2 Peter 1:16-21

“For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty.” vs. 16

As Peter reflected on his life as a disciple he wanted people to know that he “hadn’t just made this stuff up,” when he’d shared the good news of the Lord Jesus. He’d actually been there on the mountain and seen the transfiguration, the great Epiphany, and after the resurrection of Jesus he’d traveled with the gospel all the way to Rome. Peter’s words are a good reminder for us as we deal with the myriad of new religions and philosophies that are now popping up all over the world. Some of them sound so good, and because they’ve been crafted with attention to the latest pseudoscience, they seem to bear a contemporary stamp of authenticity. But just because the perpetrators of this nonsense have their own beautifully choreographed podcasts and television shows doesn’t make their message true.

Authentic faith has its roots in the life and teachings of Jesus with no embellishments, and it always focuses on the cross and that world-changing message of sacrificial love and forgiveness. Jesus’ ministry began with the words of affirmation he’d received through the Spirit in his baptism. When Peter heard those same words on the mountaintop he never forgot them. And really that’s all we need to remember too! We are the beloved children of God, sent to love and serve in a broken world. Amen!

Thought for the Day: What one event has shaped my faith?

Psalm 2:7-11

 “I will tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to me, ‘You are my son; today I have begotten you.’” vs. 7

This psalm was likely used when a new king ascended the throne in Jerusalem and these words were an indication that from this day forward the king was to be regarded as the Son of God. Just like on the inauguration day of a president the gathered crowd would have cheered and offered thanks to God. This was a big deal. Israel was not a democracy and the lines of succession to the throne ran through the royal family. And because the kings were often a disappointment to the people, there were great hopes when a new king came to power. Perhaps this would be the ruler who would restore honor and dignity to the office. 

Of course that seldom happened. Corruption frequently eroded the values of the kings, and their lust for power and wealth usually spelled disaster, not only to the ruler, but to the nation. Part of the enthronement ceremony included strong words of warning–the king was urged to serve the Lord with fear, and with trembling to kiss his feet. 

The words, “You are my son” remind us of Jesus’ baptism but there is one major difference. Jesus didn’t hear a warning, he heard words of affirmation and love, and his kingdom of peace will last forever. How blessed we are to know that our futures will survive even the most corrupt politicians! And our king will always be righteous and just.

Thought for the Day: Why have kings and queens fallen out of favor?

Psalm 2:1-6

“The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together,   against the Lord and his anointed, saying, ‘Let us burst their bonds asunder,
and cast their cords from us.’” vss. 2-3

The rulers of every age bristle at the notion that there are any controls for their behavior. And ordinary people, like the psalmist, are filled with wonder. How could anyone be so foolish as to believe that there are no consequences for their unwillingness to serve the Lord. Many are wondering about such things in our time. The leaders of the nations have enormous resources and power at their disposal. If their intentions were in line with the obvious love of God for the creation marvelous things could be done!

But instead the nations use their wealth and dominance to kill protesters by the thousands, decimate entire countries with non-stop bombing, throw their opponents into prisons where they are tortured and maimed, bomb hospitals and destroy aid stations, and allow hundreds of thousands of poor people to die slow and horrible deaths by starvation. And now we’re set to reembark on a race to increase the number of nuclear weapons. And millions of people sit idly by while our rulers scoff at God. We live in luxury while countless innocent people suffer and die.

It’s so frustrating! What’s happening is wrong, totally against the will of our loving Lord! But those who could change things remain caught in their lust for power and do nothing! 

Thought for the Day: What can ordinary people do in the face of blatant inhumanity?

Exodus 24:12-18

“The Lord said to Moses, ‘Come up to me on the mountain, and wait there; and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.’” vs. 12

For the Israelites Moses was the man! According to their tradition, he had not only led them out of the bondage of Egypt, but God had chosen him to give them the law and the commandments at Mt. Sinai. Through the centuries that simple wilderness law, often referred to as the Ten Words, expanded to include hundreds of precepts that were designed to cover every aspect of the Israelites’ life together. Though Moses hadn’t written it all, it was widely known as the Law of Moses, and was believed to contain all the instructions the people would need to lead a just and righteous lives. 

By the time of Jesus that Law was considered to include both the written law, the 613 commandments of the Torah, and the oral law or Talmud. Rabbis spent their entire lives studying the law and interpreting what it meant in every circumstance. For the Jew there was nothing more important than obedience to the Law. It was what separated the righteous from those who were sinners. Jesus too took the Law seriously and had no intention of undermining it in any way, but he also saw its inadequacies. It simply could not be the foundation of life together in his Peaceable Kingdom. Only the Spirit could bring grace and truth!

Thought for the Day: What’s the attraction of life under the Law?

Matthew 5:17-20

“For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” vs. 20

Even though Jesus was not a new Moses, Matthew wanted his readers to know that Jesus did care about righteousness. In fact, the words from Jesus that Matthew recounted demonstrate beyond any doubt that Jesus wanted his disciples to live lives that were beyond reproach. They wouldn’t just be exemplary keepers of the law like the scribes and Pharisees–they would go beyond what was required by commandments and precepts and behave totally by the law of love. How could this be possible? Well, the Holy Spirit would plant in their hearts a new righteousness, a total gift from God, and the shackles of the external rules would fall away. And as they were freed from the Law the fruits of the Spirit would abound and all that they said and did would show forth the Light of Christ. 

