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?

Ephesians 2:1-3

“All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else.” vs. 3

When the writer of Ephesians penned this letter he made no distinction between himself and those he was addressing. All were in the same boat, all were following the desires of their flesh and senses, and they were dead to the riches God had for them. Now that may seem like a harsh thing to say, but in actuality, that’s not a bad place to start. Jesus himself says that losing one’s life is the first step in discovering new life. In order for the Christ that is in us to take root and flourish something has to die. That’s how a seed grows–the old hull rots away and the fresh shoots spring forth. The problem is that some never recognize how rotten and misdirected their lives are. They don’t even know that they’re wasting the riches of God’s goodness on shallow trivialities that masquerade as accomplishment in the world. What will wake people up? Paul got a visit from the Risen Christ–and sometimes we do too. No one can tell what life event will be the death of us and the signal that we’ve reached wit’s end. Everyone one’s bottom is different–and some go skating along on thin ice for a lifetime. But for those who do wake up, the results are astounding, and we wonder why it took us so long to smell the roses of grace, joy, love, and life.

Thought for the Day: When was my “bottoming out”?

Psalm 107:17-22

“Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress;” vs. 19

Again and again in the psalms and other portions of scripture we read about how God reaches out to those who are in distress or any kind of trouble and offers them healing and restoration. This psalmist has in mind the occasion in the wilderness when the Hebrews were being tormented by poisonous serpents and God provided for them. It was a familiar story–and was remembered whenever the people found themselves in a tight spot. We like stories like this too–but sometimes this isn’t how it is in life–and we know it! Many have found themselves crying out to the Lord in time of trouble–and nothing happens. Things can even get worse! So what shall we do then? Shall we give up on God? There are some who do–and we can’t really blame them. But what other recourse do we have in our misery? Sometimes there’s nothing else to do but keep on crying out to the Lord–even when we get no response. And that’s what people of faith do! Right up until the gates of death we keep calling out to God for help, and if we feel forsaken, well, that’s how Jesus felt too. And one day, it may be that the word of healing that has gone out from God will come to us, and we too will hear and be restored. And that will be one glorious day! May it not be delayed!

Thought for the Day: Why do some folks miss out on healing?

Psalm 107:1-3

“O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.” vs. 1

Stories are often told, hopefully in jest, of crusty old husbands who are reluctant to use the language of love with their spouses because, “I said I loved her once and if I ever change my mind I’ll let her know.” In truth, such foolishness has no place in a marriage. An “I love you” never loses its power through frequent use; in fact, regular usage strengthens marriage bonds–the words never grow old! That’s why the psalmists never tired of celebrating the steadfast love of God. Again and again we hear them exhorting the faithful to give thanks to the Lord and to celebrate God’s goodness. They knew that fragile human egos need constant reassurance and that there is comfort in knowing that we were created in love, and will be sustained by the never-failing love of our Creator. Even when precious relationships disintegrate, when divorce and break-ups are commonplace, God’s love continues. There are enough disappointments in human relationships, we certainly don’t need to worry about falling into disfavor with God. As Paul tells us, there is nothing in all creation, not even death itself, that can separate us from the boundless love of our God. That doesn’t mean we can simply ignore God or imagine that what we do makes no difference. As any person in a relationship can testify, our actions are crucial to its intimacy. Deeds are important, but with God, the context is always unconditional love.

Thought for the Day: How often do I need to hear words of love? 

Numbers 21:4-9

“So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.” vs. 9

Given the general distaste for snakes that exists among humans, it can be surprising to learn that the symbol used to designate medical professionals is a serpent coiled around an upright rod or stake. It’s origin is traced by scholars to the rod of Asclepius, the staff associated with the Greek god popularly connected with medicine and healing. It’s somewhat surprising to learn that the Hebrews had a similar story that they connected with a wilderness incident involving Moses. The common element is the serpent. According to their recollections the bronze replica of a dreaded killer, by the grace of God, became the instrument of healing for people who had been snakebit. For centuries after, there’s evidence that the Hebrews continued to use the serpent on a pole as an object of cultic worship, though ultimately the practice was discontinued. For early Christians this story from Numbers was perfect for understanding what had happened with the death of Jesus on the cross. And after a few centuries the image of Jesus on the cross came to dominate church sanctuaries in every land. The message was unmistakable:The crucifix (Body of Christ on the cross) was balm for all our woes. In looking to him we are healed through the forgiveness of our sins.

Thought for the Day: What does a crucifix mean for me?

John 2:17-22

“After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.” vs. 22

John tells us that the disciples didn’t understand what was going on when he wreaked havoc in the temple–it was only much later, after his resurrection that his words made sense to them. That was probably the case with much of what Jesus said and did during his ministry. In fact, what we have in the gospels is not so much a “play-by-play” of Jesus’ words and deeds, as a compilation of his disciples’ memories, things that they remembered as the Risen Christ came to them some years later. Not only does this account for some of the differences in the gospel record, it’s a fair account of how the Spirit of God works in each of our lives. We don’t always know the significance of things as they are happening–it’s only at a later date that our memories kick in and give meaning to what our parents and teachers may have said. That’s certainly the way it is with faith. Sometimes it takes years to figure out what we’d seen and heard in the days of our youth. Bible stories that seemed childish when first told to us become in later years the foundation of our faith. The things we re-member, even when we get details mixed up, are what keep us on track in a constantly changing world.

Thought for the Day: What old memories have centered my faith?

John 2:12-17

“Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.” vs. 15

According to the gospel of John Jesus took his family and disciples to Jerusalem for the celebration of the Passover toward the beginning of his ministry. When he came to the temple for worship he was outraged. The whole outer courtyard had the atmosphere of a country fair. There were cattle and sheep for sale, and money-changers had their tables set up to serve the pilgrims seeking to change their Roman coins into image-free ones that could be used for the temple offering. Jesus considered the whole show to be a sacrilege and chased everyone out. It’s a reminder of how easy it is for the purity of worship to be subverted by the ways of the world. In our time, every congregation is a corporation and has business obligations to the state and its membership. Always there is a concern for proper accounting and for operating within budgetary limitations. But sometimes things get out of hand, and making money can become a congregation’s primary mission. Our purpose as the people of God in this world is not to stay in the black but to go with the gospel and spread the good news of God’s unconditional love and grace. When that mission is undermined, from Jesus’ perspective, we might as well shut the doors!

Thought for the Day: How can a congregation’s mission get side-tracked?