30 November 2010
Psalm 5, 6; Isaiah 1.21-31; 1 Thess. 2.1-12; Luke 20.9-18
The nation has lost its first love. Economics has become the important thing and those who do not add to the prosperity of the nation are forgotten. Sound familiar? There will always be poor among us and yet we have an obligation, beginning at the house of the Lord, to assist those in need, the vulnerable in our society. It often happens that we seek the gifts and not the giver of gifts. Things like prosperity are to be a by-product of the relationship, not its core. There is not a one to one correlation between our relationship with the Lord and our material prosperity or lack of hardship. The only true “good” is the Lord Himself, everything else is tainted by sin in some way or other, let us seek the good with all our hearts.
The owner planted the vineyard, got it to a productive state, and then let it out to tenants whose only responsibility was to tend it. He didn’t hire them, he essentially made them partners in the venture. They had only to provide him a return on the land, a portion of its productivity in spite of the fact that he did all the work to make it productive. Sounds like the Garden of Eden to me. The imagery isn’t just Israel here although its immediate application is to the leaders who refuse to honor the Lord. It could as easily apply to the church and to us as individuals. All that we have is from Him. All our gifts and talents that allow us to thrive are from Him therefore we cannot truly produce anything of ourselves. We the church have a responsibility for all we have been given for mission, beginning with the message, continuing with the Holy Spirit to convey the truth, and the people of God. The assets all come from Him, are we producing a harvest and giving the yield to Him or are we complaining about the lack of resources?
Paul reminds the Thessalonians that not only was his theology pure, so were his motives and his deeds. He gained nothing of earthly value from his time among them, he was not enriched financially by them or by the proclamation of the Gospel, he worked full-time for his own keep. He didn’t flatter anyone but rather proclaimed the truth not to please man but to please God. Paul loved the people to whom he preached and with whom he spent his life but never more than he loved the Lord. He was always and only playing to an audience of one, and was willing to let the chips fall where they may. It allowed him to always be able to speak truth into difficult situations. How would our lives change if we truly lived always to the glory of God?
Let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
let them ever sing for joy,
and spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may exult in you.
For you bless the righteous, O LORD;
you cover him with favor as with a shield.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
29 November 2010
Psalms 1, 2, 3; Isaiah 1.10-20; 1 Thess. 1.1-10; Luke 20.1-8
What is more important to God, the sacrifices themselves or the heart motive of the one offering the sacrifice? Are we attempting to placate God in order that He continue to bless us or that He would bless us in general or are we honestly dealing with sin in our lives that requires sacrifice? Here it is clear that God is less interested in sacrifice and religion than relationship but on His terms. His terms are honestly acknowledging our sins and allowing Him to be righteous and holy. Religion isn’t a bad thing but when the practice becomes devoid of worship and becomes the thing in itself then it is no longer serving the purpose for which it was intended, leading us into the presence of God where we might be changed and where we might be filled with Him.
The question of authority posed to Jesus has to do with permission. Do you have permission to do and teach as you do and if so who gave it as we certainly did not. In Judaism it was important that training take place to ensure orthodoxy within certain boundaries. There were at least two important rabbinic schools at the time of Jesus and they differed in some respects in their approach but the boundaries of the teaching were clearly established around a core that was unchangeable. When Jesus began to teach it was outside of those schools. It is important that we have authority over us but when that authority becomes compromised and seeks to assert itself to justify itself then it becomes destructive of its purpose, it is no longer God-centered but self-centered. They couldn’t trip Him up in His teaching so they sought to discredit it on terms of whose authority it came from.
Paul boasts of the faith of the Thessalonians with statements that prove that their conversion was more than an intellectual conversion. They not only now thought differently they also lived different lives. They had turned away from idols and were practicing true religion, the worship of God and waiting for their deliverance in Jesus Christ. The result of their conversion is that the word about them had gone out in the region and others were making the same conversion. They imitated the ones who preached the word to them and they have themselves become examples to others. That is the way the Gospel is to be advanced, we come to faith, amend our thinking and our way of life and then others see and want what we have. That is only possible if our conversion and our faith becomes a matter and an affair of the heart
Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
Psalms 1, 2, 3; Isaiah 1.10-20; 1 Thess. 1.1-10; Luke 20.1-8
What is more important to God, the sacrifices themselves or the heart motive of the one offering the sacrifice? Are we attempting to placate God in order that He continue to bless us or that He would bless us in general or are we honestly dealing with sin in our lives that requires sacrifice? Here it is clear that God is less interested in sacrifice and religion than relationship but on His terms. His terms are honestly acknowledging our sins and allowing Him to be righteous and holy. Religion isn’t a bad thing but when the practice becomes devoid of worship and becomes the thing in itself then it is no longer serving the purpose for which it was intended, leading us into the presence of God where we might be changed and where we might be filled with Him.
The question of authority posed to Jesus has to do with permission. Do you have permission to do and teach as you do and if so who gave it as we certainly did not. In Judaism it was important that training take place to ensure orthodoxy within certain boundaries. There were at least two important rabbinic schools at the time of Jesus and they differed in some respects in their approach but the boundaries of the teaching were clearly established around a core that was unchangeable. When Jesus began to teach it was outside of those schools. It is important that we have authority over us but when that authority becomes compromised and seeks to assert itself to justify itself then it becomes destructive of its purpose, it is no longer God-centered but self-centered. They couldn’t trip Him up in His teaching so they sought to discredit it on terms of whose authority it came from.
Paul boasts of the faith of the Thessalonians with statements that prove that their conversion was more than an intellectual conversion. They not only now thought differently they also lived different lives. They had turned away from idols and were practicing true religion, the worship of God and waiting for their deliverance in Jesus Christ. The result of their conversion is that the word about them had gone out in the region and others were making the same conversion. They imitated the ones who preached the word to them and they have themselves become examples to others. That is the way the Gospel is to be advanced, we come to faith, amend our thinking and our way of life and then others see and want what we have. That is only possible if our conversion and our faith becomes a matter and an affair of the heart
Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
28 November 2010
Psalm 146, 147; Isaiah 1.1-9; 2 Peter 3.1-10; Matthew 25.1-13
In the beginning of Isaiah’s prophecy we get a glimpse of the utter devastation of the land due to their apostasy. What is the basic complaint? There is no knowledge or recognition of the Lord and His role vis a vis the nation. God’s desire is to be known by a people who will then reveal the creator of all to the world. In Orlando, Walt Disney wanted to build a community with 20,000 which would be a model community and a test bed of policy but Orlando required him to build the Magic Kingdom first and then the initial idea was “reduced” to what we know today as Epcot – the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. It was to be a place that showed the world the way of the future, how best to live in the world. That is what God intended for Israel, that it would show the world how truly to live in the world He created. Their failure as a nation to recognize and reveal Him to the world receives judgment not because God wants to be loved but because their apostasy affects the entire world. We as Christians need to take a lesson as we are to be the prototype community of today.
Are we prepared for the coming of the Lord? Have we managed our oil stocks so that when he comes we are ready to go with Him? The wise virgins brought extra oil with them and the foolish did not. Preparation is key in this parable. Being prepared for God to delay by acknowledging that we do not know the hour is important. When we understand that we can study the Word exhaustively and still not be able to predict the time of His coming again, we will understand that we need to be prepared to run a marathon not a sprint. The preparation for each is very different. The foolish virgins assumed they knew when the bridegroom would come out to them and found that their assumption only failed to allow them to enter the feast. We must be prepared for the long haul and not be disappointed or surprised at delay.
Even the delay, Peter says, has the quality of mercy, God wants us to repent not perish, and He is patiently waiting for us to believe. There will, however, come a day of judgment when all that is not eternal will be exposed and burned away in the fire of God’s wrath. What is it we are building in and through our lives and will it last?
Praise the LORD!Praise the LORD, O my soul! I will praise the LORD as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
Put not your trust in princes,
in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
on that very day his plans perish.
Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the LORD his God,
who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps faith forever;
who executes justice for the oppressed,
who gives food to the hungry.
Psalm 146, 147; Isaiah 1.1-9; 2 Peter 3.1-10; Matthew 25.1-13
In the beginning of Isaiah’s prophecy we get a glimpse of the utter devastation of the land due to their apostasy. What is the basic complaint? There is no knowledge or recognition of the Lord and His role vis a vis the nation. God’s desire is to be known by a people who will then reveal the creator of all to the world. In Orlando, Walt Disney wanted to build a community with 20,000 which would be a model community and a test bed of policy but Orlando required him to build the Magic Kingdom first and then the initial idea was “reduced” to what we know today as Epcot – the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. It was to be a place that showed the world the way of the future, how best to live in the world. That is what God intended for Israel, that it would show the world how truly to live in the world He created. Their failure as a nation to recognize and reveal Him to the world receives judgment not because God wants to be loved but because their apostasy affects the entire world. We as Christians need to take a lesson as we are to be the prototype community of today.
Are we prepared for the coming of the Lord? Have we managed our oil stocks so that when he comes we are ready to go with Him? The wise virgins brought extra oil with them and the foolish did not. Preparation is key in this parable. Being prepared for God to delay by acknowledging that we do not know the hour is important. When we understand that we can study the Word exhaustively and still not be able to predict the time of His coming again, we will understand that we need to be prepared to run a marathon not a sprint. The preparation for each is very different. The foolish virgins assumed they knew when the bridegroom would come out to them and found that their assumption only failed to allow them to enter the feast. We must be prepared for the long haul and not be disappointed or surprised at delay.
Even the delay, Peter says, has the quality of mercy, God wants us to repent not perish, and He is patiently waiting for us to believe. There will, however, come a day of judgment when all that is not eternal will be exposed and burned away in the fire of God’s wrath. What is it we are building in and through our lives and will it last?
Praise the LORD!Praise the LORD, O my soul! I will praise the LORD as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
Put not your trust in princes,
in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
on that very day his plans perish.
Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the LORD his God,
who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps faith forever;
who executes justice for the oppressed,
who gives food to the hungry.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
27 November 2010
Psalm 137, 144; Zech 14.12-21; Phil 2.1-11; Luke 19.41-48
What a way to begin the day, the image of the opponents of Jerusalem standing while their flesh, eyes and tongues rot. Welcome to Advent tomorrow. Why the feast of Booths? That particular feast commemorates the exodus and the time in the wilderness, the time of humbling and the nations who have made Jerusalem their enemy will have their own time of humbling and devastation and the feast of booths is the perfect occasion to remember all the Lord has done, the utter dependence on Him for all things. In that day, everything will be holy to the Lord, there will be nothing that is not devoted to Him and used for His purposes and there will be nothing unclean in the land, so complete will be the people’s devotion to Him that sin will not tarnish anything.
Jesus weeping over Jerusalem is one of the saddest vignettes in the Bible. The Lord of all, the One who chose them, gave them the land and established them has come to redeem them, to be their Lord and King, to fulfill all prophecy, to usher in the everlasting kingdom, and He weeps because He knows that they will reject all that is offered, their inheritance, their hope. It is impossible for us to truly imagine the sadness which this must have brought to Him to see what might have been and to know what will follow. During the week, Jesus, God, enters the temple and teaches the people Himself and makes Himself available to them. The people were hanging on His words yet the leaders were plotting against Him. Those who were supposed to be the guardians of Torah were plotting to destroy the God of Torah and His anointed.
Paul’s admonition is to emulate Jesus in utter humility. Zechariah sees the feast of booths as the model of humility but Paul knows a greater example, Jesus Himself, God became man. Jesus taught the disciples at the last supper to humble themselves as servants and he taught it by an acted out parable, becoming a servant to them, washing their feet, an act of greatest humility. Let us this day bow the knee and confess with our tongues that Jesus is Lord and let us praise Him in all that we do.
Bow your heavens, O LORD, and come down!
Touch the mountains so that they smoke!
Psalm 137, 144; Zech 14.12-21; Phil 2.1-11; Luke 19.41-48
What a way to begin the day, the image of the opponents of Jerusalem standing while their flesh, eyes and tongues rot. Welcome to Advent tomorrow. Why the feast of Booths? That particular feast commemorates the exodus and the time in the wilderness, the time of humbling and the nations who have made Jerusalem their enemy will have their own time of humbling and devastation and the feast of booths is the perfect occasion to remember all the Lord has done, the utter dependence on Him for all things. In that day, everything will be holy to the Lord, there will be nothing that is not devoted to Him and used for His purposes and there will be nothing unclean in the land, so complete will be the people’s devotion to Him that sin will not tarnish anything.
Jesus weeping over Jerusalem is one of the saddest vignettes in the Bible. The Lord of all, the One who chose them, gave them the land and established them has come to redeem them, to be their Lord and King, to fulfill all prophecy, to usher in the everlasting kingdom, and He weeps because He knows that they will reject all that is offered, their inheritance, their hope. It is impossible for us to truly imagine the sadness which this must have brought to Him to see what might have been and to know what will follow. During the week, Jesus, God, enters the temple and teaches the people Himself and makes Himself available to them. The people were hanging on His words yet the leaders were plotting against Him. Those who were supposed to be the guardians of Torah were plotting to destroy the God of Torah and His anointed.
Paul’s admonition is to emulate Jesus in utter humility. Zechariah sees the feast of booths as the model of humility but Paul knows a greater example, Jesus Himself, God became man. Jesus taught the disciples at the last supper to humble themselves as servants and he taught it by an acted out parable, becoming a servant to them, washing their feet, an act of greatest humility. Let us this day bow the knee and confess with our tongues that Jesus is Lord and let us praise Him in all that we do.
Bow your heavens, O LORD, and come down!
Touch the mountains so that they smoke!
Friday, November 26, 2010
26 November 2010
Psalm 140, 142; Zech 14.1-11; Rom 15.7-13; Luke 19.28-40
After the time of judgment the Lord Himself will come and the geography of the land itself will be changed as the Lord of all stands on the mount of Olives. In this day all will be changed, not simply the contours of the land, nothing will be as it was before. Zechariah sounds as though he saw the same vision as Isaiah re the mountains and hills being brought low and the valleys lifted up, the crooked way made straight, Ezekiel (see chapter 47) and the same vision as John in the Revelation. There are real similarities in their visions. Should we count on those visions becoming reality and should we not pray for the coming of the kingdom with confidence and a true sense of what that will ultimately mean?
