Mark 10:13-16

“But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.’” vs. 14

There is some evidence in scripture that Jesus may have been involved in baptisms during his ministry, but there is no indication that he baptized little children or even advocated such a thing. He didn’t know about infant baptism, though he was presumably well acquainted with circumcision. Still, when Christians began baptizing infants and it became a regular practice, they believed that Jesus would have been supportive. After all, he had chewed out the disciples big time when they tried to stop parents from bringing children for blessings. He felt that the kingdom of God belongs to the little ones, and unless adults learned to be like them, they’d never have a clue about kingdom living. As a result, to this day, a significant number of congregations, maybe even the majority, regularly and gladly baptize children in their worship. They do this, not to save kids from going to hell, but to celebrate the amazing and incredible, all-encompassing grace of God. Salvation does not come via personal decision or a conversion experience, it comes totally because of God’s mercy and steadfast love! And while it’s just fine for some to practice believer’s baptism, it cannot be denied that baptizing little children remains the very best way for believers to celebrate grace.

Thought for the Day: Why isn’t the rite of baptism necessary for salvation?

Mark 10:2-12

“But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh.” vss. 6-8

Through the millennia, as humans figured out how men and women should interact, polygamy was a logical option, one that became the standard for much of the world, including the patriarchs of the Hebrew people. But it was the practice of monogamy that was incorporated into the laws of Judaism. There it was taught that God intended that a man and a woman be joined together as one flesh, and furthermore, that their marriage vows should be unbreakable. Now that’s a wonderful ordinance, but it was quickly discovered that this was one that required  loopholes! So provisions were made for dissolving marriages–and rabbis debated for centuries just what those exceptions were. When Jesus was asked to weigh in on this, he gave a plain answer–there are no loopholes! When God joins two people together, there can be no separation. Of course his followers had a tough time with this–Matthew even adds a caveat and says unchastity is an exception. And we’ve continued to struggle. Divorce has been a huge issue for the church. The bottom line is that it is going to happen. So what then? Is it the unforgivable sin? Of course not! Divorce does bring its own hell of messiness and pain, but Jesus brings healing and grace. In him we find restoration and hope!

Thought for the Day: Why do divorces get messy?

Hebrews 2:5-12

“As it is, we do not yet see everything in subjection to them, but we do see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.” vss. 8b-9

Psalm 8 had said that humans were created a little lower than angels and had been crowned with glory and honor. The writer to the Hebrews shifts the focus of the psalm from humans to Jesus and says that Jesus was the one crowned with glory and honor and that it had happened through the suffering of death. This wasn’t an unusual circumstance. Early Christians often found references to Jesus in the Hebrew scriptures–they wanted people to know that what happened in Jesus had been foretold–and they weren’t just making stuff up. While we might disagree with their manipulation of texts, their conclusions often contain profound affirmations of grace. Here the writer even gives us a little taste of universal salvation. In his interpretation, the suffering and death that Jesus endured on the cross was done on behalf of everyone. Jesus was crowned with glory and honor through his death so that all humanity might be crowned with glory and honor. We may have learned to express this hope in different theological terms but the essence of it is precious. Just think! We don’t have to worry about death–Jesus has already been there and is waiting for us all on the other side!

Thought for the Day: What gives me hope in the face of death?

Hebrews 1:1-4

“Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds.” vss. 1-2

The folks who were writing epistles and gospels in the early Christian congregations understood that something substantial had happened in Jesus. It wasn’t just that he was a gifted teacher from Nazareth or that he was walking in the footsteps of ancient prophets, he had a connection with the Creator of the Universe. The gospel writer John said that in him the creative Word of God had been made flesh. The writer to the Hebrews says that the spoken words of Jesus were those of God’s Son, through whom the worlds were created. While we might not put it in the same way, we too share that appreciation for Jesus. He was the man from Nazareth, like us in every way, but he is also the Light of the World, and in him we are connected to the Divine Presence. Of course we can see that same presence in others too–and even in ourselves on our better days. (After all, the Spirit works in a variety of ways.) But still, there’s something about Jesus that provides a focus for us. In him we are kept grounded and with his teachings to guide us, we are kept from making foolish and destructive choices.

Thought for the Day: What happens when I drift away from Jesus?

Psalm 8:5-9

“Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor.” vs. 5

It may be that we have offered up, “Well, I’m only human,” as an excuse for one of our mistakes or errors of judgment. The psalmist would likely have countered, “What more do you want to be?” In his estimation being human was as good as it gets in the universe, just a notch lower than Divinity. And on our better days we’re likely to agree. There is much to be said for being a human being–we have the capacity to enjoy life in the world on a pretty high level. For the most part we have the wisdom, skills, talents, and imagination to accomplish some amazing and remarkable things. But at the same time we will have to admit that our record in caring for the earth has been pretty dismal. In exercising dominion over the animal kingdom we’ve managed the extinction of whole species, and the whole environment has been groaning in travail because of our management blunders. Some are even wondering if humans as a species can even survive in the face of rising temperatures–it could be that all who will be left will be the cockroaches and rats! It may be that we have time to get things in order–it would mean the wholesale adoption of new lifestyles and a simpler standard of living. If that happens this would be humanity’s glory, a time to celebrate the honor that the psalmist thought was due us.  

Thought for the Day: What’s the best thing about being human?

