” The temple, and the tabernacle before it, was a visible, tangible representation of the presence of God with the people of Israel.
The presence of God with his people is a key theme throughout the Bible: God walking and talking with Adam and Eve in the garden; God’s presence in the pillars of cloud and fire during the Exodus; God’s presence in the tabernacle and the temple; Jesus, God among become man; the Holy Spirit, God in us; and in the future when God will dwell with us again in a visible, tangible way, the whole earth will his “temple.”
So we, too, can sing, “blessed are those who dwell in your house” and “better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere,” because these are words not exclusively about a particular location, but about the beauty and joy of living in God’s presence wherever we are.
This week's readings: Isaiah 1:10-18; Psalm 32:1-8; 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12; Luke 19:1-10
“Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.”
~ Psalm 84:4
The notion of the beauty of the house of the Lord (the temple) and dwelling in it are common themes in the Psalms. How do we pray these Psalms? If the house of the Lord is the temple, then is it for us the equivalent of the church? In an ideal world would we all live in a church, praising God all day, every day?
In the Old Testament, the temple is literally the place where God lives -- the “house of the Lord” or God’s “dwelling place.” The temple, and the tabernacle before it, was a visible, tangible representation of the presence of God with the people of Israel.
The presence of God with his people is a key theme throughout the Bible: God walking and talking with Adam and Eve in the garden; God’s presence in the pillars of cloud and fire during the Exodus; God’s presence in the tabernacle and the temple; Jesus, God among become man; the Holy Spirit, God in us; and in the future when God will dwell with us again in a visible, tangible way, the whole earth will his “temple.”
So we, too, can sing, “blessed are those who dwell in your house” and “better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere,” because these are words not exclusively about a particular location, but about the beauty and joy of living in God’s presence wherever we are.
This week's readings: Isaiah 1:10-18; Psalm 32:1-8; 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12; Luke 19:1-10
Sunday, October 6, 2013
The humanity of the Psalms
Today's texts: Habakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4; Psalm 37:1-10; 2 Timothy 1:1-14; Luke 17:5-10 (but for those of you paying attention to these details, I cheated a bit today and took a text from a different track in the lectionary)
Psalm 137 is both beautiful and horrifying. Those with a naive or misguided understanding of what the Bible is will point at verse 9 -- “Happy is the one who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks” -- and wonder what kind of God would say such a thing. It’s certainly a terrible thing for anyone to think, but context goes a long way to understanding the horror of these words.
This Psalm is filled with anguish, with the pain of the Israelites in exile in Babylon. They are enslaved; their faith is mocked; they have no access to their temple or their places of worship. In fact, the words of verse 9 appear to be an echo of the horrible things their captors did to the children of Israel. That doesn’t make those words any less shocking to our ears, but it reflects the mindset of the day, which sought retributive justice: an eye for an eye, your children for our children.
This side of the cross, retributive justice is no longer the way we see things. But the Psalms don’t necessarily express propositional truth, as if killing Babylonian babies is a good thing. The beauty of this Psalm, and the other Psalms as well, is that they express truth of a different sort: that of the human condition and emotion, which experiences both joy and anguish, devotion and doubt, thankfulness and anger, all of which are modelled in these prayers to God. Psalm 137, therefore, is a Psalm of honestly expressed and passionate grief and anger.
* * *
This week's texts: 2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15c; Psalm 111; 2 Timothy 2:8-15; Luke 17:11-19.
Psalm 137 is both beautiful and horrifying. Those with a naive or misguided understanding of what the Bible is will point at verse 9 -- “Happy is the one who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks” -- and wonder what kind of God would say such a thing. It’s certainly a terrible thing for anyone to think, but context goes a long way to understanding the horror of these words.
This Psalm is filled with anguish, with the pain of the Israelites in exile in Babylon. They are enslaved; their faith is mocked; they have no access to their temple or their places of worship. In fact, the words of verse 9 appear to be an echo of the horrible things their captors did to the children of Israel. That doesn’t make those words any less shocking to our ears, but it reflects the mindset of the day, which sought retributive justice: an eye for an eye, your children for our children.
This side of the cross, retributive justice is no longer the way we see things. But the Psalms don’t necessarily express propositional truth, as if killing Babylonian babies is a good thing. The beauty of this Psalm, and the other Psalms as well, is that they express truth of a different sort: that of the human condition and emotion, which experiences both joy and anguish, devotion and doubt, thankfulness and anger, all of which are modelled in these prayers to God. Psalm 137, therefore, is a Psalm of honestly expressed and passionate grief and anger.
* * *
This week's texts: 2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15c; Psalm 111; 2 Timothy 2:8-15; Luke 17:11-19.
Sunday, September 29, 2013
A great evil
Today's texts: Amos 6:1a, 4-7; Psalm 146; 1 Timothy 6:6-19; Luke 16:19-31.
The parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) is a tricky one, because it’s filled with all sorts of distractions. Why do they end up where they do? What do we do with the details which seem to relate to the afterlife? But this is a parable, a teaching story. We have no idea if Jesus’ parables are historically based or purely fictional, but in any case the details of the story are generally a backdrop or tool for Jesus’ teaching. We should not read them too literally nor let them distract us from the central focus of the parable.
In this case, the parable is found in a section of Jesus’ teaching dealing with how wealth is used. This parable is, from beginning to end, about the same thing: helping those in need.
The rich man essentially pleads ignorance and requests that someone be sent back to his living brothers to warn them. However, scripture is clear on the need to care for the poor, as this week’s Old Testament reading (Amos 6:1a, 4-7) and Psalm (146) indicate. If that isn’t clear enough to his brothers, not even someone returned from the dead (not even Jesus!) would be enough to convince them otherwise.
If there’s one thing the Bible is consistently clear on, it’s this: the poor should benefit from abundance. Money, as Paul says in 1 Timothy 6, is the root of all kinds of evil, and to live in luxury while ignoring the plight of the poor is, biblically speaking, a great evil.
* * *
This week's texts: Habakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4; Psalm 37:1-10; 2 Timothy 1:1-14; Luke 17:5-10.
The parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) is a tricky one, because it’s filled with all sorts of distractions. Why do they end up where they do? What do we do with the details which seem to relate to the afterlife? But this is a parable, a teaching story. We have no idea if Jesus’ parables are historically based or purely fictional, but in any case the details of the story are generally a backdrop or tool for Jesus’ teaching. We should not read them too literally nor let them distract us from the central focus of the parable.
In this case, the parable is found in a section of Jesus’ teaching dealing with how wealth is used. This parable is, from beginning to end, about the same thing: helping those in need.
The rich man essentially pleads ignorance and requests that someone be sent back to his living brothers to warn them. However, scripture is clear on the need to care for the poor, as this week’s Old Testament reading (Amos 6:1a, 4-7) and Psalm (146) indicate. If that isn’t clear enough to his brothers, not even someone returned from the dead (not even Jesus!) would be enough to convince them otherwise.
If there’s one thing the Bible is consistently clear on, it’s this: the poor should benefit from abundance. Money, as Paul says in 1 Timothy 6, is the root of all kinds of evil, and to live in luxury while ignoring the plight of the poor is, biblically speaking, a great evil.
* * *
This week's texts: Habakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4; Psalm 37:1-10; 2 Timothy 1:1-14; Luke 17:5-10.
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Pray for everyone
Today's texts: Amos 8:4-7; Psalm 113; 1 Timothy 2:1-7; Luke 16:1-13.
This week’s reading from 1 Timothy dovetails well with last week’s sermon. In that sermon, the question was asked whether we should condemn those who sin in the interest of standing on “God’s side,” or if we should extend grace to them, when love expressed in grace is at the heart of God’s character and we are all in need of that grace.
In 1 Timothy 2:1-7, Paul urges us to make “petitions, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving for all people”--not just other Christians, but everyone, including those in authority over us, even if they’re unbelievers or even tyrants.
We pray that these rulers will create a peaceful society, where, for instance, the Gospel has freedom to spread. But more importantly, God wants “all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” There is only one saviour, only one mediator between God and human beings: Jesus, who came to save and restore the whole world, including those enemies or leaders we may be inclined to despise.
Our view tends to be quite narrow, so it’s sometimes difficult to imagine the salvation of our enemies (particularly if they’re tyrannical leaders). But we can extend the love and grace of God to them in our prayers and petitions on their behalf. Because God ultimately wants peace and salvation for everyone.
This week's texts: Amos 6:1a, 4-7; Psalm 146; 1 Timothy 6:6-19; Luke 16:19-31.
This week’s reading from 1 Timothy dovetails well with last week’s sermon. In that sermon, the question was asked whether we should condemn those who sin in the interest of standing on “God’s side,” or if we should extend grace to them, when love expressed in grace is at the heart of God’s character and we are all in need of that grace.
In 1 Timothy 2:1-7, Paul urges us to make “petitions, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving for all people”--not just other Christians, but everyone, including those in authority over us, even if they’re unbelievers or even tyrants.
We pray that these rulers will create a peaceful society, where, for instance, the Gospel has freedom to spread. But more importantly, God wants “all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” There is only one saviour, only one mediator between God and human beings: Jesus, who came to save and restore the whole world, including those enemies or leaders we may be inclined to despise.
Our view tends to be quite narrow, so it’s sometimes difficult to imagine the salvation of our enemies (particularly if they’re tyrannical leaders). But we can extend the love and grace of God to them in our prayers and petitions on their behalf. Because God ultimately wants peace and salvation for everyone.
