John 12:27-33

“Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” vss. 31-32

John presents the basic outline of Jesus’ suffering and death in pretty much the same way as the other gospel writers, but the tone is entirely different. While the other three give the gruesome details of a horrible death, for John this is a moment of triumph for Jesus. The cross was no sad ending to a failed ministry, but a decisive step toward the salvation of all creation. It signalled an end to the domination of sin and death and opened the way to the ultimate victory of life–and not just for a few, but for all people. One day in Christ Jesus, the Alpha would become the Omega, and all would join the heavenly celebratory dance. Again, no time-table is set–John simply holds out the promise, and for centuries the faithful have hung on to the hope. And every year during this season of Lent we’re drawn by the texts and our traditions to contemplate the glory of the Cross. Some of us will even sing the old hymn, “In the Cross of Christ I glory, towering o’er the wrecks of time. All the light of sacred story gathers round its head sublime.” It really is the center of sacred story, and it is the source of light and hope for all believers. Its mysterious truth even now continues to sustain us!

Thought for the Day: What is the message of my favorite Lenten hymn?

John 12:24-26

Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.” vs. 26

Jesus says that God will honor all who serve him. It’s a simple statement that has profound implications for the way we live in this world. So many are puzzled by their purpose and have the notion that the way to honor is by self-glorification. As we observe those around us on the journey, we can spot such folks a mile away. Individualists to the core, they’re always striving for a little more notoriety, wealth, or power. They are the centers of their little worlds, and don’t seem to realize that everything they’re chasing is futile and fleeting. What Jesus says offers another option, a life of service devoted to loving and caring in whatever way we can. It’s the Jesus way and is marked by humility, charity, and selflessness, and when we walk on that path we become part of the external Christ presence in the world. As such we become so much more that we could ever imagine being on our own. Our glory will be the glory of Christ, and it will never ever end. We become part of a movement that is changing the world. Think of it! Our work will survive the crash of the stock market and the decline of political parties and will be a blessing to many generations of our descendents! Service is the true glory of humanity!

Thought for the Day: How’s my serving going these days?

John 12:20-21

“Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, ‘Sir, we wish to see Jesus.’” vss. 20-21

We’re curious about the Greeks John mentions here, and all kinds of questions come to mind. Who were they? Why did they search out Philip? And most importantly, did they ever get introduced to Jesus? Unfortunately John isn’t in the business of giving answers, and all we learn is the Greeks’ request: “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Those few words however are a summation of what has been a basic human desire wherever the gospel has been proclaimed. Through centuries a massive organization has grown up in response to the teachings and ministry of Jesus. Within that Church there have been pastors and preachers charged with baptising and teaching, and through them the Holy Spirit has called and gathered billions to be a holy nation of saints and sinners. Week after week such folks come together in our congregations to hear the good news afresh and sing praises to the ever-loving God. And among them are seekers with one overwhelming desire: like the Greeks, they want to see Jesus! They want to see and experience in our fellowships the incarnate love of God. They want to hear words of grace. They want to see warm welcoming smiles and be touched by healing hugs and acts of affirmation. Do they get to see Jesus? The answer is written on our faces!

Thought for the Day: Do seekers see Jesus in my congregation? How do I know?

Hebrews 5:5-10

“Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him…” vss. 8-9

For pious Jews who became followers of Jesus after his resurrection it was natural to connect him with cherished temple practices, and many began to think of him in high priestly terms. The writer of Hebrews picks up on those themes and shows how it was that Jesus could be thought of as a high priest. In his words this happened by God’s appointment and not because of Jesus’ lineage or desire. In fact we are told that Jesus learned obedience through what he suffered–and in that process became the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, implying that believers should not be surprised by suffering. Of course we’d like the journey of faith to be different from that, maybe like on the moving walkways in a modern airport, a path that demands nothing of us but our presence. But that’s not how it is! And for us, as it was for Jesus, suffering is the great teacher. The good news is that through our suffering we gain wisdom and, by God’s grace, discover the new life that comes through obedience to the law of love. Somehow the pain of rejection, failure, and humiliation teaches us more than any of our successes, and is the road to ultimate perfection.

Thought for the Day: What have I learned in the school of hard knocks?

Psalm 51:6-12

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.” vs. 10

Some of us have sung this psalm in worship for as long as we can remember…and that’s a good thing! These ancient words pretty much articulate the rhythm of life in Christ for all of God’s people. Like our hands our hearts need daily cleansing to keep them free of disease and guilt buildup. One of the positive byproducts of this COVID year has been the emphasis on frequent and thorough hand-washing. Because of increased diligence and attention to such details, the cold and flu season has been pretty much sneeze free. The psalmist invites us to pay the same attention to our inner beings. Even though we are created in the image of God the germs of sin are all around…sometimes it seems they inhabit the air we breathe. Our senses are particularly vulnerable to their regular invasions and there can be massive infections in our core, something that can often put our hearts at risk. The accompanying guilt clogs up our loving and we become isolated from our families and friends. Sometimes we even wander away from faith and imagine ourselves as being alone in the universe. As dangerous as the sin cancer can be, the remedy is always at hand. The key is confession, an honest accounting of our corporate and individual sin, and a plea for cleansing. Such prayers are always answered. We are daily forgiven and a new Spirit is born in us–and love abounds.

Thought for the Day: When is a good time for daily confession?