Psalm 8:1-4

“When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?” vss. 3-4

This psalmist was a thinker! He was likely well aware of the creation stories and accepted that the Lord had brought all things into existence. But the improbability of what he believed was more than his little mind could comprehend. We know that feeling! And for us the awe is magnified! The psalmist didn’t have a clue about the immensity of the universe–he’d not seen pictures of the crab nebulae. He didn’t know that the Big Bang had taken place over 13.4 billion years ago or that the nearest stars are 26 trillion miles away. Just imagine for a moment! Think of the improbability of being alive at this time on this little blue dot in the middle of nowhere! This very thought should force us to our knees in grateful appreciation! Our whole lives ought to be spent in giving thanks to the Lord of the Universe! But what do we do instead? Propelled by greed and a lust for power we have turned the globe into an armed camp! Instead of caring for our earth we dream up even more weapons of mass destruction! And maybe as humans we’re incapable of anything else–who knows? But really! There’s just got to be a better way for us to use this precious gift of time on this awesome planet! 

Thought for the Day: Why can’t we just get along?

Genesis 2:18-24

“Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner.’”  vs. 18

The second of the two Hebrew creation stories paints a picture of God that is dear to our hearts. Here we see the Divine Presence, not as the transcendent creator of all things, but as a down-to-earth God who gives to humanity the breath of life. And more than that, those ancient Hebrews believed that not only are we created in the image of God, we’re also created for community. God does not want us to be alone! This observation has rung true for human beings since the beginning. While some  are quite happy and content to live without a partner, many more of us crave companionship. For the most part this has meant that men and women were joined together in marriage relationships of one kind or another. For many centuries this system was guided and guarded by patriarchal tendencies that encouraged male domination. Only in recent years have women begun to assert themselves and urge a more egalitarian approach to marriage and relationships. For some this has also included a move toward the acceptance of same-sex marriage. Obviously these changes have sparked reactions–it can be threatening when centuries old practices are questioned. Jesus taught his followers to beware of following human traditions and told them to embrace the law of love. And that’s the bottom line–models of marriage are always evolving–what really counts is the presence of self-giving love.

Thought for the Day: How have my attitudes about marriage changed?

Mark 9:42-50

“For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.” vss. 49-50

In the ancient world salt was enormously valuable, not only for its flavor, but for its value as a preservative. For that reason it became a natural metaphor for Jesus, along with fire, as he described how faith can grow and endure in a life of discipleship. It was well-known that steel grew stronger when heated in flames–the tempering process was essential in producing weapons and tools. Early Christians were taught that their painful experiences in times of persecution would work to make their faith stronger. And that was indeed the way it worked–the Church grew through the blood of the martyrs. The suffering worked like fire and salt to grow and preserve the Church. There’s still truth in that metaphor! Faith is fixed and becomes strong in our lives, not because the good times have been rolling, but because we’ve been challenged and toughened by the fire and salt of life in this world. Those times come to everyone, not because we crave adversity, but because that’s how life is. It is as we embrace those moments, even tasting the salt, that our convictions are formed and strengthened. And amazingly, as we come to terms with our saltiness, we learn to be content in ourselves and live at peace with one another.

Thought for the Day: How has adversity toughened me?

Mark 9:38-41

“For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.” vs. 41

The disciples were thrilled to be a part of the Jesus brigade but they didn’t have a clue about what that involved. They were applying the world’s standards to the Peaceable Kingdom and believed that they had become insiders by following Jesus. It was a pretty small group, but they didn’t seem to care if everyone else in the world was left out. Like some contemporary denominations they reveled in being Christian and couldn’t believe that others could be included. Jesus set them straight with his words–others, many others, all those who practiced hospitality, were doing his work–even if they didn’t have the right label. And that’s the way it continues to be. There are certain universal standards for life, things like humility, generosity, love, kindness, gentleness, self-control, and where people are practicing those virtues it is a certain sign that the Spirit of God is at work. Their religion, their set of human-imagined rules for worship, doesn’t make a bit of difference. It’s fine for us to be faithful and involved in our congregations, but we can never begin to imagine that this is what it means to be alive in Christ. No matter how satisfying our liturgical dances might be, our God-given work is to be found outside our churches in the ebb and flow of daily living.

Thought for the Day: Does it make any difference what we believe?

James 5:16-20

“Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.” vs. 16

It has become common for believers to speak of the personal relationship that they have with Jesus. We have learned to talk in this fashion because some religious leaders have had a fixation on what might be called individual salvation. They teach that “going to heaven” requires each person to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. The fact that this leaves out billions of God’s beloved children and is not a biblical emphasis doesn’t seem to bother them. In reality the scriptures consistently put the focus on community and not the individual. It’s not that individuals are inconsequential or important–of course God loves every single one of us. But we tap into the presence of God primarily in community, being “in Christ” means being a part of a Body! And it’s in community that we experience healing and forgiveness–it’s in community that our mutual prayers for one another become powerful and effective. It’s one thing to go off to our private place and confess our sins to God–and there’s nothing wrong with that. But healing comes quickly when we learn to confess to one another, and in that context, hear precious words of absolution. For some that’s a scary proposition–it requires a high level of trust–but when it can happen the relief is enormous. And in the end it’s good to know that salvation is a community effort centered in Christ–and doesn’t depend on us!

Thought for the Day: How do I practice confession?