2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10

“We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way” vss. 3-4

Paul had been reconciled to God through Christ Jesus, and now, as Christ’s ambassador, he believed that others might be reconciled to God through his ministry. Because of that important calling he was now determined not to be an obstacle to anyone’s faith. His behavior and the behavior of those who were his fellow servants was crucial, and he took great pains to exercise every virtue in overcoming the adversities that regularly came his way. He realized that the way he behaved was a reflection on Christ, and people were either repelled or attracted to Christ depending on their reaction to him. That’s how it still is for those who understand themselves to be ambassadors for Christ. People are watching! And what they see in us makes all the difference in the world–it may even be a factor in their salvation! Granted, we don’t really like to think like this. Today is Mardi Gras and we’d maybe like to engage in every kind of debauchery and not have it reflect on our witness. But that’s not how it works. The way we conduct ourselves in moments of triumph and suffering has an impact on others, and our most effective evangelism comes as people watch us deal with the joys and sadness of daily living.

Thought for the Day: Are others seeing Christ in me? Do I care?

Joel 2:1-2, 12-17

“Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; rend your hearts and not your clothing.” vss. 12-13

The people of Israel were facing an invasion, not of armies, but of a horde of locusts. Joel likely knew this wasn’t the first time–the devastation wreaked by the regular migratory cloud of insects had been seen before, but he knew the country was facing a crisis. There was no defense, yet Joel advises prayer and fasting, the impending disaster could be averted! We are reading these words on the threshold of Lent and in the context of global climate change. If our prophets are correct, the current warming of the earth’s atmosphere spells catastrophe for billions of people. Of course there are some who insist that there is no issue, that it’s all “fake news,” and even if it were true, there’s nothing that can be done about it. But others believe the indicators and are suggesting that believers use the season of Lent for weeping and fasting, for prayerful consideration of what each person might do to at least slow the progression of the warming trend. They’re calling for repentance, a change in attitude and policy on national levels. They say that if we are willing to make short-term sacrifices, there will at least be the potential for long-term blessings. Of course that’s a big ask! In this age of massive financial gain, sacrifice seems a quaint and forgotten notion–even if it is the core of the gospel message!

Thought for the Day: What can I sacrifice to combat climate change?

Matthew 17:5-9

“But Jesus came and touched them, saying, ‘Get up and do not be afraid.’ And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.” vss. 7-8

The disciples had been blown away. It had been a spectacular vision, with both visual and aural elements, and it terrified them. But when it was over Jesus was there, not to explain the vision, but to give them comfort. And that’s what they needed, not an explanation, just reassurance that things were going to be okay. They wouldn’t need to figure out what the vision meant for a long time yet. In the meantime, Jesus was there, and his presence was enough. We still don’t quite know what the vision was about, though by now, explanations abound. Teachers and preachers love to tell us the meaning of obscure references in the scriptures, but that’s still not what we need. What we do need is the comforting presence of a friend, someone who can calm our fears and help us get back on our feet again. When we sit, eyes tightly clenched against the weirdness and pain of the world, wondering what’s going to happen next, there is nothing better than to feel that comforting hand on our shoulder and hear a word of affirmation. We’ve got plenty of time to figure stuff out in our lives, and sometimes things just stop being important, but we’ll never outgrow our need for that friend who is Jesus himself alone for us.

Thought for the Day: Who is my Jesus himself alone?

Matthew 17:1-9

“And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white.” vs. 2

Many of us don’t quite know what to do with the story of the transfiguration as found in the gospels. It doesn’t fit with the rest of what we read about Jesus’ Galilean ministry, and seems more like a resurrection appearance than anything else. It’s like Peter, James, and John got a glimpse of the risen Jesus even before he suffered and died. In that sense it was like a foretaste of the life to come for them, and the text says that they didn’t quite know what to do with it. It was only later, after the resurrection, that they began to understand. It’s like that for most believers. We all live on this side of the resurrection, and while we trust that there is new life beyond death, it remains a mystery. It’s outside the realm of our experience and it’s hard to unravel the truth of it. But sometimes, generally when we least expect it, there are those moments when we catch a glimpse of glory and that which is hidden can be seen. It’s like what some say of Holy Communion. It’s a foretaste of the feast which is to come. We would like those moments to last and, like Peter, try to think of ways to preserve them. But we can’t hang on and the moment passes. Whether we like it or not, we’re just going to have to keep on waiting for Easter.

Thought for the Day: When have I caught a glimpse of glory?

2 Peter 1:19-21

“First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” vss. 20-21

When we engage with our scriptures it’s not unusual to struggle as we try to figure out what the various passages mean. Since we often speak of the bible as God’s Word, some believe that it should be taken literally, even when the words conflict with what we know of science, geography, or history. Others, believing that original context is important, recommend a more nuanced approach and will regularly make use of interpretive guides. And then there are some who will react to most any interpretation with the words, “Well, that’s just your opinion,” a response that ends the conversation. This writer, speaking of the Hebrew scriptures, has two things to teach us. First, he writes that the prophecies of scripture were written by human beings. That’s always important for us to remember. Every passage of our bible emerged in a particular context and for a particular purpose–no pages came drifting down out of the sky! And secondly he believes that each writer was moved by the Holy Spirit of God. That means that every part of this library of writings we call the bible is to be taken seriously, even the verses that we happen to think are unimportant. We might not agree with everything that is written, but it’s never helpful to use scissors as an interpretive tool.

Thought for the Day: Why do Christians need the Hebrew Scriptures?