Psalm 51:1-5

“Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment.” vs. 4

One of seven penitential psalms this prayer has often been attributed to David after his confrontation with the prophet Nathan, and the whole sorry Bathsheba affair. While its words are appropriate to such a setting, it’s unlikely that David was the author, and more likely that the psalm is intended for a congregational setting. It’s the sort of confession that might be used in any worship service focused on repentance. Indeed it’s particularly fitting in this Lenten season as we take time to meditate on our own sinful ways. We see in this verse a recognition that all sin is against God, and not just some unfortunate neighbor. To put it bluntly, our self-serving and sinful ways are an affront to the goodness and the love that are foundational for all of creation. And sin isn’t something we can pawn off on other people either. We’re all culpable! Just as all were created in the image of God, we all share in the brokenness of humanity. Sin is a corporate event and just because we’ve managed to avoid the really sickening stuff doesn’t mean we can avoid the blame. When we’ve got one finger pointed at others, there are three pointing back at us! When confession time comes, we’re all invited–and each of us has plenty to say!

Thought for the Day: If I went to confession today, what would I say?

Jeremiah 31:31-34

“But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” vs. 33

For hundreds of years Israel had prided itself on being a covenant people. God had chosen them out of all nations and had promised to be their God forever. It was a covenant rooted in the steadfast love of God and ratified by Moses on Mt. Sinai. There had only been one problem. The people of Israel seemed incapable of keeping their part of the deal–they persistently violated the covenant terms through their reckless and sinful living. Jeremiah knew this and had railed against the disobedience through his entire ministry. But he never lost hope–it isn’t that he thought the people would suddenly come to their senses and start living in a new way. Rather, his hope rested on the steadfast love of God. He believed that God would establish a new covenant, one rooted in grace and in heart-changing forgiveness, and people would be transformed.. He didn’t lay out a time-table, but there has certainly been a move in that direction. More and more faithful people are living according to that new covenant, the one ratified by Jesus at the Passover meal, and Jeremiah’s vision is coming to pass. Our challenge is to hang on to Jeremiah’s hope, and celebrate the steadfast life-changing love of God.

Thought for the Day: Where do I see signs of hope in the world?

John 3:18-21

“And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.” vs. 19

We don’t like to talk about judgment, and some have pretty much eliminated the word from their religious vocabulary. They prefer to believe that since God is good and abounding in steadfast love, there’s no room for judgment. That would be news to the gospel writer! From his perspective there was plenty of judgment in the world and it comes because people love darkness rather than light–and we pretty much have to agree. Wherever we look in our world we see large numbers of people turning their backs on goodness in favor of nasty, crude, hurtful, racist, sexist, and just-plain-mean behaviors. And millions, via social media and the internet, are gobbling this garbage up! And it isn’t that we don’t have options! We could, if we chose, embrace the light and spend our lives loving the unlovable and building people up. The light is close–it dwells within each of us. But too many keep it bottled up! Like John says, they love the darkness. It provides a cover for their own contemptible actions. Is there judgment for that kind of behavior? Of course! But it comes not from our good and loving God, but as a consequence of our narrow and vengeful thinking. Thank God for those who have embraced goodness as a way of life! It’s because of the billions of such folks that this world continues to be a joy and a delight to live in.

Thought for the Day: What’s appealing about living in darkness?

John 3:14-17

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” vs. 16

In Psalm 107 the psalmist wrote that because of the Lord’s steadfast love, he sent out his word and healed those who were suffering because of their sins. John picks up that theme in his gospel and identities Jesus with God’s creative and redemptive word. In both instances the word is connected to God’s steadfast love but John goes further and says that Jesus is the enfleshment of that divine love. Hidden in that familiar phrase is an important truth: love in its most potent form is always incarnate. We do a lot of talk about loving one another, and we say “I love you” a lot, but our best experiences of love don’t involve speech at all. That’s why hugs and kisses are so potent–that’s why acts of generosity and kindness can move us to tears. It’s often said that God is best defined not as a noun but as a verb–the same thing is true of love. Love isn’t a thing or a person, love is a force or an energy that flows into every part of our being. We can even go so far as to say that the essence of God is love and that it endures forever. It was present in Jesus and through him brought healing to sin-sick people, and it’s still doing that today!

Thought for the Day: When has love brought healing to me?

Ephesians 2:4-10

“For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.” vs. 10

We can spend a lot of pointless time wondering about stuff as we live and work in this world. Some think there is great gain in debating the fine points of theology and learning how to articulate our creeds in ever more complex ways. A few are so skillful in such articulations that scarcely anyone can grasp just what it is that they are talking about. The writer to the Ephesians says that by the grace of God we have been set free from such nonsense–the new life in Christ isn’t nearly so complicated as we make it out to be, and we don’t need to be anyone other than who we already are! God has created us in Christ, and we have been raised up in Christ, for a way of life designed to be decorated with good works in every situation and in every circumstance. It’s not that those good works are going to save us or give us choice real estate in the afterlife, that too is nonsense, but we adorn ourselves with goodness because we are saved, because we’ve been bathed in the grace of God. So when we get up in the morning and wonder what it is we are supposed to be doing, there’s no mystery. Every person we encounter is to receive all the love and joy we can muster, with no exceptions. 

Thought for the Day: Why is doing good works such a challenge some days?