John 20:19-25

“When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” vss. 22-23

The gospel writer John understood that the Holy Spirit could not be contained and said that it was like the wind. We could hear the sound of it but not know where it was coming from, or where it was going. In this passage, at the end of his gospel, he lets us know that the Spirit was focused in the breath of the Risen Christ, and was passed on to the disciples along with the power to forgive sins. The disciples took this gift seriously, and with the Holy Spirit leading the way, they made this freeing message the center of their apostolic proclamation. Through the ensuing centuries people all over the world have felt the breath of Christ and heard the good news of forgiveness. Even now, after 2000 years the Spirit refuses to be quenched and is still blowing where it wills. Periodically it blows into our lives and moves us to actively forgive others as we have been forgiven. When that happens relationships are restored and love abounds, and the Risen Christ is made visible–and even doubters become believers. Forgiveness is difficult, one of the hardest things we can even imagine doing, and can only happen when the Spirit blows into our lives.

Thought for the Day: Why would I ever retain the sins of any?

1 John 3:23-24

“All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us.” vs. 24

We do a lot of talking about the Holy Spirit in our congregations and some people are eager to claim that they possess the Spirit, thereby implying that there are many who don’t. As a result there are folks who go through life wondering if they have the Spirit or if there’s one more step of spiritual advancement left for them to take. Of course congregations have dealt with this from the time of Paul, and John in his little letter makes it plain that love is the prime indicator of God’s presence. We can therefore be confident of Spirit possession if self-giving love is present and apparent in our hearts. Such a thing can happen only through the Spirit–it really isn’t something that can be consistently faked. Paul had set the stage for this understanding when, in his letter to the Galatians, he led off his list of the Spirit’s fruits with love. We really needn’t worry ourselves by wondering whether we abide in God or if God abides in us. Since there is no place where God is not we can be absolutely certain of God’s presence wherever we see people loving one another as God in Christ has loved them. And when that happens we can be confident that Jesus is being glorified and his dream fulfilled!

Thought for the Day: What does it mean to be “possessed by the Spirit”?

1 John 3:18-22

“Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.” vs. 18

From the beginning faith communities have known that there are some who are adept at talking the talk, but who don’t come close to walking the walk. And sadly, these are the ones who are mostly responsible for the widespread opinion that all Christians are hypocrites. Even though they’re a minority among believers, their inability or unwillingness to love in truth and in action has had a huge negative effect. Those who truly want to walk in the way of Christ know that the way they treat others is far more important than how they feel about them. Even when we can’t conjure up feelings of affection or kindness toward others, if we treat them kindly and offer them smiles and hugs, we are showing them Christ’s love–because at its core such love is an action and not a feeling. For most this news comes as a relief because we know from experience in this world that we just don’t like everyone very much. In fact there may even be some people we can barely tolerate! So when we’re told we should love everyone, we question whether we can. But if love is an action we can do it. And it’s in the moments when we do good to those we can’t stand that the light shines in us most brightly. And it’s amazing the effect that our acts of kindness have on such folks–sometimes it even softens their hearts and they become almost likable! 

Thought for the Day: How do I treat people that I don’t like?

1 John 3:16-17

“How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?” vs. 17

Sometimes the words of scripture are so plain and obvious that it’s impossible to miss their point. There’s no way to squirm out of the spotlight they shine on our lives. That’s the way it is with the epistle writer, John, today. We don’t know the situation precisely but he definitely wants to remind his readers that the presence of God’s love in their lives will change the way they look at the world. And the question he asks them is one that deserves our full attention too. How can God’s love abide in us if we refuse to use our wealth to help our brothers and sisters in need? If we didn’t claim to be believers, that would be one thing. We could go ahead and ignore the poor and the hungry, while ensuring a comfortable future for ourselves through the hoarding of the world’s goods. But followers of Jesus simply don’t have that option–we really don’t! If God’s love abides in us there will be no question about sharing our wealth with others–we will do it generously with joy, and the world will be blessed. And so will we! Our giving will be the most convincing gospel testimony that we could ever offer. That’s why the early church grew so rapidly–outsiders saw their generosity and concluded that it was rooted in deep and abiding love. It’s still happening today!

Thought for the Day: Who knows the level of my generosity?

Psalm 133

“How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!” vs. 1

The psalmist nails it today! His dream has been around for a long time and describes one of our deepest yearnings. There is nothing that can be any better than unity in the life of our communities. When Jesus was completing his mission John tells us that he told his disciples that he was giving them just one commandment, that they should love one another, and further that they should be one. That directive has guided the Church through its entire history but it’s been devilishly difficult to pull off. But sometimes it does happen and we find ourselves surrounded by brothers and sisters in faith with whom we feel remarkable unity. Not only do we have a common mission, we actually love each other, and spend our lives in mutual affection and service. The psalmist is right, such times are very good and pleasant, a respite from the usual infighting and outright ugly behavior that so often afflict our attempts at community. What’s the secret? Why do we sometimes feel unity, when so often we don’t? Some of it has to do with humility, that moment when we stop trying to lord it over others and begin simply to devote ourselves to their happiness and pleasure. It’s as we get outside ourselves that we can finally come together as one body in Christ–and the result is pure joy, both for ourselves and for others!