The entry of Jesus into Jerusalem brings praise and worship from some and jealousy and rebuke from others. This scene had to unnerve those who opposed Him. Jesus is coming, as in Zechariah’s prophecy, from the Mount of Olives, the Lord is coming to His people. What will it mean? Some of the Pharisees ask Jesus to rebuke His disciples, calling Him teacher. Would a rabbi allow such a demonstration, particularly if it would upset the Romans to hear Him proclaimed as king? If he is a rabbi only then rebuke would indeed be called for here but Jesus is not a rabbi, He is Messiah, the King of kings, the Lord of lords and his response is that “if these were silent, the very stones would cry out." Let us never be silent, let us continually praise and proclaim Him so long as we have breath!
We have received mercy and salvation in Jesus, let us rejoice. Paul reminds the Romans that whether they began life as Jews or Gentiles makes no difference, there is no distinction in Christ Jesus and that is in accordance with the promise of God and the prophetic word. The only thing remaining, the only thing needful, is to worship and praise Him.
I cry to you, O LORD;
I say, "You are my refuge,
my portion in the land of the living."
Attend to my cry,
for I am brought very low!
Deliver me from my persecutors,
for they are too strong for me!
Bring me out of prison,
that I may give thanks to your name!
The righteous will surround me,
for you will deal bountifully with me.
Psalm 140, 142; Zech 14.1-11; Rom 15.7-13; Luke 19.28-40
After the time of judgment the Lord Himself will come and the geography of the land itself will be changed as the Lord of all stands on the mount of Olives. In this day all will be changed, not simply the contours of the land, nothing will be as it was before. Zechariah sounds as though he saw the same vision as Isaiah re the mountains and hills being brought low and the valleys lifted up, the crooked way made straight, Ezekiel (see chapter 47) and the same vision as John in the Revelation. There are real similarities in their visions. Should we count on those visions becoming reality and should we not pray for the coming of the kingdom with confidence and a true sense of what that will ultimately mean?
The entry of Jesus into Jerusalem brings praise and worship from some and jealousy and rebuke from others. This scene had to unnerve those who opposed Him. Jesus is coming, as in Zechariah’s prophecy, from the Mount of Olives, the Lord is coming to His people. What will it mean? Some of the Pharisees ask Jesus to rebuke His disciples, calling Him teacher. Would a rabbi allow such a demonstration, particularly if it would upset the Romans to hear Him proclaimed as king? If he is a rabbi only then rebuke would indeed be called for here but Jesus is not a rabbi, He is Messiah, the King of kings, the Lord of lords and his response is that “if these were silent, the very stones would cry out." Let us never be silent, let us continually praise and proclaim Him so long as we have breath!
We have received mercy and salvation in Jesus, let us rejoice. Paul reminds the Romans that whether they began life as Jews or Gentiles makes no difference, there is no distinction in Christ Jesus and that is in accordance with the promise of God and the prophetic word. The only thing remaining, the only thing needful, is to worship and praise Him.
I cry to you, O LORD;
I say, "You are my refuge,
my portion in the land of the living."
Attend to my cry,
for I am brought very low!
Deliver me from my persecutors,
for they are too strong for me!
Bring me out of prison,
that I may give thanks to your name!
The righteous will surround me,
for you will deal bountifully with me.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
25 November 2010
Psalm 131, 132; Zech 13.1-9; Eph 1.15-23; Luke 19.11-27
The first sentence of this reading inspired a song that begins with the words, “There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel’s veins, and sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.” The imagery may seem grotesque but it remains true and it is important for us to remember that our only hope is indeed the blood of Jesus. If it is not poured out for us we have no hope in heaven or on earth, we perish in our sins. Zechariah sees that not all will be saved and yet there will be a renewed worship and devotion to the Lord who has saved us. What is our response this day to grace?
What do we do with the trust we have received from the Lord? The historical background for the parable was the visit of Archelaus, son of Herod the Great, to Rome to secure permission to reign as a so-called client king, i.e., over a territory actually subject to Rome. That reign was opposed by some who were under his rule. The parable speaks of what it means to be a steward and it haunts me that we in the west have failed in our stewardship of the gifts we have been given. Have we squandered our trust? We have been given the Word written, the Holy Spirit, the greatest message ever told, and the freedom and resources with which to proclaim it and yet we are wasting our time on other pursuits than mission. Do we need to repent of what we have made of the Gospel and the church?
Paul moves from praise and thanksgiving to the Lord to praise and thanksgiving for the Ephesians about whose faith he has heard. His prayer has content as well as thanks, he prays for them that they would receive a spirit of wisdom and revelation in Him that they would know true hope, the riches of the glorious inheritance of the saints, the immeasurable greatness of his power toward those who believe. He wants them to know what he knows and to rejoice in that knowledge and walk in that understanding and live in that hope. Can we want more for anyone than this? Several years ago a little book was written and became wildly popular based on a prayer that the author argued was a kingdom building prayer. That prayer wasn’t bad but it was self-centered at its heart. This prayer is the prayer we should pray for God to build His kingdom. There is nothing remotely self-centered or self-seeking in this prayer for others. Why not pray this for those you know and love today?
O LORD, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
Psalm 131, 132; Zech 13.1-9; Eph 1.15-23; Luke 19.11-27
The first sentence of this reading inspired a song that begins with the words, “There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel’s veins, and sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.” The imagery may seem grotesque but it remains true and it is important for us to remember that our only hope is indeed the blood of Jesus. If it is not poured out for us we have no hope in heaven or on earth, we perish in our sins. Zechariah sees that not all will be saved and yet there will be a renewed worship and devotion to the Lord who has saved us. What is our response this day to grace?
What do we do with the trust we have received from the Lord? The historical background for the parable was the visit of Archelaus, son of Herod the Great, to Rome to secure permission to reign as a so-called client king, i.e., over a territory actually subject to Rome. That reign was opposed by some who were under his rule. The parable speaks of what it means to be a steward and it haunts me that we in the west have failed in our stewardship of the gifts we have been given. Have we squandered our trust? We have been given the Word written, the Holy Spirit, the greatest message ever told, and the freedom and resources with which to proclaim it and yet we are wasting our time on other pursuits than mission. Do we need to repent of what we have made of the Gospel and the church?
Paul moves from praise and thanksgiving to the Lord to praise and thanksgiving for the Ephesians about whose faith he has heard. His prayer has content as well as thanks, he prays for them that they would receive a spirit of wisdom and revelation in Him that they would know true hope, the riches of the glorious inheritance of the saints, the immeasurable greatness of his power toward those who believe. He wants them to know what he knows and to rejoice in that knowledge and walk in that understanding and live in that hope. Can we want more for anyone than this? Several years ago a little book was written and became wildly popular based on a prayer that the author argued was a kingdom building prayer. That prayer wasn’t bad but it was self-centered at its heart. This prayer is the prayer we should pray for God to build His kingdom. There is nothing remotely self-centered or self-seeking in this prayer for others. Why not pray this for those you know and love today?
O LORD, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
24 November 2010
Psalm 119.145-176; Zech 12.1-10; Eph 1.1-14; Luke 19.1-10
Yesterday we read of the breaking of the covenant and the rejection of Israel, but the covenant of God is an everlasting covenant and here we see that there will come a time when God restores His people. In that day the nation will be a judgment against the other nations and will be a staggering pot, a heavy stone, a blazing pot in the midst of wood, like a flaming torch among sheaves. The salvation of the Lord will begin with Judah and will stretch from there to all the nation. It will be a time when the inhabitants of Jerusalem look on the one they have pierced (Jesus on the cross) and will weep bitterly over Him, they will know what they have done and will come to Him. This eschatological vision was partially fulfilled on Pentecost but awaits its greater fulfillment in the end.
As Jesus continues to journey to Jerusalem and His date with destiny, He makes time for an unlikely person. Out of the crowd of onlookers Jesus chooses the man in the tree, the man we know from song as the wee little man. He may have been short in stature but he would have loomed large in his professional role. He would have been hated by all but particularly by his fellow Jews as one who was collaborating with the enemy in the exaction of the Roman taxation. He would have essentially been the contractor for the area who bid the job and then made his money by overcharging the tax and pocketing what he collected above the bid. They resented the tax as it represented foreign domination and they further resented any Jew who participated in the system. Jesus, however, saw something in Zaccheus that was different and chose him out of the crowd for honor. We see what Jesus saw, the man was prepared to repent and receive salvation.
This passage from Ephesians is one of the most beautiful in the Bible. It compares to the Song of Solomon in many ways, Paul recounting the fair beauty of the Lord. Paul piles up superlatives and lavish praise on the Lord and the Lord’s anointed in a way that should cause us to be embarrassed by our own poverty of praise in prayer. As I have said many times, our theology (knowledge about God) should lead us only one place doxology (praise). Our knowledge should never puff us up with pride, it should cause us to rapturously declare the wonder of God. This is a man who knows what salvation looks like and feels like and never loses his appreciation for what was done for him, no matter what he might do in response. We need never lose that exultation of the hour I first believed in order to know how amazing is grace.
I long for your salvation, O LORD,
and your law is my delight.
Let my soul live and praise you,
and let your rules help me.
I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant,
for I do not forget your commandments.
Psalm 119.145-176; Zech 12.1-10; Eph 1.1-14; Luke 19.1-10
Yesterday we read of the breaking of the covenant and the rejection of Israel, but the covenant of God is an everlasting covenant and here we see that there will come a time when God restores His people. In that day the nation will be a judgment against the other nations and will be a staggering pot, a heavy stone, a blazing pot in the midst of wood, like a flaming torch among sheaves. The salvation of the Lord will begin with Judah and will stretch from there to all the nation. It will be a time when the inhabitants of Jerusalem look on the one they have pierced (Jesus on the cross) and will weep bitterly over Him, they will know what they have done and will come to Him. This eschatological vision was partially fulfilled on Pentecost but awaits its greater fulfillment in the end.
As Jesus continues to journey to Jerusalem and His date with destiny, He makes time for an unlikely person. Out of the crowd of onlookers Jesus chooses the man in the tree, the man we know from song as the wee little man. He may have been short in stature but he would have loomed large in his professional role. He would have been hated by all but particularly by his fellow Jews as one who was collaborating with the enemy in the exaction of the Roman taxation. He would have essentially been the contractor for the area who bid the job and then made his money by overcharging the tax and pocketing what he collected above the bid. They resented the tax as it represented foreign domination and they further resented any Jew who participated in the system. Jesus, however, saw something in Zaccheus that was different and chose him out of the crowd for honor. We see what Jesus saw, the man was prepared to repent and receive salvation.
This passage from Ephesians is one of the most beautiful in the Bible. It compares to the Song of Solomon in many ways, Paul recounting the fair beauty of the Lord. Paul piles up superlatives and lavish praise on the Lord and the Lord’s anointed in a way that should cause us to be embarrassed by our own poverty of praise in prayer. As I have said many times, our theology (knowledge about God) should lead us only one place doxology (praise). Our knowledge should never puff us up with pride, it should cause us to rapturously declare the wonder of God. This is a man who knows what salvation looks like and feels like and never loses his appreciation for what was done for him, no matter what he might do in response. We need never lose that exultation of the hour I first believed in order to know how amazing is grace.
I long for your salvation, O LORD,
and your law is my delight.
Let my soul live and praise you,
and let your rules help me.
I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant,
for I do not forget your commandments.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
23 November 2010
Psalm 121, 122, 123; Zech 11.4-17; 1 Cor 3.10-23; Luke 18.31-43
Here Zechariah acts out the prophetic word. The Lord is the shepherd of His people and the prophet is instructed to assume that post in order to act out the word of the Lord. The Lord is rejected as the prophet is rejected and when he asks for payment for services rendered it is the end of the relationship. His pay is a pittance and therefore he is told how little he is valued as shepherd. The Messianic shepherd also is rejected as this parable points toward that rejection of Jesus. The staffs of favor and union are symbols of the covenant of God with His people and here we see Him breaking those staffs, dissolving the covenant He has made.
Jesus tells the disciples plainly what will happen next and yet they have no framework to truly understand or believe it will be so. Their belief about Jesus is that He is Messiah and they have a particular belief about what that means and the prophecy He makes doesn’t fit that structure. The Messiah doesn’t die. Even as He goes to Jerusalem for the final time, He knows what lies ahead, but even now He is outwardly focused and heals these men on the road. Even then, Jesus doesn’t presume to heal them without their asking for healing. They could simply want money or they could want something else, they have to speak the words that express their faith. Of all the pilgrims passing by, these men call out to Jesus asking for mercy and then for healing. It takes faith to ask someone to restore your sight.
What is the foundation of your life? A friend of mine was building a house in the mountains, a very nice home in fact. As they got into the construction they realized there were problems on the site that required a great deal of money be spent on the foundation, nearly as much as had been budgeted for the house itself. There was no choice but to continue construction, too much had been spent to abandon the project, but the costly foundation now demanded a more expensive house in order to justify the cost of the foundation. Paul says we are to properly evaluate the foundation of our lives and be careful to build on that foundation with care as in the end all we have built will be burned away and only that which is eternal will remain.
To you I lift up my eyes,
O you who are enthroned in the heavens!
Behold, as the eyes of servants
look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a maidservant
to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the LORD our God,
till he has mercy upon us.
Psalm 121, 122, 123; Zech 11.4-17; 1 Cor 3.10-23; Luke 18.31-43
Here Zechariah acts out the prophetic word. The Lord is the shepherd of His people and the prophet is instructed to assume that post in order to act out the word of the Lord. The Lord is rejected as the prophet is rejected and when he asks for payment for services rendered it is the end of the relationship. His pay is a pittance and therefore he is told how little he is valued as shepherd. The Messianic shepherd also is rejected as this parable points toward that rejection of Jesus. The staffs of favor and union are symbols of the covenant of God with His people and here we see Him breaking those staffs, dissolving the covenant He has made.
Jesus tells the disciples plainly what will happen next and yet they have no framework to truly understand or believe it will be so. Their belief about Jesus is that He is Messiah and they have a particular belief about what that means and the prophecy He makes doesn’t fit that structure. The Messiah doesn’t die. Even as He goes to Jerusalem for the final time, He knows what lies ahead, but even now He is outwardly focused and heals these men on the road. Even then, Jesus doesn’t presume to heal them without their asking for healing. They could simply want money or they could want something else, they have to speak the words that express their faith. Of all the pilgrims passing by, these men call out to Jesus asking for mercy and then for healing. It takes faith to ask someone to restore your sight.
What is the foundation of your life? A friend of mine was building a house in the mountains, a very nice home in fact. As they got into the construction they realized there were problems on the site that required a great deal of money be spent on the foundation, nearly as much as had been budgeted for the house itself. There was no choice but to continue construction, too much had been spent to abandon the project, but the costly foundation now demanded a more expensive house in order to justify the cost of the foundation. Paul says we are to properly evaluate the foundation of our lives and be careful to build on that foundation with care as in the end all we have built will be burned away and only that which is eternal will remain.
