Psalm 104:24-34, 35b

“Let sinners be consumed from the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless the Lord, O my soul. Praise the Lord!” vs. 35

Psalm 104 is a beautiful song of praise to the creation. Verse 24 describes its intent well, “O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.” The psalmist knows that God has created all things and that the spirit of God sustains and nourishes every living creature. And then come these words, “Let sinners be consumed from the earth, and let the wicked be no more.” It’s an almost jarring sentiment, and we’re hard-pressed to know what to do with it. In fact, those who chose passages for each Sunday’s lectionary readings exclude it. They recommend that verse 34a not be read or sung in worship. The advice is understandable, yet we wonder. Isn’t this how many of us actually feel? The creation really is spectacular and wonderful. Every day we’re overwhelmed by its beauty and intricacy. But at the same time we’re so aware of the evil–there are so many people doing absolutely despicable things–and we’d love it if God would just do something about it. Indeed, as it is for the psalmist, that’s sometimes our daily prayer! The problem is that sin and wickedness cannot be excised by getting rid of people–that’s been tried and it doesn’t work. The good news is that one day the Son’s love radiation will destroy every vestige of evil–both in ourselves and in the world!

Thought for the Day: How does awareness of evil affect me?

Acts 2:14-21

“No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.’” vss. 16-17

When the Spirit blew into the lives of the disciples with firepower beyond their imagining, no one was quite sure what was happening, and they naturally sought understanding in scripture. And the old prophet Joel gave them clarifying insights. Joel had said that one day the Spirit would be poured out upon all flesh, and there would be dreams and visions for everyone. Men and women, young and old, all would be transformed by the Spirit! This is still our Pentecostal experience! Every year we take stock of whose we are and look with enthusiasm toward the future, expecting our dreams and visions to become realities. And this year, post-COVID, it really feels good to hope! The last year has been full of trials and tribulations and our enthusiasm has waned. Some imagined that the Spirit had departed! But in Christ, days of suffering are signs of a vibrant future. God isn’t nearly finished with us and the best is yet to come–one day all flesh will be resurrected! This is only the birthday of the Church and not a final reunion! We can’t even imagine the glories of the days to come!

Thought for the Day: What is my vision for the Church?

Acts 2:1-13

“And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them.” vss. 2-3

Luke’s picture of the Pentecost has caught the attention of artists in every age and we’ve all seen their renditions of men and women caught up in Spirit-filled ecstacy, each with a tongue of fire rising from the tops of their heads. Luke’s image is powerful and reminds us that the coming of the Spirit is like the wind and is marked by the cleansing fire of baptismal rebirth. It’s worth noting that Luke calls it a violent wind–not a soft breeze wafting through the branches of pines in the park. His adjective is intentional. The coming of the Spirit is seldom gentle and hidden. Rather, it’s that forceful push from God that gets us out of our comfortable pews and into places we’d sometimes rather not be. God has to be like that. When we get in our ruts our inclination is to just keep trucking along, even if the way is boring and fruitless. Change is scary and means getting off our rear ends and into action. It means taking risks, playing with fire, and maybe burning our fingers. But when the Spirit drives us, we move, and that’s how rebirth and resurrection happen. And we don’t have to be artists to get the picture!

Thought for the Day: Times I’ve been jolted into action.

John 17:11-16

“And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.” vs. 11

As children of God and members of the peaceable kingdom we are daily reminded that we also live in the world and are subject to all its pressures and temptations. Like everyone else we get caught up in political drama, spend far too much time watching and worrying as the stock market rises and falls, and even imagine that self-indulgence will bring pleasure. Such things become the topics of daily conversations and lead us away from the joy of simplicity and the blessings of friendship. Frequently our dabbling in the ways of the world leads us into an ugly kind of partisanship that can destroy our peace of mind and ruin relationships. Even the refuge offered by faith communities can be infiltrated by our disagreements and worldly convictions. As we take up positions against one another our unity can be destroyed and our witness threatened. That was Jesus’ deepest fear as he got ready to leave his disciples. He knew how the world operates and he fervently prayed that his followers could remain one in the face of its temptations and threats. He also knew that sacrificial love was the only way to continue in unity with one another. It’s even more important than getting in the last word in any discussion or debate!

Thought for the Day: What’s the point of political bickering?

John 17:6-10

”I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.” vs. 6

We live in two realms, the kingdom of God and the kingdom of this world. They occupy the same physical space, but have vastly different values and operating systems. The world focuses on external and material desires and seeks our allegiance with promises of beauty, wealth and power. When Jesus began his ministry he called people out of the world and into a relationship with the Divine. He called that realm the Kingdom of God. Those early disciples listened and watched and became intimately acquainted with a new way of living, one that is rooted in sacrificial love, and that bears fruit through service. They discovered through him that they bore the image of God and were the light of the world. Through them, Jesus said, all those living according to the ways of the world could begin to know God, and live as children of God. He called that new way of living “eternal life” and said that it was God’s gift to the world. After Jesus’ death and resurrection signs of God’s peaceable kingdom have popped up all over the globe. We still see them today, even when the ways of the world seem so strong. All around people are being grasped by the good news and beginning to love and serve. Perhaps it will grasp even us, and we’ll see the kingdom today!

Thought for the Day: How has the good news grasped me?