This isn’t an easy way to live and through the years followers of Jesus have struggled to understand how they could be righteous without following the Law. It’s so much easier just to adopt standards of morality and behavior and then require a whole community of faith to live that way. And that’s what many have done! The resulting codes of conduct have been rigidly enforced, and countless Christians have grown up in an atmosphere of judgment and repression and not grace, truth, and freedom. 

Thought for the Day: What ethical codes have I had to unlearn?

Matthew 5:13-16

“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.” vss. 14-15

Jesus had not come to bring a new law. Rather he had come to call disciples and to bless them with grace and truth. They would be the heralds of the kingdom of peace that he had come to establish. He called them the light of the world! And through the years millions have joined this great company of believers and they have transformed this broken world. 

And now we are their successors, called not because of our good looks or perfect obedience, but through the incredible grace and power of the Holy Spirit. And now we too are the light of the world, and through us marvelous things are happening–as long as our light is not hidden, but proudly displayed so that it can be seen by all. It’s not that we’re called to toot our own horns–Jesus has a rather low opinion of showboating. But when our spiritual batteries are fully charged the light of Christ will be seen naturally in all we say and do.

The trick is keeping those batteries connected to the power source through prayer, worship, and meditation. It’s the only way to keep darkness at bay in these confusing and dangerous times.

Thought for the Day: How do I know when my batteries are wearing down?

1 Corinthians 2:6-12

“But we speak God’s wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory.” vs. 7

Paul didn’t depend on his good looks and charm as he preached among the Corinthians, which is fortunate because he seems to have lacked both. And he didn’t regurgitate popular cultural religious teachings, and he certainly didn’t have a political agenda. Paul says that he spoke God’s secret and hidden wisdom, truths that had been present from the beginning. And where did he discover this wisdom? He says that it came into his understanding through the Spirit of God and the mind of the crucified Christ.

Paul is referring here to what we might call universal truths, those concepts that have defined human community among all people for all time. They aren’t laws or commandments, and they aren’t the sole possession of any particular religious group or denomination. They’ve often been subverted by human efforts to control or dominate, but periodically prophets, speaking by the Spirit, have called them to mind. Paul doesn’t enumerate them as we might be tempted to do, but they certainly undergird his teachings. And chief among them is his insistence on the importance of a unified community, where suffering people can fully experience the love of Christ.

As we live in community as saints and sinners we come to know God intimately and soon discover that there is no great gain than to experience unconditional love through sacrificial service.

Thought for the Day: What are some of the universal truths?

1 Corinthians 2:1-5

“When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” vss. 1-2

Because it’s obvious that loving and caring actions are necessary, believers sometimes use a familiar quote in describing evangelism, “Preach the gospel at all times, and if necessary use words.” There’s a lot of truth in that statement and it almost sounds like what Paul did when he came to Corinth. Of course that wasn’t what he meant in his letter. He used many words during his ministry there, preaching regularly in their synagogue and in the public square. But he never tried to explain God to them, that’s a mystery that’s beyond human wisdom. But he spoke regularly about Jesus Christ and his crucifixion! He knew that this was the core of the good news, and he never deviated from that message.

We aren’t any different than the people of Corinth. While some among us might be looking for good news in the study of science or theology, or in some culturally generated new religion, the core of the gospel is still Jesus Christ and him crucified. That seems particularly hard for us to accept in this world where people are beginning to believe AI can unlock the secrets of the universe. The truth is that it can’t, and it’s pure deception to think it can replace God!

God remains a mystery! But Jesus Christ is alive and accessible to all!

Thought for the Day: How can I access Jesus?

Psalm 112:1-9

“They rise in the darkness as a light for the upright; they are gracious, merciful, and righteous. It is well with those who deal generously and lend, who conduct their affairs with justice.” vss. 4-5

Like Jesus the psalmist knew that there were good and decent people, and he describes them as gracious, merciful, righteous, generous, and just. He even says that they are a light for the upright, and that they will be blessed. We know such people too. They abound in our communities of faith, and we worship with them regularly. We are blessed by our encounters with them and we praise God that they are in our lives. Even though we know that they are both good and broken children of God, for some reason when we are in their presence we see only goodness. It could even be that this is also how we appear to them–and that is even a greater blessing.

 Sometimes we wonder how it can be that people can actually live this way. Are they simply masking their brokenness and keeping the ugly parts of their lives a secret from others? It could be. Humans are remarkably adept in the practice of deceit and hypocrisy. But it’s also true that many people just don’t have that much to hide. They are remarkably transparent, and what you see is the way they are. The roots of such honesty lie in their humility and connection to God. They know that in Christ there is nothing to hide–and so they don’t!

Thought for the Day: How deep is my goodness?

Isaiah 58:6-9a

“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?” vs.6

Since Lent is approaching quickly, some are likely beginning to consider fasting as a possible discipline for those days of reflection. And that would not be a bad choice! People of faith in every generation have chosen fasting as a mark of spiritual discipline, and its benefits are widely known. But the people of Israel had been using fasting as a pious cover-up while continuing to oppress the poor. Having called them on their hypocrisy, the prophet offers some suggestions for a fast that would actually be pleasing to the Lord. What he suggests might be considered a proactive fast, one that will mean freedom for the oppressed and release for those who live in bondage. He goes on to say that a proper fast will even mean feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and taking the homeless poor into our homes. 

Admittedly this is a different picture of fasting than we might typically have in mind. The prophet’s point is that true spirituality is not so much about what we do for ourselves, but what we do for others, particularly the needy and the oppressed of our world. He continues by saying, “Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly.” Perhaps this is what Jesus meant when he told us to let our light shine before others.

Thought for the Day: Why is it so hard to escape poverty?