Isaiah 60:1-6

“Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.” vs. 3

When the people of Israel returned from exile the prophet was ecstatic. He believed with all his heart that this was a turning point, the dawn of a new age of prosperity, and that the kings of the nations would come with their treasures to Jerusalem. New trade routes would open and caravans from afar would find their way to the hill country of Judea. It was a radiant vision, one that found a home in the hearts of the people, and defined their identity as the people of God. The Church desperately needs a similar vision as we enter a new year still reeling from our Covid encounters. Some congregations are a shadow of their former selves and a few have closed their doors. Where once we were motivated by a spirit of optimism and hope, fear-mongers now spread doom and gloom. All that pessimism is not becoming for those who carry the light of Christ in their hearts. That’s just not who we are! Of course there will be tough times in the course of the years–that’s always how it’s been. In the midst of exile and repression the prophets continued to believe in a glorious future, and we are their progeny. The gift that we have in Christ is precious and eternal, and it will survive every pandemic and catastrophe. Times are changing but we are still the Light of the world.

Thought for the Day: What’s the biggest challenge for my congregation?

John 1:15-18

“The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” vs. 17

Jesus was born a Jew and grew up thoroughly enmeshed in Judaism’s traditions and laws, but when he began preaching and teaching his interpretation of the prophets revealed the centrality of God’s steadfast love and mercy. The gospel writer John put it clearly, “The law had come through Moses; grace and truth had come through Jesus Christ.” We’ve taken John’s words into our hearts; for many they are the core message of the gospel. It is so good to know that we are loved unconditionally and that our salvation is by grace! But it’s so hard to live by that good news! We get a taste of that with the advent of each new year and the emphasis on resolutions. For days we’ve gotten messages from our cultural Moses telling us that our lives will be so much better if we can get our lives in order. And we’ve gone along with it. Some have already made ambitious resolutions and started on diets and workout programs–others are waiting until after the orgiastic consumption of food and drink required by the bowl games. Now it’s fine to go to gyms, eat healthy, and take care of bodies and relationships. But what we often fail to realize is that those resolutions are like the law and too often they result in failure and guilt. Those who live by grace know that God’s love is not connected to cultural standards of beauty and fitness. It really is unconditional!

Thought for the Day: What resolutions am I making?

John 1:10-14

“He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him.” vs. 10

According to the church’s calendar we’re about half-way through the twelve day Christmas season, but from a cultural perspective everyone is pretty much done celebrating. Some have already taken down their decorations and the few who have live trees are probably wondering if they can haul them out to the curb for trash pick-up. It’s been a lively holiday and pretty much everyone has gotten involved, and supposedly it’s all been about Jesus. But sometimes we wonder! There are Santas on rooftops and Snoopys in the front yard, every kind of blow-up plastic figure we can imagine–Darth Vaders and reindeer–all lit up and swaying in the breezes. And of course there are the ubiquitous carols–every singer and choir in the land seems to have a version of Jingle Bells. It is nice to have celebrations and happy family times, and we do like to see outdoor lighting displays, but is all this really about the Christ, the Word made flesh, through whom the world came into being? Or did John nail it 2000 years ago, “He was in the world…yet the world did not know him?” Even though what John wrote is likely still true, the good news is that the Christ has survived our Christmas unscathed and will be present in the world through all of 2022. And by next Christmas millions more will have glimpsed Christ’s presence through the grace and truth they see in us.

Thought for the Day: Where did I see Christ this Christmas?

Ephesians 1:8-14

“In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit;” vs. 13

Even though we have been destined in Christ to live holy and blameless lives in love, there comes a time, sometimes as children, perhaps as adults, when we have the opportunity to affirm that destiny. The writer to the Ephesians describes that moment as a time when believers were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit. Through the years the church has developed rituals in which such sealings could be acted out. For many that ritual has been baptism, a service of washing with water and the laying on of hands. In one form of that liturgy the officiant says, “You have been sealed with the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever.” Of course this verse from Ephesians fits best with what is called “believer’s baptism,” a ritual intended for adults who have already come to faith. But even when the Church practiced infant baptism, individuals could affirm their faith in another ritual called confirmation or affirmation of baptism. The official laid on hands and asked God to stir up the Holy Spirit, confirm faith, and guide life. While salvation is always a gift of God and not dependent on either of these rituals, it’s always good to have the opportunity to give voice to faith and celebrate the ongoing presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Thought for the Day: What do I remember of my baptism/confirmation?

Ephesians 1:3-10

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love.” vss. 3-4

There are some who teach and believe that humans have a heritage that stretches back to the very beginning, that we were created as spiritual children of God long before we received our physical bodies. Of course there’s no way that a teaching like this can be verified, but the writer of Ephesians seems to be hinting at such a possibility as he begins his letter. He’s saying that in Christ we are indelibly linked to the Creator of the Universe, perhaps even, that each of us are created in the image and the likeness of God. He implies that our divine origins mean that we have been pre-wired for goodness’s sake. To use his words, we are intended to be “holy and blameless” and exude love in all we say and do. To use technological language, our default setting is holiness and our operating system is love! For some that notion is absurd. They point to rampant greed and self-centeredness as signs that humans are intractably wicked and hell-bent on self-destruction. And while it is true that evil gets a lot of press, the bigger story is that goodness dominates in our world. The Christ factor is everywhere and will always have the last word!

Thought for the Day: In what sense am I a spiritual child of God? 

