Psalm 4:5-8

“There are many who say, ‘O that we might see some good! Let the light of your face shine on us, O Lord!’” vs. 6

Twenty-five hundred years ago there were people wandering around Jerusalem, shaking their heads in disgust at the constant stream of bad news that daily came their way. They longed for good news–and so do we! There are daily reports of political scandals, international tensions, and the continuing effects of the global COVID shutdown. Our congregations have slowly been opening up but nothing seems the same. It’s hard not to get depressed–unless we stop being fixated by the bad and the ugly, and turn our attention to the goodness and light that is always with us. We know that in Jesus the Christ conquered darkness and has continued to be present. Every day the Christ, who is the light of God’s face, shines on us and through us to bring goodness and joy into the most impossible situations. We know that’s true because we see it happening in and around our Christ-filled friends. We see it in their smiles and hugs, the sparkle in their eyes, and we are lifted up–and it becomes more contagious than the virus. Through the Risen Christ darkness has been defeated–and if we have eyes to see, the light will be unmistakable. It’s totally a matter of believing what we say, of making every day Easter!

Thought for the Day: How will I celebrate Easter today?

Psalm 4:1-4

“When you are disturbed, do not sin; ponder it on your beds, and be silent.” vs. 4

The psalmist is here advising his enemies to think twice about the harm they might intend to do to him. Rather than simply acting on their feelings and saying something they will regret, he says they should take to their beds, consider options and then be silent. This is timeless wisdom! Many of us are plagued by runaway tongues and end up in troublesome situations purely because of our big mouths. Of course it’s not necessarily a bad thing to say what we feel and venting is often a huge relief. It’s in the timing that we make our mistakes–and many times when ugly words or thoughts are churning around in our minds, going to bed would be the wisest choice. It’s not that we’ll be able to sleep it off! God only knows that when we’re upset resting isn’t even an option. But often, alone with our thoughts and lying in the dark, we can make better decisions about the proper path forward, especially if we’ve coupled our thinking with prayer. Often the Spirit will intercede with us and we’ll be led to words of reconciliation and not division, and maybe be encouraged simply to say nothing. That’s what Jesus did before Pilate and it could be the best option for us too. Often giving a kind smile works better than getting in the last word!

Thought for the Day: When has my mouth gotten me in trouble?

Acts 3:12-19

“And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer.” vss. 17-18

According to Luke’s account, after the healing of the crippled beggar, a crowd gathered around Peter and John in the temple precincts. Peter uses the opportunity to confront them with their complicity in the death of Jesus, in whose name the man had been healed. He ends by offering them understanding–he knows they had acted in ignorance and had actually been used by God as a part of a larger plan. This isn’t a new idea–our faith ancestors had figured out a long time before, that God could bring good out of evil. And it’s still a comfort to know that the ignorant and foolish things we do are not the end of the story. As we look back we are repelled by the way well-meaning people have acted. Sometimes followers of Jesus have held a multitude of racist and sexist prejudices and have led the way in the repression of others. Some of us picked up these attitudes as children and have been filled with shame as we’ve realized how the hurtful ignorance of church and society has infected us. While we can’t claim innocence for those attitudes and actions, it is good to know that nothing is beyond God’s redemption. As Paul wrote to the Romans, “All things work together for good to those who love God,” and that is our hope and consolation.

Thought for the Day: When has my ignorance been hurtful?

John 20:26-31

“But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.” vs. 31

We don’t really know who John was. Although there has been a ton of speculation about his identity he remains shrouded in mystery. But what we do know is his reason for writing the book that bears his name–he wanted his readers to know that Jesus is the Messiah or Christ. He was aware of other biographies of Jesus, maybe even some that aren’t included in our scriptures, and he was likely familiar with some of Paul’s letters. But he didn’t want to write just another account of Jesus’ life. He believed that in Jesus the Christ had been made flesh, so out of all the things he’d heard about Jesus he chose a series of signs and built them into a narrative that he hoped would convince others of the same thing. And what a gift he left for the church! He was successful far beyond what he could have possibly imagined. Many believe that his gospel is the best evangelism tool the church has ever had, and that through his words millions of people have come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah and have thereby received life in his name. What the other gospels hint at, he makes crystal clear. By the end of his gospel even doubters are being turned into believers–Jesus really is our Lord and our God!

Thought for the Day: Why is John’s gospel so popular?

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?