1 Peter 1:16-18

“For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty.” vs. 16

When Peter and the other apostles began to proclaim the gospel throughout the Roman Empire they were regularly accused of just making stuff up about Jesus. The Jews and pagans who were their audience likely thought that these new teachings were an adaptation of one or another of the mystery religions and had no basis in anything that had actually happened. Given their experience with Jesus in Galilee the disciples were deeply offended by such accusations. Jesus was an actual historical figure, and they had not only enjoyed his presence, they had been eyewitnesses of his wondrous deeds. It’s important for us to hang on to the apostle’s testimony about Jesus. Sometimes it’s tempting to think of him purely as a mythical figure, a composite of some of the god figures that were popular in the first century. But that’s not who Jesus was. The gospels were insistent on the reality of his incarnation. He was a real human being, born of woman, and subject to the same frailties as we are. These down-to-earth qualities are what make Jesus accessible to us–he knew suffering, just as we do, and he died, just as we will. We may not be eyewitnesses, as were Peter and the other disciples, but we do know that in him there is life and joy forever.

Thought for the Day: Why do some say that Jesus is a mythic figure?

Psalm 2

“I will tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to me, ‘You are my son;today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,and the ends of the earth your possession.’” vss. 7-8

Many of the psalms in the Hebrew scriptures were “Royal Psalms” and were composed for special occasions like the coronation of a king. This psalmist imagines a dialogue in which the Lord promises that the king will rule over the nations and possess all the ends of the earth. It must have been a heady experience for the king to hear this psalm sung by choirs of levites. It’s the sort of beginning that rulers of all stripes have claimed for themselves. Over and over we’ve seen kings, tsars, dictators, and even presidents bask in the belief that their rule has divine backing. With every coronation, installation, and inauguration there are parades, choirs, and prayers and a persistent belief that God’s will is being done. But followers of Jesus have consistently taught that Jesus is the begotten Son of God and that his kingdom is the one that will stretch to the ends of the earth. Rulers of this world leave turmoil and destruction in their ongoing power struggles, but the reign of Jesus brings peace and hope. In his peaceable kingdom the currency is love and battles are won with kindness and faith. And his victories truly are everlasting!

Thought for the Day: Why are some political leaders seen as messiahs?

Exodus 14:15-18

“Moses entered the cloud, and went up on the mountain. Moses was on the mountain for forty days and forty nights.” vs. 18

Moses had to climb a mountain to get into the cloud, and while he was there, as the story goes, the Lord gave him the two tablets of the Law. Nowadays he could have done the same thing by typing “decalogue” on his smartphone and launching a Google search. According to some folks, that’s all we need to do to enter the cloud, a place that until recently we didn’t need to know about and evidently now can’t live without. In scripture a cloud is regularly used to describe the presence of God and is a fitting metaphor for the Great Mystery. It implies that God is hidden, an elusive presence who exists just beyond the boundaries of comprehension. And maybe that’s why computer scientists use the word “cloud” to describe this modern phenomenon. We’ve started to use the word frequently but only a few have even the foggiest notion of what it is. Some may have the idea that there is an actual place somewhere, maybe a huge depot, where stuff is being stored. Others are just confused. And that’s kind of how it is with God, we imagine that God is in a single place, the top of a mountain or a place called heaven, and that to find God we have to go where God is. That’s not true–God is where we are, and best of all, God has a valentine for us today!

Thought for the Day: What does my valentine from God say?

Exodus 24:12-14

“The Lord said to Moses, ‘Come up to me on the mountain, and wait there; and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.’“ vs. 12

The strength of Judaism was not the multitude of precepts and regulations devised by its legal experts through the centuries, but its basic simplicity. Everything rested on just Ten Words or Commandments that had  been etched on tablets of stone by the finger of God. These were not suggestions or continuing resolutions, subject to change or conjecture by legal scholars, Israel’s founding principles had in fact been carved in stone by the hand of God. One of the issues of our time is that we’ve lost that sense of a guiding imperative with divine origins. Instead we act as though our moral compass is something very personal, something that we make up in response to the vagaries of life. Some people have even decided that there are no universal truths and that everything is up for grabs. They operate with no moral boundaries save those they have devised for themselves. Often even religious folks live this way. Believing that nothing is carved in stone, they pick and choose standards for themselves that fit the whim of the moment, even when they undermine the Ten Words of the Hebrews. How much better it is when our conduct is based on ancient and universal truths, and not the instability of the latest cultural trend.

Thought for the Day: Can I say the Ten Commandments in order?

Matthew 5:27-37

“But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” vs. 32

As Jesus eliminates the loopholes that were a part of the law of Moses, he doesn’t deal with peripheral items. Instead he tackles the biggies: adultery, divorce, and truth-telling. And if those topics were important in the first century, they are at the core of the cultural morass in which we  find ourselves today. The Pharisees had attempted to handle those feelings and actions in the context of the law–and Jesus said that it wasn’t working. We have gone in the other direction and lifted all restrictions. Pornography is now available in any time and any place to anyone with a smartphone. The internet has been a boon to anyone wanting to satisfy lust. Where once there had to be grounds for divorce, we’ve made it available to anyone who doesn’t want to be married anymore. And as far as truth-telling is concerned, we’ve become accustomed to alternate facts and blatant lies in every arena. There seem to be no controls on any kind of behavior. People have been set free to do and say whatever they desire. And while we don’t want to turn Jesus into a more rigid law enforcer than Moses, people of faith should pay attention to what he says. While it’s true that there is forgiveness for lust, divorce, and lying, life is exponentially better when people hold sex, marriage, and truth-telling in high regard. 

Thought for the Day: What is the biggest threat to marriage?