To you I lift up my eyes,
O you who are enthroned in the heavens!
Behold, as the eyes of servants
look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a maidservant
to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the LORD our God,
till he has mercy upon us.
Monday, November 22, 2010
22 November 2010
Psalm 106.1-18; Zech 10.1-12; Gal 6.1-10; Luke 18.15-30
The deliverance of God and the restoration of the nation is announced. We have been brought into that deliverance and salvation through the blood of Jesus. We participate in the glorious inheritance of the chosen ones not through any merit of our own but because of the goodness and greatness of the Lord, extending His mercy to us. We can celebrate the coming of His kingdom and the establishment of the new Jerusalem, the heavenly city. There are images here that sound very much like the final battle in the book of the Revelation. The Lord announces his anger with the shepherds of Israel, those who have led the people astray to false gods who are no gods at all. In our day we see the shepherds frequently leading the flock astray and denying the Lord and His anointed with a belief that there are other ways to God. Some things never change but we have been given the Word and the Spirit and if we lean on those then we will persevere to the end in spite of worthless shepherds.
Is Jesus satisfied with our level of commitment? This man has kept the commandments since he was a youth and yet he knows that it isn’t enough. Jesus says to do what the other disciples have done, walk away from everything and then follow me. The man wanted heaven less than he wanted earth and walked away not from everything but from Jesus. We gripe about the tithe and this man would have done that and more if he truly kept the law. Jesus gave the standard here, be willing to give me everything if I ask for it. Do we even dare ask Jesus this question of what he requires of us?
We are called to bear one another’s burdens but told that each has to bear his own load. The difference is that a load was a reasonable expectation and a burden was over and above that amount. It is important that we as the body be in relationship with one another if we are to know when another is burdened but it is also important that we be prepared to carry our load. Often in the church the problem is that some aren’t willing to carry their load and that then becomes a burden to others. We have to give an accounting of what we have done with the talents we have been given. What we do here matters. We have been given the gift of eternal life, what are we making of the life we have been given here?
Save us, O LORD our God,
and gather us from among the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name
and glory in your praise.
Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting!
And let all the people say, "Amen!"
Praise the LORD!
Psalm 106.1-18; Zech 10.1-12; Gal 6.1-10; Luke 18.15-30
The deliverance of God and the restoration of the nation is announced. We have been brought into that deliverance and salvation through the blood of Jesus. We participate in the glorious inheritance of the chosen ones not through any merit of our own but because of the goodness and greatness of the Lord, extending His mercy to us. We can celebrate the coming of His kingdom and the establishment of the new Jerusalem, the heavenly city. There are images here that sound very much like the final battle in the book of the Revelation. The Lord announces his anger with the shepherds of Israel, those who have led the people astray to false gods who are no gods at all. In our day we see the shepherds frequently leading the flock astray and denying the Lord and His anointed with a belief that there are other ways to God. Some things never change but we have been given the Word and the Spirit and if we lean on those then we will persevere to the end in spite of worthless shepherds.
Is Jesus satisfied with our level of commitment? This man has kept the commandments since he was a youth and yet he knows that it isn’t enough. Jesus says to do what the other disciples have done, walk away from everything and then follow me. The man wanted heaven less than he wanted earth and walked away not from everything but from Jesus. We gripe about the tithe and this man would have done that and more if he truly kept the law. Jesus gave the standard here, be willing to give me everything if I ask for it. Do we even dare ask Jesus this question of what he requires of us?
We are called to bear one another’s burdens but told that each has to bear his own load. The difference is that a load was a reasonable expectation and a burden was over and above that amount. It is important that we as the body be in relationship with one another if we are to know when another is burdened but it is also important that we be prepared to carry our load. Often in the church the problem is that some aren’t willing to carry their load and that then becomes a burden to others. We have to give an accounting of what we have done with the talents we have been given. What we do here matters. We have been given the gift of eternal life, what are we making of the life we have been given here?
Save us, O LORD our God,
and gather us from among the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name
and glory in your praise.
Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting!
And let all the people say, "Amen!"
Praise the LORD!
Sunday, November 21, 2010
21 November 2010
Psalm 118; Zech 9.9-16; 1 Peter 3.13-22; Matt 21.1-13
We tend to read this passage from Zechariah’s prophecy at Palm Sunday as we see Jesus fulfilling the word by riding into town on a donkey colt. The imagery is that of peace, the horse is an animal associated with war and the donkey with peace and Jesus brings a peaceable kingdom to a world that is at war with peace itself. In our worship we celebrate the establishment of peace with God through the confession of our sins and Jesus’ atoning sacrifice on the cross. We acknowledge that if he has forgiven us and established that peace that we then are bound to forgive one another and make peace with one another in the body of Christ. We are no longer prisoners of hope, we have a hope that is steadfast and certain.
Here is the fulfillment of the prophecy as Jesus enters the city and the people proclaim Him as the king, the Son of David, for whom they have been waiting. The cry of Hosanna, Lord save us, goes up as He rides through the streets. As it is a festival time, there are people there from all over, some of whom are unfamiliar with Jesus so it is necessary that someone give an explanation of who is this person so acclaimed, the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee. Those words are interesting since they beg the question Nathanael asked when first told of Jesus, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” His first visit upon entering is the temple, and His purpose is to clear it of all that prohibits all nations from coming to God. The sellers had taken up the outer courts where the Gentiles could ordinarily be allowed to hear what went on in the inner court. There was much to hear in the next few days and they couldn’t be kept away.
Peter tells us to be always prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. When was the last time anyone asked you to defend the hope that is in you? As Christians we are to live for a hope that is apart from any hope the world can give or can know apart from Jesus. It is that hope that is to shine forth in our lives. When the world has no hope they need to see the hope of Christians and be drawn to that light that shines within us. Jesus has established a lasting peace with God and has given us the sure hope of our eternal security. Can we have any greater hope that that?
I shall not die, but I shall live,
and recount the deeds of the LORD.
The LORD has disciplined me severely,
but he has not given me over to death.
You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;
you are my God; I will extol you.
Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!
Psalm 118; Zech 9.9-16; 1 Peter 3.13-22; Matt 21.1-13
We tend to read this passage from Zechariah’s prophecy at Palm Sunday as we see Jesus fulfilling the word by riding into town on a donkey colt. The imagery is that of peace, the horse is an animal associated with war and the donkey with peace and Jesus brings a peaceable kingdom to a world that is at war with peace itself. In our worship we celebrate the establishment of peace with God through the confession of our sins and Jesus’ atoning sacrifice on the cross. We acknowledge that if he has forgiven us and established that peace that we then are bound to forgive one another and make peace with one another in the body of Christ. We are no longer prisoners of hope, we have a hope that is steadfast and certain.
Here is the fulfillment of the prophecy as Jesus enters the city and the people proclaim Him as the king, the Son of David, for whom they have been waiting. The cry of Hosanna, Lord save us, goes up as He rides through the streets. As it is a festival time, there are people there from all over, some of whom are unfamiliar with Jesus so it is necessary that someone give an explanation of who is this person so acclaimed, the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee. Those words are interesting since they beg the question Nathanael asked when first told of Jesus, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” His first visit upon entering is the temple, and His purpose is to clear it of all that prohibits all nations from coming to God. The sellers had taken up the outer courts where the Gentiles could ordinarily be allowed to hear what went on in the inner court. There was much to hear in the next few days and they couldn’t be kept away.
Peter tells us to be always prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. When was the last time anyone asked you to defend the hope that is in you? As Christians we are to live for a hope that is apart from any hope the world can give or can know apart from Jesus. It is that hope that is to shine forth in our lives. When the world has no hope they need to see the hope of Christians and be drawn to that light that shines within us. Jesus has established a lasting peace with God and has given us the sure hope of our eternal security. Can we have any greater hope that that?
I shall not die, but I shall live,
and recount the deeds of the LORD.
The LORD has disciplined me severely,
but he has not given me over to death.
You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;
you are my God; I will extol you.
Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!
Saturday, November 20, 2010
20 November 2010
Psalm 107.33-43, 108; Mal 3.13-4.6; James 5.13-20; Luke 18.9-14
How do we measure blessing? That is one of the criticisms that Malachi levels at the people, that they call the arrogant blessed. We live in an extremely materialistic culture that measures blessings by money and possessions and it is true that we no longer have value for humility and chosen simplicity. Could the Lord speak this same criticism against our culture, including the church. Our values need to be re-arranged and we need to set our eyes on the kingdom of God, not the kingdom of man. We are approaching the remembrance of the coming of Jesus into the world, let us remember the humble setting into which He came and in which He always lived. People constantly attempted to measure Him based on the humble estate of His life and for that reason missed the blessing of God. Let us allow the Lord to re-shape our idea of blessedness in this time.
Is our desire to be humbled or exalted? The tax collector knew himself to be a sinner, the Pharisee believed himself to be righteous but what standard did he use for measurement, the tax collector. We can all feel pretty good about ourselves if we measure our lives against other sinners but our one standard, the only standard God has ever given, is Himself, perfect in righteousness, pure in holiness. Ask Isaiah how he felt when he came into God’s presence (see Isaiah 6). Ask John in the book of the Revelation how it feels to be in the presence of holiness. When we come to pray we come alone before the Lord and yet we have an advocate at the throne, Jesus Christ who is our righteousness and we come to the Father as sons and daughters if we come believing in Jesus. We can come humbly before Him confessing our sins because of Jesus’ sacrifice. We need not have pretense about ourselves, there is no room for pride.
Praying for and with one another is a wonderful antidote to pride. When we humble ourselves to ask others to pray for us we are saying to them that we believe their prayers will be heard in the same way ours are. We are allowing ourselves to believe certain things about them that has equalized us before the Lord. Confessing our sins to one another (selectively I might add as it is not commended to have multiple people to whom you make confession, trust is essential) is another way of reminding us who we are and that we are not superior to others. James reminds us that Elijah, great as he was, had a nature like ours and his prayers were heard. Those we call saints are not above and beyond our reach, they had nature like ours and yet they transcended that nature by the power of the Holy Spirit. Are they our standards or do we set our sights lower?
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to you among the nations.
For your steadfast love is great above the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
Let your glory be over all the earth!
Psalm 107.33-43, 108; Mal 3.13-4.6; James 5.13-20; Luke 18.9-14
How do we measure blessing? That is one of the criticisms that Malachi levels at the people, that they call the arrogant blessed. We live in an extremely materialistic culture that measures blessings by money and possessions and it is true that we no longer have value for humility and chosen simplicity. Could the Lord speak this same criticism against our culture, including the church. Our values need to be re-arranged and we need to set our eyes on the kingdom of God, not the kingdom of man. We are approaching the remembrance of the coming of Jesus into the world, let us remember the humble setting into which He came and in which He always lived. People constantly attempted to measure Him based on the humble estate of His life and for that reason missed the blessing of God. Let us allow the Lord to re-shape our idea of blessedness in this time.
Is our desire to be humbled or exalted? The tax collector knew himself to be a sinner, the Pharisee believed himself to be righteous but what standard did he use for measurement, the tax collector. We can all feel pretty good about ourselves if we measure our lives against other sinners but our one standard, the only standard God has ever given, is Himself, perfect in righteousness, pure in holiness. Ask Isaiah how he felt when he came into God’s presence (see Isaiah 6). Ask John in the book of the Revelation how it feels to be in the presence of holiness. When we come to pray we come alone before the Lord and yet we have an advocate at the throne, Jesus Christ who is our righteousness and we come to the Father as sons and daughters if we come believing in Jesus. We can come humbly before Him confessing our sins because of Jesus’ sacrifice. We need not have pretense about ourselves, there is no room for pride.
Praying for and with one another is a wonderful antidote to pride. When we humble ourselves to ask others to pray for us we are saying to them that we believe their prayers will be heard in the same way ours are. We are allowing ourselves to believe certain things about them that has equalized us before the Lord. Confessing our sins to one another (selectively I might add as it is not commended to have multiple people to whom you make confession, trust is essential) is another way of reminding us who we are and that we are not superior to others. James reminds us that Elijah, great as he was, had a nature like ours and his prayers were heard. Those we call saints are not above and beyond our reach, they had nature like ours and yet they transcended that nature by the power of the Holy Spirit. Are they our standards or do we set our sights lower?
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to you among the nations.
For your steadfast love is great above the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
Let your glory be over all the earth!
Friday, November 19, 2010
19 November 2010
Psalm 102; Mal 3.1-12; James 5.7-12; Luke 18.1-8
Two promises are made, one concerning the messenger and the coming of Messiah and the other regarding the blessing of God on the land if they will bring the full tithe into the storehouse. Has Jesus accomplished the work of refining the people of God? Do we see a harvest of righteousness in the household of God? When Jesus was here we see Him pointedly speaking to the religious leaders, speaking to their hearts and calling them out on their attitudes in the way the refiner works impurities out of metal. In our lives we are to respond to the exposure of sinful attitudes and desires in the same way, allowing Him to take them away so that we can shine forth, but we have to have a standard against we measure ourselves and too often it is simply other people when the only standard is Jesus himself. The promise regarding the tithe has always been there, from the dedication of the temple onwards, if the people will turn to Him and worship Him then He will bless them and they will shine to the world.
The widow wanted what was due her, justice. She had no advocate and could only make her appeal through persistence. This passage has to do with eschatology, not general prayer, or we could get the Lord to do our bidding by being persistent about our requests. It fits with the prior passage in that we are told to pray for the coming of the kingdom of God and in that praying we are to pray not only for the coming of the kingdom but also for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. In other words, we are to pray for justice, but we need to know what justice means. Do we see the inequity in the world? Do we see our own blessedness as an opportunity to bless others or do we see it as a way to secure our “future.” How do we think about justice in the world? We need a definition that is godly and biblical, not worldly, but we need to think about the issue and we need to ask for guidance on how we used the talents we have been given to serve the Lord and others.
How are we waiting for the coming of the Lord? Do we realize that is what we are doing? James tells us to wait with patience and Jesus tells us to be persistent in asking. How do we strike the balance? I believe we are to long for and pray for the coming of the kingdom but we are also to wait expectantly and wait actively. We are to work to make the kingdom visible though imperfect. We are to be a people who are characterized by different attitudes towards things and life and are to show the world what living in the kingdom of God looks like, not worrying about the same things, our attitudes shaped by faith in the sovereignty of God and our hope solid in Him. If we truly thought that the Lord had the future in His hands what would change in our lives today?
My days are like an evening shadow;
I wither away like grass.