This week's texts: Amos 6:1a, 4-7; Psalm 146; 1 Timothy 6:6-19; Luke 16:19-31.
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Give ourselves to the gospel.
Today's texts: Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Psalm 1; Philemon 1-21; Luke 14:25-33
We often talk about the cost of following Jesus, and rightly so. In this week’s gospel reading Jesus tells us to really get a grasp of what is involved before we commit to his way. We know that the cost of discipleship is very high; am I willing to give my life for the gospel? we may wonder. But the reality for us in Canada is that death for our faith is such a remote possibility that it’s not something that would give us pause before deciding to follow Jesus.
What we may forget is that the giving our life to the gospel is as significant as giving our lives up for it. To give our lives to Jesus and the good news involves huge personal demands. It may not demand our lives or our livelihoods, but it demands that we give who we are and how we live to Jesus as well. This cost needs to be counted as well.
Paul vividly describes the demands of the gospel in his short letter to Philemon. One of Philemon’s slaves, Onesimus, had run away, met Paul, and became a believer. Contrary to everything their culture demanded and expected, Paul asks Philemon to take Onesimus back, not as a slave, but as a brother in Christ!
None of us has a slave we need to welcome back, but we do have broken relationships of one kind or another -- at work, at home, at church -- which the gospel demands that we restore, and not just to the bare minimum but to a depth and fullness not seen outside of the gospel life.
This week's texts: Exodus 32:7-14; Psalm 51:1-11; 1 Timothy 1:12-17; Luke 15:1-10.
We often talk about the cost of following Jesus, and rightly so. In this week’s gospel reading Jesus tells us to really get a grasp of what is involved before we commit to his way. We know that the cost of discipleship is very high; am I willing to give my life for the gospel? we may wonder. But the reality for us in Canada is that death for our faith is such a remote possibility that it’s not something that would give us pause before deciding to follow Jesus.
What we may forget is that the giving our life to the gospel is as significant as giving our lives up for it. To give our lives to Jesus and the good news involves huge personal demands. It may not demand our lives or our livelihoods, but it demands that we give who we are and how we live to Jesus as well. This cost needs to be counted as well.
Paul vividly describes the demands of the gospel in his short letter to Philemon. One of Philemon’s slaves, Onesimus, had run away, met Paul, and became a believer. Contrary to everything their culture demanded and expected, Paul asks Philemon to take Onesimus back, not as a slave, but as a brother in Christ!
None of us has a slave we need to welcome back, but we do have broken relationships of one kind or another -- at work, at home, at church -- which the gospel demands that we restore, and not just to the bare minimum but to a depth and fullness not seen outside of the gospel life.
This week's texts: Exodus 32:7-14; Psalm 51:1-11; 1 Timothy 1:12-17; Luke 15:1-10.
Monday, July 29, 2013
Camp Sunday, August 4th, 2013 - NO Service at Malmo
Sunday, August 4th, 2013
NO WORSHIP SERVICE HERE AT MALMO
Come join us for Camp Sunday at Covenant Bay Bible Camp
Worship Service: 10:30 am, with lunch served after the service
**If you would like to have lunch at camp, please notify them that you are coming
To register: please call 780-586-2828
OR
go online to Covenant Bay's website
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Pray with shameless audacity.
Today's texts: Genesis 18:20-32; Psalm 138; Colossians 2:6-15; Luke 11:1-3.
It’s not always clear to us how we should talk to God. In the story of Job, when God finally responds to Job’s complaints, God basically says, “What do you know about anything?” We may come away from this exchange with some worry about how we speak to God, anxiety about maybe asking a question that will anger God.
Yet Abraham has a different experience. God has heard the outcry about the wickedness of Sodom and Gommorah and wants to destroy those cities. Abraham tries to prevent this from happening, by pleading with God, based on God’s own character, to spare the cities even if there are only 10 righteous people there (Gen. 18:20-32). Abraham is cautious and humble as he challenges God, but he nevertheless persists in his efforts.
Abraham’s words with God on behalf of those cities is consistent with Jesus’ own teaching on prayer. When he teaches his disciples about prayer (Luke 11:1-13), Jesus says that they should persist in their requests, that they should pray with “shameless audacity.”
It’s not that God doesn’t want to meet our needs or that he doesn’t hear us unless we pester him. We are the loving God’s children. No loving father would withhold what is good from his children. Jesus’ point is simply that we must persist in prayer.
Knock on God’s door, ask of him, seek his answers. He can handle our pestering, our frustration, our anger, our questions, our doubts. He just wants us to talk to him.
This week's readings: Ecclesiastes 1:2, 14-16, 2:18-23; Psalm 49:1-11; Colossians 3:1-11; Luke 12:13-21.
