Mark 13:5-8

“Then Jesus began to say to them, ‘Beware that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name and say, “I am he!” and they will lead many astray.’” vss. 5-6

In recent years we’ve become aware of the increasingly sophisticated methods that are being used in the media to promote misleading and even false information. We’ve learned that not everything we see on our computer screens is the truth–even that with which we are inclined to agree. Sadly, many deceivers have  even learned to mask their lies in religious language, and some have been remarkably successful in leading people astray. Jesus warned his disciples about such folks and his warnings are worth heeding today. The problem is that sometimes it’s really hard to discern the truth–most recently regarding COVID matters–and we can easily be tricked into passing false information via social media to our “friends.” Fortunately we do have a solid sampling of Jesus’ deeds and teachings in our scriptures. In fact, his intentions for truth telling in daily living were laid out pretty clearly in his sermon on the mount in Matthew. His words are challenging and plain, they’re not easily manipulated, and they provide a good guide for making our way through the deceptions of the internet. The more familiar we are with the words of Jesus the easier it is to face the future with confidence and hope. He really is the Light of the World!

Thought for the Day: What is my most trusted news source?

Mark 13:1-4

“As he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!’” vs. 1

The disciple wasn’t wrong–the temple buildings were impressive. Herod the Great had wanted the structure to rival the temples seen in Rome and he had spared no expense. And even though the buildings have been destroyed, the foundation stones are still visible, and they are massive. For Galilean fishermen this would have been quite a sight. Those kinds of things have impressed believers from the beginning, and the Christian church has been no exception. A tour of the cathedrals of Europe will make our jaws drop–the beauty is incredible. And we’re still doing it, we’re still building churches bigger than they need to be, and sometimes the architectural elements are stunning! And in the eyes of Christ it’s all rather pointless. Jesus said it well, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.” The only thing that lasts is Christ! Denominations come and go; buildings are erected at great expense, used for a few decades, and then sold or repurposed. And yet the Church will continue! Forms will change, doctrines will be turned upside down, theologians will be forgotten, and the love of God will continue to change lives and transform wounded hearts. Seen from the perspective of centuries the story of our community of faith really is impressive. Of course we’ve needed buildings for worship but our strength will always be the good news of Jesus.

Thought for the Day: The most impressive church building I’ve been in.

Hebrews 10:19-25

“And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another…” vss. 24-25

Congregations have had a tough go of it during these long months of the pandemic. While there has been some financial assistance from the government most have had a tough time with worship. Many did not hold services at all and pastors were forced to get creative with live-streaming and Zoom presentations. There were some who liked staying at home on Sundays and “worshipping” in front of computers or televisions. Most did not! Pastors suspect that while some people will be slow to return to in-person worship because they’re still fearful, others will not be back at all. The worship habit has been broken and some aren’t missing it at all. To put it bluntly, this is not a good thing! The writer of Hebrews understood that meeting together regularly was essential, and when it was neglected, there would be no way for believers to provoke one another to love and good deeds. We need mutual encouragement for faith to remain strong and vibrant and for our congregations to bear fruit. The next few months will be critical for the health of the church. Unless we get off our couches and back in the pews, our communities will suffer. It really is time to get working on habitual worship again–it’s one habit we don’t want to lose!

Thought for the Day: How has the pandemic affected my worship?

Hebrews 10:11-14

“For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.” vs. 14

Today is Veteran’s Day, a time set aside annually to honor all those who have served in the military forces of our country. Originally it was called Armistice Day and commemorated the ending of World War 1 on November 11, 1918, The name was changed to make it more inclusive. WWI was not the “war to end all wars,” and there is now a seemingly endless procession of veterans to be honored. Their time of service is understood as an offering made for the benefit of all. In Jerusalem that’s how the work of the priests was understood, a regular daily offering that covered ongoing sins–and even Christians participated. But then the temple was destroyed in 70 CE and the sacrificial system came to an end. It was at that point that the writer of Hebrews put forward a new perspective. He wrote that by the single offering of his life Jesus had taken care of sin’s punishment for all time. But just as WWI did not end war for all time, Jesus’ death hasn’t stopped sinning in our world. We are called to be daily on the alert for the temptations and diversions that cause so much turmoil. The good news is that we don’t need to carry with us all the guilt and shame of the past. We are the army of the forgiven, and armed with love and hope we continue to be the presence of Christ in the world–and every day is a time to honor that mission!

Thought for the Day: Who am I remembering today?

Psalm 16:6-11

“You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” vs. 11

Even though God is always at hand and the divine marker is in our DNA, many are blind to those indicators and live in what seems a totally random religious pattern. They follow one god for a season and then another, and often end up worshiping at the altar of materialism–always a good fallback for capitalistic people. But the psalmist, one of our faith ancestors, had another perspective. He could see God, and furthermore believed that his Maker would show him how to be alive and know everlasting joy and pleasure. The way of life that he described is still available to all, and when by faith we open our eyes to the ever-present Invisible One, we too can experience the fullness of joy. And it isn’t as hard as it sounds! The Mystery assumed flesh in Jesus and continues to be embodied in the loving servants all around us. As we watch them live we too learn how to be alive and embody the presence of Christ. And as we continue to walk by faith it becomes apparent that the Jesus path really does bring joy and lasting pleasure. We may not get the fame and fortune promised by the world, but love abounds and peace is at hand. And life really doesn’t get any better than that!

Thought for the Day: Who do I watch to learn the Way?