But you, O LORD, are enthroned forever;
you are remembered throughout all generations.
Come quickly Lord Jesus.
Psalm 102; Mal 3.1-12; James 5.7-12; Luke 18.1-8
Two promises are made, one concerning the messenger and the coming of Messiah and the other regarding the blessing of God on the land if they will bring the full tithe into the storehouse. Has Jesus accomplished the work of refining the people of God? Do we see a harvest of righteousness in the household of God? When Jesus was here we see Him pointedly speaking to the religious leaders, speaking to their hearts and calling them out on their attitudes in the way the refiner works impurities out of metal. In our lives we are to respond to the exposure of sinful attitudes and desires in the same way, allowing Him to take them away so that we can shine forth, but we have to have a standard against we measure ourselves and too often it is simply other people when the only standard is Jesus himself. The promise regarding the tithe has always been there, from the dedication of the temple onwards, if the people will turn to Him and worship Him then He will bless them and they will shine to the world.
The widow wanted what was due her, justice. She had no advocate and could only make her appeal through persistence. This passage has to do with eschatology, not general prayer, or we could get the Lord to do our bidding by being persistent about our requests. It fits with the prior passage in that we are told to pray for the coming of the kingdom of God and in that praying we are to pray not only for the coming of the kingdom but also for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. In other words, we are to pray for justice, but we need to know what justice means. Do we see the inequity in the world? Do we see our own blessedness as an opportunity to bless others or do we see it as a way to secure our “future.” How do we think about justice in the world? We need a definition that is godly and biblical, not worldly, but we need to think about the issue and we need to ask for guidance on how we used the talents we have been given to serve the Lord and others.
How are we waiting for the coming of the Lord? Do we realize that is what we are doing? James tells us to wait with patience and Jesus tells us to be persistent in asking. How do we strike the balance? I believe we are to long for and pray for the coming of the kingdom but we are also to wait expectantly and wait actively. We are to work to make the kingdom visible though imperfect. We are to be a people who are characterized by different attitudes towards things and life and are to show the world what living in the kingdom of God looks like, not worrying about the same things, our attitudes shaped by faith in the sovereignty of God and our hope solid in Him. If we truly thought that the Lord had the future in His hands what would change in our lives today?
My days are like an evening shadow;
I wither away like grass.
But you, O LORD, are enthroned forever;
you are remembered throughout all generations.
Come quickly Lord Jesus.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
18 November 2010
Psalm 105.1-22; Mal 2.1-16; James 4.13-5.6; Luke 17.20-37
There is a great responsibility for the priest in Judaism and the teacher in Christianity. I consider verse 7 of the passage, “For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts” to be my responsibility. It requires care to ensure that we do teach only that which is true rather than our own opinion. Too often we teach platitudes or simple proverbs when true wisdom is to be shared with our people. We speak about the Lord of all creation, the one who has also sustained all things and delivered all things by His Son and it is a precious thing to be in a position of leadership among the people of God.
Jesus is plain about the day of the Lord, it will not be something we can anticipate and when it comes it will not be pleasant. He speaks of Lot and uses language re not looking back as Lot’s wife did in order to get us to understand that we must keep our eyes on heaven. We must develop two things, sensitivity to sin and a heart for righteousness, in order to keep ourselves for Him. We cannot be double minded. Lot’s wife was double minded, she hated to leave behind some of Sodom and Jesus says we must be single-minded. Christians today have been taught that double-mindedness with respect to the things of earth and we must examine ourselves against that tendency.
James’ warning is against the things of earth overtaking us. In the encounter with the rich young ruler Jesus sized him up and gave him a choice to sell all and give the proceeds to the poor and the man walked away. The disciples had their eyes on the kingdom and accepted Jesus’ offer to follow knowing that it meant exactly what Jesus told the young man, leaving everything else behind. What does that mean in our lives today? If Jesus came and said follow me, would we hesitate or would we be like the disciples? We have so much in our society that it is difficult for us to truly follow completely because so much of our time and energy is spent in either acquisition or holding on to what we already have.
Sing to him, sing praises to him;
tell of all his wondrous works!
Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!
Seek the LORD and his strength;
seek his presence continually!
Psalm 105.1-22; Mal 2.1-16; James 4.13-5.6; Luke 17.20-37
There is a great responsibility for the priest in Judaism and the teacher in Christianity. I consider verse 7 of the passage, “For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts” to be my responsibility. It requires care to ensure that we do teach only that which is true rather than our own opinion. Too often we teach platitudes or simple proverbs when true wisdom is to be shared with our people. We speak about the Lord of all creation, the one who has also sustained all things and delivered all things by His Son and it is a precious thing to be in a position of leadership among the people of God.
Jesus is plain about the day of the Lord, it will not be something we can anticipate and when it comes it will not be pleasant. He speaks of Lot and uses language re not looking back as Lot’s wife did in order to get us to understand that we must keep our eyes on heaven. We must develop two things, sensitivity to sin and a heart for righteousness, in order to keep ourselves for Him. We cannot be double minded. Lot’s wife was double minded, she hated to leave behind some of Sodom and Jesus says we must be single-minded. Christians today have been taught that double-mindedness with respect to the things of earth and we must examine ourselves against that tendency.
James’ warning is against the things of earth overtaking us. In the encounter with the rich young ruler Jesus sized him up and gave him a choice to sell all and give the proceeds to the poor and the man walked away. The disciples had their eyes on the kingdom and accepted Jesus’ offer to follow knowing that it meant exactly what Jesus told the young man, leaving everything else behind. What does that mean in our lives today? If Jesus came and said follow me, would we hesitate or would we be like the disciples? We have so much in our society that it is difficult for us to truly follow completely because so much of our time and energy is spent in either acquisition or holding on to what we already have.
Sing to him, sing praises to him;
tell of all his wondrous works!
Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!
Seek the LORD and his strength;
seek his presence continually!
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
17 November 2010
Psalm 101. 109; Mal 1.1-14; James 3.13-4.12; Luke 17.11-19
How do we dishonor the Lord in our worship? In the time of Malachi they did so by offering lame, blind and impure animals as sacrifice in spite of the Lord’s clear command that the animals offered as sacrifice were to be the best and purest. The costliness of the sacrifice reminded them that sin was an abomination to the Lord, not some insignificant matter. In the new covenant we need to be reminded that Jesus on the cross, his suffering and shame, is the sacrifice for sin and that reminder should be to us the sign of the nature of sin. When we worship Him, do we do so out of duty or from full and thankful hearts. If we bring less than our best to worship the Lord, we stand guilty of the same things the prophet says here, we dishonor the Lord, despise His sacrifice, and profane His Name. Worship is a thoughtful endeavor and requires us to enter His presence with thanksgiving and with an awareness of our need for the encounter.
Only one of the lepers healed by Jesus returns to give thanks and this one was a Samaritan. In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus has chosen an unlikely hero in the Samaritan, so much so that the lawyer who had asked who his neighbor is could not say the word when asked who was the neighbor, but only, the one who did him a good turn. Here the Samaritan isn’t a two-dimensional character in a parable, but a person, and he is the noble one, the Godly one in the bunch. Thankfulness, I believe, is a cultivated attitude for most of us. We take too much for granted in our lives because we are well blessed. I take for granted my ability to see, hear, taste, smell, walk, talk, sleep, think, love, laugh, cry, and so many other things it is ridiculous. I take people for granted too often and I take God’s gift for granted. What would it look like if I decided to give thanks more often for everything? I might be a person that other people wanted to spend more time with and I might begin to overflow with joy as I recognized the blessings in my life.
Is the lack of thankfulness in our lives not what caused the first sin? We thought we were missing out on something in spite of the fact we had been placed in a garden the likes of which have never since been seen and all our needs were provided for by God’s gracious hand in creating all we needed before we were ever created. The only flaw had been companionship and the Lord saw to that need, the only one we recognized. Temptation is often simply a voice that says there is something missing, something God has kept from you that would make your life complete and then we are no longer thankful for what we have but coveting what we don’t have. James says that we must control our passions and desires for they are the cause of our sin. Thankfulness, counting our blessings, is an antidote for that sin.
I will sing of steadfast love and justice;
to you, O LORD, I will make music.
Psalm 101. 109; Mal 1.1-14; James 3.13-4.12; Luke 17.11-19
How do we dishonor the Lord in our worship? In the time of Malachi they did so by offering lame, blind and impure animals as sacrifice in spite of the Lord’s clear command that the animals offered as sacrifice were to be the best and purest. The costliness of the sacrifice reminded them that sin was an abomination to the Lord, not some insignificant matter. In the new covenant we need to be reminded that Jesus on the cross, his suffering and shame, is the sacrifice for sin and that reminder should be to us the sign of the nature of sin. When we worship Him, do we do so out of duty or from full and thankful hearts. If we bring less than our best to worship the Lord, we stand guilty of the same things the prophet says here, we dishonor the Lord, despise His sacrifice, and profane His Name. Worship is a thoughtful endeavor and requires us to enter His presence with thanksgiving and with an awareness of our need for the encounter.
Only one of the lepers healed by Jesus returns to give thanks and this one was a Samaritan. In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus has chosen an unlikely hero in the Samaritan, so much so that the lawyer who had asked who his neighbor is could not say the word when asked who was the neighbor, but only, the one who did him a good turn. Here the Samaritan isn’t a two-dimensional character in a parable, but a person, and he is the noble one, the Godly one in the bunch. Thankfulness, I believe, is a cultivated attitude for most of us. We take too much for granted in our lives because we are well blessed. I take for granted my ability to see, hear, taste, smell, walk, talk, sleep, think, love, laugh, cry, and so many other things it is ridiculous. I take people for granted too often and I take God’s gift for granted. What would it look like if I decided to give thanks more often for everything? I might be a person that other people wanted to spend more time with and I might begin to overflow with joy as I recognized the blessings in my life.
Is the lack of thankfulness in our lives not what caused the first sin? We thought we were missing out on something in spite of the fact we had been placed in a garden the likes of which have never since been seen and all our needs were provided for by God’s gracious hand in creating all we needed before we were ever created. The only flaw had been companionship and the Lord saw to that need, the only one we recognized. Temptation is often simply a voice that says there is something missing, something God has kept from you that would make your life complete and then we are no longer thankful for what we have but coveting what we don’t have. James says that we must control our passions and desires for they are the cause of our sin. Thankfulness, counting our blessings, is an antidote for that sin.
I will sing of steadfast love and justice;
to you, O LORD, I will make music.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
16 November 2010
Psalm 97, 99; Hab 3.1-18; James 3.1-12; Luke 17.1-10
Habakkuk’s prayer is akin to many of the Psalms. He sees the Lord coming to save His people and their enemies destroyed and the imagery shows the entire earth participating in the victory. The Lord marshals the forces of heaven and earth in heralding His coming. The prophet is seeing through eyes of faith, waiting quietly and patiently for the salvation of the Lord, the faithful One. Often our obsessions betray our lack of faith. The prophet is not ignorant of what is happening in the world, he has chosen to remain on the watch for the salvation of God that has been promised. Our duty is to pray for the coming of the kingdom, to work here as Jesus did to proclaim it in our day with our lives, and to wait expectantly for the coming of the Lord as promised.
The context for the disciples’ request to increase their faith is in the context of forgiveness. Jesus has told them that if their brother sins they are to rebuke the brother and if he repents forgive, even if that means you have to do so seven times a day. Why does forgiving someone require faith? Faith requires us to set aside our own “rights” and the idea that someone has gotten away with something if we choose not to exact vengeance in one form or another. Cain lacked faith and when his brother’s sacrifice was found acceptable to God and his was not, he chose to kill his brother. His kinsman, Lamech, upped the ante later in Genesis 4, “I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for striking me. If Cain’s revenge is sevenfold, then Lamech’s is seventy-sevenfold." Do we believe in eternity and abundance or do we believe in the here and now and scarcity?
Is there any question that for most of us the biggest problem we have is the tongue? As a pastor I hear people say the most amazing things about other Christians and I am guilty of the same so I don’t have clean lips. I have seen more than once the power of the tongue to start a fire and ruin other people and we never seem to truly learn our lesson. As wise person once said, “Great people talk about ideas. Average people talk about things. Small people talk about other people." Do we talk about others in order to increase our own self-worth and importance? If so, we fail every time.
O you who love the LORD, hate evil!
He preserves the lives of his saints;
he delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
Light is sown for the righteous,
and joy for the upright in heart.
Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous,
and give thanks to his holy name!
Psalm 97, 99; Hab 3.1-18; James 3.1-12; Luke 17.1-10
Habakkuk’s prayer is akin to many of the Psalms. He sees the Lord coming to save His people and their enemies destroyed and the imagery shows the entire earth participating in the victory. The Lord marshals the forces of heaven and earth in heralding His coming. The prophet is seeing through eyes of faith, waiting quietly and patiently for the salvation of the Lord, the faithful One. Often our obsessions betray our lack of faith. The prophet is not ignorant of what is happening in the world, he has chosen to remain on the watch for the salvation of God that has been promised. Our duty is to pray for the coming of the kingdom, to work here as Jesus did to proclaim it in our day with our lives, and to wait expectantly for the coming of the Lord as promised.
The context for the disciples’ request to increase their faith is in the context of forgiveness. Jesus has told them that if their brother sins they are to rebuke the brother and if he repents forgive, even if that means you have to do so seven times a day. Why does forgiving someone require faith? Faith requires us to set aside our own “rights” and the idea that someone has gotten away with something if we choose not to exact vengeance in one form or another. Cain lacked faith and when his brother’s sacrifice was found acceptable to God and his was not, he chose to kill his brother. His kinsman, Lamech, upped the ante later in Genesis 4, “I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for striking me. If Cain’s revenge is sevenfold, then Lamech’s is seventy-sevenfold." Do we believe in eternity and abundance or do we believe in the here and now and scarcity?
Is there any question that for most of us the biggest problem we have is the tongue? As a pastor I hear people say the most amazing things about other Christians and I am guilty of the same so I don’t have clean lips. I have seen more than once the power of the tongue to start a fire and ruin other people and we never seem to truly learn our lesson. As wise person once said, “Great people talk about ideas. Average people talk about things. Small people talk about other people." Do we talk about others in order to increase our own self-worth and importance? If so, we fail every time.
O you who love the LORD, hate evil!
He preserves the lives of his saints;
he delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
Light is sown for the righteous,
and joy for the upright in heart.
Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous,
and give thanks to his holy name!