It’s not always clear to us how we should talk to God. In the story of Job, when God finally responds to Job’s complaints, God basically says, “What do you know about anything?” We may come away from this exchange with some worry about how we speak to God, anxiety about maybe asking a question that will anger God.
Yet Abraham has a different experience. God has heard the outcry about the wickedness of Sodom and Gommorah and wants to destroy those cities. Abraham tries to prevent this from happening, by pleading with God, based on God’s own character, to spare the cities even if there are only 10 righteous people there (Gen. 18:20-32). Abraham is cautious and humble as he challenges God, but he nevertheless persists in his efforts.
Abraham’s words with God on behalf of those cities is consistent with Jesus’ own teaching on prayer. When he teaches his disciples about prayer (Luke 11:1-13), Jesus says that they should persist in their requests, that they should pray with “shameless audacity.”
It’s not that God doesn’t want to meet our needs or that he doesn’t hear us unless we pester him. We are the loving God’s children. No loving father would withhold what is good from his children. Jesus’ point is simply that we must persist in prayer.
Knock on God’s door, ask of him, seek his answers. He can handle our pestering, our frustration, our anger, our questions, our doubts. He just wants us to talk to him.
This week's readings: Ecclesiastes 1:2, 14-16, 2:18-23; Psalm 49:1-11; Colossians 3:1-11; Luke 12:13-21.
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Only one thing is really needed...
Today's readings (Revised Common Lectionary): Genesis 18:1-10a; Psalm 15; Colossians 1:15-28; Luke 10:38-42.
Two thousand years after the fact, we have the benefit of hindsight. It’s not clear whether Jesus’ disciples fully grasped who he was until after the resurrection. Paul has a pretty clear idea, though. This week’s epistle reading from Colossians (1:15-28) might be one of the most amazing descriptions of Jesus in all of scripture: all things were created through him and for him and in him all things hold together; the fullness of God dwells in him; and through him all things are reconciled.
This makes the exchange between Jesus and Martha in this week’s Gospel reading (Luke 10: 38-42) that much more significant. Martha complains that she’s doing all the work and that Mary is just sitting there with Jesus. “Martha,” says Jesus, “you worry about a lot of things, but only one thing is really needed.” Mary made the right choice: spending time listening to Jesus.
We have the same struggles, even with the benefit of hindsight into who Jesus is. We get busy with our lives and it’s difficult for us to justify time to stop the busy-ness and the worry to just sit at Jesus’ feet and listen. Jesus doesn’t want us to not do the things that need to be done, but if Jesus is who we say he is -- and who Paul says he is in Colossians -- then our priorities and perspectives will need correcting. Jesus, the creator and reconciler of all things, has something to say to you. Will you stop to listen?
This week's readings: Genesis 18:20-32; Psalm 138; Colossians 2:6-15, (16-19); Luke 11:1-13.
Two thousand years after the fact, we have the benefit of hindsight. It’s not clear whether Jesus’ disciples fully grasped who he was until after the resurrection. Paul has a pretty clear idea, though. This week’s epistle reading from Colossians (1:15-28) might be one of the most amazing descriptions of Jesus in all of scripture: all things were created through him and for him and in him all things hold together; the fullness of God dwells in him; and through him all things are reconciled.
This makes the exchange between Jesus and Martha in this week’s Gospel reading (Luke 10: 38-42) that much more significant. Martha complains that she’s doing all the work and that Mary is just sitting there with Jesus. “Martha,” says Jesus, “you worry about a lot of things, but only one thing is really needed.” Mary made the right choice: spending time listening to Jesus.
We have the same struggles, even with the benefit of hindsight into who Jesus is. We get busy with our lives and it’s difficult for us to justify time to stop the busy-ness and the worry to just sit at Jesus’ feet and listen. Jesus doesn’t want us to not do the things that need to be done, but if Jesus is who we say he is -- and who Paul says he is in Colossians -- then our priorities and perspectives will need correcting. Jesus, the creator and reconciler of all things, has something to say to you. Will you stop to listen?
This week's readings: Genesis 18:20-32; Psalm 138; Colossians 2:6-15, (16-19); Luke 11:1-13.
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Who can you be a neighbour to?
Today's texts: Deuteronomy 30:9-14; Psalm 25:1-9; Colossians 1:1-14; Luke 10:25-37.
The parable of the “Good Samaritan” is one of the most famous of Jesus’ parables (Luke 10:25-37). We usually just focus on the parable itself and overlook the exchange between Jesus and the lawyer, but their conversation is an important part of the passage. The lawyer asks Jesus who his neighbour is, wondering who he is responsible to in order to fulfill God’s “love your neighbour” law. In reply Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan.
The lawyer had asked, “Who is my neighbour?” But when he’s done the story, Jesus asks the lawyer, “Which of these men do you think was a neighbour to the man in the ditch?”
