Philippians 4:1-7

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.” vss. 4-5

Sometimes we don’t always catch the little reminders that Paul gives us in his letters. Here he catches our attention with his exhortation to rejoice always, and his next words seem almost an afterthought. “Let your gentleness be known to everyone.” But it’s not an aside, this is probably one of Paul’s deepest desires for believers. It even made it into his list of nine special fruits of the Spirit that he sent to the Galatians. 

So what is this gentleness that Paul advises his readers to make known? First of all it’s not about passively accepting whatever others do or say. Gentle folks can in fact be remarkably assertive, but in a non-aggressive, non-threatening way. There is tenderness and kindness in their exchanges and we will always be able to see the love in their eyes. They will never use hurtful or demeaning language. They are indeed the salt of the earth!

Our culture has decided in recent years that gentleness is a threat to our way of life and leaders are promoting toughness as an alternative, a kind of hyper-masculinity. They say that gentleness is turning us into a nation of weaklings! This is a lie that deserves resistance. We are not called to be cruel, mean, or tough in our interactions. We are the gentle servants of the gentle Lord Jesus, and he has shown us a better way!

Thought for the Day: Why is toughness so appealing?

Psalm 23

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters;” vss. 1-2

While the scribes who gathered the psalms and placed them in various collections believed that this was a psalm of David, it was obviously written from the viewpoint of a sheep. And reading it from that perspective brings particular delight as we imagine ourselves being totally devoted to a shepherd we trust to not only bring us to green pastures and still waters, but to protect us in every time of danger. Of course a sheep would never imagine anticipating a banquet in the presence of their enemies with overflowing cups, but we can! In fact that’s one of the things we look forward to as we make our way through life. We’re accustomed to thinking of feasting in Paradise with our Lord, and Jesus regularly used the metaphor of a great banquet to which all people are ultimately invited. But the best news this psalm offers is the promise of goodness and mercy as our lifelong companions. We hear this psalm frequently in the course of our liturgical year, and that’s a good thing. There is no better good news than being assured regularly that the Lord is our Shepherd, and even the wandering sheep will be forever safe in his arms.  Early Christians celebrated this and one of them painted a picture of Jesus as a shepherd on the wall of the catacombs. He has a lamb across his shoulders and they’re heading home!

Thought for the Day: What would the life of a sheep be like?

Isaiah 25:6-9

“And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; he will swallow up death for ever.” vss. 7-8a

Often we think that our hope for the victory of life over death comes from our New Testament scriptures, i.e. the good news of resurrection found in the gospels and epistles. But actually we see that message of hope clearly stated in the teachings of Isaiah and hinted at in some of the psalms. What we find in Jesus’ resurrection and in the teachings of Paul are the stories that give our hope in the triumph of life substance.

The truth is that life has been a part of God’s blueprint from the beginning. Often when we look at the creation, the product of God’s handiwork, all we see is death, the ultimate end of all living things. But that’s only half the message that comes from the natural world. We could just as well look at creation and marvel at the triumph of life, and marvel that every single winter since time began has been followed by spring and glorious resurrection.

Of course that doesn’t take away the sting of death completely. We do feel sadness when it comes near. We miss the beauty of our loved one’s life and tears come quickly as we remember them. What a blessing it is to wipe our tears away and trust in the good news of resurrection! In the presence of death we choose to celebrate life!

Thought for the Day: What will my celebration of life be like?

Isaiah 25:1-5

“For you have been a refuge to the poor, a refuge to the needy in their distress, a shelter from the rainstorm and a shade from the heat.” vs. 4

Isaiah became a prophet through a call that he had received in the course of a remarkable temple vision. It had been a shocking experience and he said “yes” to the Lord before they had become acquainted. But as the years passed and their relationship deepened, Isaiah came to know the Lord in a new and wonderful way. And what he discovered was that the Lord had a deep and abiding concern for people on the margins.

This psalm reflects that understanding of God as being good and gracious. Through all that has happened in the tumultuous history of Israel God had always been a refuge to the needy and a shelter for the poor in every time of distress. 

Isaiah’s words remind us that God has those same concerns in our world where the poor and the distressed have come to be seen as expendable. Our leaders talk of “collateral damage” in the context of military operations and don’t seem to care about “unintended consequences.” But we who are the hands and feet of God in every area of famine and conflict will do all we can to bring care and relief to those who are suffering. God hasn’t changed through the centuries. Humans are still violent and cruel, but God remains merciful and kind, and always has a heart for the poor.

Thought for the Day: If God takes care of the poor, why are they doing so poorly?

Matthew 21:42-46

“Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom.” vs. 43

After generations of dominating the cultural and religious life of the Jewish people the chief priests and scribes had become accustomed to their positions of power and authority. Few had dared to challenge them, and the Roman governor, whose only concern was stability, had become their unlikely ally.

But Jesus wasn’t afraid of them, and in this parable told them that their time was up. They had been unfruitful stewards and would be replaced by new caretakers, people who weren’t interested in power or riches, but who would unleash the power of the Spirit in the lives of the poor and the lowly. It wasn’t a message that they were happy to hear, and they began to look for ways to eliminate the Messenger. 

As time passed, the Kingdom of God did pass into the hands of people who produced the fruit of the Kingdom, but because those people continued to be both good and broken, as the centuries passed, the same issues continued to undermine its mission. Religious leaders relished their positions of power and again used law and coercion to regulate behavior and protect the Church. So again and again Spirit-filled leaders have been raised up to speak the Truth to bishops, priests, and pastors and restore the fruitful Kingdom of Peace. Praise God for the faithful witnesses of every generation!

Thought for the Day: What are the fruits of the Kingdom?