Monday, November 15, 2010
15 November 2010
Psalm 89.1-18; Hab 2.1-20; James 2.14-26; Luke 16.19-31
Do we think very often that all that we do is known to the Lord? Our liturgy begins with what is known as the Collect for Purity. It says, “Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name;
through Christ our Lord.” Habakkuk reminds us of God’s omniscience, that he sees and knows all things, even for this nation, the Chaldeans, who have been used as His instrument for judgment on His people. They too will be judged for what they have done. What we do is a measure of what we believe in many ways. A pattern of conduct in our lives betrays character. Most of the time in my life I cherish the theological understanding of the omniscience of God more than I do the reality. We need to recall that God knowing all things has personal implications for our conduct.
The story here is not indicated to be a parable. Is Jesus telling an actual story? It would seem so. We don’t know whether the man in the story is a religious person or not, we only know he was a rich man. There is a Scrooge like character to the story and one wonders if it inspired Charles Dickens. It is interesting that the rich man is not named and the beggar is, an indication of eternal import versus earthly import when the rich man’s name would likely have been known to many while the poor man would have been relatively nameless. What we do know is that Abraham knows all about the earthly lives of these two men and that the rich man ignored the poor man and his needs. Are we guilty of the same attitude of indifference to the suffering and needs of others? Does the fact that we have insulated our lives from contact with those in need absolve us from caring?
What does it mean that faith apart from works is dead? Faith in Jesus Christ risen from the dead is to enliven us to Christ-likeness, rouse us from the dead. Paul will say we were formerly dead because of our sin but the Holy Spirit living in us and through us is life-giving. We have died to sin and risen to Christ and that should show in our lives. The new life in Christ is not simply an affair of the heart and head, it should involve all our being. If we are living by the Spirit then what concerns us should reveal that fact. We are to be shaped by a different set of facts and a different perspective on this life. We have received a great gift, the perspective of the reality that this life isn’t all, we have eternal life, and how we use this short life matters to God. Have we asked Him lately how He would have us live and what we can do with our few years here?
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.
Blessed are the people who know the festal shout,
who walk, O LORD, in the light of your face,
who exult in your name all the day
and in your righteousness are exalted.
Psalm 89.1-18; Hab 2.1-20; James 2.14-26; Luke 16.19-31
Do we think very often that all that we do is known to the Lord? Our liturgy begins with what is known as the Collect for Purity. It says, “Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name;
through Christ our Lord.” Habakkuk reminds us of God’s omniscience, that he sees and knows all things, even for this nation, the Chaldeans, who have been used as His instrument for judgment on His people. They too will be judged for what they have done. What we do is a measure of what we believe in many ways. A pattern of conduct in our lives betrays character. Most of the time in my life I cherish the theological understanding of the omniscience of God more than I do the reality. We need to recall that God knowing all things has personal implications for our conduct.
The story here is not indicated to be a parable. Is Jesus telling an actual story? It would seem so. We don’t know whether the man in the story is a religious person or not, we only know he was a rich man. There is a Scrooge like character to the story and one wonders if it inspired Charles Dickens. It is interesting that the rich man is not named and the beggar is, an indication of eternal import versus earthly import when the rich man’s name would likely have been known to many while the poor man would have been relatively nameless. What we do know is that Abraham knows all about the earthly lives of these two men and that the rich man ignored the poor man and his needs. Are we guilty of the same attitude of indifference to the suffering and needs of others? Does the fact that we have insulated our lives from contact with those in need absolve us from caring?
What does it mean that faith apart from works is dead? Faith in Jesus Christ risen from the dead is to enliven us to Christ-likeness, rouse us from the dead. Paul will say we were formerly dead because of our sin but the Holy Spirit living in us and through us is life-giving. We have died to sin and risen to Christ and that should show in our lives. The new life in Christ is not simply an affair of the heart and head, it should involve all our being. If we are living by the Spirit then what concerns us should reveal that fact. We are to be shaped by a different set of facts and a different perspective on this life. We have received a great gift, the perspective of the reality that this life isn’t all, we have eternal life, and how we use this short life matters to God. Have we asked Him lately how He would have us live and what we can do with our few years here?
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.
Blessed are the people who know the festal shout,
who walk, O LORD, in the light of your face,
who exult in your name all the day
and in your righteousness are exalted.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
14 November 2010
Psalm 66, 67; Hab 1.1-2.1; Phil 3.13-4.1; Matt 23.13-24
I don’t get it. I have been praying and praying and you won’t answer me. What I see in front of me is wrong and my judgment is based on the Word of God but God won’t right the situation. Have you ever felt that way? We can sometimes see what makes no sense of our theology (knowledge of God) and wonder how to resolve the paradox. Habbakuk sees that things aren’t as they should be and asks God why He won’t act. The Lord’s explanation is that He is acting, what the prophet sees is in fact God’s action of judgment on the people. The Lord’s reply also indicates that He knows the character of this nation He is using at present. It is that very nature that makes them a perfect tool to use but He is not affirming their rapacious and self-sufficient nature. The prophet’s response is to say, I will keep my eyes open to God for understanding, I will seek to understand from the Lord alone. A wise choice.
Our judgment tends to be cloudy at best. The scribes and Pharisees here are condemned for failures of understanding and judgment. Their values are misplaced. Everything points ultimately to the Lord, the only thing of value since all else is created by Him and therefore less than Him. The values of the leaders here are exposed. They seemingly value material things rather than spiritual things, the gold of the temple, the gift in the temple, they even tithe of their spices, a tenth of all possessions/assets. Jesus points away from these things to the larger issues of value and import, holiness, justice, mercy and faithfulness. What preoccupies you?
Paul keeps his eyes on the prize, eternal life. He has his values and priorities in order and encourages the Philippians to do the same. We know from Paul’s life that the man, once converted, kept things in proper perspective. He never wavered in his commitment to the task and mission he had been given. He was willing to suffer anything for the cause of Christ and never seemed to care for materialism, he had learned to be content in any circumstance. We know from 2 Corinthians that he endured hardships almost no one could and yet he persevered in faithful obedience to God’s call. He is an example to us all.
Come and hear, all you who fear God,
and I will tell what he has done for my soul.
I cried to him with my mouth,
and high praise was on my tongue.
If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.
But truly God has listened;
he has attended to the voice of my prayer.
Blessed be God,
because he has not rejected my prayer
or removed his steadfast love from me!
Psalm 66, 67; Hab 1.1-2.1; Phil 3.13-4.1; Matt 23.13-24
I don’t get it. I have been praying and praying and you won’t answer me. What I see in front of me is wrong and my judgment is based on the Word of God but God won’t right the situation. Have you ever felt that way? We can sometimes see what makes no sense of our theology (knowledge of God) and wonder how to resolve the paradox. Habbakuk sees that things aren’t as they should be and asks God why He won’t act. The Lord’s explanation is that He is acting, what the prophet sees is in fact God’s action of judgment on the people. The Lord’s reply also indicates that He knows the character of this nation He is using at present. It is that very nature that makes them a perfect tool to use but He is not affirming their rapacious and self-sufficient nature. The prophet’s response is to say, I will keep my eyes open to God for understanding, I will seek to understand from the Lord alone. A wise choice.
Our judgment tends to be cloudy at best. The scribes and Pharisees here are condemned for failures of understanding and judgment. Their values are misplaced. Everything points ultimately to the Lord, the only thing of value since all else is created by Him and therefore less than Him. The values of the leaders here are exposed. They seemingly value material things rather than spiritual things, the gold of the temple, the gift in the temple, they even tithe of their spices, a tenth of all possessions/assets. Jesus points away from these things to the larger issues of value and import, holiness, justice, mercy and faithfulness. What preoccupies you?
Paul keeps his eyes on the prize, eternal life. He has his values and priorities in order and encourages the Philippians to do the same. We know from Paul’s life that the man, once converted, kept things in proper perspective. He never wavered in his commitment to the task and mission he had been given. He was willing to suffer anything for the cause of Christ and never seemed to care for materialism, he had learned to be content in any circumstance. We know from 2 Corinthians that he endured hardships almost no one could and yet he persevered in faithful obedience to God’s call. He is an example to us all.
Come and hear, all you who fear God,
and I will tell what he has done for my soul.
I cried to him with my mouth,
and high praise was on my tongue.
If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.
But truly God has listened;
he has attended to the voice of my prayer.
Blessed be God,
because he has not rejected my prayer
or removed his steadfast love from me!
Saturday, November 13, 2010
13 November 2010
Psalm 87. 90; Joel 3.9-17; James 2.1-13; Luke 16.10-18
The people are urged to prepare for battle, it will be the order of the day. Plowshares are to be beaten into swords for everyone will be engaged in this final effort to defeat the enemy, there will be no plowing, only war. It seems that all the world is converging on what the prophet calls the valley of decision, mustering for the final battle to determine the future not only of Jerusalem but the world at large. Will God be the victor? The decisive answer is “Yes.” There will be a pure Jerusalem, undefiled and holy with no “strangers” coming in, those who are not of the covenant will not enter her gates. As we see Jerusalem today with the mosque in her center where the temple once stood, it is easy to see how the longing for this day would pervade the thoughts of the Jewish nation, dispersed among the nations.
The desire to serve both God and man has been the bane of our existence most of the history of the world. The prophets continually note this problem in calling the people to return to the Lord. Even those who note the religious observances such as tithing and fasting comment that these are done with one eye towards material blessing in return for observance rather than honest love of God and gratitude for His blessings. We can be grateful for what we have in order to encourage God to give more for which we can be grateful. Greed isn’t a 20th century phenomenon and it isn’t a merely worldly preoccupation, we must constantly be on guard against it, always prepared to walk away from the world in order to run to the things eternal. The temptation is always there to seek the things of the world and give God the hindmost.
James warns against partiality. We do this all the time. The Old Testament also warns against it and it does so on two bases, no partiality because someone is rich and none to the poor. In some theological systems today we hear that God particularly cares for the poor but that isn’t the case, there is nothing godly or noble about being poor just as being rich is not a particular sign of God’s blessing in our lives. Today we seem to go one way or another with our theology. Either we can see God’s blessing in our wealth or we can see God’s love for the poor and prefer one or the other. We are commanded to look beyond those externalities to see people not economic circumstances. Job is an excellent case in point. When he was wealthy people thought it was because he was righteous and when he lost everything it was clearly because he was unrighteous. He was the same man the day before he lost it all as he was the day after but was judged differently by men.
So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.
Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
and for as many years as we have seen evil.
Let your work be shown to your servants,
and your glorious power to their children.
Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
and establish the work of our hands upon us;
yes, establish the work of our hands!
Psalm 87. 90; Joel 3.9-17; James 2.1-13; Luke 16.10-18
The people are urged to prepare for battle, it will be the order of the day. Plowshares are to be beaten into swords for everyone will be engaged in this final effort to defeat the enemy, there will be no plowing, only war. It seems that all the world is converging on what the prophet calls the valley of decision, mustering for the final battle to determine the future not only of Jerusalem but the world at large. Will God be the victor? The decisive answer is “Yes.” There will be a pure Jerusalem, undefiled and holy with no “strangers” coming in, those who are not of the covenant will not enter her gates. As we see Jerusalem today with the mosque in her center where the temple once stood, it is easy to see how the longing for this day would pervade the thoughts of the Jewish nation, dispersed among the nations.
The desire to serve both God and man has been the bane of our existence most of the history of the world. The prophets continually note this problem in calling the people to return to the Lord. Even those who note the religious observances such as tithing and fasting comment that these are done with one eye towards material blessing in return for observance rather than honest love of God and gratitude for His blessings. We can be grateful for what we have in order to encourage God to give more for which we can be grateful. Greed isn’t a 20th century phenomenon and it isn’t a merely worldly preoccupation, we must constantly be on guard against it, always prepared to walk away from the world in order to run to the things eternal. The temptation is always there to seek the things of the world and give God the hindmost.
James warns against partiality. We do this all the time. The Old Testament also warns against it and it does so on two bases, no partiality because someone is rich and none to the poor. In some theological systems today we hear that God particularly cares for the poor but that isn’t the case, there is nothing godly or noble about being poor just as being rich is not a particular sign of God’s blessing in our lives. Today we seem to go one way or another with our theology. Either we can see God’s blessing in our wealth or we can see God’s love for the poor and prefer one or the other. We are commanded to look beyond those externalities to see people not economic circumstances. Job is an excellent case in point. When he was wealthy people thought it was because he was righteous and when he lost everything it was clearly because he was unrighteous. He was the same man the day before he lost it all as he was the day after but was judged differently by men.
So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.
Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
and for as many years as we have seen evil.
Let your work be shown to your servants,
and your glorious power to their children.
Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
and establish the work of our hands upon us;
yes, establish the work of our hands!
Friday, November 12, 2010
12 November 2010
Psalm 88; Joel 2.28-3.8; James 1.16-27; Luke 16.1-9
Could anyone have understood the first part of this passage from Joel or believed it to be literally true? Pentecost was a complete game-changer for everyone and no one had ever seen anything like it before. In Numbers 7 God gives His Spirit to a group of seventy elders but that is the only time we see a mass outpouring of the Spirit in the Old Testament. No one could have been prepared for Pentecost or what followed. Why do we not look for the same now? We have accepted a “normal” Christianity that seems tame compared to what we read in the Acts of the Apostles and what is promised here. What is God saying to you isn’t something we ask very often.
This is one of the most difficult teachings in the New Testament to sort out. What do we do with the commendation of the steward for marking down the amounts owed to the master? Who is the master? However we determine those things the interpretation of the parable remains a subject of contention among scholars. We have to conclude some things about the character of the master from start to finish that need to be consistent. It seems likely that the master represents God and if we begin there we know something of the character presumed upon this person in the parable. What is then at stake? The steward or manager is to be fired from his job as agent for wasting the possessions of the owner and then is commended for what looks like further wasting of the possessions. If we understand that an agent represents completely his employer, the honor of the owner is at stake. We have to assume that the debtors do not know that the steward is to be fired or they have participated in defrauding the owner but that until he turns in the books the steward continues to act as agent. The changes reflect on the largesse of the owner and redound to his credit in the area. Most commentators end the parable at verse 8 and avoid the inclusion of “eternal dwellings” but it is not necessary to do so as the owner is the one whose possessions are used, not the agent’s, and if the master does not reverse the transactions, he is the one who has made friends, not the manager.
We are not to be simply mental learners. In school I frequently “crammed” knowledge into my head on a temporary basis in order to do well on a test. Like a computer, this knowledge was saved into a “temp” folder and when I shut down the next day, most of that information was lost to me. Much of what I learned in school is now somewhere in unretrievable files in my brain because it was of use to me only for a day or at most a semester. We are to be doers of the word as well as hearers. If knowledge is to become more than information we have to make that distinction. Christianity isn’t a Bible study and the judgment of God for believers isn’t a quiz on information, it is based on what we did with what we knew. Do our lives reveal that we truly believe or that we simply have some information?
