Revelation 22:1-5

“On either side of the river (of life) is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.” vs. 2

As he describes the river of life that flows through the holy city of his vision John puts his finger on a truth that many will find compelling. Along its banks grows the tree of life, which not only bears fruit, but whose leaves are for the healing of the nations. John realizes that the woes of this world not only stem from the sins of individuals but that the nations themselves bear a direct responsibility. We can easily see how this corporate sin has played out through the centuries. Nations rise against nations and inflict horrendous harm and damage with endless wars and senseless attacks. Infected by the disease of nationalism millions of individuals become fervent supporters of genecide and annihilation. We demonize other peoples and races and rejoice when they are slaughtered. Most people would never commit such atrocities on their own–but when fueled by the fire of political propaganda humans become savages. We gladly approve the expenditure of billions on bombs and missiles while resisting the spending of millions for humanitarian assistance. Oh how wonderful life will be when the nations receive the healing power of the tree of life, and international relationships are marked by expressions of kindness and love!

Thought for the Day: What healing does our nation need?

Revelation 21:10, 21-27

“But nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” vs. 27

As the book of Revelation draws to a close its writer describes the holy city of Jerusalem as the center of God’s new creation. The vision brings to mind the great castles of Fantasyland, a place where there is no night, death will be no more, and everything is suffused with light. It’s an exclusive city, a place only for those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. It’s verses like this that leap out at us from scripture and that sow doubt in our minds about salvation. And as a result too many people wonder whether their names are written in the book! There are even popular songs about a “roll that will be called up yonder.” It’s really sad that we have to wonder about such things because of verses like this. We don’t even know precisely what the writer has in mind with his visions and symbols. This exclusionary city doesn’t fit at all with the beautiful picture of new life that we see in Jesus’ teachings, a gospel message of forgiveness and the steadfast love of God. Now some may not mind wondering if their name is in the book, but most sinners much prefer knowing that there is absolutely nothing in all creation, not even death, that can separate them from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

Thought for the Day: Why do some like to believe that there is a final list?

Psalm 148

“Praise the Lord from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps, fire and hail, snow and frost, stormy wind fulfilling his command! Wild animals and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds! Young men and women alike, old and young together!” vss. 7-8, 10, 12 

The psalmist understood that all things have their origin in the Great Mystery, Almighty God, the Creator of the Universe, and that humans are a part of the web of existence. He also knew how spectacular it is to be alive in such a setting and believed that daily praise is the most natural response for all that exists. There’s plenty of room for such exuberance even in these days of climate change and global warming anxiety. No matter how much we abuse our environment we can’t even come close to destroying the essence of its beauty and its remarkable ability to survive everything we throw at it. We who are blessed to inhabit this earth are duty bound to thank God with every breath we take for the incredible privilege that is ours. The birds have it figured out pretty well. Every morning, with the break of dawn, they sing their little hearts out for no other reason than to praise God for the wonder of another day. Their chorus is a reminder for the human sluggards, struggling to get out of bed, that life is good, that it’s very good, and deserves our daily psalms of praise and thanksgiving.

Thought for the Day: What’s special about mornings?

Acts 16:11-13

“When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, ‘If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.’ And she prevailed upon us.” vs. 13

When Paul and his companions arrived in Philippi after crossing the Aegean Sea there wasn’t an established synagogue but there were some Greek women who were God-fearers, i.e. they had been attracted to Jewish teachings but had not become converts. Paul found them by a river near the city on the sabbath and reached out to them with his Christ story. One of them, Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth, received what he said with eagerness, and, together with her household, was baptized. Presumably a long period of instruction was not necessary at that time! She was so moved that she invited Paul and the men with him to come stay at her house–and they did it. Unfortunately, we don’t know more about Lydia, but we do know that the little congregation that grew up in Philippi likely was centered in her home. Paul was so proud of those people and even wrote a love letter to them while he was in prison. It’s likely no accident that this faith community, known for its generosity, was led by a well-established business woman. Lydia is honored in the church as the first European convert and her influence over the centuries has been enormous. What a blessing it is when women are not only seen as servants, but as leaders! 

Thought for the Day: How might a woman’s style of leadership be different?

Acts 16:9-12

“During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’” vs. 9

When Paul began his missionary journeys he didn’t have an outreach plan or an executive assistant. Guided by the Holy Spirit he flew by the seat of his pants, moving from one city to the next, totally dependent on the hospitality of strangers. Most often he would seek out the synagogues of the Jewish diaspora and proclaim the good news to those who knew the scriptures. Sometimes he was received with joy–often he met resistance. His model is a good one for us. Oh, we’re not called to wander about like college students on spring break, but we should expect that the Spirit of Christ will be with us each day offering spur of the moment mission opportunities along the way. When we can live with a spirit of expectancy we will not be surprised by what we encounter. Some days it leads to real adventure and we do or say things totally outside our comfort zone. Occasionally, as with Paul, the inspirations come to us in meditation or prayer–or even in our dreams. We might surprise folks or get strange looks, and some will be resistant to our words of kindness or acts of empathy, but always we will have the sense of full involvement in the mission of Christ. And ultimately, it really is fun when we get off the sidelines and into the game. It’s a great way to live!

Thought for the Day: What happens when I am spontaneous in my mission?

