Mark 9:30-32

“But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.” vs. 32

Sometimes we imagine Jesus to have been like a kind and gentle pastor, a leader who could warm our hearts with a smile, and who we could have come to at any time with any questions or concerns. That’s a nice thought and we are indeed blessed when we meet such persons, Unfortunately that description doesn’t fit the Jesus we meet in the gospels. The gospel writers don’t say that he is inaccessible to people in need–in fact, we read that folks were regularly crowding around and even making demands. But Mark reports that the disciples, those presumably closest to him, often didn’t understand what he said, and were afraid to ask him questions. In other words he was an enigma to them. They sensed the divine presence in him but didn’t quite know what he was up to. His parables seemed clear, but there was more to them than met the ear. Jesus was and is more than an answerer of questions, more than a teacher. As the gospel writer John put it, “(he was) the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” And the disciples were baffled! And so are we! Think of it! We who aspire to be disciples of Jesus are ultimately called not to ask questions, but to be answers. And if we really are disciples, as people encounter us, they will in fact see and experience Christ. And that’s the scariest thought of all!

Thought for the Day: To what question am I the answer?

James 4:7-8a

“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” vs. 8a

James had figured some things out about God that are worth reviewing in our own search for intimacy with the Divine Presence. So often we imagine that the empty feeling we occasionally feel comes because God has moved away. The truth is that God just doesn’t operate like that–God is always present to us. That’s the nature of God. So when we feel alone, guess who has done the moving? When we turn our backs on love and embrace the ways of the world, of course it seems as if we are alone. But the instant we turn around and open our arms wide God comes rushing in. It’s almost as though God is shadowing us through the ebb and flow of life. At times it seems as though we are alone and having to make our own way through whatever challenges are rearing their heads. But the instant we take a look around we can spot our shadow–unlike Elvis, God never leaves the building! And what is really amazing is that when we turn back to God, God’s presence is overwhelmingly present. We are enveloped by God and we will feel the love that is at the core of creation. God is like a dance partner who passionately draws us close and who leads us through the tricky and intricate moves that life requires. There are no wallflowers in the Peaceable Kingdom!

Thought for the Day: What’s it like to be a wallflower?

James 3:13-4:3

“But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy.” vs. 17

In recent years we’ve seen an avalanche of purported wisdom poured out on social media and every kind of journalistic platform. Almost all of it is carefully designed to fuel our passions and promote discord and dissension on every level. It’s infected neighborhoods, schools, and even our churches–and we’ve actually gotten used to it! We’ve become accustomed to anger on the faces of our leaders and vitriol in their tones. All around us people are full of rage and rancor–and it doesn’t have to be like this. Consider the vision James had for life in community! Oh, how wonderful it is when his words become the model for our life together! This is how life is meant to be experienced! This is how followers of Jesus are called to live! True wisdom doesn’t come from the dark web or obscure internet blogs–it comes from above and is marked by purity, peace, and gentleness. The truly wise person will always be willing to compromise, full of mercy and good works, and totally lacking in partiality or hypocrisy. Some might say this is a pipe dream, that humans will never behave in such a way. But others know better. They are blessed by encounters with such persons on a daily basis and bask in those loving connections. They even dare to dream that someday this is how all people will live together!

Thought for the Day: Where do we learn wisdom?

Psalm 54:5-7

“With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you; I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good.” vs. 6

The psalmist here gives a glimpse of life under the temple’s sacrificial system. There were a variety of offerings that could be made–the suppliant chose the one that best fit the circumstances. In this case, because the psalmist had been delivered from enemies, he chose to make a free will offering, not because it was required but because he felt like it. That’s how it is sometimes when things go our way. While life can many times be a bummer, there are also times when it’s magnificent even beyond our expectations. Unexpected windfalls come our way, healings are complete and speedy, love blossoms, children are successful, the list goes on and on. In such instances it’s not unusual to feel a surge of generosity and make a spontaneous offering in a spirit of thanksgiving. What a difference from our usual mode of giving, the hardly noticed automatic withdrawal from a checking account or the obligated paying down of a tithing commitment! What motivates such giving? It’s hard to say, but it doesn’t happen with everyone. It seems to spring from the faithful hearts of people who know that what they have is a gift from God, and that blessings are meant to be shared. And once folks discover the joy of freewill giving, it gets really hard to stop–it really is more blessed to give than receive!

Thought for the Day: What event have I celebrated with generous giving?

Psalm 54:1-4

“For the insolent have risen against me, the ruthless seek my life; they do not set God before them. But surely, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life.” vss. 3-4

Many are saying that these are the most divisive times they have experienced, and national polls bear that out. Some have become reluctant to share their ideas and opinions with those they do not know–they don’t want to offend, and it’s hard to know convictions of the heart by looking at the outside. Others believe that before long current divisions will escalate into violence–some groups are preparing for just that scenario by stockpiling arms and ammunition. It seems likely that the psalmist also lived with those kinds of tension–his world too was coming apart at the seams and he feared for his life. But even when things were at their worst he continued to hang on to his faith. He knew in his heart that God was his helper and the Lord would uphold his life. We might scoff at such a notion, but ultimately the psalmist is right. We have no other option! Trust in general has been eroded by the depth of the deceptions we encounter on a daily basis. Our leaders label every unflattering truth as being “fake news” and we’re hard-pressed to believe anything we hear or see. In such a world the Lord is our refuge and strength. Only by putting our trust in the Divine Presence can we find the hope and the peace that we crave.

 Thought for the Day: What hope do I receive by putting my trust in God?

