Ezekiel 2:1-3

“He said to me: O mortal, stand up on your feet, and I will speak with you.” vs. 1 

UFO enthusiasts believe that the vision described by Ezekiel in chapter one of his book is the account of his encounter with an alien spacecraft around the year 597 BCE. Of course that’s not how Ezekiel interpreted it–for him it was an encounter with the Lord, an experience that changed his life. Whatever it was that he saw and heard, he believed that it was a direct call from God to be a prophet to his people during the time of their captivity. In that moment he was filled with a spirit that gave him words that Israel needed to hear to maintain their identity as God’s chosen ones. Ezekiel wasn’t the first to have such an experience and he certainly wasn’t the last. Surrounded as we are by the Divine Presence it’s not unusual for people to feel the Spirit pushing and prodding them into speech or action on behalf of others. It could even happen as the result of a dream or a vision. While it’s notoriously difficult to interpret those spiritual impulses they will always be in line with God’s infinite desire for justice, peace, and mercy. Often we’ll be tempted to ignore those calls in favor of self-interest, but God doesn’t give up. We’ll probably never see a UFO but we will certainly feel the Spirit urging us to act in love for the sake of the needy and the hurting.

Thought for the Day: When have I felt the urging of the Spirit?

Mark 5:35-43

“When he had entered, he said to them, ‘Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.’” vs. 39

What Jesus said to the mourners at the synagogue leader’s home was crazy–and they knew it! That’s why they laughed at him! They knew the difference between death and sleep, and so do we. That’s why we mourn when someone dies–it’s the natural thing to do. Of course Jesus paid no attention, went into the child’s room, took her by the hand, and told her to get up. It was truly amazing for everyone who saw it–and ultimately the triumph of life over death became the central message of the gospel. It’s not that the natural processes of nature have been overturned. It’s still crazy to say that a dead person is only sleeping, but we’ve embraced the craziness and regularly hold celebrations of life for those who have died. And we’re not just memorializing a life well lived, we’re also celebrating the new life that is ours in Christ. Some continue to say that such a notion is laughable–in their minds dead is dead, and that’s the end of the story. Imagine their amazement when they come to the end of their lives and discover that there’s something more. And it’s even better than the resuscitation that Mark describes. What awaits is nothing less than resurrection, a new existence in a new creation! A new cosmic presence that transcends all understanding!

Thought for the Day: How will the new life be different?

Mark 5:21-34

“She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, for she said, ‘If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.’” vss.27-28

The woman’s condition made her ritually impure so she had a dual purpose in seeking out Jesus. She hoped that if she touched his clothes she would be both healed and cleansed. In our world we think of healing primarily in physical terms. We seek out physicians, often paying enormous sums and enduring countless tests, hoping that whatever is wrong with our bodies can be fixed. And, thanks be to God, because of wonderful medical advances and the skills of our doctors, physical healing often takes place. But sometimes there’s more healing that needs to be done! Like the woman we have a sense of our own impurity that keeps us from being fully ourselves and living freely as a child of God. It’s like a spiritual disease, contagious and deadly, that we pick up from our associations with those religious people who wield shame as a weapon in their battle with sin. Sometimes it’s parents, sometimes preachers, but the result is the same. We slink through life carrying a burden of guilt and shame and wondering if God can ever love us. The good news is that Jesus, full of the indwelling Spirit, had a heart for the impure and the outcast, and spent his life reaching out with grace and forgiveness. In his presence we are cleansed and made whole, and our healing is complete.

Thought for the Day: How has shame touched my life?

2 Corinthians 8:11-15

“I do not mean that there should be relief for others and pressure on you, but it is a question of a fair balance between your present abundance and their need…” vss. 13-14a

It seems that some people in the Corinthian congregation were reluctant to share their hard-earned money with the needy folks in Jerusalem. Such feelings are quite common, even in the family of faith. And the more material goods we’ve managed to accumulate the more difficult the sharing becomes. Paul understood this–but he believed in balance. Since the Corinthians had abundant resources they should be glad to share generously. While his words are logical and make perfect sense, there are many in our day who would disagree. They’ve gotten used to the lack of economic balance and prefer a system that allows wealth to flow from the poor to the rich, but not the other way around. As followers of Jesus, living within that system, we are the beneficiaries, and as a result, have amazing resources to share with the poor and needy. And many are doing exactly that! They’re using their abundance and generously giving to a whole variety of worthy causes. And as disasters become even more frequent in this changing world, their sharing opportunities will continue. Instead of moaning about being asked to give, they rejoice in being able to reflect the generosity of Jesus. In the process they learn the truth of Paul’s words: “The one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.”

Thought for the Day: How do I decide where to do my giving?

2 Corinthians 8:7-11

“Now as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in our love for you—so we want you to excel also in this generous undertaking.” vs. 7

There had been a massive famine in the area of Jerusalem and the Jewish Christians there were struggling mightily. When Paul heard he launched a massive disaster response effort in the congregations he had started. Instructions were sent  out to gather a collection that could be brought to those brothers and sisters who were on the edge of starvation. Initially the response was positive in Corinth, but then enthusiasm ebbed. Paul knows he can’t command the Corinthians to give, but he does encourage them, first by telling them of the extreme generosity of the Macedonian congregations, and then, by challenging them to do better! Paul understood competitiveness, and decided to use it to increase the offering for the saints. It wasn’t just that he wanted them to give more–he only wanted them to excel in their sharing, to give in proportion to their blessings. That has continued to be the model for followers of Jesus. We not only open our hearts to the Christ, we open our checking accounts as well. Sometimes that’s a shock to new believers–but when they discover the real joy that comes from generous giving, they continue that pattern for the rest of their lives. And it really isn’t a competition, it’s a habit of the heart, and one of the gifts of the Spirit!