Most of us come away from this story thinking that “my neighbour” is the guy in the ditch needing help. But Jesus’ question and the lawyer’s reluctant answer make it clear that the “my neighbour” in this story is actually the Samaritan. Jews in Jesus’ day did not associate with Samaritans. They considered them “unclean.” This parable is therefore quite scandalous.
The scandal of the story is not just that the “unclean” Samaritan obeys God, rather than the “righteous” Jews. What’s perhaps even more scandalous is that Jesus says the Samaritan is the Jewish lawyer’s neighbour and deserving of his love! And that this Jewish lawyer should do as the Samaritan did!
Who is your neighbour? Your neighbour is anyone you can be a neighbour to, anyone you come in contact with, whether it’s your friend, your enemy, a foreigner, or an outcast.
This week's readings: Genesis 18:1-10a; Psalm 15; Colossians 1:15-28; Luke 10:38-42.
The parable of the “Good Samaritan” is one of the most famous of Jesus’ parables (Luke 10:25-37). We usually just focus on the parable itself and overlook the exchange between Jesus and the lawyer, but their conversation is an important part of the passage. The lawyer asks Jesus who his neighbour is, wondering who he is responsible to in order to fulfill God’s “love your neighbour” law. In reply Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan.
The lawyer had asked, “Who is my neighbour?” But when he’s done the story, Jesus asks the lawyer, “Which of these men do you think was a neighbour to the man in the ditch?”
Most of us come away from this story thinking that “my neighbour” is the guy in the ditch needing help. But Jesus’ question and the lawyer’s reluctant answer make it clear that the “my neighbour” in this story is actually the Samaritan. Jews in Jesus’ day did not associate with Samaritans. They considered them “unclean.” This parable is therefore quite scandalous.
The scandal of the story is not just that the “unclean” Samaritan obeys God, rather than the “righteous” Jews. What’s perhaps even more scandalous is that Jesus says the Samaritan is the Jewish lawyer’s neighbour and deserving of his love! And that this Jewish lawyer should do as the Samaritan did!
Who is your neighbour? Your neighbour is anyone you can be a neighbour to, anyone you come in contact with, whether it’s your friend, your enemy, a foreigner, or an outcast.
This week's readings: Genesis 18:1-10a; Psalm 15; Colossians 1:15-28; Luke 10:38-42.
Sunday, July 7, 2013
We're all in this together...
Today's texts: Isaiah 66:10-14; Psalm 66:1-8; Galatians 6:1-16; Luke 10:1-11, 16-20.
Last week’s scripture reading (1 Corinthians 12:12-27) compared the church to a body, saying that we are one body with many parts. No part is more valuable than the others and each part has a role to play to benefit the whole body. In this week’s epistle (Galatians 6:1-16), Paul speaks practically about what life as the body of Christ looks like, summed up like this: we are all in this together, so let’s help each other through.
In the 1 Corinthians passage Paul says that if one part of the body suffers, the whole body suffers and if one part is honoured the whole body rejoices. Similarly in Galatians, when Paul says that we reap what we sow, he’s not talking only about personal consequences for individual actions, but consequences for the whole body. We are each part of something much bigger than ourselves, and our individual life choices affect the whole body, for good or ill. The life of the Christian is not about “me” but about “us”.
So Paul instructs us to gently and humbly restore someone in our midst who is caught in a sin, remembering that some day we might similarly be caught and in need of restoration. He tells us to carry each other’s burdens and to do good to all people, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ. In short: we need help each other along in the way of Christ for the sake of our health as individuals and as a body.
Next week's readings: Deuteronomy 30:9-14; Psalm 25:1-9; Colossians 1:1-14; Luke 10:25-37.
Last week’s scripture reading (1 Corinthians 12:12-27) compared the church to a body, saying that we are one body with many parts. No part is more valuable than the others and each part has a role to play to benefit the whole body. In this week’s epistle (Galatians 6:1-16), Paul speaks practically about what life as the body of Christ looks like, summed up like this: we are all in this together, so let’s help each other through.
In the 1 Corinthians passage Paul says that if one part of the body suffers, the whole body suffers and if one part is honoured the whole body rejoices. Similarly in Galatians, when Paul says that we reap what we sow, he’s not talking only about personal consequences for individual actions, but consequences for the whole body. We are each part of something much bigger than ourselves, and our individual life choices affect the whole body, for good or ill. The life of the Christian is not about “me” but about “us”.
So Paul instructs us to gently and humbly restore someone in our midst who is caught in a sin, remembering that some day we might similarly be caught and in need of restoration. He tells us to carry each other’s burdens and to do good to all people, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ. In short: we need help each other along in the way of Christ for the sake of our health as individuals and as a body.