O LORD, God of my salvation;
I cry out day and night before you.
Let my prayer come before you;
incline your ear to my cry!
Psalm 88; Joel 2.28-3.8; James 1.16-27; Luke 16.1-9
Could anyone have understood the first part of this passage from Joel or believed it to be literally true? Pentecost was a complete game-changer for everyone and no one had ever seen anything like it before. In Numbers 7 God gives His Spirit to a group of seventy elders but that is the only time we see a mass outpouring of the Spirit in the Old Testament. No one could have been prepared for Pentecost or what followed. Why do we not look for the same now? We have accepted a “normal” Christianity that seems tame compared to what we read in the Acts of the Apostles and what is promised here. What is God saying to you isn’t something we ask very often.
This is one of the most difficult teachings in the New Testament to sort out. What do we do with the commendation of the steward for marking down the amounts owed to the master? Who is the master? However we determine those things the interpretation of the parable remains a subject of contention among scholars. We have to conclude some things about the character of the master from start to finish that need to be consistent. It seems likely that the master represents God and if we begin there we know something of the character presumed upon this person in the parable. What is then at stake? The steward or manager is to be fired from his job as agent for wasting the possessions of the owner and then is commended for what looks like further wasting of the possessions. If we understand that an agent represents completely his employer, the honor of the owner is at stake. We have to assume that the debtors do not know that the steward is to be fired or they have participated in defrauding the owner but that until he turns in the books the steward continues to act as agent. The changes reflect on the largesse of the owner and redound to his credit in the area. Most commentators end the parable at verse 8 and avoid the inclusion of “eternal dwellings” but it is not necessary to do so as the owner is the one whose possessions are used, not the agent’s, and if the master does not reverse the transactions, he is the one who has made friends, not the manager.
We are not to be simply mental learners. In school I frequently “crammed” knowledge into my head on a temporary basis in order to do well on a test. Like a computer, this knowledge was saved into a “temp” folder and when I shut down the next day, most of that information was lost to me. Much of what I learned in school is now somewhere in unretrievable files in my brain because it was of use to me only for a day or at most a semester. We are to be doers of the word as well as hearers. If knowledge is to become more than information we have to make that distinction. Christianity isn’t a Bible study and the judgment of God for believers isn’t a quiz on information, it is based on what we did with what we knew. Do our lives reveal that we truly believe or that we simply have some information?
O LORD, God of my salvation;
I cry out day and night before you.
Let my prayer come before you;
incline your ear to my cry!
Thursday, November 11, 2010
11 November 2010
Psalm 23, 27; Joel 2.21-27; James 1.1-15; Luke 15.1-2, 11-32
What a wonderful relief from the destruction and devastation and famine it is to hear the Lord’s blessing proclaimed! The prophet’s heart surely leapt with joy when he heard the Lord speak these words to him. The judgment has passed and a new era of blessing has begun where what was lost will be restored and there will be no more famine and the people will rejoice. It will be a time of praise and worship, the recognition that it was God who judged, He calls the locusts His army, and it is God who has restored. Have we seen this day when the people are not put to shame or does the fulfillment of the prophecy await the coming of the kingdom and include those like us who were grafted into the people of God?
The parable of the Prodigal is important for our Christian walk, not just the first part of the journey. It remains important to us to live the Prodigal walk, to make our confession whenever we sin against the Lord in order that we not end up in that foreign land. The story begins with the younger son having already decided to walk away but we know from our own experience that there were many decisions along the way that got him to this point and we need to stop the attitude of ingratitude before it gets us to the point of walking away. The older brother may just as well have left the father as he seems to have only two viable reasons for having stayed, money and duty, and love does not enter the picture at all. He is not remotely thankful or merciful and his sins against the father are as grievous as the younger. The only cure is thankfulness cultivated as a lifestyle.
Count it all joy when you face testing. My prayer life doesn’t look like that. Testing generally doesn’t bring joy to me. James goes all Ecclesiastes on us in this passage in verses 9-11 by reminding us that the things of earth are nothing but dust. They are to be enjoyed but not valued as they are indeed signs that point to the one who is eternal, the one who created all these things we love and appreciate. James sees sin as what is sometimes referred to as a gateway drug, one little one will lead to further degradation and ultimately to death. We must be vigilant against two things in particular, temptation and sin. We must deal with them ruthlessly lest they get a foothold in our lives and we find ourselves in that foreign land as the Prodigal did.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.
Psalm 23, 27; Joel 2.21-27; James 1.1-15; Luke 15.1-2, 11-32
What a wonderful relief from the destruction and devastation and famine it is to hear the Lord’s blessing proclaimed! The prophet’s heart surely leapt with joy when he heard the Lord speak these words to him. The judgment has passed and a new era of blessing has begun where what was lost will be restored and there will be no more famine and the people will rejoice. It will be a time of praise and worship, the recognition that it was God who judged, He calls the locusts His army, and it is God who has restored. Have we seen this day when the people are not put to shame or does the fulfillment of the prophecy await the coming of the kingdom and include those like us who were grafted into the people of God?
The parable of the Prodigal is important for our Christian walk, not just the first part of the journey. It remains important to us to live the Prodigal walk, to make our confession whenever we sin against the Lord in order that we not end up in that foreign land. The story begins with the younger son having already decided to walk away but we know from our own experience that there were many decisions along the way that got him to this point and we need to stop the attitude of ingratitude before it gets us to the point of walking away. The older brother may just as well have left the father as he seems to have only two viable reasons for having stayed, money and duty, and love does not enter the picture at all. He is not remotely thankful or merciful and his sins against the father are as grievous as the younger. The only cure is thankfulness cultivated as a lifestyle.
Count it all joy when you face testing. My prayer life doesn’t look like that. Testing generally doesn’t bring joy to me. James goes all Ecclesiastes on us in this passage in verses 9-11 by reminding us that the things of earth are nothing but dust. They are to be enjoyed but not valued as they are indeed signs that point to the one who is eternal, the one who created all these things we love and appreciate. James sees sin as what is sometimes referred to as a gateway drug, one little one will lead to further degradation and ultimately to death. We must be vigilant against two things in particular, temptation and sin. We must deal with them ruthlessly lest they get a foothold in our lives and we find ourselves in that foreign land as the Prodigal did.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
10 November 2010
Psalm 119.97-120; Joel 2.12-19; Rev 19.11-21; Luke 15.1-10
Even in the face of the prophecy of the end the prophet implores them to return to the Lord and to cry out to Him and the basis for their cry is the character of the Lord Himself. The prophet takes the language of God to encourage the people to repent, the Lord is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, God’s self-description. He is also using the words of God from 2 Chronicles 7, His promise that if they repent and turn to Him He will be merciful and forgiving. What is called for is a national repentance in which everyone participates. We use this same passage on Ash Wednesday in order to call a fast or repentance during Lent to prepare us for the celebration of Easter. We do so to remember the past and in the hope of both our own resurrection from the dead and the coming of Jesus.
Jesus explains His mission simply, the rescue of sinners and their reconciliation with God. He uses everyday examples to illustrate the message, images with which His hearers would instantly connect, shepherds looking for lost sheep and a woman searching for a lost valuable item. We can easily relate to these same concepts if we have ever mislaid or lost something of value to us and our reaction to move heaven and earth to find it. In both cases here, Jesus has in mind some subset of a larger grouping that has value in itself but even more in light of the whole and when it is reunited with the whole it enhances the value of all. We are precious as individuals to the Lord but His purpose is to restore the wholeness of the church by bringing us into that flock.
The time has come for the final battle and the rider on the white horse, the King of kings and Lord of lords comes with a heavenly army against the beast and the false prophet and their armies. We see the victory of God over all the hosts arrayed against Him in this victory that will establish His kingdom forever and ever. Do we understand truly that opposition to God or do we discount evil as something less than that? We need to understand there is indeed an enemy and we are in the midst of a battle. Compromise is not the way to victory.
Oh how I love your law!
It is my meditation all the day.
Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies,
for it is ever with me.
How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
Through your precepts I get understanding;
therefore I hate every false way.
Psalm 119.97-120; Joel 2.12-19; Rev 19.11-21; Luke 15.1-10
Even in the face of the prophecy of the end the prophet implores them to return to the Lord and to cry out to Him and the basis for their cry is the character of the Lord Himself. The prophet takes the language of God to encourage the people to repent, the Lord is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, God’s self-description. He is also using the words of God from 2 Chronicles 7, His promise that if they repent and turn to Him He will be merciful and forgiving. What is called for is a national repentance in which everyone participates. We use this same passage on Ash Wednesday in order to call a fast or repentance during Lent to prepare us for the celebration of Easter. We do so to remember the past and in the hope of both our own resurrection from the dead and the coming of Jesus.
Jesus explains His mission simply, the rescue of sinners and their reconciliation with God. He uses everyday examples to illustrate the message, images with which His hearers would instantly connect, shepherds looking for lost sheep and a woman searching for a lost valuable item. We can easily relate to these same concepts if we have ever mislaid or lost something of value to us and our reaction to move heaven and earth to find it. In both cases here, Jesus has in mind some subset of a larger grouping that has value in itself but even more in light of the whole and when it is reunited with the whole it enhances the value of all. We are precious as individuals to the Lord but His purpose is to restore the wholeness of the church by bringing us into that flock.
The time has come for the final battle and the rider on the white horse, the King of kings and Lord of lords comes with a heavenly army against the beast and the false prophet and their armies. We see the victory of God over all the hosts arrayed against Him in this victory that will establish His kingdom forever and ever. Do we understand truly that opposition to God or do we discount evil as something less than that? We need to understand there is indeed an enemy and we are in the midst of a battle. Compromise is not the way to victory.
Oh how I love your law!
It is my meditation all the day.
Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies,
for it is ever with me.
How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
Through your precepts I get understanding;
therefore I hate every false way.
9 November 2010
Psalm 79.1-39; Joel 1.14-2.11; Rev 19.1-10; Luke 14.25-35
Joel sees the day of the Lord’s vengeance coming with a mighty army that will swoop in and destroy all in its path, an unstoppable army that is more fearsome than any ever assembled. In preparation for the coming of the Lord they are commanded to call for a fast and a solemn assembly to cry out to the Lord. Jesus taught us to pray for the coming of the kingdom but He also warned us about the awful nature of the coming of the Lord and the judgment on earth. It is a bittersweet thought, the joy of the eternal kingdom mingled with the horrors of judgment and the loss of life and destruction of the earth.
What is the cost of discipleship? Jesus says it is the renunciation of all else to follow Him. We see that in the lives of the disciples who left their nets, their seats at custom and other occupations to follow Jesus completely for three years. We have tended to make discipleship into something more akin to a hobby rather than a passion and an avocation. We have diminished the cost to the tithe when Jesus’ demand was everything. We pay the toll to avoid the true cost and we assuage our consciences regarding the demand through believing we are able to have everything we want but not be possessed by it all yet we spend out days doing all we can to make sure we don’t lose what we have. The demand is great on our lives and we need to be confronted with that truth.
What does it mean that all of heaven rejoices over the judgments of God that have destroyed so much of His “good” creation? In our society today we hear often that judgment cannot be a concept applied to a “good’ God and yet whose standards of “good” are we using to come to that judgment? What this tells us is that there is another standard for “good” and “righteous” and they are based in seeing and knowing the effects of sin on what God termed good. We need a different perspective to see and understand. Now that judgment seems complete we are prepared for a wedding amidst the ruins.
I will not hide them from their children,
but tell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might,
and the wonders that he has done.
Psalm 79.1-39; Joel 1.14-2.11; Rev 19.1-10; Luke 14.25-35
Joel sees the day of the Lord’s vengeance coming with a mighty army that will swoop in and destroy all in its path, an unstoppable army that is more fearsome than any ever assembled. In preparation for the coming of the Lord they are commanded to call for a fast and a solemn assembly to cry out to the Lord. Jesus taught us to pray for the coming of the kingdom but He also warned us about the awful nature of the coming of the Lord and the judgment on earth. It is a bittersweet thought, the joy of the eternal kingdom mingled with the horrors of judgment and the loss of life and destruction of the earth.
What is the cost of discipleship? Jesus says it is the renunciation of all else to follow Him. We see that in the lives of the disciples who left their nets, their seats at custom and other occupations to follow Jesus completely for three years. We have tended to make discipleship into something more akin to a hobby rather than a passion and an avocation. We have diminished the cost to the tithe when Jesus’ demand was everything. We pay the toll to avoid the true cost and we assuage our consciences regarding the demand through believing we are able to have everything we want but not be possessed by it all yet we spend out days doing all we can to make sure we don’t lose what we have. The demand is great on our lives and we need to be confronted with that truth.
What does it mean that all of heaven rejoices over the judgments of God that have destroyed so much of His “good” creation? In our society today we hear often that judgment cannot be a concept applied to a “good’ God and yet whose standards of “good” are we using to come to that judgment? What this tells us is that there is another standard for “good” and “righteous” and they are based in seeing and knowing the effects of sin on what God termed good. We need a different perspective to see and understand. Now that judgment seems complete we are prepared for a wedding amidst the ruins.
I will not hide them from their children,
but tell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might,
and the wonders that he has done.
8 November 2010
Psalm 80; Joel 1.1-13; Rev 18.15-24; Luke 14.12-24
The judgment of God is on the produce of the land and the suffering extends to all. The destruction of the crops is complete in that whatever one pestilence leaves behind, the next devours until ultimately the land is completely stripped of everything. The worship of the people is impossible and all that makes for an enjoyable life are gone. The command goes forth from the prophet to declare a period of mourning by the priests, a mourning that is characterized by repentance for the sins of the nation.
The banquet invitation would have fixed the date but not the time. The guests who decline to come to the banquet would have already been advised of the date and were simply awaiting the summons to the feast. Not only that, they would have RSVP’d that they would be available that day. Now, they give weak excuses for not coming at the last minute and the host is left without guests and sends his servants to get “less desirable” society for the occasion. The parable is both a parable on the rejection of Jesus by the Jews and object lesson for his interlocutor on following the word Jesus has just spoken about extending hospitality to those down the social ladder. Jesus’ words were counter cultural then as now and demanded an explanation.
The value system of the world is clear, the merchants and those who made money from the trade of the city weep and wail over her destruction and refuse to turn to the one who destroyed her. Heaven and the saints are told to rejoice over this destruction, not to join in the lament, for this is God’s judgment on the city. Then an angel throws down a millstone into the sea and proclaims that this same judgment is on Babylon for all the atrocities committed there. It is important for us to ensure that we do not share in the world’s value systems but that we are instead prepared to hear the Lord’s judgment on the things of the world.