Psalm 16:1-6

“The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; I have a goodly heritage.” vs. 6

The people of God don’t always live in misery and poverty–sometimes things go pretty well for us. It may even be that we are embarrassed when others ask how we are doing. We have no health issues and our genetic inheritance has ensured that we are free from the aches and pains that afflict so many. We’ve been able to live long and well without putting in any effort at all. Whatever we’ve tried has turned out well, our retirement plans are working out, and we’ve been able to do as much traveling as we want. Everything about life has worked out well! All in all it looks as though we will be able to live long and prosperous lives. When that is our situation it’s not unusual to wonder why. Is our prosperity a mark of divine favor? Some might say that–and then say to others, “If you had lived like me you’d receive God’s blessings too.” Now we certainly can’t count out the importance of faith, but in truth there are a lot of factors that play into our life situations–gender, race, and ethnicity are all important–and some of us are just plain lucky! But however we’ve gotten to where we are, it would be good to respond with humility and generosity, and then, like the psalmist, give thanks and praise to God.

Thought for the Day: Why have I prospered? Or why haven’t I?

Daniel 12:1-3

“Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” vs. 2

Written at a time when the remnant of Israel was facing enormous persecution from their Greek overlords, the book of Daniel uses apocalyptic language to describe the onslaught and the bloodshed. The temple had been desecrated and the sacrificial system threatened–the people were looking for deliverance. For its audience the images made perfect sense–it was like reading a newspaper detailing current events. And it had a happy ending–a deliverer would come from God. We can learn from these apocalyptic passages–they paint a great picture of the situation in Judea just before the Maccabbean period. But there is a problem! The dualistic view of history found in Daniel has caused enormous difficulties for the community of faith and has even undermined the gospel of Jesus Christ. This little verse, with its vision of an awakening to everlasting life and everlasting contempt, has fed humanity’s hunger for hellfire and damnation. For centuries preachers have expanded these few words into vivid pictures of hell to scare people into repentance and obedience. Those dualistic impressions have been driven into our unconscious and now inform our culture’s view of the afterlife. It takes enormous energy to put aside such notions and embrace the inclusive salvation that we find in Christ Jesus. But what a gift it is when we can celebrate the ultimate triumph of grace and unity!

Thought for the Day: Why do we love to believe in hell?

John 11:41-44

“The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, and let him go.’” vs. 44

What happened with Lazarus was not a resurrection–Lazarus emerged from the tomb, lived out his life with his sisters, and then died. Even so this story has touched our hearts like none other, and has been a favorite of Jesus followers for centuries. It shouts out the triumph of life over death with unmistakable clarity and has given hope to countless persons as they’ve stood in tears at the graves of loved ones. It’s not that we are expecting our dead brother or sister to be reconstituted and climb out of the grave–that’s the stuff of horror movies and has nothing to do with the gospel. But we stand in hope because we are convinced by the testimony of creation itself that death does not have the last word in this universe. The Creator breathed life into existence and life will not be defeated until all has been brought to completion. In the meantime, when our dark enemy does stop by to claim those we love, we pause to mourn our loss, and then move on to alleluias. And then today, All Saints’ Sunday, we gather all around the world to celebrate their new white-robed life in Christ. As names are read aloud we remember the person and give thanks for their new unbound life.

Thought for the Day: What resurrection message do I receive from creation?

John 11:32-39

“When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved.” vs. 33

When Lazarus died, his sisters and friends did for him according to the customs of their people. They washed his body, wrapped it in cloth, and then put it in a tomb. And then their friends came by the house with hot dishes and hugs–and they cried a lot! Only a few of those details are different from how we deal with death now. We do the rituals of our faith communities and then we eat and weep! Death has a way of eliciting our deepest feelings and emotions–even strong men are caught up in the sadness and slip into tears. John tells us that Jesus was deeply moved and agitated when he saw his friends crying. That’s just how it is when we lose loved ones–even when we have certainties about resurrection and new life to come, it’s not unusual to cry our eyes out in the presence of death. We hate to lose friends and family–their absence is so obvious and it can take years to become accustomed to the void. And when people are particularly close it is almost as though a part of ourselves has died with them. We have a sense that life isn’t going to be the same without them–and yet life does go on–both for ourselves and for our loved ones. This weekend we’ll be remembering those saints in worship by lifting up their names and offering prayers. And we may even smile as we remember!

Thought for the Day: When does death hit the hardest?

Revelation 21:4-6a

“And the one who was seated on the throne said, ‘See, I am making all things new.’ …Then he said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.’” vss. 5-6a

In the beginning was the Word–and in the end will be the Word. All that exists is bookended by the Mystery in whom all was created and in whom all will be brought to completion. In the meantime we who have been given the breath of life are called to live out our lives with full knowledge of our divine origins and with the confidence of a secure and beautiful future. In the spectrum of time our lives seem so short, scarcely a wrinkle when compared to eternity, yet in truth they are long enough. Of course there are some who “die before their time,” but for most there are plenty of hours to enjoy the beauty and wonder of the universe, particularly if we stay alert to the nuanced Presence of the Divine that is a part of every day. This is especially true for those who are blessed by loving relationships oozing with affirmation and kindness. Those hugs and embraces cause time to stand still and overwhelm us with the wonder of God’s grace. And even though our physical bodies are magnets for aches and pains during the fragile ending years, it is enough to be loved and to live in anticipation of reunion with the Omega One who awaits. Life is good! Praise God!

Thought for the Day: What makes for a contented life?