Next week's readings: Deuteronomy 30:9-14; Psalm 25:1-9; Colossians 1:1-14; Luke 10:25-37.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Set free for others
Today's texts: 1 Kings 19:15-16, 19-21; Psalm 16; Galatians 5:1, 13-25; Luke 9:51-62.
Western society will tell us that freedom means being fully and completely unfettered by any sort of boundaries or limits to the choices we make in life, able to make whatever choices our hearts desire. (No such freedom exists: the very “free” decisions we make limit our freedom to make other choices.) Paul understands freedom differently. According to him, freedom is being who God intends us to be. You might call it “living with the grain of the universe.”
In Galatians 5, Paul identifies this freedom. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free,” he says in in verse 1. When we are freed from something, we are freed for something else. Free for what? Not to do whatever we want (verse 17), but free to serve, to live for others in love (verse 13).
Few of the things listed in this chapter, in either the “acts of the flesh” or the fruit of the Spirit, are are internal things of the heart. They mostly have to do with how we relate to God and others. In Eden, humans lived in harmony with the Creator, with each other, and with creation. It is how humans were designed to live, and it is these relationships that sin broke, turning us away from others to ourselves.
Paul tells us that Jesus sets us free from our sinful selves and frees us for others, just as Jesus was. By the Spirit of Christ we can live an authentically free human life in right relationship with others.
This week's readings: Isaiah 66:10-14; Psalm 66:1-8; Galatians 6:(1-6), 7-16; Luke 10:1-11, 16-20.
Western society will tell us that freedom means being fully and completely unfettered by any sort of boundaries or limits to the choices we make in life, able to make whatever choices our hearts desire. (No such freedom exists: the very “free” decisions we make limit our freedom to make other choices.) Paul understands freedom differently. According to him, freedom is being who God intends us to be. You might call it “living with the grain of the universe.”
In Galatians 5, Paul identifies this freedom. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free,” he says in in verse 1. When we are freed from something, we are freed for something else. Free for what? Not to do whatever we want (verse 17), but free to serve, to live for others in love (verse 13).
Few of the things listed in this chapter, in either the “acts of the flesh” or the fruit of the Spirit, are are internal things of the heart. They mostly have to do with how we relate to God and others. In Eden, humans lived in harmony with the Creator, with each other, and with creation. It is how humans were designed to live, and it is these relationships that sin broke, turning us away from others to ourselves.
Paul tells us that Jesus sets us free from our sinful selves and frees us for others, just as Jesus was. By the Spirit of Christ we can live an authentically free human life in right relationship with others.
This week's readings: Isaiah 66:10-14; Psalm 66:1-8; Galatians 6:(1-6), 7-16; Luke 10:1-11, 16-20.
Monday, June 24, 2013
God is grace-full.
Late again... sorry, folks!
Today's texts: Isaiah 65:1-9; Psalm 22:18-27; Galatians 3:23-29; Luke 8:26-39.
God’s grace is not a New Testament phenomenon. It’s in the Old Testament, too. God’s grace has been at work since the beginning of time. God’s creation of the universe is in some sense an act of grace. God’s calling of Abraham for the sake of the world was an act of grace. God’s continual call of repentance to wayward Israel was an act of grace. God is grace-full; acting with grace and mercy is just in God’s nature.
The grace of God is expressed well in this week’s reading from the prophet Isaiah:
“I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me;
...To a nation that did not call on my name,
I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’
All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people,
... a people who continually provoke me to my very face.”
How remarkable! God reveals himself to us, seeks us out, even if when we’re not seeking him. He isn’t obligated to do this, nor does he need to do this to satisfy an innate need of relationship, other than perhaps in the sense of his love being so full that it overflows into creation.
Even the law itself was an act of grace. Paul says in this week’s reading from Galatians that the law was the guardian of the people of God until Christ came. Jesus’ death and resurrection may have ushered in the age of faith, but God’s grace has since the beginning permeated his work in creation.
This week's readings: 1 Kings 19:15-16, 19-21; Psalm 16; Galatians 5:1, 13-25; Luke 9:51-62.
Today's texts: Isaiah 65:1-9; Psalm 22:18-27; Galatians 3:23-29; Luke 8:26-39.
God’s grace is not a New Testament phenomenon. It’s in the Old Testament, too. God’s grace has been at work since the beginning of time. God’s creation of the universe is in some sense an act of grace. God’s calling of Abraham for the sake of the world was an act of grace. God’s continual call of repentance to wayward Israel was an act of grace. God is grace-full; acting with grace and mercy is just in God’s nature.
The grace of God is expressed well in this week’s reading from the prophet Isaiah:
“I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me;
...To a nation that did not call on my name,
I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’
All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people,
... a people who continually provoke me to my very face.”
How remarkable! God reveals himself to us, seeks us out, even if when we’re not seeking him. He isn’t obligated to do this, nor does he need to do this to satisfy an innate need of relationship, other than perhaps in the sense of his love being so full that it overflows into creation.