Restore us, O LORD God of hosts!
Let your face shine, that we may be saved!
Psalm 80; Joel 1.1-13; Rev 18.15-24; Luke 14.12-24
The judgment of God is on the produce of the land and the suffering extends to all. The destruction of the crops is complete in that whatever one pestilence leaves behind, the next devours until ultimately the land is completely stripped of everything. The worship of the people is impossible and all that makes for an enjoyable life are gone. The command goes forth from the prophet to declare a period of mourning by the priests, a mourning that is characterized by repentance for the sins of the nation.
The banquet invitation would have fixed the date but not the time. The guests who decline to come to the banquet would have already been advised of the date and were simply awaiting the summons to the feast. Not only that, they would have RSVP’d that they would be available that day. Now, they give weak excuses for not coming at the last minute and the host is left without guests and sends his servants to get “less desirable” society for the occasion. The parable is both a parable on the rejection of Jesus by the Jews and object lesson for his interlocutor on following the word Jesus has just spoken about extending hospitality to those down the social ladder. Jesus’ words were counter cultural then as now and demanded an explanation.
The value system of the world is clear, the merchants and those who made money from the trade of the city weep and wail over her destruction and refuse to turn to the one who destroyed her. Heaven and the saints are told to rejoice over this destruction, not to join in the lament, for this is God’s judgment on the city. Then an angel throws down a millstone into the sea and proclaims that this same judgment is on Babylon for all the atrocities committed there. It is important for us to ensure that we do not share in the world’s value systems but that we are instead prepared to hear the Lord’s judgment on the things of the world.
Restore us, O LORD God of hosts!
Let your face shine, that we may be saved!
7 November 2010
Psalm 93. 96; Ecclus 51.13-22; 1 Cor 14.1-12; Matt 20.1-16
The writer shows that he already possessed a degree of wisdom before he ever sought wisdom. He proves it by knowing where to seek it, in prayer and before the temple. Solomon was rewarded by the Lord for seeking wisdom as the one thing he wanted from God to be a good king. This writer sought wisdom in the only place it may be truly found, in the Lord, the source of all things, the creator of all that is and therefore the only one who truly understands not only how things work but why they do so and for what purpose they were created. Even greater wisdom is in the last verse. What do I do with the wisdom I have received? I use my tongue to praise the one who gave me wisdom.
When you came to the Lord and received salvation and eternal life, was it bundled with a lot of other things? Does Jesus promise eternal life and material prosperity? How did we get that idea? It seems as though it doesn’t take us long in our journey to start looking around and come to the conclusion that other people seem to have gotten things in their bargain that we didn’t get and now we are a bit less happy with our deal. What once brought us joy now feels like we got the short end of the stick, we should have held out for more. Are you happy with Jesus and His offer of life or are you like the first laborers in the parable?
Apparently the gift of tongues has always been a bit problematic for the church. There has always been a tendency to either exalt the gift as the most exotic and somehow the most intimate of the gifts or to deny its existence. Paul tries to walk the balance between the extremes by asking the question of purpose. Why are we seeking the gifts at all? The best reason he can give for seeking particular gifts from the Lord is to focus on the purpose of the gift and says that those which build up the body are the ones that are truly most important. He does not diminish the value of tongues but says to seek those things that edify the whole rather than the individual. The greater good is always in mind.
Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength!
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
bring an offering, and come into his courts!
Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness;
tremble before him, all the earth!
Psalm 93. 96; Ecclus 51.13-22; 1 Cor 14.1-12; Matt 20.1-16
The writer shows that he already possessed a degree of wisdom before he ever sought wisdom. He proves it by knowing where to seek it, in prayer and before the temple. Solomon was rewarded by the Lord for seeking wisdom as the one thing he wanted from God to be a good king. This writer sought wisdom in the only place it may be truly found, in the Lord, the source of all things, the creator of all that is and therefore the only one who truly understands not only how things work but why they do so and for what purpose they were created. Even greater wisdom is in the last verse. What do I do with the wisdom I have received? I use my tongue to praise the one who gave me wisdom.
When you came to the Lord and received salvation and eternal life, was it bundled with a lot of other things? Does Jesus promise eternal life and material prosperity? How did we get that idea? It seems as though it doesn’t take us long in our journey to start looking around and come to the conclusion that other people seem to have gotten things in their bargain that we didn’t get and now we are a bit less happy with our deal. What once brought us joy now feels like we got the short end of the stick, we should have held out for more. Are you happy with Jesus and His offer of life or are you like the first laborers in the parable?
Apparently the gift of tongues has always been a bit problematic for the church. There has always been a tendency to either exalt the gift as the most exotic and somehow the most intimate of the gifts or to deny its existence. Paul tries to walk the balance between the extremes by asking the question of purpose. Why are we seeking the gifts at all? The best reason he can give for seeking particular gifts from the Lord is to focus on the purpose of the gift and says that those which build up the body are the ones that are truly most important. He does not diminish the value of tongues but says to seek those things that edify the whole rather than the individual. The greater good is always in mind.
Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength!
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
bring an offering, and come into his courts!
Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness;
tremble before him, all the earth!
Saturday, November 6, 2010
6 November 2010
Psalm 75, 76; Ecclus 51.1-12; Rev 18.1-14; Luke 14.1-11
In the Kenyan liturgy we use at our church the bidding to the congregation for the Lord’s Prayer says, “Lord, you taught us to hope for salvation, the joy of every longing heart. And so we pray for the coming of your kingdom in the words our Savior taught us.” Like the writer here, we have found the answer to our hope for salvation in Him alone. The writer says that he had hoped for human intervention and none was forthcoming and when he realized that his only hope was in you, he reacted like Jonah in his prayer from the belly of the fish, proclaiming salvation comes from the Lord. He not only proclaims this truth but remembers to be thankful for his salvation. We don’t know the circumstances from which this paean springs but we would do well to emulate this prayer in our own lives, today and every day thanking God for the great salvation He has worked on our behalf, saving us from sin and death in the sacrifice of His beloved Son, Jesus.
The ruler of the Pharisees would have been an important person in Judaism at the time of Jesus and the man with dropsy would be someone who would have been unimportant and yet Jesus’ attention here is on this man who needs something from Him, not the ruler. Since it is the Sabbath, Jesus doesn’t just heal the man, he uses it as a teaching moment for His host as well. The teaching has to do with interpretation of Scripture but more its application than understanding. Surely a person, created in the image of God, particularly a member of the covenant community, is of greater priority than an animal and yet He has been criticized for healing on the Sabbath when the law makes provision for rescuing an animal from danger on the Sabbath. The parable is a word of warning to those who would exalt themselves as the Pharisees and the scribes and lawyers were fond of doing but here Jesus has put them into their place.
After the great city has been destroyed and angel again appears in the heavens to proclaim not only her destruction but also her sin and shame and calls the people out of her. It would seem unnecessary to do so in her ruined state but clearly it is necessary. The angelic voice clearly directs attention to God as the agent of destruction, displaying His power and His judgment for all to see and yet they will not turn to Him in spite of His greatness, the fear of the Lord fails to find a place in their hearts. Sadly, the truth is that they will weep for her because she has satisfied the desires of their hearts, they have not sought Him and their desires are not on things eternal but on things of creation. He has created all good things, to Him be praise and glory!
Surely the wrath of man shall praise you;
the remnant of wrath you will put on like a belt.
Make your vows to the LORD your God and perform them;
let all around him bring gifts
to him who is to be feared,
who cuts off the spirit of princes,
who is to be feared by the kings of the earth.
Psalm 75, 76; Ecclus 51.1-12; Rev 18.1-14; Luke 14.1-11
In the Kenyan liturgy we use at our church the bidding to the congregation for the Lord’s Prayer says, “Lord, you taught us to hope for salvation, the joy of every longing heart. And so we pray for the coming of your kingdom in the words our Savior taught us.” Like the writer here, we have found the answer to our hope for salvation in Him alone. The writer says that he had hoped for human intervention and none was forthcoming and when he realized that his only hope was in you, he reacted like Jonah in his prayer from the belly of the fish, proclaiming salvation comes from the Lord. He not only proclaims this truth but remembers to be thankful for his salvation. We don’t know the circumstances from which this paean springs but we would do well to emulate this prayer in our own lives, today and every day thanking God for the great salvation He has worked on our behalf, saving us from sin and death in the sacrifice of His beloved Son, Jesus.
The ruler of the Pharisees would have been an important person in Judaism at the time of Jesus and the man with dropsy would be someone who would have been unimportant and yet Jesus’ attention here is on this man who needs something from Him, not the ruler. Since it is the Sabbath, Jesus doesn’t just heal the man, he uses it as a teaching moment for His host as well. The teaching has to do with interpretation of Scripture but more its application than understanding. Surely a person, created in the image of God, particularly a member of the covenant community, is of greater priority than an animal and yet He has been criticized for healing on the Sabbath when the law makes provision for rescuing an animal from danger on the Sabbath. The parable is a word of warning to those who would exalt themselves as the Pharisees and the scribes and lawyers were fond of doing but here Jesus has put them into their place.
After the great city has been destroyed and angel again appears in the heavens to proclaim not only her destruction but also her sin and shame and calls the people out of her. It would seem unnecessary to do so in her ruined state but clearly it is necessary. The angelic voice clearly directs attention to God as the agent of destruction, displaying His power and His judgment for all to see and yet they will not turn to Him in spite of His greatness, the fear of the Lord fails to find a place in their hearts. Sadly, the truth is that they will weep for her because she has satisfied the desires of their hearts, they have not sought Him and their desires are not on things eternal but on things of creation. He has created all good things, to Him be praise and glory!
Surely the wrath of man shall praise you;
the remnant of wrath you will put on like a belt.
Make your vows to the LORD your God and perform them;
let all around him bring gifts
to him who is to be feared,
who cuts off the spirit of princes,
who is to be feared by the kings of the earth.
Friday, November 5, 2010
5 November 2010
Psalm 69; Ecclus 50.1, 11-24; Rev 17.1-18; Luke 13.31-35
As a pastor myself it is humbling to hear the writer proclaim the glories of the priest in the leading of worship. Sometimes it is easy to forget that you aren’t performing the worship but instead you are actually participating in worship as you read the liturgy. There is a delicate balance between being fully engaged in the worship and leading others simultaneously and sometimes I want to rest in the words and contemplate what I am saying but I can’t allow my private reverie to keep me from the work. The goal of the work is to lead others into the presence of God which means that we will truly glory in Him. The worship described here sounds glorious. Let us resolve this day to worship the One who sits on the throne.
The Pharisees, in an attempt to get Jesus to leave Jerusalem tell Him Herod is out to kill Him. Jesus speaks briefly about Herod, calling him that fox. It is impossible to tell for certain what this particular reference may mean, today it would mean clever but in Jesus’ time it also meant something on the order of insignificant. Herod is not, however, Jesus’ target here but rather the Pharisees themselves. It is not Gentiles who stone the prophets, it is the Jewish people themselves and the leaders in particular and Jesus is lining these contemporary leaders up with those in the past as He knows it is they and not Herod who are looking to kill Him.
The angel shows John the truth about what is to come, when the nations will gather themselves together and submit themselves to one power, the beast. Contrast this with the picture of the New Jerusalem which comes later in the book where the city is arrayed in splendor with God as her light and Jesus as the lamp through which the light shines and into the city the nations bring their glory to be subsumed into the glory of the city. Here we see the city of man as the great prostitute and the beast and the dragon hate her for she steals the hearts of men to herself and so the forces of evil are at war with one another for glory. After her destruction will come the unity of the nations arrayed against the Lord yet we are told that ultimately the Lamb will triumph. Hallelujah!
But as for me, my prayer is to you, O LORD.
At an acceptable time, O God,
in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness.
I will praise the name of God with a song;
I will magnify him with thanksgiving.
Psalm 69; Ecclus 50.1, 11-24; Rev 17.1-18; Luke 13.31-35
As a pastor myself it is humbling to hear the writer proclaim the glories of the priest in the leading of worship. Sometimes it is easy to forget that you aren’t performing the worship but instead you are actually participating in worship as you read the liturgy. There is a delicate balance between being fully engaged in the worship and leading others simultaneously and sometimes I want to rest in the words and contemplate what I am saying but I can’t allow my private reverie to keep me from the work. The goal of the work is to lead others into the presence of God which means that we will truly glory in Him. The worship described here sounds glorious. Let us resolve this day to worship the One who sits on the throne.
The Pharisees, in an attempt to get Jesus to leave Jerusalem tell Him Herod is out to kill Him. Jesus speaks briefly about Herod, calling him that fox. It is impossible to tell for certain what this particular reference may mean, today it would mean clever but in Jesus’ time it also meant something on the order of insignificant. Herod is not, however, Jesus’ target here but rather the Pharisees themselves. It is not Gentiles who stone the prophets, it is the Jewish people themselves and the leaders in particular and Jesus is lining these contemporary leaders up with those in the past as He knows it is they and not Herod who are looking to kill Him.
The angel shows John the truth about what is to come, when the nations will gather themselves together and submit themselves to one power, the beast. Contrast this with the picture of the New Jerusalem which comes later in the book where the city is arrayed in splendor with God as her light and Jesus as the lamp through which the light shines and into the city the nations bring their glory to be subsumed into the glory of the city. Here we see the city of man as the great prostitute and the beast and the dragon hate her for she steals the hearts of men to herself and so the forces of evil are at war with one another for glory. After her destruction will come the unity of the nations arrayed against the Lord yet we are told that ultimately the Lamb will triumph. Hallelujah!
But as for me, my prayer is to you, O LORD.
At an acceptable time, O God,
in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness.
I will praise the name of God with a song;
I will magnify him with thanksgiving.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
4 November 2010
Psalm 71; Ecclus 44.1-15; Rev 16.12-21; Luke 13.18-30
We tend to single out those whose faith is known to us in the pages of Scripture and this passage reminds us that “famous” is not the standard for God. It is well to recall the lives of those who walked well the walk of faith and whose stories are knowable. In our tradition we remember those from the Bible and from our history who have walked well. We don’t venerate them or pray to them but we do well to have set before us their good examples as inspiration. This writer speaks of those who were great in the eyes of the world and then reminds us that there are countless others, who quietly and anonymously had great impact on their generations and who are no less worthy of praise. I know many of these quiet saints who have impacted my life and who continue to challenge me with their walk to keep the faith and press on towards the goal.