John 13:31-35

“I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” vs. 34

It’s back to basics today. Jesus was leaving the disciples and he knew they would miss him–he wouldn’t be teaching or guiding them any longer, and they would struggle to know what to do. So he makes his final instruction as plain as he possibly could and his words have echoed through the centuries. “Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” This is it folks! This is all we need to know to live full, joyful, and productive lives in this world. There’s no secret, no special handshakes or rituals, no particular theology to adopt! We have one commandment–and that’s it! So why is life so hard? There’s only one answer–too many are unwilling to do the one thing Jesus asks them to do. It really is a shame! Because some people have dared to try! They have loved everyone who comes into their lives with self-giving sacrificial love, the same style of love Jesus demonstrated while he was with us in the flesh. And the results have been astounding! Circles of caring have followed these folks all the days of their lives and they have known intense joy and peace. Oh what blessings come our way when we dare to be obedient to the love commandment! It’s like heaven on earth–actually, it is heaven on earth!

Thought for the Day: What keeps me from loving like Jesus loved?

Revelation 21:5-6

“Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life.” vs. 6

Whatever else we might say about the writer who gifted us with the book of Revelation, he definitely had a sense of God’s majesty and glory. He knew that the Great Mystery was the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. All things have their origin in God and owe their continued existence to the sustaining and indwelling presence of God. There will never be a time when God is not! As humans we can mess around with the earth and stir things up to our heart’s content, but God will always be in all and through all. Sometimes we may not feel that Divine Presence, it’s easy to imagine that we are alone and that the world is sucking us dry with every kind of hurt and concern. But somehow we keep going, and in our thirst we are sustained by the water of life as a special gift from the God who gave us existence. It flows into our lives when we least expect it and when we need it the most. Out of nowhere we stumble across the springs of the water of life and drink deeply to quench our thirst. This is the Living Water that Jesus spoke of–and best news of all, it’s all a gift!

Thought for the Day: When have I found living water?

Revelation 21:1-4

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.” vs. 1

Events of the past months have reawakened the fear of atomic war in the hearts of people. It seems that even in these “enlightened” times there are those who would willingly wreak havoc and destruction on their fellow human beings. Some believe that as weapons become more deadly, life on the earth will come to a fiery end in some great human-caused apocalyptic explosion. A few even believe that the final battle will be at a place known as Armageddon. In contrast to such notions the visionary, John, paints another picture. He saw a new heaven and a new earth, and said that the holy city, the new Jerusalem will come down from heaven, and that God will dwell among humans, and there will be no more tears or death anymore. While not everyone is comfortable with such imagery there is great appeal to the notion of a new creation, one in which humans would love one another with love and compassion and that war would be no more. We may never see Jerusalem descending from the sky, but wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could at least experience re-creation and begin to live into the image of God that is a part of our genetic heritage? Even if that’s only a dream, it would mean total restoration and cleansing for all peoples and nations–and that is certainly something we can all aspire to!

Thought for the Day: What’s my vision of the future?

Psalm 67:3-7

“The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, has blessed us. May God continue to bless us; let all the ends of the earth revere him.” vss. 6-7

There is no doubt that as inhabitants of the earth we have been blessed by God in unbelievable ways. There are now more than 7.7 billion people in the world and every day all those persons have to be fed, clothed, and housed–and all the resources come from our Creator and Sustainer. All of them! Our little minds can scarcely imagine how that can be done–just think of all the grains, fruits, vegetables, proteins, fish, poultry it takes for just that one day! The psalmist was right–we have been blessed! And we even dare to hope that we will continue to be blessed. Sometimes that seems a tenuous thought given our enormously wasteful ways. Will our profligacy catch up with us? How long can a few people continue to amass fortunes while others go without? Fortunately there are many people who are concerned with the stewardship of the earth’s resources. They’re spending their lives developing new and better ways of using water and land for prudent production. While the earth can easily produce enough food for all to eat and be satisfied, we’ve had a dickens of a time with distribution–there’s a powerful tendency to hoard and not share. We’ve been around for a long time now, we’ve learned a lot about crops and technology, perhaps someday we will also learn to ensure that everyone will have enough of everything!

Thought for the Day: Are the earth’s resources finite or infinite?

Psalm 67:1-2

“May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your way may be known upon earth, your saving power among all nations.” vss. 1-2

The psalmist believed that if the Lord would continue to be gracious to Israel and shower blessings on the people, it would be a witness to the nations of God’s favor. Perhaps, he reasoned, they would be so impressed that they too would begin to praise the Lord. It’s a nice thought, but the nations have proved to be a fickle lot. They seem to be a lot more interested in waging war than in offering praises to God–in the United States during World War II those two thoughts were even combined in the patriotic song, “Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition!” In recent weeks we’ve been reminded of the thirst for violence that can capture a nation’s psyche. It’s baffling to see how quickly humans resort to killing and bloodshed to resolve conflict. Even religious leaders have gotten caught up in the fray–they seem to relish putting the divine stamp of approval on the most horrendous acts and imagine that God favors their nations missiles. Followers of Jesus are left aghast at what is happening. Some even feel that thirst for violence rising up in their own hearts! Prayers for peace seem ineffectual. At best we find ourselves reaching out to victims, binding up wounds, and welcoming refugees. Oh that God’s ways of grace and love would be known among the nations! Please, God, let it be so!

 Thought for the Day: Will wars ever end?