Even the law itself was an act of grace. Paul says in this week’s reading from Galatians that the law was the guardian of the people of God until Christ came. Jesus’ death and resurrection may have ushered in the age of faith, but God’s grace has since the beginning permeated his work in creation.
This week's readings: 1 Kings 19:15-16, 19-21; Psalm 16; Galatians 5:1, 13-25; Luke 9:51-62.
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Just as you are
Today's texts: 2 Samuel 11:26-12:10, 13-15; Psalm 32; Galatians 2:15-21; Luke 7:36-8:3.
“Just as I am, without one plea, but that your blood was shed for me...” So goes the old hymn, and it’s true: we have little of our own to offer. And yet...
In the verse right before this week’s Gospel reading, Jesus says that he’s accused of being a friend of sinners. The Gospel reading that follows seems to confirm this: Jesus welcomes the unusual gesture of the “sinful” woman, who washed his feet with her tears and hair. And the beginning of the next chapter suggests that Jesus’ followers included a number of women with checkered pasts. And in the Old Testament reading David is confronted by the prophet Nathaniel about grievous sins. David! A hero of the faith! A man after God’s own heart!
Jesus, the friend of sinners. We know this, yet it is not uncommon to hear people speak of being too sinful or lost for God to love or accept. Here’s a truth we have difficulty accepting, at least for ourselves: in Jesus we see that God does not need us to clean ourselves up before he’ll have anything to do with us. Instead, we see a God who draws near to us in love for us and calls us with the offer of forgiveness. This week’s Psalm does not say, “Blessed is the one who is sinless before the Lord.” It says, “Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them.”
Our sin may keep us from God, but it won’t keep God from us.
This week's readings: Isaiah 65:1-9; Psalm 22:18-27; Galatians 3:23-29; Luke 8:26-39.
“Just as I am, without one plea, but that your blood was shed for me...” So goes the old hymn, and it’s true: we have little of our own to offer. And yet...
In the verse right before this week’s Gospel reading, Jesus says that he’s accused of being a friend of sinners. The Gospel reading that follows seems to confirm this: Jesus welcomes the unusual gesture of the “sinful” woman, who washed his feet with her tears and hair. And the beginning of the next chapter suggests that Jesus’ followers included a number of women with checkered pasts. And in the Old Testament reading David is confronted by the prophet Nathaniel about grievous sins. David! A hero of the faith! A man after God’s own heart!
Jesus, the friend of sinners. We know this, yet it is not uncommon to hear people speak of being too sinful or lost for God to love or accept. Here’s a truth we have difficulty accepting, at least for ourselves: in Jesus we see that God does not need us to clean ourselves up before he’ll have anything to do with us. Instead, we see a God who draws near to us in love for us and calls us with the offer of forgiveness. This week’s Psalm does not say, “Blessed is the one who is sinless before the Lord.” It says, “Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them.”
Our sin may keep us from God, but it won’t keep God from us.
This week's readings: Isaiah 65:1-9; Psalm 22:18-27; Galatians 3:23-29; Luke 8:26-39.
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Suffering for love
Today's readings: Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31; Psalm 8; Romans 5:1-5; John 16:12-15
In this week’s lectionary reading from Romans, Paul reminds us that through Jesus (that is, through his life, death, and resurrection) we have peace with God -- not just feelings of wellbeing between us, but we are actually in good standing with the Creator. We have great hope in the present and for our future because of this. But in the same breath Paul also talks “glorying in our sufferings”, as if suffering is a good thing. In some respects it is, because suffering, if we remain faithful to our Lord in it, creates in us perseverance, and then character, and then hope. Suffering can make us better people.
Suffering of one kind or another is pretty much a guarantee for followers of Jesus, whether it’s insults, rejection, or death. Why? In John 13, Jesus tells his disciples that they must love each other as he loved them, because by this the world will know that they are Jesus’ disciples. In theory, loving each other should sit very well with the way our world thinks. But Jesus says later in that same section of teaching that the world will hate and persecute his followers.
Why might this be? How can the world hate people who truly love? Maybe it’s because the world does not really understand love. It might think it does, but love that is not selfless and sacrificial is not really love.
So we will be tested. Will we persevere in love through suffering and persecution? If we do, we will become more like Jesus.
This week's readings: 1 Kings 18:20-43; Psalm 96; Galatians 1:1-12; Luke 7:1-10
In this week’s lectionary reading from Romans, Paul reminds us that through Jesus (that is, through his life, death, and resurrection) we have peace with God -- not just feelings of wellbeing between us, but we are actually in good standing with the Creator. We have great hope in the present and for our future because of this. But in the same breath Paul also talks “glorying in our sufferings”, as if suffering is a good thing. In some respects it is, because suffering, if we remain faithful to our Lord in it, creates in us perseverance, and then character, and then hope. Suffering can make us better people.