What is the “narrow door”? That door is Jesus Himself. In John 10 He speaks of being the gate of the sheepfold through which only the sheep may pass and that then leads to John 14, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no man comes to the Father but by Me.” He is the only way to eternal life, there are many paths but only one which leads to eternal life with God. We don’t get to choose our own way, we must follow the way of Christ and that is the path of faith, the way of the cross. It may not be popular but if we would receive the crown of glory we must receive it from Him.
There are many Biblical references in this reading from the Revelation. The word from the throne says “It is done.” Does that sound like Jesus from the cross proclaiming “It is finished.” This proclamation is accompanied by the signs Matthew gives us in his Gospel about the crucifixion, signs in the heavens and an earthquake. Babylon is required to drain the cup to the last connects with Psalm 75, a psalm of judgment on the nations. The hailstones are reminiscent of the plague of hail in Egypt. All these cause men not to turn to God here but to curse Him for the plague. They recognize Him as responsible but they will not turn to Him for salvation.
In you, O LORD, do I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame!
In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;
incline your ear to me, and save me!
Be to me a rock of refuge,
to which I may continually come;
you have given the command to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
Psalm 71; Ecclus 44.1-15; Rev 16.12-21; Luke 13.18-30
We tend to single out those whose faith is known to us in the pages of Scripture and this passage reminds us that “famous” is not the standard for God. It is well to recall the lives of those who walked well the walk of faith and whose stories are knowable. In our tradition we remember those from the Bible and from our history who have walked well. We don’t venerate them or pray to them but we do well to have set before us their good examples as inspiration. This writer speaks of those who were great in the eyes of the world and then reminds us that there are countless others, who quietly and anonymously had great impact on their generations and who are no less worthy of praise. I know many of these quiet saints who have impacted my life and who continue to challenge me with their walk to keep the faith and press on towards the goal.
What is the “narrow door”? That door is Jesus Himself. In John 10 He speaks of being the gate of the sheepfold through which only the sheep may pass and that then leads to John 14, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no man comes to the Father but by Me.” He is the only way to eternal life, there are many paths but only one which leads to eternal life with God. We don’t get to choose our own way, we must follow the way of Christ and that is the path of faith, the way of the cross. It may not be popular but if we would receive the crown of glory we must receive it from Him.
There are many Biblical references in this reading from the Revelation. The word from the throne says “It is done.” Does that sound like Jesus from the cross proclaiming “It is finished.” This proclamation is accompanied by the signs Matthew gives us in his Gospel about the crucifixion, signs in the heavens and an earthquake. Babylon is required to drain the cup to the last connects with Psalm 75, a psalm of judgment on the nations. The hailstones are reminiscent of the plague of hail in Egypt. All these cause men not to turn to God here but to curse Him for the plague. They recognize Him as responsible but they will not turn to Him for salvation.
In you, O LORD, do I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame!
In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;
incline your ear to me, and save me!
Be to me a rock of refuge,
to which I may continually come;
you have given the command to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
3 November 2010
Psalm 72; Ecclus 43.23-33; Rev 16.1-11; Luke 13.10-17
We could say more but could never say enough; let the final word be: ‘He is the all.’ What a wonderful thing to read first thing in the morning! We need to do as the writer says, marvel at the works of the Lord, praise Him for all He has done, glory in Him and exalt Him as much as you can, give thanks to Him and adore Him. He is indeed worthy of all our praise, all our worship, all our adoration, all our thanksgiving, all our strength, soul and mind. Let us resolve this day to begin our day with praise to the Lord who has created all things, sustains all things, our strength and redeemer. Remember, Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.
The woman who was healed glorified God but the ruler of the synagogue was indignant at the healing because it occurred on the Sabbath. Can you imagine what Jesus’ inner reaction was to the indignation? The spiritual blindness of the leader is amazing yet we often do similar things when we judge the worship of others when it differs from ours. God’s way of working is frequently not our preferred way and we should join in the chorus of heaven that the Lord is working among us even when it doesn’t fit our model. Fortunately, the people joined in the woman’s praise and glorified the Lord for Jesus’ works.
The bowls of God’s wrath are poured out on the earth and what is the reaction of man? They did not repent and give Him glory. How could this be? Look around us today and you will see the answer. Because we believe the universe to be a closed system, closed to God, we see the problems as other than God’s judgment, other than His call to us to repent. We believe that since the system is closed we can more or less work on things and come up with solutions to problems and if we can’t at the moment we believe that in the future we will certainly know enough to fix them, thus the belief in cryogenics, the freezing of bodies rather than burying them so that later we can be fixed and running again. Natural disasters are indeed often natural in the sense that because of sin the whole creation participates in the fall and bad things happen but they should call us to consider God’s original creation when all things worked together to produce beauty and fruitfulness.
Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
who alone does wondrous things.
Blessed be his glorious name forever;
may the whole earth be filled with his glory!
Psalm 72; Ecclus 43.23-33; Rev 16.1-11; Luke 13.10-17
We could say more but could never say enough; let the final word be: ‘He is the all.’ What a wonderful thing to read first thing in the morning! We need to do as the writer says, marvel at the works of the Lord, praise Him for all He has done, glory in Him and exalt Him as much as you can, give thanks to Him and adore Him. He is indeed worthy of all our praise, all our worship, all our adoration, all our thanksgiving, all our strength, soul and mind. Let us resolve this day to begin our day with praise to the Lord who has created all things, sustains all things, our strength and redeemer. Remember, Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.
The woman who was healed glorified God but the ruler of the synagogue was indignant at the healing because it occurred on the Sabbath. Can you imagine what Jesus’ inner reaction was to the indignation? The spiritual blindness of the leader is amazing yet we often do similar things when we judge the worship of others when it differs from ours. God’s way of working is frequently not our preferred way and we should join in the chorus of heaven that the Lord is working among us even when it doesn’t fit our model. Fortunately, the people joined in the woman’s praise and glorified the Lord for Jesus’ works.
The bowls of God’s wrath are poured out on the earth and what is the reaction of man? They did not repent and give Him glory. How could this be? Look around us today and you will see the answer. Because we believe the universe to be a closed system, closed to God, we see the problems as other than God’s judgment, other than His call to us to repent. We believe that since the system is closed we can more or less work on things and come up with solutions to problems and if we can’t at the moment we believe that in the future we will certainly know enough to fix them, thus the belief in cryogenics, the freezing of bodies rather than burying them so that later we can be fixed and running again. Natural disasters are indeed often natural in the sense that because of sin the whole creation participates in the fall and bad things happen but they should call us to consider God’s original creation when all things worked together to produce beauty and fruitfulness.
Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
who alone does wondrous things.
Blessed be his glorious name forever;
may the whole earth be filled with his glory!
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
2 November 2010
Psalm 61, 62; Ecclus 43.1-22; Rev 14.14-15.8; Luke 13.1-9
It is important for us to be thankful and give praise in all things. The created order is a wonderful place to start each and every day. As we drive to and from work, play or errands we have the opportunity to behold the handiwork of God and ascribe the glory and honor due to He who called it into being and it has marvelously performed its appointed task for who knows how long. All these things work together for the glory of God and we were created with the sensory abilities to appreciate them, the intellectual capacity to understand them, and the abilities to praise Him for all things that allow us to enjoy this life. Is that the way we utilize all these capacities? Today is the day to begin praising Him for His creation and all our abilities to enjoy them.
Is the example of the blood of the Galileeans whose blood Pilate mixed with the sacrifice an attempt to understand the times or just a not so subtle shot at Jesus’ homeland? It seems likely that the second option is the best and Jesus will have none of it, reminding them of another incident that was not in Galilee that impugns them if the same standard is applied. The parable is intended to say that this is the nation’s last chance at producing fruit and Jesus has come in love in order to attempt to coax fruit from this barren tree. It has ceased to give praise to God and has devolved into not nationalism but regionalism and self-righteousness and has forgotten how they became a nation at all.
This is a horrifying scene of God’s judgment beginning with the sickle of the one like a son of man wearing the crown, then the angel with the sickle gathering up the harvest of the unrighteous to the winepress of God’s wrath, followed by the pouring out of the seven bowls of God’s wrath (the number of completion). In all this devastation and death heaven responds with the proclamation that this is all “just.” The world today has, as CS Lewis said, put God in the dock at court and is accusing Him of being less than loving and just for His judgments but heaven disagrees. He has brought on the ruin of all He has created and all for love’s sake that some may see and believe and turn to Him. It is His, He created it and that is an important tenet of our faith for this reason, He loves us more than His creation and if we cannot see Him as creator then we cannot accept any of this judgment, we cannot see Him as loving enough to have created for us and we cannot see Him as truly God of all.
Lead me to the rock
that is higher than I,
for you have been my refuge,
a strong tower against the enemy.
Let me dwell in your tent forever!
Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings!
Psalm 61, 62; Ecclus 43.1-22; Rev 14.14-15.8; Luke 13.1-9
It is important for us to be thankful and give praise in all things. The created order is a wonderful place to start each and every day. As we drive to and from work, play or errands we have the opportunity to behold the handiwork of God and ascribe the glory and honor due to He who called it into being and it has marvelously performed its appointed task for who knows how long. All these things work together for the glory of God and we were created with the sensory abilities to appreciate them, the intellectual capacity to understand them, and the abilities to praise Him for all things that allow us to enjoy this life. Is that the way we utilize all these capacities? Today is the day to begin praising Him for His creation and all our abilities to enjoy them.
Is the example of the blood of the Galileeans whose blood Pilate mixed with the sacrifice an attempt to understand the times or just a not so subtle shot at Jesus’ homeland? It seems likely that the second option is the best and Jesus will have none of it, reminding them of another incident that was not in Galilee that impugns them if the same standard is applied. The parable is intended to say that this is the nation’s last chance at producing fruit and Jesus has come in love in order to attempt to coax fruit from this barren tree. It has ceased to give praise to God and has devolved into not nationalism but regionalism and self-righteousness and has forgotten how they became a nation at all.
This is a horrifying scene of God’s judgment beginning with the sickle of the one like a son of man wearing the crown, then the angel with the sickle gathering up the harvest of the unrighteous to the winepress of God’s wrath, followed by the pouring out of the seven bowls of God’s wrath (the number of completion). In all this devastation and death heaven responds with the proclamation that this is all “just.” The world today has, as CS Lewis said, put God in the dock at court and is accusing Him of being less than loving and just for His judgments but heaven disagrees. He has brought on the ruin of all He has created and all for love’s sake that some may see and believe and turn to Him. It is His, He created it and that is an important tenet of our faith for this reason, He loves us more than His creation and if we cannot see Him as creator then we cannot accept any of this judgment, we cannot see Him as loving enough to have created for us and we cannot see Him as truly God of all.
Lead me to the rock
that is higher than I,
for you have been my refuge,
a strong tower against the enemy.
Let me dwell in your tent forever!
Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings!
Monday, November 1, 2010
1 November 2010
Psalm 56, 57; Ecclus 38.24-34; Rev 14.1-13; Luke 12.49-59
This passage is an interesting look at the notion of calling. The argument is that only those who are set on one thing, the study of the law, are actually equipped to expound on it and provide wisdom. All others are double-minded at best, occupied as they are with other work. That other work is not condemned in any way, their work makes life worth the while and the conveniences of life possible. The reality is, however, that in Judaism it made no sense to have those people sit in judgment as only those who were devoted to the law were capable of wisely leading the people. In our churches today too often we are more interested in our leaders being successful business people than those who are deeply immersed in the study of the Word. We need people who have been successful but our greater need is for those who are most interested in God’s Word and God’s Way.
It is important that we learn to interpret the times. Jesus says that we can do that in the natural order of things (not sure how much meteorology has advanced in 2 millenia) but what is more important is that we develop our abilities to interpret the time that we live in. As Christians we have the Holy Spirit and we have the Word as our guides and what we need is to interpret the times in order that we might know and understand how to communicate the Gospel to our contemporaries. Where does the Gospel answer the big questions in life? What are the questions the world is asking, whether overtly in words or more discreetly in attitudes? What is the question that consumerism attempts to answer? What is the question that spirituality attempts to answer? If we would see people accept Jesus we need to understand the questions they are asking first.
In the passage from the Revelation we see the angels speaking into a broken world and telling it to turn to God. They point out that the city that had become the center of idolatry, herself an idol to the nations, has been ruined, she is not eternal. Their message is to see reality clearly and then turn to the one who has brought this destruction and who is coming in greater judgment but is now offering what the world cannot offer, salvation from this judgment. The angel speaks truth, what will come if they persist in worshipping the beast, but the blessedness of those who do not, and that blessing is eternal.
When I am afraid,
I put my trust in you.
In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
What can flesh do to me?
In God, whose word I praise,
in the LORD, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
Psalm 56, 57; Ecclus 38.24-34; Rev 14.1-13; Luke 12.49-59
This passage is an interesting look at the notion of calling. The argument is that only those who are set on one thing, the study of the law, are actually equipped to expound on it and provide wisdom. All others are double-minded at best, occupied as they are with other work. That other work is not condemned in any way, their work makes life worth the while and the conveniences of life possible. The reality is, however, that in Judaism it made no sense to have those people sit in judgment as only those who were devoted to the law were capable of wisely leading the people. In our churches today too often we are more interested in our leaders being successful business people than those who are deeply immersed in the study of the Word. We need people who have been successful but our greater need is for those who are most interested in God’s Word and God’s Way.
It is important that we learn to interpret the times. Jesus says that we can do that in the natural order of things (not sure how much meteorology has advanced in 2 millenia) but what is more important is that we develop our abilities to interpret the time that we live in. As Christians we have the Holy Spirit and we have the Word as our guides and what we need is to interpret the times in order that we might know and understand how to communicate the Gospel to our contemporaries. Where does the Gospel answer the big questions in life? What are the questions the world is asking, whether overtly in words or more discreetly in attitudes? What is the question that consumerism attempts to answer? What is the question that spirituality attempts to answer? If we would see people accept Jesus we need to understand the questions they are asking first.
In the passage from the Revelation we see the angels speaking into a broken world and telling it to turn to God. They point out that the city that had become the center of idolatry, herself an idol to the nations, has been ruined, she is not eternal. Their message is to see reality clearly and then turn to the one who has brought this destruction and who is coming in greater judgment but is now offering what the world cannot offer, salvation from this judgment. The angel speaks truth, what will come if they persist in worshipping the beast, but the blessedness of those who do not, and that blessing is eternal.
When I am afraid,
I put my trust in you.
In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
What can flesh do to me?
In God, whose word I praise,
in the LORD, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
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