Thought for the Day: When did I become a generous giver?

Psalm 30:6-12

“You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,” vs. 11

The psalmist had a strong sense of having lived in the Lord’s favor through his entire life. There had been times when things had not gone well for him but he didn’t doubt that the Lord had his back. He knew that ultimately God’s underlying love would lift him up, and that hope never abandoned him when times seemed bleak. Generally that’s how it works for people of faith. As we look back at our lives we can recite countless occasions of profound sadness and even depression. Times of prosperity are followed by market collapses and loss of job or income. No life can be illustrated on a graph by a straight line from one side to the other. There are always peaks and valleys! As the psalmist put it so well, mourning is turned into dancing and sadness is replaced by joy. Of course most of us would prefer that life would always be lived on mountain tops, but we also know that such a life is impossible. But it does feel good to know on the dismal days that our current moods and feelings are not permanent. God takes no pleasure in our sadness and is always at work within and around us to bring resurrection and restoration. And when we know this great truth, those moments of darkness lose their power! They just don’t last!

Thought for the Day: The longest I’ve felt bad!

Psalm 30:1-5

“For his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” vs. 5

The psalmist was intimately aware of the Divine Presence; he knew that the Lord was connected to him in every conceivable way. There would never be a time when God was absent. It’s natural in such a relationship to have feelings of regret and sadness about words or deeds, and even believe that the Lord is angry. But because the psalmist knew the relationship was established in steadfast love, he believed that such anger would never persist. That’s how it is when we’re connected to God and to one another by self-giving love. We see it on a regular basis with our love partners. To use the psalmist’s imagery there will be nights of weeping–it’s inevitable! We can’t make one another happy all the time. Occasionally, and in some seasons often, we will be irritable or resentful, and patience flies out the window. There will be tears! But the wonderful thing about love is that when the night of weeping is done, with the morning will come surprising joy and restoration. That happens for us again and again with God, and thankfully it happens in our other relationships too. Just as the sun faithfully dawns each morning, joy will rise within us, and our spirits are renewed. Instead of tears there will be smiles, and sometimes even laughter!

Thought for the Day: How do I “make up” with my loved ones?

Lamentations 3:22-33

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” vss. 22-23

These are words one might expect from a lottery winner, someone who has been the beneficiary of a sudden windfall. In reality they come from a prophet who has seen and experienced the complete devastation of city and country, a person familiar with starvation and lingering death. And that’s how it has always been for the people of God, those familiar with the indwelling Universal Christ. We know that our relationship to God is not contingent on external conditions or circumstances. Our faith does not waver during the darkness that is a part of living in this world. Even when the unthinkable happens and night settles in, when the sun makes its daily appearance, there’s a palpable change in our perceptions. It’s a reminder that God’s steadfast love is the constant in our lives, and God’s mercies will never end. And even when our faith is hanging by a thread, we know that God’s faithfulness never ends. No matter what happens in this world God’s story is going to have a happy ending, and every single one of us is going to rejoice on that day. It’s not likely that many of us will face the tribulations of Jeremiah’s time, but somehow it’s good to know that he never lost his faith. If he continued to feel the daily love of God, surely the same will be true for us.

Thought for the Day: How is God’s love touching me today?

Mark 4:39-41

“And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?’” vs. 41

Mark closes his little story with a question that he knew most every devout Jew should be able to answer. Who is it that even the winds and the waves obey? It was in their psalms–they sang about it regularly. It was the Lord who wielded such control over the forces of nature–there could be no other answer. So with this question Mark makes the point of his living parable. In Jesus, the power of God had been made flesh! In him, people were encountering the Divine Presence. But the disciples still didn’t get it–they were certainly impressed, and said all the right words, but they had only begun the journey. They wouldn’t be immersed in faith until they’d walked with Jesus to the other side of the cross.  We still see that response to Jesus–sometimes it happens in retreats. A mood is set, receptivity is heightened, and folks are amazed at their feelings, and sing with gusto, “Our God is an awesome God,” but they’ve only dipped their toes in the shallow end of life in Christ. Our God is more than the master of wind and waves–the God revealed in Jesus was full of love and tenderness, and hadn’t come to do magic tricks. It’s in the ordinary stuff of life, in our day to day encounters with anxiety and fear, that the God of peace brings calmness to our hearts, even on windy days!

Thought for the Day: What’s the relationship between faith and weather?

Mark 4:35-38

“But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’” vs. 38

Mark’s little story raises a big question for a literalist reader. How could Jesus sleep through a windstorm that was swamping the boat? Answers for our question could vary–perhaps he was an introvert and had gotten exhausted with all the extroverting involved in ministry, and had collapsed like a preacher on a couch on Sunday afternoon. Of course Jesus’ nap isn’t the point of the story at all– Jesus has been telling parables for days, and in Mark’s hands the disciples are made the central characters in yet another parable. Only this story isn’t made up, it’s being lived out, and it has to do with faith in the time of great danger. The disciples’ question has probably been asked by us all at one time or another. “Lord, do you not care that we are perishing?” Most of the time life seems pretty okay, at the very least it’s predictable and we don’t have huge issues with our faith. But when the winds turn against us and we feel the crashing waves, we really like to know that our captain has control–at the very least we’d like to know that God cares. And at that moment it’s perfectly permissible to cry out, “Are you sleeping, Jesus?” It just might be that our cries will wake him up!

Thought for the Day: What do I do when I’m frightened and feeling alone?