1 John 5:11-13

“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.” vs. 13

John presumes that his readers believe that Jesus was the Son of God, and he also wants them to know that they have eternal life. It’s almost as though there is a difference between believing and knowing, and he’s saying to believers, “Wait a minute, there’s more!” In saying this he captures the exciting essence of the gospel, and encourages us to be diligent in proclamation. This is where evangelism gets exciting. Not only are we called to tell the story of Jesus to folks who have never heard, we also get to tell them that in Christ they already have eternal life. And this isn’t just the “pie in the sky by and by” variety of eternal life, this is “real life now” kind of living–and we don’t have to physically die to get it! What’s really sad is that a lot of people don’t know this. Instead they struggle on, caught up in the ways of the world, uncertain about meaning or purpose, and unimpressed with most types of religious expression. They think that if there is a God, they’ve just missed out! And that’s just so wrong! What they don’t know is that they are claimed, loved, and forgiven–and that in Christ they have life. They may have turned their backs on the gift–but the gift is never “returned to sender”! It’s theirs forever!

Thought for the Day: What’s the purpose of evangelism?

1 John 5:9-10

“If we receive human testimony, the testimony of God is greater; for this is the testimony of God that he has testified to his Son.” vs. 9

It is clear from the gospels that the ministry of Jesus was set in motion by his experience of baptism at the hands of John the Baptist. As he came out of the water he heard the testimony of God regarding himself, “You are my Son, the Beloved. With you I am well-pleased.” That affirmation was for Jesus a divine call to announce the arrival of God’s rule on earth–and that’s what he did until his life was cruelly ended by those he had been sent to love. For his followers that testimony was greater than any other human claim about God that might be made. Jesus was the beloved Son of God and they were willing to give their lives to spread that good news. It was important, not so much because of what it meant to Jesus, but what it meant to them. If Jesus was the Beloved, then by faith they could claim the same status, because his Spirit also dwelt in them. That continues to be our common legacy as we make our way through the 21st century. We too are the beloved children of God and the Spirit of Christ lives in our hearts. There is no better news in all creation, no human creed packs a greater wallop. No matter what others say or what we think, we are loved by God!

Thought for the Day: How do I know I am loved by God?

Psalm 1:4-6 

“Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” vss. 5-6

The psalmist reflected the common sense, black and white perspective of his religious peers, and his words resonate well with folks in our time too. He tells us that there are basically two kinds of people in the world, the righteous and the wicked. Good people walk in the way of righteousness, obey the laws of God, and bear fruit that brings them blessings. Sinners, on the other hand, are like wind-driven chaff and will be separated from the righteous by the judgment of the Lord. And that, in a nutshell, pretty much sums up the viewpoint of most major religions, including Christianity. Now there is much in this basic teaching that is easy to believe, and many passages of scripture do teach much the same thing. The problem is that life doesn’t operate according to our formulas, and it’s never as easy to differentiate right and wrong as we think it is. Seldom are things black and white–more often they’re some shade of grey, and doing the right thing isn’t always obvious. So-called righteous folks can do despicable things–sinners can do incredible good. What a blessing it is to adopt the posture of Jesus and just love all people, and trust that the unconditional grace of God covers us all!

Thought for the Day: When do I feel righteous indignation?

Psalm 1:1-3

“Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers; but their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law they meditate day and night.” vss. 1-2

The ancient editors of the scriptures we know as the Psalms chose these verses as an introduction to the whole of the book. It describes in a few words what an authentic life of faith might look like–and we can’t disagree. Those who turn their backs on the ways of the world and who spend their lives meditating on the law of the Lord will very likely have blessed and happy lives. These are the folks who really want to be good people and who believe that there is great benefit in following the rules. We all know people like this–they can be depended on to live beyond reproach, and always do what is right. Their lives are fruitful and just–they’re truly the backbone of our society. But there’s a problem with this kind of living–Jesus noticed it at once when he began his ministry. Such persons as the psalmist describes can often become self-righteous and arrogant in their attitudes toward those who tread the sinners’ path. At their worst they are devoid of compassion and unable to even comprehend the nature of unconditional love. For them everything rests on obedience–anything else can only be condemned. Jesus taught another way! So they killed him!

Thought for the Day: What’s wrong with living beyond reproach?

Acts 1:15-17, 21-26

“Then they prayed and said, ‘Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which one of these two you have chosen…’ And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.” vss. 24, 26

When the disciples wanted to add a person to their ranks to replace Judas, they had two candidates, each with the necessary credentials, so they cast lots, the first century equivalent of flipping a coin. And then they attributed the choice of  Matthias to the Lord, who had presumably worked through the lots–and everyone was happy. For those used to secret ballots and elections it seems a strange way to choose leaders, yet we frequently find ourselves doing nearly the same thing in our decision making. One of the givens about life in this world is that decisions are not easy, and no matter how hard we try to weigh all the evidence, sometimes we reach the point of flipping a coin. The big question then is, does God direct the flip? But more important is the question, does it make any difference? Is one person God’s choice and the other not? The truth is that Justus probably could have served just as well as a disciple as did Matthias. And most of the time our big decisions, while clearly marking important crossroads in our lives, could go any way or another just fine. God will be with us no matter what–it’s what we do after the decision is made that has the most consequence for our futures. 

Thought for the Day: How did I make my biggest decision?