Jeremiah 11:18-20

“But you, O Lord of hosts, who judge righteously, who try the heart and the mind, let me see your retribution upon them, for to you I have committed my cause.” vs. 20

Jeremiah’s life had been threatened by some people from his hometown and he didn’t like it! They evidently had taken offense at things he had said and were scheming to erase his name from the memory of his people. But Jeremiah believes that the Lord, the Righteous One to whom he had made a commitment, won’t let them get away with their plots. And more than that he wants to see the Lord’s retribution upon them–a desire that most of us can understand, because we’d like that sort of thing too. When someone has done us wrong, by breaking vows or being unfaithful, or by some other nasty words or actions, we would like nothing more than to see them brought low. Vengeance is as natural to us as breathing, and we love to see the bad guys beaten down. Unfortunately we have not been called to be followers of Jeremiah! Instead we have committed our cause to Jesus, and the whole world knows what he prayed would happen to his enemies. There’s nothing about revenge or retribution–all we get is his words from the cross, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing!” It’s perfectly fine for us to be honest about the vengeful feelings that churn around in our guts! They come on their own–but they don’t have to remain!

Thought for the Day: Against whom have I harbored vengeful feelings?

Mark 8:34-38

“He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.’” vs. 34

These familiar words have a quaint feel about them. Once they seemed so important, a description of a call to discipleship that could define the journey of our lives. But now there’s a kind of sad irrelevance about them. They’re a reminder of times past when people actually did look beyond themselves and lived their lives in the shadow of the cross. But now times are different. The forces of the world have had decades to bombard our minds with messages of self-indulgence and consumption. Everywhere we look we see the beautiful people of society beckoning us to activate new credit limits and follow them into experiences of unbelievable joy and pleasure. Even churches have changed their messages and some now offer a new Jesus, one created especially for our times, and his new way leads not to the cross but to happiness and prosperity. But thoughtful folks wonder! They know suffering still touches every human heart, and times are not as wonderful as marketers would have us believe. They see the effects of shallow and profligate living all around, and know that joy can never come from self-indulgence. They know that Jesus wasn’t kidding when he said, “What does it profit a person to gain the whole world and lose their life?” For them the cross will never be obsolete!

Thought for the Day: What is the way of the cross?

Mark 8:27-33

“He asked them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Peter answered him, ‘You are the Messiah.’” vs. 29

There is little doubt that Jesus of Nazareth existed. Only die-hard skeptics continue to say that there never was such a person, that all reports of his existence are only fabrications. Even if we doubt the accuracy of some gospel accounts it seems obvious that he preached and taught in Galilee and Judea at some point in the first century. Less than twenty years after his death there is evidence of growing communities of his followers all around the eastern Mediterranean. Mark reports that during his lifetime people wondered about him, thinking that perhaps he was the promised messiah of Israel. Peter, one of his prominent disciples, was convinced–in his mind there was no doubt. Jesus was the Messiah! We’re faced with the same identity question as Peter. And even if we’re not looking for a messiah, at some point we are called to make some sort of decision about who Jesus is. We could see him as simply a man, an ancient teacher who happened to have a few gifted publicists, or we could acknowledge him as the incarnation of the eternal Christ, and decide to walk in his way. It’s an important decision, one that will have a powerful impact in the way we live. We can delay it if we wish–some like to weigh  options and maybe check out other messiahs, but what a blessing it is when we finally make our choice Jesus!

Thought for the Day: Who do I say that Jesus is?

James 3:6-12

“With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so.” vss. 9-10

James understands the power of the tongue. He says that it is like a fire, a small part of our body, yet capable of inflicting enormous damage, but he doesn’t give any hints about how it can be controlled. He points out the problem, says that the same mouth should not both bless and curse, and then leaves it up to the reader to figure out what to do. We know what he’s talking about. We’ve all been the victims of “loose lips” and wagging tongues–and chances are we’ve also been on the other side too. We say hurtful and demeaning things even to the people we’ve sworn to love. And we can’t seem to find a way out of the dilemma. We try biting our tongues, but they’re so resilient. Even after being bitten they will lash out with even greater insults, words specially chosen to wound and destroy. It could be that with the passage of time our tongues can be trained and directed to be more loving and healing, to offer more blessings than curses, but it’s not a guarantee. Slips of the tongue seem to continue as long as we have breath to speak. But so do those opportunities to offer words of love and affection! Our task is to learn to use those additional days to loose our tongues for goodness’ sake–it’s hard, but it can be done!

Thought for the Day: How am I using my tongue these days?

James 3:1-5

“Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” vs. 1

There is a strange paradox connected to the teaching profession. On the one hand we see teachers being regularly disparaged and discounted in popular commentary. It is said that they suck up massive amounts of taxpayer dollars while working short hours for only a portion of the year. As a group they’re held responsible for the decline in achievement scores and the breakdown of traditional values. James is right! Those who teach are judged with greater strictness! Yet it is also true that almost all of us remember with fondness teachers who have touched our hearts and challenged our minds. Even today our children are exposed daily to men and women who are having a profound effect on their lives. Denigrated as a group, individually, teachers are changing lives in powerful and wonderful ways. It is indeed a noble profession! We should be thankful for all those who have a gift for teaching, and who take the steps necessary to use that talent in enriching lives. They are making connections that will last for a life-time and passing on skills that every person needs for a satisfying life. Of course they will be judged with greater strictness–their jobs are crucial and need to be done well. But they also need to hear praise–especially in these days of COVID. Today might be the perfect day to “thank a teacher.”

Thought for the Day: How has COVID affected teachers?