Advent: December 6

Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13

Ezekiel 36:24-28

Mark 11:27-33

         The verses in the prophet made me wonder what I was saying when I made statements about being God’s agent in the world to see that God’s kingdom plans were achieved. Sometimes we get caught up in the notion that since we are living, sentient beings and God is, but is not, but… we are the ones who do things. As faithful believers we do have responsibilities; we do have a part in the work. Problems arise when we inflate our role and we find ourselves in the role Israel often found for itself in the prophet stories. Leaders and certain aspects of society were elevated over the rest of the people and to the detriment of the rest of the people.

         God handled the problem.

         God restored the nation.

         Action verbs and God: still together.

Advent: December 5

Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13

Jeremiah 1:4-10

Acts 11:19-26

         Jeremiah picks up where Hosea left off. Hosea reminded the people of the power of relationships and that God was calling them into a relationship with him. The opening of Jeremiah recounts his appointment as prophet by the Lord. The scene presents God in one of the most human-like encounters with the familiarity toward the prophet. The knowledge God shares from the earliest moments of Jeremiah’s existence, to the physical contact as He placed His words in His messenger’s mouth, to his assurance of protection; how can that not bring a sense of peace in the midst of turmoil.

         I frequently have to remind my students that their words have power. What they say and how they say it can wound another for years. Today’s passage reminds me that wounding is only part of what words can do. As God explains when he appoints Jeremiah. His words can be used in construction or for destruction. The verse points out both the good and the bad that can come through speech. In the case of the prophet, none of it is bad, it reflects different ways to get things done.

         Each time I read this passage from the prophets something different strikes me about it. Often I connect to God having a plan for Jeremiah from the beginning. This time though, the relationship between God and Jeremiah hit me as remarkably human. I am a bit jealous now, but I know that I have the same thing. If you want to know a definition of peace: that is it!

Advent: December 1

Psalm 79

Micah 4:1-5

Revelation 15:1-8

         Where is the God of Micah when you need him?

         The world around us grows more militarized and talk a war returns  to nations who had become, if not allies, partners for global peace. Instead of being mediator between people, in the last decades, God has been a key source of strife.

        

         Everyone is right in their view of God!

         Instead of being satisfied with His teaching, each lesson provokes blood-letting against anyone who understands it differently. The common unifying message that supersedes each illustrative example no longer matters. We look for, long for, difference to justify our superior connection to God. All that is human foible. The verbs tell a different story – He teaches; He judges; He arbitrates; He speaks.

         We follow. We obey. We steward the bounty He gave to us. The conflict that has resulted sounds so bad – where’s the hope? Our hope remains in the certainty that God’s word is true – always – no matter what adjective leads us to take up arms.

         Our hope walks with God who is God forever and ever.

July 7 Ordinary Time

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C 2 Kings  5:1-14 Isaiah 66:10-14 Psalm 30 Psalm 66 Galatians 6:1-16 Luke 10:-11, 16-20

Today’s Reflection: A few years ago the Staples office supply stores began airing commercials that featured the “Easy Button” that solved all the world’s hard problems. The catch-line being that there was no such thing, but they (Staples) made it easy to get all the office supplies you needed for your home or business. In the faith traditions we often focus on the challenges to overcome in order to follow God’s direction. We often preach that there is no easy way, but the passages today offer some relief from those teachings. When we realize the work comes from an all-powerful God, the work suddenly becomes much more doable. The account of Naaman in 2 Kings is one such story in which the participants sought the challenging way. Upon learning that healing could be possible through a prophet in Israel, his king sent Naaman and a sizable “offering” of silver, gold, and robes to the king of Israel. The expectations of that time were that 1) it would cost something (an offering), and 2) the king, being king, was the prophet of God. Those assumptions nearly provoked a war as the king of Israel saw the offering and message as a taunt. Fortunately, the prophet Elisha recognized that it was an act of faith that sent Naaman to Israel and called for him to come to his house. Elisha’s next actions dispelled the protocols of the time. He gave directions for a very simple action that would cure Naaman’s leprosy - no offering or sacrifice required. He also refused to meet Naaman face-to-face, instead sending a servant to deliver the directions. He wanted it to be clear that rank in society had nothing to do with the ability of God to act through a person and to show that Naaman’s faith led to the cure, not some miraculous power contained within the prophet himself. To put it directly: God is present even when the prophet is not. Naaman’s challenge was accepting something so simple. As a man of his time, and one in high position, he expected experiences to play out in a certain way. Elisha’s actions violated all those expectations. It took the wisdom of those in lesser positions to convince Naaman that he should at least try what the prophet said. When he accepted the advice and bathed in the Jordan, God healed him. Sometimes it is just that easy. God’s commands are not always hard for us to follow, but we focus so often on the trials and tribulations of being Christian that we develop a mindset that anything God calls us to do is going to require some great sacrifice. As with Naaman, the sacrifice may be a preconceived notion. We may have to sacrifice some of our “beliefs”  because we have always been taught that his how to believe only to have God whisper a different message in our ear. We do not often consider changing a mindset as a great sacrifice, but the Bible is filled with stories, like Naaman (and Paul!) who had to adjust the way they believed to match the mind of God. Our deeply held beliefs guide our words and actions; changing those beliefs can be one of the biggest challenge any Christian faces. There is no “easy button” when faced with such decisions; we can only open our heart and our ears to the message God gives us now.

Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright © 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. www.commontexts.org

June 23 Ordinary Time

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C 1 Kings 19:1-15 Isaiah 65:1-9 Psalm 43 Galatians 3:23-29 Luke 8:26-39

Today’s Reflection: In a lifetime of working with others I have seen that some characteristics of human nature never change: we have a short attention span and we anticipate everything into a catastrophe. The prophets in Kings, Isaiah, and the people in Luke all encounter threatening situations and react as people do flee and/or whine. Despite the failings of human nature, God remains steady and his presence through the encounters shows us more about his care for us. Elijah had just completed his miracle of the wet altar when he found out that Jezebel declared war on him for defeating her priests and “killing them with the sword.” The passage showed the power of a woman scorned and the power of an oath. By declaring Elijah’s fate with the oath, she was bound to carry it out. Elijah laced up his sandals and headed for foreign lands. Just like Elijah, the prophet in Isaiah declared that the people do not want his message. He despaired at the situation in the same way Elijah did when the Lord’s messenger and the Lord came by. Elijah went from a manifest victory of the Lord’s power to hopeless despair within days. They catastrophized the situation by being certain the worst that could happen would happen. God responded to both, “Do your job and everything will be fine.” Consistently when Jesus came across a demon, the being from the spirit world recognized Jesus identity, power, and consequences for the contact. In the case of Legion, after the thousands of spirits fled into a heard of swine and free the man, the people in the area partially got it – they recognized Jesus’s power, but they did not see the opportunity in it. Instead they responded in fear and asked Jesus to leave. The spirits knew wholly who Jesus was while the people only understood partially and the responses showed the level of understanding. Jesus’s response to the man who desired to go with him was much like that of God to the prophets, “Stay here, spread the word, and all will be fine.” Regardless of the human nature response in each of the situation, the God presence in each passage remained the same: “Here is my way. Stay on the course I have given you and all will be fine.” That is the comfort we take in our relationship with the Lord. It does not matter how frantic we become, God’s stability and calm provides a way through the panic. Yes, the British were on to something: Keep calm and carry on – and all will be fine.

Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright © 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. www.commontexts.org

December 4 - Advent

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C Psalm 90 2 Samuel 7:18-29 Revelation 22:12-16

Today’s Reflection: One reason we remain in such anticipation of the coming of Christ is the personal nature of the relationship. The prayer of David and the revelations of Christ both remind us that the foundation of the faith comes through the connection we have directly with God.   David repeatedly invokes the promises from God in the connection between him, the people, and God. David’s recollections connected the relationship as mutually beneficial. As God’s grace flowed on the Israelites, they remained superior to the nations around them, and their gods. The more the Israelites followed God’s direction, the more they were blessed: the more they were blessed, the more other’s recognized God’s hand in it.   Jesus’s revelation in Revelation promises a similar future for those of us who follow him. We anticipate his return and by doing as directed until that day, we prepare for the rewards to come when he establishes his eternal kingdom. Keeping it personal fuels the joy of anticipation at his return.

Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright © 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. www.commontexts.org

 

July 15 - Ordinary Time Protestant

Today’s Scriptures: From the Book of Common Prayer Psalm 148, 149, 150, 114, 115 Joshua 1:1-18 Acts 21:3-15 Mark 1:21-27

Today’s Question: How do we recognize God’s presence around us?

Today’s Reflection: A friendly ghost lives in one wing of the building where I work. She does no harm, but sometimes pulls little pranks like opening and closing doors so the person present knows she is there. On a couple occasions she appeared to people working in that part of the building into the evening (that’s how we know “she” is “she”). As Christians, we hear about the presence of God through the Holy Spirit being with us, but much like the ghost, it can be hard to identify the real presence and influence of God. Today’s passages all give us some clue to understanding how God is in our daily lives as he was with the ancient Israelites and the disciples of the early church. The Psalms today explode with praise of God. They celebrate his role with his people and provision for them; they hold up his power over all creation; they focus on his supremacy over all false gods as those idols are the product of mankind’s hand while mankind is the product of God’s hand. The Psalms present complete joy across the verses and offer a foundation for jubilant praise. Particularly through the Psalms, the celebrants recognize the continuity of God’s care for his people. The continuity of care shines through the Joshua passage. Since Moses has died, God now speaks directly to Joshua as he gives him the directions for moving into the promised land. Joshua then gives directions to leaders of the people. The leaders promise allegiance and follow Joshua’s orders. Each of these events mirror the way the messages from God went out to his people under Moses. God spoke to Moses. Moses spoke to the people. The people (mostly) obeyed. That continuity offers one clue to knowing when God’s presence surrounds us. As Paul and his cohort traveled between many of the early churches, we see a consistent message coming to him about what will happen on his return to Jerusalem. The people of Tyre, the prophet at Caesarea all shared an identical message of harm coming to Paul if he returned to Jerusalem. Despite the consistency of the message, Paul presses on to deliver the message God charged him to deliver. Mark jumps directly into Jesus’s ministry. In this early passage we see an “unclean spirit” recognize Jesus, address him, and ultimately obey him. The “Godness” of Jesus shows through in the passage because that power and greatness he possesses was instantly recognizable by the supernatural spirit and it called him by name. The demon recognized Christ’s character and acted accordingly. From these passages we can learn that God’s presence with us has continuity, consistency, and character. The more we know God, the more we can recognize these essential traits in commands that come from him. The command will further the continuity of God’s kingdom. The command will be consistent from all sources (and with our knowledge of God). Ultimately, the command represents the character of God. Just like those of us who work in the one wing of my building know the ghost because of the way she acts, we can know God’s presence around us because of the way that message comes to us. The Bible is filled with examples of God’s interactions with his people. The passages today help us focus on specific characteristics of those interactions so we can be more closely attuned God’s presence all around us.

Today’s Prayer: Let us every day look for the continuity, consistency, and character of your presence interacting with our lives and give us the awareness to respond accordingly.