Suffering of one kind or another is pretty much a guarantee for followers of Jesus, whether it’s insults, rejection, or death. Why? In John 13, Jesus tells his disciples that they must love each other as he loved them, because by this the world will know that they are Jesus’ disciples. In theory, loving each other should sit very well with the way our world thinks. But Jesus says later in that same section of teaching that the world will hate and persecute his followers.
Why might this be? How can the world hate people who truly love? Maybe it’s because the world does not really understand love. It might think it does, but love that is not selfless and sacrificial is not really love.
So we will be tested. Will we persevere in love through suffering and persecution? If we do, we will become more like Jesus.
This week's readings: 1 Kings 18:20-43; Psalm 96; Galatians 1:1-12; Luke 7:1-10
Sunday, May 19, 2013
The Triune God
Today's texts: Acts 2:1-21 or Genesis 11:1-9; Psalm 104:25-35, 37; Romans 8:14-17; John 14:8-17, (25-27)
The Trinity is a basic Christian belief, yet the notion of the triune God (one God in three persons, Father, Son, and Spirit) is possibly the most difficult Christian doctrine to understand. Where does this idea of Trinity come from? The word Trinity is found nowhere in the Bible. However, from very early on in Christian history, the concept of the Trinity was the basic understanding of God’s nature, based on how he revealed himself in scripture.
Passages like this week’s from John 14 are at the root of the question. Jesus’ disciples ask him to show them the Father. Jesus replies that since they’ve seen him they’ve also seen the Father, suggesting that in a mysterious way Jesus and the Father are one yet also separate persons. Then Jesus promises that he will ask the Father to send the Spirit of truth to his followers, saying in the verses beyond this week’s reading that he will not abandon his followers, but that he will come to them. So the Spirit and Jesus are also one -- the Spirit, sent from the Father, being Jesus’ presence in his followers. All are One, yet all three are clearly unique persons.
And there it is: Father, Son, Spirit, the three persons existing in an eternal, interdependent unity. The first believers (being good Jews) knew that there was only One God, yet here we (and they) see not just three different expressions of God, but clearly three unique persons doing the One God’s work in the world.
This week's texts: Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31; Psalm 8; Romans 5:1-5; John 16:12-15.
The Trinity is a basic Christian belief, yet the notion of the triune God (one God in three persons, Father, Son, and Spirit) is possibly the most difficult Christian doctrine to understand. Where does this idea of Trinity come from? The word Trinity is found nowhere in the Bible. However, from very early on in Christian history, the concept of the Trinity was the basic understanding of God’s nature, based on how he revealed himself in scripture.
Passages like this week’s from John 14 are at the root of the question. Jesus’ disciples ask him to show them the Father. Jesus replies that since they’ve seen him they’ve also seen the Father, suggesting that in a mysterious way Jesus and the Father are one yet also separate persons. Then Jesus promises that he will ask the Father to send the Spirit of truth to his followers, saying in the verses beyond this week’s reading that he will not abandon his followers, but that he will come to them. So the Spirit and Jesus are also one -- the Spirit, sent from the Father, being Jesus’ presence in his followers. All are One, yet all three are clearly unique persons.
And there it is: Father, Son, Spirit, the three persons existing in an eternal, interdependent unity. The first believers (being good Jews) knew that there was only One God, yet here we (and they) see not just three different expressions of God, but clearly three unique persons doing the One God’s work in the world.
This week's texts: Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31; Psalm 8; Romans 5:1-5; John 16:12-15.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Which call will you respond to?
This week’s epistle reading is the last few verses of Revelation. It announces that Jesus is coming soon and things will be set right once and for all. This is an encouraging and hopeful word to hear. God’s victory over evil is a given throughout Revelation (no contest!), but here it strikes a note of particular finality.
Here at the imminent coming of Jesus we are presented with a choice. In chapter 21 we saw the vision of the new heaven and new earth and the Holy City coming to earth, the kingdom of God where God will dwell with his people and there will be no more death, mourning, crying or pain.
For that to be true, none of the causes of those things can enter the city of God. So those who have been faithful in word and deed to Jesus Christ -- those whose robes have been washed in the blood of the Lamb -- are welcomed in, whereas the sorcerers, sexually immoral, murderers, idolaters, and liars are left outside. It’s not that they roam outside a geographical city: the point is simply that they will not be part of God’s kingdom life.
And so we are presented with a choice. To respond to the call to come to Jesus and take his free gift of life, we must choose to walk away from those things that bring death. We can’t have it both ways -- we can’t respond both to the call to life and the call to death.
Which way will you choose today?
This week's readings: Acts 2:1-21; Psalm 104:25-37; Romans 8:14-17; John 14:8-17; 25-27
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