Matthew 21:33-41

“They said to him, ‘He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.’”

It’s the last week of his ministry and Jesus has the full attention of the religious leaders. He’s totally disrupted the business of the temple and as the angry elders and priests crowd around he uses the familiar language of the vineyard metaphor to pull them into another parable.  He uses a slightly different twist and ends by describing the wretched behavior of the landlord’s tenants. Not quite knowing where Jesus is going with the story they answer his question with the right answer. They still haven’t figured out that Jesus regards them as the wicked tenants. 

It seems strange to see Jesus baiting his opponents in this fashion. After all he began his ministry by telling the crowds that they should love their enemies and not resist those who treat them poorly. Evidently Jesus wasn’t the pushover that some folks make him out to be. He loved the temple and it crushed his spirit to see the travesty that its caretakers had made of it. They were plunderers and thieves and he believed that their malfeasance should be exposed.

Sometimes that’s exactly what people of faith are called to do. Where we see injustice we have an obligation to speak out, and sometimes make a fuss. Often that’s the only way we can get the powerful and the arrogant to account for their sins!

Thought for the Day: What keeps me from standing up to bullies?

Philippians 3:8-14

“Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on towards the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.” vss. 13-14

Paul knew that no matter how much he had accomplished, he wasn’t yet what he one day would be. It wasn’t that he lacked perfection and somehow had to clean up his act. He had already renounced his past reliance on the Law and had laid claim to the new righteousness that comes from God and that is based on faith. And now one thing remained, to know the resurrected life in all of its glory.

Those who have put their faith in Christ and who walk in the Way of faith righteousness know that their past does not define their future. It’s tempting to put a lot of trust in the things that we have done and even believe that our best days are in the past. If that’s been our mindset we can easily fall into despair with the passage of time. When we lose our youthful vigor and start losing distance with our drivers, sadness can creep into daily living. We may even wonder if there is any point in going on!

What a blessing it is when we, like Paul, can forget what lies behind and strain forward to what lies ahead! By faith in Christ we know that the best is yet to come!

Thought for the Day: How close am I to the goal line?

Philippians 3:4b-11

“Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ.” vs. 7

Paul had impressive credentials. Not only was he a proud member of the tribe of Benjamin, he had the best education possible for an up and coming religious leader. He was a member of the Pharisees, the strictest branch of Judaism, and he’d made a name for himself by hunting down and terrorizing Christians. His zeal was unmatched! 

But a chance encounter with the Risen Christ on the road to Damascus changed all of that, and now he regarded all those things of which he had been so proud as loss. Nothing else was important now that he had come to know Christ. His past now counted as nothing. His righteousness came from faith in Christ, a precious gift that was not based on his obedience.

Paul’s testimony describes what countless believers have found to be true. No matter what our background or level of education, the most important possession that we have is our faith in Christ Jesus. Because of our faith we are not dependent on our accomplishments or achievements for serenity or salvation. What we have done really doesn’t make that much difference in the long run. Neither our debits or our credits count for anything. Everything depends on the steadfast love of God that is ours by grace, and that has become real for us through our faith in Christ.

Thought for the Day: What have I been most proud of in my life? How does it feel to regard that as nothing?

Psalm 80:12-15

“Why then have you broken down its walls, so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit? The boar from the forest ravages it, and all that move in the field feed on it.” vss. 12-13

After  Martin Luther had published the 95 Theses in Wittenberg in October of 1517, a firestorm erupted all across Europe. There were scholarly debates and conferences as various scholars weighed in and attempted to refute Luther’s teachings. Rome was aware of what he was doing but delayed responding. Luther took advantage of the lull to print and publish even more treatises that undermined the teachings of the Church and the primacy of the pope. Finally, the pope gathered his finest scholars and they composed a bull of excommunication in June of 1520. The bull was entitled Exsurge Domine and began with these words, “Arise, O Lord, and judge thy cause. A wild boar has invaded your vineyard.” It’s a quote from Psalm 80. 

The papacy had used the image of the vineyard to describe the Church, and sincerely believed that Luther, unless he was checked, would wreak devastation upon what God had so carefully crafted. In the years that followed the scholars and cardinals used every scripture they could find to refute Luther’s teachings, but ultimately the Church was divided.

And now, 506 years later, some of the divisions have been healed, but still others have emerged. But we can be confident in one thing! The Church will never be destroyed! Because it is more than a vineyard, it’s the Body of Christ!

Thought for the Day: What are some current divisions in the Church?

Psalm 80:7-11

“You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it.You cleared the ground for it; it took deep root and filled the land.” vss. 8-9 

The psalmist seems to be aware of the vineyard  parable used by the prophets to describe the chosen people and doesn’t hesitate to use that same imagery in his prayer for the restoration of Israel. It is a powerful metaphor. Grapevines covered the slopes of the mountains in Judea and farmers had become skilled at coaxing the grapes to grow and produce vast quantities of wine. 

It’s not a stretch to compare the natural production of a carefully tended vineyard to the nation of Israel itself. Once the Hebrews had moved into Canaan and taken over its cities, the people had prospered and had spread throughout the land. But then Israel had lost its way. Wracked by rebellion and idolatry the once proud country had been ravaged by foreign armies and its people taken captive. 

The psalmist now prays for restoration. He doesn’t understand why this has happened. There is no confession of wrong-doing, only a fervent plea that the Lord would act and that prosperity would return. We’re good at those kinds of prayers! When we’ve enjoyed good times and everything has gone haywire our first impulse is to ask God to bring back the good old days. We’ve heard those laments regularly in recent years. We’re not so good at looking for causes for failure, but we’ve become experts at asking God to fix things!

Thought for the Day: What do we imagine that the “good old days” were like?