Psalm 147:18-20

“He declares his word to Jacob, his statutes and ordinances to Israel. He has not dealt thus with any other nation; they do not know his ordinances. Praise the Lord!” vss. 19-20

Sometimes Americans get irritated by the legal excesses that seem to pop up from time to time. It seems there are rules for everything–most recently there have been mask and vaccination mandates issued by various arms of the government to stem the spread of Covid. Some of us haven’t liked that very much and a few flaunt the law to show their love of liberty. The truth is that one of the things that has made our country great is our appreciation for the “rule of law.” It’s one of the attributes that sets us apart from other nations of the world. The psalmist had that same kind of love for the law in Israel. He recognized rightly that their ordinances and statutes made them different from any other nation and he gave the credit to the Lord. In his estimation the laws were a great gift to their community of faith. Now it is true that the law can become a burden and Christians have long recognized that in Christ we have been set free from the law. But we have never said that a society doesn’t need ordinances to ensure justice and order. One of the best ways we can show our love for others is to carefully abide by the rules and mandates that have been established for the common good. Even if they occasionally irritate us!

Thought for the Day: Why have mask mandates been so controversial?

Psalm 147:12-17

“He gives snow like wool; he scatters frost like ashes. He hurls down hail like crumbs— who can stand before his cold?” vss. 16-17

It’s almost as though the psalmist is offering this song of praise from Minneapolis instead of Jerusalem, but evidently winters could be tough there too! He wants his readers to know that they have it good, and even cold, snowy weather should be seen as a gift from God. His point is plain! All things have their origin in the Lord and there are no exceptions. In recent years there has been a lot of talk about weather and climate change with some saying that global warming is a product of environmental damage caused by humans. Others say that the trends are a part of a natural cycle of warming and cooling that has been around for millenia. Obviously one of the reasons that humans have prospered on the earth has been the relative stability of weather patterns through thousands of years. Everything in nature is precisely the way it needs to be for humans to exist, and that’s certainly a reason for us to give God thanks and praise. And it’s also true that we have developed the means to screw up this good and perfect gift–and we can’t even guess what the consequences of that may be. Genesis says that it’s our job to take care of the earth–and that means paying attention to the climate. It won’t be good for anyone if it stops snowing in Minnesota!

Thought for the Day: What will happen as climate change continues?

Jeremiah 31:7-14

“Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.” vs. 13

There was a time when confirmation instruction included long diatribes by pastors about the evils of dance, card-playing, drinking, and movies. Some confirmands got the notion that being a follower of Jesus was a pretty joyless enterprise and couldn’t wait until they could “graduate” from church by being confirmed. The fact that such injunctions didn’t quite jibe with scripture went unnoticed for generations in those pietistic communities. Intentions might have been good but the results were disastrous. Jeremiah offers a different picture as he describes his hope for the land of Judah. He looks forward to a time when the people will be set free from captivity and return to their home. Young women will be dancing; young men and the old shall be merry. There’ll be gladness all around! There’s no good reason why followers of Jesus can’t get in on that kind of fun too. We’ve been set free from the law and are no longer bound to the legalisms that have long been such an integral part of religious life in our communities of faith. Living in Christ is a joyful and hopeful experience and there isn’t any place for dour disapproving faces and gloomy sanctuaries. Of course we will be mindful of our behaviors–but there’s no reason we can’t make merry–especially when we’ve got good news for the whole world.

Thought for the Day: When have I had fun in church?

Luke 2:41-52

“Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.” vss. 51-52

The four gospels found in our scriptures say virtually nothing about Jesus’ life before his baptism. Essentially he came out of nowhere and changed the world! But we do have one little story, one that Luke discovered and included in his “orderly account.” In it Jesus shows an amazing grasp of theology and a willful disregard of his parents’ wishes. Luke hints that Jesus learned a lesson from the incident and from that point on was obedient to his parents. He concludes by observing that as Jesus grew older, his knowledge became wisdom, and people increasingly regarded him with favor. There’s nothing here to indicate that Jesus was anything other than an observant Jew, a normal human dedicated to pleasing God and making his family proud. It’s important to say this. Too often we have an elevated sense of who Jesus was, a regard so high that we despair of ever walking in his way, or living the life that he prescribed. But Jesus was not extraordinary–he was as we are, and he learned as we do. His lovely mother did not give him an instruction book for life–he had to figure stuff out, and it wasn’t any easier for him than it is for us. We learn as we grow–and sometimes the lessons can be brutal. 

Thought for the Day: What was my toughest lesson?

Christmas Day

John 1:1-14

“And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.” vs. 14

There was just something about Jesus! It wasn’t that he had magic powers or was more handsome than anyone else. From the little we know, he was probably quite ordinary, hardly distinguishable from any other Galilean. But some saw something in him–a passion that guided his life–a deep love for people on the edges. They speculated among themselves, hardly able to find words for what they were seeing and hearing, a few thought perhaps he was the long awaited messiah. Later on, long after his death, a second generation believer named John found the words, and described Jesus as the incarnation of the Word of God. What people had been seeing in Jesus was the glory of the invisible God, the Creator of the Universe! The One who had spoken “Let there be Light” in the beginning, had now spoken in Jesus, and through his words believers had experienced grace and heard the truth.

So it’s right for us to hold Jesus in high regard, but that can never be where the story ends. The glory glimpsed in him actually rests in every human heart and is therefore present in the world today. We see it regularly, sometimes in the mirror, always where we experience gracious and unconditional love. The Light is in the world, and darkness can not extinguish it!

Thought for the Day: What do I see in the mirror?