Thought for the Day: When have I felt perfect unity with others?

Acts 4:32-35

“Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common.” vs. 4

There are some folks who have a hard time figuring out what to do with passages like this in scripture. The rejection of private ownership in favor of holding all things in common seems somehow wrong to our ears. At the very least it sounds unAmerican. We live in a land where leaders laud capitalism and the accumulation of wealth as basic principles. Some even believe that this economic system is favored by God, and they bristle at the notion that a more equitable distribution of wealth would even be considered. In their vocabulary socialism is a dirty word! So when we read in Acts that the earliest Christians were communist, well, that’s hard to take. What those believers understood, and what some of us have forgotten, is that the riches of this world are not just for the powerful or the clever, they really are to be shared by all. Accumulation is not the point of our lives! And when some people have billions while others live in poverty, it’s a sign that the distribution system has really gotten messed up. Now obviously no one person has caused this, and there’s no easy solution–but the bottom line is that we who are wealthy have a call from God to generously share. And we get to choose how we do it!

Thought for the Day: Why is it hard to be a generous giver?

Mark 16:1-8

“When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb.” vss. 1-2

Evidently the male disciples had slept in that first Easter morning–we can’t really blame them. Anointing was women’s work and there would have been nothing for the men to do–though conceivably they could have rolled back the stone. Some of us have gotten used to that idea of sleeping in on Sunday morning in this year of COVID. We’ve been able to worship at leisure and there’s no need to even get cleaned up to watch YouTube services. We can even fast forward through boring sermons. But today seems different. It’s Easter and many will be back at in-person worship for the first time in over a year. And, like the women, we’ll be looking for Jesus–the difference is that we know he’s alive. And this time no one is going to tell us that he’s disappeared–or that we’ll have to go to Galilee to see him. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! And today we’ll meet him in the community of believers and in the breaking of the bread. Christ will be with us in the tentative hugs and mask-hidden smiles. In fact, he’ll be present in all the scattered places we’re gathering this morning. It’s so good to finally be emerging from the darkness of this last year. And to do it at Easter! For many this is truly the resurrection of the Church!

Thought for the Day: How will the post-COVID Church be different?

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

“For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures,” vss. 3-4

Toward the end of his letter to the Corinthians, after having touched on any number of topics that were causing dissension in the congregation, Paul takes time to review his core message. The good news that he had passed on had twin focal points: first of all, Christ had died for our sins and was buried, and secondly, he was raised from the dead. This was the gospel he had been called to proclaim, and it’s still the gospel we hear proclaimed weekly in our congregations. It’s a beautiful and powerful message and it continues to address guilt and anxiety, the two major concerns of humanity. One has to do with the past, and the other the future. We’re plagued by memories of sin and transgression, and we worry about death and dying. The good news both frees us from the burdens of the past, and opens the way to the joy and freedom of eternal life. The key word here is freedom! To put it simply, in Christ we are set free from the past even as we are freed for the future. By grace then, we can live in the present with confidence and joy, and no more guilt or fear!

Thought for the Day: What if people don’t believe in the Gospel? 

Isaiah 52:13-53:12

“But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed.” vs. 5

When the prophet wrote these words about the Servant, he likely had in mind the nation of Israel, and the horrible suffering that had been endured by his people. They’re powerful words, and likely helped his readers come to terms with the punishment their ancestors had endured–perhaps there had been some purpose in Israel’s affliction. Many hundreds of years later these words became for followers of Jesus the perfect explanation for his suffering and death. The cross hadn’t been pointless after all–indeed, it became the core of the good news. Soon apostles were going to all the known world to tell sinners that in the death of Jesus all of their sins had been forgiven. Jesus had been wounded for their transgressions, and in response millions of people have turned to the cross to find wholeness and  healing. And even when our theologians’ atonement theories stop making sense,  and are rightly put on the shelf, the message of Good Friday rings true in our hearts. God loved us so much that in Jesus God died for us–there can be no greater example of love and reconciliation. Sin persists in this world–it’s ugly and pervasive and touches us all. But God in Christ brings forgiveness–and it’s a gift of pure grace. No wonder this day is called “Good.”

Thought for the Day: What Good Friday memory is dear to me?

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

“The Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’” vss. 23b-24

Paul’s account of the Last Supper was written before those found in the gospels and shows that followers of Jesus practiced Holy Communion in their congregations from the very beginning. And the words that he uses are precisely the same as those used now, an astounding bit of continuity that shows the centrality of this sacrament in the life of the Church. Through the centuries these few words have been parsed and scrutinized like none other. Learned theologians have written long and obscure definitions, and in the process have managed to produce massive divisions among Christ’s people. Instead of being a point of unity for us, the Lord’s Supper has been a point of contention–often the particular doctrines have been used to exclude rather than include at the Table. And it’s all so sad! The meal is intended to be a point of connection with our Lord Jesus, and as we eat and drink the tastes and smells of the real bread and the real wine vividly remind us that God became real in Jesus, and now becomes real in us. It’s not magic or philosophical wordplay! It’s an experience of the divine, and that’s the reason why it’s the central part of worship for so many. Even our misuse hasn’t been able to mess it up!

Thought for the Day: What’s on my mind as I commune?